I'm back after a glutaneous, lazy week of recovery. After qualifying last Sunday for Boston I was ecstatic. The high lasted most of the day on Monday and then I came crashing down with "what now" thoughts. I have so many things I want to do and wish I had more time in each day to do them all. I also have this all or nothing mentality and I need to let myself relax about some stuff. Running has taken up so much time over the past year and I realized that I'm not really allowing time for anything else. So, that needs to change. Running is and will always be a big part of my life but I won't let it become my life. I spent the whole week thinking of what I want to do, things I want to work on, accomplish, etc. I will never give up running but I have to make time for cross training, lifting and hopefully soon, yoga. On top of this, I need to find time to study for my personal training certification. I go in waves. I'll spend a few weeks studying every day, then I fall off the wagon and don't open a book for a month. I also really want to work on getting out of the food rut I'm in and start to eat more variety, more raw, and possibly eliminate the little meat (currently only chicken) I eat. I bought 2 books the other day which I hope will help with this: "Eat to Live" and "eat, drink & be vegan." I plan to post a little more about my eats (no worries, this won't turn into a food blog!) so I can share some of the fun stuff I'm hopefully learning.
So where do I go from here? I talked with Coach Jack and I'll be taking my running down to 5 days a week, but still keeping up with my mileage. These 2 off days from running give me extra time to lift and do some other form of cardio...like taking a walk. I miss taking nice long walks! In addition, I will be adding on cardio to any run day where the mileage is low. I really want to keep my cardio to at least 60 minutes for each workout. I'm also going to check out a local yoga studio and hope to try that once or twice a week. Not only could my body use the benefits of yoga, but I think my crazy head could, too.
I will say this, though. While I was deep in thought all week about what to do now that I just crossed a huge goal off my list, I realized how much I love running. I love the simplicity of it and I love the people I've met through the sport. I love racing and I love proving to myself what I can do. But with that being said, I'm looking forward to a fun year of non BQ stress running!! Here's a little glimpse of what I have lined up so far in 2010. I also have some more things in the works, including another biggie, but I'm not ready to talk about that yet! And I entered the NYC lottery today.
Dec 31st - Puddlz NYE marathon (this is a just-for-fun marathon my friend is organizing at a local park. It's a one mile loop so people can come and go as they please. If there are any local runners interested, let me know! Run a few laps and bank some calories for champagne later that night!)
Feb 21st - Frostbite 5 miler (won third in my age group last year, trying to beat that)
Mar 21st - Shamrock Marathon (running for run, around the 4 hour pace group)
Apr - yea, no races this month because I'll be sunning it up in Jamaica. Not a bad trade off for Boston 2010 being sold out!
May 2nd - NJ Marathon (pacing the 4:15 group)
My recovery week, which consisted of NO running and too much food, is officially over. I'm so ready to get out there and hit the pavement tomorrow. Here's my schedule for the week. No set paces, just a nice easy jog.
Mon - 2 mi
Tues - 3 mi
Wed - off
Thurs - 3 mi
Fri - 2 mi
Sat - 6 mi
Sun - off
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
2009 Philly Marathon Race Report
Starting with Saturday...I woke up a nervous wreck. So nervous that I was emotional on and off all day. I know, me, emotional?? Shocker. It was a really long day and I was happy when it was finally time to go to bed. I headed up around 8:30pm and actually got a good night sleep.
Wake up call was 4am on Sunday and I woke up calm and collected. The day had finally arrived. We got down to the city in enough time to hit up the bathrooms at the Four Seasons then met up with Coach Jack and a bunch of other runners. At 6:30am I headed to my corral and situated myself right behind the pace leaders. I also met Bill, which was cool because we ran in the same group last year and never knew it! By the time we moved to the start line for our corral to start, I was shivering really bad but still feeling calm. When we finally got started it was really tight around the pacers and I was having trouble finding a spot where I could settle in and get into my groove. But right from the get go my breathing was great and the pace felt perfect. Definitely a good sign! After the first few miles I moved myself to just in front of the pacers and this was a great position to be in. I had plenty of room and I knew if I kept them in ear shot that I was holding my pace and would stay on target. After one of the early water stops I found myself pretty far out in front of the pace group but I was feeling good so I just went with it. I was so glad I carried my hand held and could just run right through the water stops. They are so chaotic and people really don't know how to move through them properly. More on that some other day. Anyway, I was feeling great and very early on, I thought several times, "today is my day."
When we arrived back to the art museum for the half marathoners to finish, I was feeling great and never once wished I was only running the half. Instead I told myself that the race was just beginning. I arrived at mile 13 in 1:46:43 which was a little over 2 minutes ahead of schedule. I rounded the corner near the art museum ready to tackle the second half of the course.
I think it was just after mile 14 when I could hear the crowd cheering for the 3:40 pace group and I realized I must have slowed down a bit. I decided to fall back a bit and use the group to tackle Lemon Hill, the last real hill of the race. But once again, I made it to the top of the hill, holding my 8:20 pace and lost the group who had dropped back a little. After Lemon Hill is where the race started getting harder. A few times I assessed how I was feeling using a scale devised by Coach Jack. Knowing I would not feel "great" the entire race, my goal was to stay in the "good" to "ok" range. At one point I thought I was just "ok" so I slowed down a bit to regroup. Doing this on and off during the latter part of the race for a few seconds really helped and I knew I had a few minute window to play with. Around mile 17 the 3:40 group caught up to me again so I held pace with them to keep me in check for a little bit. Shortly after that, I left them...never to see them again!
When I hit Manayunk around mile 19 I had two goals in mind...1) get to the turn around at mile 20 then you only have 6 miles left! and 2) get to Falls Bridge. This would put me on the second half of the 8.4 mile loop I did over the summer as part of my Ultra. I'm so familiar with this part of the course that I knew I could do it once I hit that part. Running through Manayunk was fun, lots of excitement and people and that's just what I needed. I saw Pumpkin with her hot pink sign and I got tears in my eyes! At that point in the race I really needed to see a familiar face. At the turn around point, mile 20, I was 2:44:10 into the race and was still well over 2 minutes ahead of pace. So out of Manayunk I headed and I told myself out loud, "take it home."
Back on Kelly drive for the last 5 miles, I was feeling it. What started hurting around mile 16 was REALLY hurting at this point. My calves were really tight and then my hamstrings started tightening up. I was just praying that I didn't get hit with any debilitating leg cramps. I almost gave up eating my shot bloks because I could barely choke them down at this point but I knew my body needed the salt so I forced myself to eat them. There were a couple of moments where I thought that I'd just like to walk but I quickly pushed them out of my head by saying, "keep going, you're going to qualify!" For the last few miles I felt like I was trying so hard but wasn't moving. But when I looked at my watch I was holding steady at a 8:20 pace. I told myself that if I had to, I could take it down to a 9 minute mile closer to the end and still meet my time goal, but I never did! When I hit mile 22 and realized I only had about a half hour left of running, the miles started flying by. Mile 22 - 8:21, Mile 23 - 8:21, Mile 24 - 8:24, Mile 25 - 8:34, Mile 26 - 8:24...I think it's safe to say that my training paid off and this pace was drilled into me! During these last few miles, I knew it was going to happen.
The last mile was tough but the crowd support really helped. Having our names on our bibs this year was great as so many spectators called out to keep us going. As I rounded the art museum and headed down the parkway, I gave it everything I had left, which wasn't much and I'm sure I didn't look pretty. Laurel was there (also saw her at mile 13...not sure how a complete stranger can pick me out of a crowd when I passed Andy twice and he never saw me!!) cheering me on and I forced a smile and a big wave to her. Seeing the finish line was amazing and I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I raised my arms in hopes of finally getting a good finish line photo, but I'm sure it won't be anything worth putting on the mantle! I finished in 3:38:02...earning my spot at the Boston marathon in 2011!!
After I crossed the finish line, I couldn't believe what I just did. I am not kidding when I say EVERYTHING hurt. EVERYTHING. After I got my medal and food, I found Andy and got an incredible hug. All I could tell him through the tears was that it was so hard. Because it was. But I did it. I freaking qualified for Boston with over 2 minutes to spare.
It was a great day. I'm still filled with emotion today. I keep surprising myself with what I'm capable of and I'm so happy I was able to come back to all of you guys and tell you that I did it. I thought of you often during the race and I didn't want to have to blog that it wasn't my day. So thankfully, it was my day. I ran hard and more importantly, I ran smart. I PR'd by roughly 13 minutes and like I said yesterday...I am so proud of myself.
I'm home recovering today. Very sore, but not complaining. The aches and pains are more than worth it. Thanks for all your support!!
Wake up call was 4am on Sunday and I woke up calm and collected. The day had finally arrived. We got down to the city in enough time to hit up the bathrooms at the Four Seasons then met up with Coach Jack and a bunch of other runners. At 6:30am I headed to my corral and situated myself right behind the pace leaders. I also met Bill, which was cool because we ran in the same group last year and never knew it! By the time we moved to the start line for our corral to start, I was shivering really bad but still feeling calm. When we finally got started it was really tight around the pacers and I was having trouble finding a spot where I could settle in and get into my groove. But right from the get go my breathing was great and the pace felt perfect. Definitely a good sign! After the first few miles I moved myself to just in front of the pacers and this was a great position to be in. I had plenty of room and I knew if I kept them in ear shot that I was holding my pace and would stay on target. After one of the early water stops I found myself pretty far out in front of the pace group but I was feeling good so I just went with it. I was so glad I carried my hand held and could just run right through the water stops. They are so chaotic and people really don't know how to move through them properly. More on that some other day. Anyway, I was feeling great and very early on, I thought several times, "today is my day."
When we arrived back to the art museum for the half marathoners to finish, I was feeling great and never once wished I was only running the half. Instead I told myself that the race was just beginning. I arrived at mile 13 in 1:46:43 which was a little over 2 minutes ahead of schedule. I rounded the corner near the art museum ready to tackle the second half of the course.
I think it was just after mile 14 when I could hear the crowd cheering for the 3:40 pace group and I realized I must have slowed down a bit. I decided to fall back a bit and use the group to tackle Lemon Hill, the last real hill of the race. But once again, I made it to the top of the hill, holding my 8:20 pace and lost the group who had dropped back a little. After Lemon Hill is where the race started getting harder. A few times I assessed how I was feeling using a scale devised by Coach Jack. Knowing I would not feel "great" the entire race, my goal was to stay in the "good" to "ok" range. At one point I thought I was just "ok" so I slowed down a bit to regroup. Doing this on and off during the latter part of the race for a few seconds really helped and I knew I had a few minute window to play with. Around mile 17 the 3:40 group caught up to me again so I held pace with them to keep me in check for a little bit. Shortly after that, I left them...never to see them again!
When I hit Manayunk around mile 19 I had two goals in mind...1) get to the turn around at mile 20 then you only have 6 miles left! and 2) get to Falls Bridge. This would put me on the second half of the 8.4 mile loop I did over the summer as part of my Ultra. I'm so familiar with this part of the course that I knew I could do it once I hit that part. Running through Manayunk was fun, lots of excitement and people and that's just what I needed. I saw Pumpkin with her hot pink sign and I got tears in my eyes! At that point in the race I really needed to see a familiar face. At the turn around point, mile 20, I was 2:44:10 into the race and was still well over 2 minutes ahead of pace. So out of Manayunk I headed and I told myself out loud, "take it home."
Back on Kelly drive for the last 5 miles, I was feeling it. What started hurting around mile 16 was REALLY hurting at this point. My calves were really tight and then my hamstrings started tightening up. I was just praying that I didn't get hit with any debilitating leg cramps. I almost gave up eating my shot bloks because I could barely choke them down at this point but I knew my body needed the salt so I forced myself to eat them. There were a couple of moments where I thought that I'd just like to walk but I quickly pushed them out of my head by saying, "keep going, you're going to qualify!" For the last few miles I felt like I was trying so hard but wasn't moving. But when I looked at my watch I was holding steady at a 8:20 pace. I told myself that if I had to, I could take it down to a 9 minute mile closer to the end and still meet my time goal, but I never did! When I hit mile 22 and realized I only had about a half hour left of running, the miles started flying by. Mile 22 - 8:21, Mile 23 - 8:21, Mile 24 - 8:24, Mile 25 - 8:34, Mile 26 - 8:24...I think it's safe to say that my training paid off and this pace was drilled into me! During these last few miles, I knew it was going to happen.
The last mile was tough but the crowd support really helped. Having our names on our bibs this year was great as so many spectators called out to keep us going. As I rounded the art museum and headed down the parkway, I gave it everything I had left, which wasn't much and I'm sure I didn't look pretty. Laurel was there (also saw her at mile 13...not sure how a complete stranger can pick me out of a crowd when I passed Andy twice and he never saw me!!) cheering me on and I forced a smile and a big wave to her. Seeing the finish line was amazing and I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I raised my arms in hopes of finally getting a good finish line photo, but I'm sure it won't be anything worth putting on the mantle! I finished in 3:38:02...earning my spot at the Boston marathon in 2011!!
After I crossed the finish line, I couldn't believe what I just did. I am not kidding when I say EVERYTHING hurt. EVERYTHING. After I got my medal and food, I found Andy and got an incredible hug. All I could tell him through the tears was that it was so hard. Because it was. But I did it. I freaking qualified for Boston with over 2 minutes to spare.
It was a great day. I'm still filled with emotion today. I keep surprising myself with what I'm capable of and I'm so happy I was able to come back to all of you guys and tell you that I did it. I thought of you often during the race and I didn't want to have to blog that it wasn't my day. So thankfully, it was my day. I ran hard and more importantly, I ran smart. I PR'd by roughly 13 minutes and like I said yesterday...I am so proud of myself.
I'm home recovering today. Very sore, but not complaining. The aches and pains are more than worth it. Thanks for all your support!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Drumroll Please...
Watch out Boston, here I come!!
Race report to come....
3:38:02
I'm not even sure I'm capable of writing a race report at this time. All I can say is: It was a beautiful day for a marathon. It wasn't easy. Everything hurts, especially the chaffing in my nether region. I didn't poop myself. I'm happy. I'm emotional. I'm SO proud of myself...I'm crying again. *sigh* All the hard work paid off and now I'm off to crack open a bottle of champagne!
Race report to come....
Friday, November 20, 2009
Two Sleeps To Go
I woke up this morning around 6am a ball full of nerves. I was thinking and stressing about everything and anything regarding the marathon. I laid in bed for a while just playing the race out in my head trying to visualize the course, etc. After calming myself down a bit, I headed out for an easy 3 miles. Unfortunately, they weren't so easy. I just felt tired and my legs a bit heavy. I did do 5 miles the night before so I'm hoping it was from that. Now that the last run is done, it's all about relaxing and staying off my feet.
I headed down to the Expo today. I drove along part of the course and again tried to visualize race day. I know exactly what part will be toughest for me and I'm going to be prepared with a lot of positive thoughts for when I hit that part of the course. I already started laying out some stuff for race day and will have myself all set and ready to go tomorrow morning so there's nothing left to worry about. I'm still a tad nervous right now, but I'm also really excited. The weather is looking great with the low Saturday night around 40 and Sunday being sunny and 57. I am still planning on wearing my tights and a long sleeve shirt (probably my Kicked Asphalt shirt from Philly last year) since I'm always freezing. I also bought a pair of water resistant gloves at the Expo. If they work well, I'll be sure to let you know about them.
The Expo itself was just so so, nothing spectacular. But I'm really happy with the shirt we got this year, love the color. And instead of a big plastic bag, we got a mesh goodie bag, which was nice. I also stopped by the pace group table to see who the 3:40 pace leader was. Turns out it was the person manning the booth and I got to meet him. His name is Scott and we have a hot date Sunday morning at 7am!
My bib is 3895 and there's a link at the Philly marathon homepage to sign up to track runners for those who are interested!!
I hope the next time you hear from me I'll be celebrating a BQ!! Thanks for all your wonderful comments and support, they mean so much to me! xoxo
I headed down to the Expo today. I drove along part of the course and again tried to visualize race day. I know exactly what part will be toughest for me and I'm going to be prepared with a lot of positive thoughts for when I hit that part of the course. I already started laying out some stuff for race day and will have myself all set and ready to go tomorrow morning so there's nothing left to worry about. I'm still a tad nervous right now, but I'm also really excited. The weather is looking great with the low Saturday night around 40 and Sunday being sunny and 57. I am still planning on wearing my tights and a long sleeve shirt (probably my Kicked Asphalt shirt from Philly last year) since I'm always freezing. I also bought a pair of water resistant gloves at the Expo. If they work well, I'll be sure to let you know about them.
The Expo itself was just so so, nothing spectacular. But I'm really happy with the shirt we got this year, love the color. And instead of a big plastic bag, we got a mesh goodie bag, which was nice. I also stopped by the pace group table to see who the 3:40 pace leader was. Turns out it was the person manning the booth and I got to meet him. His name is Scott and we have a hot date Sunday morning at 7am!
My bib is 3895 and there's a link at the Philly marathon homepage to sign up to track runners for those who are interested!!
I hope the next time you hear from me I'll be celebrating a BQ!! Thanks for all your wonderful comments and support, they mean so much to me! xoxo
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
4 days to go...and some cookies
My mind is racing!! I'm trying to focus on work but I'm so excited for Sunday. The weather forecast that started off the week keeps changing for the better every day. First it was rain and now we're looking at mid 50's and cloudy. I'll take it!! I'm feeling absolutely great and I just can't wait for the weekend to get here. I could ramble on and on about my excitement, but instead I'll tell you about a little cookie I recently tried...
Marisela at Nutridel sent me two kinds of cookies to try out, Oatmeal and Almond. The cookies are 100% natural and contain no additives, preservatives, artificial colorings, flavorings or sweeteners of any kind. The cookies were interesting. They aren't your soft and chewy cookie, but are very thin and crunchy. The oatmeal cookie had 62 calories, 2.5g fat and 3g of protein. The ingredients are nice and simple, keeping it healthy: oats, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, sunflower seeds, dry coconut, sesame seeds, molasses and sunflower oil. In addition to the oatmeal and almond flavors, they also make pecan and flax seed. Of the two I tried, I preferred the almond which really surprised me since I'm a sucker for anything oatmeal. While I appreciated this as a healthy treat, I have to be honest and say that I wasn't a huge fan. And for $2.50 a pack (a package contains 2 cookies) I do not see myself purchasing these. Looking at the ingredients, they aren't that far off from the homemade granola bars that I've made for a heck of a lot cheaper, and tastier (in my humble opinion). It kills me to not be a fan of a cookie, since I looove me some cookies, but for the price I don't think these are worth it. I'm giving Nutridel 4 biscuits out of 10.
Marisela at Nutridel sent me two kinds of cookies to try out, Oatmeal and Almond. The cookies are 100% natural and contain no additives, preservatives, artificial colorings, flavorings or sweeteners of any kind. The cookies were interesting. They aren't your soft and chewy cookie, but are very thin and crunchy. The oatmeal cookie had 62 calories, 2.5g fat and 3g of protein. The ingredients are nice and simple, keeping it healthy: oats, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, sunflower seeds, dry coconut, sesame seeds, molasses and sunflower oil. In addition to the oatmeal and almond flavors, they also make pecan and flax seed. Of the two I tried, I preferred the almond which really surprised me since I'm a sucker for anything oatmeal. While I appreciated this as a healthy treat, I have to be honest and say that I wasn't a huge fan. And for $2.50 a pack (a package contains 2 cookies) I do not see myself purchasing these. Looking at the ingredients, they aren't that far off from the homemade granola bars that I've made for a heck of a lot cheaper, and tastier (in my humble opinion). It kills me to not be a fan of a cookie, since I looove me some cookies, but for the price I don't think these are worth it. I'm giving Nutridel 4 biscuits out of 10.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
This Time Next Week...
it'll all be over! Just thinking about that makes me sad. We put in so much time and effort into getting ready for a race then it's over and done with just like that. But I'm getting ahead of myself...I still have one week to go.
Now for those of you who haven't heard, Boston did sell out. I heard about it on Friday from Aron and needless to say, I was more than bummed. I won't lie, this is making it a little harder on me, thinking that I'm trying for something that I won't even be able to run until 2011. Ugh, that just seems so far away. But qualifying is qualifying and I'm trying to keep that in mind and stay focused. I have so much going on in 2010 that maybe it's a blessing in disguise. I'm putting this out of my mind from here on out and focusing on my plan for next Sunday. I'll be heading to the Expo on Friday then taking it easy till Sunday. I purposely left some chores around the house to do on Saturday to keep me occupied so I don't go completely crazy, but aside from that, I'll be staying off my feet. I still have to figure out what to wear since the weather is unseasonably warm (hit upper 60's today!). I'm not complaining, though. I'll take anything other than 20 degrees we had last year!! I also practiced my Clif Blok dispenser again today on my 9 miler and I'm comfortable with it. The only thing left to decide is if I want someone staged with a water bottle replacement for my hand held or if I want to try to fill it up on the go. All in all, I'm feeling good. I'm feeling confident. I'm ready.
Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 3 mi
Tues - 5 mi with 2 mi at 8:20
Wed - off
Thurs - 5 mi with 4x50 strides at marathon pace
Fri - 3 mi
Sat - off
Sun - 26.2!!!
Now for those of you who haven't heard, Boston did sell out. I heard about it on Friday from Aron and needless to say, I was more than bummed. I won't lie, this is making it a little harder on me, thinking that I'm trying for something that I won't even be able to run until 2011. Ugh, that just seems so far away. But qualifying is qualifying and I'm trying to keep that in mind and stay focused. I have so much going on in 2010 that maybe it's a blessing in disguise. I'm putting this out of my mind from here on out and focusing on my plan for next Sunday. I'll be heading to the Expo on Friday then taking it easy till Sunday. I purposely left some chores around the house to do on Saturday to keep me occupied so I don't go completely crazy, but aside from that, I'll be staying off my feet. I still have to figure out what to wear since the weather is unseasonably warm (hit upper 60's today!). I'm not complaining, though. I'll take anything other than 20 degrees we had last year!! I also practiced my Clif Blok dispenser again today on my 9 miler and I'm comfortable with it. The only thing left to decide is if I want someone staged with a water bottle replacement for my hand held or if I want to try to fill it up on the go. All in all, I'm feeling good. I'm feeling confident. I'm ready.
Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 3 mi
Tues - 5 mi with 2 mi at 8:20
Wed - off
Thurs - 5 mi with 4x50 strides at marathon pace
Fri - 3 mi
Sat - off
Sun - 26.2!!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Selling Out??
Word on the street is that Boston is on target to sell out this week. What a bummer!! I guess this is the chance you take with running a late Fall marathon but apparently it's unusual for Boston to sell out this early. Now, nothing has happened yet, but I will say it dampened my spirit a little when I heard the news. I mean, I'm still going to give 150% but if it does sell out, it will be weird trying so hard for something that I can't even run until 2011. On the other hand, if it doesn't sell out, I feel like I need to be ready to register immediately after the race (if I qualify, I mean, when I qualify) since there will be a flood of people looking to do the same thing. Then there is the issue of booking a hotel ASAP, etc. I'm not sure which is worse...having it sell out and being bummed, or being rushed to book stuff!! I'm not good making quick decisions, in fact, I'm not good at making any decisions!! So, right now it's in the hands of the Boston Gods...I'll just have to wait and see what happens.
I went for my 5 mile run on Monday with the middle 3 miles at 8:20. I felt great!!! Something just clicked during that run and my confidence went through the roof!! I came home beaming and at that moment I knew I was ready. I trained smart, I put in the effort, and now all I can do is run!! If you've been reading my blog, you know there's no hiding the fact that I lack in the confidence department. So I'm going to follow some wise words from Coach Jack. During our run this past weekend he told me, "D, you have to let yourself be successful at this." He's exactly right and that's exactly what I'm going to do!
Oh, and the shot blok holder worked like a charm!! I'll definitely be doing this for the marathon and using my hand held. I'm glad I got that figured out.
I went for my 5 mile run on Monday with the middle 3 miles at 8:20. I felt great!!! Something just clicked during that run and my confidence went through the roof!! I came home beaming and at that moment I knew I was ready. I trained smart, I put in the effort, and now all I can do is run!! If you've been reading my blog, you know there's no hiding the fact that I lack in the confidence department. So I'm going to follow some wise words from Coach Jack. During our run this past weekend he told me, "D, you have to let yourself be successful at this." He's exactly right and that's exactly what I'm going to do!
Oh, and the shot blok holder worked like a charm!! I'll definitely be doing this for the marathon and using my hand held. I'm glad I got that figured out.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Shot Blok Holder
I'm stilling fighting this stupid cold but managed to get out for a great 15 miler with Coach Jack yesterday. It's nice running with Coach because I get to vent about the things that have me nervous for race day and he usually has a fix for them all. Case in point...
I've mentioned before that I don't know if I want to wear my waist belt with water bottle or carry my hand held. I have to keep my hands dry and warm due to my Raynauds (click here for a picture) so I'll be wearing gloves under a pair of mittens. Last year, I lost all feeling in my hands and arms and was unable to open my Gus, grab water, etc. Not only is it annoying, but it's really painful so I need to keep my digits warm this year!! Since I'll be wearing mittens, I'm limited with what I can do without my fingers free. If I wear my waist belt, I'm worried I'll fumble to get my water bottle in and out of the holder (there's a little elastic strap that has to be put around the bottle after you put it in the sleeve to keep it from popping out). I think I'd rather use my hand held, but how will I get to my shot bloks and where will I put them? This may seem silly, but it's had me stressed out over the past few weeks. I have to be prepared to have limited movement/feeling in my hands and have to make sure I can get to my water and bloks easily. So, after mentioning all this to Coach, he of course had a solution. He suggested putting the shot bloks under a wrist band and then pushing out a blok one at a time, as needed. Totally doable with the new shot blok packaging (which between you and me, it took me FOREVER to figure out the point of the new packaging). Anyway, it just so happens that John at MarathonPaceBand.com sent me this pace band with my BQ splits on it to use on race day.
I've mentioned before that I don't know if I want to wear my waist belt with water bottle or carry my hand held. I have to keep my hands dry and warm due to my Raynauds (click here for a picture) so I'll be wearing gloves under a pair of mittens. Last year, I lost all feeling in my hands and arms and was unable to open my Gus, grab water, etc. Not only is it annoying, but it's really painful so I need to keep my digits warm this year!! Since I'll be wearing mittens, I'm limited with what I can do without my fingers free. If I wear my waist belt, I'm worried I'll fumble to get my water bottle in and out of the holder (there's a little elastic strap that has to be put around the bottle after you put it in the sleeve to keep it from popping out). I think I'd rather use my hand held, but how will I get to my shot bloks and where will I put them? This may seem silly, but it's had me stressed out over the past few weeks. I have to be prepared to have limited movement/feeling in my hands and have to make sure I can get to my water and bloks easily. So, after mentioning all this to Coach, he of course had a solution. He suggested putting the shot bloks under a wrist band and then pushing out a blok one at a time, as needed. Totally doable with the new shot blok packaging (which between you and me, it took me FOREVER to figure out the point of the new packaging). Anyway, it just so happens that John at MarathonPaceBand.com sent me this pace band with my BQ splits on it to use on race day.
Oh, and they added a little motivational saying to the other side...
So, I when I got home I immediately tested out the bloks under the band and I think this might work!
I will, of course, practice this on one of my runs this week to make sure it's comfortable. If it works, it's one less thing to be stressed about!
Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi, with 3 miles at 8:20
Tues - off
Wed - 3 mi
Thurs - 5 mi, with 4x100 strides
Fri - 3 mi
Sat - 9 mi with last mile at 8:20
Sun - off
Man, look at the low mileage! What am I going to do with all this free time? I better find something or else the taper madness will be sure to get me! Two weeks to go...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Under the Weather
Haven't had much to talk about this week because I've been a little sick. I woke up from a nap on Sunday with a sore throat and it just got worse through the night. When I got up on Monday for work, I could barely swallow and I thought I better try to sleep this thing off. To play it safe, I didn't run on Monday either, which killed me. I managed to get a 6 miler in on Tuesday but didn't have much in me. So instead of doing my scheduled workout with marathon pace miles, I did some strides instead. Then yesterday I pulled myself together and ran 4 miles after work. I thought I was on the upswing but then I woke up this morning and felt like poo! So I'm home again on the couch, trying to pee this thing out of me. I'm chugging water like it's nobody's business! I'm not sure if I'll get out for my 6 mile run today or not. I'm going to grab some lunch then head back to bed and see how I feel when I wake up.
I'm a little freaked out with the timing of this cold, but I guess it's better now than in 2 weeks right before the marathon. (AAHHH, I can' t believe it's only 2 weekends away!) I've sent a few panicky emails to Coach and he's assured me that I will not lose fitness by missing some runs and that I need to trust the training. I'm trying, Coach, I'm trying!!! I'm actually scheduled to be off from work tomorrow so I'm hoping 2 days of sleeping and hydrating will knock this out of me. I have a 15 miler scheduled on Saturday that I need to be healthy for.
And on a completely unrelated note...are any of you watching Modern Family? Oh my gosh, this might be the best show of all time. After Seinfeld, of course.
I'm a little freaked out with the timing of this cold, but I guess it's better now than in 2 weeks right before the marathon. (AAHHH, I can' t believe it's only 2 weekends away!) I've sent a few panicky emails to Coach and he's assured me that I will not lose fitness by missing some runs and that I need to trust the training. I'm trying, Coach, I'm trying!!! I'm actually scheduled to be off from work tomorrow so I'm hoping 2 days of sleeping and hydrating will knock this out of me. I have a 15 miler scheduled on Saturday that I need to be healthy for.
And on a completely unrelated note...are any of you watching Modern Family? Oh my gosh, this might be the best show of all time. After Seinfeld, of course.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Helloooo Taper
November already?? Where the heck did October go? I finished October with 214 miles for the month and now it's taper time. I can't believe it's this time already. I was just starting to feel like I was really getting into the training and now it's time to cut back. This training season went so fast and thankfully I felt great throughout. I finished up my last big week with a fantastic 20 miler on Saturday. My legs felt great through the entire run and when it was over, I knew I had a lot more in me. It blows my mind that I'm capable of running 20 miles like it's nothing and I'm happy to be going into taper with some great long runs under my belt.
With only a few weeks left to go, I still have some details to iron out.
Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4 mi
Tues - 6 mi, w/ middle 4 at marathon pace
Wed - 4 mi
Thurs - 6 mi, w/ 5 x 50 strides
Fri - 4 mi
Sat - 15 mi
Sun - off
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