Category: Running

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 7

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It’s been a busy, crazy, stressful week, but I’m going to claim it as a victory. I’m still pulling some short runs, and lack of runs, but I’ve finally ventured into a few weeks of pain free running. While my longest run has only been 3 miles, way under where I’m supposed to be, I’m proud of where I am. I may have taken a big step back by taking these weeks easy. But I’m able to run multiple miles a few times a week and not have any pain. I haven’t been able to do this since the beginning of March! Huge win for me.

I was even able to mix up my run by doing morning runs and got a chance to run in the New Orleans for my Tuesday run. It was incredibly hot and humid by 8am, but it was a nice way to see the city. I felt like I could have gone longer, but cut it short to play it safe in an area I didn’t know. It’s much better to run on Bourbon Street at 8am than 8pm.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 1.5 Miles

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: 3 Miles

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: Rest Day

Total Miles: 4.5 Miles

While I’m still stuck in low mileage, I’m hoping this next week I can really focus on some longer runs. I’m at a crucial point where I need to get my mileage back up and right away. These next two weeks could be determining factor for how the race will go. If I can’t get my mileage back to where it needs to be, I honestly may need to rethink training.

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 6

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This week was all about taking the doctor’s advice and really laying off on the miles. I’m still far enough away from race day that I can manage taking days off and it shouldn’t effect my race. I’m not going for time after all, just making it to that finish line. I didn’t get as many miles in as I had hoped, and I defintely didn’t cross train like I wanted, but there was no getting around it this week. Saturday I’ll be moving, so I’ve been packing up my apartment, visiting friends before I leave and getting ready for my trip to New Orleans, which is where I’m currently headed. Even my 9 hours of sleep I require is suffering, so you know I’ve been busy and stressed.

I’m also in that post injury scared zone. I had two good runs, they weren’t long, but I had no pain. First time since St. Malachi! I’m nervous that this will be a fluke, and it’s sure to come back once I hit over 5 miles. And if the pain does come back, how bad will it be? Will it be worse? Not as bad? Will I be done for the rest of the year? I can’t live in fear that I’m always going to have painful runs, I just need to run and deal with what happens.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 2.5 Miles

Sunday: Rest Day

Total Miles: 4.5 Miles

I’m down to 2.5 months left until the big day. I experienced my first pain free run in months, followed by a second. I need to embrace it, continue to be careful and make sure I take extra care of my body from now on. I can’t let myself keep getting hurt.

Next week I’ll be in New Orleans for three days. Luckily I’ll have some down time the first day, so I’m hoping to explore the city on a little run. Then over the second half of the week, I’ll be moving, so running will be a luxury. Here’s hoping I can get back into some heavy mileage.

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 5

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A new week, a new opportunity for training. Last week was bad, but that was last week. I needed to get back into normal training mode. This included a 4 mile run to start the week. I felt great, I felt strong, I felt semi back to normal. It was the run I needed to pull  myself back up. Pity party over.

Tuesday was my doctor’s appointment, and after waiting for almost two hours I finally had a chance to see the doctor. After poking and stretching, she’d decided I have hamstring tendinitis. Most likely from overuse and not resting after it started. So how do I cure this? She suggested cross training, physical therapy and limit my running (ie. that 16 miler on Saturday isn’t happening). She also gave me a bunch of stretches to try and suggest that I scrap all junk miles and either my half in Maine or the full.

So I created a revised training plan,consisting of cross training and stretching for a week and see how the pain feels. Which means a full 7 days without running. After one day I became a little cranky. By the time next Tuesday rolls around, I’m sure I’m going to be very pleasant. Even though I ran less miles this week than last week, I know I’m doing the right thing by taking a small amount of time off. I’d rather be hurt now and overcome it, than be doing some hard damage the week  before the marathon.

Monday: 4 Miles

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: Biked 6 Miles

Thursday: Biked 5 Miles

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: Rest Day

Total Miles: 4 Miles Run, 11 Miles Biked

What’s my revised plan? I’m taking it day by day. This week I want to bike the amount of miles I was supposed to run, as long as I’m not in pain. Wednesday night I had my first ride on the stationary bike and dominated some Jeopardy as well. Thursday morning I got  up early and got some more miles in. Both rides were pain free and so tempting to go running. I’m hoping that by taking the weekend off and doing absolutely nothing to strain my knee, I should be able to get a few more miles in next week.

What does this do to my races I have scheduled? This was hard. I knew I had some smaller races coming up, like a 10k and a 5k, I hadn’t registered yet.  I decided that I should cross those off the list and focus on the important races, or at least races further into the fall. The hardest decision was MDI. I know the course will be challenging, including a mile of going straight uphill. As much as I love Maine, and love Mount Desert Island, I just don’t think this is the year I should be doing it.

What I learned this week:

  • Taking it easy is ok when you’re injured. Sometimes you need to sit back and let your body take care of itself. Just remember that no one likes a cranky runner, so keep your craziness to yourself.
  • Taking a DNS on a race isn’t always so bad. While I can’t defer my registration, I know in the end, that it’s better for me to sit this one out than hurt my body a month before the marathon.
  • If you have to pick races, pick the one that will mean the most to you. I’ve put in so much time and effort already this year, I don’t want to drop the marathon. If I’m still injured come race day, I can at least say I tried and gave it all I had.

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 4

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This week was supposed to be about the base miles. With no long run for two weeks, I wanted to get in some decent runs, maybe even some speed work. This plan was tossed out on the first day. Monday I was still pretty sore from Sunday’s long run, wasn’t too out of the ordinary, as I’ve been running my long runs Saturday and taking the next day to recover. Tuesday I hoped to get a decent 5-6 mile run in after work. My body had a different idea, I started getting a migraine around 11:30, and knew my day would be down hill from there.

This was my body’s way of telling me that I need a few days off. I went from running 24 miles total in June, to averaging 24 miles each week. This was bound to happen eventually. So I tried to rest. And then I woke up early on Wednesday and went for a short jog before work. I loved it. I was in a little pain, and a little tired, but it felt good to be pounding the pavement before I had the stress of the day on my shoulders. This certainly isn’t something I’ll do everyday, because I was exhausted by 11:00 am, but I think it was a nice change to my normal runs. And I didn’t feel guilty for eating a 12oz steak that night.

I finally caved in and decided to call the doctor about my knee. After searching online and checking all of the symptoms, I think my medial meniscus is the issue. No bruising, no swelling, just pain when I move my knee certain ways. I’ve been putting this off for months, mostly because I didn’t want to hear the words “You’re done running” but I’ve come to the point, where I have to go now, or I’m sure I’ll screw up my knee bad enough I won’t be able to run in October.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Migraine

Wednesday: 3 Miles

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 2.5 Miles

Sunday: Rest Day

Total Miles: 5.5 Miles

So needless to say, this week was more of a bust than anything. I know I needed the rest, but I felt bad that I wasn’t following my training. I was able to tape my knee before the weekend, and it seemed to help with some of the pain. But the pain is still there and it actually hurts worse not running than when I was running more miles. I’m just hoping this isn’t going to put a huge block in my training.
What I learned this week:

  • Your body will let you know when it needs a break. Even if you think you feel great, you may need a few days to let yourself recover. Don’t be stubborn, it can make things worse in the end.
  • Morning runs aren’t that bad during the week. You just need to give yourself enough time to get up and get the miles in before your regular morning schedule.

Dear Runner

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Dear 14 year old me,

You’ve just discovered this new hobby thanks to a friend and lack of hand eye coordination on the basketball court, and believe it or not this will be fun. But there are some things you should know…

  • Running isn’t just something you’ll just do in middle school, you’ll continue into high school, college and even when you’re an adult. This is going to become a way of life, not just an extracurricular activity.
  • In those same years you’re going to have 5 different coaches. You’ll learn something new from each, but only one will stand out and be there for you after you’ve graduated. Let her know how much it means to you.
  • You can’t turn all your friends into runners, trust me. They’ll support you, think you’re crazy and try once in a while to run, but they just don’t love it like you do.
  • The friends you do make from running will become some of your closest friends, they share the passion you have for this sport and understand how exciting it can be.
  • Running a 5k in sub 23 doesn’t seem fast in high school, but eventually you’ll be begging to run this quick again. You may not have been the fastest, but you were determined and you never gave up. Your best time will be your final 5k in college.
  • In college you’ll be daring and try new things, like buns. You may look silly and your butt will barely fit into these. You’ll be the only one on the team who likes to wear them but that’s ok. Plus they make you look fast.
  • You’ll find your greatest motivation from quotes and pages of Runner’s World that you tape to the back of your bedroom door. You’ll eventually tear them down, but some of the quotes will get you through the hardest parts of your races.
  • You’ll have the same pre race routine throughout all your years of running. Make sure you stock up on chocolate chip granola bars, lemon lime Powerade, and pasta. Lots of pasta.
  • You’ll run your first “long distance” race in Indiana, in the middle of December, in a foot of snow. It’s 10.8 miles, and part of a 50k relay. Surprisingly you’ll enjoy it enough to come back the following year. Keep this is mind when you complain about running Cleveland winters, you can handle the snow.
  • At some point, you’ll decide you want to try a half marathon. It will be tough, cold and miserable at some points, but the moment you cross that line you’ll be hungry for more. And you will run more.
  • After your first half marathon, you’ll quickly fall in love with this distance. It will become your favorite race, each one a learning experience. You’ll run them back to back and join a club called Half Fanatics with other crazy half marathoners. You’ll even travel to other states to run, including Colorado where you will put altitude training in it’s place.
  • You’ll have some of your best alone moments when you’re running. Sometimes you’ll think about everything under the sun, other times you’ll have an absolute clear mind. You’ll have moments when you can’t run any further or think you’re doing a horrible job. These moments will make you a stronger runner, because you are your biggest critic.
  • And just when you think you’ve figured out running, you make the decision to sign up for a marathon. This is the moment when you realize that you are indeed crazy. It will push you to your limits. But you’ll learn a lot about yourself, about the runner that you are and they runner you’re becoming. This is when you’ll realize that every run is important, not only in training, but in life.

So when you’ve had a bad run, or you don’t feel like lacing up those shoes, remember that you’re going to do well. You may not be the fastest, you may not have the best running form, but you are a runner. You will always be a runner.

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 3

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This week was interesting for training. I had to switch a few days around to make room for plans after work and for the weekend. This threw me off for the week and made it easier to push my runs around. Note to self, stick to the regular training schedule from now on, you don’t want the habit of pushing off runs. I had my best run Wednesday when I ran an old loop from high school. I ran the first half mile with my sister who is training for her first 5k in September. From then on my pace got quicker and quicker. I always feel great running this route, I’ve done it so many times I know what pace I should be at and how far I’ve run at any moment. My pace even got down to 8:34, first time since the heat!

Unfortunately, the good feelings didn’t last long. I woke up Thursday with both my knees hurting. I hoped they would be gone by mid afternoon so I could do a longer run that night. Nope, no such thing, so I took Thursday as a preventative injury day. I changed a few things around and decided to let my knees rest a few days and wait to hit up more miles in the weekend.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 4 Miles

Wednesday: 3.5 Miles

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: 14 Miles

Total Miles: 21.5 Miles

Sunday would be a big day, my longest run yet was scheduled, and how the way the week went, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do it. Just as I’ve done before, I would let the day decide my run, focusing on one mile at a time. The temperature was in my favor, unfortunately the humidity was not.

At least it’s not 90 degrees

Luckily the weather wasn’t hotter or else it would have been miserable. I started with my regular shorter loop and felt pretty good. I stopped at home for a short bathroom break and was ready to take on the remaining 10 miles. Somehow in the time I was inside, the sun came out in full force and so did traffic. Unfortunately half of my run didn’t have sidewalks, so I was battling for some space on the roads, which wasn’t welcomed by many drivers. However, the views were worth seeing. I love running in Wooster so I can enjoy the silence and take in pure country.

Morning views

One thing I always forget are the hills. They aren’t all bad, sometime they’re rolling and sometimes they’re steep, but it’s a big difference compared to running up north. I did pretty well with them until mile 12 when I hit the last big hill. It certainly wasn’t fun, and I felt the effects of it all day long. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good for most of the run. I think my body is finally adjusting to running further and adding more miles. I did start to struggle at the end, but I think part of it was from the warm water I was carrying around and the amount of work I had to do with the hills.

What did I learn this week?

  • Hills are tough, but they can benefit me in the long run. The more I challenge myself on them, the easier they will become.
  • Proper recovery is key. I think by adjusting my schedule a bit to give myself an extra rest day, I prepared my body for the long run. Two weeks until my next long run, I should be able to come back ready to take it on!

Winking Lizard Shot in the Dark Recap

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Saturday night was just your normal evening: go for a run, hang out with a couple hundred other runners and be a hot sweaty mess. Not your average Saturday night? Sounds ideal to me, but I’m sure it wasn’t to a few of my friends who tried their hand at their first race. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I have friends who don’t truly enjoy running. So what do I do about this? I try to get them to become runners!

Months ago I mentioned to my friends the Winking Lizard race, and I may have told they they’d get free beer if they ran two miles (small white lie, no big deal). As time got closer, I kept bribing encouraging them that they really should sign up. They’d get a free t-shirt, food, glow in the dark necklace, beer and they’d only have to run two miles. I may have even batted my eyes a few times and given them a sad look until they gave in.

I didn’t have too many expectations going into Saturday’s race. That morning I did a hard 10 miles and my legs were feeling it all day. I also knew it would be super crowded for the first mile and there could be a possibility of us walking or stopping at any point. I planned on pacing the group at an easy pace. I knew it would be humid and like most runs after work, harder to breathe. We met up, picked up our race tee’s and waited to get the race started. The starting line was pretty crowded, but they did a good job at keeping the 4 milers to the left and the 2 milers to the right.

Some kind of bells, maybe jingle bells were shaking, and we were off! It was a walk/jog to cross the line and then the 4 and 2 milers split off pretty quick. I made sure we had everyone (a group of 5 is not easy to run side by side) and we tried to find a pace that everyone was comfortable with. The first half mile was pretty flat, and it quickly brought back memories of Cleveland Half, only this time, I wasn’t struggling to get to that finish line. We got to the bridge and we slowed our pace, but finally got to the top, hoping they’re be a water stop. Nope, just lots of people sweating and out of breath. The first mile went over well and now we were in the home stretch.

The second mile we walked a bit and then ran a bit, and we did this a few times. We started as a group and wanted to finish as a group, we didn’t want anyone left behind. We came down the bridge and made our way to the finish line. Darren of course had to sprint ahead of everyone just to say he beat me. No worries, I still beat him for running the most miles that day.

The whole group

Overall I felt great. I was really surprised with how loose my legs felt after that morning’s brutal run. It was a great event to do a fun run with friends and the post run party had a lot to offer. I liked that we got to run together rather than one after another like normal relays, it made it more fun.  This is definitely something we’re looking forward to doing again next year.

Team D&C

Garmin Time: 20:57  2 mile, 41:41 Team time

Co-Ed Team Place: 62/93

Overall Personal Place: 214/327

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 2

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Now that week one is over, the fear of how hard this training will be has slightly calmed down. My biggest goal for last week was to make it through my long run. If I could do that, I could handle training. I’m quickly learning that doing the same 5 mile course will get old, so I’m trying out new routes and I’ve even added in a track day! I didn’t originally plan for a track workout, but some time during the work day, I started craving 800’s. (Apparently marathon training will make you do crazy things, I actually despise 800’s). I ended up doing 4 800’s and negative split on all of them! Surprisingly it felt great, the track was soft, comforting and instantly brought back memories of high school. I know track workouts will help me in the long run, so the goal is to do one at least every two weeks, maybe even one a week.

Monday: 5 Miles

Tuesday: 4 Miles

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: 3.45 Miles

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 12 Miles, Winking Lizard Relay

Sunday: Rest Day

Total Miles: 24.45 Miles

Thursday and Saturday’s runs were tough. I was still a bit sore from the track workout earlier in the week. Saturday’s long run was 12 miles. I had the Winking Lizard relay in the evening, so I figured I’d do at least 8 in the morning, and finish up the rest that night. The weather was definitely cooler than last week, but I was a little dehydrated when I started. I knew it would be a tough run, and it was. I was cramping by mile 7 and at this point, Sport Beans and water wouldn’t make it stop. I was on an out and back so the only way home was running. I ended up with 10, but my body was beat.

Saturday night was Winking Lizard Relay. This was meant to be a fun run with my non runner friends. Not sure how I tricked them into this one. It was a great event and my legs felt wonderful. Race recap will follow this week!

 
How do you balance a long run and a race in one day?

Favorite Things: Runner’s Edition

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Lately I’ve been totally crushing on a few things for my runs. There’s nothing I love more than finding a new favorite running product, so I thought I’d share them. Here are just a few of my favorite things lately…

  • Point6  Socks. My feet sweat, a lot. With the heat and humidity, my feet were begging for something more comfortable on my runs. I checked around and discovered these little gems. They’re supportive, comfortable and don’t give me blisters. I wore them out on Saturday’s long run, and came home with happy feet. They also have socks for other sports, perfect for cross training.

  • FlipBelt    by Level Terrain. I picked this up at the Platte River expo and was so glad I did. This belt is perfect. It fits around my waist, doesn’t move around and all of your things are stored in the pockets so nothing falls out. It’s most useful on my long runs when I carry more. It has plenty of room for storage and no clips to rub on my hips.

  • Sport Beans   These are great for quick energy. One of my goals was to try new things, so I’ve been looking into other ways I can stay energized on my runs. A co-worker loved using these while he biked, so I figured I’d give them a shot. They taste great and I can feel them kick in within a few minutes. My favorite flavor…Lemon Lime of course!

What are a few of your favorite running things?

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 1

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It’s begun. 16 weeks until I attempt 26. 2 miles. I have no idea what to expect in these next few months. Looking into my training plan and seeing 20 miles on the calendar is already making me doubt everything, so I’ve decided what’s best for me is to take it one day at a time. If I focus on one day and put in all I’ve got, I hope to have successful training. My goal is to stick as close as I can to what I’ve got on the calendar. I’m using Runner’s World Smart Coach again, mostly because I think it’s the best training schedule for me.

As I try not to stress, I’m aware that sometimes my week won’t allow for what’s on the schedule. This would include the week I’m in New Orleans, Toronto and when I move. As long as I know ahead of time that these challenges come up, I can work around them and get as much in as time allows. I won’t stress too much if I miss a workout or two here, I’ll just have to work extra hard on the days surrounding these trips.

With the first week complete, I think I did a pretty good job of getting things back on track. And I got some new socks for motivation on my long runs!

Bright orange marathon socks & Point 6 socks!

Monday: 6 Miles

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Bay Days 5 Miler

Thursday: 2 Miles

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 10 Miles

Sunday: Rest

Total Miles: 23

My long run was my biggest challenge of the week. I hadn’t run that far since May and I struggled running 2 miles in the heat on Thursday. I set out around 7am and told myself to do at least 8. It wasn’t too hot yet, but I knew it’d be getting warm quick. I felt ok, a little tight, but kept my pace slow so I could ease into the  miles. There were a ton of runners and cyclists out, so this kept my motivation going. I headed straight for the lake hoping it’d be cooler and there would be a bit of a breeze. Luckily there was plenty of shade and some sprinklers along the way. I felt pretty good, ate some Sport Beans and made sure to keep hydrated. I may have even taken a slight detour…

Beautiful Lake Erie

I got home right around 8 miles, and by this point it was getting real hot, so I took my last two to the treadmill. I’m glad I pushed myself to get every mile in.

What I learned this week:

  • It’s not the pace that matters, it’s the miles. Summer training is completely different than winter training. As long as I put in the time and dedication, I’ll be ready.
  • Stay hydrated. It’s hot and I’m a sweaty runner. Drinking lots of water will help me feel better and stay healthy. If I’m dehydrated, my runs will suffer.