Taper Paranoia

Yes it's that time of training when all the phantom aches and pains pop up. Tapering can be rough on the psyche. I'm sure these things I'm feeling are nothing and I have probably felt them all along, but for some reason now they are pronounced. I have also been experiencing the sniffles, off and on for the past few days. Will it become a full blown cold, or not? I hope NOT. I've been laying low to avoid pushing things the wrong way.

Yesterday I was able to run the 4 x 400s on my schedule. They were 1:23, 1:31, 1:31, 1:32. Today I ran 3 miles very, very easy (almost a 10 minute pace). Afterward I had a nice massage and my body feels much less crooked and tight from all the training. Tonight I will stretch and hopefully sleep well, and then tomorrow we are off to Sacramento for the expo.

I'm going to do laundry, eat lots of carbs (trying for 500g each day until Sunday) and drink a huge amount of water (80 oz. per day til Sunday). I hope I don't heave.

Thanks to EVERYBODY who has stopped by my blog and left me well wishes for this weekend. You are all very kind and encouraging and I appreciate your words very much!

I will apply my training, and the rest is indeed up to God! :)

ELVES are cool!

Especially these 4 little elves.

Hee hee hee.

FIVE days to the CIM

I'm eating everything in sight and never feeling full, but my waistbands sure are getting tighter. Yikes. I'm also feeling more sore than usual after my runs. In fact today I am resting when I should be putting in 5 miles.

I took a rest day on Sunday (after running 6 days in row). I think the Turkey Trot on Thursday actually hit me on Saturday night. Sunday morning came around and I said, "No running today."

Yesterday I ran 7.3 miles, including 2 miles at tempo (6:55/mile), then a 1:45 recovery jog, followed by 2 x 800s w/ a 1:00 recovery jog after each (3:15 and 3:14), followed by 2 x 400s w/ a :45 recovery jog (1:31 and 1:31). I then stood in our pool for 10 minutes, which was 51-degrees. Brrrrr.

I was SO sore lastnight, hamstrings, inner thighs, glutes. I rolled on the foam roller for a while and stretched a lot. I feel better today, but I need a massage! I think I'll schedule one for tomorrow after I run 5 miles easy.

Time to eat lunch!

No More "Long" Running Until Dec. 2

Hi! I'm so sore right now. Not from running but from gardening. My husband and I have been planting things in our front yard off and on for the past few weeks. What a HUGE difference some trees, shrubs, rocks and flowers make. It's gorgeous!

Anyway, I didn't take a rest day after the Turkey Trot on Thursday. On Friday I pushed the baby in the jogging stroller for 4.4 miles, and today I pushed him for 9 miles. We actually ran 6 with the running club (they are so awesome) and 3 on our own. So the running combined with the shoveling, digging, bending over plants, squatting, etc., has left me BEAT. I'm resting tomorrow. Going to church and probably doing laundry, but that's it.

I looked back at the last week of training before I ran Boston in April, and the 9 miles I did the weekend before was run at an 8:42 pace. The 9 I ran today with bambino was at an 8:18 pace and it felt very easy and comfy (but CHILLY). Poor baby's face was kinda blue when we had finished, even though he was wearing umpteen layers and a hat.

One more week until the marathon. I am so excited and happy about running it. Training for a marathon is so time consuming and exhausting, but when you actually get to run the race it makes it all worth the trouble. Just the thought of it brings a smile to my face.

Anyway just for fun, here is a link to my race report from last year's CIM. Mostly to remind myself that I've done it before and I can do it again. :) It's where I qualified to run Boston and it will always be my favorite marathon.


Finishing 5 minutes ahead of schedule.


Crying tears of joy when I realized I made it to Boston

TURKEY Trotting

Here they are near the finish, #392 & 391.

In the finish chute.

They were so happy.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am waiting for the baby to wake from his nap and then we will join the family festivities at my hubby's cousin's house.

Well, ran the Turkey Trot 5K today. The weather was perfect, sunny and in the low 40's. I warmed up with a 2 mile jog which included about 6 x 100 meter strides. After my warm up I watched our 2 older kiddos (8 & 10) run the 1/2 mile fun run. In fact I did a little of my warm up jogging along side of them and cheering them on. They smiled the whole time. I was so proud of them for doing it because originally they did not want to.

About 5 minutes after the last child crossed the finish line for the fun run, the 5K started. My toes were at the white line and I had heard there were 1200 registered runners this year (it sure felt like it). Gun went off and I started my Garmin (but did not look at it after the first mile split).

I was so afraid of tripping or twisting my ankle and getting trampled by the throngs of runners. The first 1/4 mile or so was on grass and dirt and it wasn't the most level ground in the world. Lotta potholes and things. People around me were saying things like, "This is downright scary," because of the crowd and the terrain.

But we then got onto the paved path and it was smooth sailing. I felt like I was racing people. There were a few runners that I would trade little surges with and we pushed each other along nicely. I passed a lot of people, including a women in my age group that I thought would beat me for sure. It felt great to zoom by her near mile 2. Only a few high school boys passed me along the way.

There was some wind during mile 2 and you'll see how it affected my split when I list them below. The last 1/2 - 3/4 mile was on the dirt and grass again, and I was feeling CHALLENGED. I kept my eyes on the ground to avoid getting hurt. My legs were feeling so strong, but my forearms were seizing up like they were overcome with lactic acid. My forearms! What's up with that?

By mile 3, the guy that I was trading surges with from the 2 mile point got his 2nd wind and took off. I hung onto his tail as much as I could and finished a couple seconds behind him. We thanked each other at the end. I crossed the line and literally let out a big, "Woooooo hooooooo! Yeah!" I had done it, I broke 21:00 for the first time in my life, and my official finish time was 20:24. A full minute off my last 5K run in August on the same course.

I thanked God!!! My husband and children were there to meet me and I was so happy. My running partners, Kim and Cheryl placed 2nd and 3rd female respectively with 19 minutes some odd seconds finish times. Cheryl won her age group (I knew she would). I think I was 4th female, but not sure. I did place 2nd in my age group though...behind Kim. :)

My splits were: 6:30, 6:37 (wind), 6:30 and :45 for the last .1. I feel SOOOO ready for the CIM. Thanks be to God!!!

UPDATE: 5th woman across the line, 70th runner overall out of 912.

Chasing my surge buddy.

Holding my prize (gift certificate to a restaurant).

Thanksgiving Week

I'm so excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Family time! My family is so sweet...they are going to cheer me on during the Turkey Trot 5K. My hubby and kids are even going to run the half mile fun run before my race starts. So cool of them!

Quick log of last few running days.
Sunday: rest day

Monday: 60 minutes easy (came out to 6.55 miles)

Tuesday:
at 5:00 a.m. -- 4 x 400s, 2 x 800s, 4 x 400s run with Cheryl, Ali and Kim. Those women DO NOT dilly dally or mess around! I did the 400s in 1:30, 1:30, 1:31, 1:32, the 800s in 3:14 and 3:14 and the last 400s in 1:30, 1:34, 1:32 and 1:29. They all finished faster than me for every interval, which left me less than a minute to recover from each. OUCH.

Today: 6:10 a.m. easy 4 miles

I'm putting the running time down because I NEVER run early in the morning. But I'm trying to get used to it.

Enjoy your day before Thanksgiving!

14 Miles With a Fast Finish

After my kids' soccer games today I headed out for a 14 miler with a fast finish (that means the last 15 minutes at tempo pace).

I felt so strong. The sun felt so good on my body and the breeze was so light. PERFECT day for a medium long run. I prayed a lot on the run. It just felt good. Thank you, God!

I think I averaged about an 8-minute pace for the whole thing. The last 5.5 miles were like this: 8:05, 7:47, 7:40, 7:12, 7:08, then half a mile at a 7:06 pace. For Ryan Shay.

I really wanted to run with music today (it would've been my first time doing that outside) but my MP3 player would not play the iTunes I downloaded. I'm a technical moron, so I'm sure I did something wrong. The iTunes website said it was MP3 compatible, but I have no idea. Anyone else know???

Anyway, I'm glad the music didn't work out for today. Turns out I didn't need the tunes. It's all good!

Stroller Speedwork

Hey all. I wasn't as sore this morning, but really had to seek motivation to get out there and run the workout. My sweetie pie is taking his Fire Captain's examination all day today so if I wanted to get the workout in, it would have to be with my 2 year old in the jogger. I perused the Runner's World Forums for inspiration, laced up and we headed out.

It was great to see a couple of the MOMS Club Mommies doing their workout at the same park where I was running. They motivated me to run my best! :)

Ran 1.5 miles warm up and then got into the 4 x 1 mile cruise intervals followed by 2 x half mile speed intervals. I recovered for 2:10-2:30 minutes between the mile intervals (as prescribed by my training plan) and recovered for 1:30 between the 2 half mile repeats, as prescribed.

RESULTS: 6:59, 6:58, 6:56, 6:58 and then 3:13 (about a 6:28 pace), 3:14 (also a 6:28 pace).

I will say, "DAMN THAT WAS TOUGH WITH THE STROLLER!" There were a couple times through the intervals that I thought my oatmeal was going to resurface. Needless to say I thanked God plentiful after each interval and asked for his company as I ran.

It's all good! I'm very happy to have run it with the kiddo. He was a champ as always. Had his Cheezit crackers and milk and a few toys, we were good to go.

Have a great day!!!

"Newton Hills" Workout

Yesterday I ran 10 miles on the treadmill. I did the Newton Hills workout and it felt GREAT. But doing so after running 21 miles the day before has left me feeling beat up! (In a good way).

Basicallly miles 3-8 simulate the grades of the Newton Hills on the Boston Marathon course. The paces at which I ran the inclines are equivalent to my tempo pace on a flat course (which is roughly 7:10-7:15/mile).

The 1% inclines simulate "downhill" or flat and I ran those at marathon goal pace.

MILES - INCLINE - PACE
First 3 -- 0% -- 9:00/mile (warm up)
3.0-3.7 -- 3% -- 7:41/mile
3.7-4.7 -- 1% -- 7:35/mile
4.7-5.0 -- 6% -- 8:35/mile
5.0-6.4 -- 1% -- 7:35/mile
6.4-6.8 -- 4% -- 8:00/mile
6.8-7.4 -- 1% -- 7:35/mile
7.4-7.8 -- 6% -- 8:35/mile
7.8-9.0 -- 1% -- 7:30/mile
9.0-10. -- 0% -- 9:14/mile (cool down)

I did this run after doing CrossFit with a fellow MOMS Club member. My booty is sore today so I'm taking a rest day.

Back at it tomorrow. :)

Pictures From Portland Trip

Several of us gals from the MOMS Club took the trip to Portland for the Northwest Regional Luncheon. The trip itself was so much fun. We spent only a few hours out of the entire weekend on MOMS Club stuff. Mostly we just hung out, ate out, had drinks, walked around and shopped. Good stuff!


Sipping Spicy Bloody Mary's at the airport before heading up to Portland.


Kim, me, Nicole, Breana and Diana at breakfast before the luncheon. Yes, we ate a lot.


Me, Nicole, Jackie, Diana, Breana and Kim at the luncheon.


Breana, Nicole and me on the way to dinner.

LAST Long Run Before the CIM

Woooooo hooooooo, the long runs are OVER! I ran my last long run of the training cycle today and even though I kind of dreaded it, it went great. It must've been all the delicious food and the 3 cocktails a day I had in Portland. :-)

The 21 miles looked like this:
1.2 mile warm up
7 miles @ an average 8:12/mile
12 miles @ an average 7:35/mile (3 seconds faster than marathon goal pace)
.8 mile cool down

I'm going to heat up some coffee, pop some Tylenol for this headache, and soak in the 56-degree pool.

TOTAL MILES for the week: 49.5

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.