February was another great month for me. I ran the Saturday 5 mile race 3 times, and had a PR in a cold and windy half marathon. My running confidence is UP!
But I did not only run, I also swam and biked.
I feel more comfortable on my bike, and can wear tri shorts for rides 2 hours or shorter. I have been doing a lot of big gear, lower cadence intervals as well as low gear superhigh (for me) cadence intervals and my legs have gotten really strong as a result. I also watched more TV than I thought possible, but for some reason I can't read on my bike, and I save my "good music" for my runs.
I also feel better in the water. I have been doing some interval training, mostly ladders and 300 or 400m repeats. I am not timing myself because my goal for the swim is not necessarily to be faster, but to swim the same pace I swam in August, with less effort. I know this is not the best strategy, but it is what I choose to do. I don't flip turn, I don't push from the wall, I swim continuously from one end of the pool to the other. One thing I need to work on is my kick. I forget about it and barely move my feet.
Most importantly, I still LOVE LOVE training!
The numbers:
RUN: 214. 5 miles (including a low week of 40 miles as taper)
BIKE: 20 hours (including a week of only 2 hour biking as taper for my half)
SWIM: 12 miles
Strength: 2 hours
Plyos: 6 sessions....skipped on a few
BRICKS: 3
* 2.5 hour bike+5 mile run
* 2 hour bike+ 4 mile run
* 3 hour bike + 5 mile run
March will include a few running races, before I switch gears to triathlon only for my June race. I am hoping to be able to ride my bike outside - I am really nervous and hope that riding my tri bike outside will be just as much fun as it has been inside. I also hope I won't break any bones during the multiple falls I know I will take. Any tips about tri bike riding would be much appreciated!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Back at it!
Things are back to normal after my HM last week. Oh, how I missed the normal. I am finding that the more my body gets used to longer training hours, the harder the taper is both physically and psychologically. Paradoxically, I did enjoy having more time, and being able to do things I don't normally do (well, more like enjoying having done those things rather than the actual process).
I noticed a few things about my tapers: 1) I always get sick (mild cold), but that does not affect my performance; 2) I always gain weight but it goes away after I go back to training; 3) I race best when I am about to get my period (I complained about feeling yucky to my mom before my last race and she told me she used to perform best before her period; then I checked my training logs and noticed that all my PRs are in races where I got my period either during the race (oh, yes, lots of fun!) or a couple of days after); now I wonder if there is any data on that, hmm, must check that out*; 4) taper works for me when I keep the training schedule the same, but reduce length of workout (rather than give myself full rest days).
****
I had zero soreness after the HM. I think this was a function of my fitness level, and the little help from my trusty E21. I don't remember ever having a race where I felt so good the day after, and managed to run some tough workouts the week after the race.
Back to normal means hours in the saddle, laps in the pool, miles on the road and, of course, going back to Fresh Pond for the weekly race. We had a bigger crowd today, but conditions were bad, since we got lots of rain, little snow, and then chilly temps yesterday. I ran 1 mile easy and 4 miles @ @ 7:25, and then waited around about 5 min for the race to start. I felt good from the beginning and raced a bit with 2 other women I had not seen there before, but easily passed them withing a half mile from the start. And then, I had to walk. Not because I was tired, but because there were about 3 50 meter areas within each loop with shiny ice that were non runnable. I was a bit pissed because my pace would slow down on these sections, but ended up feeling OK with no getting a PR. I ended up running 30:50, which is 20 seconds slower than my PR over there.
After the race I started talking to the second woman and realized that we work at the same hospital and we live in the same town. She told me about the Liberty running club at Harvard (geared toward women) where she trains, and invited me to join. I am really excited about this because unfortunately all my running friends are a bit too slow for me to run with now, and they are not really interested in training and improving. I am planning on joining the club after my last half marathon (in 3 weeks).
On the way home from race I bonked really bad, and ended up in a coffee place drinking coke and eating a blondie. I felt amazing after (of course) and managed to run the last 2 miles of hills back home at a pretty good clip.
Happy Saturday!
* looked up the research, and it is a bit inconclusive (of course). However, apparently luteal phase (preperiod) is beneficial for endurance running (high estrogen favors fat burning for fuel and lower lactic acid accumulation); the follicular phaze (starting with first day of period) is beneficial for short distance, fast running (low estrogen).
I noticed a few things about my tapers: 1) I always get sick (mild cold), but that does not affect my performance; 2) I always gain weight but it goes away after I go back to training; 3) I race best when I am about to get my period (I complained about feeling yucky to my mom before my last race and she told me she used to perform best before her period; then I checked my training logs and noticed that all my PRs are in races where I got my period either during the race (oh, yes, lots of fun!) or a couple of days after); now I wonder if there is any data on that, hmm, must check that out*; 4) taper works for me when I keep the training schedule the same, but reduce length of workout (rather than give myself full rest days).
****
I had zero soreness after the HM. I think this was a function of my fitness level, and the little help from my trusty E21. I don't remember ever having a race where I felt so good the day after, and managed to run some tough workouts the week after the race.
Back to normal means hours in the saddle, laps in the pool, miles on the road and, of course, going back to Fresh Pond for the weekly race. We had a bigger crowd today, but conditions were bad, since we got lots of rain, little snow, and then chilly temps yesterday. I ran 1 mile easy and 4 miles @ @ 7:25, and then waited around about 5 min for the race to start. I felt good from the beginning and raced a bit with 2 other women I had not seen there before, but easily passed them withing a half mile from the start. And then, I had to walk. Not because I was tired, but because there were about 3 50 meter areas within each loop with shiny ice that were non runnable. I was a bit pissed because my pace would slow down on these sections, but ended up feeling OK with no getting a PR. I ended up running 30:50, which is 20 seconds slower than my PR over there.
After the race I started talking to the second woman and realized that we work at the same hospital and we live in the same town. She told me about the Liberty running club at Harvard (geared toward women) where she trains, and invited me to join. I am really excited about this because unfortunately all my running friends are a bit too slow for me to run with now, and they are not really interested in training and improving. I am planning on joining the club after my last half marathon (in 3 weeks).
On the way home from race I bonked really bad, and ended up in a coffee place drinking coke and eating a blondie. I felt amazing after (of course) and managed to run the last 2 miles of hills back home at a pretty good clip.
Happy Saturday!
* looked up the research, and it is a bit inconclusive (of course). However, apparently luteal phase (preperiod) is beneficial for endurance running (high estrogen favors fat burning for fuel and lower lactic acid accumulation); the follicular phaze (starting with first day of period) is beneficial for short distance, fast running (low estrogen).
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Pictures
A couple of pictures from the Hampton Half, courtesy of Capstone Photography. They were both taken toward the end of the race.
Check out my heel strike! When I get tired my form collapses, still. Must work on that! And yes, I carry water with me in races (it was hot water for this one!)
This is right at the end, after crossing the mat. Check out the required "I am going to puke now face". It means I worked hard.
These are pictures taken by my friend Sue! Thanks Sue! After the race I managed to find one of the advertised empty hotel rooms and wash up and change into my warm fleece pants!
Nr.1 male, Nr 2 female, me and Nr 2 male. Nr. 1 female who ran a 1:21 did not stay for the ceremony! Part of the prize was a 6 pack of beer, which made Chris's day (I don't like beer!).
Petru and Chris came to pick me up after the race. Petru had a hard time in the room bc "It stinks in here". Yup, not everyone got a chance to take a shower like mommy!
Check out my heel strike! When I get tired my form collapses, still. Must work on that! And yes, I carry water with me in races (it was hot water for this one!)
This is right at the end, after crossing the mat. Check out the required "I am going to puke now face". It means I worked hard.
These are pictures taken by my friend Sue! Thanks Sue! After the race I managed to find one of the advertised empty hotel rooms and wash up and change into my warm fleece pants!
Nr.1 male, Nr 2 female, me and Nr 2 male. Nr. 1 female who ran a 1:21 did not stay for the ceremony! Part of the prize was a 6 pack of beer, which made Chris's day (I don't like beer!).
Petru and Chris came to pick me up after the race. Petru had a hard time in the room bc "It stinks in here". Yup, not everyone got a chance to take a shower like mommy!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Hampton Half Marathon 2011 RR+PR
It was cold and super windy, flat with rolling hills!
I hear the course was pretty - I wouldn't know, all I saw was the butt of the person in front of me, luckily I had a lot of variety over the course of 13+ miles. Yes, I passed a lot of people!
Stats:
GARMIN: 13.29, 6:58 pace, HR: 184; 1:32: 42 (PR by 14 seconds)
OFFICIAL: 13.1, 7:04 pace, 1:32:43 3rd woman overall/850
Garmin splits:
Mile Pace HR
1 7:07 180
2 7:07 180
3 7:07 180
4 7:07 177
5 6:46 181
6 6:48 182
7 6:58 183
8 6:56 183
9 6:55 181
10 6:55 185
11 7:04 185
12 6:58 185
13 6:52 183
.29 5:23 186
So how did it go?
I ditched my race plan from the start. I felt strong, and I went for it from the beginning. I asked myself whether I could hold that effort for 13 miles and I felt like I could. I am glad I did not look at my HR, it was v high, as you can see (my resting HR is below 60 and my HR in a recent 5K was 182!), and had I known that, I would have slowed down. I feel I ran the race in fear, waiting to crash and burn. This winter I had a hard time doing long tempo runs and felt unprepared. However, it seems that my weekly races at Fresh Pond, on ice and snow, were enough to get me to run 8 sec/mile faster (Garmin comparison) than last year in March (my old PR).
I never crashed and burned, in fact, I feel I could have gone faster. The wind was certainly and issue (the cold never bothers me); more than that, it was scary to see a few miles of 6:4X so early on (mile 5), as that used to be my pace for 5 miles total at Fresh Pond, and I'd feel like death after. Next time I might not look at lap pace...
I can't think straight, I am super happy. This is a small PR by official results. However, my last PR was on a course that registered as an exact 13.11, while this one was 13.29. At this speed 8 sec/mile improvement in a race is huge! Most importantly, I do not feel trashed, and I know that in March I am going to start out a little faster, and hopefully do even better with better weather (no wind) on a more accurately measured course.
###
In ending, I want to thank Jenn for her support going into this race. Who needs a coach when you have someone who knows exactly what to say and when to say it?
"Yes-everyone is going to expect you to run fast because you DO run fast and you CAN run fast! I expect you will run QUITE fast but regardless of what the clock says, my opinion of you and my belief in your abilities would never change! Bloggers and friends are great accountability as long as one doesn't allow them to become stressors instead of encouragers. (I'm more speaking for myself here-you seem to have this together!) Have a great race, run for yourself-BALLS TO THE WALL!" J
Thanks Jenn!
I hear the course was pretty - I wouldn't know, all I saw was the butt of the person in front of me, luckily I had a lot of variety over the course of 13+ miles. Yes, I passed a lot of people!
Stats:
GARMIN: 13.29, 6:58 pace, HR: 184; 1:32: 42 (PR by 14 seconds)
OFFICIAL: 13.1, 7:04 pace, 1:32:43 3rd woman overall/850
Garmin splits:
Mile Pace HR
1 7:07 180
2 7:07 180
3 7:07 180
4 7:07 177
5 6:46 181
6 6:48 182
7 6:58 183
8 6:56 183
9 6:55 181
10 6:55 185
11 7:04 185
12 6:58 185
13 6:52 183
.29 5:23 186
So how did it go?
I ditched my race plan from the start. I felt strong, and I went for it from the beginning. I asked myself whether I could hold that effort for 13 miles and I felt like I could. I am glad I did not look at my HR, it was v high, as you can see (my resting HR is below 60 and my HR in a recent 5K was 182!), and had I known that, I would have slowed down. I feel I ran the race in fear, waiting to crash and burn. This winter I had a hard time doing long tempo runs and felt unprepared. However, it seems that my weekly races at Fresh Pond, on ice and snow, were enough to get me to run 8 sec/mile faster (Garmin comparison) than last year in March (my old PR).
I never crashed and burned, in fact, I feel I could have gone faster. The wind was certainly and issue (the cold never bothers me); more than that, it was scary to see a few miles of 6:4X so early on (mile 5), as that used to be my pace for 5 miles total at Fresh Pond, and I'd feel like death after. Next time I might not look at lap pace...
I can't think straight, I am super happy. This is a small PR by official results. However, my last PR was on a course that registered as an exact 13.11, while this one was 13.29. At this speed 8 sec/mile improvement in a race is huge! Most importantly, I do not feel trashed, and I know that in March I am going to start out a little faster, and hopefully do even better with better weather (no wind) on a more accurately measured course.
###
In ending, I want to thank Jenn for her support going into this race. Who needs a coach when you have someone who knows exactly what to say and when to say it?
"Yes-everyone is going to expect you to run fast because you DO run fast and you CAN run fast! I expect you will run QUITE fast but regardless of what the clock says, my opinion of you and my belief in your abilities would never change! Bloggers and friends are great accountability as long as one doesn't allow them to become stressors instead of encouragers. (I'm more speaking for myself here-you seem to have this together!) Have a great race, run for yourself-BALLS TO THE WALL!" J
Thanks Jenn!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Defining a good race
I have been thinking a lot this week about my past races, good and bad. I remember my first half marathon, running it on an injured hip, finishing with a facial expression that Chris read as "I am in the worst pain ever". After that, I remember running with friends and not pushing myself nearly enough. Then a breakthrough race where I actually suffered and ended up running a 1:46, slow by my current standards, but a PR by over 5 minutes at that point in time. It's been about 3 years since my first half marathon, and I have gotten so much faster. Sometimes I wonder if I am getting closer and closer to my physiological limit. Other times I wonder whether I should try to take baby steps with my training, rather than huge jumps, like I have been doing this training cycle. I have come to believe that the body needs time to adjust to a certain pace, a time that is longer than the typical 2-3 months training cycle. But most often I realize that I am not racing hard enough, early enough. I read an article today about pacing in a race. The author talked about how she starts out fast and then she just hangs out. She said that if she starts slower, than she settles into a pace that is slower than her actual ability. A pretty fast blogger I follow talks about how if at the half point of a race she does not feel like quitting, she is not running fast enough. Unless it is a 5K, I never get to that point, which makes me thing that I may be getting closer to my physiological limit, but not to my psychological limit, my true ability to suffer and hurt in a race.
I am going to try hard to have a good race on Sunday. Here is what are the elements that would allow me to feel like I had a good race:
1. Starting the race warmed up (1-2 slow miles).
2. Starting the first mile slower than HM PR, seeing how that feels, and taking it from there.
3. Hanging out with the hurt for at least 10 miles.
4. Hanging out with the real hurt from mile 10 to the finish.
5. Hanging out with pukie (sp?) not earlier than mile 10, but surely for mile 13.
6. Racing with an average HR over 175, more like 180 (I will not check HR during the race).
7. Not giving negative thoughts power, letting them flow by.
If I manage to do 1-7, I am going to be a happy camper regardless of the result. It's going to be 30 degrees and windy on Sunday, and we are running over 5 miles by the Ocean. I am pretty nervous for a half, but also excited to see what I can do.
I am going to try hard to have a good race on Sunday. Here is what are the elements that would allow me to feel like I had a good race:
1. Starting the race warmed up (1-2 slow miles).
2. Starting the first mile slower than HM PR, seeing how that feels, and taking it from there.
3. Hanging out with the hurt for at least 10 miles.
4. Hanging out with the real hurt from mile 10 to the finish.
5. Hanging out with pukie (sp?) not earlier than mile 10, but surely for mile 13.
6. Racing with an average HR over 175, more like 180 (I will not check HR during the race).
7. Not giving negative thoughts power, letting them flow by.
If I manage to do 1-7, I am going to be a happy camper regardless of the result. It's going to be 30 degrees and windy on Sunday, and we are running over 5 miles by the Ocean. I am pretty nervous for a half, but also excited to see what I can do.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Tapering, Fondue party and blurry pictures
Somehow I thought I was tapering last week, but ended up running 57 miles. This week is going to be withdrawal as I will be running 20 or so since I have the half on Sunday.I will also be biking very little...see a pattern here, really trying to put myself into the best position to PR (or not allow any possible excuses if I crash and burn).
Good thing I did not run as little as I though I was, since we had our annual chocolate fondue party at our good friends Charlie and Sonia's house. All kinds of chocolate for dinner, yes, yes, yeeeeees!!! I secretly look forward to this gathering the entire year. I think it is amazing that C & S allow us all to come over with our kiddies (2-8 y olds) even though they don't have any, feed us french chocolates and champagne, and clean up the mess made by the kids. This was the first year the kiddies "got along" - my rule is always noone is crying, lets not interfere - and had a blast. There may have been some cat terrorizing going on, but maybe the noise was coming from one of the kids...who cares, us adults were all high on chocolate and champagne.
I dressed up for the occasion. These pictures were taken before we left, and are very bad, bc someone (ahem, Chris) can't keep the i-phone strait when taking pictures. Anyhow, since I NEVER wear a dress, I figure I might as well document the occasion.
Love this picture - not sure if you can see that as I "pose", Petru sticks his tongue out! And in the other picture, he is trying to "escape".
And how do you like the "signs" on the wall? I managed to remove about 50% of them, but there are still some that Petru refuses to give up...and I learnt to pick my battles.
Hope you all had a great weekend! And tomorrow, eat all the chocolate you can! I started on Saturday so you'll never catch up to me:)
Good thing I did not run as little as I though I was, since we had our annual chocolate fondue party at our good friends Charlie and Sonia's house. All kinds of chocolate for dinner, yes, yes, yeeeeees!!! I secretly look forward to this gathering the entire year. I think it is amazing that C & S allow us all to come over with our kiddies (2-8 y olds) even though they don't have any, feed us french chocolates and champagne, and clean up the mess made by the kids. This was the first year the kiddies "got along" - my rule is always noone is crying, lets not interfere - and had a blast. There may have been some cat terrorizing going on, but maybe the noise was coming from one of the kids...who cares, us adults were all high on chocolate and champagne.
I dressed up for the occasion. These pictures were taken before we left, and are very bad, bc someone (ahem, Chris) can't keep the i-phone strait when taking pictures. Anyhow, since I NEVER wear a dress, I figure I might as well document the occasion.
Love this picture - not sure if you can see that as I "pose", Petru sticks his tongue out! And in the other picture, he is trying to "escape".
And how do you like the "signs" on the wall? I managed to remove about 50% of them, but there are still some that Petru refuses to give up...and I learnt to pick my battles.
Hope you all had a great weekend! And tomorrow, eat all the chocolate you can! I started on Saturday so you'll never catch up to me:)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Friday randomness
I really love to read other people's posts on random things, so here it goes for me
# Training: I am swimming a bit more this week and next, and biking and running a little less, to make sure that I don't run my half in 2 weeks on overly fatigued legs. I am still uncertain about what pace I should try to run at my half - I typically build up to about 10 miles close to pace for a half but was unable to do this due to weather (or unwilling to go run on the treadmill, which is a more accurate statement). This is going to be interesting for me, and I may crash and burn, but I promised myself that I will not be disappointed if that happens. I know that eventually I will reach my goal, even though I do not have the evidence that I am there yet. Hopefully by the end of March, for my second half, I am going to be closer to where I want to be. And hopefully the weather will cooperate and I will be able to do more pace runs on pavement. On the bright side, I am a pro at running on ice. On Thursday I had a longish run with 2X15 min @ 10K-1/2 marathon pace; I ran these intervals on the Fresh Pond Loop, which had portions completly covered with ice. My pace slowed down by 1-2 secs only on these portions, which looked like mini ice skating rinks, and I did not fall at all! If only we'd have races on ice, I would surely be the winner, LOL.
# Food: We have been having some awesome meals these past 3 weeks, though all will end soon as my mom is leaving on Saturday. You all know that I don't like to cook, right? We enjoyed lots of vegetable stews, and baked beans, all dishes that are baked for hours at end; also yummy desserts with recipes that call for as much flour as 3 eggs weigh (yes, I will never make those things). And then, there is Chris's bread...yumm! Good thing I have been putting in a lot of hours of swim/bike/run, and can justify these meals as fuel!
# My little guy has been getting lots of time outs at school lately. He is super cute when telling me the reasons why - "I was too far away from my friend at nap time, so I could not help myself and got up from my mat to go talk to him", or "I could not help myself and rang the bell in dramatic play", or "I told the teacher that NO, I WILL NOT move up in the Jumping Lovehearts reading group because I want to stay a Fun Firefly". Sometimes it is hard to stop myself from laughing when he tells me these things. He is really stubborn and we have few rules at home (since he is an only child and I believe in being flexible as a parent) and he makes decisions about how to spend time, what to eat, etc, etc (for the most part), so it is a bit hard for him at school where they are getting really strict about rule following. My favorite part of parenting is talking with Petru and getting an insight into how his young mind works, how he makes sense of things, how he learns, why he thinks we have rules, why would be important to follow them, what would happen if we did not have rules, etc. Chris is the pro at the playing part, I am the pro at the talking part (of course:).
#Sleep. I have been skimming on sleep lately. We do not have a TV in our bedroom - we made this decision when we got married as we did not want to watch too much TV - but on Sunday evening I brought my computer in and watched Hulu until midnight when Chris came home from the Superbowl. Then I did this again on Monday. And then I stopped and am not allowed to bring the computer into the bedroom at night. Still, I have been tired all week, and struggling with a cold, and my research is picking up with grants I have due in June. Sleep, I need to make it a priority. TV, boo, where are the times when I would think that watching TV is just wrong? Oh, yes, those were the everything is about self improvement and evolving, my prePetru years!
How's the randomness in your life?
# Training: I am swimming a bit more this week and next, and biking and running a little less, to make sure that I don't run my half in 2 weeks on overly fatigued legs. I am still uncertain about what pace I should try to run at my half - I typically build up to about 10 miles close to pace for a half but was unable to do this due to weather (or unwilling to go run on the treadmill, which is a more accurate statement). This is going to be interesting for me, and I may crash and burn, but I promised myself that I will not be disappointed if that happens. I know that eventually I will reach my goal, even though I do not have the evidence that I am there yet. Hopefully by the end of March, for my second half, I am going to be closer to where I want to be. And hopefully the weather will cooperate and I will be able to do more pace runs on pavement. On the bright side, I am a pro at running on ice. On Thursday I had a longish run with 2X15 min @ 10K-1/2 marathon pace; I ran these intervals on the Fresh Pond Loop, which had portions completly covered with ice. My pace slowed down by 1-2 secs only on these portions, which looked like mini ice skating rinks, and I did not fall at all! If only we'd have races on ice, I would surely be the winner, LOL.
# Food: We have been having some awesome meals these past 3 weeks, though all will end soon as my mom is leaving on Saturday. You all know that I don't like to cook, right? We enjoyed lots of vegetable stews, and baked beans, all dishes that are baked for hours at end; also yummy desserts with recipes that call for as much flour as 3 eggs weigh (yes, I will never make those things). And then, there is Chris's bread...yumm! Good thing I have been putting in a lot of hours of swim/bike/run, and can justify these meals as fuel!
# My little guy has been getting lots of time outs at school lately. He is super cute when telling me the reasons why - "I was too far away from my friend at nap time, so I could not help myself and got up from my mat to go talk to him", or "I could not help myself and rang the bell in dramatic play", or "I told the teacher that NO, I WILL NOT move up in the Jumping Lovehearts reading group because I want to stay a Fun Firefly". Sometimes it is hard to stop myself from laughing when he tells me these things. He is really stubborn and we have few rules at home (since he is an only child and I believe in being flexible as a parent) and he makes decisions about how to spend time, what to eat, etc, etc (for the most part), so it is a bit hard for him at school where they are getting really strict about rule following. My favorite part of parenting is talking with Petru and getting an insight into how his young mind works, how he makes sense of things, how he learns, why he thinks we have rules, why would be important to follow them, what would happen if we did not have rules, etc. Chris is the pro at the playing part, I am the pro at the talking part (of course:).
#Sleep. I have been skimming on sleep lately. We do not have a TV in our bedroom - we made this decision when we got married as we did not want to watch too much TV - but on Sunday evening I brought my computer in and watched Hulu until midnight when Chris came home from the Superbowl. Then I did this again on Monday. And then I stopped and am not allowed to bring the computer into the bedroom at night. Still, I have been tired all week, and struggling with a cold, and my research is picking up with grants I have due in June. Sleep, I need to make it a priority. TV, boo, where are the times when I would think that watching TV is just wrong? Oh, yes, those were the everything is about self improvement and evolving, my prePetru years!
How's the randomness in your life?
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