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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Another solid week

It was a GREAT week for running and working out...still nowhere near the volume I used to do when I was in full triathlon mode, but I'm feeling strong, my IT band is cooperating, and I think I'm just about ready to rock LA!

I was a little sore from my 19 mile run last Sunday, so Monday night I went for an easy 3 mile run with my husband and it really helped my legs stretch out and feel better.  I ended up taking an unplanned rest day Wednesday because I had to work late and just really didn't feel like working out, but I think my body was happy with the break.  Thursday I had a great 6.5 mile run with some pickups and a mile at half marathon pace (I think...that's what it felt like, and I didn't have my watch).  I have been doing more yoga here and there, and I'm up to 5 pound weights for 30 Day Shred...all good things.

My long run (21.7 miles) was a little slower than I was hoping for, but I think part of that may have been due to dehydration (do I EVER learn???) I was 4 pounds lighter after the run, all fluid loss, which is pretty bad.
My goal was to run about 12 miles easy and about 10 miles at marathon goal pace.  The 12 miles easy were great, and the 10 at goal pace started off great, but then I started getting a little lightheaded and was already out of water.  It wasn't pleasant, but I managed to average 8:50 pace for the first 11.8 miles, and 8:38 pace for the last 9.9 miles...for an average of 8:44 (definitely slower than I want to run in LA).  Oh well...it feels good knowing that my longest run is done. BRING IT, LA!! Can't wait.

Summary of the week:
Monday - 3 mile run
Tuesday - 30 Day Shred Level 3
Wedensday - rest
Thursday - 6.5 mile run with some fartlek
Friday - 30 Day Shred Level 1 and 40 minutes of yoga
Saturday  - 4 miles and 20 minutes of yoga
Sunday - 21.7 miles, 3:09:49, 8:44 avg pace per mile

Total: 35.2 miles

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Ohhh hills

Why am I incapable of mapping out a long run without putting all the hills at the end?  It's not fun to cruise along the flats for 16 miles only to hit 3 miles of steep hills right when my legs are starting to die.  Not fun at all.

I used my Powerbar gel chewies from last week and they were once again divine.  I definitely didn't feel that strong when I finished, and I was a little disappointed in my pace, but that's life.  The ice bath aftwerards really seemed to help. Next week is 21 miles then it's taper time (but I'm not tapering much because my weekly mileage never got very high).  I'm getting so stoked for the marathon!

This was a good week for working out.  I tried 30 Day Shred Level 3 for the first time, and did levels 1 and 2 back to back another day, which was pretty killer (I'm kind of weak...working on that).

 Monday - 30 DS Level 3
Tuesday - 4 mile run
Wednesday - 30 DS Level 1 & 2
Thursday - 4 mile run
Friday - rest
Saturday - 3 mile run
Sunday 19.5 miles in 2:47.26 (8:35 min/mile)

Total: 30.5 miles

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Hydrate!

The first 10 miles of my run this morning were a dream.  Cruising at just under 8 minute mile pace, I felt absolutely amazing.  Fluid, strong, and relaxed.  Then right around mile 10, I started fading fast.  I was getting really thirsty and my legs started to feel really heavy.  My head was feeling heavy too, and no matter how hard I tried to push myself, I just kept slowing down.  Definitely not a pleasant feeling, especially after the euphoria of the first 10 miles.

Fortunately, I know why it got so crappy at the end, or at least I have a pretty good idea:
1. My dinner wasn't exactly loaded with good carbs: roasted broccoli and spinach frittata.  Plus a few bites of brownie, which isn't exactly great running fuel.
2. My breakfast was smaller than usual, and I didn't drink much water with it
3. I didn't bring a water bottle, even though it was sunny and much warmer than it has been for any of my other runs lately.

So of course I realize all this after the fact, but it was a really good reminder that I need my water bottle on runs over 10 miles, espcially when it's warm.

Anyway, the rest of the week...didn't get off to a great start.  I had a fever Tuesday and called in sick to work, and still felt pretty crappy on Wednesday.  My first workout of the week wasn't until Thursday!




LA is approaching fast, and my long runs for the next 5 weeks will be 19, 21, 15, 10, then MARATHON!  I'll only have 3 16+ mile runs, but I don't think I did much more than that for CIM in 2008 and I still managed to PR by 27 minutes, so we'll see!

Thursday - 6.5 miles
Friday - 30 Day Shred Level 2
Saturday - 3 miles
Sunday - 12.35 miles (8:27/mile)

Total - 21.85 miles

Sunday, February 7, 2010

This is what I was waiting for

I think this morning's run could crack the top 10 Best Runs of My Life. Maybe it's because the weather was perfect - cool and partly cloudy. Maybe it's because my runs this week were really crappy and I was long overdue for a run in which I actually felt good. Or maybe it was because my husband bought me some PowerBar Energy Gel Blasts (MIRACLE IN A POUCH. Seriously)...but whatever it was, I'm VERY grateful.


No knee issues
No stomach issues
Just an incredibly satisfying 16 mile run at 8:24 min/miles, which, if my calculations are correct, would qualify me for Boston if I could maintain it for 26 miles. Honestly at the end of the run I felt like I could keep going for awhile, so that possibility is definitely in the back of my mind, but given my lack of training, I'm not going to hold my breath.

Anyway. Awesome run. Just what I needed. Followed it up with an ice bath, which is always kind of unpleasant at the time but so worth it.

The rest of the week? Pretty crappy. I was a total slacker on my non-run days and didn't do 30 Day Shred once all week (and this was going to be the week I attempted Level 3...oops). I did do my usual runs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, but they all pretty much felt like crap. My legs felt dead, my stomach was bugging me... I was definitely not optimistic for this week's long run. But then it was perfect, so I guess I shouldn't give up on anything too soon.

Tuesday - 3 miles
Thursday - 4 miles
Saturday - 3 miles
Sunday 16 miles/2:14:31/8:24 min/mile (Goal pace!)

Total: 26 miles