Woe is me-ing

During this morning's recovery run, a bug flew into my mouth AND I somehow ended up running at a speedier pace than portions of last week's marathon :O Before getting fully back into running and returning to my perky & positive self (me, really?!?!??!), I'd like to take a moment to vent....I'm going to get the monkey off my back by listing all the excuses for why last weekend's race didn't produce a PR:

• The Avenue of the Giants course was WAY hillier than I'd expected. It was never flat.
• It was hot. I was hot.
• I didn't drink any electrolyte beverages/gatorade/salt tabs.
• I paid too much attention to Garmalade and not enough to how I was feeling.
• My right leg was acting up---something strange popped in my quad around mile 4.
• I'd had a crazed week of data collection leading up to the race.
• I may have over-tapered.
• I may have overtrained by running 18 & 20 milers in February.

*** Please excuse my excuse-making, and I swear that I'll do some peppy and zany bloggin' next week!!!***

Avenue Race Report

You take the good, you take the bad,

you take them both and there you have

The Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.

A fact of running is that you take the good AND you take the bad.

I did not PR at the Avenue of the Giants, but that doesn't mean it was bad, either! I could share several theories for why I didn't PR (e.g., not adequately rested vs. peaked early & over-tapered, or some kind of intestinal and/or electrolyte issue), but I'd rather embrace what was good---or even great---about the race. The trees were beautiful. It was a new experience to run such a TINY marathon. I liked seeing other runners on the out and backs. I didn't go out too fast. I enjoyed listening to my playlist. The roadtrip to and from the Humboldt area was fun & chill.

Here's how the race played out.....

Miles 1-6 (Surprised by the lack 'o' flatness)

The start was uneventful, and I found my appropriate starting pace quite easily (8:56-9:05). Then I noticed hills, and more hills. Very few sections of this marathon were flat. Plus, potholes and more potholes. I really had to concentrate on my footing and found myself dodging around a bunch on the course (which helps explain why I ran an EXTRA 1/2 mile in this race).

A couple stretches of the course were very exposed and sunny, and I felt really hot. So, I dumped water on my head and hoped for the best...

Miles 7-13 (Attempting to stick to my plan and follow Garmlade's orders)

I tried taking advantage of the downhills, but--dang--there were still uphills. It was fun seeing Jenica after I turned around. The trees continued to amaze me, and I got a chance to do some moving meditation on this segment of the course. In this part of the race, I ran several miles in the low 8:50s but a couple miles around 9:20, which led me to believe that 3:54 wasn't gonna happen at the Avenue. But at the half, I thought sub-4 was possible if the card aligned on the second half of the course.

Miles 14-20 (Yes, more trees)

I was feeling decent when starting the second out-and-back. I tried talking myself into believing that this segment would be flat. But I think the ups and downs from the first out and back had already done me in, and I was working very, very hard to eek out 9:10-9:20 miles. I ran and chatted for awhile with a woman who was running this race with her niece. She helped me pick up the pace for a couple miles, and I think it was a good strategy to stick with her while I could. But after miles 17-18, I just didn't have any poof in my leggies.

Miles 21-26.7 (Aargh for running over 26.2!)

I definitely hit the wall, and my legs paid zero respect to orders from my brain to move. Specifically, I ran 11+ minute miles and needed walk breaks. I saw some giant, grody slugs (perhaps banana slugs?!?!) on the course. A couple were smooshed---aka slugkill. I felt a little slugkill-like myself :( At an aid station, I grabbed a few orange segments and hoped that the sugar would kick in. I had a tiny kick at the end of the race, finishing in 4:17:59!!

Not quite my day

I ran Avenue of the Giants in 4:17:59---so snuck in under 4:18 ;O I'm sure I can learn a lot from this experience, and, don't worry, I'm still celebrating & know that killer races are in my future.....

The course was humbling on many levels, and the Redwoods were gorgeous. I will post a real race report with pictures later in the week.

Big congratulations to Jenica for PRing & for Dan's rad half marathon time!!

Ten Steps

Yes, a marathon takes more than ten steps. With three days till Avenue, this nearly four month long training cycle--with a 15 miler in mid-January--is oh so close to the finish line. So, I'd like to share gratitudes for the things that will power me through the 26.2 mile race:

1) Higher mileage training---with midweek medium long runs of 10, 12, and 14 miles

2) Speedier paces for tempo & steady state runs

3) Hilly (and gorgeous) long runs in Tiburon and Sausalito

4) Long runs with sets of goal marathon pace miles---to learn how 8:55 min. per mile feels

5) Sports massage (Thanks, Y!)

6) Fab race day outfit plus LunarGlide shoes ;)

7) Excellent playlist on the iPod shuffle (can't wait to listen to Bruce, Coldplay, and JayZ!)

8) Serious carbo loading & hydration

9) Won't stop believin' :>

10) Rockstar support from hubby, friends from the real + blog worlds, and family! Merci!

I'm deeply grateful for these 10!

Almost time to go

Yesterday, I did laundry, and my race day clothes are ready. This morning, I did my final "real" workout with three speedy 400s (1:44, 1:44, 1:42) in the rain. And, tomorrow, I'll stock up on some high-carb snacks like fruity cereal bars plus juice and sparkling water to ramp up my hydration :P

Avenue of the Giants marathon still feels far away--maybe it's because we need to drive up on Saturday. I'm assuming that, by Sunday morning, it'll feel close enough so that when I cross the starting line, my body and mind will know that it's time to GO, GO!!

Taper away

Somehow, the marathon taper is long enough so you start questioning if you've stopped being a runner! When tapering, I find myself looking at the clock and calendar, reviewing my running log, doing body checks to conjure up strange pains, and checking the weather A LOT (more on that later). Oh, and sometimes there's some dangerous online shopping, too ;)

Yesterday's taper-pampering involved a sport massage plus tasty treats! My brilliant massage therapist did some excellent, deep kneading of my legs and glutes; let's just say that my quads, the backs of my thighs, and my calves all had some serious issues. Now I'm sitting on an ice pack---good times, good times.

Afterwards, I picked up burritos & feasted with my hubby because marathoners need the potent fuel of guacamole, beans, and carne asada. Oh, and then I baked brownies (Totally not sure if Kara Goucher or Deena Kastor have ever even smelled a brownie. And, by the looks of their arms and legs, my answer is NO!). Of course, I not only smelled the brownies, but ate 'em....delish :P

I think part of the tapering process is getting to know who you are and figuring out your limits. And, I'm most definitely not a professional marathoner. But I have put in the time and sweat, as well as the energy to train hard and try my very, very best. I'm hoping for a delish marathon and will work during the race to make myself proud.

ps- Current weather forecast is cool with some showers on May 2nd.....

Dear Boston Runners

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl of running because it's the Boston Marathon! I'll be cheering on the thousands of runners from afar, including a few of my blogger-buddies AND Meb & Ryan Hall :)

So go run down that dream, chase those unicorns, kiss the Wellesley girls, keep an eye out for the Citgo sign, and have an awesome race!

ps- Yes, I want to qualify for & RUN the Boston Marathon!

Brain Strategies

Us marathoners are crazy, and this article has terrific mental tips for before, during, and after racing: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-winners-brain/201004/8-can-t-miss-boston-marathon-brain-strategies

The Big Two-Two

With 22 days till the marathon (yes, I'm counting!!), I ran 22 miles this morning on the Iron Horse Trail. I did two 4 mile pace segments--the first one from 8-12 miles and the second from 15-19 miles. My legs felt heavy on the first pace segment, but I ran those miles around 8:46 pace. Somehow, my legs felt better at mile 15, and I really pushed through miles 17 & 18 (I ran the last pace mile in 8:21). Overall, I felt strong during the run, even after a tough week of juggling school, work, and life! So, the workout was a success, and that means I've graduated onto taper-dom....I will definitely be writing more about the ups and downs of tapering. Hint: an "up" is that you don't have to pack gels for your 2+ hour long medium long runs, but a "down" is that you don't get to eat oodles of peanut butter or loads of pasta....

Glamour Shots

I crammed in my fourth weekday run with a nice 60 minute run in the Lake Merritt Area. And, unexplicably, there were several people taking posed photographs with vistas of Oakland as the backdrop....I think my glamour shot would be a pic of me, post-marathon, with a shiny medal, a big smile, and an even bigger PR :P

Tomorrow's a mega workout--22 miles with 2 X 4 miles at goal marathon pace!!

End of March

Somehow, it's already the last week of March, and there's just over a month until race day! That means 2 more weeks of serious training, followed by 3 weeks of tapering. I'm feeling strong, and I think my body has adapted pretty well to the higher mileage training. Of course, I also hope that all of this training will contribute to a great race in May :)

This week of training is a cutback week but includes some solid speed workouts.

On tap:

• 14 mile medium long run
• track workout with 400s, 800s, and 1200s
• steady state run
• 14-16 mile long run

Marathon Pace in Golden Gate Park

I'm reporting back after a confidence building long pace workout. In honor of Jenica's birthday, we ran 20 miles with 9 miles at goal marathon pace (my best guess is that my pace range should be 8:45-55 minutes per mile). My first 3 mile set averaged 8:48, while the second averaged 8:41....For the final 3 mile set, I ran 8:35 with the final mile at 8:28 pace! Woot!!

Tomorrow, I will be watching and cheering on runners at the Oakland Marathon near mile 23. Looking forward to screaming & handing out treats to folks running through the streets of my city!

Cooking up a new workout

Tomorrow's long run will involve a new type of pace workout. Testing out a new workout is always interesting because it's hard to tell how hard a workout will be till you translate it from paper to the road. I designed a workout with 3 sets of 3 miles at goal marathon pace. So, Jenica and I will be running 3 miles at an easy, long run pace and then 3 miles at marathon pace, then back to easy 3 and pace 3, and, finally, 3 more easy and pace 3. We'll add 2 more easy miles at the end to get to 20 miles. Whew!

On today's recovery run, I decided that I wanted to think of the three sets of pace miles as distinct goals within one, big workout. Each set of miles will have its own flavor. And I thought about a feast that includes appetizers, a main course, and dessert and imagined the first set of pace miles as an appetizer, then the next set as the main course, and the final set as dessert. To make it concrete, I'll enjoy guacamole with chips, then eggplant parmesan, and, for dessert, a big ice cream sundae :P I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow's workout will be delish!!

Back to Spring

This afternoon's run was fabulous because I got to soak up miles worth of sunshine and enjoy tons of colorful blooms. The Oakland hills were alive with springtime! I'm actually looking forward to this high mileage week, since I know it will help me reach my goals at Avenue.

On tap for this week:

medium long run- 13 miles AND 10 miles (it's time to get over 55 miles per week!)

long pace run- 20 miles with 3 X 3 miles at goal marathon pace (this is a new type of pace run)

cheering for runners in the Oakland Marathon on Sunday :)

River time

Yesterday was a trip down memory lane. Our training plan called for 14 miles with 6 at pace, and I was staying with my parents in East Tennessee. So, I woke up early--in the dark--had toast and a quick cup of coffee and drove down to the Oak Ridge Marina.

I ran about 6.5 miles through the neighborhoods where I used to do my weekend running during my seasons of high school cross country & track! Then I headed down to the Clinch River greenway for 6 miles of goal marathon pace runnin'. There were a few moments that felt tougher than usual but other moments felt on target. I used some of my favorite mantras: Make yourself proud; You're lucky to be doing this; One more mile; Go time; This is it.....All in all, the 6 miles were in my pace zone of 8:43-8:53, and my last 2 miles were sub 8:40.

In the afternoon, I hung out with a dear, dear teammate from cross country--who was an all-Knoxville & all-state runner. It was a blast! Go, Kathy, go :>

ps- Next week is hammer time...I'll write about THAT tomorrow :)

Less than

Now it's less than two months until I bond with 26.2 miles of magnificent trees!

On the Contra Costa Canal

Hip, hip, hooray for completing the first 20 miler of twenty-ten!

Today's run featured wandering up and down the Contra Costa Canal trail all the way to Concord! It was our first time running on that particular trail, definitely providing a nice change of scenery.

Speaking of change, Jenica and I tried a new type of long run workout in which from at each mile from 8-18, we did 1 minute at tempo pace. That means that we squeezed in about 10 minutes of tempo running into the big ole 20 miler :> It made the miles zip by, so I liked the change of pace!

Getting tougher

Everyone's heard the saying that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. As a marathoner, when the running gets hard, the runner gets stronger. If the miles take a bit more concentration or a few more stretches, then so be it.

And I'm getting there--tougher, fitter, and perhaps even faster. Today's long run was 18 miles with 2.5 pace miles to practice the routine of the beloved fast finish run. My legs were tired yet somehow felt invigorated by the sub 8:47 pace portion (speedier than my goal marathon pace!). Signs are pointing to a PR, sub-4 marathon, and that means I need to keep going :)

I need a slogan

Jenica and I want to design our own race day singlets for Avenue of the Giants. This is because she'll be a blushing bride-to be runner, and I'll be.....

Yeah, I need a slogan. Here are some possibilities, and I'd love to hear your suggestions!!

Believin' in Boston

Otter

Will run for chocolate

Dude, where's the finish line

I heart 26.2

Run for the stars

Thursday

I think that the cutback week is completely spoiling my legs, and the training felt great this week. On Wednesday, I enjoyed a sunny run with a running-study buddy that started from campus. And, today I ran in the late afternoon rain showers, which was totally refreshing!

Yes! I bit the bullet and registered for Avenue of the Giants...There's something about registering that makes the training feel more concrete!!