Black Ice Run of Death

Today was supposed to be a tempo run, and I was excited about getting to run in the morning instead of after school.  I was going to run 4 miles at 8:00 plus a mile warm-up and cool-down.  It was going to be great.  I was going to run where I ran Tuesday, knowing therefore that the path wasn't that snowy or icy.  I had it all planned out...

... except for the fact that at 9:00 am, the temperature is below freezing and has been all night, turning Tuesday's lovely, runable slush into ice, including hard-to-see black ice.  How did I find the black ice if it's so hard to see?  The hard way, I tell you.  The hard way.

My lovely tempo run turned into 2.25 miles run with almost constant fear of falling.  I would have stopped earlier, but it's a loop in the park.  Once I figured out that it wasn't getting any better, I was too far in.  I slipped and cussed my way through the run and promptly went home to stretch with my yoga partner.  He's very helpful.

Week 3 Recap, Christmas in VA, and New Shoes

At the Smithsonian

Christmas was so much fun this year!  We went to Virginia, where my parents live.  My grandmother and my uncle came as well.  We went to museums, we ate a lot, and James is finally old enough to understand unwrapping presents and pulling stuff out of stockings.  He even had a walk-on role in the Christmas Pageant at church.  He was a cat.  It was adorable.

James getting things out of his stocking.

Note the goldfish and yogurt bits- my mom

is a very smart lady and knew he would

love whatever kind of food he found.

We complimented these tongs the day before.

Good thing, since my parents had already gotten

us a pair!  (My shirt says RMAO)

I was without my trusty laptop while we were in Alexandria, so I didn't remember what my goals were for the week.  This means that I thought I did a lot worse than I actually did.  Yes, I missed two runs, but it was a big week and family is more important than a run.  Upon our return I discovered that I'd done a pretty good job.  My parents have a treadmill, so Sunday I ran on theirs rather than brave the blustery wind.  I've read about them but never tried one, but I knew it had to do with increasingly long intervals with rest.  Here is what my ladder looked like:

5 min @ 7.0
5 min @ 7.5
1 min @ 8.0
1 min @ 7.5
2 min @ 8.0
1 min @ 7.5
3 min @ 8.0
1 min @ 7.5
4 min @ 8.0
1 min @ 7.5
5 min @ 8.0
5 min @ 7.0

So, I don't know if that's what you call a ladder, but it was fun.  Next time I will go up and down.  I will also take the speed up a lot because it was pretty easy.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Totals
What I planned…	4	3-5 with intervals	rest	4	4	rest	4	19-21
What happened…	nada	3.5 with 4 x 800 intervals @ 7:00		zilch	4.5 miles		4.5 (treadmill workout with ladders)	12.5

So that's what happened.  Considering the holidays, it was okay.  I also got a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and they are stupendous!  I don't plan to run in them (much) before the marathon, but after that I will incorporate more barefoot running into my routine.  I wanted them because I have pretty bad feet and I know they'll help with my issues.

The Resolution Run is Saturday and I am so unprepared.  I'm pretty good at running long, but it takes some work for me to run fast.  I hope I can get under 22:00, but I won't be surprised if I fall a little short.  

Week 2 Recap

Winter arrived early in North Carolina this year.  We missed two days of school; Thursday we couldn't even get out of the driveway!  I really wanted to go out with the running group that night, but it just wasn't meant to be.  Since we don't have a treadmill at home, my winter weather wimp workout (4W) is our elliptical.  The miles don't feel the same, of course, but it's a lot better than nothing.

Thankfully, I was able to treadmill it up Friday.  I did my tempo run in the morning, followed by lots of stretching and my feeble attempt at pull-ups.  I do not think I will ever be able to do one.  Oh well.

Today's long run was surprisingly good.  I put it off until the afternoon to let the temperature rise above freezing, but it didn't seem to help.  I ran fast and got faster by the end.  The average pace over 12 miles was 8:23- this is exactly the pace I have to run to qualify for Boston!  Holy cow!  The cold certainly motivated me to run quickly.  My legs are rather sore, but I will survive.

The next few weeks should afford ample opportunities for runs, but they may not be very long.  We leave Thursday morning for Northern Virginia to see family for Christmas.  My parents live in a great area for running, but it's hard to put down the food long enough to run.  I love Christmas.  I've signed up for the Resolution Run 5k for New Year's Day, and I'm still planning to run a sub-22:00.  My last mile today was around 7:45, and if I can run that after running 11 other miles, I should be able to make my goal if I stay consistent.

The Plan

• Mon- 3 miles
• Tues- 3-5 miles w/intervals
• Wed- rest
• Thur- 3-5 mile tempo
• Fri- rest
• Sat- 12 miles
• Sun- 4 miles easy

What Really Happened

• Mon- 3-mile treadmill hills
• Tues- 5.5-mile elliptical (it was 24 degrees with a wind chill of 14!)
• Wed- rest (I really should have run instead of resting.  I knew the snow and ice was coming...)
• Thur- 5.5-mile elliptical (stupid wintry mix)
• Fri- 5-mile tempo run (.5 warm-up, 3 miles @ 8:13, 1 mile @ 8:00, .5 cool-down)
• Sat- 12-mile long run
• Sun- All signs point to a 3-4 mile slow run with the dogs

Dear Cold Weather,

I'm usually a fan of your work. In the summer, when your buddy hot weather takes over, I have a hard time running, a hard time enjoying life outside. I get sunburns and look inappropriately sweaty. Then you step in and cool things down. I especially like it when the temperature hovers around freezing in the morning and sneaks up to around fifty by mid-afternoon. It's cold enough for sweaters and closed-toed shoes, but a girl can run without risking frostbite. By the way, that's the normal temperature for this time of year.

So what's going on with this new plan? Last week you stayed in the teens for several nights and didn't make it past freezing during the day. It forced some of my runs inside, which I did not appreciate. This week seems to be the same, with the addition of a wintry mix just in time for exams tomorrow, not to mention a scheduled tempo run. Monday's run happened on the treadmill, yesterday's track workout fizzled when I discovered that the wind chill temperature was FOURTEEN at 6:00.

Sorry to be so whiny, but I don't want to run on a treadmill, especially during one of those rare weeks when I have the time to run outside when the sun is out. Please adjust your highs and lows accordingly. I'm not asking for anything other than the average for this time of year. Come on.

To recap: It's too cold and I don't like wintry mix. Please change your plans.

Love,
M

My Running Group is Too Fast (and I like it)

Today was my first long run since Baltimore.  I wanted to run 12 today, but my running club intervened.  You see, I run with fast people.  They are so friendly and welcoming, but they are faster than I am.  Before the baby, I would run with them two to three times a week: Tuesday track, Thursday tempo, maybe a long run on the weekends.  Post-baby, I run with them when I get the chance.  They make me laugh and I forget that they are going faster than I can muster until I've gone five miles and know I can't do seven more.  That's what happened today, at least.  It's not a big deal; I ran pretty fast, and I'm not going beat myself up about the first time I've run more than six miles since October 16.  I averaged 8:30 pace and the only sore part of me at the end was my core.  I guess I need to start doing more yoga again before the really long runs come back.

I did one rather stupid thing that I will not repeat until the temperature rises above freezing.  I was wearing my cute new Girls on the Run technical shirt today under my warm and comfy pullover.  At the four-mile water stop, I was toasty so I took off my hat AND my long-sleeve shirt.  I literally could not feel my arms until I passed back by the water stop around mile 7.  I'm not a wimp, but I am apparently a little stupid.

I mentioned these people are funny, but that doesn't begin to express the silliness and wonderfulness of the group. They tell jokes, make fun of one another, and support each other at the same time.  It's great.  I like that it's a mix of guys and gals, single and married, kids and no kids, young and otherwise.  I like that we all want to get faster.  I am so thankful that at least some of my workouts are with them.  During Christmas Break I'll try to run with them as often as possible and maybe even keep up with them for a whole workout.

The Plan

Tomorrow marks 16 weeks out from the National Marathon, so I had better get started on a plan.  Last time I trained, I set monthly mileage goals and long run goals.  I was definitely prepared, but I often had way too many miles left until the last week of any given month. I also relied a lot on my elliptical instead of on actual running. This time I'm being a little more rigid in my plans.  As a teacher, I know my schedule pretty well by this point in the year.  I have meetings after school on Wednesdays so that's a rest day.  I tutor before school and during lunch, and I try to get things graded during my planning period.  I know that Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday I can run before the rest of my family gets home, so it's a guilt-free run.  Lest time around, I felt like most of my running was the long runs, so this time I want to have a lot of chances to run at an easy pace for not too long.  That will make the long runs easier, too, since I'll be better prepared.  At least once while training for Baltimore, my only run for the week was my long run.  Oops...

So here's the plan: Mondays are easy, Tuesdays are intervals.  Thursdays are tempo, and Saturday or Sunday is long.  On weeks where Saturday is long, Sunday will be a recovery run (hopefully with dogs!).  On weeks with a Sunday long run, I'll go for an easy run Friday afternoon.

There will be weeks when I don't make all of my workouts; I know that.  There will be weeks when I have to do a workout or two on the elliptical instead of running.  But with this framework, even if I only make 80% I'll have a better base than last time.

Spring Marathon Training Plan

Week	Mon.	Tues.	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.	Mileage
Week #1	3 miles	Band Concert	rest	3-5 mile tempo	rest	12 miles	4 miles easy	22-24
Week #2	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	3-5 mile tempo	rest	12 miles	4 miles easy	25-29
Week #3	4 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	DC 4 miles	DC 4 miles	DC	DC 4 miles	19-21
Week #4	DC 4 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	3-5 mile tempo	rest	Resolution Run 5k	10 miles	23.1-27.1
Week #5	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	3-5 mile tempo	3 miles	CDBA Auditions	16 miles	28-32
Week #6	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	3-5 mile tempo	3 miles	WRO Auditions	14 miles	26-30
Week #7	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	3-5 mile tempo	rest	18 miles	4 miles easy	31-35
Week #8	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	4-6 mile tempo	3 miles	rest	18 miles	31-35
Week #9	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	4-6 mile tempo	3 miles	CDBA	CDBA	13-17
Week #10	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	4-6 mile tempo	rest	20 miles	4 miles easy	34-38
Week #11	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	4-6 mile tempo	rest	14 miles	4 miles easy	28-32
Week #12	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	4-6 mile tempo	rest	22 miles	4 miles easy	36-40
Week #13	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	4-6 mile tempo	WRO Clinic	WRO Clinic (18 miles)	WRO Clinic (18 miles)	28-32
Week #14	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	4-6 mile tempo	3 miles	All-State Audition	14 miles	27-31
Week #15	3 miles	3-5 miles w/intervals	rest	4-6 mile tempo	rest	10 miles	4 miles easy	24-28
Week #16	3 miles	3-5 miles	rest	2-3 miles	rest	3/26/2011 Marathon!

If my goal is to qualify for Boston (3:40), I have to run at or below 8:23 in the race.  I'm going to aim for BQ through January and reassess in February.  With that in mind, my goal pace is 8:15-8:20.  I'll run that pace for easy runs and slightly faster (8:00) for tempo runs.  My long runs have historically ranged between 8:50-9:15, and I don't think I'll change that for the long long runs.  As for runs 14 miles and under, I'll aim for 8:30-8:45 but won't kill myself trying.

So that's the plan, all shiny and optimistic.  In sixteen weeks (God willing) I will run a marathon feeling a bit more prepared than I did last time.  I ran 6 miles on the snowy Greenway today and it felt great and easy.  My first mile was 8:40 and my last one was 7:30.  Let's get started!

2011: Another Marathon Year

After much hemming and hawing, I've beaten the post-marathon blues by signing up for another one.  I just registered to run the National Marathon in Washington, D.C. in March.  It's in my parent's backyard so there's no hotel to deal with, it's got to be flatter than Baltimore, and it's early enough in the season that it won't be terribly hot and humid.  I've started to map out a tentative plan and look forward to comparing my long runs from both training cycles.

I've also decided that this time I will run for a cause.  I'm running for Girls on the Run, a great program that seeks to teach girls self-respect and healthy habits through running.  This is right up my alley!  There is a GOTR group in my area, but it's in the next city over so I've never gotten involved.  Now I can raise money to support the cause while training for my second marathon.  My goal is $1,000; I know, it's a lot of money!  With just under four months until race day, it will take a lot of effort to meet my time goal (3:40- Boston Qualifier!) and my fundraising goal.  This should be interesting!

I got in a good little run today, throwing in eight thirty-second pick-ups into an otherwise easy three-miler.  The colder weather isn't bothering my lungs (yet), so I love the fact that running hard doesn't leave me panting and sweaty.  My hair still goes every possible direction, but at least I don't smell (quite as) bad.

I'll come up with a concrete training plan this week.  It won't be much different than my plan for Baltimore, but I'll go a little faster and a little longer.  The biggest difference is that I know that I can do it this time.