This week marked an official two months into marathon training!
This week was a little different than the 7 weeks before though... Jeremy and I knew going into this week that we were going to be running our 5th half marathon on Saturday. Maintaining a normal running schedule, on Tuesday we ran our 4 miles at an average pace. Our Thursday miles are now starting to rev up and we had to run 6 miles, something we had never done two days before running a half marathon. We ran our 6 in about 53 minutes and overall felt really good. This week we decided to rest on Friday instead of cross training. This was the most miles either one of us had ever put in in one week, so resting for one day wasn't going to kill us!
Saturday's forecast was calling for cold rain around race time. This was nothing new for Jeremy and I, since almost every half we've ran there has been rain either during the run, or immediately after. It was going to be 13.1 rain or shine! While we had no expectations for a certain time on the run, there is still something about participating in an actual organized run that gets your heart pounding, your adrenaline flowing, the butterflies in your stomach fluttering. I still had all those feelings walking up to the start line, but still saying in the back of my mind that I was going to have to run 13 miles anyways, so just have fun and run your best.
I thought this course was challenging, but overall pretty fast. It took us through a very scenic part of Kansas City through Ward Parkway. The race was extremely organized and was very accessible for parking! The rain held off until we were walking up to the start line, and about 7:30 we started to feel sprinkles. By mile 3 or so, it was coming down pretty good, but to me, I could hardly feel the rain. I was feeling really great and strong during the run! I really didn't start to feel the wetness until about mile 10. My shoes and socks were feeling really wet and squishy. With only a 5k left, and looking down at my Garmin watch seeing the fastest times for our mileage, I knew it was going to be a great finish regardless. My husband, Benny and children were not going to be able to make it to this run because of my son's scheduled soccer game that morning, which was eventually canceled due to rain. My parents and my sister and niece were supposed to be at the finish line waiting for me to cross, and by knowing that, it kept me going fast and strong. This was the first half marathon my parents and sister had seen me finish in, so I was extremely excited anticipating seeing them at the finish.
Jeremy and I both ended up finishing with our PR's- my Garmin watch clocked our finish time @ 1:49:30 @ 13.1, but both of our chip times clocked us at 1:50:04. I took 31 out of 189 for my 24-29 female age group. I had improved my half marathon time by over 10 minutes. The best feeling besides finishing with an awesome time and seeing my family waiting for me at the finish, was that I felt we finished really strong and much different than the other 4 halves we had ran before. I felt that we could have ran a lot longer and I think that was the biggest test for me. Knowing that in 2 1/2 months we would only be half way done at this point has made me even more confident that we will do great in San Diego! Only 10 more weeks!
Quote of the Week...
Running Pictures!
It was a good end to week 7 of marathon training. The weeks seem to be flying by, which I guess is a good thing. I probably wont be saying that when the REALLY REALLY long runs start here soon...
When I first decided I wanted to run a full marathon, I had and still have no expectations on my finish time. The only two goals I have when running this full is 1. Have fun 2. Finish. During this training, I've been extremely cautious about my nutrition and hydration, which is what I think has helped me continue to run my fastest times. On Tuesdays 4 mile run, I think the rubber on my shoes were hot from running so fast. I ran 32:07, an 8:02 minute mile pace. It's amazing how fast you can push yourself when you have a lot on your mind, or have a lot of tension to work out!
With the forecast calling for a lovely spring snow storm on Saturday, Jeremy and I decided to switch our 12 mile long run to Thursday, in which it was a beautiful, sunny 64 degrees! We had a great 12 mile run and the fastest for me for sure. Our time was 1:44:47, 8:44 minute pace. During this run, we switched to the Powerbar chews we had a few weeks ago, but tried the raspberry flavor, which were really good! I was very happy with our time, and it was exciting to run the longer runs again. On Sunday, we went ahead and did the ole' treadmill routine for 5 miles, which wasn't too terrible at all.
We are pretty lucky to have an organized half marathon next weekend here in KC called "Rock the Parkway" during the same weekend we are scheduled to run 13 for our training. Since we have to run 13 miles anyways, why not pay for a nice medal, a shirt, and all the race goodies after-wards! It will be a nice change to run along the scenic Ward Parkway with thousands of others. Jeremy and I discussed it and agreed to make sure that even though this is an organized run, we are still going to wear our fuel belts, bring our power bar chews and treat it like a normal training run. No need for pushing for a PR if we are not feeling it.
Next week will mark the two month mark into this exciting journey. The weeks are flying by and the weather is getting nicer and nicer! I keep imagining what the weather and scenery will be in San Diego in June, and I can't wait to take it all in!
Another week of marathon training down, and we are in the double digits of how many days are left until the marathon. I am getting so excited! Spring is trying to get here in Kansas City, slowly but surely. But of course, rain comes with the spring time, so it looks like we'll have some wet runs ahead!
Our Tuesday's run of 4 miles was good! Still running around a 8:30 minute mile pace. I have developed a case of the "runner's knee" and after we were done running, my left knee cap felt really loose...it's kind of hard to explain. It felt unstable with some pain. On Thursday, I had some travel for work, and it was raining that morning, so we just ran 4 miles on the treadmill early, which wasn't that bad. Friday morning I swam 1200 meters and felt great! Swimming has really been a great cross-training exercise that I am excited about getting back into! I have noticed that it really stretches my legs and arms out really good, and I feel so much better when I run my longer runs!
Saturday's long run (7 miles) felt great for me. I ended up buying a brace that goes right below my knee cap for additional support and it felt wonderful! It gave me really good support and wasn't too bulky! The weather was really windy and rainy, and our time ended up being 58:02 (8:17 minute mile pace). During the run we tried another "energy" supplement called Cliff Bar Bloks- strawberry flavor. These tasted really good, but were super chewy and hard to swallow because they stuck to my teeth so bad. For me, eating any kind of "chew" energy supplement is tough because it kinda messes up my breathing, if that makes any sense. So, I've learned that to not really "chew" on them, but to try to cut them in half and swallow them whole, which is easier. I think incorporating the chews, Gu's, bloks, and everything else is just going to be an experimental phase to see which one works best!
I think this was the first week during training that we were able to run all of our scheduled runs outside! I certainly did not miss the treadmill, that's for sure!
Tuesday's run of 4 miles was fast, and did not feel good at all for me. We finished in 33:09. My piriformis had been bothering me quite a bit before we started running and my shoulders were pretty tight from lifting the day before, so I'm sure that was most of my problem. On Thursday we ran 5 miles in 44:15 that felt great and I was happy with our pace! It's always nice to feel good and run faster when you can, but I think it's almost better when you know you can run slower when you want and know that you are capable of running faster when you feel good! It's all a part of the mental side of running in my opinion.
Saturday was Jeremy and I's first 10 mile run since we tapered for the Gobbler Grind half marathon in November. I woke up on Saturday feeling really excited that we were running our first 10 mile run for our full marathon training! My family had our weekly Saturday breakfast at my parents house, in which I brought over two hard boiled eggs and a thin toasted bagel with peanut butter while the family got to enjoy my mom's famous biscuits and gravy... needless to say I was jealous!
The weather for Saturday was in 50's and the rain held off, but unfortunately, it was still very windy. In the time I have been a runner, I have never used the Powerbar gels or GU's for energy during my runs. I found some new Powerbar "gummy" type chews and bought a few bags for us to try out. The run started out pretty miserable for both of us.. For me, I had a side stitch almost the entire 10 miles that I could not kick for very long. It was miserable breathing... and Jeremy said he wasn't feeling the best either.
Around mile 5 we decided to try a few of the strawberry-banana chews and they were surprisingly really good! At first it was hard to chew them and breathe at the same time with the awesome side stitch I had going, but I worked it out. I chased the chews with a little bit of Cytomax and I think it helped...unfortunately it didn't help with the side stitch though. We ended up finishing our 10 mile run in a respectable 1:29:44, which averaged out to be a 8:58 pace. Pretty good time for feeling terrible and with our face towards the wind for most of the time!
For the past few weeks I have been swimming on Sunday mornings after my long runs and have found that it has helped tremendously with stretching out my body - especially my legs. I swam about 1200 meters on Sunday, with 500m being continuous, Something I have not done in 12 years since I swam in high school. It felt great to get the muscles stretched out and made for a much better day for recovery.
Something that I've learned as a runner is, no matter how good you are with your running nutrition pre and post run, your fluid intake, and your stretching, you will always have those certain days that you cannot pin point the reason you are not running your best. For me, it all just comes down to that day and how I feel after I push the "start" button on my Garmin watch!
I decided to write an additional posting this week, because I have been talking to a few of my friends who have asked me for some running advice on what they should do first when starting to train for their first 5k. The advice that I always give first mirrors the advice that I received when I first started running, and that was go get a good pair of running shoes!
When I first started running, my friend Ryan told me to get professionally fitted for a good pair of running shoes, and although they were more expensive than most tennis shoes, it was the best investment that I made! I went to Gary Gribbles Running Sports, a local running store with multiple locations here in Kansas City and got fitted. They were very thorough with me and let me try on many different pairs that felt best for my flatter than flat (did I mention flat?)feet. The best shoe for me was the Adidas Supernova series which gave me enough support and width, but not too much support! Also, I found out after my first half marathon that it's best to go up at least a 1/2 size in your running shoes than your normal shoes. For me, I usually wear a 8 1/2 shoe, but I ended going up a full size to a 9 1/2 for my running shoes. My first pair of running shoes felt great for my shorter runs, but after finishing my first half marathon, the ONLY thing on my body that ached afterwards were my toenails! My feet swell the more miles I run, so going up a full size was the best feeling ever! I was able to keep my toenails in open-toed shoe condition thanks to going up a full size! :)
Since I have flat feet, I go through running shoes a lot faster than most runners. With the miles that I run every week, I average a new pair of shoes about every three months. Believe me, after you've been running for a while, you will know when it's time for a new pair... it will start to feel like you can feel the pavement through your shoes!!
I am super proud and excited for my friends who have made running their first 5k their 2010 new year's resolution! You have to start somewhere, and it's like I tell people, if I can do it, anyone can!
The picture in my post is a picture of my shoes (mine are the yellow and white pair in the middle).
I am now officially a month into marathon training, and everything is still going great so far! I have been feeling healthy and not too many aches and pains with the piriformis, so that always makes for a good week!
This week I had some travel for work to Las Vegas, but luckily the travel did not impact my normal workout routine. When I got out to Vegas on Monday, I did my normal bicep/tricep weight routine and 45 minutes on the stair climber in the Rio's gym. On Tuesday morning, as I walked off the elevator into the casino at the Rio, I couldn't help but giggle, as I knew that most of the people in the casino that were there at 6:45 am that morning, probably had not even made it to bed yet! I have been to Vegas many times, but never as a runner, so running for the first time outside in Vegas was pretty exciting for me! I met my friend Mark at the entrance of the Rio and off we went! It was a beautiful morning, sunny, and a temp of about 40 degrees with little wind- great running weather! We finished our 4 miles in 33:10, which was an 8:18 mile pace. While we were walking back to the hotel, Mark confessed that he normally does not run that fast, but knew that if he did not keep up, then he would never hear the end of it from me! :) I was really glad he ran with me, it made for a great rest of the day in Vegas!
I arrived back in KC late Wednesday night, and the temps were a balmy 12 degrees...NICE! So, of course Thursday's short run was on the treadmill at the gym. UGH! This week, Jeremy and I's long run was 9 miles, and although the weather was about 37 degrees with a lot of wind, it was a fantastic run! We ran 9 miles in 1:17:52, which was an 8:39 minute mile pace, my fastest 9 miles ever! I was pretty excited that that pace felt great and I wasn't over-exerted after we were done.
It looks like for next week, we are supposed to get a break in the weather hopefully, and we should have some 50 degree weather for our long run! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!
