Running: First Week of Spring

[Aggie_Ama]

Or fall if you are in the southern hemisphere. ;)

I did an extremely hilly 8 miler, last long run before the half marathon. DH was pre-riding his race course for next weekend and the road around the course was the perfect run site. It is about a four mile loop with just hill after hill. I was shocked I was able to keep my breathing and heart rate in check. Shockingly I am not sore yet either, I did stretch really well. The only complaint was I was exposed to 20 mph winds on an exposed roads but at least I had lovely views of Lake Travis to distract me. :)

[Grog]

Just back to rainy ol' Vancouver after a week on the hot west coast of the Big Island.

I had two big runs to do while there: a 26 km and a 30 km, the latter being the longest I had ever run. I sprinkled a few shorter runs in between.

It went great! The 26 km was a pretty hilly one, roughly a round trip between Kailua-Kona and a point called The End of the World, for those familiar with the area. I was towards the end of my run when running down to the End of the World and getting really concerned that my world would indeed end there, as it was a steep downhill that would inevitably be followed by a steep uphill if I was to return home. On the way DOWN there was an automatic radar that flashed my speed back at me: 5 mph. Thankfully there was no radar on the way up.

The 30 km run was there loops around the resort area where we stayed then, a bit further north on the coast. I tried a new experiment, running for 2 km and then walking for 100 meters, 200 if I was eating a gel (every 8 km). It distracted me a bit (usually I run/walk based on time not distance). There was some wicked wind, which made it fun to look at my run's diagram on the Nike+ website afterward.

Now on to a rest week, and a much shorter long run next weekend, before starting to build up and up and up again! This is sort of fun.

[colby]

Another ~14 miles today. I was cruising along really nicely at ~9 minute mile averages until about mile 11 when my tummy said "whaaaaaat?" and I debated stopping at the rest stop to use the facilities but stupidly didn't. Anyway, the next mile was kind of uncomfortable, then I pretty much walked the last 2. That's fine, my stupid mistake for eating popcorn too close to my running time (the night before, we saw Alice in Wonderland) before my body could get rid of it all. I can tolerate that up to 8-10 miles at this pace, but when I get over 10 (or work harder), I have to be much more careful about what I eat the night before and that morning for breakfast. Bad, bad, Colby.

It was rainy and windy, but a nice run all things told. My calves are a little sore in the barefoot zone (achilles to calf) but the callous on my right foot isn't tender and no blistering between my big/2nd toes. The toes on my right foot were a little stiff when I finished, so I stretched across the top of my foot - I think I am wearing on them a little differently than they are used to being used.

Mile 4:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g287/colby-digital/15716_1101877763705_1729530826_1944.jpg

[kacie tri-ing]

Sore today :eek: really really sore :eek:

I hope that will fade away quickly, but I have a slow week for some good/solid recovery!

[limewave]

Well, I skipped my run on Friday to mountain bike.
Then I did an indoor bike race on Saturday.

So, Sunday I had to do my 7 mile run. I felt pretty good on the flats, but any time I hit a hill my legs felt like lead.

And then I went mountain biking again :) 60 miles on the mountain bike this week. 14 running.

[skhill]

Did about 3.5 miles this morning, averaged 8:50/mile-- great news for the next time I do a 5k (my 5kPR is about 33 min). Not so good for next weekend's half... I keep trying to run slow this past week, but the only time I managed to keep to a 9:45/mile pace was when I was downright sick and running a fever. Oh well. And I can't believe I'm griping about running too fast!

[OakLeaf]

24 miles. I can taste 26.2 from here. :) It was a perfect day for running.

I stopped once to refill my hydration pack and didn't pay too close attention to how much I added. When I got home I went for one last draw on the drinking tube... and it was empty. How's that for the perfect amount?

My stomach isn't upset, either. Must've been that falafel I ate an hour before I headed out. :cool: Go figure.

[WindingRoad]

Oh I hate that I got so behind running this past week/weekend! I did a short 4 miler yesterday in the rain (yuk!) going to work in some shorter more frequent runs this week to try and make up for an exhausting weekend. I worked 40 hours in 4 days all of which was on concrete so my legs are like led right now. Surprisingly yesterdays run didn't actually feel that bad aside from the cold and wet. HM is getting close gotta keep at it! :)

[katluvr]

wow, I have really be remiss on running and checking in here. New job, new schedule, still funky weather AND just fell off the running. I really need to kick start.
Oak...wow, you are there for your marathon mileage!
Colby...are you running completely barefoot? On what type of surface? (Maybe I should check out the barefoot running thread).

So I am trying hard to get motivated and back into a running routine. Maybe I just need a goal. Any suggestions?

K

[Grog]

My stomach isn't upset, either. Must've been that falafel I ate an hour before I headed out. :cool: Go figure.

Now you know what to eat on the morning of your race!!! :eek:

Great job with the prep! Are you going to run over 26.2 in training?

[Susan Otcenas]

I skipped my run on Friday. I got up to do it, but fainted about 5 minutes later. :eek: It's been a good 15 years since I've fainted, so it was a bit of a shock. (And I just barely missed crashing into a wooden desk. Jeff said I fell like a ton of bricks. Luckily, I landed on my yoga mat! ) So, I went back to bed instead. :o Didn't seem to have any bad after-effects. Took it easy the rest of the day and then 125 miles on Saturday with no issues. Weird.

So, yesterday was my first run in 5 days. Did 5 miles on the treadmill. Workout was 8 x 3:00 in zone 3+/4- with 2:00 RI (easy jog) between. It was a great workout and I was cooking right along at a pretty good clip. These speed workouts seem to be doing the trick as I'm able to hold higher paces for a little longer than I used to.

Tomorrow is a 9-miler.

[Susan Otcenas]

24 miles. I can taste 26.2 from here. :) It was a perfect day for running.

I stopped once to refill my hydration pack and didn't pay too close attention to how much I added. When I got home I went for one last draw on the drinking tube... and it was empty. How's that for the perfect amount?

My stomach isn't upset, either. Must've been that falafel I ate an hour before I headed out. :cool: Go figure.

Sounds like you had a perfect workout! That must be a big confidence builder.

I've read that many marathon plans don't have you run more than 20 miles prior to event day. Does your plan have alot of 20+ training runs?

[OakLeaf]

Are you going to run over 26.2 in training?

I've read that many marathon plans don't have you run more than 20 miles prior to event day. Does your plan have alot of 20+ training runs?

Magic 8-ball training plan says..... All signs point to YES. ;)

Seriously, I read recently that one of the strongest predictors of hitting "the wall" is not having done more than 20 in training. To me - knowing nothing but my own body - that seems kind of "no duh." Going out and trying to race 33% farther than I'd ever jogged just seems crazy to me.

I've got the time, what's the down-side? As long as I'm being careful about injury prevention, which I'm trying to be. Seven and a half weeks to race day gives me time to hit 26.2 in training a couple of times, anyway, before I start tapering.

Which speaking of injury prevention, I couldn't find my regular Stick yesterday so I pulled out my spiky stick, and when I was done with my legs, I started rolling my feet out. OMG. That was the missing link. I feel so much better!



Ack, Susan, fainted? Yikes! Do you have any idea why? That doesn't sound good. :(

[artifactos]

I'm new to running (and triathlons), and today was my farthest run yet: a 5k. In 29 minutes or so. :)

[colby]

Magic 8-ball training plan says..... All signs point to YES. ;)

Seriously, I read recently that one of the strongest predictors of hitting "the wall" is not having done more than 20 in training. To me - knowing nothing but my own body - that seems kind of "no duh." Going out and trying to race 33% farther than I'd ever jogged just seems crazy to me.

I've got the time, what's the down-side? As long as I'm being careful about injury prevention, which I'm trying to be. Seven and a half weeks to race day gives me time to hit 26.2 in training a couple of times, anyway, before I start tapering.

I think once you have done a couple of marathons you know what your body needs, but there is a HUGE mental victory of KNOWING you can make the distance. Even if the benefits are only psychological, positive thinking is HUGE during a long race.

For me, my longest long run needs to be about 22-24 miles for my brain to switch over. For my first couple of marathons, I did only do 20 miles, and that was okay, but I don't feel like I RACED the distance, I just WENT the distance. Which was okay with me then, but isn't now. :)

For Ironman, I do only run about 20 miles as my longest long run. It might be up to 21 or 22 with warm-up/cool-down miles considered. I guess in that case you know that racing is going to be entirely different than training, so it's a matter of building endurance to carry you, and running long enough that you're confident you can jog, walk, shuffle, or crawl the last 4 miles if it comes to it. ;)

RE: Running barefoot: I have been running in Five Fingers for about 5 weeks. The first week I did one run in them and wore them every day. The next couple of weeks I did every other run in them. Since then, I have done every run in them, including 2 runs of 14 miles. I have been listening to how my body recovers, and so far at this point my FiveFingers recovery time is the same as my body recovery time, but I do require extra stretching and attention to the ankles/calves (I have had to stretch my toes/top of my foot, too :p). The first few runs were pretty painful (in a muscle sore way), then as I adjust my running posture I find I am using muscles like my adductors and glutes differently so they get sore, too.

I run on some concrete sidewalks, but mostly asphalt multi-user paved trails. Long runs I avoid as much concrete as possible and finish on grass. The Ironman run course is almost exclusively on asphalt, so I try to stick to it, even if I am not going to run Ironman in the VFFs. :)

[WindingRoad]

I ran a little over 4.5 today and it felt like 8 :( I suspect my shoes are getting old so I bought a new pair this evening. I'm starting to get achilles issues again so I'm taking tomorrow off. Tough run day.

[Deborajen]

I did a 2-mile run/walk with my dog today. She's building up mileage on the run/walks. My usual plan is for the run/walk to be an "easy run" but the dog wants to go, go, GO! So the "run" sections end up being more like speedwork. We did walk the last 1/4 mile because she was worn out. It was warm today - in the 70's. I think that took it out of her since it hadn't been that warm yet this year. I haven't been building up the long runs on the weekends like I'd planned to, but I might end up with a new PR in the 2-mile thanks to the dog!

[hammertime]

6 miles on the dreadmill tonight... good run for me.

[WindingRoad]

Started doing ice massages on my achilles and it feels better today but I think I will be taking a couple of days off. The PT-BF says to do them 2 - 3X per day, I'm gearing up for the second one now. Bought new running shoes last night, can't wait to try em out! Alas that will have to wait for a little bit. :rolleyes:

[indigoiis]

4.3 hilly ones today for me. In the Brooks - I haven't worn the VFFs since the sprain.

[Susan Otcenas]

I think once you have done a couple of marathons you know what your body needs, but there is a HUGE mental victory of KNOWING you can make the distance. Even if the benefits are only psychological, positive thinking is HUGE during a long race.


I completely agree with this. I ran 13 miles twice in training before my half marathon. I really helped to KNOW that I was capable of it. It's the same reason I pre-ran the big hill on the Shamrock course. Knowing that I was perfectly capable of running a several-mile-long hill was a huge confidence builder.

[Susan Otcenas]

Got in 9.3 miles this morning. HR was a little high, but I'm fighting off a head cold. :( Trying to stay healthy, as I have a 10K race coming up this Sunday!

[limewave]

Just did 200 meter speed work.
I'm in pain.

[Aggie_Ama]

My longest run before my half marathon this weekend has been slightly over 12 miles. Last weekend I found the hilliest course I could and I felt amazing after 8 hilly miles. I am completely relaxed and excited about the run, I really think my training has been great. The bluebonnets are popping and the course should be gorgeous with wildflowers and central Texas' lost pines.

I have been running slow so I am conflicted on the pace group to get in. When I am hydrated and rested I think 10-10:30 is spot on (way down from my 8:30 days) but I don't want to push too hard. I haven't done much training at high intensity for long runs, we were told to keep the long runs at an easier pace. Actually I have never even used a pacer, so I am confused about how I will like that anyway.

I am craving fried food like a mad woman, I have been avoiding. I am not a chocolate girl, but fried food is my vice. 1 day and 20 hours to go!!

[skhill]

Today was my last "real" run before Sunday's half-- 6 miles, at a wind-slowed 9:25/mile. Friday I'm resting (but if the weather's nice, maybe a gentle bike ride) and Sat. is going to be a gentle 3 or 4 miles. I'm so excited!

My primary goal for the race is to finish. It should be under 2:15, barring some disaster; under 2:10 is a reasonable time to work towards; under 2:05 would be possible but unlikely. We'll see... My biggest worry is that I'll go out too fast, then run out of gas late in the race.

It's the first time for this half, and it sounds like some logistics problems are in the offing. They had way more folks register than expected, and finally had to cut it off at 2500 (that includes the 5k). Sounds like parking is going to be a major problem-- the organizers are asking everyone to carpool. Hopefully folks will keep a good sense of humor, while stuck in a pre-dawn traffic jam on a little country road...

[Jolt]

35-minute trail run today. It felt good (despite the fact that I have major cramps today). Tomorrow sounds like an icky day so it will probably be an indoor track run at the Y after work.

[OakLeaf]

Mile repeats x 3. I haven't been doing much speedwork lately and it shows. Ugh.

[Bike Chick]

Good luck on your HM's Aggie and SKHill. Give us a report afterward and I hope you get some good ole greasy fried chicken and french fries when you are done, Aggie.

It's been raining buckets all day. Did 5 very hot miles on the treadmill at the gym.

[colby]

My longest run before my half marathon this weekend has been slightly over 12 miles. Last weekend I found the hilliest course I could and I felt amazing after 8 hilly miles. I am completely relaxed and excited about the run, I really think my training has been great. The bluebonnets are popping and the course should be gorgeous with wildflowers and central Texas' lost pines.

I have been running slow so I am conflicted on the pace group to get in. When I am hydrated and rested I think 10-10:30 is spot on (way down from my 8:30 days) but I don't want to push too hard. I haven't done much training at high intensity for long runs, we were told to keep the long runs at an easier pace. Actually I have never even used a pacer, so I am confused about how I will like that anyway.

I am craving fried food like a mad woman, I have been avoiding. I am not a chocolate girl, but fried food is my vice. 1 day and 20 hours to go!!

I ran with a pacer this last marathon and I liked it more than I expected. It gave me something to hang on to as I ran. That said, I preferred to walk aid stations and the pace group did not, so I had to catch up after the aid station if I wanted to stick with it (or get slightly ahead and let the pace group catch me). They also ran a pretty consistent pace up and down hills, while I preferred to go faster downhill and slower uphill. So, I'd say to stick with it for a little while if you want to try it, but do not be afraid to let them go - it doesn't mean you won't hit your target time range, it just means you might hit it differently. It's not like there's a 10:13 pace group, OR you might hit your stride later in the race and catch back up/pass them. ;)

I missed my run on Wednesday due to travel, so I did both a bike and a run today. The bike was 6x60s intervals, and the run was 8x60s 8% hill repeats, so my glutes are crying a little bit. I did not run as fast as I usually do, but with the time change and eating on a weird schedule (not to mention the stupid treadmill) I just did whatever felt right. Surprisingly I didn't have heavy legs after biking, I just felt under-fueled. Good, because my brick workouts start soon!

Good luck this weekend to both of you racing! Looking forward to your reports.

[Crankin]

Having a bit of running withdrawal, but I've found a walking routine on the treadmill that works for me on days I don't ride. We've had 2-3 nasty rainy days in a row when even I won't walk outside.
Basically, I am doing 2-3 hill intervals, at a 4-6% grade at 4.2 mph, for 10-20 minutes, interspersed with flat walking. When the 10 or 20 minutes is over, I alternate with the 3 sets of functional weight training on the ball, from the cyclo-core program.
So, I get close to an hour, between warming up for 5-10, 3 sets of the weight/body work, and 2-3 sets of the hill walks. If I am short on time, I can cut out one or more parts. I'm noticing that this is keeping the weight off more than riding... just doing this 2 days a week.

[indigoiis]

Ran 5.2 last night, the 2nd section of the route for the Cox half marathon in May. It went down a shady, river front street where I passed several other runners but felt very vulnerable (at 5 at night, no less). As I came to a point under an overpass, some loser gawker gave me a long look and said something about my rear end. I won't be running that route alone again any time soon!

[Jolt]

My run today was on the YMCA indoor track since it was cold and icky out. The good part was that I could run barefoot (this isn't the Y that tossed me out of the gym for doing so last year).

[Aggie_Ama]

Less than 24 hours! I woke up this morning with a killer neck ache, turns out my job is too stressful. I have been running errands and now home for two hours and I am back to positively relaxed. :)

I have no time goal. I told our CFO (his son is newbie marathoner with 1:30 half) that whatever time I get will be my PR to beat. :p I am personally setting no expectations although I did tell my husband I am expecting around 2:30 just so he knows how long he might be watching.

Good luck SK! It is so cool someone else has been on the same path at the same time as me. My half marathon requires us to be bused to the site. Luckily I got a $30 hotel with my rewards points and get to be on the bus that is only about 3 miles away. Other runners have to park at the airport and have up to a 40 minute bus!

[OakLeaf]

Good luck tomorrow Amanda - good luck Sunday skhill! :D:D I know you two will rock.

[Bike Chick]

Had a PR on a Relay for Life 5k run this morning - 33.13. Not very fast for most of you gals but I beat my last 5k time by 3 minutes! I was grinning ear to ear when I crossed the finished line:D

[colby]

Had a PR on a Relay for Life 5k run this morning - 33.13. Not very fast for most of you gals but I beat my last 5k time by 3 minutes! I was grinning ear to ear when I crossed the finished line:D

Nice! 3 minutes on a 5k, no matter how fast or slow you are, is huge! :D

Big race weekend this weekend - I guess you can tell spring has sprung. ;) (Though it's 33 degrees here in Boston, brrrrr!)

[kacie tri-ing]

Had a PR on a Relay for Life 5k run this morning - 33.13. Not very fast for most of you gals but I beat my last 5k time by 3 minutes! I was grinning ear to ear when I crossed the finished line:D

Way to go! That is an awesome PR!

[OakLeaf]

Yay Bike Chick! Colby is right, three minutes is ENORMOUS plus it's almost 10%!

Intervals today, 9 x 1 minute, then I did another mile or so finally calibrating my footpod via the GPS, since it didn't seem like I was ever going to get around to calibrating it on a track. It wound up with a factor of 887 (default 1000) which I guess means I've got a pretty short stride... which I guess is not bad? :confused: Mainly I wanted it for cadence anyway, although as soon as I got it (birthday present) I learned that my cadence is very, very consistent between 89-92 spm and I don't really need it anyway. :rolleyes:

[Bike Chick]

Thanks so much ladies. There is a speed walker that competes in all the local 5k's. He has passed me in my last two races (so demoralizing) and was catching me today and I was determined that he wasn't passing me again. When he would get close, I'd pick up the pace and pull ahead and then I'd slow down and there he would be again. His pushing me is what kept me from slowing down. When I could see the clock at the finish line and realized how much time I'd shaved off, I was so happy. I guess I should've thanked him after the race.

[roadie gal]

It was finally nice out again yesterday. I went out for a 6 mile run on the only flat road around here, which also doubles as the informal dog park. So I not only got to run, I also got to pat a few dogs along the way. :) And I surprised myself by doing it in 55 minutes. I'm very happy with that.

[indigoiis]

Why is it that nine miles on dirt road and trail is soooo much easier, hills and all, than 9 on asphalt? Did nine today and it felt like five.

[Jolt]

40-minute Midstate Trail run today. Not my best, since I seem to have a bit of a cold (or is it allergies?).

[limewave]

Why is it that nine miles on dirt road and trail is soooo much easier, hills and all, than 9 on asphalt? Did nine today and it felt like five.

Ha, ha. I was just thinking the opposite. I just finished 9 ugly miles on single-track. So glad that's over with.

[Grog]

Went on a 16 km run today, my long run capping the rest week that just finished. It wasn't bad. I ran an unusual route, which kept me distracted.

Next week I'll be running twice that!!

[hammertime]

5 miles at the gym... Friday I ran 6...so I did good this weekend.

turned out to be a pretty nice day today... should have run outside, but whatever...

hoping the weather gets nice soon so I can ride my bike!!:D

[jp4995]

I ran 2 miles today- the second time I've made it 2 miles nonstop since I started running (again) 4 weeks ago! I beat my previous 2 mile by 45 seconds too (24:00 even today!).