20 miles and a busy weekend!

Well, it’s taken me several days into this week to find the time and energy to right about last week, with last weekend being the reason I haven’t found the energy to write till now.  We had friends in from out of town; hosted a wedding shower; I ran 20 miles; and managed a massage!  It was a crazy busy weekend!

Last week I had a nice 43 mile week!  Two easy 5 mile runs, an 8 mile run mostly up hill, and a moderately paced 5 mile run all led up to my first of 2 20 mile runs. 

The 20 mile run went great!  It was threatening to rain all morning, but managed to hold off till we were done running.  I went into this run determined to slow down from the pace I’d been running the past few runs.  We started at just under 10:00 minute miles and then eventually started speeding up.  It was really nice to have both Megan and Max to run with though for at least the first half of the run.  It was one of those good long runs where I felt pretty good the whole run and happy to be out and running and of course happy to not be rained on.  As we finished up the last mile or so Megan told me “you can’t fire me as your guide when I tell you are time.”  Well, we had run the 20 miles faster than any of my previous runs at 3:11:00!  We finished the last mile in 8:47.  Afterword’s I felt great!  I mean obviously my legs were tired, but I felt much better than I remember feeling after 20 miles training for MCM.

So, what does this mean?  I keep trying to run slower and end up running faster.  I don’t want to over train by running too fast, but I also feel good during and after my long runs.  I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve underestimated my fitness gain from MCM.  Gettysburg is pretty hilly; so I don’t expect to have an amazing time or anything, but I definitely feel much stronger and faster this time around.

After running 20 miles Saturday morning, it was time to co-host a wedding shower.  So I got to stand lots in the afternoon.  Even so my legs felt ok on Sunday…sore but not too horrible.  I was lucky enough to get a really good massage Sunday afternoon which definitely helped get rid of a lot of the soreness. 

Rock N Roll Half Marathon

It is a very nice change of pace to run a race that starts only a few blocks from our house. Bennett and I had the luxury of puttering around while getting ready, and then strolling leisurely over to the start line of the race. We didn’t have to wait long, or worry about crowds and port-o-potties. This alone would make me want to run this race again.

Yesterday was a beautiful running day. The temperature was perfect for a race. Running in shorts and a t-shirt felt amazing! It really felt like spring…or probably actually more like late April or early May.

This was Bennett’s first half marathon. We had no set time goal, and no real way of monitoring how fast we were going anyway. I wanted to run fast enough that he was working hard, and I at least was running faster than an easy pace. Stupidly, I forgot to use my inhaler that morning so I was a bit concerned about wheezing a lot with all the spring allergens around. I did spend parts of the race wheezing, but not as bad as I thought I might.

The course was nice and took us through parts of DC we haven’t run in before. There were a good amount of people out cheering along the whole course. The one thing that did not live quite up to my expectations was the amount of music. I thought there would be more, given that it is the Rock N Roll half and full. Oh well though…Although it was a big race, it wasn’t over crowded. Bennett did really well for his first race! I was really proud of him for pushing through! I tried to let him set the pace, but I know I sped up too much a few times…I’m sure no one is surprised at that!

Our official finish time was 2:08:12. I think that’s awesome for Bennett’s first half! I’d love to see what my half time would be though when I could set the pace :)

44 mile week...

I meant to write a post at the beginning of the week, but with one thing and another that never happened.

Last week I had an all time weekly mileage high of 44 miles! I was very happy how well I got through all of the miles considering that I lost my Sunday rest day the previous weekend. I managed to get in a nice slow but long hill climb of 6 miles during a 9 mile treadmill run and a faster than was wise 18 mile long run as my not easy runs of the week.

An 18 mile run in 2:55:30 was definitely not intentional. So much for the idea that an 8 mile run the day before would keep me from running too fast. Megan and I kept trying to slow down, but then clearly kept speeding back up. I probably should have run that at least 30 seconds per mile slower if not more. It felt good though almost the whole way, but this week I could feel that fast run and the 44 mile week in my legs!

If I’m remembering correctly from MCM training, it was the week after my 18 mile long run that I really started to feel the miles more than just the next day. So, I guess it makes sense that the same thing would happen around that point. Last time, it was an 18 mile run at probably a 10:30 pace and a 36 mile week though. That’s a big difference from this time around.

This week I’ve been feeling tired and bleh when running. Part of that earlier in the week were tired legs, part is day light savings time messing up my body’s schedule, and part was work stress related. Tomorrow is the DC Rock & Roll Half Marathon though. There’s nothing like a race to get me moving. I’m jealous of everyone getting to run the full though. I wish I had the ability to run the races I want without having to put in so much coordinating effort.

41 mile week

I’ve officially completed my first 40+ mile week of marathon training! Last training schedule I had one 40 mile week as my peak week of training. This training schedule has 4 weeks between 41 and 44 miles. That alone marks progress from the last round of training.

I finished up the week with a 17 mile run. In a desire to avoid being soaking wet running for several hours, we moved the run from Saturday morning to Sunday morning. We also switched from C&O to W&OD to avoid puddle jumping the whole run.

I was a little nervous about this run because of our failed attempt at a 15 mile run in Florida. Additionally, my leg was really tight during my 14 mile run before that. I wasn’t sure how my right leg would hold up and how hard the 3 mile jump would feel.

Well it felt great!

First off, it was great to run with Megan again. Our run became catch up and chat time, which always makes a run more enjoyable. I felt good pretty much the whole time. At around the turn around point, there’s a decently long hill. Last time I encountered the hill was on my 18 mile run training for MCM. This time, the hill was noticeably easier for me to handle. So, although I’m not where I’d like to be with my hill running, it was nice to notice that improvement.

Also in typical me style, I sped up on the second half of the run. Megan slowed us down a few times, but I think I kept speeding back up. Neither of us are the best at pacing, and it definitely felt like a comfortable pace the whole time. We finished much faster than I thought we would though, 2:46 and some seconds when I expected something more like 2:55-2:59. I felt pretty awesome at the end of the run, and today my legs are a bit tired and soar but not too bad. The only downside to shifting our run to Sunday is that I lose my rest day. This is going to be another high mileage week so I’ll keep my runs easy until my legs feel like they’ve rested enough.

Running on the cruise

Last week we were on a cruise! In planning a marathon training schedule that would have a vacation right in the middle of it, there was going to have to be some flexibility on that week’s running. There was no way I was getting a normal training week of running in while on a cruise ship, but I needed to run some. So I planned 3 hour-ish long runs of higher intensity (2 hill runs and a tempo run). I hoped that the boat would have decent treadmills, and I was happily impressed with Precores!

Well running on a boat is an interesting thing. I ended up running my 2 hill runs on the days the boat was the most rolly. My programmed hills had extra variation and some nice side to side incline changes thanks to the waves. It was kind of funny, especially when my flat parts turned into downhill, which the treadmill itself didn’t do. Friday the boat and the treadmill almost bucked me off! I was running 1 mile hill intervals, and holding on the whole time because of the waves. Even so it almost rolled me sideways off the treadmill with one wave!

Running in Florida

Saturday the 18th we had an early flight down to Orlando to drop off Ralph with my parents before heading off for vacation! Had I known at what point in a running training schedule I would be before buying the tickets, I might have avoided a 15 mile attempted run in high humidity and temperatures in the 80s, but I did not. The smart thing would have been to run in DC then fly, but instead we ended up with the reverse. Flying in the morning and an afternoon Florida run.

Bennett and I have both run in such conditions, and hotter ones, but that was when our bodies were acclimated to summer temperatures. This was definitely not the case. So we started out, knowing that we would need lots of fluids and electrolytes to make it through the run. We meandered all around my parent’s house, and I was once again impressed with how many nice sidewalks there are in that area. The heat and humidity was definitely getting to us long before we were even half way though. Each mile seemed much harder than it should.

The highlight of the run was being chased by two very friendly dogs that took our running by their house as an excuse to go for a run. They were really cute and full of energy. They gave their family quite the hassle in being caught. We ended up having to run back to their house to encourage them to go back to their family instead of coming with us.

The low part of the run was not being able to do the full 15 miles. Around mile 11 Bennett started feeling ill and dizzy from overheating and electrolyte imbalance. I was doing better, and would have forced myself through the last 4 miles, but I felt totally icky as well. So 15 miles became 11 miles, and we returned to my parent’s house in defeat. Stupid heat and humidity! I really can never decide which I hate more, extreme heat and humidity or the cold…