Why Do Mile Intervals HURT?

The local all weather track where I usually do mile intervals is closed for renovations. I decided to run along the canal banks to do my repeats, 4 x 1 mile and then 2 x 800s. There was some wind along the canal in both directions and I do NOT like running in the wind. Maybe that's why these hurt today, or maybe my legs are just tired, or maybe I was just tired.

Anyway the intervals panned out like this:
4 x 1 mile: 6:57, 6:46, 6:53, 6:53. I ran into the wind on the 1st, 3rd and 4th.
I walk/jogged a 2-3 minute recovery between each.
Then 2 x .51 mile: 3:20, 3:27 (yes, wind).
I walk/jogged a 2:30 recovery between them.

The .51 repeats HURT more than the mile repeats. The 3:20 translates to a 6:32 mile and the 3:27 into a 6:45.

Well, time to pack for my trip with the MOMS Club. We're heading to Portland for a luncheon. Should be fun, but I'll miss my husband and kids. I will run a 6 miler up there and then do my last 20 when I get back.

10 Mile Tuesday & An Olympic Hopeful

It was nice run today. Sunny skies. Slightly cool but the sun warmed my back.
I ran about 2 miles for warm up and then ran 5 miles at an 8:00/mile pace.
Then 1 mile worth of hill charges at the rain basin, and walked down for recoveries (grades were between 4% and 12%).
Then 1 mile @ a 7:39 pace on the grass in the basin (undulating terrain), including the steep sides (grades were between 9% and 29%).
Yes, I was jittery and winded by the end.
Then 1 mile home to cool down.
TOTAL: 10.1

I ran into Miguel Nuci just before the third mile and we ran together for about 2 miles. He was out for just a short recovery jog (his jog is normally about 7:00/mile, but today was 8:00/mile). He said he could barely walk yesterday and the day before because running the Olympic Marathon Trials just beat him up. It was nice to hear about his experience.

He said he got a bad side stitch in the first mile and couldn't take in water because it made it worse. The water just sloshed in his stomach. He felt good in the middle miles and then toward the 20 mile mark his hamstrings started pulling and everything started to cramp badly. He contemplated dropping out, but then he thought, "This is my first Olympic Trials. I want the experience of finishing." So even though he slowed to an 8 minute pace in the last mile of the marathon, he still finished as strong as his body would allow.

Then he said he collapsed at the finish and woke up in the medical tent. Apparently he had suffered multiple seizures and the doctors there attributed them to SEVERE dehydration. After a little over an hour in the tent he was barely able to take a step. After 2 hours, he was escorted back to his hotel.

He said he was behind Ryan Shay when he saw him slow down. From behind he thought it was Josh Cox. As Miguel ran by he patted him on the back and said, "C'mon Josh, let's do this." But as he moved on he realized it wasn't Josh. He said Ryan looked as though he wanted to sit on the curb. Miguel kept going and as he looked back, he saw Ryan fall slack to the ground. He said he felt worried, but knew medics were right there. He did not find out until he woke up in the medical tent after the race that Ryan had died. He was sadly shocked.

Miguel is so humble. When I asked him how his calves were doing he said, "They are so tight, they feel like baseballs." I asked if he took ice baths and he said, "I know I should, but I'm lazy." Lazy? Ha! No way. It was just nice to know that even runners like him have days when they just don't feel good on the run. He's human after all! I didn't even feel like I was running with an Olympic hopeful. It felt like I was running with my brother or something. I finally told him my name and he said, "Oh, I already knew your name. And it's great to see you running out here all the time." That was so cool to hear.

I hope he feels better soon. He's undecided about which races to run in the next couple months, but named a bunch of them. All elite races of course! He's only 28 and I think we're going to see some incredible running out of of him over the next several years. After all, Brian Sell is 32 and he just made he Olympic Marathon team!

4 Weeks To Go To CIM

I haven't posted in a while. Let's catch up.

First and foremost, my heart goes out to the family of Ryan Shay (leading the pack in the picture) who collapsed while running the Men's Olympic Marathon Trials yesterday and did not survive. He was only 28. God bless him and his family.

Wed 10/31: 4 easy miles

Thu 11/1: 13.9 miles with Triple Play -- 3 miles @ marathon goal pace (7:40/mile), 8 x 800s with 1:35 recovery jog between (3:12, 3:19, 3:17, 3:18, 3:11, 3:16, 3:11, 3:12), 3 miles @ tempo pace (7:12/mile).

Fri 11/2: rest day

Sat 11/3: 22 miles of CRAZY hills in 2:58 (avg 8:05 pace). The hill grades varied from 10%-22%. Yes it was freaking tough, but such a confidence builder! During the dowhills and flats I was able to run at marathon race pace and tempo pace. I was so happy! I ran with my running "heroes" minus Miguel Nuci who was running the trials (and placed 31st).

Today I will run a recovery paced 50-60 minutes, and await the results of the NYCM.

"Hilly" Run Tuesday

First of all the good news: HE'S HOME! He actually got home Sunday afternoon, and then he had to go back to work at his regular station on Monday, and now he's home until next Monday. Poor guy is sicker than a dog though. I think running his body ragged and not sleeping well finally got to him. But he's so happy to be home and surrounded by all of us and we are happy he's here.

I told him about all the kind words and prayers everybody said for him while he was gone and he humbly said, "Thank you." But I don't think he likes being called a "hero" by anybody. He just says he's doing his job. I'm proud of him anyway!

Today I ran 12.5 miles on the gym treadmill, with 30 minutes total uphill time.
The first 11.35 miles were done at an avg. pace of 8:30/mile and the hill inclines for those miles were between 4.5 and 7.8 (30 x 1 minute hill repeats with a 1 min. recovery in between). I then ran 1.15 miles cool down. Felt pretty good, I was sweating like there was no tomorrow though. Literally dripping, eeeeeew.

Time to get ready for the kid's soccer practices. Have a great evening!

My Little Guy's PR

We did it.
The little guy and I did 20 together with him in the stroller. The logistics of it were crazy, but it went very well. He ate a ton of stuff while we ran and drank lots of milk from his little cup. We took a potty break after every six mile loop and I'd also check his diaper before we headed out again.

First 6 in 52:00 (8:39/mile avg)
Middle 6 in 49:14 (8:12 avg)
Final 6 in 47:10 (7:51 avg)
Last 2 miles in 15:02 (7:30 avg)
Overall time for the 20 was 2:43:35 (8:11 avg)

We got a flat at mile 19, so I immediately ran home. I got him into bed for his nap and then ran on back and forth on the side street right next to our house until my Garmin said 20.

I think it's a long training run PR, but I have to look at my log from last cycle.

My schedule called for the last 15 minutes at tempo. My last 2 miles were actually a 7:43 and then a 7:19. Only one ended up being at tempo, but considering the work that led up to it, I'll take it.

The baby is sleeping now and I'm going to ice in the pool and then get cleaned up. Hubby will be home soon. THANK GOD!

My NEW Running Heroes

I am a huge Deena Kastor fan. HUGE. Despite that fact, I have 4 new running heroes I want to talk about. They are all local runners (live and train where I live and train), they have jobs and families and other obligations they have to balance with their running. They are all part of the GREAT and supportive running club I belong to.

Cheryl is a Masters runner. She's a fellow mom and a great motivator. She's a 3:19 marathoner and a 1:32 half marathoner, and hopes to run a 3:09 at the CIM, (she will).




Ali is in her late 20s and very fast. She's the VP of our running club and will no doubt run close to a 3:00 marathon at the CIM. Her half marathon PR is 1:25! She didn't finish too far behind the elites.




Kim is in her early 30s and is a teacher. The CIM will be her first marathon and I bet she also runs close to a 3:00. She won her age group at the San Jose Half Marathon w/ a time of 1:28.



I've mentioned Miguel in my blog before. He'll be running the Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in November. He recently became a U.S. Citizen and couldn't be more happy to run as a full fledged American. He graced the pages of Runner's World magazine (November issue). He's got a bright running career ahead of him.



They are all inspiring to me and make me want to be a better runner.



But my all time #1 HERO is my husband. I love you! You make me want to be a better person. Come home soon, sweetheart.

TOUGHEST workout of this training cycle

Today was the HARDEST workout I've done this training cycle because I pushed the baby again, this time for 13.2 miles total! I fed him a big breakfast and even some snacks on the run, and a little lolly pop for the last 3 miles kept him busy when he started to fuss.

1.63 mile warm up
3 miles at marathon goal pace (7:40/mile avg).
7 x 800s cruise intervals w/ <2:00 recoveries:
(3:29, 3:29, 3:26, 3:27, 3:28, 3:29, 3:30)
Quick few minutes-stretch break w/ Jimmy
3 miles at tempo (7:18/mile avg).
1 mile cool down.

NOTE: for the last 3 miles at tempo, I turned off the auto lap feature on my Garmin and went by feel.
IT FELT HARD!
I will say it was a lot easier to stick to prescribed paces (instead of going faster) by pushing the jogging stroller.

Okay, I'm going to soak in the chilly pool and sip coffee before I get cleaned up. Baby is napping now.

Today is the first day that I haven't heard from my husband first thing in the morning. I'm sure he's okay, but God I miss him! I MISS HIM SO MUCH.

The Show Goes On

Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers for my husband, and all those affected by these fires. They are still raging. I don't know where my hubby is at this point and I'm sure he'll call as soon as he can.

Quick running posts:
Ran 10 miles on the treadmill Sunday night. Last 4 miles were at an 8:18 pace. Overall pace for the run was 8:49/mile.

Rest day on Monday.

Today I was supposed to run 10-12 miles w/ 10 minutes of total uphill time. No hills around here and no one to watch the baby as I ran, so I pushed him in the jogger. Here's how it panned out.

The first 6 were at an easy pace (about 9:20/mile). We took a few minutes stretch break after the first 6 miles. Then in the last 6 we did 10 fartleks of 2-3 minutes each. I added what the Garmin recorded for those, and it was roughly 2.96 miles of speedplay at an average 6:50 pace. (My fastest one being a 6:29 pace and slowest being 7:07).

So instead of 10 minutes hill time, I did 20 minutes of speedplay. I hope that compensates somewhat. My breathing and legs felt like I was running hills.

I think I needed to run this workout to keep my mind off of my hubby. Baby is napping, gotta correct some homework and shower, then pick the kids up from school. Oh, soccer practice tonight too. I wish my sweetheart was here with us. :(

LIVE Stream for Fires

Live video from Fox News. Updated hourly.

Southern California Wildfires

The fires down south are raging out of control. No containment around many of them.

My husband and his crew just got word that they are going to help fight them. They are on their way down there now. Our Governor has declared a State of Emergency there.

Please, PLEASE pray for my husband and for all the people who reside/work down there. Pray for their safety.
Thank you.

Rock N Roll Half Pictures

Here are some fun photos from the half marathon:





Maybe if I wasn't clowning around so much, I would've gotten a 1:35. hee hee.

Okay, yesterday I had a great run. Did the 2 x 4 miles at tempo pace. Was supposed to run each of them at a 7:20 pace. I ran the first 4 at a 7:05 pace, recovered for 4 minutes, then ran the last 4 at a 7:09 pace. I don't know where that came from, but it was good. During the run I felt like I was working pretty hard, but it didn't feel like I was running race effort. Oddly enough the pace was faster than my half marathon. Ugh. I'm hoping this is a good indication that the marathon in December won't kill me!

Feels Weird to...

...have a cutback week after the half marathon. I am following my marathon training schedule now and this week is only a 34-36 mile week. I feel like I should be doing a ton more. But I remember this time last year after the Half, not cutting back at all or recovering properly, and that's how all the piriformis syndrome issues started. I vowed not to make the same mistake again this year.

Monday I rested.

Tuesday I worked and then ran 4 easy/recovery on the treadmill (about a 9:10 pace).

Wednesday I did the CrossFit warm up with the MOMS Club at the track. Then I ran 1 mile to warm up more and followed it with 4 x 800s (3:21, 3:24, 3:21, 3:22) with a 400 meter recovery after each, then 4 x 400s (1:29, 1:33, 1:33, 1:36) with 200 meter recoveries after each. Then a 1/2 mile jog cool down for 6 miles total. I felt a little fatigued when I tried to pick up the pace.

Today I rested.

Tomorrow I do 2 x 4 miles at tempo pace (aiming for 7:20/mile).

I'm still kicking myself for not getting 1:35 in the half. I know I had the training in me to get it done, but it just didn't jibe perfectly during the race. Man. Oh well. The good news is my 1:36:57 time gets me automatic entry into the New York City Marathon for 2008. Hmmm, Boston or New York? Which would you do???

Half Marathon Race Report

MY OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM WEBSITE:
504th place out of 8,787 runners.
13th place in my age group of 35-39.
75th woman out of 4,082 female runners.
Chip time: 1:36:57 (oops, I clocked 1:36:56 on my watch).

I had a blast today. I felt great the entire race and I gave it everything I had but fell short of the 1:35 - 1:35:59 goal. I finished in 1:36:57 (7:24/mile) but I'm okay with that. I seriously thought I'd finish in 1:37 something, so to break 1:37 is good for me. It's also a new half marathon PR of about 6-1/2 minutes.

While running warm up I saw Khalid Khannouchi #8 in pic. I also saw Miguel Nuci #20 in pic. They are both running in the U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in November. It's ALWAYS inspiring to me to see these elite runners up close and personal. It makes them more human.

I didn't wear my Garmin today and wanted to run based on how I felt at each mile. Turns out I didn't feel super fast. Hee hee. I had preset goals in mind for the 5K, 10K, and 15K splits, hoping to finish in roughly 1:36:10. My goals for them were: 22:46 for the 5K (ran 23:02), 45:34 for the 10K (ran 46:02) and 1:08:18 for the 15K (ran 1:09:28). See a pattern? I was slowing down as the race went on. Ah well, it is what it is.

In hindsight, I did not cramp up at all, did not feel dehydrated. I actually felt smooth. I just tried to pick up the pace in the last 5K, specifically the last 1.1 miles, but my legs just wouldn't turn over fast enough. I just didn't have the leg speed I needed. Looks like I can't slack anymore in training!

Looking ahead at the marathon in December, McMillan calculates I should be able to run a 3:24:26 marathon based on today's half. But I'm still going to set my marathon goal for between 3:20 and 3:23.

Based on my recent 5K time of 21:24 and my recent 10K time of 44:35, McMillan Calc says I should've run between a 1:38:55 and a 1:39:12 half marathon today. So all in all, I'm pleased. Not ecstatic, but definitely not disappointed. Thanks for all your well wishes prior to the race!!!

Funky Dream

Had a wonderful and busy day today. I got to see the kids off to school and then my hubby came home and we hung out with the baby. It rained pretty hard today, which I loved. It's only Fall, but that means it's one season closer to winter, my favorite!

I ran an easy 30 minutes on the TM at the gym tonight (about 3.3 miles) and followed it with the standard CrossFit warm up. The bad news is I can't do 3-5 kipping pull ups anymore, but I can still do 2. I need to get back to doing CF faithfully. After the half, I will.

I had a dream that very colorful jumping spiders (big and fat ones) were spinning webs in my house, and that I was trying to kill them by spraying cleaner (like Windex) on them. One of them went "poof" and disappeared, but the rest were unaffected. I looked up my dream and it could be interpreted that I will be rewarded soon for my hard work. However, by "killing" a spider, it changes things and that could be interpreted as a little bad luck in my present or future. Dreams are so weird, but I believe they can reflect our daily lives somewhat.

Anyway the spiders in my dream were even more colorful and fatter than these.








In relation to the race, I'll take it as a positive sign. I just need to run to the best of my ability and let God do the rest. What's that saying? "Let go and let God." That's what I'm going to do!

Shake the Cold Thursday

Yesterday I was supposed to do a mile warm up, then 20 minutes at half marathon goal pace + 10-15 seconds, 4 strides then a mile cool down. I still felt pretty sick so I put it off to today.

Today I had this URGE to run even though my cold was still lingering. I put the baby in the jogging stroller and off we went. Did a little over a mile warm up and then ran a little over 3-1/2 miles in 25:23. The average pace per mile during that segment was between 7:12 and 7:15. I then cooled down with a mile jog.

The baby fell asleep (and as a result, refuses to nap right now) and I feel great. My head feels better and so does my nose, but my throat is still scratchy and my chest is still a little congested.

Tomorrow just an easy 30 minute run, Saturday is a rest day and then BAM... 13.1.

Long Run

When the baby went down for his nap I headed out for an 18 mile run at an easy pace, averaged 8:56/mile. I felt pretty good except at mile 16 when I got a fierce side stitch. I worked through it though. I will say that for me, long runs hurt more AFTER I'm done than while I'm doing them. Anyway, time to taper for the half marathon on Sunday. I have low miles this week and a couple of light speed sessions. I'm still battling a cold. Time to load up on greens and lots of vitamin C rich foods. And I'm going to try to catch up on sleep all week.

Sorry About Chicago

To my fellow runners out there that trained long and hard for the Chicago Marathon today, I'm so sorry you had to run in that heat and humidity. Some of you didn't even get any water or sports drink at the water stations. Some of you witnessed hundreds of people collapse and be taken away by ambulance, and some of you sadly witnessed another fellow runner lose his life on the course.

For Chad Schieber, rest in peace. Reports say he was a 35 year old father of 3 and loving husband, and he was also a police officer in Midland, Michigan. Godspeed, brother.

For those of you that finished or did not finish, God bless ya' for putting in as much effort as your bodies would allow. I know you runners, and I know you won't let this particular race set you back. After this initial let down, I know you will continue to train hard and gear up for the next marathon on your calendars! For now, enjoy some delicious food, cold beer and all the water you can drink.

Blessings to you all!

Triple Play Toughness

Whew, I'm so glad that's done. Well quick recap of the morning. Woke up to set up for a fundraising yard sale at 6 a.m. By 6:15 a.m. I had a "pro" customer wanting to bargain on everything. By 7 a.m. at least 15 people had come by and several bought things. By noon we had just about met our monetary goal for the fundraiser. We have another day of sales tomorrow and then that's it.

After everyone left and things were put away, I put the baby down for his nap and did the Triple Play workout:
Prescribed -- 3 miles @ marathon goal pace (7:38's/mile), 6 x 1/2 mile cruise intervals (3:26-3:31/half mile) with a 2 minute recovery jog after each, 3 miles @ tempo pace (7:04-7:22/mile).

Results:
First 3 miles at avg. pace of 7:28 (too fast - did not want that)
6 x 800s: 3:17, 3:20, 3:22, 3:17, 3:15, 3:17 (even with the recovery jogs, too fast)
Last 3 miles at avg. pace of 7:16 (just right).
I warmed up with a jog for 1.35 miles and cooled down with 1.59.
TOTAL MILES: 13.08

It's 4:10 now and gotta get cleaned up for the rest of the evening, not that we'll be doing much.

It was another mentally and physically challenging workout coupled with a lot of faith in God. I'm spent. But feeling ready to tackle the Half Marathon in 1:35. God willing!

Wednesday Speed, Thursday Rest

Yesterday I had this prescribed workout:
2 x 1 mile Cruise Intervals (between 7:05-7:15/mile) with 2 laps recovery jog
4 x 800 meter Speed Intervals (between 3:15-3:25/mile) with 1:1 recovery, or basically recovering for as long as it took to run the interval.
2 x 1 mile Cruise Intervals (7:05-7:15/mile) with 2 laps recovery jog

Workout Results:
2 x 1 mile CI @ 6:41 and 6:47 (too fast, even with the jogged recovery)
4 x 800 m SI @ 3:17, 3:20, 3:18, 3:19
2 x 1 mile CI @ 6:59 and 6:55 (closer to prescribed, but still a little too fast)
I jogged a 2 mile warm up and 2 mile cool down
TOTAL MILES: 12.75

It was tough, physically and mentally. I know it sounds hokey, but the more I talked to God through it, the better and stronger I felt.

Today I might run a recovery 4 miles... or I might just rest.
Another hard workout tomorrow with some marathon goal pace miles, 4-6 800s and tempo paced miles.

Enjoy the day!

Happy Birthday Sweet Darlin' - I LOVE YOU