Just Not Feeling It

The last time I trained really hard for a marathon, my confidence grew with each passing week. The speed work got easier as I progressed and I could tell everything was coming together just perfectly. I felt like I was in the best running shape I'd ever been in and knew I did all I could do to get that PR. Because of the positive training experience and PR outcome, I decided to follow the same training plan for Reggae marathon but adjusted my paces to shoot for a new goal. Well, as the weeks have been going by, I just haven't been feeling...I dunno...just not feeling it. I'm not burned out, just lacking the confidence that I have a shot at a PR in December. Aside from my tempo runs chewing me up and spitting me out, I'm a little worried about the travel and the heat and how that will affect me on race day. I have two more big weeks of training and I'm going to push through as if I'm going to go for it; hopefully something will click and I'll get that feeling that I'm looking for to know I'm ready.

I ran my second 20 miler for this training on Saturday and did it on the treadmill. Everyone thinks I'm nuts but I'm telling you, nothing builds mental toughness like a 20 miler on the treadmill!! I do at least one long run every training cycle like this and I actually enjoy it. I also wanted to do a long run where I was a hot, sweaty mess because temperatures in Jamaica will not be in the 40's, that's for sure. The 20 miles actually flew by and when I started to fade the last 3 miles, I just pushed the pace and got it done. My final sprint was well under an 8 minute mile (goal marathon pace) and when all was said and done, I felt great! This is the second 20 miler now where when I finished I felt like I had more in me.

Aside from all the running, I made some progress with my tri goals for next season and put aero bars on my bike. I went for a fitting, ready to shell out whatever it took for a tri bike, but after talking with the sales guy, we decide to modify my existing bike. I have a brand new road bike which served me fine this past summer and after hearing my goals, the sales guy felt it would be better if I stayed with what I had and we just made the proper adjustments. The fitting went great and I learned that I really wasn't positioning my body correctly on the bike (which explains some of the upper body pain and numbness I experienced on my long rides over the summer). Easy enough to fix, but now I have new hoo ha muscles to toughen up. My first ride in the aero position went fine, on the bike trainer, but I need some practice!! I know it's going to be a whole different ball game being out on the bike path in that position. Needless to say, I won't be doing any group rides right away, that's for sure!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - swim, 5 mi (didn't happen, will fit run in at some point this week)
Tues - 10 mi w/ 3 ladders @ 6:44
Wed - lift, easy pm bike session
Thurs - 10 mi w/ 6 mi @ race pace
Fri - swim, 5 mi
Sat - 17 mi
Sun - lift

Nutrition Issue Solved!

Let me start by saying that I take precautions leading up to a race or long workout and cut out things that may bother my stomach. Although, there's not much out there (besides sugar) that upsets my stomach and makes me feel sick. I use hot sauce like it's going out of style and eat more than my fair share of fruit/veggies and high fiber foods. And my stomach is never an issue...until I get well into a long workout. 

I have tried everything…gels, bloks, chomps, dried fruit, fruit snacks, soft pretzels, electrolyte tabs, no food at all, blah, blah, blah. It ended the same way almost every time. Either I ended up in the woods, didn't make it to the woods, or made it home and had problems the rest of the day. It wasn't pretty or fun and I was starting to think I was destined to live a life full of crapping myself. It sucks, when every time you want to do a long run you try to think of a route that includes a wooded area or a Starbucks so you have options.

I got really sick of my stomach issues during 70.3 training. After using several different products (which shall remain nameless) I found some Perpetuem lying around which I used during Ultra training. Since it had been a while since my days of 30 mile training runs, I sort of forgot I had this stashed away. (For those who don’t know, Perpetuem is made by Hammer and is designed for extreme endurance events lasting several hours to days.) The first time I used it for a long ride; I made it through 3 hours with no issues. But once I was off the bike and running, I downed a gel (non Hammer gel) and my stomach went to shit.

After a few workouts with Perpetuem and no issues, I started doing some research on Hammer's site.  The more I read, the more I liked what they were about and what they were putting into their products. I won't go into the science behind their products but if you have time, its worth checking out their site. There's a ton of info on it and I learned a lot. I also did some googling and found positive reviews where others with stomach issues had found success with Hammer products.

So, over the past few months I made some changes, kept some things the same and am no longer scared to head out the door for a long run. Here's a break down:

Dinner: I still eat the same pre long run dinner which consists of brown rice, chicken, mushrooms and soy sauce. I'm not sure when or how I came up with this concoction but after trying other options; this seems to work best for me.

Pre Run: I learned over the summer that my stomach doesn't really like solid foods prior to working out. I can tolerate a banana before a short to mid length workout but anything longer which requires me to eat something more substantial, can't be solid. I now stick to liquids only and drink an Ensure about an hour before heading out. 

Before/During: I now also use Endurolyte capsules/Fizz tablets. Endurolyte capsules/Fizz tablets are an electrolyte supplement and probably the thing I was most weary about. I typically steer clear of supplements and vitamins because being a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, well, let's just say I prefer statements to be evaluated and products I'm ingesting to be regulated.  But after giving it enough tries that I feel strongly any placebo affect would have died off…I can't believe it, but I'm sticking with them! I take a capsule the night before then again an hour before I start my workout. I'll then take another capsule every 1 -1.5 hours or add an Endurolyte Fizz tablet to my water bottle. 

During Run: I've known I can't handle high doses of sugar while working out which is why I only ate little bits at a time in the past. Well, when I found out Hammer gels are made without simple sugars or artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, it's another reason I wanted to make the switch. Maybe that's what all the other products had that were making me so sick??? Where I used to hate taking in food during my workout because of the bad side effects, I'm now able to easily eat as many Hammer gels as I need without ANY issues. Not bad coming from a girl who could only eat one shot blok every 2.5 miles because of stomach issues.

Post Run: Keep this part simple...chocolate milk. And I have to say, not only have I not had any embarrassing stomach issues since I started using Hammer products exclusively, I feel so much better during and after my workouts. I don’t have what I used to refer to as "runners stomach" all day after I run and I feel like my energy level afterwards is much better than what it used to be. While this energy may not be related directly to the products, I do think it has something to do with the fact that I'm now able to eat, and keep food in me, while working out.

It took me 3+ years to figure out what worked for me and it has made such a difference. I'm just not sure how I didn't stumble upon Hammer stuff before. No one I run with uses it so I guess I just fell into the trap of using what I saw others using. That's really the reason for this post. I wasn't contacted by Hammer or asked to write this; I'm doing it because if I can help one other person stop crapping their pants, then I did my part. 

Pictures and a WINNER!!

I realized I never posted pictures from the Half Ironman. I still think about this day a lot and wish I had more in me on race day. Really makes me look forward to the next one where I can go all out and feel more confident about what I'm doing out there. I have been having so much fun with the marathon training but part of me misses the Tri training a lot and I'm realizing I need that push to get my butt in the pool. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself though for not swimming regularly right now because I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time in the pool starting next year...  ;-)

on the verge of crying and pooping myself

my mom got this shot!

I'm the one that's actually swimming in this pic

yes, I changed my shirt to get warm and to get the gross lake off me. Thankfully my mom didn't take a picture of that.

~20 miles

I need to learn to look up when I'm crossing the finish!

Looking at the pictures makes me sad!! I wish I was out there doing it right now!

WINNER: The winner of the Nana Smith Design necklace is ~K~. !! Congrats ~K~, email me at dclaffey76@yahoo.com and we'll get you your necklace.

Didn't Feel Like 20

This week starts my 4 toughest weeks of this training cycle and not only am I ready for it, but I'm excited for it, too!! My Tuesday and Thursday runs will be 10 miles and packed with speed work at paces a few years ago I never would have thought were possible. But building up to these weeks has felt great and I know I have this in me. I'm looking forward to my Tues/Thurs runs so much; I love pushing the pace and feeling stronger with each week.

I ran my first 20 miler since Shamrock training last winter on Saturday. Even though I'm coming off the summer tri season with a good endurance base, I was worried that this was really going to hurt. It's been a long time since I spent that much time pounding the pavement. But thankfully that wasn't the case at all and it might have been the best 20 miler I ever had. I ran by myself and mentally and physically I felt like a million bucks. Every time I looked at my Garmin I actually had to slow myself down. With the quick jumps in weekly mileage since the 70.3 I don't want to push the pace too much on  my long runs this early on and risk injury. So needless to say, I was happy when every time I looked at my watch I was running a 9 minute mile. It was one of those runs where I hardly broke a sweat, my breathing was so slow and controlled that I wondered at times if I was even moving, and when I was done I felt like I had another 20 in me. I ran into some friends when I finished and someone asked how far I ran. When I replied that I just finished 20 miles he commented that it didn't even look like I had run yet. And that's exactly how I felt! It was a great confidence boosting run to kick off the next few weeks of training. I know not every run will feel like that so it's so nice when they do!

I mentioned over tri training that I thought I finally found what nutrition worked for me on my long workouts. I was hesitant to say it was tried and proven though until I got back into marathon training. Nothing messes my stomach up more than a long run so it needed to be put to the real test. Well, after 4 consecutive long runs without crapping myself or spending the entire day not feeling well after the run, I think it's confirmed that I know what works. It only took me 3+ years to figure it out, but I finally did. Since I want to devote more to the nutrition info, I'll share my secret later this week!!

If you haven't already entered, don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!! I'll pick a winner on Wednesday of this week. Good luck!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 5 mi, lift
Tues - 10 mi w/ ladders at 6:45
Wed - swim, lift (maybe a pm bike trainer session)
Thurs - 10 mi w/ 4 mi at tempo
Fri - swim, 5 mi, lift
Sat - 17 mi
Sun - off

First Client Success and a GIVEAWAY!!!

I met with my first client last night for personal training and it was THE best experience!! I don't think I've ever smiled so much at work before in my life!! She was a great client and I think we both had a lot of fun. She mentioned buying more sessions so I'm guessing she enjoyed the workout. :-) I know it was only an hour but it was the most rewarding hour of work I've ever had. I can't imagine being able to feel that way *most* of the time (knowing it won't always be wonderful) but the fire in me has been lit. This is what I want...and I always get what I want (except for the bigger diamond earrings I've been whining about for a year...ahem, Andy, my birthday is coming up...). Time to get the wheels in motion and make this personal training thing happen!!

And because I'm feeling so happy, I think we should celebrate with a GIVEAWAY!!! Have you heard about or seen Nana Smith Designs? They are adorable pieces of jewelry hand made my Nana, who happens to be an incredible athlete and tennis player. Not only did Nana compete in the 2000 Olympic games, she played Wimbledon 15 times!!! Now she is creating unique pieces of jewelry for all sorts of occassions. She also hosts a jewelry contest and giveaway from her site; check out the Halloween contest going on now.

Nana sent me a necklace with a pendant that reads "believe" and on either side there's a peridot stone. Peridot isn't my birth stone, it's actually Andy's. I love the color but really picked it because Andy believes in me more than I believe in myself. So now it's a little piece to think of him when I need an extra push. Sorry the stones aren't shown in the picture below, I had issues with my camera...but here's a picture of the pendant.

Now for the GIVEAWAY!! Nana is offering up the necklace below to one lucky person. You can pick what word or number you would like on the pendant.  Contest is open to followers of my blog and all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what piece of jewelry you like most on Nana's site. You can also get an extra entry if you "like" Nana Smith Designs on Facebook. I'll pick a winner next Wednesday, Oct. 19th.

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4 mi, lift
Tues - 9 mi w/ ladders @ 6:45 pace
Wed - swim/lift (didn't happen this morning, hope to do it tonight)
Thurs - 9 mi w/ 3 mi @ marathon race pace
Fri - swim, 4 mi, lift
Sat - 20 mi
Sun - off

It's Not Just A Dream!

I wanted to become a personal trainer back in 1999. With very little support, I took the idea off the table and just kept it to myself. For years I thought about it and wanted to make it happen but the longer I waited, the more I thought I missed the boat. Also didn't help to have the golden handcuffs get tighter and tighter each year; realizing I probably won't ever leave my job because I'm so accustomed to certain standard of living. But, after years of dreaming about it and now having a husband who assured me I could do it, I took and passed my ACE certification exam last October. After passing I made one small goal: to make some sort of progress by the time I turned 35.

I tried really hard over the past year to make connections and get my foot in the door. I even looked into doing in home personal training but with a full time job and my own training, trying to learn about starting a business, getting insured, etc...yea, it just didn't happen. Persistance paid off though and I eventually landed a job as a sub at a local branch of the YMCA. Unfortunately it wasn't the YMCA I belonged to and never showing my face there didn't help me get clients. I started to think I was just going to be a personal trainer by certification and never really do anything with it. After all, it had been a dream for this long, why would I expect it to change much now.

Well, two Sundays ago I started a steady shift at the YMCA branch I belong to. The first Sunday was not what I had hoped for and thinking I gave up my one morning with Andy to mill around the Y had me really upset. But I decided to give it a few weeks to see if things would change and good thing I did!! I landed my first client yesterday and potentially have two others lined up. I scheduled my first appointment last night and was so nervous when I hung up the phone that I couldn't sleep! My mind has been racing all day about whether or not I can do this, if I can think quickly on my feet about setting the program as we go, making sure to keep it fun, interesting and challenging. I took some time over lunch to map out a general workout and I think I have some great ideas to start with. I'm beyond excited about this and hopefully my enthusiasm will do nothing but help.

Once again, I'm glad I didn't give up and throw in the towel. Not that I ever do, but I was starting to think this was seriously just a pipe dream of mine. Andy told me he never had any doubt that I'd make this work and my response was, "but it had always been just a dream and they usually don't come true." Guess I was wrong. And for once, I'm glad I was!

With my 35th birthday 3 weeks away, looks like I made my goal!!! Setting my sights on a much bigger one with lots more progress for next year!

Catching Up

Geesh, been a little bit since I last posted. Just didn't have much to say and needed a little break, I guess.

It's been a weird few weeks since the half Ironman. I was excited to switch back to marathon training but I was struggling to find my groove. I wasn't burned out, I know those signs all too well, I was just not myself. I've been getting my workouts in but they weren't necessarily exciting me. I think it might have been because the past few weeks were easy weeks and the workouts were a little boring. This week, week 4, kicked off speed work and I was so excited yesterday when I knew I had ladders to look forward to during my 8 miler this morning. I'm bumping up the paces a notch because I really want to shoot for a 3:30 at an upcoming marathon. I say "upcoming" because while I'd love to go for the 3:30 at Reggae, I'm just not sure how that will go with travel the day before, little sleep, the heat and a very early wake up call for the race (race starts at 5am). I decided I will give it a shot at Reggae but if at any second things don't feel right, I'll back off. I want to have a blast at Reggae and allowing myself to blow up and get upset will ruin the experience. If it doesn't happen in Jamaica, I have a back up race.

Aside from running, I haven't been that good about getting on the bike and in the pool. I managed a few easy bike trainer sessions but the pool....yea, haven't been in it. But! That will be changing tomorrow. I'm going to spend some time over the next few weeks working on technique and doing some drills and will be in the pool at least 2, if not 3, days a week. I'm not really sure where to fit the bike in lately with running 6 days a week, lifting 2-3, swimming 2-3 and trying to keep Sunday as a rest day. I'm thinking an easy bike session after work a few days a week might be the only way. I know I can't do it all but I'm just trying to not go into next years Tri season completely cold.

So, there you have it. I've been keeping myself busy with working out and even added to the mix with a steady shift at the Y. I've been on the sub list at a local branch since last winter, struggling to get clients, and working maybe one shift a month. Since I was never there, and it wasn't the branch I worked out at myself, getting a client to train was impossible. Well, that branch recently closed and I was able to snag a Sunday shift at the branch I work out every day. Giving up my one free day and one morning with Andy really sucks but we both agreed that if I'm ever going to make this personal training happen, I need to make some sacrifices. As long as I'm working a shift I can train clients whenever it works with my schedule so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this all works out.

After today's speed workout, I feel like things are getting interesting again with my workouts. Maybe this means I'll post more than once every 2 weeks, who knows! But I do know I'll be back later this week with a GIVEAWAY!!!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4 mi, lift
Tues - 8 mi with 2 ladders @ 6:49
Wed - swim, lift, bike
Thurs - 8 mi with 2 mi @ tempo
Fri - swim, 4 mi, lift
Sat - 19 mi
Sun - swim and/or rest