On being coached, time trials, and getting fit

It has been 3 great weeks since I returned to running (by which I mean, running not slogging) and I started being coached. I've learned a lot.

Lesson 1: my fitness returned quickly. I can say that even without any speed work (aside from strides) I am back to where I was, if not faster. My MAF pace has dropped by almost 1 min in 3 weeks. Boom!

Lesson 2: It is hard to be coached. OK, maybe for some it is easy, but for me, it is an adjustment. I did not even realize it, until my coach pointed it out, but 2 weeks ago I ran almost all workouts NOT as they were written. Most strides were faster, my long run was faster by close to 1 min/mile in the second half, and most runs were a bit longer... This is what I always do with my training plans, keep the structure and then modify as I please. But, as I am learning, my paces are important as they are written, as they follow my specific times, HR zones, etc. So...I try...I read each detailed workout several times including right before I leave for the run. I am getting better at this.

Lesson 3: I like being coached. I did not know how I would react to being coached and being "told what to do". But this is working out really well. In all aspects of my life I have full control and responsibility. It feels good to just do the running, trust the plan (which I do, 100%) and learn along the way.

****

Last week I ran my first time trial. Five miles when I was allowed (sort off) to run as fast as I could. In fact, I was told to not hold back and run all out the last 3 miles. Hurray! Finally! I really missed going all out, it has been a while... I ran the TT faster than I thought possible and I felt strong in my breathing and my legs. The last 3 miles were way below a sub 20 5K pace. Of course, nausea sucked but this is my weakness when I run hard, and it goes away as I train. I am really excited to start doing some speed work. I love to run hard!

My body is holding up really well. My legs are strong. I have been tapering the strength but still do an average of 20 min of "something" (core, pilates, circuit, plyos, jump rope, weights) every single day.

No races on the horizon for me, but I am gearing up for a couple of 5Ks and a half marathons April/May. So excited to see what I can do. But for now, I am really enjoying training!

Bullet point random thoughts

This is a 5 minute bullet point ramble. It has been a while.

* I am back to running strong and loving it. 85 miles planned for the week, with 74 of road running and 10 miles of elliptical running; 4 doubles. No rest days. Love it!

* Longest run in a while for me tomorrow: 16 miles. Excited!

* I am feeling the effect of the strength I have done for the past 3 months. My legs are powerful.

* I started to jump rope. I used to be very good at this as a kid. Now, not so much!

* My son's kindergarten class has been doing yoga for over a month now. He can now do sun salutations, among other more basic poses, as well as use "flower breaths" when he gets upset. I think this is amazing!

* Why was it so easy for me to do all these flips on the monkey bars or on a pole as a kid, and now doing one regular pull up is so hard?

* Do you ever habituate to your kid's performances/events, such that you are able to attend them without a pit in your stomach?

* Have you tried these shoes? They have been around for a while and I have no idea why I have not tried them until now.

* They are amazing! 6.5 ounces but feel as comfortable as the 7.5 ounces Kinvaras. And so beautiful!

* Hope everyone is having a great weekend! We are off to Portland Maine tomorrow for a little getaway. The weather is absolutely gorgeous right now and spring is in the air! My brain is on a running high!

On strength training

For the past 6-8 weeks I have become one of them...the gym people. Part of me still does not believe that. But it is true. I am looking forward to hitting the gym almost every night to, gasp, strength train. I admit my move toward strength training was rather forced. Back in December I saw a PT due to a stubborn pissy R quad. After the evaluation I was told that I had weak glutes and core. I was a bit surprised about the core issue. I honestly believed I had strong abs since I was actually able to see the muscles on mu stomach. I was however not surprised about the weak glutes issue...my butt was kinda going south. The PT told me that I have very strong hamstrings and quads, and that most likely due to sitting a lot (hm, one can't really do my job standing) and a running style that does not engage the core and the glutes, my hamstrings and quads had to work over time....

It has been 8 weeks since I started PT. Lucky for me I managed to continue running about 60-75 miles/week, but some of them on the Elliptical and all of them easy. I am just now getting back into a bit of speed as my body is 100% and some. I feel so strong. I can do planks, and squats on an upside down bosu holding a medicine ball, and deadlifts, and other exercises that I did not know existed 8 weeks ago. My body has never looked as good (OK, maybe pre Petru, but still!).

My butt is no longer heading south. I ran a few sprints the other day, at a speed that was on par to what I was doing before the injury, and I felt by abs working to lift up my knees, something that has never happened before. This is all really exciting for me, and I can't wait to see how my running will change because of correcting these imbalances. Just last week I started introducing some plyometrics, and have plans to start doing the routine below (starts at 4 min or so):

As far as general running goes, I am slow right now, of course. But, I am going to practice patience as I let someone wise guide me through this season's training. This will be an interesting experience since I am headstrong, very eager to get my speed back, and generally not used to being told what to do. The truth is, I am excited and so ready to go, go, go!

Quick Brooks gear review

Life has been rolling along nicely, but with nothing exciting to report...yet!

In lieu of that, here are some honest, uncensored reviews of my first shipment items from Brooks. By the way, I was NOT asked/required to do any reviews as part of my Brooks sponsorships; probably this is why I am CHOOSING to do reviews here.

1. Brooks Pureflow; 7.5 ounces; $90. First, these shoes are beautiful. The color is amazing. They feel like a sturdier version of the Nike Frees. They have a 4mm heel drop and a really good heel to toe transition for those slower runs when you are not on your toes. I think this is a great shoe for heel strikers who want to transition to forefoot or mid foot running. The shoe does not allow you to land on the heel as they have sightly convex soles (I am not a heel striker, but tried as an experiment to run that way for a bit).

The shoe offers a lot of cushion. Even though the shoe fits in the minimalist category, you do not feel the ground in these shoes like you do in the Kinvaras or Nike Frees (though the shoe weighs as much as the Kinvaras). For me, this is a great thing in a longer race like the marathon as they offer protection against the pounding. The shoes are narrower than the typical Brooks shoe, so you may want to order them half a size bigger. I really like this shoe and it is a good replacement for the Kinvaras, which will most likely last longer.

Epiphany bra; $30

This is a great bra, but there is nothing really special about it. I think generally I am a poor bra reviewer mostly because I can wear any type of bra and will be fine. So the $8-10 TJMax bras work just fine for me. But, if you have issues, you may want to try this bra. It is light weight, not padded (which I prefer although I could certainly use some padding) and comfortable. They have some pretty awesome colors on the site.

Brooks Ravenna 3; $100; 9.2 ounces.

These are shoes for mild pronators to neutral runners. They are heavier than what I typically wear (but much lighter than the shoes I used to wear during my first few years of running), so I was surprised that I did not notice the weight. They have great cushioning, and flexibility. They are also marketed as having more durability than the more minimalist shoes. These will be great shoes for my recovery runs where I want to run slower than usual. These shoes are similar to the Asics GT series and Mizuno Inspire, and are lighter than these other models. They also look pretty good, something that Brooks "got" very well with all of their products.

Top 3 running books of 2011

Nr. 1 Ironwar by Matt Fitzgerald

Yes, I know this is not a running book per se, but I think runners can get a lot out of it. Matt Fitzgerald is an amazing writer. He is able to combine the story of 2 of the greatest ironman triathletes Dave Scott and Mark Allen, with science on running form, running efficiency, mind-body connections as pertaining to running. I absolutely loved the conclusion of his book. Yes, the mind is important, but the ability to push through and suffer is somewhat determined by your genes. This is not to say that life experiences (e.g., childhood struggles) and training experiences (how much you practice suffering) are not important; they are, but not as much as what you are born with. It's a bit like the nature-nurture diathesis - we are born with a range of "suffering ability" and we can get to the top of that range by practicing, but we can't get further than that.

Nr.2 The Runner's Body, How the latest exercise science can help you run stronger, longer, and faster, but Tucker, PhD & Dugas, PhD, with Matt Fitzgerald.

This is a 2009 book, but I reread it during this past year. I love reading and understanding the science behind running. These guys present great info and clarify some of the misconceptions about running (e.g., cramps are caused by dehydration or lack of salt, we need a lot of fluids when running, etc). The book is much more than that, however, and I think it is an important one for all serious runners.

Nr. 3 Tapering and peaking for optimal performance, by Inigo Mujika, PhD

This is a great book about tapering, and provides research on the psychological and physiological effects of tapering.

Short recap and looking ahead at 2012

2011 was a breakthrough year for me. I PRed all but one of my running races, and I raced A LOT. My approach was simple. Run as much as you can, and run hard. I certainly surprised myself at the 5K and HM distances. I fought with the marathon, like I always do (hardest distance for me and one that I run slower than what the calculators say I could do) and won. I was injury free the entire year until my muscles said no more and forced me take it easy for a bit.

Most special races:

5K Ras Nah Hereim March 2011: 19:26

HM Quincy Half 2011: 1:28:46

Baystate Marathon 2011: 3:14:29

*****

Moving into 2012 my goals are a bit up in the air. My muscles are still not @ 100% so I am riding the Boston train(ing) and kinda playing the waiting game. I will take the next couple of weeks to see what happens before making any decisions here.

My main goal for 2012 is to focus on strength, diet and health. As I move closer and closer to the big 40, strength will be of utmost importance if I want to keep running. I eat a very healthy diet already, but I would like to eliminate some of the unnecessary eating that we are doing over here in the evenings. This is a common goal that Chris and I have, so we will close the kitchen doors @ 9pm every night. The "health" goal refers mostly to continuing to keep an eye on my sleep and doctor check-ups (really bad about scheduling those yearly visits).

All knotted up but getting loose

Oh boy, it's been a while since my last post!

I hit a few bumps in the road, and am not one to write about those. Not that there is anything wrong with writing about bumps in the road, it's just that acknowledging the bumps makes them real, and typically I am not ready to do that until I got a hold on the bumps. Probably none of this makes sense. So let me explain.

After my last 5K and crazy fast speed I developed a lot of knots in my hamstrings, than quads which made running difficult. I managed to keep running but with a shorter stride, and a much slower pace. Although I hit 73 miles last week, they were all slow. I ran a 20 miler last Saturday in over 3 hours, with stretch breaks. I ended up seeing a PT who confirmed that I am all knotted up (better than knocked up, I suppose:). Apparently I have weak glutes and a weak core, so my quads and hamstrings are doing more work than they should. He has me on a strengthening program which is great, but obviously makes my running more difficult. My legs/butt/core are sore which is unusual for me. I am also getting massages, which help a ton. The PT told me to keep running, which is great (gotta love a PT who tells you to keep running!). Things are getting loosened up and I even managed to do some speed this week, at a rather pathetic speed, and most of it on the treadmill, but I take it for now. This is not a major bump in the road, but it is one that left me thinking a bit about what running means for me, about my goals, and about how I am going to do things differently after Boston (meaning, I will take a full week off of running and also do a 6 week strength program before my next training cycle).

As far as some introspections, realizations during this semi-injury phase? Running even slow is better than no running. I can adjust to running on the TM, doing 20 loops on a 1 mile trail, running tempos on the track, you name it. The elliptical machine is an amazing exercise for running. Some smart coaches agree on that, too:)

Running benefits my marriage, my mothering, and my friendships. Enough said:) There are other things in my life that can take the place of the competitive element of running. This makes me happy and content that putting so much time into running over the years has not left me unbalanced as a person (just left my body muscles unbalanced, LOL). I am not good at receiving empathy when it comes to my "bumps". Please don't tell me you are sorry, or that I need to take it easy; I know you mean well but really that does not help. You can tell me I am going to get my speed back soon, that will make me feel better:)

On other news, we had a lovely Christmas, filled with lots of plastic and wooden toys for Petru, that are currently taking over my living room.

I am having a few days off before the new year, and it is lovely. Oh, and I got to do speed again this week, did I mention that?

Hope everyone has a happy, happy, merry, merry 2012! No injuries, lots of PRs, and lots of growth:)