Monday, September 15, 2014

Erie Marathon at Presque Isle

"A" 3:12
"B" 3:18
"C" 3:24

     As I got closer to the running the Erie Marathon on September 14th, I knew that my goal times were pretty conservative, even though I lowered my "A" time from 3:21 to 3:12 just a few weeks ago. My fastest predictor was my last full Yasso workout, which was a 2:57 average. I had a 3:09 predictor from my 5k, a 3:11 from my 5 mile and a 3:14 from my half marathon. I thought that if conditions were ideal, I could run between a 3:00 and 3:10.
     My mom surprised me by coming down from Michigan with my brother Jesse. I was so happy to have them with me! Adam was staying home with the kiddos of course. We left by 3:15 a.m. on Sun morning to get to the packet pickup at 5:45 a.m. Traffic was pretty bad getting into the park and we didn't park until 6 a.m. This was still plenty of time, since I didn't plan on warming up until 6:40. I was supposed to get a pic with the running club at 6:45 but I had forgotten my gel flask and ibuprofin and had to run back to the car mid-warm up.

Fueling plan: 4 esspresso love gus poured into a gel flask and watered down. Take at 5 miles, half, 16 and 20 and then as needed towards end of race. Water at nearly every aid station...at least one gulp.
Pacing plan: go by feel. Make sure I can carry on a conversation for at least 10 miles but preferably 16.
Mental focus plan: I wanted to make sure I knew the reality of having 10, 8 and even 6 miles left. "Don't get too excited, there is still xx miles left!" I didn't want to bonk, but knew I might, what with having so little marathon experience and going for a fast time.

     I lined up right behind the 7:00 pace sign and since there were so few people behind the 6:00 pace sign, the directors had us all move up pretty close to the start line. It only took me 10 seconds to cross the mat. One woman took off with the leading men's pack and two more women went out in about 6:30s. Me and Tracy were out in about 6:50. I tried not to listen to all of the guys around me talking about going for a sub 3 because it meant I was going too fast. I had decided not to start my watch and go only by feel. About 1 mile in a younger looking girl passed us and kept moving ahead at about 6:45 pace. She ended up third female. I talked to Tracy for 5 miles and a couple of guys caught us. I started talking with them and was feeling really good so I kept going with them at about 6:50-6:55 pace from 10k through 14 miles. It would have been wiser for me to stick with Tracy who ran a much more even race! I went through the half in 1:30:50, which is a half marathon pr. The guy I was running with said, "Well, you just pr'ed!" and I said "Yup" in a petrified voice. The half time really scared me because I knew that a 6:55 average was REALLY pushing it over 26.2, for me. I slowed down to about a 7:05 pace, which felt pretty easy and made sure I sipped my gu before every aid station.
     Coming up on 16 miles, I passed a lady who was stretching out her hamstrings. At this point I moved into fourth. I really did not want to focus on place as far as female rankings were concerned because there was so much race left, but I did start attaching myself to men that passed me and would tell myself just to hang on for a mile and then see what happens. I kept my pace between about 7:05 and 7:10 this way. The aid station volunteers were great. Held the water out far and let us know what was gatorade and what was water. This is important because I can't handle gatorade at all. I started feeling pukey around mile 18 but refused to stop taking my gu. I had to have it at this point and could feel myself fading as each mile drew to a close and then it was time to take another sip. The boost would last about four minutes before it would fade. My hip pain started at mile four after the ibuprofin wore off and got to its worst at about mile 10, but faded slowly after that and I couldn't even feel it by mile 20. I don't think it effected my race at all. Starting at mile 18 I kept telling myself exactly how many miles were left. That meant 8.2 instead of 8. When I was close to mile 19 I told myself there were less than 8 miles left. It was really important that I get the miles and points exact! I didn't want to surge and wear myself out before the final 10k.
     I went through 20 miles in 2:19, which was still a sub 7:00 average and I was very happy with this. I let myself realize that I was going to smash my "A" goal time and could pretty much walk it in to a BQ. I didn't want to walk though! I felt pretty good and just kept my stride smooth. I tried to smile and wave to the people cheering and was able to until about mile 23. I went from feeling okay and like I could keep going for a while longer, to feeling pretty bad during the 23rd mile. I must have slowed down to about a 7:30 during this mile. Lots of guys passed me. I hit the 24th mile and was completely done. I guess this is what they call the wall. I went from feeling pretty bad to "this race needs to be over now." A guy passed me and asked me how I felt. I answered that I was tired. He laughed a little and said, "Yeah, me too." He asked me what my goal time was and I said 3:12. He assured me that I had it and would be more like 3:05 to 3:07. I was pretty happy to hear this and thanked him and he moved ahead. I tried to latch on to one of the guys passing me and managed to stay with him for most of the 25th mile but had to stop and shake out my legs, so I lost him. I stopped one more time in the 26th mile, but then decided not to stop again until the finish because I was feeling majorly pukey. At this point I had slowed down to about 8:30 pace and felt like I was shuffling. I was weaving in and around half marathon finishers as well. Finally the last .2 came and I could see the finish line and hear the crowd cheering. I started to pick it up and realized that I was not going to make to the finish to puke. I had to wave people out of the way in order to find a spot! I lost at least 15 seconds stopping twice, about 20 feet from the finish line. I was feeling frantic at this point, and covered in digested coffee-flavored gu and I launched myself across the finish line. I did manage to notice that the clock said 3:07:26 and was ecstatic about that! Tracy had nearly caught up to me and was just 10 or so seconds behind me in fifth. I was really embarrassed about throwing up in front of everyone and I went of to the side of the finish and collapsed, desperate to find a way to get the puke off me. A lady on the other side of the fence handed me her water to wash up in and a race official came over to me asking if I needed to go to the medical tent. I told her no, that I would be fine and just wanted to clean up a little. I realized that I had not crossed the second mat and ran over it quickly. Tracy had just finished and was looking great...like she hadn't even raced a marathon. I felt a bit like a noob, since I was such a mess! That's what I get for setting a half pr in the middle of a marathon! Mom and Jesse were waiting for me past the fenced off area and we took pics and headed down the beach to the lake so that I could get in and wash up. The water felt awesome. I started feeling freezing and sick on the way back to the car and was not able to cheer in any of my running buddies. I did see Patti coming in past my parked car and noted that she must have a pr. She did! I pretty much sat in the car with heat on high for an hour. Mom had to remind me over and over that I needed to get into dry clothes and finally I was able to. My back was killing me and it continued to hurt for the rest of the day. My kidneys had had it! I walked back to the finish area with Mom and Jesse and picked up my age group award. I kept looking for my running club peeps, but wasn't able to focus too well. We decided to get on the road since I needed to get home to the kiddies.

     I'm happy with the time, though I wish I had run more even halves. This is the first time I have met or beaten my "A" time this year. I will aim for a sub 3:00 next fall. I have to choose between Akron and Columbus. Columbus would give me the best chance for a sub 3:00, but Akron will give me a better chance to place overall. I also love hills, although they slow my overall pace down. I am going to try to run a few indoor track races during the winter to improve my speed. I will need this in order to hold a 6:50 for a marathon!
Results: http://runhigh.com/2014RESULTS/R091414AE.html

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Circle City Mile

"A" 5:25
"B" 5:35
"C" 5:39

     I heard about this race when the race director, Mickey Rzymek, posted in the club details on how to qualify for a free entry to the race. Stipulations were that you had to have won a couple of races and needed to submit the times to him. I thought that a road mile sounded like fun, even though it landed in the middle of marathon training, so I submitted my race times and he sent me a free entry code.
     I was pretty nervous about running such a short race since I have more of an endurance profile than a middle distance one. I figured if I could run in the 5:30s, I would be happy. After a few time trials, I put my "A" time at 5:25 because that pace was feeling manageable. I love the feeling of mile pace because there isn't time for me to lose focus. I concentrate on breathing, perfect form and relaxing my face and before I know it, it is time to kick.
    The elite field for this race was very small. While warming up I realized that there was a clear top three in Marissa, Tracy and me. I was guessing I would be third, but knowing that Tracy was deep into 50k training I thought that if I could hang with her during the race, I could probably out-kick her. Marissa was going for something in the low 5s. I did form drills and run outs at mile pace as part of my 20 minute warm up.
    The race started on a downhill and quickly went to flat as we circled the Tallmadge circle twice. I think the fact that we ran on the inside for the first circle and transferred to the outside of the circle for the second loop made the course slightly long. I did not Garmin my mile, just timed it, but Marissa's Garmin had her mile at 5:08 and her winning time was 5:23.
     After the gun went off, Tracy went to the front for the downhill, me behind her and Marissa just behind me. By 300 meters or so, Marissa had passed both of us and I had passed Tracy. As we moved into the first loop, Tracy passed me but I tucked directly behind her and pretty much drafted for a few meters before passing her back. The middle of the race hit, which is where I usually start to feel good in a mile. I picked it up maybe a little too much and towards the end of the second loop I started to feel draggy. Tracy passed me with about 400 meters to go. This time I did not tuck in behind her and she put quite a few meters in between us before the final straightaway. I had to make the decision to settle with third or go after her. I decided to go after her. It was kick time anyway, since I could see the finish line. I started to sprint and tried to keep my form smooth, but it wasn't feeling easy. She did not just let me pass her and began to pick it up too. I basically out-leaned her at the finish line in 5:36.


   Top overall men and women at the Circle City Mile.

I was hot and tired after this race and the cool-down felt pretty off. Barb had finished with a pretty impressive mile time. This was my first time officially meeting her and I was a little star-struck, but enjoyed talking with her about her USATF masters nationals. There was a very short wait for the awards and it was pretty cool to get an envelope that I knew had actual money in it. As far as I can recall, $25 is the most I have won before and I won $50 for second here. Overall it was a fun race and I am okay with the time and very happy with the place. There is a race called the Midnight Mile in Youngstown next spring that I would like to run and perhaps get a much faster time. I think if I can get into the 5:20s it will have an awesome trickle up effect for my 5k times and ultimately my marathon times.

July and August Training Log

7-7-14
Tue (6) Wed (5) Thur (9) Fri (5) Sat (4) Sun (7)     Week total: (36)
     5x1200 - 4:40, 4:41, 4:29, 4:42,  4:41 (4:29 = shock interval) 
     5 mile race in 32:36
7-14-14
Tue (5) Wed (8) Thur (11) Fri (9) Sat (11) Sun (8)  Week total: (52)
     12 x short hill repeats
     0.5 in 2:34 (5:09 pace) + 4 miles at 7:05 pace (combined mile time trial and marathon tempo run)
     800 meter swim
7-21-14
Tue (7) Wed (5) Thur (8) Fri (8) Sat (5.4) Sun (21)    Week total: (55.5)
     8x800...range: 2:56-3:08 Running them faster than I thought I should so I ditched the watch. 3:00 feels pretty easy.
     Skipped tempo due to hip pain. Feels pretty bad. Took ibuprofin at mile 5 of long run to make it through.
7-27-14
Tue (6) Wed (4.5) Thur (10) Fri (11) Sat (6) Sun (17.5)    Week total: (55)
     14 x long hill repeats on grass
     0.81 in 4:21 (5:23 pace) + 30 minute tempo at 7:15 pace (time trials badly hurting my tempos)
     2 mile swim
8-5-14
Tue (7) Wed (8) Thur (14) Fri (12) Sat (4) Sun (10)     Week total: (55)
     Time trial + ladder workout: 800: 3:14, 800: 2:44 (time trial), 600: 2:14, 400: 83, 200: 37, 800: 3:10, 400: 81, 200: 36
     5 mile tempo at 6:52 pace
     Hip is in bad shape. Hurt a lot this week.
8-11-14 
Tue (8) Wed (5) Thur (9) Fri (6) Sat (8) Sun (18)     Week total: (54)
     400 in 70 (400 pr)
     8x200...all in 36-38
     1 mile road race in 5:36
     Only made it through 18 of 22 mile long run. Might have to take a week off for hip.
8-19-14
Tue (8) Wed (5) Thur (13.5) Fri (9) Sat (8) Sun (21)   Week total: 64.5
     5 x mile 6:01, 6:25, 6:16, 6:10, 6:19
     5 mile tempo at 6:43 pace...felt easy!
     1 mile swim
     20 miler averaging in the mid 7:00 pace range on hilly course...felt like a moderate effort. Doing exercises for piriformis syndrome in hip.
8-26-14
Tue (5) Wed (9) Thur (9) Fri (4) Sat (15) Sun (6)    Week total: (48)
     10x800...3:10, 2:59, 3:03, 2:56, 2:59, 2:55, 2:56, 2:54, 2:54, 2:52
     1.2 mile swim. Much faster than previous swims.
     Erie taper begins.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

2014 Johnnycake Jog 5 miler

     "A" 31:30
     "B" 32:30
     "C" 33:30
     I found out about this race through one of my running buddies, Dan, and had to check it out since it sounded fast. It was so cheap to pre-register that I couldn't pass it up. Of course then I got on google maps and found out it was an hour away! I decided that was within reasonable distance though. I car-pooled with four running buddies: Dan, John, Pam and Chip. The drive was pretty easy, mostly on the interstate. Fun to car-pool with them and conversation took my mind off the race.
     I did not feel nervous for this race until about half an hour before the start. I wore my favorite (most comfortable) running shorts and it was hot enough (74 degrees) to wear a sports bra. In the summer a sports bra is kind of my speed trigger. I do track workouts and tempo runs in one and it lets me know it is time to run fast. This doesn't work in the winter of course, but I was able to find a couple of outfits that gave me the same mental boost.
     I warmed up with Dan for maybe 1.5 miles at an easy pace and then did three run outs at race pace and two short sprints. I only do runouts for 10k or below. I was going to approach this race like a 5k. Go out pretty fast and then settle into a good pace, kick it in from one mile out. I stood in about the third row to start and tucked in behind the elite crowd right after the gun. Within about 400 meters I could tell the front three or four ladies were going to go sub six minute pace. There was one girl that seemed to be right around 6:10 pace and I tried to go with her but some physical warning bells (heartrate!) let me know that wasn't wise. I hung back from her. She ended up finishing 6th about a minute in front of me. At about 1500 meters a lady passed me moving very fast, definitely sub 6:00 and she ended up going on to finish fourth. That was one calm start for her! Fortunately, that is the only woman that passed me the whole race. There were a handful of guys that passed me, but I passed a few as well. Mile 1 was 6:20 and didn't feel that good. It was really windy and rainy and humid as hell. I think the dewpoint was around 80 percent. I took a sip of water at the first water stop and dumped water on myself at every water stop.
     The middle of the race is a bit of a blur, but here are my splits.
2 mile: 13:08
3 mile: 19:36
4 mile: 26:09
Finish: 32:35
Seventh female and age group winner since the first lady in my age group finished in the money.
     That second mile was SLOW. Most of the guys that passed me, passed me in this mile. I had thrown out my "treat it like a 5k" theory and gone into 10k mode. In the past 10k has been the worst distance for me. In the middle miles I do what I call "falling asleep" and tend to be over-cautious on effort. To be honest, there might be a tad bit of laziness involved as well. I kind of cruise at a more comfortable pace than I should. When I got to mile 4 and calculated that I'd need to run in the 6:20s to get a 32 mid, I tried picking it up. You can see the finish line a long ways off in this race. Near the finish a guy passed me, but I stayed on his heels and then used him as a target to sprint past in the last hundred meters. I try to do this at every race. It usually means a cut of a few seconds for the overall time and a second or two off the overall pace. Sure enough, he averaged 6:32 and I averaged 6:31. Besides, it is a good opportunity to practice kicking, even though I'm not really competing with these guys.
     After I finished, I asked some of the top finishers their times and places and found a new developing elite runner to follow on Twitter. I love to follow runners that are working towards elite status. So inspiring to watch their journeys. I cheered in the running buddies that I came with, as well as club members, Becky and Alan. They all had pretty good races despite the humidity. As usual, I felt fine about the race until after the awards and then I started picking it apart. Really wanted a high 6 teens or 6:20s for this distance, but it is what it is. I guess I should work on being grateful for the improvement over the past 10 months. Last June I did a mile all out in 6:48, so five at 6:31 is not too bad. Marathon training is going to start in earnest now!
Result and finishing video for Renee Harden: http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-7436

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Strength training and injury prevention

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor of any sort and am not giving advice in this blog post. This is just what I do.

     I've managed to run for 18 plus years without an injury significant enough to make me stop running for more than a day. That being said, I've never trained for a marathon and have never gone over 60 miles for a week. So an injury is practically imminent. I'll do my best to avoid it. I also spent most of my college running years under-trained and running pretty slow, so there wasn't much opportunity to get injured there.
    When I started 10k training last fall (September 2013) I was having a terrible time with neck and shoulder pain every time I did speedwork. I even wrenched my shoulder badly enough that I would need help getting my running tank off when I got home from a run. The weather was good and hot during these workouts and I would be drenched with sweat and having to employ Adam or Danielle in peeling off my stinky tank top! I decided to add some pushups to my usual ab routine to get rid of this pain, which I'm sure was from being relatively weak in my whole upper body. I've pretty much had the same ab routine since I was 13 and the results have been mostly flat, if not toned abs. I started with just 5 pushups (real ones) and 30 seconds of planking every day. During the winter I apparently was a little bored with life in general and decided to aim for a long term goal of getting six pack abs. This is ridiculous, since I'm pretty sure my muscles just won't do that. I'd read that it would make me faster, first of all, but I was all about looking a little more intimidating that the softy I looked like at the time. Whatever my reasons were, it got me into a much more intense strength routine starting in December of 2013. Below is what I do now, six days a week. I take Monday off of both strength training and running.

Specific running injury prevention:

20 squats (I'm horrible at these, but getting better)
20 lunges on each leg
10 one legged squats on each leg
60 second wall sit
hip flexor exercises that can be found here http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/11/training/monday-minute-wall-soas-hold_6064

arabesque, first on right foot then on left for 30 seconds unsupported
100 ups (I'm only up to 40)

Core routine:

90 second plank
140 crunches
Pilates sit ups (roll ups)until muscle failure (usually 30-40)
Pilates 100s (count to 100 while in a hollow position, legs straight, not bent for higher difficulty)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBArDPf0zqk
Handstands on a raised surface, such as a chair or bench
Walking on hands for as long as possible (I'm up to about 10 steps)
Straddle to handstand (I don't have this yet, but getting close)

Upper body:

3 fingertip pullups
10-15 pushups
Monkey bars back and forth when we go to the park (about once a week)
A few round offs and cartwheels a week

Stretching:

Mostly Pilates stretches and I stretch whatever feels tight. I try to do a backbend bridge every day but am very inflexible in my back.



Monday, July 7, 2014

Medina Twin Sizzler 5k

"A" goal time: 18:45
"B" goal time: 19:19
"C" goal time: 19:40

Felt very nervous and sick going into this race. Weather was a little cooler than I would have liked it but I decided to wear a t-shirt instead of a sports bra to counteract this. I jogged up to the square and met running club buds for a club picture, where I look surprisingly relaxed! I did a quick warmup and managed to squeeze in a pre run pee at the elementary school. I lined up in the second row, hoping to avoid weaving around the overly ambitious young runners. For this race, most of those that went out at sub six minute pace, stayed sub six. There was  long line of guys, plus a few women ahead of me from the start. Was passed by one woman and passed two women. Mile one was 6:10 and felt too fast. I was pretty discouraged by this and ready to throw out my first goal time. Passed one woman this mile. Kept working and passed a couple of guys. Saw Dave up ahead of me and decided I might catch him. Mile two passed in 12:22. A couple of girls passed me and bystanders cheered for them, so I knew they were local. One of them was working too hard and I passed her about half a mile from the finish. Nice downhill in the third mile before leading up to the square. I caught Dave but he wouldn't let me pass him. I was feeling pretty bad and didn't try very hard. I could hear the young girl behind me and people cheering for her, so I knew there was no relaxing unless I wanted to lose a place. Leading up to the finish line, there were people cheering for her and ANOTHER girl. Seriously? This was my only motivation to kick in the last few hundred meters, let me tell you. I sort of saw the clock but I don't think it was registering that I was so close to sub 19 because in my mind, the pace was too slow for that anyway. I had forgotten the course is short! I realized after I crossed that I had a 19:02. I felt fine about this until a couple of days later (now) as I sit here kicking myself for not realizing that a 6:15 pace would get me a sub 19 on this course! I'll know better for next year.
Saw bunches of running club buds after the race and volunteered for the 10k, which was fun! I never get to see the front and back of a race and would like to do this more often.
I ended up third female officially because the girl that passed me and stayed ahead of me was unofficial. She had a blastingly fast last mile and I am very impressed with her, whoever she is. Running the Johnnycake Jog in Painsville this coming Sunday. Goal times will be 31:30, 32:30 and 33:30.

Photo Credits to John J. McCarroll (top) and Beth's Dad (bottom)

Results:

http://www.ohiochallengeseries.com/client_images/events/index.cfm?form_result_id=6881

5k Training in three weeks

I had three weeks plus a taper week between my half marathon and my goal 5k. These are my workouts transferred from my log.

Week 6-2-14: Rest week of 49 miles mostly easy pace (ranges from 7:45-8:30 depending on how I feel) Ran Hinckley 9 mile loop both Sat and Sun
Week 6-9-14: Tues (9) Wed (8) Thur (10) Fri (6) Sat (5) Sun (8) Total: 49
     Tues AM: 10 short hill repeats at 5k effort
     Tues PM: 3x800, 600, 400, 200 ladder workout
          800s: 2:59, 3:03, 3:00 600s: 2:10, 2:14, 2:12 400s: 82, 83, 82 200s: 36, 40, 38
     Wed: 8 easy
     Thur AM: 1.5 miles at 6:09 pace, 0.5 miles at 5:50 pace, 0.5 miles at 5:18 pace two-three mins rest between each
     Thur PM: 5 miles easy with mix of trails
     Fri: 6 on trails super slow
     Sat: 5 easy
     Sun: 8 mini long run kind of fast
Week 6-16-14: Tues (10) Wed (6) Thur (11) Fri (9) Sat (9) Sun (9) Total: 54
     Tues AM: 8xlong hills at 5k effort
     Tues PM: 9x400 all in 85 except #4 in 84 one lap jog break between
     Wed: 6 easy
     Thur AM: 1.36 at 5:57 pace, 0.55 at 5:53 pace, 0.89 at 6:05 pace. Strict three minutes or less between repeats. Hard workout and was very tired afterwards.
     Thur PM: 5 miles with Second Sole group a little fast
     Fri AM: 4 miles easy
     Fri PM: 5 miles easy with mix of trails
     Sat: 9 mile mini long run on trails
     Sun: 9 mile mini long run on Hinckley loop in 1:11 with Rick. Very tired after this week.
Week 6-23-14: Tues (10) Wed (5) Thur (9) Fri (9) Sat (14) Sun (5) Total: 52
     Tues AM: 400/800 workout. Kept 400s at low 80s with 800s at 3:02-3:08, no rest between but one lap jog between sets. Very hot and hard.
     Tues PM: 4 or so easy
     Wed: 5 easy with mix of trails
     Thur AM: 1.2 at 5:55 pace, 1 mile at 5:58 pace, 1 mile at 6:05 pace (uphill)...confident at aiming for sub 19 mins. Don't adjust goal time.
     Fri AM: 4 miles easy
     Fri PM: 5 miles on trails...I prefer the single track at Hinckley to the gravel path
     Sat: 14 long with buds
     Sun: 5 miles easy with mix of trails...stick with Reagan since there are fewer bikes.
Week 6-30-14: Tues (5) Wed (4) Thur (2) Fri (6) Sat (16) Sun (5) Total: 38
     Tue: Miserable 400/200x2 at the track. Too hot. Not timed.
     Wed: 4 easy felt light
     Thur: 2 easy...too nervous for this race
     Fri: 5k race (3.05) in 19:02. 6:10 first mile and felt like crap from warmup on. Fit enough to run a decent pace but missed "A" goal time of 18:45. Met "B" goal time of 19:19. Third female (fourth unofficially) and managed to outkick those close behind me. Not a total loss, but still looking for a short race where I feel good.
    Sat: 16 mile long run on towpath with buds. Nice and easy until last three miles where pace sped up a bit. Felt sore for about 12 hours afterwards.
    Sun: 5 miles easy...weird knee pain that went up to hip at mile 2, so went to trails and cut run from 8 to 5. Moving into marathon training.