First Week of Speed Recap

This week kicked off week 4 of my 12 week Shamrock training. Determined to get my redemption from Philly, I wanted a schedule that would really push me more than I've pushed myself in the past. The first 3 weeks were smooth sailing with getting used to quicker paces and some longer mid week runs, but I can tell I'm working much harder than I have in the past. I usually max out at 6, maybe 7, miles on any given day during the week but this schedule has me gradually increasing that until I eventually hit 10 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Knowing I have 4 weeks of 10 mile runs before work 2 days a week has me a little frazzled, but I'm going to make it work. I know it's just a mental hump I need to get over.

So, week 4 started my first of many weeks of speed work. Tuesday was a ladder workout and today was a tempo run. For those of you who aren't familiar with ladders, you pick up the pace for 1 minute, recover 1 minute. Then pick it up for 2 minutes, recover a minute. Take that to 3 minutes with another 1 minute recovery and then go backwards. Take a short break and then repeat X amount of times. My ladder pace is 7:00 mi/min but since I do these on the treadmill, I knocked them out at 6:58 and felt great. The one thing I love about these workouts is that time flies. The 8 miles were over before I knew it!

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling a little beat up. I haven't had a day off in a while and my body was just overall tired. I was planning to use my bike trainer but opted for an easy half hour on the ellipitcal and some lifting. I was dying on the elliptical but once I got to the weights, I felt much better. I love lifting and wish I had more time to do it. It's just such a hard balance when you're trying to give your legs a break in between hard workouts. I at least manage to get a lot of upper body work in during the week, so it's something.

I woke up feeling much better today and ready to tackle my first tempo run. Now, it was only 2 miles at tempo pace (7:40) but I was a little nervous. I was anxious to see what the pace felt like considering the miles at this pace are going to keep increasing over the next several weeks. I warmed up around 8:34 for the first 2 miles then upped my speed. Since my treadmill pace said 7:41 I decided to bump it up a notch. Two miles at 7:35...no sweat! Not a huge accomplishment but it felt good. My breathing was normal and I felt very comfortable. If nothing else, it made next week a little less scary! Post run, feeling fabulous!

Tomorrow is a nice easy recovery run then Saturday I'm shooting for 19 miles. We're getting more snow and the weather channel is referring to Saturday as the "arctic invasion." So another frigid run and a challenge to find a spot clear enough to do it. As much as I love winter and snow, it really makes marathon training difficult.

Another TRI and Some Reggae!

Since I'll be heading to Boston in April, our annual Caribbean trip which we usually take somewhere from March to April needed to be moved. We originally thought we would go over our anniversary in July but then this little race popped up which I really wanted to do. On top of that, we wanted to make our annual trip to Ocean City, MD with friends and we just couldn't figure out how to time everything. Determined to figure things out so I could stop stressing about it, we hashed it all out this weekend. In the end, it was decided that we will not be going to Jamaica in July. Instead, I'll be racing the NJ State Olympic TRI!!! Yes, I'm jumping up to the Olympic distance without even having done a sprint TRI. And because that's how I like to roll, there might be one more jump in TRI distance before the end of the year. Sooo nervous about that one!

Now, back to that Jamaica trip that isn't happening in July. Turns out that's going to happen in December. And it just so happens it falls right when the Reggae Marathon is taking place. Ok, so it didn't just happen that way, it was planned, but who cares...I'm running the REGGAE MARATHON!!!! I've wanted to run this since I ran my first marathon so I'm beyond excited about this. Jamaica holds a very special place in my heart since I was married there in 2004 and I can not wait to run 26.2 miles around this beautiful island. The only downside is that I have to wait almost 11 months for this trip. Hopefully with how busy I'm keeping myself over the months leading up to it will make the time go fast.

Running last week went well and on Saturday I had a tough 18 miler. Frigid temps, windy and hills, but we got it done. I finished off the week with a nice swim yesterday. At this point with the swimming I'm just working on form and breathing. After a few more swims like this, I'm going to start with some drills and endurance work. I have to keep telling myself that there won't be a wall to stop at and hold on to if I need it during these triathlons. And to be honest, that scares the crap out of me. In fact, everything about a TRI scares the crap out of me.

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4 mi (and that's it, taking it easy today)
Tues - 8 mi (ladder workout)
Wed - cross training / lift
Thurs - 8 mi (tempo run 2 mi)
Fri - 4 mi / lift
Sat - 19 mi
Sun - swim

Short Explanation and ALO WINNER!

First off, I really hope I didn't offend anyone with my last post. Like I said, I know a lot of maniacs who take marathoning very seriously. And by serious, I don't necessarily mean they run them all or run them fast. The thing that got under my skin with that guy as Asbury Park was that if it wasn't for the maniac singlet, I never would have known he was even involved in the marathon. Like most of you said, I also accept that everyone has different capabilities and I understand this is a group of diverse people, but this was just different. And maybe I'll just leave it at that. But for those of you who emailed me your "real" thoughts on the side, thanks!!

Now, important stuff. Running has been going so well. I've really been pushing myself the past few weeks and can not believe how easy I was being on myself before. I've picked up all my paces considerably but I'm also trying to be a little conservative since it's still early on. Next week is when things start picking up with the tempo runs and speed work. A few weeks ago seeing this lie ahead of me was a little intimidating but now I'm ready for it and can't wait to get into the thick of things. I have a nice easy run ahead of me this morning and then 18 tomorrow. We're running at my most hated place to run...but it has to be done for Boston. It's a 5 mile loop with hills similar to the infamous "heartbreak hill" (so I'm told). The hills aren't why I hate running there, though. It's more the openness, the winds, and it's just a boring loop. And this is coming from someone who once did 24.2 miles around a 1 mile loop!

And now, the winner of the ALO giveaway! I asked Andy to pick a number between 1 and 47. His words exactly, "I'm going with 47. The last person always gets screwed." So, Ms. Duffy, email me at dclaffey76@yahoo.com and we'll get you your jacket!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Maniacs

I became eligible to apply to Marathon Maniacs in December after I completed 3 marathons in 8 weeks. Back in the Spring, when I first attempted this but didn't make it due to the Achilles injury, I thought it would be really cool to call myself a "maniac." Not that I think maniacs are any better than the general population but I liked the idea because it was a little challenge for me. In order to get there, I had to accomplish something that not everyone was doing. Unfortunately, while running Asbury Park marathon, I got really turned off at the thought of joining the maniac club. You know how they say one bad apple spoils the bunch, well, that's exactly what a maniac did for me that day. There was a guy out on the course who was walking, which is fine, but while he was strolling along, he was texting. Since this was a looped course, I had the pleasure of passing him several times and each time he was just milling around. One time he was standing on the boardwalk shooting the shit with someone, one time he was window shopping and at least twice if I recall correctly he was texting. I know it was his day and he could do with it as he pleased, but I just thought maniacs were more, well, more into running marathons. Don't get me wrong. I have a lot of friends who are maniacs and they are all serious about their marathons, so please don't think I believe this one guy represents all maniacs out there.

*I'm editing this to make it clear that I have respect for anyone who completes a marathon regardless of how they get themselves across the finish line. I guess I just expected more out of a maniac based on my experience with other maniacs. To me, finishing a marathon in 2 hours or 10 hours is an accomplishment...and even more so when you're giving it your all.*

So, I have yet to sign up for the club. Yea, I think it'd be fun to wear the singlet, especially when I run my first back to back marathons (which I will do some day), but I'm not sure it's really that big of a deal to call myself one now. I will say this though, regardless of what I decide, I will never introduce myself to someone by my maniac number. Never.

What do you guys think? Have you had any good/bad experiences with maniacs in your races? Is it a goal of yours to join some day?

Don't forget today is the last day to enter the ALO giveaway!!

Good Weekend!

It's been a good weekend!! Saturday I hit my longest mileage since Rehoboth marathon and the 15 miles and pace felt great. Due to some weather issues, my running buddy Dana and I hit the treadmills at the YMCA. Not the most scenic run, but it was a good test of mental toughness and I figure it's not such a bad idea to do some long runs in a warmer environment in case Shamrock is hot again this year. I've really been pushing my paces on my runs during the week and want to run my long runs between 9-9:15. Since I was on the treadmill it was easy to keep me on track and I ran the first 12 at 9:13. I finished up the last three miles at 9:05, 8:57, 9:05 with the last 1/4 mile at 8:00. Even though I bumped it up because I was ready to get the run done, it actually felt so good to pick up the pace. Sometimes it feels better to run faster and it's less tiring than the slower leg turnover.

Today I hit the pool for my first swim workout of the year. Now that I'm registered for my first TRI, I need to make more of an effort to get into the pool. My plan is to swim every Sunday and hopefully get another pool workout in mid week. Today I swam with a friend who was a competitive swimmer in college and she gave me a ton of feedback and tips. As I worked on my stroke and really focused on form, things got a lot more challenging. It made me realize that while I'm able to swim, I wasn't being as efficient as I could be. I'm really toying with the idea of registering for a half ironman in the Fall and I'm going to make the decision after a few more weeks of swimming. Although, I think we all know the decision has already been made...I just need to get the guts to register.

After my workout this morning, I headed to our other local YMCA branch to meet with the Director. Turns out I scored myself a part time job as a personal trainer/wellness coach!! I swear the woman must have thought I was nuts because I was grinning ear to ear the entire time I was there. She could have told me I'd be scooping shit and I would have said, "great, I can't wait" with a huge grin on my face. It's going to be challenging working another job on top of my already busy work schedule and with my own training, but I already decided this is the year of sacrifices. I'm not going to get where I want to be without making them, so it's time to man up. I'm so excited to get started and I didn't realize how many opportunities existed for employees at the Y. Of course, I plan to take full advantage of them all. I've been on cloud nine all day, my dream is coming true...

I hope you all had a great weekend, too!! Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't already. Another giveaway is coming soon, so stay tuned.

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4 mi, lift total
Tues - 7 mi
Wed - cross train (bike or swim)
Thurs - 7 mi with strides at 6:58
Fri - 4 mi, cross train
Sat - 18 mi
Sun - swim

ALO GIVEAWAY!!

One of my New Years resolutions is to try to do more to protect our environment. Whether it is by generating less waste or finding new ways to reuse, I think any little bit can help and I want to do more. So when I heard about ALO clothing, I was excited to combine clothing and being green into one!! ALO has created "performance clothing named for the elements that we live within: Air, Land and Ocean."

ALO uses recyclable and minimal impact materials with environmentally mindful designs and production processes. Their clothing ranges from antimicrobial and water resistance to outfits that are certified organic and others made from bamboo and recycled polyester!  If you want to see some of their items, check out this photo shoot clip here.

I have been sporting my warm up hoodie and convertible capris a lot over the holiday break and I have to say, I love them!! First, the hoodie fits perfectly for a woman's shape and there are thumb holes! Thumb holes make everything better!! The capris are so stinkin' comfortable I don't want to wear anything else! I've gotten a ton of compliments on the outfit and really can't express how comfortable it is. Before I wrote this review I wanted to make sure I washed the outfit and wore it again. I've had some trouble in the past with "green" outfits after they went through the wash but there were no issues with this ALO outfit. I washed as per directions, hung to dry and it still fits perfectly and it didn't shrink at all. Here's a picture of the outfit…I was sick as a dog so I had Andy cut my face out. 

As for sizing, I went by the ALO on line size charts and they were really accurate. I'm wearing a medium top and bottom.

So, would you like to win an outfit for yourself?? ALO is graciously offering up the hoodie pictured above to a female winner (or a similar outerwear item for a male winner). Contest is open to followers of this blog and US residents only (sorry non US peeps!)

To be eligible:

1) Become a fan of the ALO facebook page and/or twitter feed and state that you did so in your comment (if you do both sites, let me know and you'll get 2 entries).

2) For a bonus entry, mention this giveaway on your blog and let me know you did so in a comment.

For those who can't wait to see who wins, you can use coupon code "bloglove2011" to receive 20% off your purchase ALOsport.com!

A winner will be picked at random on Jan 13th.

"Goals"

I don't really have a recap post in me right now. For some reason looking back on running seems so trivial.  I typically always look forward to the beginning of the new year. I have positive thoughts and high energy, ready to tackle what lies ahead. But unfortunately, 2010 ended on a bad note and the New Year started on even a shittier one. On Thursday morning my aunt went into the hospital and on New Years day she passed away quietly and peacefully. Needless to say, it was shocking and pretty devastating. We're all doing ok but can't grasp how quickly it all happened. It really makes you realize how short life is and that you never know when someone you love will be taken away from you.

I had some thoughts of what I wanted to accomplish this year but none of that seems important now. So I decided that I'm not setting running goals this year. When it boils down to it, whether I run 10 miles or 10,000, those miles really mean nothing. What matters is the time we spend with our family and friends making every single second count. I will continue to challenge myself, try new things, log my miles, etc but I really don't need to set any goals related to what seems so silly at this moment. My goals are more personal now. They are geared towards what I want to accomplish in my relationships and about being a more compassionate, loving person. They are the kind of goals I've should have been setting a long time ago. I'm not going to share them because, like I said, they are personal. But rest assured, even my personal goals are challenging. I'm not taking the easy way out.

So, it's time to put on a smile and move on to better days in 2011. The year might have started off badly, but I still have faith good things will come to all of us. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and I look forward to catching up with everyone now that I'm heading back to work and have time to do so! ;-)

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 3 mi, lift total body
Tues - 6 mi, cross train
Wed - cross train, lift
Thurs - 6 mi with strides
Fri - 3 mi, cross train
Sat - 15 mi
Sun - cross train, lift total body