Boston training and podcasts

Yesterday I started my 18 week training plan for Boston. Since I am going to Miami for New Year's and then on a cruise for a week, I decided to do my long run on Monday, so that I can focus on spending time with the family over the weekend. Fortunately, I only had 13 miles @8:09 today and the temps were mild (30s). Recently I changed my Garmin setting and am able to see each mile pace, rather than only the average. I am not sure if I like it. My pace is all over the place. I think a lot of this has to do with the terrain (flats, rolling hills, etc), but still, somehow I was under the impression that I know how to run even splits. Hmm...nope!
Here are the stats for the long run:
13 miles @ 7:57 plus .5 mile cool down = 13.5 miles
Mile 1: 8:02
Mile 2: 7:57
Mile 3: 8:00
Mile 4: 8:01
Mile 5: 7:54
Mile 6: 7:59
Mile 7: 8:57 - this is where I stopped to give directions, and forgot to turn the Garmin off! Oops!
Mile 8: 7:36 - trying to make up for mile 7
Mile 9: 7:40
Mile 10: 7:55
Mile 11: 7:58
Mile 12: 7:49
Mile 13: 7:27

Today I had a 5 mile recovery run. During the recovery runs I try to keep the pace slower than 8:45. It is hard. I use these runs to focus on form, and ironically I end up going faster than I want to. The route for my Tuesday run is a 3 mile on a v slight downhill, one mile on a slight uphill, and one mile with huge hills and almost no downhill at the end. I try to run this last mile faster but not all out, although today, with the chilly temps and the strong wind it felt like I was going all out!
5 miles @ 8:44 with mile 5 @ 8:18.

It's so nice to be training again, although I have to confess that I am having a love affair with swimming! I am getting better and better and am developing some serious arm/shoulder muscles, which I am loving! Can't wait to swim every day during my upcoming trip!
***

Someone asked me about the podcasts I like to listen to while running. Here are my favorites, which you can get for free via I-tunes.

National Public Radio podcasts:
1. This American Life (weekly) - 60 min podcasts on various topics. I never miss any!
2. On Point (daily) - 60 min podcast about anything and everything, from music to politics. I am never disappointed, even when it first appears that the topic is not interesting.
3. Science Friday (weekly) - 45 min podcast about various science or health issues. Some are over my head or not of interest. I download only the episodes that look interesting to me.
4. Your health (weekly) - 15-20 min podcasts about health issues and medical discoveries.
5. Wait, wait, don't tell me (weekly) - v funny game show based on weekly political events.

Running podcasts:
1. Run, run , live 2.0 (weekly) - 60 min, v funny, somewhat informative podcast that makes a long run seem shorted.
2. Runners Round Table (weekly) - 60 min podcast discussion with 6-10 runners on various topics. Boring at times, great for beginners.

Give them a try! They are awesome on recovery or long runs!

2009 stats

RUN:1898 miles
BIKE: 1617 miles
SWIM:140 miles

PRs:
1) marathon: 3:29:47 (15 min PR)
2) half marathon: 1:39:47 (3 min PR)
3) 5K: 20: 23 (27 seconds PR)
4) sprint triathlon (400m swim/13 mile bike, 5K): 1:11:29, automatic PR

Injuries: 0 (a little ITB issue but healthy otherwise)
Days of running per week: 3, up to 4, now 5.
Nr of running shoes purchased: 7 (2 Boston Adidas Classics, 3 Asics Gel Kayano 15s, 1 Adidas Supernova Cushion, 1 Asics 150)
Nr of biking shoes purchased: 1 (Shimanos)
Nr of bikes purchased: 1, my first road bike, Fuji 2.0 (thanks for the deal, Rostom!)
Nr of bathing suits purchased: 4
Nr of useless running gear purchased: 1 pair of black Recovery Socks. Then discovered that the $3.99 pair purchased at Walgreens looks and works exactly the same way!
Nr of toenails lost: 7 for Boston, 1 for Baystate.
Nr of pounds lost: 0
Nr of pounds gained:0
Diet changes: introduced post runs smoothies, increased calcium intake, switched from lettuce to spinach in salads, reduced process meat consumption (e.g., lunch meat), increased free range eggs consumption, introduced 2/week salmon dinners/lunches, changed about 50% chocolate consumption from milk to dark, introduced the 1 cup berries and 1-2 handfuls nuts/day rule, reduced soda intake to 1 can of coke or diet coke/day, reduced coffee intake to 12 oz/day.

Lessons learned:
1) I love training
2) I love running fast
3) I love listening to podcasts on long or easy runs
4) Racing with music helps me go faster.
5) Running takes patience. The body needs to get used to the slow increased in mileage and speed.
6) Running faster can help change foot strike (was heel striker, now am forefoot striker)
7) Rotating running shoes is a good thing.
8) Strength training is important and not too boring if I do it while watching TV at night.
9) Learning to swim is challenging and fun.
10) Own personality translates into running. But, running allows one to experiment, with less drastic consequences than real life.
11) It does not pay off to try to explain to people that running strengthens, not destroys the joints. But, I still think it is important to do it.
12) I am grateful to be able to run, bike and swim as much as I a.m

I've had a blast in 2009! I want even more in 2010! I don't make resolutions, but am looking forward to more of the same, and a couple of new athletic adventures! Have a Happy New Running Year!

2010

I have been thinking a lot about my racing calendar for 2o10. I have a tough time figuring out the races I would like to do. Further, I have a tendency to change my mind. I mean, how can I commit to a summer race in December? It seems so far away.

So I decided to plan some races up to May 1st, and then figure our what I want to do after that. A lot will depend on my swimming. If I make enough progress with the free style, I might do the Mooseman Half Ironman on August 29th. If not, I'll do sprint triathlons and more trail races. I am thinking about the Stonecat 50 miler as a fall race, in lieu of a marathon. Will see, I am not committing to anything now.

Here are my races for the first half of 2010.

1. GAC Fat Ass trail race, January 9th.
This is a 6 mile loop that you can run as many times as you want. I am scheduled to run 15 miles @ 8:23 that day, so will probably end up running 3 loops. Chris is running a couple of loops, too. I am super excited about this "race" as I will get to see some of the Mass running blogger friends who I have not seen in a while.

2. Boston Prep 16 miler, January 24th.
I am scheduled to do a 20 miler @ 8:38 that day. My plan is to warm up for 4 easy miles, and then try to keep the 8:38 pace on this killer hilly course. If I feel good, pick it up for the last few miles.

3. Half at the Hampton's, February 21st
I am scheduled to run 18 miles @ 8:08 on that day. But, this is where I would like to qualify for New York City (need 1:37) 2011. I will probably warm up a couple of miles, run the race, and then run the rest easy later in the day.

4. Stu's 30K, March 7th
I am supposed to run 15 miles @ 7:58 that day. I will either run 3 miles easy and then 15 miles faster, OR run 15 the week before and 20 (2 warm up, 18 race) on March 7th. Will see.

5. Boston Marathon, April 19th

6. The Cape Relay, May 1st
I am not sure if this will work out, but I am committed to running this with my Runaway Moms group.

Wow, that is a lot of racing for me, although I only consider the half marathon and the Boston Marathon as races. Hopefully I'll stay healthy and able to run them all!.

Running in the cold and body fat percentage

I ran 14 miles this morning in 10 degrees weather. I met up with my friends the Sue(s) @ 7:30, all filled up with oatmeal, blueberries and coffee, as well as the excitement of having company for the first 10 miles of the run. To our surprise, the Arlington bikepath was filled with runners from the Dana Farber Boston Marathon charity group, and this got me excited about running the Boston course in March and April. We kept the pace pretty slow, which was fine with me, and chatted comfortably for the first couple of miles, and uncomfortably for the last miles due to the cold - I speak with a slight accent, and when you add slurring from the fact that my face is 1/2 frozen, well, it's pretty hard to understand what I am saying. About 5 miles into the run our water bottles were completely frozen, which meant no Nuun or water for the rest of the run! I think next time I am going to fill one of my bottles with hot water (seriously!). To top this off, when I got home I experienced the worst case of cold weather urticaria. I have been getting this on and off in really cold weather, since I was a kid. No, I am not willing to take drugs for it (I am as anti s as meds as one can be). The only thing that stopped me from scratching the soul out of my butt and thighs was the fact that I am planning on swimming tomorrow and I don't want to start any rumours at the neighbourhood YMCA!
14 miles @ 8:11; first 10 @ 8:30, last 4 @ 7:28.

On a different note I finally purchased a scale. I rarely weigh myself bc I can tell when I gain or lose weight (though interestingly my weight does not change based on training, but my body shape does). However, I just finished reading "Racing weight" by Matt Fitzgerald and became really curious about finding out my body fat %. Thanks to google shopping I found a scale with great reviews for little money (yay for me). I set it at the Athlete Mode based on the fact that I probably exercise for 9-10 hours/week (including stretching and strength training). The weight was accurate, but I got a body fat percentage of 11.7 the first day, 12.5 the next, and 12.00 the third day. I know these vary based on hydration, etc, and the variation is pretty small. Still, these numbers are v low and there is no way I have this little fat. My BMI is a healthy 19.4. DO any of you used these scales and have any idea about their accuracy? Am I doing something wrong using it? Should I not pick the athlete mode? I looked on line and found that the body fat range for women elite runners is 12-20%. However, I find it hard to believe that Paula or Kara have that much fat on their bodies or that I have that little.

Happy Running and stay warm! We are getting about 10 inches this afternoon or tomorrow, and I am super excited to go sledding! The only way to survive New England winters is to embrace it and enjoy it!

Good things

It's amazing how much appreciation for health one gets after being sick! I am sublimely happy to wake up every morning healthy and energetic. I am so excited about starting training. My running is back on track. I ran 38.5 miles next week split between 5 days: 8, 5, 5, 8 and 12.5. On Saturday I met up with a few friends for an easy 6 miler to which I added some progression miles. FUN!
Winter has made its appearance and it reminded me how much I love running in the snow and cold. I am lucky that the bike-path near my house gets plowed and I have 18 miles to run on no matter the weather. The only problem is when the path is icy, but that is not that often. Running in the snow and cold makes me feel so bad ass, so invincible. The air is fresh and sometimes I am the only one out on the path that is super busy in all other seasons. I often have these moments that everything is perfect as is when I run in the snow! It's mesmerizing.

My body seems to be adjusting to the 5 weekly runs. Granted, I ran fairly slow, but I would say at least 33% of my miles were 7:30-7:50, so that is good. I need to figure out how to incorporate more biking and swimming in my plan. The other day I tried one of Matt Fitzgerald's bike workouts (from Triathlete magazine), where you do 20 sets of 20 sec all out and 10 secs rest, and wow, that was tough! I have a hard time staying on the trainer for more than 30min, but I don't really need more than that at this point. On Sunday I went to the pool first time in 2 weeks. I did not sink!!!! I actually had a great swim. My free style is definitely improving, and I felt so happy in the pool. I had a lane to myself which helps a lot, since it is much easier to follow the blue line, rather than worry about bumping into the person who shares the lane with me. Swimming in a straight line is so hard!

We are having an "open Christmas" here, meaning, we tell each other what we want, and get everything on line. So easy! My husband and I have a $50 budget for each other - I really feel I can buy myself whatever I want, I don't need him or anyone else to get me stuff. I often get so many things that end up becoming clutter. This year I am telling everyone to not get me things! Hopefully it will work!

Three more weeks 'till Miami. Although I love winter, I don't love it as much as sitting at the beach, with my face in the sun and a book in my hand, while the entire extended family drools over my son!

Getting my self back

Yesterday I finally had a good run. It was cold and snowy, but my cough was mild and I was able to take deep breaths. Oh, what a treat to be able to inhale and exhale deeply. I tell you, it's all about the little things. I ran 8 miles, with 6 of them sub 8, a couple 7:30s. Good, particularly since I ran 26 miles total this week, and have a planned longer run for Saturday.

This sickness has really gotten to me. I am a busy body, and usually have tons of energy. I am always on the go or doing something. I never "just" watch TV, I always have some research going on the computer, or I play a game, or fold laundry. I strive on doing. So these past couple of weeks have been challenging. They made me think about getting old and slowing down, and boy, that is difficult for my 36 y old brain to comprehend. I also realized why I am always so motivated and excited about running. I rarely dread a workout, even during peak marathon training. I just love going out there, because 99% time I hit the pace I want. But this week I did not have any motivation to run. I ran slow, and even had to take rest breaks to catch my breath. I knew that there was no way I lost fitness, and the breathing issues were a function of my lungs being invaded by phlegm, but nonetheless running was not rewarding. There is one thing to work hard and hit your pace; that is reinforcing. There is another thing to work hard and run slow; that is plain frustrating.

But I did get through it. I did push myself to get out there because I knew that the alternative - staying on the couch -would be worse for me. And now I feel well, and my perky self is returning. Again I have a ton of things going, and they don't feel overwhelming, they feel like getting back to normal. Last post about being sick....hopefully for a loooooooooooong time coming! Things are good!

I've been...

1. getting a sore back from too much coughing.
2. enjoying my mom's company and her amazing help with Petru, cooking,and cleaning.
3. feeling spoiled (see nr 2).
4. running painfully slow - I don't even get my Garmin with me, I am just focusing on running 5X/week and getting the mileage up.
5. working - nothing like talking to patients while coughing a lung!
6. not Christmas shopping. Yes, I am one of those people who avoids malls like plague during the shopping season. Shopping malls depress me anyway, but this time of year is the worst. My son is only 4 so I am still getting away with a low key Christmas, thanks to the grandparents and other relatives, which are actually giving way more than I would like Petru to receive.
7. getting excited about a trip to Miami for New Years, followed by a cruise!
8. trying to get excited about training for Boston, which is supposed to start last week in December.
9. getting used to running with wet feet.
10. not swimming - have not swam in 2 weeks. I still can't take a deep breath without coughing, so better to stay away a bit longer.
11. asking myself every night whether the next day is going to be the day when I am not going to be sick.
12. learning that nr 11 is not a good mood inducing strategy (since I continue being sick).

Back into it

I went for a longer run yesterday. The cough was still there (and still is), but the fever was gone, and I did not feel like passing out while putting my running clothes on. Plus, mom arrived from Romania for a couple of months, and she begs to babysit for Petru. Have I mentioned that pleasing my mom has always been my first desire? I plan to do a lot of it while she is around, to let the Petru-Buni bonding grow stronger and stronger.

The run went better than I thought. I managed 11 miles while listening to "Would science make psychotherapy more effective" (NPR's science friday) and Run Live 2.0. I absolutely love listening to podcast while running. The pace was: 9.04, 8:54, 8:50, 8:35, 8:30, 8:35, 8:20, 8:10, 8:00, 7:50, 7:40. Nothing to write home about, but nothing embarrassing. Just happy to be running. My coughing bouts scared a couple of walkers, I think, although I was careful to cover my mouth and turn away from everyone. These days coughing in public brings so many dirty looks....it used to be sympathy...

This week I am back to increasing my mileage. I decided after-all to run 5 times a week. I'll be doing something like 8-10speed, 4 easy, 8-10 tempo, 4 easy with hill sprints, and a 13-24 mile run. Hopefully I'll manage a couple of 50+miles week. For now, I am just building the schedule and adding a few strides at the end. My recent 5K pace puts me at 3:19:02 for the marathon, which makes me happy particularly since I did not train for this 5K. Funny thing, I am excited about running slow for a while and getting my body recover fully from this super-potent bug. The night I am going to sleep through, without coughing, will be such a celebration!

Congrats to all those who raced this weekend, especially to Aron who got her BQ. Her one year journey is inspirational and it was wonderful to watch her get stronger and tougher and push through so hard to make her dream real! nicely done!

Reading

I've spent the past few days on my couch with my son on top of me, reading while he watched "Dinosaur Land" and "Cars". Yes, we've been sick. Our house is layered with snot, and the sound of our communal coughs is shaking the walls. My husband, who somehow escaped this superpotent bug, is considering buying earplugs! I say, add glasses and a mask, too! We are, unfortunately, not done!

So yes, not much running over here. I really don't miss it at all and am not worried about losing fitness (weird, I know). I look at this as being great timing. I am not training for anything really, and I rarely get sick (last time I was this sick I was like 10 years old or something), so this awful week should buy me a dozen or so years of feeling well (at least this is my plan!). Go positive thinking:)

So running I did not do, but reading about running I did...a lot. I finished 2 books. I don't remember when was the last time I had the luxury to read 2 books in 4 days (not for work), probably highschool. Nothing like just sitting on the couch, all day long.

The extra mile; One Woman's Personal Journey to Ultra-Running Greatness.
This is the story of Pam Reed, one of the most accomplished women ultrarunners. The book is inspirational, for a couple of reasons. First, it shows that success can come out of mental illness. Pam had pretty serious anorexia from an early age. She is blunt about it and does not make excuses. She agrees that she still struggles with it, yet it seems to me that she successfully incorporated it into her lifestyle, by finding a way to use her disorder to excel in running. The years of dieting have lowered her metabolism so much that she does not need much fuel, yet she is able to run 50 miles on nothing. Her body temperature is so low that it gives her an advantage in hot races like Badwater. She also has the energy of 10 people, which is likely a product of her low calorie diet. This is fascinating to me in light of all the research on aging and low calorie diets. It is also fascinating because while to the outsiders Pam can seem really sick - she is actually living a happy life, with family, kids, friends, and career, while channeling her demons into productive accomplishments. I am not saying that anorexia nervosa or athletica are desirable and that we should all eat coffee and a muffin in the morning, sour candy during the day and maybe dinner in the evening, while running 4X6 miles/day. But I think we are so ready to judge others on being "too skinny" (which Pam actually does not appear to be), perhaps because of some inner jealousy that we are never going to be that way. Anorexia is a serious disorder, and finding a way to come to terms with it is a huge accomplishment, even when one's eating is not "fitting" the norms. The other reason I like this book is that it does speak to the inequality between man and women is sports, when it comes to media coverage and reimbursements.

Second wind. The rise of the ageless athlete.
This book is a compilation of 18 stories about athletes with unbelievable achievements in their later years. Don McNeilly ran over 150 marathons AFTER age 80. Clarence Bass in his 70s has the body of a 20 year old. You get the idea. These people challenge the idea of what aging is supposed to be. The only issue I had with the book was that all athletes portrait here either picked up their sport in later years, or took a break from it and returned stronger in their later years. I wish the book made this point, because one can be mislead into thinking that, for example, a person who started running in their 20s can get better and better with age, though all the evidence shows that is not the case. However, it seems that when one takes a break, improvement becomes possible (at least in some sports). I don't think this has to do (fully) with the fact that the body gets an extended rest. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that the mind gets a rest from training and pushing through, and other areas of life are worked on (family, career, etc). Also, older athletes coming back seem to be fearless and much more mentally strong that their younger selves.

I fully recommend these books if you, like me, are into reading anything that has the word "running" in it. Now I have to find myself another book to read, since this bug seems to be here to stay a little longer. Any suggestions?

Gifts to you

OK, this may not be what it seems. No giveaway here! But I think these are even better than a material giveaway. So here we go:

For those with an upcoming marathon/race:

Check out this NY times article, with great insights on how to push through pain from Kara and Chrissy!


For those who are parents:

Check out NPR's On Point Episode of "Helicopter Parents: Can't stop hovering".
You can read a bit through this link or listen to the entire show via I-tunes!


For those who need proper form modeling:
The forever young Joan at the NYC marathon 2009! Wow!





Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!

Turkey Trot 5K - aka I Am A Rock Star!

I was not very excited about this race. I had a cold this week, and dragged my feet on some very easy and painfully slow yet challenging runs. Plus, yesterday my little man got a fever and ended up sleeping with me (actually on me). However, I did have a new playlist (Black Eyed Peas rock!) for this race, plus I knew I would have to run today anyway, so why not race?

I woke up at 6:30 so I could eat the usual - oatmeal, blueberries and coffee - early enough to prevent vomiting during the race. I ran the 3 miles to the race and met with Chris and Petru who took my race registration items and long sleeve shirt. I was super excited that we had timing chips, as I hate going to the front of the pack along with the real speedsters. I ended up running in shorts and tanktop and was very comfortable. We lined up, the gun went off, and only then did I realize that the race had a gun time (so not mat at the beginning). Darn!

Mile 1 - Holly molly what's up with the hills? Pace: 6:50
The race started with a gentle uphill, but I felt great. I did not want to start too fast, and settled to a 6:50, which I kept for the first mile. We had 3 hills during this mile, with one of them a little more than .25. I felt great!

Mile 2 - Let's get them women! Average pace: 6:40
I continued to feel great during this mile. I started looking for women in front of me, and worked on passing them. I had a fight or two, where I had to sprint for a little bit in order to pass, but I did it. Legs felt amazing! I was having fun! A little nausea started to set in, though.

Mile 3 - No puking until the finish line! Average pace: 6:34
Still feeling great, though nauseous. Around 2.5 I started feeling like I can vomit any minute. I briefly considered puking, but realized that I'd have to stop and my time would suffer. Instead, I told myself to just keep up the pace (6:38 at this point) and hope for the best. I gagged a couple of times, but managed to hold my breakfast down. We turned a corner around 2.9 mile and I decided to try a little sprint, while making deals with the Gods above about not puking until the end of the race. I succeeded! As soon as I crossed the finish line I gagged a couple of times but did not puke. I think the volunteers were happy about that!

One of my goals for this race was to suffer. I really did not meet this goal. I think without the vomiting worry I could have pushed more. I felt like I did a tough tempo run, but certainly I did not feel like I raced (aside from the puking feeling). My last 5K was in March 2008, and somehow my memory of 5ks was that they seem long and painful. This one did not. So I know I can do better, and I am really excited to try another one, maybe in December. For now, I am super proud with my PR.

Stats (by Garmin, official results not posted yet):
20:25; 6:34 pace - probably off by a few seconds given the guntime start....
Total miles: 9 @ 7:51

Ramblings..

# I had a pretty awesome week. I finally feel my legs are getting back their spring (hurray!) and muscle tone (yes, I am vain!) after the post marathon sloth. At the moment, my legs are hilled-out, but the rest of me is really looking forward to more hill sprints in the upcoming week. Not sure why I like to be in disagreement with my body parts...maybe to show them who is the boss?

# My son is finally showing some interest in running. Lets just say he is not the athletic type (at least thus far), which is very strange because both myself and my husband are spending a good chunk of our free time (sometimes all) in our individual sports. Petru, on the other hand, likes to spend hours watching youtube videos of bridges, lighthouses and traffic signals/railroad crossings, only so that he can spend even more hours drawing what he saw, while asking us from time to time, "Which one was the 3rd one I saw, mama" (hm...that one!). But, recently he has shown interest in running. We have a daily race from his preschool to the car, and we even ran a 400m together at the track. He is all about winning and getting jelly beans, which is fine with me, as I believe in parenting by bribery using rewards.

# Onto more exciting news. I registered to become a running coach via Road Runners of America. The course will take place the weekend before Boston Marathon, about 10 minutes from my house. How could I pass such an opportunity? A while back I had a thought about combining my real job with exercise, and I think I am getting closer to making that happen.

# Here is the new addition (still with the label on) to our living room, "the bucket".


It stays in the living rooms filled with water, and both my husband and I take icebaths in it daily. It's convenient because we can watch TV/use the computer while icing. Also, it is tall enough so that I get more than 3/4 of my legs in, which is pretty good. It is hidden in between the couch and the bookcase (which in this pic looks book-less), so you can't really see it (and we do move it when we have guests). Having said that, I really think the next step will be do make the guest room or my study an exercise room - we have a step machine, bike trainer, lots of weights, a few medicinal balls, a foam roller, a stick, and many more. Time to get them a home!

Running strong

Thanks to all the advice and suggestions regarding my ITband. I think it felt the love, because it's been quiet since Sunday. On Monday I had an amazing run. I left the house thinking I am going to run until my ITband starts complaining (as Michelle suggested). Well, it never did. So I ran 3 easy miles and somehow ended up at the track for 3X1600m repeats with 100m RI, which I ran faster than I have ever run them before (6:17, 6:20, 6:15), completely surprising myself, particularly because they were not "all out" (and no puking involved). I am planning to run a 5K on Thanksgiving, and I feel a bit more prepared to run it after this workout. The course is pretty hilly (it's NH, everything is hilly there), but I am going for suffering on this one! All out, bring on the pain, see what you've got, puke if you have to, but never slow down kind of plan! Will let you know!

On a different note, I am making huge strides with my swimming. I am still confused about proper form - I watched lots of online swimming videos and explanations of free style technique, but I did not find consensus. So I keep experimenting, asking swimmers who look like they know what they are doing... But regardless, my 3 swims/week plan is working, because I am much more comfortable swimming free style, which is great. My arms are getting so strong (and sore)! I absolutely love swimming and am hoping that I will continue to see improvements.!

I am also biking a ton, since I am running less and the weather has been beautiful. I biked 70 miles last week, which is a record for me. I am now going at an average of 20+MPH comfortably for 15-20 miles at a time, which is progress since the summer. I still die on the huge hill back home (and ride v slowly on the downhill), but I am becoming much more comfortable with the corners and turn, so that is progress.

So all is really good over here. This week I'll be getting my H1N1 vaccine (hopefully) since I am in the priority category because of my work. I still have not gotten Petru's vaccine because the pediatrician's office got only a few shots and we were late making the appointment, but hopefully next week he'll get his. Chris will likely get one in February/March after the flu pandemic ends, since teachers are "not" considered priority in this country! Good thing that he has the best immune system and he never ever gets sick (though without the timely vaccine he'll be contributing to the spread and reformation of the H1N1 2010/11!

Rainy run and stubborn ITband

I had such an adventure running today. The initial plan was to go to the Fells with a couple of running buddies and run the Skyline and Reservoir trails, for a total of 13 miles, as prep for the "race" on December 3rd. Then someone checked out the forecast (not me, I never check the forecast, I just go run no matter the weather, which is not a smart thing when it comes to running on rocky trails) and the decision was made to skip the run. I was a bit bummed as I miss the Fells, but also happy because I could sleep in and truly enjoy our weekly Friday night game night (which I did!). In the morning I dilly dallied a lot. I mean, a lot. I knew that I had to finish the run by 11:00, so that I could go to a parent -teacher conference. Petru had a playdate which meant free time for Chris, so all was good. I never dilly dally my runs. I like to get them done and move on with my day. But this morning it was pouring and after Baystate my tolerance for running in the rain has decreased substantially. Since I don't check the forecast, I did not know that we are getting 11hours of rain today. Chris knew that, though, so I decided to brave the elements. Temps were reasonable. I put on a long sleeve swim shirt and short running tights, baseball cap and gloves, got my I-pod all ready with a running podcast, and off I went for my planned 12 miler. I was the only one out there, which was very different than what I am used to when I run on the Minuteman path. During the initial few miles I weaved a lot trying to keep my feet dry. Around mile 4 I encountered the first huge puddle which took over the entire path. Having no other way, I proceeded to run through it with water up to my knees (true!). Crazy! My feet were cold and wet for a bit, but the warm temps helped warm them up, until a couple more miles when I encountered the next huge puddle. By then I was having major fun. Running in the water is so different, in that one really needs to lift the legs up to keep up the speed. The only problem was that my ipod got stuck on "locked" which meant that I had to listen to the same podcast over and over...Around mile 8 I had to stop to tie my shoe laces (story of my life). When I started running again, my R knee locked and my ITband tightened up. %$#@! I stretched a bit, walked a couple of minutes, and the pain went away and I was able to run home.
12 miles, 7:40 pace.
My ITband is a little sore now, but not too bad. Not sure what's up with that, because before Baystate I've never had this problem. I had knee pain while training for Boston, but it was runner's knee not ITband. Darn! Back to the trails for me until the band shuts up for good! Do you all know how one can tame a stubborn ITband (aside from rest, icing, streching, strengthening, swearing, etc). Ahhhhh!

Pretraining phase

Thank you all for your advice regarding my plan for Boston. Although I've said it here that I don't like to do what I am told, over the years I have come to terms with the fact that more brains are often better than one. Getting older means getting wiser!

I still am not sure what the final plan will be. In fact, I did not know it for Baystate, either. The plan kind of evolved. So I am going to use a modified FIRST again (1 8-10miles with 3-4miles track; 1 8-13 miles with 3-6 miles tempo at 3 different speeds; 1 long run getting progressively faster; 1 easy run). I am going to do all the long runs and some of the tempos and speed sessions on hills. I am also going to do all out 10 sec sprints on hills at the end of some of the runs. So the mileage will stay the same, at least at the beginning. I worry about adding mileage, particularly since the runs for the 3:2o program are v fast (for me), like 3X6:22 mile repeats, and shorter intervals at an even faster pace, with 400m in the 5:XXs. The long runs are also v fast. Plus, I will, once again, run a 20 miler at MP or close to MP (hopefully) on the Boston course, as this has worked out nicely for me in the past. If I am adjusting well and feeling healthy (and we have a mild/moderate winter), I may replace a cross training with a slow run during the peak or sharpening period (whatever the new name for the most intensive training period is). Phew! Feel much better now that I have a plan.

I absolutely love the philosophy behind FIRST. It completely fits with my lifestyle and my personality. I run for the endorphins and for the speed. I don't like slow easy runs. They don't do much for me. I also have a hard time understanding how running slow (eg., recovery runs) can help more ran biking or swimming fast (which I plan to do)! I believe that one gets fast by going fast! This is why it is so nice that there are so many different plans our there, and everyone can pick what fits best for them.

Now I am in the "pretraining" phase. I am working on increasing my mileage (last week I only ran 22 miles), doing some intervals, all or most of it on trails (as long as the weather permits), and resting. In addition, I am focusing on plyometrics, core work and strength training (weights and short hill sprints). I have never thought I would say this, but I love this stuff! I feel so strong! On other (happy) news, my ITband is completely healed, yay!

First long run, or getting my endorphin kick

During my run today I kept thinking about how much nonrunners are missing out! It was one of those perfect runs: cool temps, shining sun, forgiving terrain (rolling hills and flats), beautiful ocean views.


This was one of the views from the run. Can you tell why New Castle, NH is my favorite place to road run?

My goals for this runs were....well, to see if my IT band will hold up to a road run (I've been running only trails since the marathon), and to see if I completely lost my marathon fitness. I also planned to focus on my form: small steps, body tilted forward from the ankles, not waist, pelvis pushed forward.

As I started, my thoughts were: "You are going to be so slow, maybe you should not even get the Garmin, do you want to have a slow run on record?". I told my brain to stop babbling, but ignored the watch for a bit and focused on my form, scenery, and the podcast I was listening to. At mile 2 or so, I looked at my watched and was shocked to see I was running 7:55s. Wow! That put a smile on my face, mostly because that pace felt easy and effortless. I kept running up and down the hills, over a bridge, with the ocean on my R, through a park, then alongside the ocean. My pace was 7:50 at the turnaround, and I was still feeling great. I also noticed that the more I would pay attention to my form, the faster my pace, and the easier it seemed. Hopefully pretty soon all of this will become automatic!

At this point, the endorphins were getting released, and I was feeling on top of the world. Of course, that led to even faster running, so that by the end of the 10.1 miles, the average pace was 7:40 (this included a 400m sprint). I had to run up and down the street to get that .1 on, but I really want to start adding .1 or .2 to all my long runs, to get myself used to the fact that my marathon will most likely be a 26.5.

So now I feel much more prepared to spend a couple of hours at the McDonald's indoor playground doing my share of parenting as my husband plays tennis and makes dinner for our friends tonight! My brain is spinning with thoughts about my training plan for Boston. I am reading Brad Hudson's book "Run faster", and will incorporate some of his ideas into what I did for Baystate. My main dilemma is whether I should increase mileage or now. I ran Boston on 30 miles average, and Baystate on 40 miles average. Am I ready to go to 50? Would that help? I definitely want to run only 4 times a week, because I like to have 1 day of rest/Xtrain after every key run, so doing 50 miles would mean lots of looong miles, or double runs, which honestly I doubt I could fit into my schedule. I also have to take into account that I am still a beginner, with less than 1 year of actual training for a race, so my muscles, bones, tendons, are still getting used to running and getting stronger! So blogger friends, share some wisdom!

In return, I leave you with my view as I type this post, from my mom in law's house in New Castle, NH...

Back at it...

...at running, that is!

After the marathon I took some time off of running, to heal all the micro tears (hopefully) and tame a stubborn and painful IT band. I did not run at all the week after the marathon, and only did 3 short runs last week. I did not miss running, as much as I missed training. I miss training right now. I miss a hard run. This next couple of months I am under strict orders (from myself) to take it easy, build up my mileage, and run for "fun", mostly on trails. This is hard for me, but my body needs it. I've raced 2 marathons and 2 half marathons in the past 7 month. That is a lot for a beginner like myself. The body needs time in order to be able to handle the heavier training load that would give me a shot at a 3:20 at Boston. To keep things (a little) interesting, I may do some hill work, may run the Thanksgiving 5K (depending on the status of my IT band) and will do a trail race in December.

Although I miss training, I am enjoying having more free time, and focusing on strength training, swimming and biking. For the past 2 weeks I went to the pool 10 times, and swam between .75 and 1.5 miles each time. The lifeguards and I are on first name bases. I bet that I am the source of many jokes among themselves. As a teenager, I would have cared.

Swimming is so different from running. It requires complete concentration (at least in my case). I am an ingrained multitasker, but somehow focusing on gliding, breathing, flipping my legs, rotating my body, and moving my arms with complete strokes all at the same time seems so challenging to me. If for a moment I lose concentration, everything falls apart. Lets just say that my chlorine blood levels outta be very high right now. Swimming also makes me super hungry for anything peanut butter like.

I have also been thinking about getting a running coach. For exactly 2 seconds. I know it would not work out very well for me (or the coach). While I like telling people what to do (just ask my husband), I have a hard time doing what I am told (just ask my husband). Instead, I joined a running club, Somerville Road Runners. I hope to be able to meet some faster folks to keep me company while training for Boston. I also feel the need to be part of a bigger running community, with people who sleep, eat, drink, think running like I do (or more, more is even better).

That's all from the Running and Living front. Lots of living, little running, but that will change very soon! This is one change I am looking forward to!

My running form..

or lack of it...

Case in point. Lets not even talk about the facial expression. I was trying to sprint here, and I always open my mouth during hard effort. Not sure why. (It started in childhood during gymnastics. There were noises then, too, a la Monica Seles.). So, not sure what was happening with my legs here, the L one is crooked to the L, I am about to land way in front of my pelvis, my arms are not sure what to do with themselves....Pretty bad!

In May I ran a 1/2 marathon and when I looked at the pictures I was appalled. I looked hunched over in all of them (worse than this, if you can imagine). I started reading about form, and made some changes such as shortening my stride, increasing my stride rate, paying attention to my posture, standing up straight, landing under my pelvis, and striking with my forefoot.



When I got my pics from the Swanzey Half I ran in September, I saw a huge improvement in my form. I was running straight, with a short (and quick) stride. This picture was taken at the beginning of the race (mile 4 or so), where I made a conscious effort to keep good form (I was looking down at my feet, very serious, concentrating on my form).


So I made some improvement. But, obviously I need more work with my form when I get tired. I can hold on to an OK form up to mile 20, but when my legs get tired, my form gets out of place - I hunch over, my stride becomes too long, my arms all over the place, etc. So what to do? What exercises/drills are you doing for form? Any suggestions about improving form during the last miles of a long race? I don't want to be nicknamed the "hunched over runner". Help!

Baystate pics

Oh, so these are not very attractive, but hey, I was running hard and lets face it, short tights are great for running in the rain, but not very flattering.

Looking happy around mile 15, I think!

On the (bouncy)Tyngsboro (sp) bridge, mile 8. I am looking down concentrating on not falling!

Around mile 15, I think....

Post marathon plans

It's been 4 days since the marathon, and I am not experiencing any postmarathon depression. After Boston I felt tired, in pain and depressed for an entire week. This time around, I am chipper, energetic and very pleasant to be around (and that is not subjective, Chris actually commented on this). Not sure what is going on... I was super busy post marathon with work, and that could have helped. I also swam daily, which gave me an endorphin kick, albeit one that I seem to have to work way harder for (speaking of swimming, why oh why am I having such a hard time with the free style? I am out of breath after ONE lap, it's ridiculous).

Truthfully, I think it may be the realization that I may be am a good* runner. That thought in of itself gives me a runner's high. It's hard to comprehend that in a matter of 5 months I managed to shed 15 minutes off of my marathon time, on an average of 40 miles/week.

I really believe that I can get faster and faster, and I am excited to start training again. Speaking of that, my next marathon is Boston. I submitted my registration yesterday. I am also running the Skyline Fells Race on December 3rd. It is an 8 mile loop, and you can pick how many loops you want to do. I'd like to do 4, but that will depend on the weather and how my legs feel. I am also thinking of racing a Turkey trot. I have not run a short race in a long time, and I am eager to see how fast I can go.

But for now, I am going to continue to rest my running muscles. My ITband is way better; however, I went for a 15 mile bikeride yesterday (my first with a headlamp) and my IT band did not like it one bit. Not a happy camper about this, but I hope time, icing, rolling, will make it better soon! I hate injuries! My plan is to let everything heal, no matter how long it will take. Plus, I really need to work on my swimming as I plan to do some longer triathlons this summer!

* good is of course, relative....

Baystate marathon, Race report

Stats:
Garmin: 26.4 miles, 7:53 pace
Official stats:
26.2, 8:00 pace, 3:29:48 (net time), 3:30:30 (gun time).
10/188 AG
Question: Do you all run this much extra during races?

Fun (???) facts: weather was 41 degrees and rain at 8am start; down in the low 30s by 10am, with hard rain and strong wind.
***
I am sitting on my couch sipping tea, compression tights on, icepack on my R ITband, feeling great and trying to collect my thoughts about the race. I confess I was a bit disappointed when I saw the results. It was very cold and I only looked at my Garmin's average pace (not time) during the race (the Garmin was covered by my shirt), so I though I did a 3:26, based on my pace... I was also disappointed that I did not start the race faster, that I played it out conservatively hoping to speed up at the end, when it was too late because the weather had turned bad around mile 15 or so.

But then I checked out the results, and saw how hard of a time almost everyone I know had out there, and realized that maybe my race strategy worked out to my advantage given the conditions. As with every race, I learned a lot about myself during Baystate.

I woke up happy to be running, and very excited. It was actually warmer than expected, 41 degrees, and a little drizzle.After agonizing the day before about what to wear, I settled on short tights, and long sleeve tech shirt, a fleece and a tank top that I planned to discard on the course, ear warmers and mittens.

I met Katie at the Arena, and we walked together to the start. I saw and hugged my friends the Sue(s) who ran the 1/2 marathon, and saw a few of my Runaway Moms running group pals who attempted their first full marathon. The atmosphere was great. Everyone seemed excited. I felt the energy of the crowd. It was amazing. When I ran Boston, I was too nervous to really sit with the experience. This time it was different, I took everything in.

The start was chaotic, as the 1/2 marathoners left about 1 min before the marathoners, so we had lots of slow people to weave around for the first 3 miles, until the courses separated. That helped keep the pace down at 8:06. By mile 5 we were averaging 7:58. Katie and i started the run together. She had lots of bad luck with injuries and asthma, in spite of v conservative training, and I knew from the beginning that she was struggling as her breathing was hard.

I felt pretty good from the start. I tossed my fleece and a shirt to the volunteers on the course while yelling: "catch this" (that was fun!). I was v comfortable, actually a bit warm. It was raining a bit, but nothing too bad. The air was crisp, and the course was beautiful. We ran near the Merrimack river for a large part of the race. We had a couple of rolling hills, very mild though. The entire course was mostly flat, as flat as New England gets (which is a rolling kind of flat). At mile 8 we went over the T. bridge. What an experience. I felt like my sneakers had springs on, and I almost lost my balance a couple of time. It was fun, actually, and a nice distraction. Around mile 9 I met a couple of people, mostly 3:30 seekers, and talked a bit. We had a bit of a downhill from mile 9-11, and we were going faster (7:56). Katie stayed behind. I felt a bit conflicted as I would have liked to run together, but I ended up going ahead. I was feeling super. At mile 13 we turned around to run the same 10 mile loop. I liked that, as I knew what was ahead. At mile 13 Chris waited for me and we exchanged my Nuun bottles, and I got more Gu. I felt absolutely awesome and excited. By then it was raining pretty hard, and I started getting cold. I decided to use the I-pod, and that was great. I have never run a marathon with music before (Boston was a huge party, and I did not want distractions from that), but in a small marathon like Baystate it worked great.

At mile 15 I was running with a couple of guys, and one commented that it was really cold. At that point I realized that my fingers and toes were numb. In spite of trying to avoid the puddles, my feet got soaked. No biggie, though. I started feeling a little tightness in my muscles, what is expected after running 15 miles. I was passing a lot of people at that point. Some were walking, some were getting medical help. I was getting colder and colder, so I decided to eat as much Gu as I had (I ate 61/2 total) to give my body all the help I could. When we got to mile 20, I was ecstatic. In spite of feeling cold, I felt amazing. Little pain, no nausea, no lightheadedness, no sign of the "wall". With 6 more miles to go, I decided to go faster. I managed to go down to a 7:55 average during the next couple of miles, but that was hard because my legs and arms were frozen. I panicked for a second because I could not pick up my water bottle from my belt - my brain told my arm to move, but it could not - but I refocused quickly and told my arms that I've got to run and will take care of them later. And then I had this amazing feeling, that everything was perfect just as it was, and I started smiling and encouraging everyone who was running. The spectators were awesome toward the end of the race, so many, including small kids sitting in the freezing rain. They were cheering on me a lot because I was smiling. I was so happy. At mile 25 I could not believe it is going to be over. I did managed to pick up the pace so that the average on my Garmin was 7:53 when I crossed the finish line. It was really cool to hear my name announced as I entered the arena, Ana-Maria V (somehow I am registered as Ana-Maria V, kind of funny, but I don;t think they would have attempted to say my last name otherwise). I passed a couple of guys in the last 100m, just because I could.

The moment I stopped the pain started. My R IT band was tight tight tight, so that I had to hold my leg when walking. My knee was locked. We ran only on the R side of the road, which was cambered, so my R leg overpronated the entire race. I felt some pain during the race, in my hamstring and ITband but the excitement of the race took my mind off of it. Pretty amazing how the mind can overule the pain signal!

I went to the bathroom to change, and there were lots of really tiny girls under the driers trying to warm up. I always said I love my body fat, but have never loved it more than during this race:)

So now the marathon is over, a day in the past. I can't wait to run the next one, which will be Boston. Mostly, I can't wait to do more racing. There are lots of prep races for Boston, and I plan to practice taking risks, crushing and burning during these races, so that I can build confidence come race day. There is no doubt in my mind that I can run a 3:20 next time, assuming proper training and no injury. I train hard (I like to train hard), I work hard, I eat well and can deal with pain and suffering. I love to train! Confidence is what I need to build. My brain needs to habituate to the 7:XX pace, and it will. Each race adds a bit to the confidence. One year and a half ago I Pr-ed in the half marathon running the pace I ran today during the marathon. That was a happy day. Then I ran a marathon, a faster half, an even faster half, and a faster marathon. Really, it feels like the sky is the only limit (and confidence, but that will come. I have a plan for that).

That's all for now. This marathon was a completely difference experience than Boston. I was in a flow, I did not suffer, I did not have to use mantras, or play mind games, I felt one with running, my music, the crowd, and the weather. It was beautiful!

Congrats to Mary for going sub 3:20 (wow) on 3 weeks of training (wow), and being 5/188 in our age group, Katie for being so mentally tough and finishing in spite of terrible asthma and hip pain, Kristina for PRing (the BQ will come), Tami for finishing her first marathon in spite of injury, and to all the Runaway Moms who ran yesterday in the full or half! We did it!

3:29:XX

PR by 15 minutes
Horrible weather - legs and arm were numb after mile 20, so I could no speed up as planned.
Felt AMAZING the entire race, meaning I could have gone faster in better weather.
Next time!

Getting excited

I had my last quality run today, 6 miles with 3 @ HMP pace. The weather was beautiful, crisp, and ...chilly! My legs were very stiff during the warm up, but after 3 miles, they did not want to stop! The past few days have been a bit blah....my PC acquired the cyber virus, and for a while I was unable to open any Internet pages (this made me realize how much time I spend on line...for work, too:), I had a "who knows what type bug" (gone now, potentially due to lots of sleep, massive quantities of vit C and garlic, and multiple salt rinses with my netty pot), had a few work deadlines, and my ITB bugged me (what's up with that, I have never had issues with it before). Now all is well, and I am getting excited for the race. The race plan is done, outfit picked, and playlist made (even thinking about it makes me want to run, run, run). Looks like I will be running with Katie (that is, if I can keep up:), hurray!

A few last thoughts before the big day...
1. To the weather - I like cold, I like snow, but can you hold off the rain for the first part of the day?

2. To my legs - you are strong, you are powerful, you can absolutely do it.

3. To my ITband - you better behave, no temper tantrums on race day. Don't make me use the ibuprofen....that would be bad for everyone!

4. To my stomach - I know I was not smart about getting you used to Gus every 40 minutes, like I plan to do during the race. But you can take it. You can adapt. Think of Boston and how good you were! No bathroom stops or nausea, please!

5. To my "private parts" - I know the marathon will be "your first day". There is nothing I can do about that, and I accept it. But don't think I am Uta Pippig...and Baystate is no Boston!

6. To my mind - keep all systems in check, and stick with the plan. Keep it slow the first few miles, don't freak out at how hard those miles are going to feel, remember that we typically get into a flow after 3-5 miles, smile, focus, and enjoy the journey.

8. To pain and suffering - I know we will meet, I expect you. Just don't come too early in the game. Shall we rendezvous at mile 20? Later would be even better, you know!

9. To the marathon - you are important, you are intimidating and thus I respect you! But you are just a marathon and I tougher than you! There!!!!

What I am doing to keep sane during taper...

(although some family members might refute the title of this post).

1. I swim and bike a lot.
2. I work on my free style stroke. I might have mentioned my water phobia here on this blog. It stems from a childhood incident where I was thrown in the water. I stayed away until 2 summers ago when I taught myself breast stroke and side stroke. This summer I started to teach myself free style. I think I finally got the hang of it which means that if I keep at it, I may actually become competitive in the triathlons. All this Kona fever makes me want to hang out with the cool kids. Of course, I have to "grow up" first.....give me a few years.
3. I drive the marathon course and take a video. I did this early early in the am, with my husband, who has a mild traffic/driving to new places phobia. It was fun.....
4. I eat. I typically lose my appetite during taper, but this time I am hungry all the time. What's up with that. Good thing I never weigh myself (or bad thing...).
5. I play lighthouse monopoly with my son. He always wins. That's good parenting!
6. I play boggle and quidler with my husband. And win. Despite the fact that English is my second language and my husband majored in English at Vassar. Go me!
7. I picture myself running strong, even though during my last tempo run (6 with 3X7:01) my R ITB (I think) was screaming. I am all about denial.
8. I massage and ice my ITB constantly - proof is the ice freeze mark on my knee, and the fact that the entire R side of my R leg is sore.
9. I breath a lot.
10. I think about my marathon to do list, but really don't do anything off of it (like picking outfit, getting some vanilla GU, writing my race plan, making my playlist, etc).
11. I try to figure out how to leave early from my father in law's 70's surprise birthday, which happens to be the day before the marathon. Also related, I try to figure out how not to eat all the sugary and fatty foods that will be served there (because that would mean making best friends with the porta potties the next day) without appearing rude.
12. I work a lot.
13. I think too much. Always dangerous.
14. I talk too much, and too fast. I have WAY too much energy. Poor Chris - between me and Petru, the man needs to buy ear plugs!
15. I sleep a lot.

I'm becoming boring...oh, it's taper time

I've completed the first week of taper and ran 38 miles (a couple over what I had planned on), and a long run of 15 miles, with 14 @ 7:51. This week I have to get it down to 28, and then the following week down to 18 or less. I know I am not the only one, but I really don't like taper. I understand its logic, and I know how amazing it felt during Boston to have fresh legs and run pain free up to mile 19 (never thought it possible). The differences between then and now are:) 1) then I felt ready to taper (mentally and physically), now I do not (OK, maybe physically I do,but really, legs have been troopers) and 2) then I followed a plan and and now I don't (hence the obsession element in regard to running too little, losing fitness, etc). Of course, I am thinking that maybe I should have ran more miles (though according to Tim Noakes of Lore of Running, one should try to run the fastest at the lowest mileage possible before increasing mileage), or suffered more in training. The logical part of me does know that I really had an awesome training cycle, no missed workout, no injury, a PR in a half marathon...and I need to hold on to that (I will!).

Some blogger had really tough marathons this past weekend (sorry!!!), and it really got me thinking that things CAN go wrong in races, even though I have been so lucky thus far and have never had a bad race. Baystate is a double loop, and I don't know how to feel about that. Given that I have not run on the course, I think the double loop can be an advantage, in that I'll know what to expect the second time. But, it can also be super boring. Plus, I heard that the course is rather boring, and it can get really lonely in the second loop. Also, they don't have pacers for 3:30...what's up with that?

I am in the process of making my race plan, getting a pace tat (it worked once, so I will stick with it; plus, it's lots of fun to have one of those on your arm for, like, a week), figuring out what to wear, figuring out how the fancy laces I bought work (I always have to stop during races to tie my shoelaces...), and mostly coming up with a plan so that I don't end up running .5 mile extra like I did in Boston (that was A LOT of fun:).

Ok, I realized this post is rather boring, but that is all I've got. With less running, expect me to get even more boring this week and next week:) I won't talk about work and parenting here, and that's what I'll be mostly focusing on during the next couple of weeks! Oh, well!

Taper thoughts...

Since I have blindly followed the FIRST plan during my first marathon training cycle, I have not put too much thought into tapering and just followed what those guys had in the plan. This time around, I kinda sorta made my own plan, based on FIRST, which means that I had to figure out how to taper.

Here is how my plan looked like, on average:
M: 10 miles with 3-4 miles speed intervals;
W: 8-10 miles with 3-6 tempo (3@ 5K or less, 4 @ 1oK or less, 6@ HMP or less) OR 10-12 MP;
Th: 4 miles recovery on trails;
Sat: 13-22 miles progressively faster during training cycle. ( actually I ended up doing 6 20-22 milers!!)
On top of running, I managed to squeeze in 15-45 miles biking, and/or 2-5 miles swimming, as well as 2 weekly sessions of core and strengthening.

I did some research on line re: tapering, and have learned that:
1) marathon taper should be 3 weeks long (check!)
2) marathon taper should focus on decreasing mileage rather than intensity; intensity should not change much (check!); not doing speed work/fartlecks during taper leads to loss of fitness.
3) one should decrease mileage by 20% 3 weeks before marathon, 40% 2 weeks before the marathon, and 60% week of marathon; The decrease should be based on the peak marathon mileage (e.g., 46 miles for me).
4) carbo loading is not a requirement IF one takes calories during the marathon. If one wants to carbo load, simplest way is to warm up and than run a 6 min interval followed by 30 sec sprint 2 days before marathon, and immediately follow that with carbs; also, try to eat mostly carbs these 2 days before the marathon (this is from M Fitzgerald, Cutting Edge Running).
5) self care is very important: minimize stress, eat well, sleep a ton, visualize, think positively, you know the drill!
6) no strength training during the week of the marathon.

I did not find much info on tapering the cross training, but the folks who create FIRST were nice enough to email about this. Their advice was to decrease time spent cross training during the last week only, and use a lower gear for the bike workouts.

So I am planning on keeping my workouts as they are, and just decreasing the mileage based on the rule in #3). I'll do a 15 miler with 14 @ MP this weekend, than a 10-12 @ MP next weekend, and run a total of 12-15 miles the week of the marathon. I'll keep the rest of the workouts as are , so I will have speed and tempos even in the week of the marathon.

I tend to completely lose my appetite during taper, and also I tend to get sick (I have a mild cold now). I am very calm about this marathon, which is different than how I was last time, but I think it's because I don't put that much importance on it. Whatever will happen will happen. I am going to Boston any way. I absolutely loved the training, and the race is just the prize, a chance to run hard on fresh legs, an take myself a bit outside of my comfort zone if I so feel during that day.

What works for you during marathon tapering? What does not? Advice? Thoughts? Bring 'em on!!!

###
Due to a math error (oops...I actually am really good at math) I ended up running 11 miles on Monday, with 8X800m @ 6:20-6:24 (1:30 RI between sets). Easy! Really! I love the track! But, my legs felt weak (not sore) today, and my 15 mile hilly bikeride seemed hard. My legs are begging for rest, so I need to listen to them! I feel fresh mentally, which is very different than how I felt during my previous marathon training cycle, when I was ready to taper. What can I say, I can't get enough of this running thing!

What's MY MP?

I had an amazing run this morning with Katie. I am not sure whether it was the massive amounts of Iggy's bread I consumed the night before, or maybe Chris put some drugs in the chicken marinade, or it was the lava cake I shared with Chris....hm....but I felt amazing during the run.

The plan was to run 20 miles at 8:15, and, as Katie put it in the email she sent earlier in the week, "you are probably secretly hoping for 8:10". Yes, I was. But, not in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be able to run 21 miles, with 20 at...7:58, and feeling great! The run was not easy, but I managed to eat 2.5 gels, drink a ton, and only started to feel the fatigue around mile 15. We ran pretty even splits, starting at 8:05 average, and pretty soon settling into 8:00 pace, for the majority of the miles, getting faster during the last 4 miles. Legs did not hurt at all! I had minimal nausea. The weather was beautiful and the air crisp. A perfect running day.

During the run, Katie asked me whether I still aim for a 3:30. "Not even a 3:25?" she said. And that got me thinking. You may remember my post about confidence as a runner. I have been thinking about that a lot. Certainly, it would be safe for me to run at an 8:00pace (3;30 marathon), and unless I have an off day, I absolutely know I can do that. I mean, running like this today, on tired legs and peak 46 miles (record for me) is proof enough. But who does a 20 miler @ MP-2 seconds average? I don't want to run a marathon comfortably; OK, I hope to be comfortable for 18 miles, like I was in Boston, but I actually want to feel the pain, and fight during the last few miles. It's not really about the actual marathon time that I care for (since I am already qualified for Boston). It's more about the journey, and mostly about working hard for something, struggling, feeling what's to be felt, and making it through. And doing all of these because I chose to, even though others may not understand.

So I am revising my marathon goal. I am going to run the first half at 8:00 pace, but then push the pace a bit, take some risks, and see what happens. I am not going to be afraid to see a sub 8 pace - I have the training under my belt and I am going to go for it.

So thank you Katie, for the run today. I certainly would not have dared to run as fast by myself. I really recommend running with people who are faster than you are (and nice about it!) because this is the sure way to become a faster runner, both physically and mentally.

Taper starts today. Baystate, I am ready for ya!

A different kind of mental toughness..

Here's an excerpt of an article for you....some musing for those prepping for a race this Fall. Enjoy!

But the article that really stuck with me is Daniel Coyle's "That Which Does Not Kill Me Makes Me Stranger." It's about Jure Robic, who is surely one of the few people who frequently wins races in which he has repeatedly hallucinated.
Robic is a Slovenian cyclist who, as Coyle writes in The New York Times, wins races by spitting in the eye of moderation. His technique is essentially, not to stop. One of the races he has won is more or less the course of the Tour de France, only without the nights to rest, eat and recover. He races all the way across America -- some 3,000 miles -- without ever really getting meaningful sleep.
There is a price, though: In the process, Robic goes wholly (if, mercifully, temporarily) insane. Robic's wife saw him race for the first time and nearly instigated a divorce. His support team has found Robic boxing mailboxes he imagined to be attackers. They have found him in the fetal position on the street. They have heard him complain of being chased by mujaheddin. They have found him so mad that he get off the bike and storms the van. (They lock the doors, they say, when that happens.)
But they have also found him crossing the finish line ahead of the competition, thanks in large part to his unwillingness to listen to those who say there are limits.
People have assumed that muscles could only perform so much, for so long. If you bike for five days straight, surely your muscles would be so overwhelmed with lactic acid that they would stop functioning. But some newer research suggests that's not so. Some researchers argue that the body may be able to perform far more than we ever imagined -- if you can trick your brain into letting the muscles do the work. The limits that were once thought to reside in the muscles are now, some researchers say, really in the mind.
The way past fatigue, then, is to return the favor: to fool the brain by lying to it, distracting it or even provoking it. ...
Some people ''have the ability to reprocess the pain signal,'' says Daniel Galper, a senior researcher in the psychiatry department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. ''It's not that they don't feel the pain; they just shift their brain dynamics and alter their perception of reality so the pain matters less. It's basically a purposeful hallucination.''
Coyle also points out that just a decade or two ago it was considered nearly miraculous that anybody could finish an Ironman triathlon. These days thousands of Americans complete races that are more than twice as long.
A 61-year-old farmer won one of the world's toughest ultramarathons by similarly ignoring sleep. Everyone else was faster in the early going, but they made the mistake of stopping to sleep from time to time. Cliff Young said he imagined a storm was coming and he had to round up his sheep, and walked for nearly six days straight, shattering the course record.
A "purposeful hallucination," just as the researcher suggested.
Michael Jordan knows purposeful hallucinations. His Hall of Fame induction speech tells us as much. Jordan might be alone among humans in having essentially zero claim to being an underdog. He had, it seemed, purposefully hallucinated a world in which he had not won everything on the earth, a world in which he actually had meaningful rivals and a world in which he still had a ton to prove. That night he skewered, teased, showed up or taunted just about anyone who ever doubted him.
Reading on, we find Robic is not so different. Successful, in his way, but so unbelievably far from satisfied.
''I find motivation everywhere,'' Robic says. ''If right now you look at me and wonder if I cannot go up the mountain, even if you are joking, I will do it. Then I will do it again, and maybe again.'' He gestures to Mount Stol, a snowy Goliath crouched 7,300 feet above him, as remote as the moon. ''Three years ago, I got angry at the mountain. I climbed it 38 times in two months.'' ...
''All my life I was pushed away,'' he says. ''I get the feeling that I'm not good enough to be the good one. And so now I am good at something, and I want revenge to prove to all the people who thought I was some kind of loser. These feelings are all the time present in me. They are where my power is coming from.''
If the key to achieving athletic feats seemingly beyond human capability is tricking your mind, and if we already know Jordan has mastered that trick ... I figured we should at least do our homework.

You can read the entire article here. What are your thoughts?

And the winners are......

Heather (Run Faster Mommy) and Mandi (Team Ausman)

Congrats!

Email me your address @ avranceanu@partners.org

Running strong

With 3 weeks left before Baystate, I am happy to report that training is going very well.
This past week I ran 43 miles. Speedwork called for 3X1 mile intervals, which I did @ 6:40, 6:36, 6:32, as part of a 10 mile run. Tempo this week was replaced by a MP run; I did a total of 13 miles, with 11 @ 7:55 (I ran mostly @ 8, my planned MP, and speed up a bit toward the end). Thursday's recovery run was a typical 4 miler on trails, followed by a 15 mile bike ride.

My R groin hurt again (hrr) after Wednesday's tempo, so I worked on it with a tennis ball (that is hard work!), massage, ice, repeat. I was concerned a bit and thought I might have to skip or slow down the week's long run. Pain is so funny - it gets magnified a ton by worry and awareness! By Friday night all the tightness/pain was gone, and I was excited for a shorter long run. I had thoughts of doing 15 miles @ 8:20, with last 10 @ 8; however, my friends the Sue(s) wanted to run 8:20s for 10 miles, so I changed my plan and ran with them. We ended up running 10 @ 8:11. Then, I hammered 5 solo miles on @ 7:35...oops. Something happens to me when I run. The speed demon takes over and I have no self control. To my defense, I started the 5 miles on a slight downhill, and when I turned around at 2.5 miles to run on the uphill, well, who wants to run positive splits on one of the last long runs of a marathon training cycle. It does not breed good karma. I did cool down for .5 miles, and actually felt great. 16 miles @ 7:59 average. After my icebath we all went to the local Y and swam a bit in the heated outdoor pull. It was just amazing. Hopefully all will go smoothly with training during these last few weeks. A 20 miler, 2 MP runs (13 and 10) and ....26.2 in 3 weeks! I am so excited!

AM's marathon training phases

I have noticed that marathon training tends to follow several phases:

1. Weeks 1-4 - "I am so slow. But, my body is ready and I am excited"
These are the weeks when I feel the most excited about training. I strive on discipline and long terms goals, and the training structure of a marathon grounds me. Legs feel fresh daily. At the same time, it feels like I am going to bust a lung in every single speed and tempo run, and I am going to die of boredom running long. It's hard to imagine that a month before I was so much faster...

2. Weeks 4-8 - "I am still slow. But, my body is still ready and I am still excited...1/2 of the time"
It still feels hard to hit my target paces. I puke at the track. I start to worry that the MP I set might be a bit out of my reach. I push the thoughts out of my mind and plug along. I hang onto the one or two workouts that go very well and hope. I learn to expect puking. I make friends with myself during the long runs, and we start to get along fine.

3. Weeks 8-12 - " I am faster, my body is still strong..mostly, and I am excited....mostly.
Hitting target paces becomes easier. MP miles become comfortable. The body is holding up, recovering well. A twinge of pain here and there, but nothing too bad. I start to believe that I may be able to hold MP for the entire 26.2 miles, and that is exciting. At the same time, I am getting a little bored. Seems like I am getting little return for what I put in...

4. Weeks 12-14 - " I can go even faster. I am confident. I like to suffer. But, my body starts to complain"
This is the most annoying part of training for me. I am faster. My speed becomes addictive. I hunger training hard. I have the confidence, motivation and excitement. But, I need to restrain myself because of the twinges of pain that start to make their appearance, and because of the slower recovery after tough runs. I think back at the begining of training, where I would have to push so hard to hit my target paces, and I miss that feeling. Here is where I make deals with myself and the powers above with regard to staying healthy.

5. Weeks 14-16 - " Phew, taper. I made it. But, I am going NUTS: phantom pains, withdrawal anxiety, doubts"
This is where I need to keep busy. I get super productive with work. I make deals with myself about how much time I get to spend obsessing about the race, checking out the race course, etc. I start doing shorter but more intense cross training intervals, searching desperately for an endorphin kick. I accept all the negative doubting thoughts as "not reality", and try to replace them with positive ones, even though I don't believe the positive at the moment.

6. Race day - "I am so excited, I just can't hide it. I am about to lose control and I think I like it" (POinted Sisters)
By the time race day comes, I can barely hold my excitement. I feel slow, but I don't even care anymore. I just want to run. Can we get started, NOW? This feeling holds on until mile 19. Then, you all know what happens.

7. Post marathon - " I am sore. I am a rock star - I ran a marathon. I can do anything"
Post marathon I am exhausted but can't sleep. In fact, I can't stop talking (and I am actually shy). I have too much psychic energy. My family falls asleep exhausted while I stay up writing the race report.

8. The week post marathon - " There is NO WAY I can make it one week without running. I am tired. I am hungry. Life sucks"
In a matter of hours I go from megalomania to depression. I feel somehow lost. Here is where I have to have something prepared ahead of time, to throw myself into - a new project, a new book, a trip, a new training plan/marathon on the horizon. Cross training helps a lot, and eventually my mood normalizes.

!!!! DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE #9 GIVEAWAY ENDING SOON!!!

Chocolate #9; Product Review and Giveaway

Chocolate # 9 is a new energy gel designed specifically for athletes. This product fits a gap in the current market of energy gels, by delivering a consistent energy flow without the spike and bonk of the energy gels that are currently available. Chocolate #9 is made with the organic, natural sweetener Agave, as opposed to the other gels on the market that are made with various combinations of refined sugars.

Each packet has 70 calories.

Three packets cost $ 4.99 (shipping included)

Check out the site for more info: http://chocolate9.com/




From the manufacturer:
Chocolate # 9
* contains no refined sugar
* is sweetened only with organic agave.
* contains pure belgian cocoa
* has been tested and certified as a LOW glycemic index item (e.g.,
* because of its low glycemic index, when you use the gel you will reduce the negative effect of repetitive insulin spiking during sustained exercise (it's the reason you choose wheat bread rather than white bread, fruit rather than candy)
* won't cause sugar low-bonk
* is an excellent energy choice for athletes in general, and for those with diabetes, low blood sugar in particular, or those who want to avoid refined sugar
* it is vegan and low in fat
* contains no synthetics, no unpleasant after taste.

My personal experience with Chocolate #9
I took along 3 Chocolate #9 packets for my 22 mile run this past Saturday. A pretty big risk given that I have been having issues and eventually gave up the Chocolate GU I absolutely love taste-wise. I anxiously took the first gel at mile 5. The packet was easy to open, and it did not require a stop (I absolutely hate stopping when I run). The gel had the consistency of chocolate syrup, and it went down easily. It tasted great, too, like melted chocolate, much better than the Chocolate Gu. I took the entire gel with water, over the course of a quarter mile, as I wanted to enjoy the taste. I did not feel any different after I took the gel. Typically I can "feel" a Gu, I get a burst of energy. I did not feel this with Chocolate # 9. My stomach reacted very well, and I had no post gel nausea or bathroom (aka woods) emergencies. I took another gel at mile 10, even though I did not need it. I took the final gel at mile 15. I was running pretty hard by this point, my legs were getting sore, and I was breathing harder. I had to push myself to take another gel. As much as I like the idea of chocolate, and the taste of Chocolate #9, it was hard for me to take the last gel in chocolate. I wished for a different flavor. I took it, however, and reacted very well to it. Again, no highs or low. The gel has 75g sodium/pack, a bit more than Gu, so I drank less Nuun than typical. The gel and Nuun combo did not hurt my stomach. 22 miles, 3 packs of Chocolate #9, 2 Nuun pills, 2 hours, 59 min and 40 seconds! Tired but feeling great.

Things I like about Chocolate # 9
1. The taste - it has the best taste of any gels I have ever tasted. In fact, it does not taste like gel, more like dark chocolate syrup (but not too sweet).
2. Consistency - went down very easy. The manufacturer noted that the gel does not harden in the winter, so it is easy to take regardless of weather.
3. More sodium. I have salty sweat, and sometimes eat salt during races. I love gels that add sodium, so that I have to eat less of it plan (blah!)
4. Consistent energy flow - although I missed the initial boost I get with typical gels, I did not miss the low.
5. Did not upset my stomach (no nausea or bathroom urgencies).

Things I would change:
1. The gel does not contain caffeine. While I know that caffeine has some effects on blood sugar, I would prefer to have the option of caffeine in the gel, given all the research about increased performance due to caffeine intake. Can the manufacturer make a caffeine version in addition to the almost caffeine free current product (there is only caffeine from the cocoa)?
2. How about other flavors? It was easy for me to take Chocolate #9, but after 2 gels, I was done. I would have prefered to have the option of other flavors.
3. Speaking of flavors.....how about a ginger flavor? I would absolutely love to be able to take a ginger #9 during the last part of the marathon, when I tend to get a bit nauseaus due to the hard effort, as ginger has anti nausea properties.

The Giveaway:
The manufacturer is giving away 2 boxes of 24 Chocolate #9 gels to two readers (one box each).
Here are the rules:
1. One entry if you leave a comment.
2. One additional entry if you become a follower.
3. One additional entry if you mention the giveaway at your site.
4. One additional entry if you write a comment (can be same comment) including what you are looking for in a gel.
6. Giveaway ends September 21st, midnight.
7. The winner will be selected via a random drawing.
Good luck!