Since I'm not blogging frequently, I can't leave my most recent post as my most recent post for too long. Yesterday morning, at boot camp, our instructor asked if I track how many miles I've run. I said I probably could, but I started running pre-GPS watches, so it would involve going back to old paper training logs. Then he asked if I knew how many miles I've raced. That's easy, since I've kept a race results spreadsheet for a long time.
A few of my recent races don't have exact times or dates, but that's because I've been too lazy to look up the official dates and my times, but I have the race name and distance there.
So I looked it up this morning. Starting with my first grown-up road race in 2003 (I know I did a couple in college and law school, but those don't count since I didn't keep running consistently after them)...
Drum roll...
I'm just over 200 road races to date, and just over 2,000 miles raced (2028.5 by my count).
Well, I suppose "raced" is a stretch, since some were run with friends, or just for fun, sometimes I did a race just to get in a training run without worrying about the logistics, etc.
Still kind of cool to look at that. That's basically Chicago to Seattle. Or Dallas to Portland. I thought it would be super cool if it worked out to be Dallas to Boston, but I passed Boston a few hundred miles ago -- that's kind of ironic in its own way. If I'd totaled up my numbers when I was in my BQ phase, maybe it would have totaled Dallas to Boston. But I passed Boston and kept going -- but slower lately. Oh well, no complaints.
Showing posts with label running stats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running stats. Show all posts
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Training stats
Losing my running commute this past spring has had a massive negative effect on my weekly mileage. It's such a bummer. Not enough that I'd go back to my old schedule and have to suffer through the reason my schedule changed, but a bummer nonetheless.
I usually have the most success with a marathon when a vast majority of my training is at a weekly mileage of about 45 or higher, including a bunch of weeks over 50. Historically, when I've had at least three weeks in a row at 55 or higher, something has started hurting, so that seems to be about my breaking point, and I'm usually rock solid going back and forth between 45 or 50 and something around 55. But I can't tell if that pattern holds true because my mileage never got there this year.
This is how it broke out (I'm cheating a little on my counting. I usually do my long runs on Sunday, but on weeks I had to do a Saturday long run instead, I'm counting as if I did it on Sunday instead, so there aren't any artificially high mileage weeks that had two long runs):
Low 20s: 2 weeks (it rained and I totally skipped my long run the week before Memorial Day, plus this week of tapering)
Mid 30s (I'm saying about 33 to about 37.5): 3 weeks
About 40 miles: 4 weeks
Mid 40s (again, about 43 to 47.5): 4 weeks
50 miles: 1 week
Yow. Usually writing out my training miles is a confidence booster for me, but not so much this year! 14 weeks of training, counting taper. All my weeks in the mid-40s and higher were in July and August. And no weeks over low 50s.
Not a recipe for success!
If I were still running to work, I'd be adding at least 7 miles to each week, usually more like 14 and occasionally 18. That would have pumped those numbers up perfectly.
I usually have the most success with a marathon when a vast majority of my training is at a weekly mileage of about 45 or higher, including a bunch of weeks over 50. Historically, when I've had at least three weeks in a row at 55 or higher, something has started hurting, so that seems to be about my breaking point, and I'm usually rock solid going back and forth between 45 or 50 and something around 55. But I can't tell if that pattern holds true because my mileage never got there this year.
This is how it broke out (I'm cheating a little on my counting. I usually do my long runs on Sunday, but on weeks I had to do a Saturday long run instead, I'm counting as if I did it on Sunday instead, so there aren't any artificially high mileage weeks that had two long runs):
Low 20s: 2 weeks (it rained and I totally skipped my long run the week before Memorial Day, plus this week of tapering)
Mid 30s (I'm saying about 33 to about 37.5): 3 weeks
About 40 miles: 4 weeks
Mid 40s (again, about 43 to 47.5): 4 weeks
50 miles: 1 week
Yow. Usually writing out my training miles is a confidence booster for me, but not so much this year! 14 weeks of training, counting taper. All my weeks in the mid-40s and higher were in July and August. And no weeks over low 50s.
Not a recipe for success!
If I were still running to work, I'd be adding at least 7 miles to each week, usually more like 14 and occasionally 18. That would have pumped those numbers up perfectly.
Friday, July 29, 2016
Solid weeks
So as much as I've been emotionally all over the place lately, I'm happy to say I've been logging some pretty steady running weeks.
I've switched to going to boot camp only two days per week. In theory, I'm still doing a run commute one day per week, but since I've been traveling for work so much, that seems to only happen once every few weeks. I'm doing our "hill loop" (which is 6 miles, with "6" hills (it's really, 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 4C, 5A, 5B, 5C, 6, bonus)) once a week pretty steadily. And I've been skipping rest days lots of weeks in favor of a short social run (about 4 miles most weeks). And thus far, I've been holding on pretty well I think. Rest days will likely return in August when my long runs are 18+ most weeks, but I have felt fine skipping the rest days lately.
Looking at my mileage for the last few weeks:
6-19: 42.1
6-26: 45.2 (technically it was 60.3, but I switched my long run day for the Fourth, so two long)
7-3: 44.8 (technically it was 29.7, but due to the switch, no long run)
7-10: 45.5
7-17: 48.0
And I think this week is on track for about 52.5.
Things are really ticking along, although my pace is far from where I'd like it to be. But I'm doing a good job of not focusing on that, just doing the miles and enjoying them. I guess the good part of work travel is that it tends to boost my mileage, since it's so easy to run in another city instead of doing something similar to boot camp.
Now I just need to lock in for sure what all these miles are for. As in, I need to commit to a race. I'm leaning toward KC, but I've got two Iowa races in consideration as well. I sadly have given up the idea of Columbus (sorry Meredith), I want to save that race for when I'm feeling faster (if that ever happens again), since it looks like a good one.
One fun thing from my running this week -- I was in Philly (thought it would be mega-crazy due to the DNC, but the only crazy thing was the hotel rates!) and it was 72 when I went running!!!!! 72 degrees! I was tempted to wear long sleeves, haha. But yeah, a mile in I remembered that 72 is significantly less miserable than 82, but still plenty warm.
I've switched to going to boot camp only two days per week. In theory, I'm still doing a run commute one day per week, but since I've been traveling for work so much, that seems to only happen once every few weeks. I'm doing our "hill loop" (which is 6 miles, with "6" hills (it's really, 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 4C, 5A, 5B, 5C, 6, bonus)) once a week pretty steadily. And I've been skipping rest days lots of weeks in favor of a short social run (about 4 miles most weeks). And thus far, I've been holding on pretty well I think. Rest days will likely return in August when my long runs are 18+ most weeks, but I have felt fine skipping the rest days lately.
Looking at my mileage for the last few weeks:
6-19: 42.1
6-26: 45.2 (technically it was 60.3, but I switched my long run day for the Fourth, so two long)
7-3: 44.8 (technically it was 29.7, but due to the switch, no long run)
7-10: 45.5
7-17: 48.0
And I think this week is on track for about 52.5.
Things are really ticking along, although my pace is far from where I'd like it to be. But I'm doing a good job of not focusing on that, just doing the miles and enjoying them. I guess the good part of work travel is that it tends to boost my mileage, since it's so easy to run in another city instead of doing something similar to boot camp.
Now I just need to lock in for sure what all these miles are for. As in, I need to commit to a race. I'm leaning toward KC, but I've got two Iowa races in consideration as well. I sadly have given up the idea of Columbus (sorry Meredith), I want to save that race for when I'm feeling faster (if that ever happens again), since it looks like a good one.
One fun thing from my running this week -- I was in Philly (thought it would be mega-crazy due to the DNC, but the only crazy thing was the hotel rates!) and it was 72 when I went running!!!!! 72 degrees! I was tempted to wear long sleeves, haha. But yeah, a mile in I remembered that 72 is significantly less miserable than 82, but still plenty warm.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Cardiac Drift
Cardiac drift is basically when your heart rate increases during exercise with little to no increase in workload. It's normal: even over 30 minutes of easy running, your heart rate may go up 10-20 beats. So heart rate rises while pace stays constant, and there is no harder effort, no heavier breathing, and notably no higher calorie burn.
According to wiki:
Cardiac drift is not a new concept to me. I've trained by heart rate for at least half the year pretty much since the first year I was training for Boston.
And I've had cardiac drift set in on long runs, and particularly on long runs with pace work, and 100% of the time when racing a marathon or even a half-marathon.
But yesterday I might have experienced something new...
Cardiac drift on a weekday? On a short-ish weekday no less???
Is that even possible???
(At the outset, I'm ruling out dehydration or warm temps. As I mentioned, I recently finished reading Megan's book, so I've been hyper-vigilant about hydration, and uh, it's insanely cold here right now.)
As I mentioned, I feel like my running is slooooowly coming back. I ran a 5k a couple weekends ago and I managed to keep all my miles within a tidy little 5 second spread. It was disheartening to realize that that little spread was slower than my half marathon PR pace (now just over 2 years old), and only a tad faster than my marathon dream goal pace (a pace I have never actually attained, but I still regard as goal MP).
My running would certainly come back faster if I could lose some weight, but even staying right where I am (about 5 pounds over the top end of my "acceptable" range, and about 10 pounds over where I usually am, and where I prefer to be), my paces are starting to steady out and get a bit faster. It has certainly been a long road back from my ankle injury (I actually still have 2 months left of wearing a brace for boot camp). But I 100% feel like I'm improving, and I love seeing the progress. Definitely feeling optimistic about the state of my running at present.
So anyway, yesterday's workout was a taste of my least favorite kind of run -- progressive tempo. Just a taste though. Instead of a true PT run (which I really hate, and usually on my schedule is 4 progressive miles, plus 2-4 warm-up/cool-down miles), it was just 2 miles warm-up, 2 miles marathon pace (well, it's heart rate training, so not actually marathon pace, but the heart rate zone where you'd usually run your marathon), 1 mile in the next higher zone (equating roughly to half marathon pace), then 1 mile cool-down.
Written out, yesterday's schedule was:
2 mile warm-up
2 miles zone 3
1 mile zone 4
1 mile cool-down
How did my run go? I basically started the pace work 1 mile early just to delay getting dropped.
1 mile warm-up
2 miles zone 3 (first mile was just staying with my friends as they finished their warm-up, but it was pace for me, so I counted it)
1 mile zone 4
1 mile zone 5 (very bottom of it, zone 5A as it is defined on our schedule)
1 mile zone 4 (by chance, would have walked for a minute to bring down the heart rate and get back to zone 2, but as I slowed, a friend I hadn't run with since November caught up to me, so he and I ran most of the last mile in together; kept the pace easy, but the HR never really came down)
So on paper, that looks okay. Not great since I have no business being in zone 5, but it does look progressive and it looks like I worked very hard. (Pat on the back? Not so fast.)
But when I look at the paces I actually ran yesterday, it's a different story:
1 mile easy
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 30 seconds (zone 3, in theory, marathon pace)
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 15 seconds (zone 3 still, in theory, marathon pace) (but I did stop for water in this mile, so it lowered my HR at least a bit, without water, I may have snuck into zone 4 already)
1 mile goal marathon pace (in zone 4 though, so in theory, should have been half marathon pace)
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 30 seconds (zone 5A, yow, zone 5A should be around 5k pace, not slower than marathon pace!)
1 mile easy pace, but heart rate still zone 4
See that bold mile? Um, that's not good. I mean, I shouldn't be running in zone 5A at all, but if I do, gosh darn it, that pace better be significantly faster than 10k pace, and likely faster than 5k pace. And uh, yeah, this was not. Not even close.
So is it possible that cardiac drift set in to this extent after only 3 "tough" miles???? I didn't think it was even possible for that to occur in a significant way in far less than an hour. Is there a chance I was essentially sweating plasma? I wasn't even that sweaty. I warmed up a lot (unzipped my half-zip top and took down my ear band), but I just don't know how much my core temperature could have really increased in the cold weather we're having. I drank water once during the run (at about mile 2.1).
But as I write this post, the answer stands out in my mind, clear as day now: I need more lactate threshold endurance work.
Sigh. Just have to keep at it I guess...
According to wiki:
Cardiovascular drift is the phenomenon where some
cardiovascular responses begin a time dependent change, or "drift" after
around 10 minutes of exercise in a warm or neutral environment without an
increase in workload. It is characterized by decreases in mean arterial
pressure and stroke volume and a parallel increase in heart rate. It has been
shown that a reduction in stroke volume due to dehydration is almost always due
to the increase in internal temperature. It is influenced by many factors, most
notably the ambient temperature, internal temperature, hydration and the amount
of muscle tissue activated during exercise. To promote cooling, blood flow to
the skin is increased, resulting in a shift in fluids from blood plasma to the
skin tissue. This results in a decrease in pulmonary arterial pressure and
reduced stroke volume in the heart. To maintain cardiac output at reduced
pressure, the heart rate must be increased.
Effects of cardiovascular drift are mainly focused around a
higher RPE (Rate of Perceived Effort); that is, a person will feel like they
are expending more energy when they are not. This creates a mental block that
can inhibit performance greatly.
Prevention or minimization of cardiovascular drift includes
consistently replacing fluids and maintaining electrolyte imbalance during
exercise, acclimatization to the environment in which one is performing, and weight
training[citation needed] to supplement cardiovascular efforts.
And I've had cardiac drift set in on long runs, and particularly on long runs with pace work, and 100% of the time when racing a marathon or even a half-marathon.
But yesterday I might have experienced something new...
Cardiac drift on a weekday? On a short-ish weekday no less???
Is that even possible???
(At the outset, I'm ruling out dehydration or warm temps. As I mentioned, I recently finished reading Megan's book, so I've been hyper-vigilant about hydration, and uh, it's insanely cold here right now.)
As I mentioned, I feel like my running is slooooowly coming back. I ran a 5k a couple weekends ago and I managed to keep all my miles within a tidy little 5 second spread. It was disheartening to realize that that little spread was slower than my half marathon PR pace (now just over 2 years old), and only a tad faster than my marathon dream goal pace (a pace I have never actually attained, but I still regard as goal MP).
My running would certainly come back faster if I could lose some weight, but even staying right where I am (about 5 pounds over the top end of my "acceptable" range, and about 10 pounds over where I usually am, and where I prefer to be), my paces are starting to steady out and get a bit faster. It has certainly been a long road back from my ankle injury (I actually still have 2 months left of wearing a brace for boot camp). But I 100% feel like I'm improving, and I love seeing the progress. Definitely feeling optimistic about the state of my running at present.
So anyway, yesterday's workout was a taste of my least favorite kind of run -- progressive tempo. Just a taste though. Instead of a true PT run (which I really hate, and usually on my schedule is 4 progressive miles, plus 2-4 warm-up/cool-down miles), it was just 2 miles warm-up, 2 miles marathon pace (well, it's heart rate training, so not actually marathon pace, but the heart rate zone where you'd usually run your marathon), 1 mile in the next higher zone (equating roughly to half marathon pace), then 1 mile cool-down.
Written out, yesterday's schedule was:
2 mile warm-up
2 miles zone 3
1 mile zone 4
1 mile cool-down
How did my run go? I basically started the pace work 1 mile early just to delay getting dropped.
1 mile warm-up
2 miles zone 3 (first mile was just staying with my friends as they finished their warm-up, but it was pace for me, so I counted it)
1 mile zone 4
1 mile zone 5 (very bottom of it, zone 5A as it is defined on our schedule)
1 mile zone 4 (by chance, would have walked for a minute to bring down the heart rate and get back to zone 2, but as I slowed, a friend I hadn't run with since November caught up to me, so he and I ran most of the last mile in together; kept the pace easy, but the HR never really came down)
So on paper, that looks okay. Not great since I have no business being in zone 5, but it does look progressive and it looks like I worked very hard. (Pat on the back? Not so fast.)
But when I look at the paces I actually ran yesterday, it's a different story:
1 mile easy
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 30 seconds (zone 3, in theory, marathon pace)
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 15 seconds (zone 3 still, in theory, marathon pace) (but I did stop for water in this mile, so it lowered my HR at least a bit, without water, I may have snuck into zone 4 already)
1 mile goal marathon pace (in zone 4 though, so in theory, should have been half marathon pace)
1 mile goal marathon pace plus 30 seconds (zone 5A, yow, zone 5A should be around 5k pace, not slower than marathon pace!)
1 mile easy pace, but heart rate still zone 4
See that bold mile? Um, that's not good. I mean, I shouldn't be running in zone 5A at all, but if I do, gosh darn it, that pace better be significantly faster than 10k pace, and likely faster than 5k pace. And uh, yeah, this was not. Not even close.
So is it possible that cardiac drift set in to this extent after only 3 "tough" miles???? I didn't think it was even possible for that to occur in a significant way in far less than an hour. Is there a chance I was essentially sweating plasma? I wasn't even that sweaty. I warmed up a lot (unzipped my half-zip top and took down my ear band), but I just don't know how much my core temperature could have really increased in the cold weather we're having. I drank water once during the run (at about mile 2.1).
But as I write this post, the answer stands out in my mind, clear as day now: I need more lactate threshold endurance work.
Sigh. Just have to keep at it I guess...
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Owww
So I went running yesterday morning in Philly and it did not go well.
It started off wonderfully. I was staying out in the 'burbs, so I ran toward Swarthmore College. Tons of beautiful homes in the area, and running around campus so early was fun.
Technically, sunrise was at 7:10 or something, and I set out a little before 6, planning to run about 10k and wanting to be back by 6:50 or so.
It was not actually pitch black when I started running. A combination of street lights and that pre-dawn light meant I could see just fine, especially after the first mile or so.
It was COLD! Temps in the low 60s, so (like any runner on the first fall-ish run) I wore long sleeves. Totally not necessary, but ah, so nice to get to wear them and not be miserably hot.
I ran until about mile 3.5 and was getting ready to U-turn, thinking I would take a more direct route back to the hotel, so I'd be good on distance.
It was so pretty.
Those were the last happy pictures. 6:26 a.m., both of them.
I wanted to run just a little bit further and I realized the sidewalk I was on was leading to a public transit station. I saw a sidewalk on the other side of the street.
There were a few cars coming from my right, so I waited for them before crossing. There was a car in the distance to my left, but I wasn't worried about it.
As the last car passed, I stepped out into the street to run across. And somehow I stepped on a single huge (softball sized?) rock in the road.
I rolled my left ankle BOTH WAYS, if that's even possible? I went all the way down and got some very slight scrapes on my knees and my left hand, but I think my ankle absorbed all of it. I quickly crawled back to the grass so the oncoming car wouldn't hit me. I sat in the grass for a minute. I actually felt like I was going to pass out it hurt so much. I tried to stand on it and I knew I was done. No more running. I tried to get an uber, but of course my phone wasn't working (100% operator error, I think I tried to turn off the wifi in the morning before I ran but I accidentally put it in airplane mode). So I walked/jogged painfully back to the hotel.
Perhaps the worst part was crossing a very busy intersection -- turns out my defense counsel was driving through and saw me. He said he almost yelled but he was worried I'd turn to see him and get hit by a car. Just hearing that I could have been spared the misery of the last mile almost makes me cry.
Anyway, got to the hotel, got a bag of ice to put on it, and took off my shoe. It was already very swollen and seems to be bruising a bit. Owww. This would happen 2.5 weeks before my marathon. I'm hoping it's just a sprain. I'm kind of a wuss and I don't think I could have gone about 2 miles on a broken ankle.
I ended up settling my case in a hurry just so I could get on an early flight home. I got to the airport, changed my flight, and walked right on a plane to Dallas. They gave me bags of ice on the plane so I could keep icing, but it's ugly. I sat next to a really nice guy and we ended up talking for a fair amount of the flight, which is so rare for me. He's 61, married 26 years, 4 kids, youngest is a senior in HS now. He was connecting in Dallas and heading on to Lake Charles, LA for work. I had started working on the plane, but after about an hour, I asked him what he was reading, and that started the conversation -- he was reading a book by a friend to do an Amazon review for him, and then he told me about this friend, and we just exchanged stories for the next hour-plus about travel, people, family, everything. So pleasant!
As they made a final trash sweep on the plane, I asked if I could get a wheelchair when we landed. I've never used one so I didn't know if you had to pay for it, or arrange it when you booked your flight or what, but apparently not -- you just let them know and they get it set up for you right then and there. They ordered one for me, but when we got off the plane, while there were several wheelchairs, no one was there to push.
The sweet guy I'd talked to for most of the flight had carried my suitcase off the plane for me and hung out with me while I was waiting for a chair-pusher. He eventually asked the guy at the counter if he could just push me, and the guy said it was fine. He insisted he had more than 2 hours before his flight and he didn't mind. He pushed me to the tram that we took to the terminal where we parked. And while he pushed me, he dragged my suitcase and briefcase with his other arm (I carried his briefcase on my lap). We got to the terminal where I was parked and he was ready to push me all the way out to my car, but I insisted he stop at the security exit -- no telling what the lines would be like to go back in to security and I didn't want him to risk a mess. It just kind of blew my mind. And I never even got his name (though I know where he lives, the names/schools/future plans of his kids, names of his brothers, father's age, his surgical history, how he spent the summer when he was 19, what he thinks about Donald Trump, etc.).
How in the world are there people this nice in the world still?
Needless to say, no mile repeats for me this morning. I slept late and I'm about to leave for the ortho. I got an 8:00 appointment because I want to have it checked out. And I want to hear from "a real M.D." (to quote Pretty Woman) that it's just a sprain and it will be fine in about 3 days...
Fingers crossed!
It started off wonderfully. I was staying out in the 'burbs, so I ran toward Swarthmore College. Tons of beautiful homes in the area, and running around campus so early was fun.
Technically, sunrise was at 7:10 or something, and I set out a little before 6, planning to run about 10k and wanting to be back by 6:50 or so.
It was not actually pitch black when I started running. A combination of street lights and that pre-dawn light meant I could see just fine, especially after the first mile or so.
It was COLD! Temps in the low 60s, so (like any runner on the first fall-ish run) I wore long sleeves. Totally not necessary, but ah, so nice to get to wear them and not be miserably hot.
I ran until about mile 3.5 and was getting ready to U-turn, thinking I would take a more direct route back to the hotel, so I'd be good on distance.
It was so pretty.
Those were the last happy pictures. 6:26 a.m., both of them.
I wanted to run just a little bit further and I realized the sidewalk I was on was leading to a public transit station. I saw a sidewalk on the other side of the street.
There were a few cars coming from my right, so I waited for them before crossing. There was a car in the distance to my left, but I wasn't worried about it.
As the last car passed, I stepped out into the street to run across. And somehow I stepped on a single huge (softball sized?) rock in the road.
I rolled my left ankle BOTH WAYS, if that's even possible? I went all the way down and got some very slight scrapes on my knees and my left hand, but I think my ankle absorbed all of it. I quickly crawled back to the grass so the oncoming car wouldn't hit me. I sat in the grass for a minute. I actually felt like I was going to pass out it hurt so much. I tried to stand on it and I knew I was done. No more running. I tried to get an uber, but of course my phone wasn't working (100% operator error, I think I tried to turn off the wifi in the morning before I ran but I accidentally put it in airplane mode). So I walked/jogged painfully back to the hotel.
Perhaps the worst part was crossing a very busy intersection -- turns out my defense counsel was driving through and saw me. He said he almost yelled but he was worried I'd turn to see him and get hit by a car. Just hearing that I could have been spared the misery of the last mile almost makes me cry.
Anyway, got to the hotel, got a bag of ice to put on it, and took off my shoe. It was already very swollen and seems to be bruising a bit. Owww. This would happen 2.5 weeks before my marathon. I'm hoping it's just a sprain. I'm kind of a wuss and I don't think I could have gone about 2 miles on a broken ankle.
And a picture of the swelling on the inside.
I ended up settling my case in a hurry just so I could get on an early flight home. I got to the airport, changed my flight, and walked right on a plane to Dallas. They gave me bags of ice on the plane so I could keep icing, but it's ugly. I sat next to a really nice guy and we ended up talking for a fair amount of the flight, which is so rare for me. He's 61, married 26 years, 4 kids, youngest is a senior in HS now. He was connecting in Dallas and heading on to Lake Charles, LA for work. I had started working on the plane, but after about an hour, I asked him what he was reading, and that started the conversation -- he was reading a book by a friend to do an Amazon review for him, and then he told me about this friend, and we just exchanged stories for the next hour-plus about travel, people, family, everything. So pleasant!
As they made a final trash sweep on the plane, I asked if I could get a wheelchair when we landed. I've never used one so I didn't know if you had to pay for it, or arrange it when you booked your flight or what, but apparently not -- you just let them know and they get it set up for you right then and there. They ordered one for me, but when we got off the plane, while there were several wheelchairs, no one was there to push.
The sweet guy I'd talked to for most of the flight had carried my suitcase off the plane for me and hung out with me while I was waiting for a chair-pusher. He eventually asked the guy at the counter if he could just push me, and the guy said it was fine. He insisted he had more than 2 hours before his flight and he didn't mind. He pushed me to the tram that we took to the terminal where we parked. And while he pushed me, he dragged my suitcase and briefcase with his other arm (I carried his briefcase on my lap). We got to the terminal where I was parked and he was ready to push me all the way out to my car, but I insisted he stop at the security exit -- no telling what the lines would be like to go back in to security and I didn't want him to risk a mess. It just kind of blew my mind. And I never even got his name (though I know where he lives, the names/schools/future plans of his kids, names of his brothers, father's age, his surgical history, how he spent the summer when he was 19, what he thinks about Donald Trump, etc.).
How in the world are there people this nice in the world still?
Needless to say, no mile repeats for me this morning. I slept late and I'm about to leave for the ortho. I got an 8:00 appointment because I want to have it checked out. And I want to hear from "a real M.D." (to quote Pretty Woman) that it's just a sprain and it will be fine in about 3 days...
Fingers crossed!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Training recap
I think I've done a post like this for every marathon I've taken even somewhat seriously since I started this blog. It's like a confidence-building tradition to look at how my weekly mileage stacks up, and more recently, I like to compare it against past years.
There's an awesome passage that I've posted before about doing your homework. All those weekday runs stack up in a training season to get you ready. When I don't want to get out of bed to go run, I don't give myself that option. I just make myself go, doing my homework, slogging out those everyday miles, slowly and almost immeasurably building on prior runs. So on race day, it's just doing the things I've always done, getting out there to run some miles. Just somewhere new, with thousands of others, and in a different city. I love that concept. And it makes me feel good to look at how all those days of running have piled up into some fairly significant (for me) totals.
This year, here's how my 20 (!!) training weeks broke out, well, actually only 19, since this week is still in progress:
0-30.0 miles per week: 2 weeks (first week of training, and a week with no long run (Saturday the prior week, Sunday the following), plus this week I expect)
30.0-34.9 miles per week: 5 weeks
35.0-39.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
40.0-44.9 miles per week: 1 week
45.0-49.9 miles per week: 5 weeks
50.0-54.9 miles per week: 1 week
55.0-59.9 miles per week: 0 weeks
60.0 or more miles per week: 2 weeks (67.7 miles and 60.3 miles to be exact!)
Note, I was perfectly honest in that and counted runs on the actual day they were done (so if I had to do my long run one day early meaning one week had 2 longs and the next had none, that was how I counted it). It is notable that both weeks of 60+ had double long runs, so if I were doing my usual "close enough" counting, it would have stacked up to be more even (more weeks around 45 instead of some around 60 and others around 30). The first 60+ was the week before Labor Day, with an 18 on 8-24 and a 17 on 8-30, plus quite a few in between. And the second 60+ was the week before last, with a 22 on 9-14 and a 14 on 9-20 (just because there was a race I wanted to do that day, which I was lucky enough to finish with Megan). I think most years in my recaps, I haven't counted on the actual day, instead, since I never shift my long run by more than one day, I used to kind of roll it over to the day the miles were supposed to be done (and I never rolled it over more than a day), but below in the paper records, that's how I traditionally counted -- actual miles run on actual day.
With that caveat, I think I can say that this season held my highest mileage week ever with the 67.7, but since it was double long runs, I hestitate to count it. But my 67.7 week is notable in that it was preceded and followed by weeks at about 45, so it's not like I totally phoned it in around that week. If I had stuck with the same day every week for a long run, the highest mileage would have been that week still, but it would have been around 60.
In summary, this year I had 2 weeks under 30 (soon to be 3), 8 weeks in the 30s, 6 weeks in the 40s, and 3 weeks in the 50+s. That's 9 weeks over 40 miles, which I've always considered my "tipping point" in serious training (at least for the last several years).
I will have logged (just barely) over 800 miles in the 20 weeks of training (I'm assuming (knock on wood) that I'll follow the rest of this week's schedule, but I'm over 795 already).
How does that stack up against past years? Here's a big training evolution forme you.
In 2013, for Berlin, I had about 815 pre-race miles over 19 weeks of training, broken out as follows:
0-30.0 miles per week: 3 weeks
30.0-34.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
35.0-39.9 miles per week: 1 weeks
40.0-44.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
45.0-49.9 miles per week: 4 weeks
50.0-54.9 miles per week: 1 week
55.0 or more miles per week: 4 weeks
Otherwise stated, 3 weeks under 30, 4 weeks in the 30s, 7 weeks in the 40s, and 5 weeks in the 50+s. A total of 12 weeks over 40. It still marks the most mileage I've ever put into a single goal marathon. That daily commuting habit I had that year really paid off in mileage (and a PR). I can see from my times that year that I was much better about hitting my paces and doing the scheduled workout than I have been this year -- when there have been many days with scheduled pace work and instead I've just run easy.
VERDICT: WEAKER than 2013.
In 2012, there was no goal race (that whole thing happened when I cried my eyes out because they cancelled the Beijing Marathon AFTER we had bought plane tickets to China and I had spent the summer training my @ss off, and race day was only about 6 weeks away). Earlier in 2012, I ran a spring marathon, but it wasn't a regular race, it was a memorial to the Bataan Death March in World War II, and I did it with a pack weighing over 40 pounds on my back. While it was an awesome race and I performed a lot better than I expected, I did nothing like my usual training mileage.
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2012.
In 2011, I elected not to do a recap for my fall race since I'd half-@ssed it. My notes for the first 11 weeks of training are good, about 380 miles, but only 3 early weeks over 40 miles, the rest in the 30s. For Boston earlier that year (no real recap, just this), this was how it broke out, with about 625 miles in 15 weeks of training:
0-29.9 = 1 week
30.0 – 34.9 = 2 weeks
35.0 – 39.9 = 3 weeks
40.0 – 44.9 = 5 weeks
45.0 – 49.9 = 1 week
50.0 – 54.9 = 2 weeks
55.0+ = 1 week
That was 1 week in the 20s, 5 weeks in the 30s, 6 weeks in the 40s, and 3 weeks in the 50s. So 9 weeks over 40 miles.
VERDICT: WEAKER than 2011 (but just barely).
When I trained for Twin Cities (Fall 2010, recap here), I about 670 pre-race miles in 19 weeks of training:
0-30 miles: 2 weeks
30.1-35 miles: 7 weeks
35.1-40 miles: 4 weeks
40.1-45 miles: 5 weeks
45.1-50 miles: 2 weeks
That was 2 weeks in the 20s, 11 weeks in the 30s, 7 weeks in the 40s (including a week with 2 long runs due to the Fourth of July).
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2010.
I've alwasy been a running log person, even pre-Garmin and pre-blog, so I can go back to my earlier marathons as well.
If I look back at training for St. George in 2009, I had about 640 pre-race miles over 18 training weeks (actually, since it was a Saturday race, it shows up in my pre-race week miles (my week starts on Sunday), so my total training including the race, ended up with a creepy 666.6 mileage), broken out as follows (not counting the race):
0-29.9 = 3 weeks
30.0 – 34.9 = 4 weeks
35.0 – 39.9 = 4 weeks
40.0 – 44.9 = 7 weeks
That was 3 weeks in the 20s (or less), 8 weeks in the 30s, 7 weeks in the 40s. Never over 45 miles in a week.
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2009.
Training for Marine Corps in 2008, I had about 680 pre-race miles in 22 weeks, broken out as follows:
0-29.9 = 9 weeks
30.0 – 34.9 = 8 weeks
35.0 – 39.9 = 2 weeks
40.0 – 44.9 = 1 week
45.0 – 49.9 = 1 week
50.0 – 54.9 = 1 week (a "double long" run week, due to Labor Day, followed by a week under 30, but I'm counting it as it was actually run)
That was 9 weeks in the 20s, 10 weeks in the 30s, 2 weeks in the 40s, and 1 week in the 50s. That’s 3 weeks over 40 miles (and one of those was a week with 2 long runs).
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2008.
Back in 2007, when I trained for Chicago (the run of death), about 585 pre-race miles over 19 weeks of training:
0-29.9 = 9 weeks
30.0 – 34.9 = 6 weeks
35.0 – 39.9 = 1 week
40.0 – 44.9 = 3 weeks
That was 9 week in the 20s, 7 weeks in the 30s, 3 weeks in the 40s.
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2007.
No full for me in 2006, and while I did full marathons in 2005 and earlier, all my 2005 and earlier records are stored separately, so I won't include them. It's safe to say they were fairly similar to 2007, likely even less mileage.
So yeah, I'm sure no one is reading this, but I think I'm going to be glad someday that I have all this data in one place.
We will see if my verdicts as to whether I'm currently stronger or weaker pan out...
There's an awesome passage that I've posted before about doing your homework. All those weekday runs stack up in a training season to get you ready. When I don't want to get out of bed to go run, I don't give myself that option. I just make myself go, doing my homework, slogging out those everyday miles, slowly and almost immeasurably building on prior runs. So on race day, it's just doing the things I've always done, getting out there to run some miles. Just somewhere new, with thousands of others, and in a different city. I love that concept. And it makes me feel good to look at how all those days of running have piled up into some fairly significant (for me) totals.
This year, here's how my 20 (!!) training weeks broke out, well, actually only 19, since this week is still in progress:
0-30.0 miles per week: 2 weeks (first week of training, and a week with no long run (Saturday the prior week, Sunday the following), plus this week I expect)
30.0-34.9 miles per week: 5 weeks
35.0-39.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
40.0-44.9 miles per week: 1 week
45.0-49.9 miles per week: 5 weeks
50.0-54.9 miles per week: 1 week
55.0-59.9 miles per week: 0 weeks
60.0 or more miles per week: 2 weeks (67.7 miles and 60.3 miles to be exact!)
Note, I was perfectly honest in that and counted runs on the actual day they were done (so if I had to do my long run one day early meaning one week had 2 longs and the next had none, that was how I counted it). It is notable that both weeks of 60+ had double long runs, so if I were doing my usual "close enough" counting, it would have stacked up to be more even (more weeks around 45 instead of some around 60 and others around 30). The first 60+ was the week before Labor Day, with an 18 on 8-24 and a 17 on 8-30, plus quite a few in between. And the second 60+ was the week before last, with a 22 on 9-14 and a 14 on 9-20 (just because there was a race I wanted to do that day, which I was lucky enough to finish with Megan). I think most years in my recaps, I haven't counted on the actual day, instead, since I never shift my long run by more than one day, I used to kind of roll it over to the day the miles were supposed to be done (and I never rolled it over more than a day), but below in the paper records, that's how I traditionally counted -- actual miles run on actual day.
With that caveat, I think I can say that this season held my highest mileage week ever with the 67.7, but since it was double long runs, I hestitate to count it. But my 67.7 week is notable in that it was preceded and followed by weeks at about 45, so it's not like I totally phoned it in around that week. If I had stuck with the same day every week for a long run, the highest mileage would have been that week still, but it would have been around 60.
In summary, this year I had 2 weeks under 30 (soon to be 3), 8 weeks in the 30s, 6 weeks in the 40s, and 3 weeks in the 50+s. That's 9 weeks over 40 miles, which I've always considered my "tipping point" in serious training (at least for the last several years).
I will have logged (just barely) over 800 miles in the 20 weeks of training (I'm assuming (knock on wood) that I'll follow the rest of this week's schedule, but I'm over 795 already).
How does that stack up against past years? Here's a big training evolution for
In 2013, for Berlin, I had about 815 pre-race miles over 19 weeks of training, broken out as follows:
0-30.0 miles per week: 3 weeks
30.0-34.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
35.0-39.9 miles per week: 1 weeks
40.0-44.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
45.0-49.9 miles per week: 4 weeks
50.0-54.9 miles per week: 1 week
55.0 or more miles per week: 4 weeks
Otherwise stated, 3 weeks under 30, 4 weeks in the 30s, 7 weeks in the 40s, and 5 weeks in the 50+s. A total of 12 weeks over 40. It still marks the most mileage I've ever put into a single goal marathon. That daily commuting habit I had that year really paid off in mileage (and a PR). I can see from my times that year that I was much better about hitting my paces and doing the scheduled workout than I have been this year -- when there have been many days with scheduled pace work and instead I've just run easy.
VERDICT: WEAKER than 2013.
In 2012, there was no goal race (that whole thing happened when I cried my eyes out because they cancelled the Beijing Marathon AFTER we had bought plane tickets to China and I had spent the summer training my @ss off, and race day was only about 6 weeks away). Earlier in 2012, I ran a spring marathon, but it wasn't a regular race, it was a memorial to the Bataan Death March in World War II, and I did it with a pack weighing over 40 pounds on my back. While it was an awesome race and I performed a lot better than I expected, I did nothing like my usual training mileage.
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2012.
In 2011, I elected not to do a recap for my fall race since I'd half-@ssed it. My notes for the first 11 weeks of training are good, about 380 miles, but only 3 early weeks over 40 miles, the rest in the 30s. For Boston earlier that year (no real recap, just this), this was how it broke out, with about 625 miles in 15 weeks of training:
0-29.9 = 1 week
30.0 – 34.9 = 2 weeks
35.0 – 39.9 = 3 weeks
40.0 – 44.9 = 5 weeks
45.0 – 49.9 = 1 week
50.0 – 54.9 = 2 weeks
55.0+ = 1 week
That was 1 week in the 20s, 5 weeks in the 30s, 6 weeks in the 40s, and 3 weeks in the 50s. So 9 weeks over 40 miles.
VERDICT: WEAKER than 2011 (but just barely).
When I trained for Twin Cities (Fall 2010, recap here), I about 670 pre-race miles in 19 weeks of training:
0-30 miles: 2 weeks
30.1-35 miles: 7 weeks
35.1-40 miles: 4 weeks
40.1-45 miles: 5 weeks
45.1-50 miles: 2 weeks
That was 2 weeks in the 20s, 11 weeks in the 30s, 7 weeks in the 40s (including a week with 2 long runs due to the Fourth of July).
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2010.
I've alwasy been a running log person, even pre-Garmin and pre-blog, so I can go back to my earlier marathons as well.
If I look back at training for St. George in 2009, I had about 640 pre-race miles over 18 training weeks (actually, since it was a Saturday race, it shows up in my pre-race week miles (my week starts on Sunday), so my total training including the race, ended up with a creepy 666.6 mileage), broken out as follows (not counting the race):
0-29.9 = 3 weeks
30.0 – 34.9 = 4 weeks
35.0 – 39.9 = 4 weeks
40.0 – 44.9 = 7 weeks
That was 3 weeks in the 20s (or less), 8 weeks in the 30s, 7 weeks in the 40s. Never over 45 miles in a week.
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2009.
Training for Marine Corps in 2008, I had about 680 pre-race miles in 22 weeks, broken out as follows:
0-29.9 = 9 weeks
30.0 – 34.9 = 8 weeks
35.0 – 39.9 = 2 weeks
40.0 – 44.9 = 1 week
45.0 – 49.9 = 1 week
50.0 – 54.9 = 1 week (a "double long" run week, due to Labor Day, followed by a week under 30, but I'm counting it as it was actually run)
That was 9 weeks in the 20s, 10 weeks in the 30s, 2 weeks in the 40s, and 1 week in the 50s. That’s 3 weeks over 40 miles (and one of those was a week with 2 long runs).
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2008.
Back in 2007, when I trained for Chicago (the run of death), about 585 pre-race miles over 19 weeks of training:
0-29.9 = 9 weeks
30.0 – 34.9 = 6 weeks
35.0 – 39.9 = 1 week
40.0 – 44.9 = 3 weeks
That was 9 week in the 20s, 7 weeks in the 30s, 3 weeks in the 40s.
VERDICT: STRONGER than 2007.
No full for me in 2006, and while I did full marathons in 2005 and earlier, all my 2005 and earlier records are stored separately, so I won't include them. It's safe to say they were fairly similar to 2007, likely even less mileage.
So yeah, I'm sure no one is reading this, but I think I'm going to be glad someday that I have all this data in one place.
We will see if my verdicts as to whether I'm currently stronger or weaker pan out...
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
The Record
So if you follow professional distance running at all, you probably already know this, but the fastest marathon ever was run this past Sunday in Berlin.
Dennis Kimetto of Kenya ran a 2:02:57, becoming the first person in history to run the marathon in under 2 hours and 3 minutes.
Here are a few good news stories:
http://www.runnersworld.com/races/dennis-kimetto-breaks-world-record-at-berlin-marathon (wow, serious training started in 2010!)
http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/from-poverty-to-podium (Kimetto's background, and in sum, why I believe the Africans get the records, see my review of Running with the Kenyans (incidentally, I hate when I do an entire year's worth of books in one post, but I'm on track to do the same thing in 2014; I need a June 2015 reminder to break next year into 2 posts))
http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/marathon-world-record-dennis-kimetto-berlin
The same two who finished 1-2 at Chicago in 2013 were 1-2 in Berlin this year. What I think is especially cool is that even if Kimetto hadn't done it, someone else would have -- yes, two guys broke the previous world record on Sunday! Second place Emmanuel Mutai, also of Kenya, came in at 2:03:13. The prior world record was 2:03:23 from Berlin in 2013 (two people ran 2:03:0x at Boston in 2011 (not me), but that course isn't eligible for the world record). But thanks to Kimetto, Mutai's name won't even show up as a world record for a day. I kind of feel cheated for him, kind of like Shalene in Boston 2014, who ran her goal time, which she thought would be good enough to win it all (and would have many other years), but there were others who were faster that day, so it was only good enough for 7th. Further proof that elite racing is almost an entirely different sport from regular mortal marathoning where running the plan and getting a PR is usually prized above all else, rather than what other people run on the same day.
Anyway, that new world record kind of makes me a little nervous for my own racing future. The Berlin Marathon is my current PR.
How can I ever hope to beat that if I'm older and on a different course?
(NB: I'm also about 3-5 pounds heavier than I was then, but that's something I can control. The age, not so much.)
I suppose I could go for a cheater course, something like St. George that is a net descent and not eligible for the world record (though I've already beaten my St. George time). I understand the distinction in needing a flat course for consideration for the world record, but I don't feel like it's something I would disqualify in terms of my own personal records -- as long as the course is a certified distance, I'm inclined to count it.
So on that note, my marathon future may consist entirely of downhill courses!
On another note, I might need to change my sub-2 prediction. I've always though of the world record as improving by about 1 minute per decade. Sometimes 2 minutes very quickly, sometimes no real movement for more than a decade. There's no real historical data to support this if you look back a while, but for most of my lifetime, the 1 minute per decade has been about right.
In the 60s, it went from 2:15 to 2:09.
In the 70s, it held in the 2:09s.
In the 80s, it dropped to the 2:06s.
In the 90s, it dropped to the 2:05s.
By the end of 2009, it had dropped to 2:03:59.
And now, in 2014, we're down to 2:02:57.
So it's a question of whether we'll get to the 2:01s very quickly now, or if there is going to be another long break before it happens. After breaking into the 2:01s and the 2:00s, I would think that much like the 4 minute mile, that 2 hour barrier is going to create an extra hurdle in breaking it given the mental aspect. So maybe it will stall out at 2:00:04 for 20 years or something.
If I weren't worried that it would lead to possible (additional?) use of performance enhancing drugs (no idea how much of an issue that is among marathoners), I would say that some of the big marathons right now should buy insurance and put out a HUGE prize for the sub-2 and offer it up every year for the next decade. Like a million dollars huge. I wonder if that would be enough to make it happen before 2035, which is roughly when I would guess it would happen (not by me) (winky face).
Dennis Kimetto of Kenya ran a 2:02:57, becoming the first person in history to run the marathon in under 2 hours and 3 minutes.
Here are a few good news stories:
http://www.runnersworld.com/races/dennis-kimetto-breaks-world-record-at-berlin-marathon (wow, serious training started in 2010!)
http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/from-poverty-to-podium (Kimetto's background, and in sum, why I believe the Africans get the records, see my review of Running with the Kenyans (incidentally, I hate when I do an entire year's worth of books in one post, but I'm on track to do the same thing in 2014; I need a June 2015 reminder to break next year into 2 posts))
http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/marathon-world-record-dennis-kimetto-berlin
The same two who finished 1-2 at Chicago in 2013 were 1-2 in Berlin this year. What I think is especially cool is that even if Kimetto hadn't done it, someone else would have -- yes, two guys broke the previous world record on Sunday! Second place Emmanuel Mutai, also of Kenya, came in at 2:03:13. The prior world record was 2:03:23 from Berlin in 2013 (two people ran 2:03:0x at Boston in 2011 (not me), but that course isn't eligible for the world record). But thanks to Kimetto, Mutai's name won't even show up as a world record for a day. I kind of feel cheated for him, kind of like Shalene in Boston 2014, who ran her goal time, which she thought would be good enough to win it all (and would have many other years), but there were others who were faster that day, so it was only good enough for 7th. Further proof that elite racing is almost an entirely different sport from regular mortal marathoning where running the plan and getting a PR is usually prized above all else, rather than what other people run on the same day.
Anyway, that new world record kind of makes me a little nervous for my own racing future. The Berlin Marathon is my current PR.
How can I ever hope to beat that if I'm older and on a different course?
(NB: I'm also about 3-5 pounds heavier than I was then, but that's something I can control. The age, not so much.)
I suppose I could go for a cheater course, something like St. George that is a net descent and not eligible for the world record (though I've already beaten my St. George time). I understand the distinction in needing a flat course for consideration for the world record, but I don't feel like it's something I would disqualify in terms of my own personal records -- as long as the course is a certified distance, I'm inclined to count it.
So on that note, my marathon future may consist entirely of downhill courses!
On another note, I might need to change my sub-2 prediction. I've always though of the world record as improving by about 1 minute per decade. Sometimes 2 minutes very quickly, sometimes no real movement for more than a decade. There's no real historical data to support this if you look back a while, but for most of my lifetime, the 1 minute per decade has been about right.
In the 60s, it went from 2:15 to 2:09.
In the 70s, it held in the 2:09s.
In the 80s, it dropped to the 2:06s.
In the 90s, it dropped to the 2:05s.
By the end of 2009, it had dropped to 2:03:59.
And now, in 2014, we're down to 2:02:57.
So it's a question of whether we'll get to the 2:01s very quickly now, or if there is going to be another long break before it happens. After breaking into the 2:01s and the 2:00s, I would think that much like the 4 minute mile, that 2 hour barrier is going to create an extra hurdle in breaking it given the mental aspect. So maybe it will stall out at 2:00:04 for 20 years or something.
If I weren't worried that it would lead to possible (additional?) use of performance enhancing drugs (no idea how much of an issue that is among marathoners), I would say that some of the big marathons right now should buy insurance and put out a HUGE prize for the sub-2 and offer it up every year for the next decade. Like a million dollars huge. I wonder if that would be enough to make it happen before 2035, which is roughly when I would guess it would happen (not by me) (winky face).
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Travel Mile Suck
So this week, two posts have made me think about my yearly and weekly mileage numbers.
First, Mike posted about his 1525 miles for the first six months of the year, and inspired me to look at my current YTD number (almost 800, which is not unusual when I don't have a spring marathon, but I'd have thought it would be higher to reflect that marathon training started about 6 weeks ago).
And then second, Bella posted about her challenge to do 150 miles over the summer, and since she directly asked, I decided to tally up my exact miles from last week (45.7, but why that's not good below).
A combination of those two posts and my responses, and I just realized in black and white why my summer miles aren't adding up as usual.
Week of June 8: trip to Philly for work for several days
Week of June 15: houseguest for the week
Week of June 22: trip to Pittsburgh for family wedding for 5 days
Week of June 29 (this week): trip to Milwaukee for family visit for 5 days
Week of July 6: trip to Baton Rouge for work for a couple days
Week of July 13: trip to Philly for work for several days
Not having a full 4 days in a row in the office makes it hard for me to do my running commute, and it's showing since I'm just not getting in my usual miles. My running commute usually adds 18 or so effortless miles to any basic running week.
Last week totaled up at 45.7. Which is fine. EXCEPT that included two "long" runs since I ran on Saturday instead of Sunday due to wedding fun. That means that my week would have otherwise been in the low 30s, which for me does not a marathon PR make.
Anyway, maybe I can ramp it up big time in August? Oh wait, I see work trips on the horizon then too. Boo.
I think I'm writing this so that I can attempt to convince myself to just buckle the f- down (that's for you Mike, similar to slow the f- down). Even when I'm on the road, I need to start getting more miles in, and when I'm home, even if I can't get in my preferred 5 running commutes, I need to just do a single roundtrip day.
Here's to a solid second half of the year, better late than never!
First, Mike posted about his 1525 miles for the first six months of the year, and inspired me to look at my current YTD number (almost 800, which is not unusual when I don't have a spring marathon, but I'd have thought it would be higher to reflect that marathon training started about 6 weeks ago).
And then second, Bella posted about her challenge to do 150 miles over the summer, and since she directly asked, I decided to tally up my exact miles from last week (45.7, but why that's not good below).
A combination of those two posts and my responses, and I just realized in black and white why my summer miles aren't adding up as usual.
Week of June 8: trip to Philly for work for several days
Week of June 15: houseguest for the week
Week of June 22: trip to Pittsburgh for family wedding for 5 days
Week of June 29 (this week): trip to Milwaukee for family visit for 5 days
Week of July 6: trip to Baton Rouge for work for a couple days
Week of July 13: trip to Philly for work for several days
Not having a full 4 days in a row in the office makes it hard for me to do my running commute, and it's showing since I'm just not getting in my usual miles. My running commute usually adds 18 or so effortless miles to any basic running week.
Last week totaled up at 45.7. Which is fine. EXCEPT that included two "long" runs since I ran on Saturday instead of Sunday due to wedding fun. That means that my week would have otherwise been in the low 30s, which for me does not a marathon PR make.
Anyway, maybe I can ramp it up big time in August? Oh wait, I see work trips on the horizon then too. Boo.
I think I'm writing this so that I can attempt to convince myself to just buckle the f- down (that's for you Mike, similar to slow the f- down). Even when I'm on the road, I need to start getting more miles in, and when I'm home, even if I can't get in my preferred 5 running commutes, I need to just do a single roundtrip day.
Here's to a solid second half of the year, better late than never!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Racing over the Fourth?
I definitely want to share some of my thoughts from our 5 days in Pittsburgh -- things like weather, elevation, marriage changes after 50 years (not for the better I don't think :( ), baseball, WWII, puzzles, new life plan, wedding festivities, revised vacation plans, etc. And I will probably feel better if I get some work drama off my chest -- leadership change in progress rather unexpectedly, huge meeting to discuss today.
But instead, I just have to write about something funny. I'm making a solo trip home tomorrow for 5 days to see my family. And one awesome thing about my family being filled with equally or more active people is that they just assumed I'd want to run over the 5 days, and one of my brothers chose a race and made sure I'm in for it. Not sure who all will be participating, but definitely me, my next youngest brother, my nephew (who is 9.5), my niece (who is 8.5), and my niece (who is almost 5). My youngest niece is going to be in a stroller that my brother pushes, possibly because he doesn't want to have me beat him without an excuse, but that's just my suspicion. Anyway, for the race, I feel like I have two options: go for a PR, or go with my niece.
In favor of going for a PR, are the facts that (1) it's an unusal distance so basically a single opportunity to run it every year here and that opportunity is in the summer, (2) the weather will be significantly cooler than my annual shot here, (3) I have a weak PR at the distance, (4) even out of shape, I ran 50 seconds off my PR in early June (and like I said, this will be at least 20 degrees cooler).
In favor of running with my niece (who is 8.5) are the facts that (1) it would be fun, and (2) I'd have a hope of inspiring an early love of running in her. I have no idea what her pace would be, but my running buddy has a daughter about the same age and he guesstimated it would be a 10-15 min pace.
So today, I discussed both options with my running buddy. He suggested (as I knew he would) that I go for the PR. Guess we both know I'm not teed up for many this year.... But he also suggested I check the results from past years to see if a PR-ish run would get me an AG award, which he reasoned would be equally inspirational for my niece.
So I looked up past results this morning.
Hahahahaha.
My AG winner last year ran a 5:4x/mile pace.
Hahahahaha! Or, as they'd say in Italian, ahahahahaha!
So, um, yeah, inspiring my niece while PRing by getting something AG is totally not an option.
Think I'll wait and see how I feel in the morning, but a large part of me wants to try to run hard since I seriously don't see another PR in the cards this year (of course hoping for a marathon PR in October, but the magic 8 ball demonstrated by the scale and recent runs suggests that's less than likely). Anyway, just had to share how funny it was. Humbling too since my 50 sec over PR run last month won my AG here (obvs a significantly smaller race and all).
But instead, I just have to write about something funny. I'm making a solo trip home tomorrow for 5 days to see my family. And one awesome thing about my family being filled with equally or more active people is that they just assumed I'd want to run over the 5 days, and one of my brothers chose a race and made sure I'm in for it. Not sure who all will be participating, but definitely me, my next youngest brother, my nephew (who is 9.5), my niece (who is 8.5), and my niece (who is almost 5). My youngest niece is going to be in a stroller that my brother pushes, possibly because he doesn't want to have me beat him without an excuse, but that's just my suspicion. Anyway, for the race, I feel like I have two options: go for a PR, or go with my niece.
In favor of going for a PR, are the facts that (1) it's an unusal distance so basically a single opportunity to run it every year here and that opportunity is in the summer, (2) the weather will be significantly cooler than my annual shot here, (3) I have a weak PR at the distance, (4) even out of shape, I ran 50 seconds off my PR in early June (and like I said, this will be at least 20 degrees cooler).
In favor of running with my niece (who is 8.5) are the facts that (1) it would be fun, and (2) I'd have a hope of inspiring an early love of running in her. I have no idea what her pace would be, but my running buddy has a daughter about the same age and he guesstimated it would be a 10-15 min pace.
So today, I discussed both options with my running buddy. He suggested (as I knew he would) that I go for the PR. Guess we both know I'm not teed up for many this year.... But he also suggested I check the results from past years to see if a PR-ish run would get me an AG award, which he reasoned would be equally inspirational for my niece.
So I looked up past results this morning.
Hahahahaha.
My AG winner last year ran a 5:4x/mile pace.
Hahahahaha! Or, as they'd say in Italian, ahahahahaha!
So, um, yeah, inspiring my niece while PRing by getting something AG is totally not an option.
Think I'll wait and see how I feel in the morning, but a large part of me wants to try to run hard since I seriously don't see another PR in the cards this year (of course hoping for a marathon PR in October, but the magic 8 ball demonstrated by the scale and recent runs suggests that's less than likely). Anyway, just had to share how funny it was. Humbling too since my 50 sec over PR run last month won my AG here (obvs a significantly smaller race and all).
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Return of the Running Commute
One of the traditional (and valid) pieces of advice to marathoners is that no running that you do in the final week before the race is going to help you on race day. What helps you on race day is the months of training before then. Usually in that final week, you just run some maintenance miles and work on locking in that "race pace" again. If you do something that final week to "make up" for weeks or sessions you missed, the best that can happen is you show up tired and sore on race day (and obviously, the worst is that you get injured and can't even show up on race day).
But that's the wisdom when you're training for a goal race.
But for something like the marathon this weekend where I don't give a crap about my time (aside from not wanting to be out there in misery for 5 hours or something), I've decided traditional wisdom can be disregarded at will.
So today marks the return of my running commute!
One way only, and insanely convenient today.
Last night was our big work dinner and as expected, it was at a steakhouse. It involved many many bottles of wine AND mixed drinks (yes, two for me, ugh) at the bar while we waited for our table. I probably only had about 1 bottle of wine, but either way, there was no way I could drive home -- well, actually, I couldn't even if I hadn't had a sip of alcohol because I didn't have my car.
I drove to work yesterday morning, got a ride to dinner with a colleague, and then got picked up by my sweet husband after dinner.
And that means I had to run to work today to get my car. It was so nice to do that again. My stats as of my last running commute in mid-September before we went to Europe for the marathon were that I had run to work 115 times out of a possible 147 commutes this year. And a vast majority of the 32 that I missed were because I decided that a post-work commitment was a higher priority than a running commute (alumni events, etc.). All told, there were fewer than 10 days where I drove or got picked up because I just didn't want to run -- bad weather, sore, lazy, whatever -- as opposed to putting another event as a higher priority.
Anyway, those 115 runs were such a staple in my week. Since I've been back from vacation, as previously detailed, I've had so many excuses about why I wasn't running. The first week back was staying so late at work every night that it would have significantly delayed bedtime (plus, I was out of shape and didn't want to add the miles too fast, a sure recipe for injury). The second week back was my sprained ankle at boot camp mere hours before I had planned to do my first post-marathon running commute. The third week was the trip to California (so those days weren't an option anyway). Last week, I was sick with the plague. This week is our big audit, and now it finally worked out for a single day. I didn't want many miles today anyway. I figured some rest in advance of Sunday's marathon is a good idea. And then with the car logistics for dinner last night, it was key not to have to drive home after all that alcohol. So the stars were aligned perfectly this morning.
The things that struck me -- it's about 1 billion times cooler out than it was in September. The construction areas along the commute have changed. Houses under construction have made massive progress. There seems to be more vehicular traffic and fewer pedestrians. The park cities real estate market seems to still be good -- nothing that was for sale before is still for sale.
But that's the wisdom when you're training for a goal race.
But for something like the marathon this weekend where I don't give a crap about my time (aside from not wanting to be out there in misery for 5 hours or something), I've decided traditional wisdom can be disregarded at will.
So today marks the return of my running commute!
One way only, and insanely convenient today.
Last night was our big work dinner and as expected, it was at a steakhouse. It involved many many bottles of wine AND mixed drinks (yes, two for me, ugh) at the bar while we waited for our table. I probably only had about 1 bottle of wine, but either way, there was no way I could drive home -- well, actually, I couldn't even if I hadn't had a sip of alcohol because I didn't have my car.
I drove to work yesterday morning, got a ride to dinner with a colleague, and then got picked up by my sweet husband after dinner.
And that means I had to run to work today to get my car. It was so nice to do that again. My stats as of my last running commute in mid-September before we went to Europe for the marathon were that I had run to work 115 times out of a possible 147 commutes this year. And a vast majority of the 32 that I missed were because I decided that a post-work commitment was a higher priority than a running commute (alumni events, etc.). All told, there were fewer than 10 days where I drove or got picked up because I just didn't want to run -- bad weather, sore, lazy, whatever -- as opposed to putting another event as a higher priority.
Anyway, those 115 runs were such a staple in my week. Since I've been back from vacation, as previously detailed, I've had so many excuses about why I wasn't running. The first week back was staying so late at work every night that it would have significantly delayed bedtime (plus, I was out of shape and didn't want to add the miles too fast, a sure recipe for injury). The second week back was my sprained ankle at boot camp mere hours before I had planned to do my first post-marathon running commute. The third week was the trip to California (so those days weren't an option anyway). Last week, I was sick with the plague. This week is our big audit, and now it finally worked out for a single day. I didn't want many miles today anyway. I figured some rest in advance of Sunday's marathon is a good idea. And then with the car logistics for dinner last night, it was key not to have to drive home after all that alcohol. So the stars were aligned perfectly this morning.
The things that struck me -- it's about 1 billion times cooler out than it was in September. The construction areas along the commute have changed. Houses under construction have made massive progress. There seems to be more vehicular traffic and fewer pedestrians. The park cities real estate market seems to still be good -- nothing that was for sale before is still for sale.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Berlin Training in Miles
I know I've done this before I've run several other marathons, and I feel like it's a good exercise for me. Looking over my training log, thinking about the miles and the tough days (and the fun days), makes me start to feel more confident and race ready.
For purposes of this exercise, I am counting the three times that I did my long runs on Saturday as if I'd done them on Sunday instead.
My mileage breakout in groups:
0-30.0 miles per week: 2 weeks (plus this week I expect!)
30.0-34.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
35.0-39.9 miles per week: 1 weeks
40.0-44.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
45.0-49.9 miles per week: 4 weeks
50.0-54.9 miles per week: 1 week
55.0 or more miles per week: 4 weeks
Or, as I used to look at it, 3 weeks under 30, 4 weeks in the 30s, 7 weeks in the 40s, and 5 weeks in the 50+s.
I've logged over 800 miles in the 19 weeks of training (well, 18.2 and counting, but I'm over 800 already). It's definitely the most I've put into a single marathon.
I wrote recently about how I think I've moved my "breaking point" in terms of running -- I can sustain more weeks at slightly higher miles than I could in past years.
Brain Training for Running by Matt Fitzgerald
While my training this year was not what many marathoners would consider high mileage (lots of people are regularly in the 70 mile per week territory, and of course there are some who are higher than that), it was higher than normal for me, and I think it worked well. If nothing else, I had a great training season.
I need to focus more on how prepared I am, how it will feel to hold race pace for 26.2 miles, the fact that I can hold the pace, and how happy I'll be when (trying to say when, not if) I hit this goal.
My last run with my buddies was this morning, and we fly to Europe tomorrow.
For purposes of this exercise, I am counting the three times that I did my long runs on Saturday as if I'd done them on Sunday instead.
My mileage breakout in groups:
0-30.0 miles per week: 2 weeks (plus this week I expect!)
30.0-34.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
35.0-39.9 miles per week: 1 weeks
40.0-44.9 miles per week: 3 weeks
45.0-49.9 miles per week: 4 weeks
50.0-54.9 miles per week: 1 week
55.0 or more miles per week: 4 weeks
Or, as I used to look at it, 3 weeks under 30, 4 weeks in the 30s, 7 weeks in the 40s, and 5 weeks in the 50+s.
I've logged over 800 miles in the 19 weeks of training (well, 18.2 and counting, but I'm over 800 already). It's definitely the most I've put into a single marathon.
I wrote recently about how I think I've moved my "breaking point" in terms of running -- I can sustain more weeks at slightly higher miles than I could in past years.
"Research has shown that the training characteristic that has the closest correlation with improvement in running performance is running volume, or the amount of running you do each week. This is only to be expected. Running fitness improves through a process of stress and adaptation. Workouts stress -- or challenge -- the body, causing it to adapt in ways that render it better able to handle the same stress when it's repreated. The more stress you apply, the more adaptation you get. Of course, there are such things as exceeding one's limis, doing too much too soon, and a law of diminishing returns. But as a general rule, you will run best by doing close to as much running as your body can handle."
Brain Training for Running by Matt Fitzgerald
While my training this year was not what many marathoners would consider high mileage (lots of people are regularly in the 70 mile per week territory, and of course there are some who are higher than that), it was higher than normal for me, and I think it worked well. If nothing else, I had a great training season.
I need to focus more on how prepared I am, how it will feel to hold race pace for 26.2 miles, the fact that I can hold the pace, and how happy I'll be when (trying to say when, not if) I hit this goal.
My last run with my buddies was this morning, and we fly to Europe tomorrow.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Yoga over Running?
Yesterday I elected to do a yoga class instead of running. Who am I???
The answer I suppose is someone who has been doing marathons for about a decade.
Someone who has a running coach certification.
Someone who has a marathon in exactly one month.
Someone who really, really, really feels like she can't afford an injury right now!
So after five consecutive weeks of 45 or more miles per week, I had the calf pain on my long run. I took several non-running days (did some core work and weights, but no running at all). I then did some pain-free track work, but by the time I got to my easy miles that day, it hurt again. So a couple more days off.
Then a solid but slow 20 mile run with no pain. All good. But then I was out of town for work, so I took another rest day. And then one solid Tuesday run with my running buddies, still all good.
But then I tripped and fell at boot camp the next day, twisting my ankle and scraping the hell out of my elbow when I missed a very oddly (non-regulation shaped) curb.
So a few more days off, but that was kind of inevitable since we were traveling for my 20th high school reunion and I had to move around my long run a bit anyway.
So the bottom line is that I had five weeks in a row at 45 or more miles per week, followed by two weeks of 28-29 miles per week.
Not ideal just before you start to taper, but it is what it is, I'm mostly focused on being glad that it wasn't a more serious injury and that I now feel as good as new. I'm lucky and I know it.
Haha, I couldn't help but sing that sentence. I'm lucky and I know it -- name that tune.
So this week, instead of jumping back in with both feet, which I might have done if I hadn't been doing this for about a decade, if I hadn't had to learn way more than I ever wanted about running, if I had more than a month until my goal race, or if I weren't super-focused on hitting my goal at Berlin, I have proceeded with caution this week.
I ran with my friends Tuesday morning and today (today was track again, very tough). And I ran to work very slowly both those mornings. But I haven't run home at all, and I drove to work yesterday.
I can't really completely credit my intelligence for the decision to drive. Somehow I was short one outfit at work (my garment bag was actually packed from a couple weeks ago, before I had to drive my commutes because of the injuries). And I had gotten the notion of going to yoga yesterday instead of doing a run home from work. Plus the whole thing about knowing better than to build back up to doing too much too soon!
So yesterday I drove to work, and I drove home, and I went to yoga after a quick dinner. Instead of getting 7.5 slow commuting miles, I got an hour of a new-to-me type of yoga that was awesome and let me know this morning I'd done something to my muscles.
The class description should have clued me in:
So yeah, I'm sore in all kinds of weird places (hamstrings and under my rib cage particularly) and I'm proud of myself today! I expect my miles for this week will end up around 45, which isn't bad since the schedule has us at 56. If I'd picked running instead of yoga, I would have been in the low 50s this week, closer to on target, but closer to a possible set-up for reinjury. I expect next week will probably be similar in miles since I'll lose a commute day with the office being closed for Labor Day.
And then I just need one very solid tough week and I'll be into the taper. Whew! I'm just getting so excited!!
The answer I suppose is someone who has been doing marathons for about a decade.
Someone who has a running coach certification.
Someone who has a marathon in exactly one month.
Someone who really, really, really feels like she can't afford an injury right now!
So after five consecutive weeks of 45 or more miles per week, I had the calf pain on my long run. I took several non-running days (did some core work and weights, but no running at all). I then did some pain-free track work, but by the time I got to my easy miles that day, it hurt again. So a couple more days off.
Then a solid but slow 20 mile run with no pain. All good. But then I was out of town for work, so I took another rest day. And then one solid Tuesday run with my running buddies, still all good.
But then I tripped and fell at boot camp the next day, twisting my ankle and scraping the hell out of my elbow when I missed a very oddly (non-regulation shaped) curb.
So a few more days off, but that was kind of inevitable since we were traveling for my 20th high school reunion and I had to move around my long run a bit anyway.
So the bottom line is that I had five weeks in a row at 45 or more miles per week, followed by two weeks of 28-29 miles per week.
Not ideal just before you start to taper, but it is what it is, I'm mostly focused on being glad that it wasn't a more serious injury and that I now feel as good as new. I'm lucky and I know it.
Haha, I couldn't help but sing that sentence. I'm lucky and I know it -- name that tune.
So this week, instead of jumping back in with both feet, which I might have done if I hadn't been doing this for about a decade, if I hadn't had to learn way more than I ever wanted about running, if I had more than a month until my goal race, or if I weren't super-focused on hitting my goal at Berlin, I have proceeded with caution this week.
I ran with my friends Tuesday morning and today (today was track again, very tough). And I ran to work very slowly both those mornings. But I haven't run home at all, and I drove to work yesterday.
I can't really completely credit my intelligence for the decision to drive. Somehow I was short one outfit at work (my garment bag was actually packed from a couple weeks ago, before I had to drive my commutes because of the injuries). And I had gotten the notion of going to yoga yesterday instead of doing a run home from work. Plus the whole thing about knowing better than to build back up to doing too much too soon!
So yesterday I drove to work, and I drove home, and I went to yoga after a quick dinner. Instead of getting 7.5 slow commuting miles, I got an hour of a new-to-me type of yoga that was awesome and let me know this morning I'd done something to my muscles.
The class description should have clued me in:
Sunstone’s Wood series serves to improve overall performance with a fusion of yoga, Pilates and our unique, resistance stretching - Pain Free Yoga™
Wood class is designed to strengthen and balance weak areas in the body deepening active range of motion while working on active strengthening techniques. It is the ideal complement to any of our other class offerings. Enjoy Wood as a stand-alone experience, or attend Wood as part of a progression for a well-rounded and restorative fitness experience.
Temperature: ~90° Humidity: ~60%
So yeah, I'm sore in all kinds of weird places (hamstrings and under my rib cage particularly) and I'm proud of myself today! I expect my miles for this week will end up around 45, which isn't bad since the schedule has us at 56. If I'd picked running instead of yoga, I would have been in the low 50s this week, closer to on target, but closer to a possible set-up for reinjury. I expect next week will probably be similar in miles since I'll lose a commute day with the office being closed for Labor Day.
And then I just need one very solid tough week and I'll be into the taper. Whew! I'm just getting so excited!!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Breaking Point
I have never been a "high mileage" runner, at least as most marathoners would define that term.
I've kept careful running logs over the years, and I usually make a point of chonicling my weekly miles of training on the blog just before a marathon:
Overall, I was gradually increasing the miles and very happy with the results (like I said, it still wasn't high mileage by most marathoners' standards). My pattern for the last few years has been to start hurting whenever I have two weeks in a row of mileage in the mid-50s (that mileage used to be blog-worthy, and even lower amounts as well).
This year was unfolding differently.
I think the big change was that I was commuting to work on foot 5 runs per week and those were junk miles in the truest sense of the term. 3.7 miles each way, so up to 18 miles or so per week. I would go very slowly sometimes, frequently accompanied by a coworker who's just starting out or by a good friend who's coming back, both of whom pace 2-3 minutes per mile slower than I do on my own. But even when I was alone, those 5 commutes per week were usually very, very easy and slow.
This year I think I moved my breaking point higher.
I can do more weeks in the mid-50s, but either way, then I break.
I have completed 12 weeks of training so far for the Berlin Marathon. At this point, I only have 4 more long runs (and then a couple shorter long runs while I taper). The current plan goes 20-20-18-22 (that second 20 is in doubt since we'll be out of town for my high school reunion that weekend).
Here is my current training break-down for 12 weeks (the one week where I had a Saturday long run I am counting it as being done on Sunday, and I'm putting the Sunday miles on Sat, just to keep the total picture clearer):
But this past weekend, as I mentioned, I think I hit the breaking point. Coincidentally (NOT!), I have been over 47.5 (so upper-40s) the last five weeks in a row. If I were a hashtag person, I'd say #overtrained, or #overtraining, or #toomanymiles, or #toomuchtoosoon, or #maybemyrunningcoachcertificationshouldberevoked.
I'm hoping a few days off will fix it, and then I will proceed to take it easy while I ride out the remaining weeks of training. Maybe drop some of the commuting miles if necessary.
If a few days off doesn't fix it, I guess I won't be meeting my goal time in Berlin, but I still feel like I've accomplished something in that I was finally able to sustain higher miles for longer.
And the rational part of me is pretty sure that this current pain should resolve before race day. After all, it just started hurting on Sunday, and I had gotten in at least 14 miles before the first little hint of pain. Biofreeze will surely cure all, and then I will head into Berlin with the strongest training history and the highest mileage I've ever had...
I've kept careful running logs over the years, and I usually make a point of chonicling my weekly miles of training on the blog just before a marathon:
- here and here in 2010 right before my first BQ,
- here before Boston 2011, and
- not here before my fall 2011 race
- 2012 wasn't applicable because the first race was while wearing a 40 pound weight vest, and the second marathon (Beijing) was cancelled before I started to taper, and then I never bothered to chronicle my training for my personal make-up race.
Overall, I was gradually increasing the miles and very happy with the results (like I said, it still wasn't high mileage by most marathoners' standards). My pattern for the last few years has been to start hurting whenever I have two weeks in a row of mileage in the mid-50s (that mileage used to be blog-worthy, and even lower amounts as well).
This year was unfolding differently.
I think the big change was that I was commuting to work on foot 5 runs per week and those were junk miles in the truest sense of the term. 3.7 miles each way, so up to 18 miles or so per week. I would go very slowly sometimes, frequently accompanied by a coworker who's just starting out or by a good friend who's coming back, both of whom pace 2-3 minutes per mile slower than I do on my own. But even when I was alone, those 5 commutes per week were usually very, very easy and slow.
This year I think I moved my breaking point higher.
I can do more weeks in the mid-50s, but either way, then I break.
I have completed 12 weeks of training so far for the Berlin Marathon. At this point, I only have 4 more long runs (and then a couple shorter long runs while I taper). The current plan goes 20-20-18-22 (that second 20 is in doubt since we'll be out of town for my high school reunion that weekend).
Here is my current training break-down for 12 weeks (the one week where I had a Saturday long run I am counting it as being done on Sunday, and I'm putting the Sunday miles on Sat, just to keep the total picture clearer):
- 0-29.9 = 0 weeks
- 30.0 – 34.9 = 3 weeks
- 35.0 – 39.9 = 1 week
- 40.0 – 44.9 = 2 weeks
- 45.0 – 49.9 = 3 weeks
- 50.0 – 54.9 = 1 week
- 55.0+ = 2 weeks
But this past weekend, as I mentioned, I think I hit the breaking point. Coincidentally (NOT!), I have been over 47.5 (so upper-40s) the last five weeks in a row. If I were a hashtag person, I'd say #overtrained, or #overtraining, or #toomanymiles, or #toomuchtoosoon, or #maybemyrunningcoachcertificationshouldberevoked.
I'm hoping a few days off will fix it, and then I will proceed to take it easy while I ride out the remaining weeks of training. Maybe drop some of the commuting miles if necessary.
If a few days off doesn't fix it, I guess I won't be meeting my goal time in Berlin, but I still feel like I've accomplished something in that I was finally able to sustain higher miles for longer.
And the rational part of me is pretty sure that this current pain should resolve before race day. After all, it just started hurting on Sunday, and I had gotten in at least 14 miles before the first little hint of pain. Biofreeze will surely cure all, and then I will head into Berlin with the strongest training history and the highest mileage I've ever had...
Friday, June 21, 2013
Happy Moments
On Tuesday night for unknown reasons, as I was getting ready for bed, my husband brushed my hair for me. This is one of my favorite things in the world. Actually, don't tell him this, but having pretty much anyone brush my hair is one of my favorite things in the world. Very few people do that of course, mostly just my mom, my hairdresser, and my husband, but ahhh, I love it.
I decided it was my favorite moment of the day. And then I decided to try to recount my other favorite moments of the day, in order. I'm sure it was more fun for me to make the list than it was for him to hear it, but oh well.
I'm going to try to remember them now and then look back at this list if I need a boost.
June 18, 2013, happy moments. Just a random day.
1. Having hubby brush my hair after I took out the ponytail before bed.
2. The first bite of tofu for lunch at Seasons 52 with work friends and a visiting attorney. It had a mango chutney on it and it was so good, and more importantly, so much better than I expected.
3. Getting a PR by 1.5 inches in the long jump at the track meet.
4. Hearing my name being called during the first event in which I competed at the track meet (the 1500 meter race) and recognizing the voice and realizing that unexpectedly a very good running buddy (who has since ditched me to run his sub-3:00 marathons) was there cheering for me.
5. Getting a PR in the 800 meter race (still not a fast overall time, but this is not a good distance for me).
6. Having two people to run with on the way to the track meet after work -- my accounting buddy (who set a new personal distance record for non-stop running of 1.2 miles) and one of my longest time friends in Dallas, who was coming to compete in her first track meet and met us at her house along the way.
7. Having a piece of blueberry icebox pie that had been in the freezer for dessert around 9:00 on Tuesday night. When I made the pie and it was clear the 5 of us wouldn't finish it, my local bestie suggested I freeze a few individual pieces for "hot summer night" treats. And after a track meet, it was absolutely perfect.
8. An unexpectedly easy morning run since the group run, which was scheduled to be tough, was cancelled for lightning in the area, so it was a solo short and easy run, and some nap time at home before getting ready for work. It was almost like finding out about a snow day when I was a kid. Except I was all dressed and ready to go before I realized it was cancelled.
9. Feeling like I finally made a dent in the huge list of files I need to review before our twice-a-year audit at work next week. As of Monday, I hadn't even scratched the surface, but by Tuesday evening, I felt like I'd made progress.
10. Hubby went for a run. That was great news to me because it meant he felt sufficiently recovered from his surgery 10 days ago, and the second procedure the day before to remove the stints. It meant he was not on pain meds, which meant I could go to the office rather than attempting to work from home.
I decided it was my favorite moment of the day. And then I decided to try to recount my other favorite moments of the day, in order. I'm sure it was more fun for me to make the list than it was for him to hear it, but oh well.
I'm going to try to remember them now and then look back at this list if I need a boost.
June 18, 2013, happy moments. Just a random day.
1. Having hubby brush my hair after I took out the ponytail before bed.
2. The first bite of tofu for lunch at Seasons 52 with work friends and a visiting attorney. It had a mango chutney on it and it was so good, and more importantly, so much better than I expected.
3. Getting a PR by 1.5 inches in the long jump at the track meet.
4. Hearing my name being called during the first event in which I competed at the track meet (the 1500 meter race) and recognizing the voice and realizing that unexpectedly a very good running buddy (who has since ditched me to run his sub-3:00 marathons) was there cheering for me.
5. Getting a PR in the 800 meter race (still not a fast overall time, but this is not a good distance for me).
6. Having two people to run with on the way to the track meet after work -- my accounting buddy (who set a new personal distance record for non-stop running of 1.2 miles) and one of my longest time friends in Dallas, who was coming to compete in her first track meet and met us at her house along the way.
7. Having a piece of blueberry icebox pie that had been in the freezer for dessert around 9:00 on Tuesday night. When I made the pie and it was clear the 5 of us wouldn't finish it, my local bestie suggested I freeze a few individual pieces for "hot summer night" treats. And after a track meet, it was absolutely perfect.
8. An unexpectedly easy morning run since the group run, which was scheduled to be tough, was cancelled for lightning in the area, so it was a solo short and easy run, and some nap time at home before getting ready for work. It was almost like finding out about a snow day when I was a kid. Except I was all dressed and ready to go before I realized it was cancelled.
9. Feeling like I finally made a dent in the huge list of files I need to review before our twice-a-year audit at work next week. As of Monday, I hadn't even scratched the surface, but by Tuesday evening, I felt like I'd made progress.
10. Hubby went for a run. That was great news to me because it meant he felt sufficiently recovered from his surgery 10 days ago, and the second procedure the day before to remove the stints. It meant he was not on pain meds, which meant I could go to the office rather than attempting to work from home.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
New Kicks
For several days last week, I was hurting. My right hamstring seemed really tight, and the biceps femoris on that leg was tender. Usually I can identify where exactly it hurts by probing my leg, but this didn't seem to be one spot in particular. But when I bent my leg at 90 or more degrees, ooh, lots of pain. I also noticed it when going down stairs.
I did what any stupid runner would do -- I followed my schedule. It was sore on Thursday, but I ran the scheduled 8.2 easy miles, plus I ran to work for another 3.7 miles. Friday, my day as Superwoman, I ran the 6 mile hill loop (aka the mountain route). It was tender the first quarter mile, but then there was no pain (well, pain in my lungs, but not the same). I ended up resting on Saturday (which is actually okay per the schedule), and I ran 12 miles on Sunday, which ended up a bit of a train wreck due to poor pacing (90%) and leg pain (10%). Monday was boot camp, Tuesday was a few solo miles since there was a thunderstorm, then my run home from work, and the track meet.
In between the running times, I was being pretty good about icing it and using biofreeze (or actually something called Freezepain I think, whatever they had when my husband asked for biofreeze at the store). Not so good about the RCE part of RICE.
At some point, a light bulb went off in my head.
Pain sometimes means it's time for new shoes.
Duh!
I am currently rotating two pairs heavily, and two pairs lightly. But both the heavy rotation shoes were more than 4 months old.
This year so far, I'm at about 850 miles of running. I haven't tried to break out shoe totals, but just a rough guess is probably about 375 miles per heavy rotation shoe, and 100 miles for the light rotation running shoe.
And for me, shoes usually max out around 400 miles. If my calculations are a bit off, then my heavy rotation shoes are done. If my calculations are right, I could wear them for about another week or two. I really need to be better about tracking the shoe mileage.
So I bought new shoes.
I planned to run in them Tuesday morning, but it was threatening rain and I always like the first dozen or so runs to be dry. But I finally put them on to go to work yesterday, and I was pain-free.
It could be coincidence, the pain in my hamstring and biceps femoris was already getting better I have no doubt, but either way, it's a fairly simple fix and one I can't believe I didn't think of sooner.
In exciting shoe news, after about 2 years of cheating on my Brooks Glycerin by flirting with Mizune Waverunner and Adidas Supernova, my new pair is Brooks Glycerin again. Ahh...
Unfortunately, there are 3 color choices, only one in stock at my local running store. I decided to go with the "in stock" color because I am going to order another color to be my marathon day shoe (will match my outfit better). So that means my new kicks are hideous neon yellow. I feel like I'm not fast enough to pull off this color, but oh well.
Oh, and double unfortunately, with the redesign, the price went up another $10. That means $150 a pop on shoes now. Oh well, it's the cost of doing business I guess, and since running is my main hobby, it makes sense that I'd spend money on it.
Bright yellow, with my Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon socks!
I did what any stupid runner would do -- I followed my schedule. It was sore on Thursday, but I ran the scheduled 8.2 easy miles, plus I ran to work for another 3.7 miles. Friday, my day as Superwoman, I ran the 6 mile hill loop (aka the mountain route). It was tender the first quarter mile, but then there was no pain (well, pain in my lungs, but not the same). I ended up resting on Saturday (which is actually okay per the schedule), and I ran 12 miles on Sunday, which ended up a bit of a train wreck due to poor pacing (90%) and leg pain (10%). Monday was boot camp, Tuesday was a few solo miles since there was a thunderstorm, then my run home from work, and the track meet.
In between the running times, I was being pretty good about icing it and using biofreeze (or actually something called Freezepain I think, whatever they had when my husband asked for biofreeze at the store). Not so good about the RCE part of RICE.
At some point, a light bulb went off in my head.
Pain sometimes means it's time for new shoes.
Duh!
I am currently rotating two pairs heavily, and two pairs lightly. But both the heavy rotation shoes were more than 4 months old.
This year so far, I'm at about 850 miles of running. I haven't tried to break out shoe totals, but just a rough guess is probably about 375 miles per heavy rotation shoe, and 100 miles for the light rotation running shoe.
And for me, shoes usually max out around 400 miles. If my calculations are a bit off, then my heavy rotation shoes are done. If my calculations are right, I could wear them for about another week or two. I really need to be better about tracking the shoe mileage.
So I bought new shoes.
I planned to run in them Tuesday morning, but it was threatening rain and I always like the first dozen or so runs to be dry. But I finally put them on to go to work yesterday, and I was pain-free.
It could be coincidence, the pain in my hamstring and biceps femoris was already getting better I have no doubt, but either way, it's a fairly simple fix and one I can't believe I didn't think of sooner.
In exciting shoe news, after about 2 years of cheating on my Brooks Glycerin by flirting with Mizune Waverunner and Adidas Supernova, my new pair is Brooks Glycerin again. Ahh...
Unfortunately, there are 3 color choices, only one in stock at my local running store. I decided to go with the "in stock" color because I am going to order another color to be my marathon day shoe (will match my outfit better). So that means my new kicks are hideous neon yellow. I feel like I'm not fast enough to pull off this color, but oh well.
Oh, and double unfortunately, with the redesign, the price went up another $10. That means $150 a pop on shoes now. Oh well, it's the cost of doing business I guess, and since running is my main hobby, it makes sense that I'd spend money on it.
Bright yellow, with my Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon socks!
"Yeah, I got on sneaks, but I need a new pair..." (Name that tune!)
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Race Bibs
I am a horribly sentimental person who is overly attached to "things" -- possibly because I have a poor memory, possibly because I live in a fairly spacious place so there's no need to purge, possibly because I'm cheap and try to reuse things, who knows why. The end result is that I keep too much stuff. Fortunately, I don't like shopping much, so my house and closet are full of things I've had for a long time, many of which has sentimental value. And because our house is not excessively cluttered, there's no particular reason to purge. I need to force myself to do it anyway, but the mood seems to be rare...
One place that is becoming overly cluttered however is the corner of the tall dresser in our bedroom over which I drape my medals.
Hanging medals wouldn't be bad if it were just marathon medals, since I only have 16 of those. But I hang ALL medals there. Half medals, age group award medals, random 10k medals, whatever. And the stack is out of control. My husband is now afraid to hang any medal up there because he doesn't want to be the person who topples the stack.
So for a while, I've been brainstorming what I wanted to do with all those medals (probably just the non-marathon ones).
Somewhere, probably Pinterest, I saw the idea of a "motivation wall." And the more I thought about it, the more I thought I'd like to do that in my garage.
Basically, I would mount all of our race bibs, which I have also saved, on the wall, and then I was thinking I would hang any medals from those races nearby. I think I will likely keep the marathon medals in the bedroom, but all other race medals can go in the garage.
One pre-project was to get our race bibs in order. I decided to combine all our race bibs (so if we ever get divorced, among the many other things in my life that would fall apart, the garage motivation wall would be a disaster) and put them in chronological order.
I have done over 100 road races so far, and I have almost every single bib. On the back after the race, I'd usually write my time, any comments (like weather, mile splits), any AG award, whether it was a PR, etc.
So within the last week I finally pulled them all together (they were in a drawer already and in rough chronological order), and put them onto a large ring.
I'm so glad that I have my bib from my very first race -- it will be a decade old later this year!
So next step I think is to buy a gazillion of those command strips so I can hang the bibs without damaging the wall (in case the project sucks). And then I just need to find a long weekend day to get to work.
The ring of bibs:
Hanging:
First adult race bib:
One place that is becoming overly cluttered however is the corner of the tall dresser in our bedroom over which I drape my medals.
Hanging medals wouldn't be bad if it were just marathon medals, since I only have 16 of those. But I hang ALL medals there. Half medals, age group award medals, random 10k medals, whatever. And the stack is out of control. My husband is now afraid to hang any medal up there because he doesn't want to be the person who topples the stack.
So for a while, I've been brainstorming what I wanted to do with all those medals (probably just the non-marathon ones).
Somewhere, probably Pinterest, I saw the idea of a "motivation wall." And the more I thought about it, the more I thought I'd like to do that in my garage.
Basically, I would mount all of our race bibs, which I have also saved, on the wall, and then I was thinking I would hang any medals from those races nearby. I think I will likely keep the marathon medals in the bedroom, but all other race medals can go in the garage.
One pre-project was to get our race bibs in order. I decided to combine all our race bibs (so if we ever get divorced, among the many other things in my life that would fall apart, the garage motivation wall would be a disaster) and put them in chronological order.
I have done over 100 road races so far, and I have almost every single bib. On the back after the race, I'd usually write my time, any comments (like weather, mile splits), any AG award, whether it was a PR, etc.
So within the last week I finally pulled them all together (they were in a drawer already and in rough chronological order), and put them onto a large ring.
I'm so glad that I have my bib from my very first race -- it will be a decade old later this year!
So next step I think is to buy a gazillion of those command strips so I can hang the bibs without damaging the wall (in case the project sucks). And then I just need to find a long weekend day to get to work.
The ring of bibs:
Hanging:
First adult race bib:
Guess I will put those command strips on the grocery list so that I can complete step 2 of this project, then there really will be no excuse not to move forward with step 3 (unless it gets really hot, then I'll have to wait until the fall since our garage gets warm).
Thursday, June 6, 2013
National Running Day questions
So here are belated answers to a National Running Day post I read on hungryrunnergirl. I didn't see it until pretty late last night, so I actually missed the official day. I largely echo Amy's sentiments when it comes to National Running Day, because yes, it's just Wednesday and that means I run. Same as I ran last Wednesday, and the Wednesday before that, and same as I will do next Wednesday and the next Wednesday (God-willing).
But who am I to shy away from a set of questions already written for me that I can just answer without having to think about topics?
1. On average how many races do you run a year?
On average, I run 14.333 races per year.
In 2013, I've done 13 so far -- but that was due to my crazy plan to make sure my speed training in the spring had tangible results. That pace is slowing down markedly now that marathon training is underway, but I will still be well over 20 races for the year I expect, my highest ever. I didn't count this year in my average.
Past years:
2012 = 15 races
2011 = 13 races
2010 = 19 races
2009 = 17 races
2008 = 19 races
2007 = 16 races
2006 = 11 races (still seriously injured first two months of the year)
2005 = 13 races (seriously injured last two months of the year)
2004 = 6 races
2003 = 1 race, my very first road race as an all-grown up and full-time employed adult (I know I did some races in college, maybe even law school, but certainly not with any frequency). I didn't count this year in my average.
2. Head accessories, things you have to run with: a hat, a visor, sunglasses, chapstick, sunscreen, head band, ponytail, braids, sweat band?
The only must for me is a ponytail. During my commute now, I will sometimes wear sunglasses. If it's raining, I'll wear a visor. If it's cold, I'll wear a hat. I try to be better about sunscreen, but face sunscreen as a runner is tricky, tricky business. You don't want most of that stuff anywhere near your eyes when you're sweating buckets. I like to wear chapstick on my evening commute runs, but if I wear it in the morning, my lipstick for the day doesn't stick well.
3. Where do your workouts come from? A training plan, a coach, whatever you feel like doing that day or what your training partner is doing that day?
I train with a group organized by a local running store, so my coach with that program puts together the schedule. I'm actually a certified coach myself, and I've coached for this store before, but it's like an attorney representing herself -- just not a good idea. I'm much better off with a coach looking at what I'm doing and coming up with a plan for me.
4. How many miles on average do you put on a pair of shoes? (I am in mourning because my beautiful purflow 2s are being retired today. We had a great relationship together for 400 miles).
Lately, I've been getting close to 500 miles. I think it's because after I'd traditionally retire shoes, I now will just move them to a "lesser" category so I use them for boot camp or for commuting.
5. Cell phone= do you bring it with you on your run or leave it at home?
I leave it at home or in the car during races and when I'm running alone or with friends in training, but I bring it along when I'm commuting because I need to have my phone with me at work (and thanks to "find my phone" if I ever didn't get home within half an hour or so after I left work, hubby could track me to see where I was).
6. What was your last running related injury or have you been an injury free runner?
I've had some calf pain sporadically over the last few years, but the last real injury where I had to take a few days off was a calf injury in March 2011. I had plantar fasciitis, but I was able to keep running -- it only hurt when I walked. The only serious injury I had was in late 2005 and early 2006, a pulled groin muscle that took months of no running to heal.
7. Is your current running goal about running a farther distance (adding more mileage) or getting faster or BOTH?!?
Getting faster. Specifically, getting faster at the marathon in Berlin on Sept. 29, 2013.
8. Speedwork—-> at the track, on the treadmill, on the roads or never do it?
I prefer at the track, but I will sometimes do it on the roads. I usually do it with my training buddies and it's usually on the roads in the early stages of training, then at the track in the sharpening phase.
9. Stretching after a run: hit the ground after a run and get stretching, stretch in the shower, stretch once you get to work/school, skip the stretching?
After every run for training, I walk for about 3 minutes to cool down and I do a few high knees, butt kicks, and front kicks after that. After a long run, I'll add real stretching about 5 more minutes. After morning commute runs, I'll stretch some in the elevator at work if there's no one else there or I'll just inconspicuously stretch my calves. After evening commute runs, nada. I get in the house and I am done.
10. What was your reason(S) for starting to run?
I was talked into signing up for a marathon by a friend.
But who am I to shy away from a set of questions already written for me that I can just answer without having to think about topics?
1. On average how many races do you run a year?
On average, I run 14.333 races per year.
In 2013, I've done 13 so far -- but that was due to my crazy plan to make sure my speed training in the spring had tangible results. That pace is slowing down markedly now that marathon training is underway, but I will still be well over 20 races for the year I expect, my highest ever. I didn't count this year in my average.
Past years:
2012 = 15 races
2011 = 13 races
2010 = 19 races
2009 = 17 races
2008 = 19 races
2007 = 16 races
2006 = 11 races (still seriously injured first two months of the year)
2005 = 13 races (seriously injured last two months of the year)
2004 = 6 races
2003 = 1 race, my very first road race as an all-grown up and full-time employed adult (I know I did some races in college, maybe even law school, but certainly not with any frequency). I didn't count this year in my average.
2. Head accessories, things you have to run with: a hat, a visor, sunglasses, chapstick, sunscreen, head band, ponytail, braids, sweat band?
The only must for me is a ponytail. During my commute now, I will sometimes wear sunglasses. If it's raining, I'll wear a visor. If it's cold, I'll wear a hat. I try to be better about sunscreen, but face sunscreen as a runner is tricky, tricky business. You don't want most of that stuff anywhere near your eyes when you're sweating buckets. I like to wear chapstick on my evening commute runs, but if I wear it in the morning, my lipstick for the day doesn't stick well.
3. Where do your workouts come from? A training plan, a coach, whatever you feel like doing that day or what your training partner is doing that day?
I train with a group organized by a local running store, so my coach with that program puts together the schedule. I'm actually a certified coach myself, and I've coached for this store before, but it's like an attorney representing herself -- just not a good idea. I'm much better off with a coach looking at what I'm doing and coming up with a plan for me.
4. How many miles on average do you put on a pair of shoes? (I am in mourning because my beautiful purflow 2s are being retired today. We had a great relationship together for 400 miles).
Lately, I've been getting close to 500 miles. I think it's because after I'd traditionally retire shoes, I now will just move them to a "lesser" category so I use them for boot camp or for commuting.
5. Cell phone= do you bring it with you on your run or leave it at home?
I leave it at home or in the car during races and when I'm running alone or with friends in training, but I bring it along when I'm commuting because I need to have my phone with me at work (and thanks to "find my phone" if I ever didn't get home within half an hour or so after I left work, hubby could track me to see where I was).
6. What was your last running related injury or have you been an injury free runner?
I've had some calf pain sporadically over the last few years, but the last real injury where I had to take a few days off was a calf injury in March 2011. I had plantar fasciitis, but I was able to keep running -- it only hurt when I walked. The only serious injury I had was in late 2005 and early 2006, a pulled groin muscle that took months of no running to heal.
7. Is your current running goal about running a farther distance (adding more mileage) or getting faster or BOTH?!?
Getting faster. Specifically, getting faster at the marathon in Berlin on Sept. 29, 2013.
8. Speedwork—-> at the track, on the treadmill, on the roads or never do it?
I prefer at the track, but I will sometimes do it on the roads. I usually do it with my training buddies and it's usually on the roads in the early stages of training, then at the track in the sharpening phase.
9. Stretching after a run: hit the ground after a run and get stretching, stretch in the shower, stretch once you get to work/school, skip the stretching?
After every run for training, I walk for about 3 minutes to cool down and I do a few high knees, butt kicks, and front kicks after that. After a long run, I'll add real stretching about 5 more minutes. After morning commute runs, I'll stretch some in the elevator at work if there's no one else there or I'll just inconspicuously stretch my calves. After evening commute runs, nada. I get in the house and I am done.
10. What was your reason(S) for starting to run?
I was talked into signing up for a marathon by a friend.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Restaurant Calorie Surprise
I pretty much never go out for lunch when I'm working.
My office is in a strip mall and is also directly across the street from a big shopping mall (4 department stores, tons of other store). In the strip mall, there are 2 restaurants (Cheesecake Factory and Blue Mesa), a fro-yo place, and a big grocery store. Across the street at the mall, there are a bunch of restaurants and a food court, but it's a very busy street to cross (3-4 lanes each direction), and I've only walked to the mall once (to buy something for my niece, never for lunch).
Since we've been in this office location (just over 6 months now), I've been to Blue Mesa once for lunch (just last month) and to the fro-yo place twice. I've certainly been out for lunch other places too, but those have generally been visiting attorney lunches where a big group of us goes. And I've possibly gone to meet my husband a couple times.
But generally, since I only have a car at work on Mondays, I don't go out for lunch. On Mondays, when I drive to the office, I bring lunches for the week. 90% of the time, it's a frozen meal and an individual serving of frozen peas. The other 10% of the time, it's leftovers.
As far as frozen meals go, there is a pretty steady rotation but the only regular brands are Amy's and Lean Cuisine.
Well, yesterday, since it was Monday and I had a car, I had made lunch plans with a former colleague from the big firm where I worked the first seven or so years after law school. We went to Gordon Biersch, which is less than half a mile from my office but not walk-able.
As a vegetarian, my menu choices are somewhat limited at most restaurants and that's usually kind of a good thing -- back when I ate meat (or now, at an all vegetarian restaurant), it could take me FOREVER to decide what to order. I'm not the most decisive person when it comes to ordering food, particularly if there are lots of options. My ex-boyfriend used to joke that I became a vegetarian solely so that I could be ready to order at the same time as everyone else because I'd only have to decide between 2 or 3 things. He had a point!
Anyway, at Gordon Biersch, there appeared to be 4 vegetarian options on the menu: vegetarian tacos, a goat cheese and artichoke flatbread, a veggie burger, and a grilled cheese sandwich. There was also a mixed greens salad that was veg I believe, but I can't remember. I'm not really a "restaurant salad as an entree" kind of gal most of the time. Either way, a vast majority of the salads on the menu had meat or fish, so they were also out of the running.
So I'm not particularly watching what I eat right now. I mentioned before that I ate a lot more crap than usual last week, but things should be pretty much back to normal this week. And my mileage is pretty solid lately. Here's what the last couple months have looked like:
3-17: 38.4 miles and 3 BC (boot camps)
3-24: 49.6 and 3 BC (plus treadmill walking w/ coworker)
3-31: 28.7 and 2 BC (low because no long run for Easter) (plus treadmill walking w/ coworker)
4-7: 40.6 and 2 BC (plus treadmill walking w/ coworker)
4-14: 31.8 and 2 BC
4-21: 32.3 and 2 BC
4-28: 35.8 and 2 BC
5-5: 31.3 and 3 BC
5-12: 40.8 and 2 BC
5-19: 31.2 and 3 BC
5-27: 54.8 and 1 BC (big jump, I know, I know)
Using a rough conversion rate of 100 calories per mile, that's more than 5,000 running calories burned last week.
Last week was freakishly high miles, but I was feeling good and there was the half marathon race for the Memorial Day holiday. I'm usually good about not bumping up mileage by much in any given week, but I thought the one week was safe.
Anyway, where was I going with this post? Oh yeah, not super worried about calories right now, but still happy to make healthier choices where I can.
There wasn't nutrition info on the menu, so I was left to my own devices to just guess about which of my 4 options would be healthiest.
Vegetarian tacos, a goat cheese and artichoke flatbread, a veggie burger, or a grilled cheese sandwich?
I figured vegetarian tacos or the veggie burger would be healthiest. On closer inspection, the grilled cheese had bacon, so that was out of the question.
I went with the flatbread because it sounded good. It was! I didn't think I'd eat it all, but I did.
A conversation this morning on our group run about nutrition made me wonder how I'd done in my choice, so I just looked it up. Gordon Biersch has nutritional info available online, which is totally awesome.
Vegetarian tacos: about 600 calories, 26 grams of fat, and 11 saturated fat
Goat cheese and artichoke flatbread: about 425 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 6 saturated fat
Veggie burger: about 900 calories, 40 grams of fat, and 6 saturated fat
Grilled cheese sandwich: about 1100 calories, 30 grams of fat, and 30 saturated fat
So I'd decided not to worry about nutrition, chose what I thought was the least healthy of the 3 options that remained (I would have guessed correctly that grilled cheese would be the worst), and surprise, I chose the healthiest of the three! How bizarre!
But seriously, would you have to be a nutrition buff to guess that correctly? Or am I just that bad at guessing what is and is not healthy? Were maybe the fries included with the burger in the stats? I don't know, but it blew me away. Lucky choice on my part -- even if I'm not super worried about calories, I don't exactly want a 900 calorie lunch on a given weekday.
My office is in a strip mall and is also directly across the street from a big shopping mall (4 department stores, tons of other store). In the strip mall, there are 2 restaurants (Cheesecake Factory and Blue Mesa), a fro-yo place, and a big grocery store. Across the street at the mall, there are a bunch of restaurants and a food court, but it's a very busy street to cross (3-4 lanes each direction), and I've only walked to the mall once (to buy something for my niece, never for lunch).
Since we've been in this office location (just over 6 months now), I've been to Blue Mesa once for lunch (just last month) and to the fro-yo place twice. I've certainly been out for lunch other places too, but those have generally been visiting attorney lunches where a big group of us goes. And I've possibly gone to meet my husband a couple times.
But generally, since I only have a car at work on Mondays, I don't go out for lunch. On Mondays, when I drive to the office, I bring lunches for the week. 90% of the time, it's a frozen meal and an individual serving of frozen peas. The other 10% of the time, it's leftovers.
As far as frozen meals go, there is a pretty steady rotation but the only regular brands are Amy's and Lean Cuisine.
Well, yesterday, since it was Monday and I had a car, I had made lunch plans with a former colleague from the big firm where I worked the first seven or so years after law school. We went to Gordon Biersch, which is less than half a mile from my office but not walk-able.
As a vegetarian, my menu choices are somewhat limited at most restaurants and that's usually kind of a good thing -- back when I ate meat (or now, at an all vegetarian restaurant), it could take me FOREVER to decide what to order. I'm not the most decisive person when it comes to ordering food, particularly if there are lots of options. My ex-boyfriend used to joke that I became a vegetarian solely so that I could be ready to order at the same time as everyone else because I'd only have to decide between 2 or 3 things. He had a point!
Anyway, at Gordon Biersch, there appeared to be 4 vegetarian options on the menu: vegetarian tacos, a goat cheese and artichoke flatbread, a veggie burger, and a grilled cheese sandwich. There was also a mixed greens salad that was veg I believe, but I can't remember. I'm not really a "restaurant salad as an entree" kind of gal most of the time. Either way, a vast majority of the salads on the menu had meat or fish, so they were also out of the running.
So I'm not particularly watching what I eat right now. I mentioned before that I ate a lot more crap than usual last week, but things should be pretty much back to normal this week. And my mileage is pretty solid lately. Here's what the last couple months have looked like:
3-17: 38.4 miles and 3 BC (boot camps)
3-24: 49.6 and 3 BC (plus treadmill walking w/ coworker)
3-31: 28.7 and 2 BC (low because no long run for Easter) (plus treadmill walking w/ coworker)
4-7: 40.6 and 2 BC (plus treadmill walking w/ coworker)
4-14: 31.8 and 2 BC
4-21: 32.3 and 2 BC
4-28: 35.8 and 2 BC
5-5: 31.3 and 3 BC
5-12: 40.8 and 2 BC
5-19: 31.2 and 3 BC
5-27: 54.8 and 1 BC (big jump, I know, I know)
Using a rough conversion rate of 100 calories per mile, that's more than 5,000 running calories burned last week.
Last week was freakishly high miles, but I was feeling good and there was the half marathon race for the Memorial Day holiday. I'm usually good about not bumping up mileage by much in any given week, but I thought the one week was safe.
Anyway, where was I going with this post? Oh yeah, not super worried about calories right now, but still happy to make healthier choices where I can.
There wasn't nutrition info on the menu, so I was left to my own devices to just guess about which of my 4 options would be healthiest.
Vegetarian tacos, a goat cheese and artichoke flatbread, a veggie burger, or a grilled cheese sandwich?
I figured vegetarian tacos or the veggie burger would be healthiest. On closer inspection, the grilled cheese had bacon, so that was out of the question.
I went with the flatbread because it sounded good. It was! I didn't think I'd eat it all, but I did.
A conversation this morning on our group run about nutrition made me wonder how I'd done in my choice, so I just looked it up. Gordon Biersch has nutritional info available online, which is totally awesome.
Vegetarian tacos: about 600 calories, 26 grams of fat, and 11 saturated fat
Goat cheese and artichoke flatbread: about 425 calories, 20 grams of fat, and 6 saturated fat
Veggie burger: about 900 calories, 40 grams of fat, and 6 saturated fat
Grilled cheese sandwich: about 1100 calories, 30 grams of fat, and 30 saturated fat
So I'd decided not to worry about nutrition, chose what I thought was the least healthy of the 3 options that remained (I would have guessed correctly that grilled cheese would be the worst), and surprise, I chose the healthiest of the three! How bizarre!
But seriously, would you have to be a nutrition buff to guess that correctly? Or am I just that bad at guessing what is and is not healthy? Were maybe the fries included with the burger in the stats? I don't know, but it blew me away. Lucky choice on my part -- even if I'm not super worried about calories, I don't exactly want a 900 calorie lunch on a given weekday.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Marathon Predictors
Very early on in my running career, someone told me about marathon pace predictors.
The most popular one is McMillan's, which is found here.
The way it works is you put in an actual recent race time and it will calculate what you should be able to run at other distances (assuming proper training).
You can also do it in reverse, putting in a recent marathon time, and seeing how fast you should be able to run a shorter race.
I don't know exactly how the science/numbers behind the predictor works. It obviously doesn't assume that you can run your 5k pace for a marathon, but I don't know exactly what factor it increases your time by to extrapolate from your current time. And of course there are questions about how accurate any prediction is. The old version of the McMillan calculator had a warning (and it might still be there, I just haven't looked) indicating that the longer and the more recent your "actual" race time is, the more accurate your "predicted" time will be. So if you ran a 20 miler at just a bit faster than your marathon pace, you're likely to be able to sustain your marathon pace. While if you run a super fast 5k, it's not necessarily true that you'll be able to perform at the same level for hours on end.
The predictor has always been interesting to me. I can see what distances are my strongest (they predict the fastest marathon), and what distances are ones where I chronically underperform (predicting the slowest marathon).
Thus far, my mile and my 5k PRs predict me very close to my goal marathon time for Berlin this September. The problem with looking at my mile and 5k predictions is that both my mile and 5k PRs are old. My weakest distance is the 15k (I also have very weak 8k and 20 mile times, but those are old or are from training races). But a lot of my PRs, even recent ones, predict me very close to my actual current marathon PR.
I start training for Berlin in about two more weeks. I've run two 5ks very recently, and one half (two days ago), and all three of those predict me in the exact same time range for a marathon -- less than 2 minutes' difference! Which makes me think there's something to be said for the predictor. But what I am especially happy to see is that the 90 second window based on my 3 recent races as a predictor all show me getting a marathon PR by about 4-5 minutes. For me, when I look at the predictor with my current 5k time, it estimates that I can run marathon pace miles nearly 2 minutes slower than my mile PR, and just over a minute per mile slower than my 5k PR mile pace. Looking at actual recent race times instead of my all-time PRs, my current 5k race time has me slowing down just over 1 minute per mile to run the marathon. Do-able I hope.
While a PR of 4-5 minutes is not the 11 minute PR that I want to see in Berlin, it would be one step closer to that ultimate 11 minute goal. So all in all, my spring focus on speed training seems to have gone pretty well. I have gotten my race times closer to where they were before my 2012 season of running with a weight vest. And at least now (according to the predictors, for what they're worth), I've set myself up as best as I can to train for a PR at the marathon.
The most popular one is McMillan's, which is found here.
The way it works is you put in an actual recent race time and it will calculate what you should be able to run at other distances (assuming proper training).
You can also do it in reverse, putting in a recent marathon time, and seeing how fast you should be able to run a shorter race.
I don't know exactly how the science/numbers behind the predictor works. It obviously doesn't assume that you can run your 5k pace for a marathon, but I don't know exactly what factor it increases your time by to extrapolate from your current time. And of course there are questions about how accurate any prediction is. The old version of the McMillan calculator had a warning (and it might still be there, I just haven't looked) indicating that the longer and the more recent your "actual" race time is, the more accurate your "predicted" time will be. So if you ran a 20 miler at just a bit faster than your marathon pace, you're likely to be able to sustain your marathon pace. While if you run a super fast 5k, it's not necessarily true that you'll be able to perform at the same level for hours on end.
The predictor has always been interesting to me. I can see what distances are my strongest (they predict the fastest marathon), and what distances are ones where I chronically underperform (predicting the slowest marathon).
Thus far, my mile and my 5k PRs predict me very close to my goal marathon time for Berlin this September. The problem with looking at my mile and 5k predictions is that both my mile and 5k PRs are old. My weakest distance is the 15k (I also have very weak 8k and 20 mile times, but those are old or are from training races). But a lot of my PRs, even recent ones, predict me very close to my actual current marathon PR.
I start training for Berlin in about two more weeks. I've run two 5ks very recently, and one half (two days ago), and all three of those predict me in the exact same time range for a marathon -- less than 2 minutes' difference! Which makes me think there's something to be said for the predictor. But what I am especially happy to see is that the 90 second window based on my 3 recent races as a predictor all show me getting a marathon PR by about 4-5 minutes. For me, when I look at the predictor with my current 5k time, it estimates that I can run marathon pace miles nearly 2 minutes slower than my mile PR, and just over a minute per mile slower than my 5k PR mile pace. Looking at actual recent race times instead of my all-time PRs, my current 5k race time has me slowing down just over 1 minute per mile to run the marathon. Do-able I hope.
While a PR of 4-5 minutes is not the 11 minute PR that I want to see in Berlin, it would be one step closer to that ultimate 11 minute goal. So all in all, my spring focus on speed training seems to have gone pretty well. I have gotten my race times closer to where they were before my 2012 season of running with a weight vest. And at least now (according to the predictors, for what they're worth), I've set myself up as best as I can to train for a PR at the marathon.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Pacing Oddity
When I first started running, I was definitely of the "I only have one pace" school. It seemed short runs, long runs, all the time, I'd average around the same pace. It was more effort on the long runs of course, but even in training, my pace varied little.
After a few years of practice, I finally got to the point where I could run a 5k at a pace that was inconceivable for me to run a marathon. And while many of my training runs stayed at about the same pace, regardless of distance, that was the plan -- I was generally training for longer races, and frequently a 7 mile run and a 20 mile run would be at the same "easy" pace, about 60 seconds per mile slower than my planned race pace. And of course there would be some faster runs on the schedule, and my pace would differ there.
I think maybe the 4-5 months of training wearing a weight vest might have somehow put me right back where I started.
This morning, I finally got around to updating the old school "race results" spreadsheet that I keep. The actual entries start on line 3 of the spreadsheet, and when I entered my results from the last few races, I ended up listing this past weekend on line 137 of the spreadsheet. Wow. Those are all legit races that had entry fees, bibs, timing devices, the works.
But then I saw the pacing oddity.
The last 4 races I've run have all had an average pace with 5 seconds of each other. And those race distances have varied greatly -- 5k, 10k, 8 mile, 10 mile. There is absolutely no reason why my 5k time should be within 5 seconds of my 10 mile time. (Well, I'm setting aside that the 5k was based on donuts, and I ate one donut hole at each of the 5 donut stations, and I ran the race with my bestie.) (But the point is that I didn't feel like I could have gone much faster.) Disturbing.
Particularly disturbing since, as I said, my little 5 second pace window is about 30 seconds slower than my goal marathon pace. If I can't run the goal pace now for 5k or up to 10 miles, how do I have any hope of doing it in September? I'm definitely getting nervous.
My official speed training with a coach starts in a few weeks, I guess I just need to give it my best and see what happens. Thankfully I have more than 6 months to wrap my head around my goal, and hopefully by then I will have the numbers on my race results spreadsheet to convince me that goal is completely within reach.
After a few years of practice, I finally got to the point where I could run a 5k at a pace that was inconceivable for me to run a marathon. And while many of my training runs stayed at about the same pace, regardless of distance, that was the plan -- I was generally training for longer races, and frequently a 7 mile run and a 20 mile run would be at the same "easy" pace, about 60 seconds per mile slower than my planned race pace. And of course there would be some faster runs on the schedule, and my pace would differ there.
I think maybe the 4-5 months of training wearing a weight vest might have somehow put me right back where I started.
This morning, I finally got around to updating the old school "race results" spreadsheet that I keep. The actual entries start on line 3 of the spreadsheet, and when I entered my results from the last few races, I ended up listing this past weekend on line 137 of the spreadsheet. Wow. Those are all legit races that had entry fees, bibs, timing devices, the works.
But then I saw the pacing oddity.
The last 4 races I've run have all had an average pace with 5 seconds of each other. And those race distances have varied greatly -- 5k, 10k, 8 mile, 10 mile. There is absolutely no reason why my 5k time should be within 5 seconds of my 10 mile time. (Well, I'm setting aside that the 5k was based on donuts, and I ate one donut hole at each of the 5 donut stations, and I ran the race with my bestie.) (But the point is that I didn't feel like I could have gone much faster.) Disturbing.
Particularly disturbing since, as I said, my little 5 second pace window is about 30 seconds slower than my goal marathon pace. If I can't run the goal pace now for 5k or up to 10 miles, how do I have any hope of doing it in September? I'm definitely getting nervous.
My official speed training with a coach starts in a few weeks, I guess I just need to give it my best and see what happens. Thankfully I have more than 6 months to wrap my head around my goal, and hopefully by then I will have the numbers on my race results spreadsheet to convince me that goal is completely within reach.
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