Best 20 miler

I had an awesome 20 miler yesterday. Katie and I met at 7am. It was raining, but cooler, so I was happy. The plan was to run 20@ 8:30, but I was secretly hoping to go under 8:24, which was what I did during my last 20 miler. As I mentioned before, Katie is super fast, so I had no idea how things would go. Would we start out too fast and I would ....die at the end. I have always been the "fastest" in the group, trying to accomodate others, so I was excited to see how it feels to run with someone faster than me. I was prepared for some suffering and pushing through.

We started out @ 8:24 on the slight uphill of the Minuteman bike path. The path is actually flat, but I know it so well that I am aware and can feel all the slight uphills and downhills. It was so great to chat our way through the miles. It reminded me of my Boston training runs with the Sue(s) and how much fun we had running in all kinds of weather. Aside from a 2 mile stretch with some groin pain (and lots of thoughts about stress fracture) that mysteriously went away after I switched to the other side of the path, I felt awesome. I even took a chocolate GU to see if my stomach could handle it, and all was well. With 1.5 miles to go, we both picked up the pace. It did not really feel like we were going faster (I was still feeling great), but we were. We stopped at 20 miles, for an average of 8:18, with the last 1.5 miles @ 7:28, ran progressively faster so that the last 200m were at 6:43 (thank you Garmin!). Wow! I have never finished a long run feeling so good, and able to keep going. I could have easily finished a marathon at that pace today.

The run ended up being a 21 miler for me, since I ran .5 miles to meet Katie, and than .5 miles home (the last .5 miles were more of a walk/run; once I stop running, it's really hard for me to start running again). My groin felt tight yesterday, but I hope it is going to be fine. I did my standard test for a stress fracture - jumping on one leg - and past it. My legs were a bit stiff yesterday, but is better today, so I am hoping no damage has been done. I am at the point in my training where I am going faster, way faster than what my training plan tells me, and I need to be careful about that so that I don't get injured. Getting faster is such an addiction...

Help from music

Yesterday I had a 4 mile recovery run followed by a 15 mile bike ride. I typically take the run as easy as I can, and do a few pick ups on the bike. We had nice and cool weather yesterday, so nice and cool that I wished it had been Saturday and I was doing my long run... My husband joined me for the bike ride on his $100 bike, no helmet, jean shorts, Tevas...He is the antigear guy while I am the gear queen.

I am getting more and more confident on the bike. I don't slow down at the many turns on the bike paths, I can drink without slowing down, I can bike without hands for a few seconds if I want to switch bottles, etc. However, I am still terrified of going fast downhill. From my house, there are 2 huge hills that I need to go down on (and up on the way back, but I don't have a problem with that). My husband just flies over those hills, while I...brake my way down while pushing away images of the bike rolling up side down in the air.

The ride was fabulous. Chris and I always have the best conversations while doing sports, and I really love this time we spend together. At some point, about 5 miles in we got passed by a really fast guy and something came over me and I had to go chase him. I did not catch him but it was fun to go really fast (like 21-22 mph pace, which for me is fast). At the end of the path, I waited for Chris and we decided to ride with our ipods (I guess 5 miles is enough even for "the best conversations" that one can have with a partner, after having been married for 9 years). I typically ride with podcasts, but I had just put together a playlist for an upcoming 1/2 marathon, and I decided to listen to it. Wow. I went flying, completely absorbed by the music. Each song held a memory of some old boyfriend, time in my life, party, etc and before I knew it I was home and the ride was over (average for 15 miles was 21.7mph including 2 large hills, which for me is super fast). I am really excited about the 1/2 now. I have never raced with music before. I always felt that I needed to focus on the actual running (the "associative theory"). However, I am going to try to race with music in 2 weeks, and see what happens, see whether I am going to have a similar experience to the ride. Although part of me dislikes being "dependent" on something (e.g. an ipod) I think I can learn a lot from this experience. Perhaps being a dissociative runner may work better for me in the long ...run(s).

Anger and the track

A few weeks ago I read one of Matt Fitzgerald's posts on anger and running. “Anger is an endurance athlete’s best friend in a race. Nothing enables you to master the suffering of a race like boiling rage", he notes, while citing an article published in the Triathlete magazine. Go here to read Matt's post if you are interested (and you should be, it's great). Although I did like the post, I did not make much of it at the moment. I have certainly experienced the empowerment that can come along with feeling angry, but I had never run while angry..until today.

I did my speedework again at lunch, 9 miler with 4 miles of speed. I had longer intervals today, including a mile and a 2 miler, and was no particularly excited about the run. My legs moved slowly during warm up, but eventually they started to cooperate. The mile went fine. During the 2 miler, I had a hard time maintaining focus. Eight times around the track with no break is tough on the mind (particularly after having gone 4 times around 1 min earlier). After 2 laps, the cheerleading team who was practicing on the soccer field in the middle of the track, started to do a lap around the track. They took over ALL lanes, and they were going at a leisurely pace. Hm. I had to yell to pass them, during my 3rd lap, and my pace slowed down a bit during the process. They stopped after a lap, and proceeded to sit in the middle of the track, blocking all lanes. As I approached them again, I could not believe that they were not moving out of my way. They were facing me, looking at me (probably saying, who is that crazy woman running more than one lap in this weather). With 100 meters to go I started yelling at them to move. They did, but oh so slowly, and my pace slowed down again as I tried to pass them. Then something happened. I got really angry. I picked up the pace and it was easy. It was like I got an adrenaline rush, and my legs got another gear. I regained my focus, and ended up running the 2 mile interval faster than planned, with minimal discomfort. The anger carried me through the last 2 800 m intervals. Pretty amazing. Now I have to figure out how to get some anger going during the last miles of my marathon...
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9 miles @ 7:38 with 1mile @6:40, 2 miles @6:43, 800m @6:22, 800m @ 6:20.

Running, cramps, punishment and a little pomegranate juice

I ran 41 miles again this week. My runs started out very well. I rocked the speed (9 miler with 12X400 intervals @ 6:20-6:26) and tempo (8 miler @ 8:05, with 3miles @7:05), and survived the recovery run (you all know I hate those) by listening to an NPR podcast. I was very excited about the 18 miler since my last 20 miler went so well. But, the running Gods were not with me today. Enter hot and humid (even at 6:45am when I started my run). Enter...getting my period at 5:30am. Enter...cramps. Enter....me drinking too much water and puking at mile 13. Enter...me cutting the run short....15 miles@ 8:26, with last 2@ 8:20.

I was absolutely crushed and had a little temper tantrum in my head (have learned to keep those to myself). I am not a fast runner, but I am mentally tough and am used to pushing through. Not today, though. Between the cramping, and puking, water dripping all over me, and feeling nauseous...in a moment of weakness I decided to stop and not do the last 3 miles I had planned on adding from the corner of the street (where I hid a bottle of water).

As soon as I started feeling better (physically), I decided that I had to run 3 more miles today. Make those 5, as "punishment". Make them be fast miles, and during my son's nap when it's the hottest of the hottest. How much meaner can I get with myself? In all seriousness, even though running 20 miles/day in 2 separate segments (15 and 5) does not equal running an 18 miler without breaks, I think it certainly is better than running only 15 miles. Legs felt GREAT. We got some rain, and it was cooler than in the morning, so I ran the 5 miles @ 7:35, with negative splits - not too bad. This was the first time I ran twice in a day and....I loved it. Next week, I am running 20 with Katie, and I am NERVOUS. I mean, she is FAST, like a 1:31 HM PR fast. So, of course, I am worried about keeping up. Hopefully she'll take it easy on me:)

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I don't do much advertising here, so when Janny from POM asked if she could send a box of pomegranate juice my way, without asking me to review it on the blog, I said, sure, thanks. I knew about the stuff as my in laws have been using it for a long time. It's filled with antioxidants, has as many calories (or a tad more) as orange juice, and has a sweet tangy taste. I absolutely love it. It's too sweet (for me) to drink straight up, so I mix it with seltzer, or add it to my recovery shake - tasty and healthy. My 4 year old, on the other hand, hated it and spat it out right onto the floor...So, folks, go buy some POM. It's healthy, it tastes good, and it may cure (or prevent) some of your ailments.

Since we are on the topic of free stuff...Lindsay is giving away running energy (aka GU). Check out her blog - she is fast and funny - but DO NOT ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:)

Relearning to run

Like most runners, I am currently reading "Born to Run". It took me a while to get into it, and I was about to give up (after 20 pages only) when all of a sudden, around midnight one night, I found myself turning from side to side while reading, trying hard to put off sleeping while completely blocking any thoughts about how irritable and unpleasant I can be when I don't get enough sleep.... Now I am half way done reading the book. I am reading slowly, like eating a large icecream cone, enjoying the flavor and textures, wanting to make it last as long as possible. If you have not read the book, you should. It's a must for every runner. I am not going to spoil it for you, but one of the main messages (for me) was that in order to run well one needs to enjoy it. This is not contradicting the notions of suffering and pain. Rather, they complement them. The idea is to change our perception of what pain, suffering and fatigue are - just sensations - acknowledge them, and learn to welcome and enjoy them. I think that I have always looked at the pain and suffering that come with running as something I have to fight. I know I need to hurt in order to run well. I know that the last 3 miles of a 1/2 and the last 6 of a marathon are going to be painful. I have accepted that, but never really embraced it. In fact, during my tough runs, I have always looked at the watch hoping that it would show I am .1 closer to the finish. Thus, I have never fully embraced and enjoyed these last few miles. I don't think I feared them. I felt prepared to fight through, and I did. However, fighting is not conducive to enjoyment in its pure sense. Sure, fighting through pain and fatigue gives us a sense of power and joy, but it's a false one, I think. What I am going to try to do is fully embrace the pain and suffering, and try to enjoy the moment rather than focus on how much longer I have to run. I am not sure whether it is going to be possible to enjoy the last few miles of a tough race; I think western society is sensitized to interpret pain negatively (like an alarm), and want to escape it, or have some control over it (e.g., always looking at the watch to see how much longer we have to go). If this were a universal brain mechanism, than this principle would be universal, but it is not. Other cultures, including the Tarahumara who are depicted in this book, are running for the joy of it, completely absorbed by the activity with no concern about the pain and fatigue that come their way, with no concern about how much longer they have to run, and how much more pain they will experience. Most of us believe that mental toughness makes a runner a great runner. But, it may be something simpler yet more difficult than that. I'll let you know how it works out for me....

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13 miles today @ 8:12, in 95 degree weather. The post run icebath did not seem cold enough...

Feeling strong

There comes a time in training when runs seem to just happen, paces are attained without the typical struggle of the beginning runs, and upcoming hard runs are no longer intimidating. I feel I am getting closer to that point.

My runs this week went really well. Monday's 9 miler w/ 8X800m @ 6:26 took me by surprise in that it did not hurt nor led to any puking-like feelings, despite the heat. I even ran faster than I planned to (average 6:20-6:26). Wednesday's tempo, 10 miles with 6X7:44, ended up as a 10 miler with 6X 7:32, and I even had to mentally talk myself out of going faster...The weather was much cooler on Wednesday than last week, but humidity was high so the weather can't be the only reason the run went well.

I am feeling really strong these days. I have been training for 7 weeks now, running an average of 40 miles/week (as opposed to 30 for Boston 2009), swimming and biking a ton, lifting weights and strength training, and my body and mind are responding very well. I have absolutely zero pain. I look forward to all my runs (probably because I run 4 days/week only) and all my workouts. When I trained for Boston I used to feel extremely tired, particularly after the long runs. Not so much anymore. I no longer need to take a nap after a long run, although I do enjoy weekend short naps with my son when I can. It is amazing how the human body can adapt to a higher training load. Of course, I am helping my body by eating well, taking ice baths, getting home massages (thanks, Chris) and sleeping enough (OK, 80% of the time), but I am giving my body most of the credit. It may be that I will be able to run an ultra pretty soon, and maybe build up to an 100 miler in a few years. You never know. For now, I am enjoying this great feeling of strength, and trying to stay focused on the task ahead, Baystate Marathon 2009. Feels great to be running well!

Breaking through

I had a great 20 miler today! It was not easy - I never expect easy - but it was what I remembered training to be: some pain, some nausea during the last few miles, lots of mental games during the last few miles all combined with a sense of purpose and accomplishment. My last 20 miler, and to some extent my 18 miler last week have been awful. In fact, I started doubting my ability to run a 3:30-3:35 marathon, or even a marathon. I felt nauseous, sick to my stomach, and the miles felt like a self-imposed torture that did not make sense at the time, or in the big scheme of things. Although I rationally knew this was all because of running in 80-90 degrees, and carrying a few pounds of sweat in my shoes and clothes, it was very difficult to internalize these reasons, and I started to think that perhaps running Boston so well was a fluke... I knew I would continue training, and pushing through, but my sense of purpose, accomplishment and pleasure that I associated with running long were gone; what's running without those?

As expected, I had some apprehension about today's run. On top of that, I have a mild cold, and have been dragging a bit these past few days. Nonetheless, I woke up at 6:30am, packed vanilla GU (to try instead of chocolate), Nuun and water, had an extra large bowl of oatmeal and a little coffee, and was on the road by 7:30. We are again in New Hampshire at my mom in law's house, and the plan was to run by the beach again. As soon as I stepped outside, I was greeted by a gentle breeze, and it felt great. My legs needed a few miles to wake up, and I was fine to start running slower. My plan for the day was to try to run a progressive run, ending at an average lower or equal to 8:45min/mile. The first 10 miles went by quickly, while I listened to a Runner's Round Table podcast, and my average pace at that point was 8:42. I was shoked that I was not hot at all, and barely sweating. What a change a few degrees make! By mile 15 I was at 8:33, and still feeling great, in spite of rolling hills during miles 12-15. The 2 vanilla Gus I took settled nicely in my stomach, and the Nuun provided enough electrolytes given that I was not sweating nearly as much as last week or 2 weeks ago. Since I was feeling great, I decided to push it. I switched my I-pod to music and hammered the rolling hills going faster and faster, and actually sprinting the last mile for an average of 8:25 for 20 miles! I am so happy. I have my proof that I can run strong. A 20 miler with about 7 miles of rolling hills at this pace so early in marathon training increases my confidence that I can meet my goals. More importantly, it reminds me that running is not all about pain and suffering - of course, those are part of the game, but they should not be everything! Running, for me, needs to also be about having fun and enjoyment. If I have that, I can also push harder, and run stronger. Lets hope for 50 degrees for Baystate - and no more chocolate GU for me!
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Total weekly mileage: 41.4 run, 50 mile bike, 1.5 miles swim.
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If you have not seen my previous post, check out the Runner's World article I mention and let me know your thoughts (research based or own experience). The article contains pretty controversial information, and I would love to hear other runners' opinion on it. Thanks!