Summer runs can be brutal, especially in August in Texas. Today was no exception. I started out slow for my first mile for my warm up and then kicked it up to my goal race pace for mile two but started to ease up after mile three and four. I was trying to keep up with some of the faster runners in our run club and did fine until I started struggling with regulating my body temperature. I then settled into a comfortable pace of around 10:00/mile for the remainder of my run.
| 1 | 9:27.8 | 1.00 | 9:28 |
| 2 | 8:54.3 | 1.00 | 8:54 |
| 3 | 9:14.7 | 1.00 | 9:15 |
| 4 | 9:32.7 | 1.00 | 9:33 |
| 5 | 10:00.1 | 1.00 | 10:00 |
| 6 | 10:01.1 | 1.00 | 10:01 |
| 7 | 10:07.2 | 1.00 | 10:07 |
| 8 | 10:00.0 | 1.00 | 10:00 |
| 9 | 3:51.1 | 0.40 | 9:38 |
I have a race in two weeks and I think I will be able to handle a 10:00/mile pace and finish with a time I can be very satisfied with. Last year when I ran this same race I finished with a time of 2:48. I had trouble keeping cool and ended up walking some. This year the race has a completely new course and my biggest concern is shade.
In terms of my 2014 Miles Goal I am at 427 of 500 (85%). I have 5 half marathons coming up which will give me about 65.5 miles putting me around 492.5 without any additional running between now and the end of the year. I really think I am going to revise this goal to 600 miles. I am running between 15 and 20 miles a week thanks to my speed class that I have twice a week.
I promise I haven't forgotten this blog but I was out of town the past two weekends and so I didn't get any chances to run.
With that in mind, I was a little worried about how this morning's long run was going to go. I ran an average pace of 10:09/mi which is faster than what it felt like. My feet felt heavy for much of the run. The weather was cloudy but it was very humid with temps in the high 70s. I force myself to run slower because I am very concerned about overheating since I don't always handle the heat well.
With the summer heat I like to focus less on my speed and try to work more on my form and whatnot. This morning we ran some hill repeats and so I worked on trying to bound up the hill with good form. Going uphill you should run up on the balls of your feet, which actually puts more spring in your step. Going downhill you should lean forward, shorten your stride a little, increase your cadence some, and let the hill pull you down the road/trail/sidewalk.
For more regular terrain I just try to focus on my stride, strike, and cadence. I want to really maintain a steady cadence and shorten/lengthen my stride as needed. The thing about lengthening my stride too much is I need to increase my turnover otherwise my cadence has to slow down. Thankfully in my LiveWire Adrenaline class that is one of things were we focused on this week.
Finally, I set a goal for the year several weeks ago to run 500 miles this year. As of this blog entry I have logged 345 out of 500 miles, which puts me at 69% complete. I feel this is very doable especially since I have half marathon races in August, September, October, November, and December which means, barring injury or illness, I have about 66 more guaranteed miles which would put me at around 410 miles.
I'm going to try to run on the 4th since I won't have a chance to run the next two weekends.
Today was (what I consider) my first real run since my marathon. I've run smaller distances like 3 or 4 miles but today was my first "long" run I've done in several weeks. It felt great, especially since I got to run with people. It sounds weird but during much of my marathon training I was running solo. The group I ran with all run at about my pace so they helped push me and I helped them push the pace.
Now that I am finished training for my marathon I want to change gears towards finishing a half marathon in under 2 hours. To do that, I figure I need to average better than 9:15/mile. This morning I ran a 9:28/mile average and that was even with our group running slower to allow for someone to catch up.
It was warm this morning but the heat didn't bother me too much since I've been doing cross training in the evenings where the temps have been in the 90s lately. Running in this heat should help me with the Hottest Half in August. Last year I really seemed to struggle and I'd like to see if I can do better this time around.
I'm excited about my slate of races coming up. I have a race in the months of August, September, October, November, and December. I've been training in a speed class lately called Adrenaline offered by LiveWire Fitness. I've learned some cool techniques like bounding on hills which I feel is helping me become a better runner. Here's a good article that gives five different techniques to make you a better runner, especially when trying to conquer a hill.
I am going to work on my account of the Mountains2Beach Marathon this weekend. I've been extremely busy since I ran the race and haven't had time to sit down and write down everything about the race. I'll try my best to get it done tomorrow morning.
This morning I ran a nice 12 miles as we tapper heading into the Mountains2Beach Marathon. The race is in 2 weeks! Wow. Hopefully this is the last time we have to get up at 5:30 in the morning for a run.
The taper seems to come at just the right time in the training schedule. I know your body needs to recover from the hard work you put it through with the 18, 19, 20 mile runs but I think it is good mentally as well. I am perhaps mentally tired after long as I am physically and so it was nice running a "shorter" distance for a change.
It's interesting how training for a marathon changes your perspective on what a long distance is. I used to think 10 miles for training and a half marathon were long distances and now they don't seem so bad.
The only thing that really slowed me down was I got hungry right around mile 10 and so I snacked on a Larabar. I'm very happy with the 10:44/mile pace I ran, even with the temps starting to rise here in Texas.
This week was a much, much better run. I didn't have any stomach problems since I didn't use the same stuff that upset my stomach the past two weekends. I still have to walk some after the 13 mile mark as I very much have the endurance to run a half marathon. Past that and the distance becomes a lot more cumbersome and taxing. It might be good for me in training runs to run past 13 miles so that I can stretch my endurance to longer distances. That might help make marathon training be less of a beat down, both mentally and physically.
My marathon is just a little more than 4 weeks away. I'm both excited yet terrified. I am very certain I will be able to finish it but I still get freaked out by the distance.
We're at the point in the training runs where we start tapering. Next week we are scheduled to run 10 miles! I am running in a 5k and so while I want to try to be my previous best of 27:15, I really think it might be best to just run at a pace that is comfortable for me that doesn't put too much stress on my body. If I were to run a 9:30/mile pace I'd be very happy. After the race I think we will be finishing the route with a 7 mile run in the area.
Well, I am starving after burning 1,800 calories this morning and so I am going to sign off to raid the fridge.
Today I ran 18 miles. This was by far the hardest run I have ever completed. When I look over the training schedule I will run 20 miles next weekend and 22 miles after that. We will start tapering in May.
I can tell I am best conditioned right now to run a half marathon. I start having to walk more and more after 13 miles. I still finished the route but I have never been so physically tired in my life.
There is no doubt that this will be the hardest thing I will have ever attempted in my life.
Looking back on this so far I do know there are some things I need to do differently if I ever decide to run another marathon. I need to log more miles during the week to get my weekly mileage to no less than 50. That could mean running somewhere between 6 and 10 miles at least twice a week in addition to the long runs I do on the weekend.
I had a really good run today. I ran with a new pair of Brooks Ghosts and I did not have any trouble with my Achilles tendon, so I think I found what was causing the problem. Glad I seem to have that behind me but I will stay play it safe in the mean time. As soon as I post this I'm going to ice my ankle and roll my legs.
I ran my longest distance ever - 15.83 miles. I also ran my fastest 13.1 at 2:14. Very good day indeed. If I could run with that kind of effort next weekend at the Big D Half Marathon I'll PR for sure however the weather isn't looking good (rain).
I really couldn't ask for better conditions for running. It was a nice, brisk 48 degrees this morning with a relatively light wind. It's a little cold starting out and so long as the wind isn't blowing too hard, I felt great temperature wise. It was nice watching the world wake up while I was running through the neighborhoods of Plano.
It's runs like this that makes me think running this marathon in May is doable. I hurt and am tired but I feel like I can do it.
Fueling
I tried some new fuel sources and they seemed to work out well for me. Before I left the house, I had a bottle of the chocolate Generation UCAN protein drink. It didn't give me any stomach issues and I felt like I had good energy throughout my run. I'm going to go back to my local Luke's Locker and pick up some more packets for future runs. If this works out I'll get the canister.
I mixed the packet with about 16 oz of water the night before and put it in the fridge so that it would be nice and cold. I guess I need to do a better job of mixing it right before drinking as it was a little grainy as I finished it off. I struggle sometimes even eating early, early in the morning so it was nice being able to drink this and not experience a gag reflex.
I also brought several Larabars in my fuel belt that I snacked on while I ran to help keep my energy reserves up. So far my favorite flavor is Apple. 190 calories with some really good ingredients -- nuts (almonds & walnuts), apples, cinnamon, dates, & raisins.
Today was both a good and a tough run. I started, as usual, with tight muscles. My Achilles tendon started out fine and last through most of the run. After about 3 miles my muscles loosened up and I was able to get into a more comfortable pace.
It wasn't until after mile 9 that my Achilles tendon really started hurting and I had to start walking. The last two miles were the hardest as it seemed every leg muscle was exhausted and I just didn't have the will power to try to leg it out.
I suspect my legs were worn out at the end of the almost 14 miles because I have subconsciously modified my form & stride and so I am most likely working my legs harder than if I wasn't injured.
I iced my ankle as soon as I got home and so I hope it helps with the recovery process. I'll roll my legs and IT Band as soon as I get this entry posted.
I'm still going to my boot camps to continue my cross training but I am modifying some of the exercises if my Achilles tendon starts hurting. Calf raises actually seem to help reduce the pain so I try to do those whenever possible. I need to try to do them multiple time throughout the day.
So it appears I have become injured and have come down with I believe is Achilles Tendinitis. I have pain, especially when trying to run, in the tendon right above my ankle. This is your Achilles tendon. I am able to walk normally and there is really no pain when I am not do anything non-exerting, so it currently it not severe -- yet.
I suspect it occurred due to a combination of overuse and perhaps inadequate support from my shoes. My current shoes are getting older and I just bought a new pair of Brooks Ghost 6, but I have't had a chance to phase in the new pair and phase out the old pair.
I need to sit down and think about how to approach this. I need to continue to work on getting my mileage in for my long runs but I might see about limiting the amount of running I do during the week to in order to give my Achilles tendon as much rest between long runs. I may eliminate almost all running in my cross training (Boot Camp) and substitute some additional leg stretches.
I found this blog about dealing with Achilles Tendinitis, which gives a personal account to one person's dilemma and what he did to overcome the injury and still run his marathon. I hope this blog provides some decent advice on what to do to treat and continue to train for my upcoming marathon.
Here are some good articles on LiveStrong about dealing with Achilles Tendinitis:
I don't believe this is the end of my hopes to run a marathon right now but it certainly is a hurdle I will have to somehow overcome. I have had injuries in the past and have overcome them but this one has happened with a short time before my marathon, which is a little more than two months away. I just don't want this to be the reason I can't complete a marathon.
Most importantly I need to stay positive and not let this get me too far down. I came out stronger from my last injury and will come out stronger from this injury as well.
Today I feel like I had a really good run. Ran with an average 9:44/mile pace and felt strong throughout the run. It was humid but the temps were in the 50s. The first three miles were pretty hilly as we were running in the Plano Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. After that we went out and ran a pretty normal route for the remaining seven miles.
During the run I talked with my trainer how I keep flipping back and fourth mentally on the upcoming marathon where I wonder about what I've gotten myself into and then knowing I can do it. Of course having a good run this morning only helps me build more confidence in my ability.
I have been eating a granola bar before each of my long runs and it seems to really help with giving me the energy I need for a solid run. My trainer suggested a product called UCAN, which is an energy solution that you can take before or after a strenuous workout or run. I am going to see about picking up some of the powder from her before our next run next weekend. If it works I'll need to drink about 8 to 12 ounces before leaving my house for a run.
Anxious to see what distance we'll be running next week. Perhaps 15 miles?
Today I ran the furthest I have ever run. Started out with shin splints in my right leg and stiff muscles in the my left leg. I ran through it but it must have taken like 5 or 6 miles before the pain completely went away. I've given up trying to keep up with the main group as they run slightly faster than what I can maintain and still finish fairly strong. I am trying to keep my mile time between 10:00 and 10:30. If I could average 10:30/mile I would finish my marathon with what I feel is a respectable time of about 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Perhaps what is most interesting is that even though I was hurting pretty bad I still felt like I could run several more miles. My hips had started hurting around mile 11 or 12 but stopped around mile 13. At that point my legs were pretty sore but it felt like they still had some go in them. I feel this bodes well for me in my future longer runs and in the marathon race itself.
Overall I feel pretty good about the run. Despite the muscle pain early in the run it really didn't slow me down that much. Perhaps the one thing I lack the most right now is the mental strength to push through hills on some of my training runs. That is something that will just take time and might not be something I develop before my race in May but could eventually get much better at later on. I have only been running for almost two years now, so I feel it still makes me pretty green. I think my marathon will teach me a lot about myself that I do not know right now.
This post isn't going to be anything spectacular this week. Just a quick recap of how the run went. I was too focused on just trying to get through the run given how my body felt.
Today was an interesting run. I started off really struggling as my legs still felt like they were very tired. Perhaps much of it was in my mind as looking over the stats I really didn't do all that bad. I ran with a 10:23/mi pace and while I did walk for a little bit, I think I did fine overall. I feel pretty good next week will be better.
I had a very good run this morning. I had restarted cross training this past week since I was able to breathe again and that went well so I had plenty of motivation coming into the weekend. I had been sick the last two weeks with a cold and have tried very hard to not let that get me down. Everyone gets sick and it always seems to be at the worst time.
It was cool but not cold this morning so I didn't get decked out in all of my colder winter running gear. I ate a granola bar before leaving the house and that always seems to give me that extra little kick I need to have a solid run. After seeing the benefits of fueling before a training run or a race, I just need to get used to forcing my body to eat a little something even though I am generally not hungry at that time.
I did have any issues with heaves while running but I did get a huge cramp in my side near 9 mile marker, which was right before a water stop thankfully. I drank some water and it seemed to help. I felt pretty good throughout the run. My average pace was somewhere around 9:30/mi, which is what my comfortable running pace is right now.
I'm running the Fort Worth Cowtown Half Marathon next weekend and with today's run I feel like I could easily set a new PR. If I run a 9:30 average pace I could finish the race around 2:04, which is well under my goal of finishing my next half marathon under 2:10.
I'm still learning my way around my Garmin FR 620. At the 6.5 mile marker I reset my watch and so I have two different entries saved. Oh well. While I was stopped I wanted to scroll through my stats to see how I was doing but instead saved my run. Next time I'll try pressing the three horizontal lines on the watch face and see what that does. I'm working on a blog entry for my new watch and plan to post my review by the end of the month.
11.1 miles Pt. 1
11.1 miles Pt. 2
I have a little more below on running form if you want to read my thoughts on that. It's by no means the absolute right way to run but it might help you in case you don't have the best form.
So this morning I ran the Texas Half Marathon. Temps were in the mid to low 30s, winds in excess of 10 mph. Chance of rain. Not ideal conditions for a run if you ask me. Add in that I am currently fighting off a cold. I still finished the race, all 12.6 miles. If you're scratching your head wondering what happened to that last half mile, I'm wondering the same thing.
The course is relatively flat with only a few hills where you are running on the streets on the front half of the race. Once I got close to the 6 mile marker we got onto the Champions Trail which is very flat. The last time I ran on that trail was for the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon where it was raining, which resulted in portions of the trail being flooded. Thankfully this wasn't the case this time around as I wanted to keep as much of me as possible dry so I don't get any worse off on dealing with this cold. Before I got to mile 11 we got back onto neighborhood streets and finished the course.
There were parts of the course that were not a lot of fun to run as there was a bitter cold wind blowing into your face. Running on the trail was nice as it seemed to be more protected and so you weren't always dealing with a stiff wind.
I can't say it's a bad course because of the weather and is a race I'd consider running again in the future. The weather (namely the cold wind blowing in my face) is what made the race one of my less memorable races I have run.
I didn't finish with a time that I am the most happiest with (2:26:05) as I really wanted to finish with a time under 2:10. I did still finish even with my cold slowing me down since I didn't want to get winded and then suffer a cough attack while on the course. I am hopeful that I will eventually get over this cold and maybe can do much better when I have another race in a couple weeks -- The Cowtown Half Marathon.
For this race I tried out my new Garmin Forerunner 620. It's a pretty sweet watch that tracks way more data points than my Garmin Forerunner 110 did. Two things I really like about it was that it vibrates when you hit a lap and even with it having a touch screen you can swipe to other screens even while wearing gloves. I'm working on a product review blog entry but I need a few more run before I can give a decent review.
Had another good training run this morning. Ran just under 10.7 and kept my average pace under 10:00/mi which is a training goal of mine. I have a race next weekend and I feel pretty good about it right now. If I run at my training pace, which is between 9:15 and 9:45 per mile, I will finish with a time between 2:01 and 2:07, which would be mega-awesome!
I did better on my fueling this time around but still struggled with my hill repeat at the end of the course. Perhaps it is since I am running near my hardest that I really have very little strength/endurance left to just power through. This is a hill we run on a fairly regular basis and I know I can conquer it will relative ease but when I am at the end of a run it is just killer.
I still have the dry heave issue and I just think it is my body not liking the cold water hitting the stomach while my body is a little stressed due to the start of the run. Lately I haven't had trouble with heaves as the run progressed.
So right now the weather forecast for the race has low in the 40s with a high in the 60s. This could pose a challenge as my cold gear starts getting too hot in the mid-40s range so I'll be keeping a close eye on the forecast. I'm excited about this race because it will mark the end of a four race challenge I started last year in the spring. I am signed up for two more races in this series of races so that I can be a Streaker and then race any half marathon with this production company for $50.
Today was a great day to run. Temps started out in the high 30s/low 40s with low humidity. It's always cold to start out but once I get going I warm up pretty quick.
The first couple miles always feel like my worst because it takes two to three miles for my legs to really warm up. Once I got past the first water stop, I was feeling really good and put the hammer down and really cranked up my pace. I believe my best pace was sub 9:00/mi! A good goal would be to be able to maintain this type of pace for longer periods of time and I should be able to easily finish a half marathon in under 2 hours.
My battery died mid run so I don't have the complete route with all the useful stats (mainly time per mile) so I drew the map out using MapMyRun, which is what the trainers use to create the routes we run each week.
I ate a Clif Bar before leaving my house to go run, which gave my a nice little boost of energy. I did start running out of gas past the 7 mile marker, so I need to continue to work on my fueling strategy. The good thing is that I didn't have nearly as many of the problems of dry heaves (only at the first water stop) so that's good.
I did hit the wall at the 9 mile marker. We have a monster hill near the start point that the trainers have us run from time to time. Going up that beast is a real chore, especially at the end of a long run. I paused a couple times in order to reset my mind in order to make it up but I got through it.
For my next run I am going to try to eat some Sports Beans that I have which are made by Jelly Belly at each of the water stops to try to maintain my energy levels throughout my run. I like the beans because I can pop one or two in my mouth and suck on them while run.
I feel pretty good after 10 miles. A little sore but feeling pretty energized. These are the types of runs that I enjoy the most, where even if I don't have my absolute best run I am not the least bit discouraged.
Today's training run went much better than last week. I ran an average pace of 9:35/mile which is pretty awesome for me (better than my last race which I PR'd at 10:35/mi!). I ran slightly behind the group as I was pushing my upper limit. The real question will be whether I can run that kind of pace in a race or not for the full 13.1 miles. Guess I'll find out on Feb. 2nd!
I still had trouble with dry heaves after drinking water. I tried just drinking a couple sips but it still gave me problems. What did seem to help was not starting with such a fast pace as it allowed my body to process the water a little before going back into full throttle.
One thing that was suggested to me was to eat something small before running. I like Clif bars and so maybe I'll try eat half a bar before leaving the house to run with the group. It was also suggested that I follow the mean plan that was sent out to all the people that participate in Boot Camp, so maybe that will help me with fueling as well? My biggest problem is that I am a fairly lazy cook and so it might be more energy I might be willing to put in.
My legs feel pretty good. I promised myself I would get better at rolling my legs after my long runs and so once I fix myself some breakfast I'll bust out the foam roller and then get cleaned up.
I am starting my training to run a full marathon, the Clif Bar Mountains2Beach Marathon, in May 2014. I have created this blog to document my experiences leading up to my race. I plan to share both the good and bad experiences.
To start this blog off right, I ran yesterday for 7.2 miles. I did fine running at a nice pace that will help me PR at my next half. I need to run a 10:00/mi or better pace if I am going to get to 2:10. However after a water stop around the 3.5 mark, I suddenly got the heaves after I drank some water. After that I fell apart and had trouble running. I suspect it had to do with running to hard (I was around a 9:15 pace) in the cold and then perhaps drank too much water.
Here's hoping next week is better.
