the last of the fast 3

it's been fun the last 4 weeks being able to run a sub-30 minute 3 miler on the treadmill. Next week the mileage bumps up to 4 so I'll be sensible and probably try to keep it between a 10:30-11:30 avg.

Treadmill 3 miles:
28:42

wednesday morning 3

these early morning 3 milers are tough.. but at the same time it's getting easier and easier to just hop out of bed @ 4:30 am to fit in a run, breakfast and get to work early.

Treadmill 3 Miles:
33:42

tuesday afternoon six

Ever since Sunday's 12 miler my left gluteus maximus has been very tight and painful so I decided to delay my usual Tuesday morning run until the afternoon. I had a good run on the treadmill and the gm is feeling much better...

Treadmill 6 miles:
1 hr. 9 min. 22 sec

best training run ever!

the conditions for this morning's long run were my idea of perfect: cool and rainy. I met with my marathon training partner to run 12. We decided on 6 miles out and back. Most of the route consisted of the swamp rabbit trail with some slight rolling hills but for the most part fairly flat. We started talking from the start, I was filling him in on what he missed at work this week and he telling me about their vacation cruise. Although I was wearing a 12:25 pace wristband it was clear at mile 3 we were much faster than that. The cool air and conversation just made it easy to go with it.

In my history of running there are two races that stand out as my favorite...Central Park 10k in April of 2009 where it rained the entire time. And, the Cleveland Half Marathon in May 2010 where I finished in an 11:58 average. Today's run reminded me of both of those events, it just felt great!

Mile 1: 11:17
Mile 2: 11:07
Mile 3: 11:40
Mile 4: 11:37
Mile 5: 11:41
Mile 6: 11:26
Mile 7: 11:37
Mile 8: 12:00
Mile 9: 11:59
Mile 10: 12:03
Mile 11: 12:13
Mile 12: 11:56

Total Miles: 12
Total Time: 2:20:40
Avg. Mile: 11:43

susan g. komen race for the cure

I moved my long run to tomorrow to be able to run the Susan Komen 5k today. It was a wonderful experience and my first time raising money toward a cause. I appreciate all my friends and family who stepped up and helped me raise $595. As a way of acknowledging everyone I went thru the list of donors in my mind and said each of your names to myself as I ran.

I  wasn't out for a personal record but just had a nice run:

Mile 1: 11:25
Mile 2: 11:18
Mile 3: 11:21
Mile: .1: 1:03
Total Miles: 3.1
Total Time: 35:05
Avg. Mile: 11:19

After we cooled down for awhile we ran almost 3 more so Amanda could get a little distance in today before leaving out of town on vacation.

Mile 1: 12:26
Mile 2: 12:02
Mile 3: 12:12
Total Miles: 2.91
Total Time: 35:33
Avg. Mile: 12:14

speedy thursday

I seem to be setting a little Thursday trend with running 3 miles fast (on the treadmill) This will change in October when my Thursday mileage increases but I'll likely continue to work on a faster pace.

Treadmill 3 Miles:
28:37!

wednesday morning 3

slept in a little longer today (5:10am) and then hit the treadmill for 3 miles. I ran a slow(er) and steady pace, nothing too crazy I'll save that for tomorrow night when I try for sub-30 again.

Treadmill Run:
3 miles
33:49

early morning 6 miles!

The alarm sounded at 4:30am and I had plenty of time to get dressed and meet a friend for a 5:15am run. My schedule calls for 6 miles and so this begins my "mid"-week mileage increase. Having never before run this distance so early in the morning I certainly felt it...more mentally than physically. I struggled to get over the hump in my mind which had me wanting to just be relaxed and in bed at this hour!  My friend veered off to finish up her 5 and I continued on for my 6. I tried to push it this last mile, mostly so I could finish and get home to wake up hubz and have breakfast, and get ready for work :) I managed to achieve all of the above in a timely manner :)

Mile 1: 12:24
Mile 2: 11:41
Mile 3: 11:45
Mile 4: 11:54
Mile 5: 11:24
Mile 6: 11:14

Total Miles: 6
Total Time: 1:10:21
Avg. Mile: 11:43

what!?

When I get the chance I like to read Kiawah Island Marathon race reports online. I am pleased to know that most people have a favorable experience running this marathon, a lot of people enjoy the scenic view through the resort neighborhoods and almost all mention the fabulous post-race food and festivities.

It was good to read so many accounts and opinions, because I feel it's probably best to have little to no surprises come marathon day. Some of the things I know about Kiawah Island Marathon are:

• The course is a 13.1 mile loop repeated twice.
• Last year in their attempt to go green the finisher medals were made of glass and were often dropped and shattered (understandably!) around the finish line. (hopefully they'll go with an unbreakable medal this year!)
• It can get a little crowded at the beginning of the race with so many half marathoners and walkers there as well, which can inhibit some of the marathoners that are there to make a good time. Also near the end it finishes on a bike bath which can also get crowded.
• There is a bean soup post race that is incredible!!
• The post-race party is wonderful and it's a meal not just snacks
• The scenery on the island with the resort homes is beautiful
• The weather can range from 40 degrees to 70 degrees...it's usually cooler @ the 8am start and warms up several hours into the marathon
• The course is flat with one hill. The word "pancake" is often used to describe the flatness of the course.
• After the half marathon point it can get a little lonely out there since most people run the half marathon and maybe 900 run the full marathon
• The pace signs are for 7, 8 and 9 min then Walkers (LOL) weird.
• Plenty of water stops and usually supplied with oranges and bananas
• Near the water on the island are Beware of Alligators signs. 

wait, what!?

Ok, OMG, I never thought of the potential for an alligator attack while running my marathon! I'm a little freaked out by this. All I can think of now is that during the 2nd loop when all is quiet and I'm struggling to make it through the next 13.1 miles out will come Mr. Alligator and he'll gobble me up before I have a chance to make it to the finish line!! And even worse I'll never get to enjoy the amazing bean soup! Seriously, an alligator sighting while running will totally throw off my pace! :-o

I suppose it's good to know this now so I have time to make peace with it...

sigh

cross-training today:
20 minutes of yoga and upper body strength training with 3lb weights

7 Miles

Interestingly the training plan drops mileage for today's long run. It is only 7 miles. Perhaps it's Hal's way of allowing some recovery from recent long runs and prepping me for the 12 miler to come next week.

Today was a beautiful fall morning for a run and my pal Amanda was with me for the 7 miles and as she continued on for her longer run I walked for awhile to cool down. I didn't concentrate on splits too much during the run because this didn't feel like a typical "long" run, I just kinda went with it knowing that 12-12:30 was about where we wanted to be. At mile 5 we stopped and had some GU which probably explains the slower split there.

Mile 1: 12:24
Mile 2: 12:03
Mile 3: 12:12
Mile 4: 12:10
Mile 5: 13:49
Mile 6: 12:03
Mile 7: 12:04

Total Miles: 7
Total Time: 1:26:45
Avg. Mile: 12:24

another fast thursday

Thursday seems to be the day to shoot for sub-30min. 3 miles. I hit the treadmill again and kept the pace between a 9:30 and 10min pace. Finished about the same as last week:

Treadmill Run
3 Miles
29:16

early morning 3 miles

I woke up a little earlier than necessary but it allowed for a few minutes of warmup and cooldown walking.

Treadmill Run
3 Miles
33:41

40 Year Old Virgo

I went to bed at age 39 and at some point after midnight while I turned 40 it all began...I woke up to intense pain in my left inside heel! It wasn't a cramp, I wasn't sure what it was, muscles or bones or maybe lactic acid from an earlier massage? All I thought was my 5 mile run in the morning was doomed and perhaps my marathon training. I managed to go back to sleep until 4:45am and then got up and walked around for a few minutes, waking up, drinking water and trying to decide what to do. I figured I wasn't injured BEFORE bed, so how bad could it be that I couldn't run on it. So... I began the 5 miler with taking Mile 1 easy at about a 12-12:15 pace. Although I could feel a slight twinge it wasn't so bad so I kept on and was able to finish the 5 miles. I drank 24oz of water afterward and the heel pain disappeared for the rest of the day! WHEW!

5 Miles Treadmill
Total Time: 58:17
Avg. Pace: 11:39

After my run and during breakfast I was given the most beautiful gifts from my dear husband. Natalie Merchant's new CD(s), A GORGEOUS diamond star necklace and a 26.2 sticker to be applied to my vehicle once I finish the marathon in December! :)

september morning on the swamp rabbit trail

I canceled yoga as my cross-training when RB said he'd go on a bike ride with me. It was absolutely beautiful out there on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. The weather was sunny with a cool breeze. Before heading out we added air to the tires which we think helped us not feel as fatigued as last week.

cross-training/bike ride:
Total Miles: 9.27
Total Time: 57.18
Avg. MPH: 9.7mph

saturday morning run group - 10 mile long run

Had a GREAT turnout for the Saturday Morning Run Group! There were 7 of us and it worked out nicely that two stayed together for a 6 mile tempo run and one worked on his forefoot training and 4 of us stayed together for 8 miles than myself and another guy that's training for Kiawah continued on for 2 more to get in our 10 mile long run.

I made a pace wristband for a 12:30 pace and the goal was to not go faster than 12 min pace or slower than 12:30 pace. Well, that didn't happen. Mile 2 was a little fast and Mile 9 was slow. Pacing is not easy and it's a work in progress that hopefully I'll have mastered by December :) Until then I'm satisfied with my progress in getting them fairly consistent.

Mile 1: 12:16
Mile 2: 11:42
Mile 3: 12:01
Mile 4: 12:27
Mile 5: 12:18
Mile 6: 12:20
Mile 7: 12:21
Mile 8: 12:31
Mile 9: 12:51
Mile 10: 12:20

Total Miles: 10
Total Time: 2:03:03
Avg. Pace: 12:18

a thursday fast one!

I didn't take NyQuil last night nor did I have any DayQuil this morning. But, shortly after settling into work this morning I started to feel slightly feverish and my nose was congested. So, I took a shot of DayQuil and just tried to take it easy. I followed that up with 2 cups of decaf green tea in the afternoon.

Once I got home I truthfully was not looking forward to running 3 miles. I said to RB that I'll be finished running in 34 minutes. He said, "OK", and I said, "It won't be 28 or 29 minutes" and he said, "OH I know that, you couldn't do that!",  I said, Are you daring me?" and he said, "I just know you can't do it".

Knowing full well he was playing a little reverse psychology with me I still took him up on it and went into the run just telling myself to do it. I set Mile 1 on a 9:50 pace and was able to keep that the entire mile. For Mile 2 I bumped it to a 9:30 pace and had to knock it back to a 10min pace for a bit and then would speed it up between 9:30 and 9:50 until I finished 3.009 miles in 29:15!! It was actually closer to 29:06 at 3 but I forgot to stop it. I'll just take 29:15 for 3 and a smidge.

I was quite determined and felt confident the entire way although there were moments that I felt if I lost focus I could easily just back off and start walking. So, it was definitely hard but not horrible.

Treadmill 3 Miles:
29:15!

wednesday 3

I'm still dealing with a cold in my face and had another NyQuil induced sleep last night. I woke up at 5am to run 3 miles. I wasn't as bewildered about getting dressed as I was yesterday and it was nice that I only had to run 3. I felt pretty energetic considering the hour and ran my last mile at a sub-10 min pace.

Treadmill 3 Miles:
32:39

where training gets tough

I woke up with a sore throat yesterday and felt a little stuffy last evening so I took NyQuil before bed. It was helpful for a good nights sleep, however getting up at 4:40am to run 5 miles wasn't all that appealing. I stood there in the early hour confused trying to figure out what I was supposed to wear for a run. lol! I managed to get moving by 5am and with a couple walk breaks finished the 5 miles in decent time.

My sore throat is gone now but I have been "stoppy" (stopped up nose) all day. "They" say if the cold is in the neck and above it's still alright to run, but if it moves to the chest you shouldn't. I'm really hoping this thing goes away and doesn't move down! I have perfect "attendance" with my training schedule so far and I really don't want to miss a day!

Treadmill 5 Miles
1hr 40 sec
12:05 avg

leisurely bike ride and a green smoothie!

Today is a rest day but I can never turn down my sweet husband when he is willing to go on a bike ride. It's one of my favorite things. We enjoyed an hour long ride along the Swamp Rabbit Trail and upon returning home he poured a glass of iced grapefruit juice and I made a smoothie that I had heard about from a fellow blogger The Veg Meg. She refers to it as the green monster and although I used all the ingredients I didn't measure precisely, I just tossed in what looked right, and it turned out delicious!

banana
frozen strawberries
orange juice
almond milk
flaxseed
spinach

GREEN! but GOOD!:

Bike Ride:
9.55 Miles
Total Time: 1:03:00
Avg Pace: 9.1mph

yoga

I realized today that every week when cross-training day rolls around I feel slightly stubborn and grumpy because I'd rather run than do another exercise. Today is such a gorgeous day I thought another long run would be so nice! But, for all the reasons I shouldn't and to remain faithful to my training plan I decided on yoga..

I followed a new DVD which is designed for runners. It's divided into 3 parts: warm up, main practice and cool down. I like that the warm up is something I can use later on a run day and the same for the cool down.. after a run. The poses were fairly basic but still challenging. I enjoyed the slowness compared to the last "power yoga" DVD two weeks ago which ended up straining a muscle in my back. I especially liked when the instructor would point out why a pose was beneficial to a runner because this kept me motivated to stick with it.

The best thing about today's workout was my cute beagle coming in near the end and staring at me for several minutes then lying down next to me during cool down.

Yoga: 60 minutes

Saturday Long Run - 9 Miles

Ran a decent 9 miles this morning. My co-worker who will also be running the Kiawah Island Marathon joined me as did another runner who stayed with us for about 3 miles then the two of us continued on for 9. I will say from the start the pace was faster than the 12:20 per mile goal I was shooting for but I felt strong so although there were many miles to run I just put aside working on even splits for today and mostly just tried to run in a zone that felt natural and not too forced. We both did well and started to feel heavy legged during mile 7 and 8. I attribute mine to little sleep lately and running a 5k only 10 hours before. So, I have no regrets going out fast this morning and am happy with the overall average. Next long run I will work on even splits because I do still strongly believe it's important especially as we add on miles, we will need the gas to maintain a decent pace for the long haul.

Now that all this running is finished I have a massage this afternoon, tomorrow is Yoga and Monday a welcomed rest day AND day off of work! :)

Mile 1: 11:52
Mile 2: 11:51
Mile 3: 12:03
Mile 4: 12:14
Mile 5: 12:00
Mile 6: 12:50
Mile 7: 12:27
Mile 8: 13:05 (darn! wanted to stay in 12's)
Mile 9: 12:01

Total Miles: 9
Total Time: 1:50:23
Avg. Mile: 12:16

a lil' 5k on a rest day

A friend asked me a couple months ago to run a 5k with her... There has been part of me that hasn't been looking forward to it because it is a night time race (10pm) and I don't do well in these races because of the heat. our goal was just to run it and finish under 36 min. It turned out to be a great night and a couple other friends ran the 5k also. Now, to get some rest because in 9 hours I'll be running 9 miles!


Midnight Flight 5k
(according to Garmin)
Mile 1: 11:13
Mile 2: 11:34
Mile 3: 11:44
.1: 1:09:02
Total Miles: 3.13
Total Time: 35:39
Avg. Mile: 11:24

thursday three

I decided against a morning run and instead ran on the treadmill later in the day and too soon after dinner. I was trying to run fast and kept cramping in my upper rib so I made it a walk/run workout and by mile 3 I was able to run the entire mile without walking.

Treadmill 3 Miles:
36:38

wednesday 3!

I got up early this morning and ran on the treadmill. I felt very tired so I purposely took it easy in the beginning and increased speed about a 1/2 mile in. I need to get used to being tired because the busy week continues...tonight is a concert (Natalie Merchant!), a 3-mile run in the morning, and Friday I run a 5k that will be @ 10pm!! Typically it's a rest day but I'm running with a friend who wants to finish a 5k under 36 minutes so I'm going to do my best to help out. On Saturday morning I run 9 miles and I scheduled a massage for that afternoon since I am missing my usual Wednesday massage due to the concert. Sunday will be cross-training then finally a rest on Monday which is also a day off from work so I predict several naps that day! Until then I'll keep on running...


Treadmill 3 Miles:
33:51