No Restraint

With a major snowstorm forecasted for tonight into tomorrow into Thursday, I had little choice but to get up and run this morning, while it was still safe and pleasant to do so.

Saddened by the prospect of enduring a few more run-less days, so soon after breaking my run fast (excuse the pun) — and knowing myself and how I roll in such circumstances — I ate a pre-run breakfast in preparation to extend an easy 3 miler into an easy 5. 

Of course, at that point, I couldn’t not extend the run… ;p

So I set out on my normal 5-mile morning course, keeping in mind that I’d have two opportunities to cut it short if need be…

Of course, I ran right by both turn-offs.  Something about “cutting it short” disagrees with me…even though “cutting it short” today would have meant “keeping it according to plan.”  Oh well!

Definitely by 3.5 miles in, I was feelin’ my two weeks off.  I glanced at Pokey, who told me in no uncertain terms why: I was cruising along at an 8:45 pace, when I should’ve been sticking to 9:30.  I slowed down some, but still ran that mile in 9:05.  For the last mile home, I slowed down a bit more to cool down — and still wound up averaging 9:23 for the 5 miles.  Excellent.

And of course, I finished up the workout with S&S (stretch and strengthen) a la Loosen Up.  I really do like this routine despite the fact it takes 15 min (about twice as long as my normal stretching routine).  But clearly my normal routine wasn’t working so well for me and it was time for a switch — maybe I just needed something a little different and/or more time-consuming… 

Do you have a stretching routine?  Do you love it? Hate it?  What does it entail — and how long does it take?  Please enlighten me!!

 

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…

Hooray!  My two-week running hiatus is OVER!

This morning I braved the 23*F cold (NOTHING could stop me from breaking the running fast!) by piling on the layers.  I’d charged Pokey overnight (the two weeks off bored him to sleep!), so he was ready to go this morning. 

And we were off!

I was pleasantly surprised at how much lighter it was this morning, in comparison with my last early morning run the week before the race.  And I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and fast I felt, even without coffee or a pre-run breakfast (I was only running an easy 3 mi, which does not require pre-run fuel for me.  A 3-mi speed or hill repeats workout would call for a light breakfast, or an easy run longer than 4 mi or so…).  And finally, I was pleasantly surprised at how few patches of snow and ice there were, even on the promenade. 

Yep, today was my day to run!

Too bad it only lasted 28 minutes…

But I wrapped up the workout with the Loosen Up stretching/strengthening exercises I touted in one of my posts last week.  I’m trying this out instead of my regular stretching routine, to see if it improves my flexibility and strength, which I think was the cause of the knee pain I experienced in the final couple weeks leading up to the race.

Ahh, all day I haven’t been able to think of much other than how good it is to be back in the swing of things.  My body is totally thanking me — I was insatiably hungry all morning, which tells me the run really invigorated it.  And now I’m all aflutter (?? uh, that word just came out of nowhere.  Is it even a word?  Oh well, it at least conveys the feeling I’m trying to describe…sorta), planning tomorrow’s workout. 

Happy new week — Happy new training program — Happy day!!

 

Oh hello.

Hehe.  Not sure where it came from, but that’s how I’ve been greeting my friends lately

Not much to say over here, since there hasn’t been much running going on in my world.  But that is about to change — I’m getting back to the running thing on MONDAY.  Hooray!!

In the meantime, in case you were wondering, I’ve been doing some Stretching/Strengthening — a la the following:

• RunnersWorld’s “Loosen Up” exercises
• Pilates
• RW’s Mammoth core workout
• Old summer strength workouts from Lynn’s college track team

These are all actually very good workouts that I should be doing along with my running workouts, to stay flexible and strong.  I have definitely been slacking on the cross training lately.  We’ll work on that!

Anyway, the snow forecasted for this weekend is actually rather convenient — I mean, I’ll be workin’ out inside anyway!  Let’s get the white stuff out now so we’ll have clear weather next week when it’s back to the road for me!

 

You can call me Race Director

…Well, maybe not quite yet.  But almost.  I filed a permit application with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation yesterday.  (Woohoo!  Something about that feels momentous to me!)  Now I’m just waiting for them to approve the date and location, and send me my permit! 

Then I will officially have a race to direct.  And I will be able to get started with fun activities like obtaining insurance and medical coverage, finding sponsors, gathering equipment, procuring prizes and amenities, designing a website, signage, and registration forms, and at the end of it all running the race — and by “running” I mean, clipboard-in-hand running. 

I am SOOOO excited!  Stay tuned — I will announce the official roll-out once the permit is granted!

 

Setting Up Success

Please take a minute and watch FCA’s video of Drew Brees (QB, New Orleans Saints) talking about leadership.  (Click here in case I can’t get the video into the post)

No sooner had I watched this than I ran into my colleague Emily in the hallway.  I asked if she’s still running these days, and she said yes (hooray!) but she thinks she might like to have lunch or coffee with me sometime, to chat about how she can take it to the next level (yay!). 

Emily said she keeps going out running, but it’s always more or less the same pace, same workout, all the time.  It feels stale, and she wants to find out how to get faster.  She’s looked at a few running magazines, but finds that they go over her head – she doesn’t really understand the terminology or strategy behind the workouts they suggest.  

I asked if she runs any races.  She does, but doesn’t see the point of paying money to do the same run, in the same time, that she can do on her own. 

Well, Emily, you’ve come to the right place!  I’m no expert, of course, but I have some training under my belt and I would be happy to introduce you to some new workouts.  In fact, you’ve just got to meet my friend Speedwork — he’s exactly the kind of friend you need right now, and I have a feeling you’re gonna love him!  He’s just one of the gang – you can meet Tempo, Hills, and Long, too if you want.  These guys are sure to get your running up to the next level!

I have such a heart for sharing even my limited knowledge of this stuff — there’s no reason that the sport of running should be off-limits to anyone who just doesn’t feel like they’re experienced enough to do it.  How is anyone going to get experience, if the lack of experience keeps them away?!?  

I was once in that position, not knowing what I was doing.  But one day I just took the plunge and tried it.  And here I am now, getting ready to shave 2:00 off my 5K time (seriously!  It’s ambitious, I know, but I can do it!) and who knows how much off my 10K…and what’s more, I’m getting ready to train for a marathon.  I never thought I’d say that — but here I am! 

And that’s why I totally want to see Emily get faster, I want her to learn how to push herself to the next level, I want her to go for it and experience the glory of it.  Who knows where she’ll end up?!  SO exciting, no?!

 

Lazy Saturdays are Not My Style

With no long run to pound out this weekend — in fact, with no run or any workout at all for that matter! — I was bored to tears on Saturday afternoon.  I just didn’t know what to do with myself! 

So I decided to organize the freezer. 

First I thawed a couple of chicken breasts to marinate and cook for dinner that night.  I make a really delicious recipe that Lynn and I call Paprika Chicken, so I thought we’d have that and we had some fresh parsley I planned to serve on it.  Also on the menu would be brown rice (with more parsley thrown in to cook with it), and brussel sprouts saute/steamed with garlic and caraway.

While the chicken was marinating, I flipped through our recipe book of 500 cookies, biscuits, and bakes in search of something to do with the three overripe bananas that have been sitting in the freezer for some time now.  A simple banana bread or banana muffins had no appeal to me — I had the time, and wanted to be more creative.  So I modified a recipe for date and honey bars, turning it instead into banana bars.  Came out AWESOME flavor-wise, though I want to play with the recipe some more, to see if I can make the crusty bottom and top layers just a bit less crumbly.  I also want to decrease the amount of butter by about 1/3, and I want to come up with a gluten-free version for my celiac friends.  I may need to add a Recipes page to the blog soon, no?

When my “bananars” were cooling, I proceeded with freezer cleaning and took out the bulging Ziploc bag of chicken bones and veggie scraps we’ve been collecting.  I threw them into a large pot, covered them with water, and set them on the stove to boil for a few hours.  After dinner (they’d been boiling for 3 hours by then), Lynn and I strained our stock and pressed the juice (and nutrients!) out of the softened vegetables.  We set the pot back on the stove to boil for another hour – this time uncovered so it would reduce some.  We strained it again to ensure that no pieces of vegetable or chicken bone had made it through our first strain, then we poured our lovely stock into ice cube trays (and plastic containers) to save for later.  We’ll make soup with some of it, but the cubes are perfect to use in any recipe that calls for chicken or vegetable stock!  Cool, right?

Finally, all that was left in the freezer was a roast (that is going to take FOREVER to thaw, when we decide to cook it!), about 10 bags of cranberries (they’re only available for about a month in the fall, so we stocked up!), and our selection of bread, bagels, and english muffins, which we only thaw as needed.  I just stacked everything neatly inside, and voila! an organized freezer!

Goodness, I can’t wait to resume long runs on Saturdays!  But alas, I still have another week without one — according to my self-prescribed rest regimen, last week was for TOTAL rest and this week is for Pilates, stretching, and strengthening.  Then next week a combination of short easy runs and strength training, and finally the week after, full on back into training.  For the spring I’ll be working on FASTER, and then for the summer and fall it’ll be FARTHER!  Bring it!!

 

Am I Recovered Yet?

Today is only day 4 of the full week of rest days I prescribed for myself, to allow full recovery after the 16-miler — and all I want to do is run! 

It doesn’t help that I am thinking marathon thoughts and I know that soon I’ll be running farther than 16 miles and not taking this much rest afterward.  Just like all the runners who ran the Boston Prep 16 as part of their spring marathon training probably took a day or two off and are now back at it.

But I know it’s important for me to be patient.  16 mi is my longest run to date, and as long as I have the time to take off (that is, as long as I’m not training for something bigger this time), it’s in my best interests to give my body time to recover fully. 

It’s not during the workouts but during the rest when the body gets stronger.  During the workout, the muscles break down.  During the rest, they get repaired — stronger than they were to begin with.  So even though I don’t feel like my body is working much at all these days, it’s actually hard at work to repair all the damage I did to it during the race — not to mention the 12 weeks of training leading up to it.

Furthermore, toward the end of training my left knee started feeling sharply sore when I’d run.  It didn’t bother me at all during the race, and although I haven’t run since then I think it would be fine by now.  But better to give it extra time to heal than interrupt the healing process and go back to square one — or worse, injure it more seriously.

On top of all that, rest days are a good idea mentally as well.  I’ve become used to running almost every day, with only one or two (or at most three) rest days in a week.  That has created a bit of a mental dependency on it – I have to run.  On the flip side, it could also result in burnout if I’m not careful.  So, best to take some time off, break myself of the dependency, and return to it renewed and refreshed, and happy to be back. 

Three good reasons to stick to my self-prescribed rest, as hard as that is to do. 

And, in the meantime, who says I can’t be planning out my racing calendar for the rest of the year?!  At the moment I’m plotting 5K and 10K PRs this spring, and perhaps a half marathon as well.  Then I’ll start marathon training this summer, for a probable October marathon.  Hmm, decisions, decisions!

 

TBL: The Attitude of a Champion

In college I shadowed various members of the Development department for a term paper in my Organizational Communication class.  During an interview with the Vice President for Advancement, he told me something I will never forget:

A champion is not necessarily the best or strongest person around.  A champion is someone who finds something he or she has the power to do and does it.

Last night on The Biggest Loser, Michael hit on this exact thing during the Last Chance workout, when Bob made the contestants run up and down a mountain.  Not surprisingly, Michael, the biggest contestant, was at the back of the pack.  But he had exactly the right attitude about being there.

He didn’t complain about having to do the workout, or about being slower than everyone else.  He didn’t mumble, grumble, or make excuses.  He just ran his race, and afterward commented:

I may not be the fastest, and my workout may not be the most intense, but I can still do it, so quitting is not an option.

Wow, dude!  Right on!  That right there is the kind of determination, the undefeatable attitude, that gets stuff done!  That’s the attitude of a Champion.  Seriously. 

I could go on and on about how Michael took the words right out of my own mouth, how Sunday was all about running my race – not someone else’s, someone faster or stronger…and not even the race I could have run under different conditions, different course, different day, different season, different strategy, different training.  It was about giving what I had to give in that moment, and knowing that as long as I could give anything at all, quitting was not an option.

I know I’ve gotten a little mushy on you here (sorry!), but let’s just suffice it to say that I’m completely astonished at how The Biggest Loser manages to connect the contestants on the show to people of all shapes and sizes and levels of fitness out here.  It’s so true that these principles are for everyone, and it’s so amazing to see them in action!

 

Race Recap: Boston Prep 16

If I had to choose one word to describe the hilly Boston Prep 16:
RELENTLESS. 

Mom and Me, before the race

 

All the runners gathered in the cafeteria at the Derry Village School.  This is where we met Chris, the principal at the school where Mom teaches.  We all walked to the starting line together, and Chris and I discovered that we had similar goals, so we stuck together to start out. 

Chris and Me, at the start

 

We chomped on some Sport Beans while waiting for the gun, which was delayed about 10 minutes – just enough time for Pokey to exit training mode.  Luckily I anticipated this, and had time to re-locate the satellites and re-set him before the gun went off. 

mile 1 @ 8:47 – Startin’ off uphill, and weaving through the pack as Chris and I found our pace.
mile 2 @ 7:44 – Aah, a clearer field.  Chatting away, this mile flew by.
mile 3 @ 7:28 – This split was a surprise for both of us.  I’ll take 13 more of these!
mile 4 @ 7:45 – Okay, starting to relax and settle in.  Still chatting, this is good.  But I’m starting to realize I won’t be able to keep up this pace for much longer.
mile 5 @ 9:15 – I lost Chris at the foot of the first hill, which kicked my butt.  I am officially scared of what’s to come… 

Official 5M split – 41:08 / 8:14 avg / 285 place (overall–male and female runners) 

mile 6 @ 8:38 – I would’ve enjoyed the downhill stretch if I hadn’t been fumbling with my tunes.  Not smart to keep the mp3 in a tiny pocket inside the bottom-most layer, buried under two pairs of tights, and two layers of tucked-in underarmour plus the shirt on top.
mile 7 @ 8:33 – Settling back into a good pace, after that first little wake-up call.
mile 8 @ 8:26 – Whew.  Halfway there…Wait a sec…that means I have to do what I just did…again?!  Okay, here goes…
mile 9 @ 9:04 – With water stops only every 3 mi, I’m thirsty by the time I get to each one.  If only the snowbanks weren’t so dirty, I’d grab a handful of snow to quench my thirst…
mile 10 @ 9:46 – They give you water, then as you turn a corner, wham! a VERTICAL hill — for at least a quarter-mile.  I saw it and heard myself exclaim “Jesus!“  By the crest I was taking teeny stutter steps on the balls of my feet, trying to think quick turnover, quick turnover.  My legs were BURNING. 

At the top, the 10M official split – 1:25:20 / 8:25 avg / 353 place 

mile 11 @ 10:44 – This is where the hill begins.  You go up some, and it levels off, up some more, levels off…never enough “level” for recovery…
mile 12 @ 11:33 – then up even more, level, up, level.  RELENTLESS.  People are walking, but I am determined to RUN this race.  Even though I probably could walk faster than these baby steps I’m taking. 
mile 13 @ 10:04 – Past the highest point, I see Mom as I cruise downhill.  She starts shouting my name, and the race official next to her starts shouting too.  I’m grinning like an idiot, and I throw my arms up as I run by (her photo caught me with arms on the way down – I don’t actually run with arms out gorilla-style!)  

 

Chris rounding that bend, 5 min before me

Just beyond Mom, there’s a water stop and a volunteer collecting cups saying “No more hills!”  She was blatantly lying — I could SEE an uphill RIGHT behind her! 

At the top of that was the mat to record official 13.1 splits.  I remember running through it, but I don’t remember hearing a beep.  Sure enough, my split is not recorded.  Bummer.  According to Pokey, though, I crossed it just under 2:00:00. 

mile 14 @ 10:13 – My legs feel like lead, and I could not run faster if I tried.  At least I’m getting a good workout…
mile 15 @ 10:10 – And at least I’m consistent.  At this point I do not care.  I always get excited when there’s under 2 mi left.  Gosh I can’t wait to be done!
mile 16 @ 9:23 (Pokey read .9 mi in 8:30.  I suspect I lost satellite connection for about .1 mi somewhere along the way – I vaguely remember where that might’ve been – there was a cell tower somewhere during the uphill – maybe during the 11:33 mi, as I can imagine taking 11:33 to run slightly more than a mile, but 11:33 seems extra slow even for how I was going.  Anyway…) - There’s a downhill and I’m able to speed up.  I’m vying for position with a girl in a red jacket.  Then we round the last bend and oop – UPHILL to the finish.  BRUTAL.  I’m focused on the chalk on the ground saying GO! GO! GO!  Red jacket passes me and I let her go.  Then I decide I want it too.  Two girls jog by in the other direction saying “It’s LITERALLY 10 feet past the turn into the parking lot.”  I kick up my heels and “sprint” the rest of the way.  Mom said I looked miserable, but I was giving all I had left. 

Final Sprint

 

And Chris on the final stretch, again 5 min before me

 

Unofficial (Pokey) time: 15.9 mi, 2:26:40 / 9:13 avg.
Official time – 16 mi, 2:26:39 / 9:10 avg.
Place results: 459 / 707 (M & F finishers), 146 / 281 (F only), 34 / 51 (20-29 age group) 

After the race

 

Even though I missed my goal (2:20) by a few minutes, I ran my race, and did exactly how I was going to do.  Really.  I cannot think of anyplace along the way where I could have physically pushed harder.  My legs turned to lead, and I went with it.  And I was not as far off my goal as I seriously expected to be as I watched all my 10- and 11- minute miles tick by. 

I certainly learned a lot on this run, got a great workout…  And definitely count it a VICTORY.  

And the soup (actually, we had chili) at the end — wow, it went down good!  

And now, I’m off to nurse my sore quads…on the bus back to NYC!

 

Pre-Race Checklist

Two days out:
Hydrate – check!  I’m so proud – normally I don’t drink a drop for the entire bus ride from NYC to Boston, then from Boston to NH.  I usually end up rather dehydrated and it takes some time to get caught up with my fluid intake.  But yesterday I drank about 6 ounces during the ride from NYC to Boston, then another 3 or 4 ounces in Boston, and by the time I got to Nashua I had gotten halfway through my 32-oz water bottle — and I had to pee!  Yay!  Yesterday evening I put away at least 24 oz of water — I was SO thirsty!!

Sleep – check!  I (and I suspect many other runners too) don’t usually get a fabulous night of sleep the night before the race.  Luckily, they say that it’s more important to get great sleep the second night before the race.  After waking up at 5am Friday morning to shower and eat breakfast and be ready to leave my apartment at 6:30am and catch an 8am bus, and even after napping for 2.5-3 hours while on the bus, my eyes were feeling heavy by 9pm.  I forced myself to stay awake until my laundry was finished and folded, but as soon as that was done, maybe 9:30-9:45, I hit the hay.  And slept until 8 this morning.  Wow that felt good!

The Day Before:
Shake-out run – Soon as I’m done with this post, I’ll take off for a slooooow, easy 4 miles to loosen up and get the blood pumping to my legs.  Not that I have much choice here in my parents’ neighborhood, but I will incorporate a few good hills, just to wake up Right and Left and give them the chance to use the various strides (flataway, uphill, downhill) they’ve been practicing for the last 12 weeks.

Review course layout – After the run and a shower, and probably while I eat lunch, I’ll take one last look at the sattelite map of the course to identify a few landmarks that will help me break the race into manageable pieces.  That really helped during the half – I knew to watch for this hill, that farmland, the dirt road, and the turnaround at the beach.  Ideally I’ll come up with some landmarks other than “the vertical hill” and “the long hill” for this course.

Packet pick-up – Later on this afternoon I’ll take a ride over to Derry to pick up my packet so I won’t have to worry about getting there super early in the morning, waiting in line, getting my number and chip squared away, AND also finding waiting for and using the restrooms and getting to the starting line in time for the gun.

Pre-race dinner – I’ve requested spaghetti and my mom’s famous homemade meatballs.  And although my parents don’t usually do veggies (at all, let alone with their pasta), I’ve picked up some spinach that I’ll cook up.  This is the same meal (less Mom’s meatballs and with frozen ones instead) Kristin’s friend Alyssa had her mom prepare for us the night before the half, and we all know how that went — great!  So I’m going with it again.

Prep for race morning – Before I go to bed, I’ll pin my number onto the outermost layer I’ll be wearing to race tomorrow, I’ll attach my chip to my shoe, and I’ll lay out all my clothes and gear.  I’ll pack my water, gatorade, and pre- and post-race snacks (The race-day food/hydration philosophy is this: “Use theirs, but bring your own”).  And of course I’ll charge Pokey.  And finally I’ll set two alarms and inform Mom of wake-up time just in case.

Sleep – I’ll try to get a good night’s sleep, especially since I shouldn’t have to worry about finding or packing anything tomorrow morning — hopefully I will have thought of everything before I climb into bed.  But just in case I still don’t sleep well, at least I got great sleep last night! 

Alright, friends, now it’s time to execute.  See ya after the race!!