Category: Running

Back on the horse

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It’s been almost two months since running Columbus, and I finally took the first steps in getting ready for training. I had originally hoped to get started sooner, but between being afraid of still being hurt and grad school taking over my life, it kept getting pushed back. But now that I’ll have free nights I’ll finally be able to put in the miles, and hopefully get a few miles in before official training starts. I’m using my Runner’s World Smart Coach app to plan my training schedule over a 16 week time frame. I’ve used this app before, and I love it. I’ll also be tracking my training through Running2win. I also want to work on my muscles ( as in creating some)

Starting December 26th, I’ll begin my training plan for the Platter River Half. This is the first half of the year, as well as the first out of state half. No pressure, of course. Here goes nothing!

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Week 1 4 Miles Easy Rest 5 Miles Tempo-3M@10:02 4 Miles Easy Rest 8 Miles Long Rest
Week 2 5 Miles Easy Rest 5 Miles Speed-2×1600@9:29 4 Miles Easy Rest 8 Miles Long Rest
Week 3 5 Miles Easy Rest 5 Miles Tempo-3M@10:02 4 Miles Easy Rest 9 Miles Long Rest
Week 4 5 Miles Easy Rest 5 Miles Easy 4 Miles Easy Rest 4 Miles Easy Rest
Week 5 5 Miles Easy Rest 6 Miles Tempo-4M@10:02 4 Miles Easy Rest 9 Miles Long Rest
Week 6 4 Miles Easy Rest 7 Miles Speed-3×1600@9:23 4 Miles Easy Rest 10 Miles Long Rest
Week 7 4 Miles Easy 3 Miles Easy 6 Miles Tempo-4M@10:02 3 Miles Easy Rest 10 Miles Long Rest
Week 8 5 Miles Easy Rest 5 Miles Easy 5 Miles Easy Rest 5 Miles Easy Rest
Week 9 3 Miles Easy 3 Miles Easy 7 Miles Tempo-5M@10:01 3 Miles Easy Rest 11 Miles Long Rest
Week 10 3 Miles Easy 3 Miles Easy 8 Miles Speed-4×1600@9:17 3 Miles Easy Rest 11 Miles Long Rest
Week 11 4 Miles Easy 3 Miles Easy 7 Miles Tempo-5M@10:01 3 Miles Easy Rest 12 Miles Long Rest
Week 12 6 Miles Easy Rest 6 Miles Easy 5 Miles Easy Rest 5 Miles Easy Rest
Week 13 4 Miles Easy 3 Miles Easy 8 Miles Tempo-6M@10:01 3 Miles Easy Rest 12 Miles Long Rest
Week 14 3 Miles Easy 3 Miles Easy 10 Miles Speed-5×1600@9:12 2 Miles Easy Rest 12 Miles Long Rest
Week 15 4 Miles Easy 4 Miles Easy 8 Miles Tempo-6M@10:01 3 Miles Easy Rest 13 Miles Long Rest
Week 16 Rest 3 Miles Easy 3 Miles Easy Rest 2 Miles Easy 2 Miles Easy 13.1

Looking Forward

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Three weeks ago I finished my last race of the year. Now it’s time to make the final decisions for next years races. As much as I was excited for the original ones I planned, a few changes made me rethink the entire year. Chicago Spring Half still doesn’t have a date, so I went back to one of the races I’m looking forward to the most, the Green Bay Half. But unfortunately construction will prevent runners to finish in Lambeau field so that will have to be put on hold. After all, what’s a fan to do when you can’t finish with all that glory? So after looking into what I had on reserve, this is what I plan on doing in 2012:

April 15, 2012 – Platte River Half Marathon

April 22, 2012 – Earth Day Challenge Half Marathon

May 6, 2012 – Greater Binghamton Bridge Run Half Marathon

May 20, 2012 – Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon

June 8-9, 2012: Ragnar Relay

September 15, 2012 – Mount Desert Island Half Marathon

October 21, 2012 – Columbus Marathon

November 2012 – Nashville Half Marathon

Facts about 2012 races:

  • Round two of 2 races in 8 days
  • Repeat of Cleveland, attempt at a quicker time
  • Ragnar is my “easy” race of the year
  • Yes, that’s a marathon on the list, I’m taking the plunge
  • Four more states to cross off of the 25 challenge!

This is only a brief look into the new year, of course as time gets closer, I’ll be looking at race goals and explain why I chose each race. I’m sure some 5k’s and other smaller races will be added, but these are the major ones. I’ve also realized that as long as everything goes as planned, I’ll be able to hopefully finish all 25 states before I turn 30, score!

A pair of shoes and desire

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Ten months ago I made the decision I was going to run a half marathon. Looking back I never thought I would accomplish so much. I set the goal to run those 13.1 miles and had no idea if I could even make it that far. Running was a passion that slowly faded, and I was hoping it would come back.

I remember doing base miles on the treadmill, struggling with the fact that I was no longer as fast as I was in college, or that I lacked the endurance to go out for five miles and feel like it was nothing. But the more I ran, the more I felt that running a half marathon would be a possibility at one point.

May 15th was a whirlwind. Less than four months ago I wasn’t running at all, I fell out of love with running, and there I was at the starting line, ready for whatever would come my way. Moments of excitement, nervousness, doubt and pride were constantly fighting to be the center of attention. I did it, I ran my first half marathon. And as soon as I crossed the finish line I knew I wanted more. I was in love with running again, and I found my new favorite race.

Over the summer I signed up for a few 5k’s, but it wasn’t enough, I was aching to run longer, so I set myself up for the impossible. Not only did I want to run another half marathon in the fall, I wanted to run twenty-five more, in twenty-five states. I came up with the 25 Challenge and knew if I trained harder I could get this goal accomplished. But I couldn’t wait until the following year, I wanted more now.

I signed up for the River Run Half Marathon and the Nationwide Columbus Half Marathon, hoping I’d be in better shape by fall. And by persuasion I added the Akron Marathon Relay to the schedule. I thought I bit off more than I could chew. I had so much doubt that I wouldn’t be able to run all these races, but somehow I was going to do it all.

I ran the River Run Half Marathon, and while I worked on improvements, I wasn’t satisfied with waiting until October to get another shot. I signed up for the Sandy Ridge Half Marathon the following weekend. Nothing else felt so comfortable. I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to crush those 13 miles again.

The Sandy Ridge half marathon went through my streets, the streets I trained on during high school and college. The pavement I pounded in rain, snow, heat, stress and relaxation. The same streets that I learned to love running. I never felt so confident during a race, I knew with every stride I was getting better. This was my race.

The time in between my weekends of races and the Columbus half I struggled with keeping an injured knee manageable and trying to recover so my body wouldn’t be drained. I had second thoughts about running the race, but with finishing those miles I would be a half fanactic. And while it may be something that is overlooked and insignificant, it was something I wanted to work towards.

In Columbus I ran the hardest race to date, but it made me so much stronger. I became a half fanatic, and supported friends who were running their firsts, just something I did months ago. I knew it was time to give my body a break, but I went out giving it all I had.

Ten months ago I thought about running a half marathon. A week and a half ago I finished my fourth half marathon. I went from being scared to death of the distance, to not being able to get enough of it. Running one half to four. I found the passion again, the feeling of accomplishment that so many miss out on, the runner’s high.

Even with training and putting in the miles, I would be no where today if it wasn’t for all of the support I received. Friends, family, strangers. Every single person that wished me luck or congratulated me after a race, I owe it all to you. The support and love from having fans or a cheering section goes so much further than miles some days. Without support, it wouldn’t have meant as much. Thank you.

Ten months ago I made the decision to run a half marathon, thinking it would be the farthest I’d ever run. Twelve months from now I’ll run my first marathon and fall in love with the sport all over.

#1441

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As much as I love Cleveland, I love traveling down 71 to see old friends. Friday night was spent in Wooster, partly to make sure I wouldn’t be borrowing a friend’s couch to sleep, but also to help break down the drive. I woke up Saturday and did a short run to shake out my legs, trying not to blow away I headed around Route 83, dodging cars, and quickly found a housing development. I heard my knee pop just as I turned onto the sidewalk. Immediately I thought, this couldn’t happen, after taking two weeks off and being careful, I couldn’t bare starting the pain all over the day before the race. I slowed down and turned back. Luckily it was just a pop and some small pain. By the time I got back, it felt like nothing happened. Hopefully this was just my body’s way of telling me to be careful this weekend.

The drive from Wooster to Columbus felt like forever, probably because I was so excited to get to the expo! I was even more excited that Darren would get to experience it, and maybe it would make him want to be a runner….(wishful thinking). I got my number, pretty cool shirt and race bag, then I was off to see what I could find that “I had to add to my running closet” After spending more than I should have, and spending more than enough time, we were off to watch the Buckeyes at Eddie George’s.

We met up with one of my best and oldest friends Elayna

She stayed for the first half, and then left me in charge of Darren’s friends. Let’s just say that being the only sober person in a bar during a Buckeye game, isn’t always fun. But OSU won, so it was a great start to the weekend!

After spending about 6 hours at the bar, we met up for dinner with my old high school running buddy at this cute little pizza shop. Luckily the pizza was good, because we found out they took pasta off they’re menu. I was not a happy camper 😦

Laying in bed, my mind was all over the place. I don’t know Columbus that well, I wasn’t even sure how to get to the start of the race, or even where good parking garages would be. I wasn’t familiar with any of the race course, so I had no idea what to expect for the course. I had trouble sleeping because I was so worried about getting lost, but I could have easily overslept had I really wanted to. I was still really unsure as I was getting ready in the morning. I was so excited that a number of friends would be running their first half/full marathon. But my excitement quickly diminished for my own race. My stomach was a mess and I was undecided on long sleeve or short sleeve all morning. Stresses I didn’t need.

On my way to drop off my bag, I found Sarah, a friend from high school who was running her first. She was so excited and nervous, everything I had felt 5 months before, getting ready for Cleveland. I wished her good luck and was about ready to start. I barely fit on the street, but started to get excited as the fireworks went off and the race began.

Within the first half mile, I was already regretting running. I was thinking of ways I could get out of the race, trying to convince myself it wouldn’t be my day. Right as I wanted to turn off I felt an arm around me. Who is hugging me in the middle of the race? It was my aunt! We ran together for a few minutes, got my mind off everything and she sped up to do her own race.

The miles went on and soon I decided I needed to take a bathroom break. Waited in line for 2-3 minutes, then I was back on the road. My stomach was in bad shape and I could feel my legs slowly deteriating. The only thing getting me through was knowing I’d be a fanatic at the end. I was still keeping my normal 10:00 minute pace, but there was no way I’d be able to negative split on any miles. By mile 7 I was growing thin, my stomach was growling, cramping and on the verge of losing the Cliff bar I had in my stomach. This was about the time that the volunteers were handing out some sort of energy gel. I grabbed one. I figured nothing else could go wrong, so I might as well try one. Thinking in the bad of my mind, never try something new on race day, I figured it was worth a short, anything to help me through the race.

Slowly but surely, I started feeling better and had some energy. My legs were still sore, but I was feeling better. Thinking back, I should have put more IcyHot on to block out all pain. Around German Village I remember Elayna said she would be there to support me, I tried to find her, but unfortunately couldn’t spot her. She later told me she found me and that I looked great.

Two miles left and I hit my usual wall, not as hard, but my time was definitely slowing down. From then on it was just a solid line of fans on both sides cheering and pushing everyone to get to the finish. I don’t remember much of this part, but for the first time I knew I was going to make it. When I saw the sign that told the half marathoners to split off, I started to speed up, increasing my stride and opening up my legs, I was just seconds of finishing. And that moment never felt so good. With everything against me I made it at 2:17:38, just 2 minutes off my PR (Shouldn’t have taken that bathroom break) My greatest feeling was that I was finally a fanatic. I had worked hard to get to this point, and I could smile through the pain.

So here I am, Half Fanatic #1441. My toughest race to get to this accomplishment. And even though it was a horrible race, it made me stronger. I was 90% mentally not in the race, but somehow I made it through, had some firsts, and wasn’t far off my regular pace. Even bad races can be good.

Columbus swag

After I got myself steady I got a much needed massage, watched the finish and waited to see a fellow Muskie come across the finish line. I was already on the verge of tears after watching little kids squeeze through the fence to finish with their parents and saw a man being helped to the finish after his legs gave out 500 feet from the line. So watching Kimi finish her first marathon, I was completely overwhelmed. Even the guy next to me was excited for her. So proud she had an amazing race!

She’s my inspiration

Oh and hey back 13.1……I’ll see you next year!

Pre race jitters

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Nervous? Yes.

Scared? Not really.

Excited? Absolutely!

Sunday is the Columbus Half Marathon. After a couple of weekends off from races, I’m nervous all over again. But these are the excited nerves. There is so much to look forward to on Sunday….

  • This is my 4th half marathon this year. Remember how scared I was for my first one?
  • After Sunday I will be a half fanatic!
  • Sunday will be the first half marathon for a fellow Muskie and an old friend from high school.
  • Traveling down 71 allows me to meet up with some other friends who now call C-bus “home”
  • It’s Expo time, and I love Expo time!
  • The most exciting thing…it’s Kimi’s first marathon!! Her journey to Columbus has been amazing and she’s going to rock on Sunday!

As for me this weekend, I’m excited to see what Columbus has to offer. I’m hoping to get a time of around 2:15, maybe even 2:10. My body feels much better after taking a week and a half off after Akron. And no knee plains, which means I can run a stronger race than I have been. At this point, it’s all about enjoying the race and being proud to say that I can run 13.1 miles.

Akron, Are you ready for some Muskies?

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Saturday will be race weekend number three in a row. This one is a little different though. Saturday is the Akron Marathon, but I’ll be running the relay race with four other Muskie Alums. I’m really excited about this because the last time I ran a relay was in college, when I ran the 4 x mile relay. This will be a little different, and just a bit longer. I’ll be running the second leg, 5.7 miles, and apparently it’s the hilliest…why didn’t someone warn me, hills aren’t my friends!

I originally wanted to run Akron as a half, but when I asked for advice on if this was a good race to run, I was easily persuaded to join a relay team that consisted of some Muskie ladies, Kimi, Molly, Jen, and Jessica. Our team, MC Party of 5, is honoring the old name of Muskingum College, now known as Muskingum University. What makes this even more exciting is that being the youngest of the group, I’ve never actually met any of these Muskies except for Molly, who I briefly met at the Cleveland Marathon Expo. They all graduated before I started, so I’m definitely the baby of the group. But the great thing about a Muskie, is that when you find a fellow alum, you instantly have that special connection. It should be a good weekend and I hoping to learn more about everyone…GO MUSKIES!!!

How do you train?

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My River Run recap proved just how little I trained and was able to get through a half marathon. But my time wasn’t good enough for what I wanted to accomplish. I started using the Runner’s World Smart Coach training app on my phone. Unfortunately I didn’t stick to it as much as I had liked, but I’m planning on using it for the Columbus Half. The things I like best about it include:

  • Easy to modify for your pace/distance of race/length of training time
  • The weeks are laid out so you know exactly what you’ll be doing throughout the whole training period
  • Change up of base miles/workouts/tempo runs
  • Glossary of terms for beginning runners

I’m hoping that by using the training app, I’ll be able to bring down my time on the half marathon, and I can use it for other future races.

What training methods do you use? Any suggestions?

What’s Next?

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Now that I’ve started my fall races, it’s good to see what I have coming up so I can mentally prepare myself. Crazy, but after this past weekend’s half, I was considering doing the Sandy Ridge Half Marathon. I love the feeling after I finish a race, so yes this idea came up the day of the River Run. The reason I like the Sandy Ridge Half is because it’s close, but it also passes the house I grew up in. I remember watching runners go by for many years in this race. Plus I’d have a great cheering section from my parents. The decision is still undecided, but I have until Friday so I’ll see how this week goes.

In less than two weeks I’ll be doing the Akron Marathon Relay with some fellow Muskies! I’m sure you’ve seen a few of their posts about this race, don’t worry, mine will be coming up soon. I’m excited for this, it brings back memories of the mile relay, except the distance is a little longer, and apparently has more hills.

Then less than five weeks from now I’ll have to Columbus Half Marathon. I’m really looking forward to this once because I feel the River Run gave me some training so I’ll be more prepared. And I plan on doing some harder training before then as well.

After that I’ll be done for the year, unless anyone knows of any other races that I must sign up for. I’ll be getting ready for 2012 races: four half marathons!

And the question that I keep getting, now that I’ve done another half, am I intrigued by a marathon? Nope, still no desire, but the utmost respect for all of you marathoners!

Call me Crazy…

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Friends, family and coworkers have called me crazy for running a half marathon. They ask what’s chasing you to make you run that far. Why would you want to run any distance remotely close to that. I must be crazy, but aren’t all runners?

Thinking back to May, a few days before my first half, I was a nervous wreck. I had nightmares and would panic every time I thought of running 13.1 miles at one time. But here I am, two days away from my second half marathon, the River Run Half Marathon, and I’m in a completely different mind frame. I know what to expect and I know how I’m going to feel. But I also know how great it will be to cross that finish line and say I ran 13.1 miles. Again.

I’m not in as good as shape as I’d like to be. The whole Mastick knee incident put a small hiccup in my training, but I’m not going to let that get me down on Sunday. I haven’t decided on a time either. I don’t have enough half marathons under my belt to really tell what a good time is going to be for me to aim towards. However, I’m really excited for the race. It’s through the Cleveland Metro Parks, which I love. And it’s on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, so I can guarantee it’s going to be a very special race. I’ll be wearing my red and white shorts along with my blue shirt to show my support.

So if you happen to be wide awake Sunday from 8-10am and have nothing else to do, come on down to the metro parks and support your favorite runner 😉

Trainer Review

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Last month I purchased some new shoes. Many times I’ve mentioned that I’m an Asics girl, I’ve had the same shoes for the past 10 years. I branched out (a little) and tried a new series by Asics. I got advice from Second Sole that the GEL-DS Trainer 16 was a good racing flat. So I bit the bullet, paid a little more money than expected and figured I’d give it a shot.

So I put them to the test. First I took them for a run on the treadmill. They were way too clean to take out in the mud. Whoa! These shoes are so light. I definately didn’t expect to notice such a difference. I felt like I was able to run faster than before. I even pushed up the incline and had a big boost of confidence.

Second test was taking them out on the bike. I don’t have real biking shoes so I’ve been using my running shoes, which are pretty bulky. The shoes again were lightweight and stayed on the pedals just fine. I don’t plan on buying shoes for the bike for a while, so this is a great option to have in between.

Third test was taking these shoes to the street. I’ve hesitated on this just because I hate the first time shoes get dirty, but after that I’ll be the first to run through a puddle. I took them out Monday to do those easy miles I originally planned, but in the short time I had them on, I felt like they were great shoes to really take to the streets and race in.

Pearly whites!

Overall, I love these shoes. They’re so light I feel like I’m running barefoot. The laces are on a slight diagonal slant so it doesn’t put too much pressure on the top of my foot. They also have a weird cut out in the back of the shoe, but I think it helps to provide a little bit of support lower in the heel. They give enough support that my ankles are rolling around. Plus the comfort level is way up there. These shoes are an A+ in my book, so go check them out!

Yep, my feet really are that tiny