Wednesday...90 min. total cardio = 20/20/20/20/10 alternating elliptical and running. The running 2x20 minutes totaled 4.4 miles.
Thursday...off (unless you count my 3 hour nap...which I guess you don't)
Friday...20 min. bike ride quickie (not much but counts for more than a nap)
Saturday...60 min. elliptical (1st gym visit of the day) + 25 min. of 'power' bouldering (I got there 25 minutes before closing on my second trip in and did as many bouldering routes as I could manage in that amount of time. It ended up being a semi-cardio workout and managed to rip me out of a 4-day funk).
Sunday...10+ miles. This was my first double-digit run since the Las Vegas Half-Marathon in early December, I think. It was really hard. And slow (over 105 minutes). And hilly. But beautiful. Made me realize that A) I miss long runs...a lot...even when they hurt and I have to go to the bathroom really badly, and B) the elliptical is NO substitute for running. You're thinking "Duh!" I know.
The weather this morning was trippy.
It was super sunny but a bit breezy at my house, and since it was boiling hot yesterday,
I dressed in short shorts and a tank.
As I turned onto the highway facing my destination 10 minutes away in the hills,
I was scared by a dense, dark fogbank.
Since I was a little late as usual, I just forged onward, figuring I would pay the price of underdressing.
It turned out to be gorgeous...fully sunny but with the huge fogbank on the west side of the ridge trail.
I was so bummed I hadn't brought my camera on the way out...
but really glad I wasn't toting it on the way back :P
I hope to get more running in next week. And more climbing.
In other news... this Tuesday, April 24th is The Big Reveal...Nuun will be announcing their 2012 Hood to Coast Relay selections from the over 60 entries they received. Run Zoë Run has a list of links to many of the applications, so if you are interested in seeing what sorts of cool, creative applications people submitted you should click here to go check it out. I'm starting to feel nervous. I loved my application, but I know it was pretty 'out there' :P Whether Nuun selects me or not (and I really hope they do!), I am very proud of my submission. I did my best.
I was thinking it would be fun to do a selection pool giveaway and have people comment on who they think would be on the team and whoever got the most right would win something, but with over 30 individuals being chosen, those would be some really long comments.
Instead, let's just have a giveaway :)
Leave a comment by noon on Wednesday 4/25 if you're interested in winning a tube of Nuun, an assortment of fueling products (like Gus, Hammer gels, Clif shots, Honey Stingers, etc.), and whatever other workout-related trinkets my pocketbook can supply at the moment. Winner(s) will be chosen at random after that time on that day. The number of winners will depend on my mood and the fatness of my wallet at the moment...but there will be at least ONE winner :)
It would be awesome if you were a follower either on GFC, Twitter or Facebook (see sidebar), but it isn't necessary. Taking It On does not discriminate. All you need to do is leave a comment... nothing mean ...got it?
You gotta be in it to win it!
Oh, and you can leave a comment if you don't want to win anything, too. I won't force you to take free stuff :)
Ever notice how some people always look good in pictures? I mean regular people...not photoshopped, over-made-up supermodels or movie stars. Some people even look good in their race photos! I am not one of these people. While I've never looked as bad as some people do when they're racing, this weekend finally yielded race photos where I don't look scared sh!tless or like I'm about to puke...
The only thing I'm really not loving about these pictures (other than the fact that black is not appearing to be very slimming) is the bizarre underarm fat undulation thing going on... see it? I know you didn't necessarily see it until just now when I pointed it out, but now you do, right? I am posting three nearly identical pictures so that you can see it. I think it's a carry-over from the armpit vagina thing I had going on before. I thought it was the scar from my lung surgery, but that's on the other side.
Fat undulation... 's'what it is.
I could bring the elbows in a little tighter, but I've got a good 'ZoneFace' going on there. And my BICBands headband did an amazing job of keeping the Einstein hair at bay ;-) I do wish they'd gotten a good shot of how my foot hits the pavement so I could verify my new footstrike (or not), but they didn't. My feet look to be doing a little splay action as they push off and then draw through, but things look pretty good for coming into the finish.
And here are the frightening images of races gone by for the sake of comparison...
Example: lost art of slamming all of one's body weight into the heel-most edge of one's running shoe.
I really want you to see the bottom of my shoe!
And though I look like I'm about to puke, I totally chicked the guy in the red shirt.
I think it's a guy.
And see that chick in the orange behind me on the left? here's a story I forgot from that race...
She was super pissed at me. I was running behind her starting right after the Incident at Denny's. I paced off of her while I got my post-evacuatory bearings. At one water stop (or rather, nastyass bacterial refueling stop) we were side by side and I said something really obnoxious but not intending to be...something like "I'm planning on sucking the life out of you by letting you drag my depleted, sorry ass all the rest of the way in this stupid, god-forsaken race." I didn't use those exact words, but it must've been something similar because she glared real live daggers at me. And then about three miles later I had myself pulled together...right about here where this picture was taken...and I smoked her ass. Well, I passed her anyway. I guess a 9-minute mile pace isn't really capable of 'smoking' someone's ass.
This is my "You finished up at Denny's. There's nothing left in there. It is all in your imagination. There is no possible way there is anything left in your system. You do not need to stop for any reason. Keep running. Do not pick up those quarters you are looking at in the street or whatever it is down there that is so freaking interesting...and how can you not see that HAI-YA karate kick thing you're doing, you heel-striking hip-injurer, you?" face. In case you couldn't tell.
Do you take good race photos? Are you photogenic in non-athletic situations?
– I am quite possibly one of the least photogenic people ever...when sporty or regular. But I think that the photos look like I do in real life...so yeah...kind of a bummer. Especially when you have an awesome photographer for a husband.
Do you wear make-up when you race and/or work out?
– Hahahahahahhahahaha! Unless you count cherry Chapstick as make-up, I never wear make-up. Ever. I don't even know what to do with it :P
For those who are simply interested in the bottom line, I won't play the suspense game. I'm going to just give you the bottom line right off the bat, and you can choose to continue to read this awesome recap and the rest of my RockNRoll Las Vegas Half-Marathon story, or you may just go on your merry way, having found out that the ever-elusive, official sub-2 continues to mock me.
Official finish time: 2:03:25
Crap.
Of course, there is a story. And here it is...
After spending all of Sunday morning lolling about, though the opportunity to really sleep in for the first time in 12 years was crushed by an 8 a.m. phone call... "honey, where's the phone number for the music teacher?"... I did continue to loll in this amazing bed after hanging up...
I finally dragged myself out of bed, enjoyed some not surprisingly over-priced room service that included the best scrambled eggs I think I've ever eaten, and commenced foam-rolling here...
After which I took a luxurious shower in here...with no one pounding on the door or screaming in the background...
If you think I'm being show-offy about the room, I am. I stayed at The Venetian. It was so cool and way more luxurious than anything I've ever experienced. As part of the marathon 'deal,' it really was a deal. The awesomeness of the room was part of why I broke that Vegas rule about spending a lot of time alone in your hotel room.
The shower woke me up and made me realize that I had to go outside, move my body and get a little fresh air. It was about 1:30 at this point. It was beautiful out...crisp and very slightly breezy. I got back to my room around 2:30. I had planned to meet Beth and her good friend Erika, Aron, and Page in the lobby to head to the start line at 4 o'clock.
I felt good. A little nervous, but I felt ready.
I had an ambitious pacing plan. I felt quite confident about what I was planning on doing, though I must admit it was a bit intimidating hanging out pre-race with people who are all wayyyyy faster than I am. But it was fun. Beth and I compared bananas...
[still waiting for Page to email me that lovely photo ... a-hem...]
it helped keep me from being too tense.
Our cab ride gave us a brief glimpse into the mayhem we were about to enter. We jumped out before things got too bad and alighted right in front of a row of portapotties with no line. NO line. We went. Then we proceeded to look for the gear check...
Page and Aron wore their Santa suits to stay warm, and Beth snuggled in her $3 leopard blankie from Walgreens. You can't see me, but I was wearing my award-winning pants to stay warm.
There it was!
The Mandalay Bay Resort Casino...
and start line...
and home of the gear check from hell.
Yes...all these people are in the gear check mob...not line.
By the time Page and I finished at the gear check mess, it was 5:15. We met back up with Aron, hit up more portapotties, and then headed to our corrals. Total chaos. I feel so sorry for the Mandalay ... their landscaping is just trashed now. As the walkways were jam-packed, people were climbing through and over the bushes and flowers. People were falling off hidden curbs...it was crazy. Somehow, we managed to get into position before the start. They are super fast so I was alone in Corral 6... alone with a thousand other people and this guy...
It was freezing at this point. The wind had really kicked up...
but this guy didn't even have goose-bumps!
Crazy, craziness at the start...solid people.
This is the scene from Corral 6 looking forward.
There were another 30+ corrals behind me!
I was running so fast, the lights of The Strip were a blur :P
Mile 1: 9:24
Mile 2: 9:04
Mile 3: 9:03
Right on target...slow and steady starts the race :)
A bit after the 5K mark, I decided to do a Gu. There was a water station, and the next one wasn't until 5.3. Mile 5 had seemed too late when I ran the Long Beach Half-Marathon. I ripped off the top of the Gu and started sucking it down with my water. Crap. I had grabbed the wrong one! I usually take a chocolate one with NO caffeine first. This was a Roctane Chocolate Raspberry. I only took about half of it before I ran out of water, so I just held onto it to finish later.
Mile 4: 8:56
Mile 5: 8:51
Hitting my target splits pretty much on the money. I finished the Gu at that next water station. I was feeling great. I was surprising myself, actually, at how 'on' I felt and how closely I was hitting the desired pace.
Mile 6: 8:49
Mile 7: 8:49
Something happened. Shortly after the 10K, my stomach did one of those really loud rumbling turns. And it hurt. I tried to zone out the cramp. I was momentarily successful.
Mile 8: 9:06
And then I wasn't. Whenever I attempted to bring my mile split below a 9-minute pace, the cramps stabbed and groaned. I needed a bathroom ... stat. I started having that caged-animal-get-me-the-f*ck-outta-here feeling... and we were in the ghetto. Yeah. I forgot to mention that. Once we left The Strip at around Mile 4 or 5, we headed into the not-so-glitzy part of town...which was cool. But where the heck was I going to find a place to safely curl up and die?
Denny's!
Dude... I flew into Denny's. I smiled (or grimaced) at the counter guy..."Please may I...?" and he waved me on, with a slightly puzzled expression on his face. I practically took the door out of the frame charging into that room. It was vacant! No one wanted to be privvy to that Denny's 'Grand Slam.' Yes, I lost a full 5 minutes of my time. It was worth it. Really. My husband had to throw out the line... what happened at Denny's, stayed at Denny's. Definitely not something I wanted to leave on the course :P
Here was my view for 5 minutes.
Very clean, no graffiti.
Once I was done, it took me a bit to regroup.
Mile 9: 14:04 (9:01 if you delete the potty break)
Mile 10: 9:01
All of that emptying left me feeling pretty depleted, but I knew that I could go faster. So I did.
Mile 11: 8:48
Yay for Emily and Sarah! The World's Greatest Cheerleaders! They were loud and they were sparkly... and they saw me and screamed my name! Total internal power surge :) Thanks, you guys, for being there at mile 2ish when I was feeling solid and again when I really needed you between 11 and 12. Thank you!
After the two of them, it all was a blur. I didn't even want to look for the Mandalay which marked the finish. That thing is so huge that you could see it and be miles away still. I just focused in front of me... moving my feet...steady... consistent.
Mile 12: 8:48
My Garmin was all whacked out...well, mostly because my mind was whacked out and I couldn't compute or remember anything. I didn't really know how many miles I had left or how far I had gone. It was dark. I was afraid to turn the little light on because I might hit the wrong thing and screw up the timing/pacing thing. Where was that last mile marker? Where? WHERE?
Mile 13: 8:39
Whew.
Then all of a sudden we need to take a hard right toward the hotel, immediately followed by a left and then up a little hill. What the heck? And then down a little hill into the finish which was a wall of people. I honestly slammed into some people as I pushed my pace across the line. Everyone did, so no one was mad.
glow-in-the-dark, sparkly medal and a bottle of water at the finish
The situation at the finish was horrendous. The crowd control was non-existent. No effective signage. No alternate routes. Everything funneled in and out through the same space. Retrieving things from gear check wasn't as bad as the drop-off had been, but then we had to figure out how to get back to the hotel.
We couldn't find the free shuttles. No effective signage, remember? And we weren't entirely sure we wanted to find the free shuttles as we were imagining the lines. Somehow, we managed to stumble upon the lobby and find the taxi line...which required most impressive wait though not as long as the shuttles, I later heard.
we are happy to be inside...and done
We finally climbed into the cab and embarked on the ride from hell driven by Cabbie McLoud. I dare you to watch the video...it is only 16 seconds long...we got to listen to this for over an hour.
If anyone can translate what this man is saying shouting, Aron, Page and I would love to know.
It took us almost 2 hours and $45 to go 2 stinkin' miles. As soon as we could clearly see a way into The Venetian, we told McLoud to just pull over and let us the *bleep* out!
The fresh air was simultaneously bracing and calming. I felt so much better out of that cab. We headed over the street to our hotel, whereupon we all went to our rooms and didn't venture out again that night.
My belly continued it's cramping and clearing...in fact, it still is. I had a super hard time sleeping. While I'm used to running at night, I'm not used to racing at night. Totally different ballgame.
Would I do it again? I don't know. Vegas is weird. It was so fun to meet other bloggers in the flesh. It was also so fun to run down the middle of The Strip with all the lights flashing. But as an event, they have some serious work to do. If you think you want to do it, go in with your eyes open to the element of utter chaos and lack of preparedness. Expect no food or amenities at the end. Expect for it to take hours to get from the finish line to your warm, comfy quarters. And if you can't handle those conditions, it is definitely not the race for you!
avoid the creepy people handing out the 'skin' cards
see and be seen...i.e. spend as little time alone in your hotel room as possible (alone being the operative word in that rule)
and most important...what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
I broke that last and most important rule last night when I mobily posted a photo of bloggers wildly dancing at a club. Instead of a pre-race shake-out run, a good number of us decided to go dancing last night instead. So if you follow blogs of other runners who are here in Vegas, you've already seen some of the pictures. But here are mine...
I know this isn't a super flattering pic, but how often do we really look as awesome as we feel when drinking and dancing at a disco?
Saturday was the first time I had ever met Page, even though she lives kind of near me.
All save one of our game's participants are in Vegas this weekend. And one of them did not join us for the disco fever. So you have to guess which three are pictured above. There will be no prizes, just your own personal satisfaction that you know boobs.
And about the creepy card-hander-outters...
I just started going up to them and asking for cards...however many they were willing to part with.
And I tried to get them to teach me how to do this super creepy little snap thing they do. Well, some of them do the snappy thing and others do this little flicking thing. And then there are some who are either new or uncoordinated or on drugs or a combo who cannot snap or flick and they just shake like they have DT's. So creepy... and so sad. And no, I will not be sharing those cards with you all... this is a family-friendly blog. Well...sort of :P
I almost didn't make it out of the hotel. There were these elves, see...
And then I almost didn't make it out of the cab... there was this wheeler-dealer trying to make off with my cash...
But I did think I was outside at one point...even though I wasn't...
These pictures are NOT outside.
I totally thought I was outside until I saw these little circle things in the ceiling. Yes... the ceiling. And I felt such a weird combination of awe and disappointment.
I am hoping to feel nothing but awe as I charge down The Strip tonight.
The wind has died down a bit, and the air is cool and crisp.
When I was a kid, I read this book. It was about good luck going bad and then turning back to good again. Right now, I feel like I am living that book. And y'all are super lucky... this is the second day in a row in which I share a really gross picture :)
Unfortunately, the migraine materialized anyway :(
Fortunately, it isn't crippling, driving-me-to-my-bed bad.
Unfortunately, it makes me feel super nauseated, and I am running 13.1 miles on Sunday.
Fortunately, Sunday is three days away and my migraines tend to last only 2 days!
Unfortunately, one of those days is supposed to be a fun-filled day in Las Vegas (did I mention that I am running in Las Vegas?).
Fortunately, I will be able to relax with my headache alone in my nice hotel room...without my kids demanding on me!
Unfortunately, I will actually miss them.
Fortunately, we found something really gross in Miss C's hair last night and I was still home to assist with it's removal...
did you just throw up a little?
Unfortunately, I discovered last night that I am really squeamish when it comes to removing bugs attached to my very small child :P
Fortunately, my husband was game to perform the extraction while I held her... she was amazingly cooperative...which...
Unfortunately, leads me to believe that it was really bothering her :(
Fortunately, we are seeing no bullseye thing on her head or other signs of Lyme Disease. That's a really big 'fortunately.'
So there are no more 'unfortunatelys'... isn't that AWESOME!!!
I'm going to share a little secret now...
I have never been to Las Vegas. I have never wanted to go to Las Vegas...except to see The Strip at night. I was thinking that someday I'd take a road trip that would include a quick nighttime drive-thru of The Strip...that way I wouldn't have to deal with any of the other Vegas-y crap. Nothing I've heard about it or seen in print or film appeals to me. Maybe my mind will be changed when I experience it for myself in the flesh. I registered for this race because of The Strip at Night component...and because some of my fave Nuun buddies will be there...I had a ton of fun with Jess and Tricia and Kim and Caitlin back in the good, ol' Hood to Coast Relay days :) Despite my indifference for Sin City, I am super-stoked to be going.
How do you feel about Vegas? Is your feeling based on actual experience or impressions?
Do you have a Fortunately/Unfortunately story to share?
"Once a year the 'whore' population of Las Vegas quintriples when a ton of self-entitled (runners) who are willing to sell their souls for chocolate milk endorsements roll into town to complain for 26.2 miles at a 10:30/mile pace" My friend has an awfully twisted sense of humor and said he'd pay me to put that in this post. Guess that makes me a... whore.
This coming Sunday, I am running The Strip at night.
Okay, okay... I might wear a SparklySoul headband that I won in a giveaway at my friend Megan's blog. And I might stick adhesive rhinestones on my awesome $2 knee-sock/armwarmers just so I blend. And sparkles can be fun. shut up, haters. But there is something to be said for not blending, too.
For example, if it is really, really cold, I might be tempted to wear my award-winning Winter Workout Gear...for real, I won a gym wardrobe makeover this week by submitting this picture to a contest...
this would totally not blend in Vegas...am I right?
note: hat doesn't come with reservoir tip
Knowing me, however, I will be running in my plain black Target shorts and tank top...and running shoes. And... of course, I'll be wearing my awesome Moving Comfort Juno bra :) I run "hot." That doesn't mean I look 'hot' when I run...quite the contrary...it means I get hot when I run. But I'm sure you figured that out without me needing to explain it, right?
13.1 miles is still quite an undertaking for me. A lot of people say they are running this race 'for fun.' I can't do that. Sure, I'll have fun while I am there, and it will be a fun experience. But something about sick physical effort and fun and costumes... it just all seems a little incongruous. I will be busting my butt to put one foot in front of the other for close to two hours, give or take (does 'give' mean that it would be less than 2 hours...or is that 'take'?).
In addition to getting my run on, I'm looking forward to spending some time in a fancy hotel without my kids and meeting up with some of my good friends from the ol' Nuun Platuun glory days...Jess the Blonde Ponytail), Tricia who knows Endurance Isn't Only Physical, and Caitlin and Kim from Nuun. And we'll get to see our Team Nuun teammates and rivals for the Nuun Cup (which seems to have gone missing, am I right, Tonia?), AfterNuun Delight's Sweaty Emily of Sweat Once a Day and Mr. Mason, prez of Nuun.
A friend posted a picture of her new shoes on Twitter the other day... and I was smitten.
I coveted.
I needed.
While my current running shoes are far from run through, and while I do have a second pair of the same waiting in the wings, it really is only a matter of time before I'll be needing another pair of running shoes. Right?
Buying running shoes based on how they look is ill-advised. Different bodies have different biomechanics requiring different shoes. I used to work in a running specialty shop so I actually do understand this ;-)
I was certain that because these shoes were so perfect-looking, they would be the wrong sort of shoe for me, and I would be left simply longing for something ill-suited to my needs.
Of course, the fact that they are 'rare' adds to the mystique.
I have never worn Mizuno shoes, so I knew I wanted to try them on before dropping a whopping sum of cash. I headed to the local running store to see if they had what I needed. They did. They felt a bit small to me, so I sized up a half size from normal and fell head-over-heels in love.
I knew I could get them online cheaper, but in the interest of supporting the local economy and small business owners, I opted to buy them in the store. Add in the tax... awesome me, contributing to the state and city coffers... and the one dollar to the city parking authority (for a savings of $57 had I opted out of the meter and gone for the ticket instead)... and I was a well-shod, model citizen.
These shoes are totally different than the Saucony ProRide 3 I am currently wearing. The Mizunos feel like a lower profile, firmer shoe. I wore them for the cool down portion of my run last night. I can tell they will require some getting used to so I will not be racing in them any time soon. But WOW! Love the way they feel!
Aren't they pretty?
Click, click, click...
If I feel like it's taking too long to get to the finish line,
I can just click my heels together three times...
Another item I have had my eye on would be arm warmers. Not so sure why these appeal to me so much. I've never had a pair. So much has changed in the decade and a half since I was last running. Arm warmers and calf sleeves... who'd've thunk?
Given that I broke the bank on my fancy shoes, I knew low-budget was the direction to take for arm warmers. I had seen some made from tube socks with the toes cut out on other blogs. But I particularly wanted mine for Vegas and so ugly white, clunky tube socks were not going to be near glam enough.
Enter: two-dollar knee socks at Target!
Sleek, color choices, patterned...
I went with black :P
I didn't cut the toes off because I like the optional mitten-effect.
I cut a small slice through the arch of the sock. This way I can cover my fingers or not.
The extra flap tucks up into the wrist very nicely.
Last night it was chilly, so I tried them out. They worked out perfectly!
And that was how the run went, too!
Three-mile tempo run at half-marathon pace after a two-mile warm-up and followed by a one mile cool down.
Warm-up: 2.25 miles @ 9:39 avg. pace (21:24)
Tempo: 3.2 miles @ 8:39 avg. pace (mile splits: 8:45/8:43/8:30 + 0.2 @ 8:00)
Cool down: 1 mile @ 10:34 avg. pace
Sadly, I think I was pushing the pace a little too much. I wish I didn't feel that way. But for the sake of honesty, I need to come clean. The 8:45 felt really good...maybe if I had been able to just sit with that, I would feel better about it. If anyone has suggestions or advice, I'm open to hearing it :)
I destroyed my workout. The plan called for three mile repeats at 5K pace (actually 1.16-mile repeats based on my route) with 0.2-mile (approximately 3 minutes) recovery in between. I gave myself a 1.5-mile warm-up, running a little faster than 10-minute miles, and followed with a 0.75-mile cool down at 10:30 pace.
7:55 pace (quarter splits: 2:00/2:01/2:00/1:54 + 1:15)
7:44 pace ( " " : 1:56/1:59/1:59/1:53 + 1:06)
7:36 pace ( " " : 1:55/1:54/1:56/1:53 + 1:06)
It has been awhile since I've really taken a workout to task like that. As I ran the last straightaway up to my final turn, I felt myself flagging. I jumped on the words "Dream Big" that my friend and fellow blogger, Dorothy of Mileposts often says, and a visual of her strong running form popped into my mind. I held it together and accelerated through the finish of that repeat. I cannot believe how fast I ran it.
If you had told me a year and a half ago that I would run my last mile repeat at 7:36 pace...wait, no...if you had told me a year and a half ago that I would run someday, I would have laughed out loud to mask my anger and frustration and sense of despair. I'd like to tell you again why.
Four years ago, I was a depressed mess. Our family had had some very challenging issues to deal with and had just moved. Due to my bum hip, I had been in constant pain for roughly five years. I 'walked' with a pronounced limp. I couldn't move fast enough to escape an oncoming car or beat out a meter maid at an expired parking meter. If my toddler son took off down the street (which he did all the time), I was helpless as I watched him tempt imminent danger. It was terrifying, and it felt hopeless. This was not a diagnosed injury, but it was very much there. The situation was taking me to the scary edge. As I was 'hitting bottom,' I found my miracle-worker/physical therapist at SOLPT (see sidebar).
Three years ago, I was pregnant with my fourth child and struggling to maintain the increased mobility my physical therapist's hard work had yielded. The failing economy made regular visits less frequent, the pain returned, and my hip made little, if any, progress.
Two years ago, I had a new baby and had to relocate again. The economy still sucked. Life was still stressful. My hip still hurt but seemed to be in some sort of stasis. I was wondering if I would ever again in my life be pain-free.
Never lose faith.
Fifteen months ago, my son took off. He does that...just takes off...always has, remember? I chased him down and caught him. Wait...what? Yes. I ran for about one hundred feet! Pain-free! I knew it was time to begin. Within two weeks, I was slogging past three lamp posts (it took about three minutes), walking forty steps frontward, walking twenty steps backward... *REPEAT* four times in a row every other day for three weeks. It was a fifteen-minute regimen. It was a start.
Fourteen months ago, I was plodding for five minutes straight, walking twenty steps forward, walking twenty steps backward... *REPEAT* three times in a row every other day for two weeks. It was an eighteen-minute regimen. It was progress.
Thirteen and a half months ago, I was trudging my way through two continuous, slow, hip-pain-free miles a couple of times a week. Lumbering like a giant tortoise, I was out there...doing it. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't fast, and I certainly wasn't fashionable, but after two weeks of that, I graduated from trudging to shuffling! And I completed my first 'long' run of three miles :) Again, progress.
A year ago, I ran a timed mile. I ran it in 8:51. It was hard, and it felt like a step back because a month before, I had run my first timed mile since I had started running in a speedilicious 8:45. I was bummed. But I was not defeated. I persevered. It was mental progress.
Now!
I ran three mile repeats (the last one at 7:36 pace) last night. I'm running in a 5K on Thanksgiving, hoping to crush last year's time by many minutes. The RockNRoll Las Vegas Half-Marathon is December 4th, and I'm ready to take it on. I've bravely registered for a full marathon this coming Spring. I never thought these things would be possible.
That will be 26.2 miles. Some of my readers are not runners and don't know this is the official and always marathon distance. I think I've mentioned this before. So... yeah... 26.2 miles. For fun.
Psycho. Shhhh...she might be listening. I don't care...she's psycho. Well, yeah, but she's a funny and nice psycho so shhhh...you might hurt her feelings.
Sometimes I talk to myself.
Running 26.2 miles takes some prep work. Some people use training plans. Others like to wing it. I will be using a training plan. And like Ryan Hall, no coach. Well, God is coaching him...
My training plan is self-designed based on a bunch of stuff from the past and present. It is flexible because it has to be... I have a family and stuff to do and things sometimes come up. I tend to be really good at holding myself accountable without getting anal about things, so flexible and self-designed are a good fit for me. That said, I also welcome observations and suggestions :)
I have chosen the Eugene Marathon as my target. It's close enough to my birthday to meet that requirement and it's an 'easy' enough course (if you can ever say that about a marathon...reminder: that's 26.2 miles) that I might have a snowball's chance in hell of hitting my insane goal time and getting a real PR... as opposed to a 'return to running' PR.
Right now we are at Week 6 of the 32-week plan. But I missed the first two weeks because I was getting ready for that unpleasantness that was the Long Beach Half-Marathon. And because I am going with Eugene and not Avenue of the Giants, it will need to shrink to a 31-week plan (Week 29 becomes 28 and I'll be figuring out what I need the most when that time rolls around).
The first phase of this plan continues through the Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Half on December 4th. The running mileage in this phase is between 20 and 25 miles per week. It consists of 0.6-mile repeats @5K-pace on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, a tempo or progression run type of workout on Thursdays or Fridays, and a long run on Saturdays or Sundays. In between those workouts, I might ride my bike a little bit or do a P90X workout, like Core Synergistics or Plyometrics or X-Stretch...depending on the day's circumstances.
My goal with this first phase is to get my legs used to turning over more quickly with the speedwork, to build a bit more stamina with the tempo/progression stuff, and to get really used to being on the road on my feet for 10+ miles with the long runs.
It will be interesting to see how Phase I pans out when I run a 5K Turkey Trot on 11/24 and then a 13.1 in Vegas on 12/4. I am very curious.
While I do have Phase II already written down, the results of Phase I Testing will have some bearing on how I proceed with Phase II, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
If you've ever run (or are planning to run) a marathon, how long of a training plan do you use?
Do you usually use a training plan when prepping for a race, or do you just wing it? If you use a plan, do you stick to it like glue? Do you freak when you go off-plan?
I plan to not have any fun and have it be all about the running... unless I can convince Dolvett(one of my newest Twitter followers...and my phone wallpaper) to let me and THE Blonde Ponytail and that Shut Up and Run girl pace him :) you do know I'm kidding about the 'no fun' part, right?
He's so smiley because he just realized who we are ;-)
Yes, Dolvett... WE want to pace YOU.
I will finally begin incorporating speedwork into my workouts so that I might actually gain some... errrr... speed. And I think my PowerCranks will be seeing some regular action, too. Let's see if those puppies make a nice difference.
I have a time goal, and it isn't simply sub-2... BTDT even if the race officials didn't know it ;-) Thanks, Road Warrior... I couldn't have put it any better... you're a genius with words! I'm not saying what the new goal is yet because really no one cares but me :P but I'll be steppin' lively every Tuesday (or thereabouts) in attempt to quicken things up.
A 5K Turkey Trot is likely to happen along the way... Thanksgiving does happen before December 4 and I would like to test out the fruits of my speedwork labor. My time goal for that is 24 minutes flat. HA! I just made myself choke on my drink :P But seriously... 24 flat. That would be a 4 minute and 52 second improvement over my 5K PR from last Thanksgiving. Okay...scratch that. Let's go for an even 5-minute improvement... let's make that time goal 23:52... why the heck not? I hope AM from Feet in Motion is hosting her race again this year... I had so much fun doing it last year :)
And... I am going to participate in the Oakland Marathon Relay again in March 2012. Such a cool thing... it's part of the Oakland Running Festival. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's definitely worth checking out. I'll be really ramping up my speedwork in anticipation of that one. I am hoping to have improved my pace by 2 whole minutes per mile over the same distance (Leg 2) as last year. HA! I sure hope someone in my house knows the Heimlich Maneuver... now I'm choking on my food!
But all of these little things are merely a part of My Big Plan.
Yes.
A full marathon.
Sure, sure... some of my readers do these alllllll the time. And okay, okay... some of my readers think I am totally loco and wonder where all the cute kid stories and granny's gadgets videos have gone.
The first group... you are all rockstars! You win the Multiple Marathon game :) The second group... I love you, too! Please don't worry! All that stuff is still here... I gave you some yesterday! There will be more soon... I promise :)
You may be wondering, "Gee, XL... which marathon are you going to do?"
*drumroll*
I am still undecided.
It was going to be Avenue of the Giants. I was convinced this was The One. But I've heard some things...things that make it less appealing :( ... sort of like seeing your hot new boyfriend pick his nose and eat it.
If you've done either, what did you like or dislike about the race... course and other?
I'm looking for a "happy birthday/PR" course for a marathon on either the last weekend of April or the first two weekends in May...any other suggestions?
