July 14-15 Training

Thursday, July 14

Hal called for a 7 mile "marathon pace" run today, and for me that's a 7:27.  I headed out without a Garmin at 8:30 in the hot morning sun for my run.  Oh yeah, and I was pushing the double stroller. 

Needless to say, I did NOT run a 7:27 pace.  But I did run for 70 minutes, was dripping with sweat when I was done (my hands were pruney like I'd been in a swimming pool), and managed to fit in a stop at a nearby playground for my two kids to get some exercise too.

I read a blog about a mom that pushes a triple stroller.  I really admire her because she is brave enough to post her splits when she runs with it.  I don't think I've ever worn a Garmin when I'm running with the double.  It is hard enough to run with 100 pounds of stroller and children!  In case anyone reading this wants a few tips for running with the kids, here is what I thought about today.

• Pack snacks  Mine usually eat their breakfast in the stroller (cereal, Poptarts, granola bars, etc.) or their lunch (cheese cubes or slices, crackers, drink).  If they finish it all, they get dessert.  Here is where you can add in foods that take a long time to eat (gummy bears, ring pops, and--my favorite--candy buttons).  Today I packed my kids' food in reusable bags, with the dessert inside this bag in a ziplock bag.  My kids could easily take their bags to the stroller and strap themselves in. 

Dry cereal breakfast with a gummy bear dessert

• Repeat your route  Others may disagree, but I think doing the same 3-6 mile route with your stroller is just enough, and this way the kids know how much longer they have to sit. 

• Reward them at the end  My favorite thing to do is to "race" my kids for the last block or so as we head home.  I let them upstrap and then "race" me home (of course, I let them win).  This lets them have some fun too! 

Happy faces (and ballet poses!) as we head out for our run

Friday, July 15

I had intended for this to be a 14 mile run since I was adding 2 miles to the 12 miles I had run last week in my long run.  I started the run with my friends, and we did our first mile in 11:02.  The rest of the miles were around a 10:00 pace.  They did 6 miles with me. 

Since I had not gotten a marathon pace run yesterday, I tried to speed up gradually so that my last few miles would be faster.  I was aiming to get a few of them to marathon pace.  I was happy to note that the last few miles ended up feeling great.  I think the speedwork is helping me to feel stronger in the long runs.  This is something I will try to note since it is a new thing for me.  I felt so good that I decided to add 2 more miles to the 14, and I ended up with 16.58 miles.  The last 5.58 were: 8:47, 8:07, 7:56, 7:46, 7:28, and 7:19 (for the .58).  My music died early on, but I think running the miles without distraction was also a good move training-wise.  I liked how focused I felt. 

One week down, 11 more to go!

Twilight 5K Race Report

I decided at the last minute to run the Twilight 5K held on Saturday, July 16 at 7:15 p.m. (women's start time--men run at 6:30 p.m.).  Rick was on a day trip, so I needed to find someone to watch my kids while I ran.  Well, I found a great solution Saturday afternoon (thanks to a fellow Fleet Feet teammate Christy Scott and facebook)!  My friend's daughter babysat my kids at the race.  I only needed her for 45 minutes or so instead of hiring a sitter to stay at my house for a couple of hours!  I loved this solution and may have to use it again when Rick and I both want to run a race.  The kids played outside the whole time.  The race is held on a college campus, and there is alot of space for them to roam.  This race is unique because the men and women run separately.  I like being able to watch the men's race, and I think this race is great for young families with a husband and wife who both want to run.

A couple of things worked against me in this race.  I had run about 16 1/2 miles on Friday morning, so I wasn't fresh for the race.  Also, it was a night race, and I'm more used to morning races (most people are!).

I did my best and finished 2nd overall.  I had a really hard time keeping the pace in the last mile.  But I improved my time by over 30 seconds from my time last year in this race.  Fellow Fleet Feet teammate Linda Scavarda was a welcome site at the turnaround as she called out, "This next part's all downhill!"  That was just what I needed to hear at that point!  I was very impressed with the race directors, David and Ashley Cain, since they managed to direct the race while also tending to their four children, the youngest being under a month!

Mile 1 6:18
Mile 2 6:42
Mile 3 6:53
.1 41
20:35 (6:38 pace)

Committing to the 3:15 Marathon with Hal Higdon's Help

For the first time ever, I am trying to closely follow a training guide for the Chicago Marathon on October 9.  This will be my 23rd marathon, and, though I always follow a program for the long runs, I have never followed the speed, tempo, or hill workouts in any training program.  But I do think there is something appealing about being able to commit to a time goal and then lay the foundation to take you there.  I am willing to give it a try.  My usual race-day approach is to start way too fast and try to hang on until the end, and this has led to alot of misery during the last few miles.  Also, I feel like I could improve on my PR with a little more training. 

I decided to try for--well, at least to train for-- a 3:15, or a 7:27 pace.  This is a 3-minute improvement from my PR marathon last February, which was on another flat course.  Last week, I was shocked to notice that we are only 12 weeks away from Chicago!  I quickly looked up programs (after consulting with my "trainer," Rick!).  He recommended Hal Higdon's Advanced 1 program found here, though I am having to modify it since it's a 16-week program.  I started "official" training with a 12-mile long run that left me pretty drained (it is super hot and humid right now here in Alabama).  It's not a good sign to be that beat after only a 12-miler! 

Hal's descriptions state that less than 10% will commit to the advanced programs because they are so demanding.  I am not sure I can stick with it, but it sure helps that some of my friends are on board with also trying the speedwork, tempo, and hill repeats called for by this program.  My most uncertain workout is the weekly marathon pace run, which Hal calls for on the day before the long run.  The day before the long run?  I usually take it easy on that day!  I may have to run some of those pushing a single jogger too.  I certainly would slow the pace down a bit for that though!

Today was a 5x800 speedwork session.  I did not have my friend Julia's advice on how fast to do them (and I had forgotten the recommendations Hal gives on the link above), so they were all over the place as I found my rhythm.  The 800s are much harder to do than the 200s and 400s, and not just because they are longer.  I had so much trouble finding the right pace.

When I got home, I looked up my splits on my watch and averaged them to a 3:15:
3:25, 3:08, 3:11, 3:14, 3:19

And, lo and behold, I looked up Hal's suggestions and read this:
I've prescribed 800 repeats for this program, also done every third week. Run an 800 at faster-than-marathon pace, rest by jogging and/or walking 400, then start again. Further instructions are included in the Interactive emails, but you might want to consider running these like "Yasso Repeats." Regular readers of Runner's World are familiar with what I mean. Bart Yasso is Promotions Director for the magazine. Bart suggests that you run your 800 repeats using the same numbers as your marathon time. In other words, if you run a 3-hour marathon, you do the 800s in 3 minutes. A 3:10 marathoner does 3:10 repeats; 3:20 marathoner, 3:20 repeats, etc. It seems silly, but it works.

I am aiming for a 3:15 marathon, and my repeats averaged 3:15.  Now to get them to be a consistent 3:15!

Firecracker 5K Race Report

The Firecracker 5K was held on Monday, July 4.  If you viewed the link in my previous entry, then you know that I was able to PR in this race and that I finished first overall female.  I want to give credit to my husband, Rick, who paced me during the race.  And thanks to the church who directed the race, Morningside Baptist, since they offered the childcare that made the pacing situation possible.

Advantages:

• Good course: The course was a flat, out-and-back course.  No surprises, no hills!
• Had a pacer:  The race has childcare (which is a first in the 10 years since I've been racing).  Rick was able to run with me and pace me.
• Prior speedwork:  I had done two speedwork sessions on the two Wednesdays prior to the race.  It was was my first chance to see if speedwork would help me on race day.

Disadvantages

• Heat: It was a muggy, hot day, and the course only had about a mile of shade.
• Holiday weekend eating:  We had a cookout the night before, and my stomach was not agreeing with me.  It kept me up tossing and turning the night before.

Prerace

We got to the race around 7:15 a.m., and the first thing we did was try to find the childcare I had read about on the website.  The first person I asked said, "No, we don't have any childcare," and she probably saw the saddest, most confused look on my face.  But luckily, she asked another woman and we found out that they were indeed having childcare.  After introducing our children to the childcare workers, we quickly left for our warm up.  It was great being able to warm up with Rick!

The Race

My first mile was a 6:14, right where Rick had recommended (he'd suggested a 6:15, so that I'd have a little cushion when I slowed down.  Plus he knows that I like to start fast.).  My fellow Fleet Feet teammate, Lynn Curry, was right behind me for this mile, but no female was ahead of me.  Rick gave me good words of encouragement after seeing the first split.  The second mile had a turn-around in it, which I liked since I could cheer for the men coming back around and then the women that I passed after I turned around.  This mile was a 6:32, slower than the 6:26 I needed, but easy for me to average with the first mile and know I was okay for overall pace. 

The last mile, which should have felt very rewarding for me since I was reaching my goal, instead felt just miserable!  Unlike the second mile, the third mile was almost completely in the sun.  I could just feel the sweat pouring off of me.  Rick was telling me to gradually increase my speed, but I was thinking, "I can't!!!"  And I think I said as much to him.  We passed fellow teammate Eric Fritz, who later congratulated me on facebook for my ability to "hang on and get it done" (I was happy he put it nicely, since when I passed him it was more like I was moaning and grunting and muttering about how miserable I felt!).  Before the race, Rick had told me about a defining moment that would happen in the race, one where I would want to slow down.  He said here is where I would have to dig deep.  Somewhere during the third mile, I remembered what he had said.  He later told me that I was surging (so much so that he was having trouble keeping with me), but then I would slow back down.  So the mile passed with alot of self-doubt, pain, and frustration at myself.  I was shocked to see 6:27 on my watch (Rick later told me he didn't want to look down at the Garmin for that mile, he just wanted to see the average pace.  We both thought it was going to be slower than it was). 

When I saw the finish line, I immediately looked at the clock and saw 19:40 still on it!  I knew I could cruise in and still get the sub-20, so that is what I did (even though Rick was trying to encourage me to go even faster...the goal was sub-20 and that's all I had in me for that day).  I saw 19:57 on the clock as I passed by, though my official time was 19:55.  I had gotten my goal!

After the race, we picked up the kids and stayed for the awards.  My daughter liked seeing the reenactors who had booths set up all along the front of the church while we waited.  I was discouraged that they called out my name wrong and that they also listed my name wrong in the results, but a quick email to the director solved the problem and the results are now correct (apparently racer #13's name was also listed as me--racer #14).  Rick, the kids, and I went back out to the greenway for another few miles.  My son rode his bike, and my daughter napped in the stroller!  We teased our little "Southern belle" all the way home (she is always saying how hot/tired she is when she does the least amount of exercise by far!). 

Post Race

Rick and I learned alot about pacing/being paced in this race.  As someone being paced, I discovered that I just wanted general statements of encouragement about how I am doing (things like "good job,"  "looking great," "you got this").  Rick was telling me things like, "Pump your arms, pick up your legs!" but that was too specific for me and made me feel worse about how I was doing.  So I think he learned that saying less is sometimes better!

The feeling of accomplishment from this race is hard to put into words.  I have no idea why it took me almost four years since having children to get back to my old PR.  To be honest, I sort of thought I would never get that time again.  I know I am not in as good of shape these days, so I know my accomplishment is more mental than physical.  I want the time now, and it's much harder for me to make this body do it than it was before.  I now have a marathon and a 5K PR on this side of having kids.  Maybe the 10K should be my next target?

6:14
6:32
6:27
:42
19:55

Firecracker 5K Local T.V. Coverage

Here is a link to the local t.v. coverage of the Firecracker 5K!  More details to follow!

Firecracker 5K Prep Work

In an effort to hit the sub-20 minute mark in the Firecracker 5K, I continued my weekly speedwork.  I did what my friend Julia called a "sharpening" workout yesterday.  It was 12x200 (is this how you write it?), and mine were between 40-44 seconds each, with my last one being the fastest at 40 seconds.  It seemed easier that last week's workout (I guess it should since we did only half the distance), and it does make me wonder if I actually enjoy speedwork.  Don't get me wrong, I still look like a klutz out there as I try to figure out which of my watches to hit and when to press the button (yes, I had no idea that a track could be so confusing!).   

I calculated the pace, and I will need a 6:26 in Monday's race.  I used this website.

And I looked up the previous results.  Last year, fellow teammate Kathy Youngren was the first female in 20:10.  In all honesty, I would be happy finishing behind her with a time somewhat under 20:30, since that would still be an improvement over my recent 5K time.  It helps me to have some competition out there, so I do hope she (or someone else) is running about that pace on Monday so I will have motivation to go-go-go.  Trying to keep her in my sight will help me pace myself properly.

Busy weekend ahead for us.  Five years ago today I was laboring at home.  My son was born the next day.  Five year olds LOVE birthday parties (balloons and cake are the BOMB!), so we are having fun partying over here.  Happy 4th to you all!

June Happenings

June has been a whirlwind of Vacation Bible Schools for two weeks, swimming at the pool, and planning birthday parties, so blogging was the first to go.  I have been running--even did a couple ten milers a week, got a streak of six days of running in a row, pushed the double jogger a few times for five miles in the heat, and attempted my first speedwork.  Here's the month in review:

• We volunteered at the A&M 10K on Saturday, June 11,and by we I mean the whole family!  Mike Greene, the race director, was great at finding the perfect spot to put me and my two helpers.  While Rick helped with the set up, took pictures, and called splits at a mile marker, the children and I helped hose runners off as they ran!  My son and daughter showed up in their swimsuits for their job.  My son loved holding the hose and getting to squirt people.  My daughter loved collecting the used cups from the nearby water station and depositing them in the trash can.  And I guess I supervised their tasks!  Seriously, if this doesn't prove that there is a volunteer job for everyone and that no help is ever turned down, then what does?

 

A&M 10K Start

• I'm sure no one out there really cares what black toenails look like after the dead toenails comes off, but here mine are:

Toenails regrowing

• My splits for my first-ever speedwork were as follows for a 400m: 1:28, 1:29, 1:30, ?, 1:32, 1:31, 1:33, 1:34.  (The "?" was somewhere in the range also, just forgot to push "lap" on my watch.)  My awesome friend, Julia, helped me figure out how to do speedwork.  I liked the slow warm up and cool down on the roads (a mile or two each), and I liked trying to keep each lap on pace (there was a 400m recovery between each lap too).  After each fast lap, I would tempt myself with, "Why don't you just stop now?" and I would have to talk myself into just one more.  I am serious about trying to improve my 5K time if I am willing to try speedwork!

• Finally, I am a little bummed out about running as it has affected my household lately.  Rick is bumping up his miles in preparation for a serious training program for our October marathon.  As in, he is wanting to get 50 miles a week now so that he can get all the way up to 70 miles a week as the program goes along.  Already we delicately juggle our runs:  Who's running today?  Whose race is this one?  It leads me to feel like we are somewhat like ships passing in the night.  One of us is always tired from their morning run; one of us is always setting their alarm clock to get up early to run.  And we are never on the same page.  I miss the days when we could run together without a moment's notice, when we could cheer each other on while we passed each other in a race (and frankly when we could run double the races), and when running wasn't such a juggling act.  I'm just being real here.  Having young children and having a spouse that runs isn't easy.  Yet running is something that neither one of us wants to give up.  So we try to fit these puzzle pieces together...and we ramp up yet again for another round of marathons.