Checking in: My 2010 Goals

Back at the beginning of the year, I posted these:

Goals for 2010:
1. Qualify for Boston (hopefully at the LA Marathon CIM?)
2. Run at least two full marathons
3. Set PRs at 2 or more different distances
4. Run at least one trail race

So how are things going?

1. I missed a BQ in LA by 14 minutes. It was not a great race, and I know I didn't train enough. I am still hoping to BQ at CIM in December

2. I've run one, and will run another in December, so I should meet that goal if I can stay healthy

3. We'll see... I'm planning on running a half marathon in October (the same race I set a PR in 2 years ago) and I think I'll be able to do it a few minutes faster. I'm also signing up for my first 50K in August!!! so I'll have an instant PR there

4. The 50K is a trail race, so that should be taken care of.

As long as I can keep my IT band in check and avoid any other injuries, I think I should be able to meet all my goals!

I'm beyond excited about training for my first Ultra. I decided not to run marathons in San Francisco and Portland. With the 50K in August, a half marathon in October, CIM in December, and a few shorter races thrown in here and there, I think I have a good schedule set for the rest of the year!

Post-run refueling

So who doesn't come directly inside after a 7 mile run and devour a few Cadbury creme eggs? I may not celebrate Easter in the religious sense, but I definitely celebrate candy. Particularly candy shaped like eggs (or bunnies).

I'm following a 5-week recovery plan that will gradually step my miles up to 35 per week, and although it feels like I'm hardly running at all right now, I think this will really help me avoid more IT band issues. It's also leaving some days open for 30 Day Shred, which I hadn't done in a few weeks. It is reaaaallly sad how quickly my muscles turn into little bands of jello. I did Level 1 last Sunday (with 5 pound weights) and it made my arms incredibly sore. I'm trying to get back on the wagon though...I'd rather not let my arms turn to complete mush.

If you're in parts of the world other than California, are you running outside and LOVING it? I seriously don't know how people live in places where you can't run outside all winter, but I guess if you're chained to your treadmill for a few months, it makes you appreciate running outside a whole lot more.

Anyway, here's how my week looked:
Monday - 45 minutes power yoga
Tuesday - 5 miles (8:22 min/mile)
Wednesday - 5 miles (8:12 min/mile)
Thursday - 30 Day Shred Level 3
Friday - 4 miles (9:09 min/mile)
Saturday - REST
Sunday - 7 miles (8:42 min/mile)

Total: 21 miles

Recovered?

It was a SUPER easy week and my legs are feeling recovered from LA, but I know I need to be careful about getting back into intense running too quickly.  I really want to keep my IT band in shape and avoid any injuries!

I'm currently trying to figure out if I want to use the Pfitz plan that tops out at 55 mpw for SF.  I'm HORRIBLE at sticking with training plans...I always just do my own thing, but clearly that hasn't been working out so well for me so I think I might attempt it.  First I'm going to take a few recovery weeks and build back up to marathon training.

Here's how the week ended up:
Monday - rest
Tuesday - rest
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - 4 miles, yoga
Friday - core strengthening
Saturday - 6 miles @ 8:50 min/mile
Sunday - 30 Day Shred Level 1

Total - 13 miles

LA Marathon Race Report

I'm not thrilled with the fact that I was about 7 minutes slower than my PR in LA, but I'm definitely grateful for the learning experience that the race provided. To sum up:
1. Drink early, drink often, and it's warmer than you think
2. Do more than 1 20+ mile run when training. And run more than 35 miles a week.
3. Don't let negative thoughts take over. You're stronger than you think.

Now for the details:

I was abnormally nervous for this race, and I slept horribly the night before. The alarm went off at 4:15, I ate my usual breakfast, and tried to drink some water, but I felt pretty sick to my stomach because of my crazy nerves.

We left the hotel at about 5:40 and got stuck in horrible traffic on the 110. Even the race shuttles were clearly going to be late for the 7:30 start. The longer we sat in traffic, the more nervous I got.

I got out of the car right as the gun went off, which meant I started behind EVERYONE. The whole first mile I wasted tons of energy trying to weave around people. Once we were out of the stadium I got into a rhythm and was feeling great. The first 10 miles flew by, and I went through the half at about 1:49, which was right where I wanted to be.

Then everything basically went to crap.

There was a dull ache in my quads and I could feel myself slowing slightly, but I kept pushing. Mike took my picture around mile 16, and within half a mile of this, I was falling of pace fast. My legs were getting heavier and I was starting to feel like I was going to faint. I started to walk. Miles 18 and 19 felt like they were never going to end. 20 and 21 were worse. I drank as much water as I could get my hands on, and then switched to PowerAde. While I was walking, I was basically just writing off the whole race, assuming I'd finish somewhere around 4:15. My legs were so heavy and dead I didn't see how I was going to run another step.

I don't know what happened once I saw the 23 mile marker in the distance, but somehow I forced myself to start running again, and actually began to feel a little better.  Chugging 2 cups of water per aid station probably had something to do with it, but I was happy with how fast I seemed to get to the 25 mile marker.  I told myself I just had 10 minutes to go, and tried to focus on anything but my legs, which were incredibly tired.  My IT band was also starting to hurt at this point.

I crossed the finish line at 3:54:00.  After being sure I would finish well past 4 hours, I was pleasantly surprised and  just SO happy to be done!

I definitely didn't train enough for this race.  I let myself get way too nervous, and I didn't drink enough in the early miles (it was a lot warmer than I was expecting).  I know San Francisco is a really tough course, but I'm just excited to run another marathon.  I'm going to take it easy this week and next, then start training to have a great race in SF!

Off day

I did not have a great race...finished the LA Marathon in 3:54 and had to walk a lot. I think I just didn't train enough, but I learned a LOT and I'm excited to start training for San Francisco in July!

So ready!

I.can't.wait. 

It's kind of ridiculous how excited I am for the marathon...you know, the one I'm probably grossly under-prepared for.  The one with 25,000 people and I'm stuck starting in the open start corral because my last (ok, only) sub-4 marathon was over a year ago (I PROMISE I'm still in shape!) The one where a tiny little piece of me thinks "this could be a BQ!" and the other 95% of me says "shut up and just enjoy it...don't set yourself up for disappointment."

Watching this certainly didn't lessen my excitement:



This morning was such an unbelievably perfect morning for running...clear, sunny, and cool.  I was bummed I only got to run 10 miles, and things just felt so right I probably ran those 10 miles a little too fast (7:58 min/mile...ooops).  But I just wanted to enjoy it because I'll probably only run 2 or 3 more times between now and the start of the race.

I ended up taking 2 rest days this week...all of the sudden life is a whole lot busier than it's been in awhile and I just wasn't able to squeeze workouts in on Wednesday or Friday.  Since I'm tapering, it doesn't really bother me.

Summary of the week:
Mon - 3 mile run
Tues - 45 minutes yoga (strength and core)
Wed - rest
Thurs - 6.6 mile run (8:33 min/mile)
Fri - rest
Sat - 4 mile run (7:43 min/mile)
Sun - 10.25 mile run (7:58 min/mile)

Total: 23.85 miles

Taper Time

My last long run is DONE and there are just two weeks til the marathon.  I can't wait!

Training was great this week... I had a fabulous 6.6 mile run with 4 miles at a decently hard effort (7:10 min/miles - I really surprised myself!)...I did lots of yoga (forgot how GREAT it makes me feel when I do yoga consistently...and then got sick Friday night.

I wasn't sure if I was sick or it was allergies, so I went for my planned 4 mile run, but after that it was pretty clear I was sick.  I spent all of Saturday on the couch with a very sore throat and general fatigue and achiness.  Around 6 PM I decided to try a little yoga and it actually helped me feel better.
 
I pretty much wrote off my Sunday long run but when I woke up this morning, I was feeling better and decided to give it a go.  I went to a 7.8 mile loop near my house and the only goal was to run the second lap faster than the first (in all honesty I really wanted to keep my pace under 9:00/mile, but I didn't want to push myself too hard).  It turned out to be a really great run...first lap in about 1:06 and second lap in about 1:03.

I know there is a chance I could BQ, but I don't want to think about it.  I'm just happy my IT band has been cooperating and my runs have felt pretty good.  I'm giving myself 3 more chances after LA to try and cut 6 minutes off my marathon PR, so I want to just enjoy this marathon and do the best I can.

Summary of the week:
Monday - easy 4 miles
Tuesday - 30 day shred level 2, 20 minute yoga podcast (core strengthening)
Wedensday - 6.6. miles w/ 4 at 7:10 pace (7:50 pace overall)
Thursday:  - rest
Friday - 4 miles at 7:52 pace
Saturday - 60 minute yoga podcast (asymmetrical backbends)
Sunday - 15.6 miles, avg 8:21 pace

Total -  30.2 miles