Running adventure

This afternoon I set out to run 9 miles, with 5@7:24 in the middle. The bikepath where I typically run (and which is the only fairly flat area around) is still covered with snow and ice, so I decided that probably running tempo pace on hills is a better option to risking a broken ankle... My husband had a suggestion about a route, which was great, because it's so nice to be able to blame someone if something goes wrong with a run.

Off I went around 4 pm. I started on Mass Ave for 2 miles, and then took a left on Pleasant street, as Chris suggested, and started my tempo. Holly hills! By .5 miles I was cursing in my head and getting very discouraged, but I plugged along telling myself that I can stop at the halfway point. I took a few turns on a couple of streets (mainly to avoid hills, unsuccessfully), and then went on a main road, still super hilly. After a mile or so, I noticed that my legs were much stronger on hills; I managed to keep a 7:20 pace while cursing and blasting rap (fitting, ha?). By mile 2.4 I saw a gigantic hill in front of me and decided to turn around into a complex and run the .10 there rather than run up the hill. I took a breather at 2.5 miles, and turned around. I ran and ran, faster and faster, and ended up with average of 7:14 for the 5 miles. I was flying over those hills, and missed my turn toward Mass Ave and back home.

I found myself at a gas station where a Russian guy told me to go back, take some turns, and surely I could find my way back. Good! I turned around and followed the directions, which took me to a v busy street with cars at a couple of inches from me. After a mile or so, I started getting a little nervous bc nothing around looked familiar. My pace was getting fast for a recovery run even though I was trying to run slow (how can I get myself a surge of adrenaline in races????). I ended up knocking on a random door to ask for directions again. A woman who obviously was undergoing chemo or radiations, came out in her pjs to explain to me how to get home. I felt so bad to disturb her, though she told me that it was a good thing for her to get some fresh air (thank you!!!). Her directions were great, and I managed to find my way in a little over .5 miles. By this point it was getting dark, I was getting cold and hungry! I got home with a total of 10 miles, 2@ 8:30, 5@7:14, 3@8:14, stuck my butt in front of the fireplace for a few minutes, and made a huge smoked salmon and tomato sandwich on rye to hold me over until dinner. I was to run 5 hilly miles tomorrow, but since I did all my runs on hills this week, and I am planning on running hills as part of my long run on Saturday, I will run 5 slug-like miles on flats tomorrow aka snowy bike path). With all the hills, I am praying my legs won't get mad at me!

Music and running

Until a few months ago, I did not believe in racing with music. I felt that I needed to concentrate on my own body, and be one with the run. That did not go too bad. I did do all my training runs with music, but I chose the same music I typically listen to at home: Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, David Gray, The Jayhawks, etc, etc. Yes, this kind of music is not conducive to fast running. After listening to some wisdom from the blogosphere (yes, you), I got for some hip-hop, rap, 80s type music, and made a few playlists. Wow! I believe these playlists deserve at least 1/2 the credit for my PRs in the half-marathon and marathon. And 3 Black Eyed Peas songs got me the PR in a recent 5K.

It's pretty amazing how fast music gets legs moving faster. Take today, for example. I was dragging my speedwork at the wee hours this morning. I work from home on Mondays but I like to get the run done at 7am or so, so that I can focus on work the rest of the day. The track is covered in snow. The bike path, the only flat-ish part of my town (Arlington HEIGHTS) is covered with packed snow and ice. Arhhh!!! A new playlist got me out of the house and excited about running fast. I used "Rhythm is a dancer" (those of you in your 20s have no idea what I am talking about) for 4 of my 5 intervals! I killed them all (1200 @ 5:59 pace, 1000m @ 6:05, 800m@6:05, 600m@ 6:04, 400m @ 6:00) in spite of running them on mild rolling hills!
The only problem with depending on music for runs is that playlists get old fast. I bet by next week I won't be able to stand listening to "Rhythm is a dancer" (though I am not a user and discarder in real life:). So, any suggestions for good running music? What do you listen to when you want to run fast???? And if you are not using music for your runs, try it out, you'll love it!

2000-2010 in Living and Running

I liked the idea of a decade in review, which I have seen on several blogs. It's a nice way to look back and contemplate life events. I will only list, not contemplate here. Too much self disclosure, just like too much privacy is not my thing.

So here we go:

2000
- got into grad school
- got married (to a man 9 years older than me)
- honeymoon in Hawaii hiking the islands
- moved to Ohio for grad school.
- experienced huge culture shock
- had my first cry in front of my husband over an upcoming statistics test. He read the entire book and explained everything to me, including the fact that I was smart enough to get a PhD. Statistics became my strength.
-spent way too much time studying and secured the "know it all, nerd status" on campus.
-ran 4-5 miles 5-6days/week, including in the winter, which led to eyebrow raises by both professors and students.

2001
- school, school, school
- got a cat even though I hated cats at the time, as Chris felt lonely while I was in the lab all day long. Squeeky changed my impression about cats.
-made great friends.
-continued running 4-5 miles 5-6 days a week.
-ran a 5K and placed 2nd overall with a 8:XX pace (yes, I know, that would never happen in New England).

2002
-defended masters
-spent way to much time studying, but loved every moment of it.
-dad died of cancer, I studied some more.
-kept up with running
-lots of hiking and white water rafting.

2003
-more school
-loved school and the success I was having
-did some teaching, started to publish a bit.
-lots of cross country skying and hiking.

2004
-defended dissertation
-had to leave USA due to immigration issues (INS lost my marriage paperwork).
-became an illegal immigrant with a PhD
-left the country in tears, along with Chris
-got pregnant by accident
-New Years in Romania
- ran the streets of Bucharest while being chased by dogs.

2005
-toughest year ever
-fought for permanent residency
-applied for psychology residency in US and Canada (since it was uncertain whether I would be able to get back to the US)
- had phone interviews while mom's dog barked in the other room. I think the dog got me into Harvard (my interviewer was a dog lover).
-returned to US in May
-started residency in July.
-gave birth to Petru John on August 10th, 2005. Easy birth which later on left me feeling a bit inferior to all the horror birth stories I heard from other moms.
-back to residency October 1st. Chris stayed home with Petru.
-somehow I (we) survived.
-ran with the jogging stroller and loved it!

2006
-Chris took a full time job teaching inner city. I worked full time as a postdoc. Petru was in daycare full time. Lots of frozen pizza, messy house. Somehow we survived.
-little running with the jogger.
-game night with friends kept us sane.

2007
-Chris quit his job and started teaching PT. I continued working full time. Petru went to day care part-time. Everyone was happier.
-joined a running group of moms.
-ran my first 1/2 marathon injured and finished in 2:06 limping.
-healed and continued to run with the group.
-got faster.

2008
-PRed in 3 half marathons and got my time down to a 1:44. Got 2 stress fractures in the meantime.
-loved my job.
-got my first grants and more independence.
-lots of trail running in the summer.
-forced myself to get over a water phobia.
-taught myself to swim breast stroke.

2009
-got over my fear of injury and started training for Boston along with 2 friends (for charity).
-loved the training.
-became more and more passionate about running.
-started reading about running and learned that, hm, one should never run all out all the time...
-no injuries.
-ran 2 marathons; PRed
-ran 2 half marathons; PRed
-ran a 5K; Pred.
-race my first triathlon.
-realized I need to race more.
-taught myself how to swim free style.
-bought my first road bike and did lots of summer biking.
-a few work changes but landed on my feet and secured a pretty nice setup.
-loved parenting more than any of the prior years.

I'm back

No, I am not back home, my flight is tomorrow am. I am in Miami resting in a hotel room. Will go for a swim in a little while - outdoor pool, don't hate me, though:)

I've had a great time seeing family in Miami and traveling with more family (uncle, aunt, mom and son) cruisin' to Jamaica for a few days! My husband stayed home and, after speaking with him over the phone today we both agreed that he had a better time than I did. While I chased my son around the boat, he chased...nights with friends, concerts in Cambridge, games of Carcasson and Alhambra, dinners and late nights watching sports. While I was up at the wee hours, he got to sleep in. While i worried that Petru will somehow disappear when I turn my head, he got to be worry free. But that's OK, since our 2010 "vacation apart" (which we've been doing for a while now and has been one of the best decisions ever!) I will be the one sans kid!

But let's talk about running....
I was smart enough to do my long run before leaving for Miami. I knew that I could not run 13 miles on a treadmill, and I was right! I had a hard time doing even 5-6. However, I do see a positive to treadmill running - so much easier on the joints. I got on the cruise with bilateral knee pain, which magically disappeared after 5 days of treadmill only running. Nice!

Here is the weekly recap:
Week 18:

Monday 12/28 - 13miles @ 7:58
Tuesday 12/29 - 5 miles recovery @ 8:40; 800m free swim
Wednesday 12/30 - 9.5 miles with 3x1600m @ 6:15, 6:19, 6:17.
Thursday 12/31 - about 2 h swim (here is when I let all the kids squirt water over my head while swimming laps - what wouldn't a mom do for some exercise?)
Friday 01/01 - 8 miles easy (was supposed to be with 2 miles tempo); Garmin died which was a good thing because, well, I felt sluggish - this turned out to be a stomach bug that made me friends with the toilet for 24 hours.
Saturday 01/02 - nada!
Sunday 01/03 - 6 miles w/ 4x800m @ 6:06 on the treadmill! Why are these so much harder than on the track? And no, I did not mean to do 2 speed sessions in one week, but since I skipped the tempo miles on Friday, I switched things around; 10 mile bike.
T: 41 miles

Week 17:
Monday 01/04 - 5 miles @ 8:30-8:00; 1 mile swim.
Tuesday 01/05 - 5 miles @ 8:30-8:00; 4 miles on Arc
Wednesday 01/06 - 6 miles w/ 2@6:50 on treadmill; 5.5 miles Arc
I have 5 easy miles tomorrow, and a 15 miler over the weekend, in the cold New England which I actually miss. I miss my home and I miss my husband getting Petru in the morning while I sleep in. Yes, I am spoiled and I like it that way!

Happy New Year to everyone. No resolutions for me. Life is good, not perfect, but good enough. When it comes to running, I'd like some PRs, a dose of confidence and some Newton's and I know that eventually I will get them. Mostly, I want to continue being healthy and enjoy the life I am making for myself!

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!.