What a great weekend for me! After a summer of reading the Twilight series, it is finally out in the movies. Joe, Alynn, Heather, her sister, and I had made plans to see it on Saturday months ago. We were joined by two others that we work with and went to get our seats. Good movie!!! There were several things that didn't work for me and it is quite the stalker/obsessive relationship but it was still worth watching and as my friend Amy said to me, it is about a vampire and a human so it is a strange relationship! I was disappointed by the people they picked for most of the characters as they just weren't what I had envisioned in my head but they portrayed the book well enough and left it so that they can release another movie - hopefully sooner than later!
The weekend before Thanksgiving is always centered around Turkey Raffle Run. Turkey Raffle Run is a laid back run for 1 hour around the Crossings. It is so much fun just to run and pick up raffle tickets for every loop you do. The loop is about 1 mile long and I did 5 today. This was the best post marathon run I have ever had. I think it is probably because I took more time off than usual after the marathon. I just wanted to be this week so I took it easy. My hip flexor is sore and my heel is getting better from my massive blister so I had a lot of questions about what would happen today but I started slow and then found my pace. I didn't win anything but Joe won a 20 lb turkey. That is a lot of turkey for Joe to eat since I am a vegetarian!!! My mom won an apple pie which is funny because she made and brought 2 apple pies for the raffle. She basically just traded her apple pies for this apple pie.
Next up: Troy Turkey Trot 10K. After that, just Ironman training for a little while.
I am excited to have finished the 2009, 2010, and 2014 Lake Placid Ironman, 2016 Ironman Mont Tremblant, the New Jersey Marathon, Rock n Roll Arizona and San Antonio Marathons, ING NYC Marathon, Mohawk Hudson Marathon, and the Vermont City Marathon. I have also run lots of other running races and several 70.3 races. I love racing and triathlons. This is a blog about training and racing!
About Me
- Kelly
- I am a biology teacher by day but a crazy triathlete and runner at all other times.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Rock N Roll San Antonio
I just got back from San Antonio today (Monday). What a beautiful city!!! The weather was nice, even though a cold front went through and it got "cold" while we were there. The Riverwalk was fantastic and the entire city was very nice. The food was great! Some of the best Mexican food that I have ever had and the salsa fabulous.
My third marathon is in the books! Three years ago I didn't think I could do a marathon but I have done 3 in 2 years. 2 this year. And I am signed up for Ironman. How amazing that life is so exciting and changes so quickly. I can't believe how my life has changed over the past three years.
Lets talk about the marathon and the week before the marathon.
Last weekend we did the Schenectady Stockadeathon. I figured this would be a good run during my taper. I had a plan of running under 1 hour 34 minutes by maintaining just over 10 minutes a mile. I wanted to make sure that I got in 10 miles. I got to the starting line and ran with a friend whose goal was 1 hour 29 minutes. I didn't stick to my race plan - STUPID ME!!!! I got in a great warmup. I just didn't stick to my plan and I was dying at mile 4. By the way it was a 9.3 mile race. I know better. So, I ran a 1 hour 33 min race. It is a PR for me but I was pissed off at myself for not following through on my plan. This also made sure that I was recovering a little longer than I wanted to this week.
I have taken the past week pretty easy to make sure I am tapered well and recovered even better. I went for a 30 min run on Tuesday, 25 min run on Wednesday, 20 jog on Friday and then took off Saturday. We traveled to San Antonio on Thursday to make sure that we were there with plenty of time to acclimate to the temperature, humidity, time change, etc.
You may be wondering why I am telling you all of this. It is because I am trying to figure out what went wrong during the race. This is the first marathon that I was not going into it sick and did the most long runs. Marathon #1 - I had mono and ran a 4 hour 50 min marathon, Marathon #2 - I was sick for 5 weeks prior to the race and ran a 4 hour 55 min marathon, and Marathon #3 - I felt prepared, had PRed in distances up to the half marathon all over the place and had quality training in. My goal was a sub 4 hour 50 min marathon. I ran a 5 hour 2 min marathon. I finished. That was the number 1 thing that I achieved. I have finished 3 marathons. That is impressive. But...WHAT WENT WRONG???? I don't have this figured out yet obviously.
The day started out really well. It was in the 40's at the start. It seemed like a good day. We had done a lot of walking over the past three days sightseeing in San Antonio but I felt ok on the morning of race day. I didn't have my normal breakfast as the hotel didn't have poptarts or toaster strudel so I had Cheerios and half a bagel with peanut butter. Unlike some of the participants, we got to the starting line without a problem. I went to the porta potties and did my thing. I got to the starting line and after the race started for wave 1 I had to wait for 30 minutes for my wave to start. I hit another porta potty again while waiting and got hungry while waiting as well so I ate some fruit snacks. The race started well. I went out slower than I normally would but I didn't want to start too fast. I had a fantastic 1/2 marathon. So much fun too!!! We kept going and felt great up until after mile 17. I had some intestinal issues initially but I didn't want to stop because I was on pace for a 4hour 46 min marathon. Then I just kept getting slower. My muscles got soooo tight. I didn't want to eat anything. After mile 19 I decided to walk the aide stations. I kept getting slower. It got warmer out - around mid to high 60's. My entire upper body hurt. I was in a death crawl. I started going to the run 4 walk 1 minute running method. I just wanted to get to the end. I picked it up a little after mile 25. The end though was interesting - we finished on an uphill. Yuck!!! Of course, the entire course was much more hilly than I had expected. For a course that was said to be flat and fast, I didn't expect the couple of rolly hills that were in it. This was the hardest course that I have done in marathoning. But that still doesn't explain why I self destructed.
Maybe I didn't do enough weekday runs. Maybe I didn't do enough long runs even though this is the best i have done with my long runs. Maybe I didn't fuel appropriately this weekend - there was a lot of vegetables but not a lot of carbs the two days before. Maybe I just don't run well in the heat/sun. I did a lot of yoga but no weight lifting this time around - maybe I should do more weights. Maybe I didn't sleep enough the week before. Maybe I didn't recover from the Stockadeathon well enough - I didn't keep to my plan which should have been better for recovery. Maybe I didn't taper enough. Maybe I tapered too much - shorter runs the during the weekdays two weeks before the race. Maybe I did my last long run too close to the race - 2 weeks ago. Maybe I went out too fast and ran the first half too fast even though I was right on target for my goal time. Maybe I wasn't hydrated well enough - even though I drank a lot of water this weekend. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself up to the marathon and needed this one to be the best one. I could maybe all day long but what would that accomplish now.
I am happy with the race though. It was lots of fun and I finished. I just can't believe I self destructed. I will do another even though this past weekend was very difficult and I am really excited about the half marathon distance. I am doing Ironman in July and am disappointed that I don't have a fall marathon planned - maybe I will get into the NYC marathon this year. Although I don't think that one is going to be the PR course but could be a positive marathon experience without much expectations as it is a very hilly course.
So, instead of doubt myself. I want to end with a positive. I finished. How many people can say that they did 3 marathons. San Antonio was great and the course was fantastic and fun. Ironman training here I come!
A quote to end my blog for today:
"No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life's most rewarding experiences."
George Sheehan
GEORGE SHEEHAN
My third marathon is in the books! Three years ago I didn't think I could do a marathon but I have done 3 in 2 years. 2 this year. And I am signed up for Ironman. How amazing that life is so exciting and changes so quickly. I can't believe how my life has changed over the past three years.
Lets talk about the marathon and the week before the marathon.
Last weekend we did the Schenectady Stockadeathon. I figured this would be a good run during my taper. I had a plan of running under 1 hour 34 minutes by maintaining just over 10 minutes a mile. I wanted to make sure that I got in 10 miles. I got to the starting line and ran with a friend whose goal was 1 hour 29 minutes. I didn't stick to my race plan - STUPID ME!!!! I got in a great warmup. I just didn't stick to my plan and I was dying at mile 4. By the way it was a 9.3 mile race. I know better. So, I ran a 1 hour 33 min race. It is a PR for me but I was pissed off at myself for not following through on my plan. This also made sure that I was recovering a little longer than I wanted to this week.
I have taken the past week pretty easy to make sure I am tapered well and recovered even better. I went for a 30 min run on Tuesday, 25 min run on Wednesday, 20 jog on Friday and then took off Saturday. We traveled to San Antonio on Thursday to make sure that we were there with plenty of time to acclimate to the temperature, humidity, time change, etc.
You may be wondering why I am telling you all of this. It is because I am trying to figure out what went wrong during the race. This is the first marathon that I was not going into it sick and did the most long runs. Marathon #1 - I had mono and ran a 4 hour 50 min marathon, Marathon #2 - I was sick for 5 weeks prior to the race and ran a 4 hour 55 min marathon, and Marathon #3 - I felt prepared, had PRed in distances up to the half marathon all over the place and had quality training in. My goal was a sub 4 hour 50 min marathon. I ran a 5 hour 2 min marathon. I finished. That was the number 1 thing that I achieved. I have finished 3 marathons. That is impressive. But...WHAT WENT WRONG???? I don't have this figured out yet obviously.
The day started out really well. It was in the 40's at the start. It seemed like a good day. We had done a lot of walking over the past three days sightseeing in San Antonio but I felt ok on the morning of race day. I didn't have my normal breakfast as the hotel didn't have poptarts or toaster strudel so I had Cheerios and half a bagel with peanut butter. Unlike some of the participants, we got to the starting line without a problem. I went to the porta potties and did my thing. I got to the starting line and after the race started for wave 1 I had to wait for 30 minutes for my wave to start. I hit another porta potty again while waiting and got hungry while waiting as well so I ate some fruit snacks. The race started well. I went out slower than I normally would but I didn't want to start too fast. I had a fantastic 1/2 marathon. So much fun too!!! We kept going and felt great up until after mile 17. I had some intestinal issues initially but I didn't want to stop because I was on pace for a 4hour 46 min marathon. Then I just kept getting slower. My muscles got soooo tight. I didn't want to eat anything. After mile 19 I decided to walk the aide stations. I kept getting slower. It got warmer out - around mid to high 60's. My entire upper body hurt. I was in a death crawl. I started going to the run 4 walk 1 minute running method. I just wanted to get to the end. I picked it up a little after mile 25. The end though was interesting - we finished on an uphill. Yuck!!! Of course, the entire course was much more hilly than I had expected. For a course that was said to be flat and fast, I didn't expect the couple of rolly hills that were in it. This was the hardest course that I have done in marathoning. But that still doesn't explain why I self destructed.
Maybe I didn't do enough weekday runs. Maybe I didn't do enough long runs even though this is the best i have done with my long runs. Maybe I didn't fuel appropriately this weekend - there was a lot of vegetables but not a lot of carbs the two days before. Maybe I just don't run well in the heat/sun. I did a lot of yoga but no weight lifting this time around - maybe I should do more weights. Maybe I didn't sleep enough the week before. Maybe I didn't recover from the Stockadeathon well enough - I didn't keep to my plan which should have been better for recovery. Maybe I didn't taper enough. Maybe I tapered too much - shorter runs the during the weekdays two weeks before the race. Maybe I did my last long run too close to the race - 2 weeks ago. Maybe I went out too fast and ran the first half too fast even though I was right on target for my goal time. Maybe I wasn't hydrated well enough - even though I drank a lot of water this weekend. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself up to the marathon and needed this one to be the best one. I could maybe all day long but what would that accomplish now.
I am happy with the race though. It was lots of fun and I finished. I just can't believe I self destructed. I will do another even though this past weekend was very difficult and I am really excited about the half marathon distance. I am doing Ironman in July and am disappointed that I don't have a fall marathon planned - maybe I will get into the NYC marathon this year. Although I don't think that one is going to be the PR course but could be a positive marathon experience without much expectations as it is a very hilly course.
So, instead of doubt myself. I want to end with a positive. I finished. How many people can say that they did 3 marathons. San Antonio was great and the course was fantastic and fun. Ironman training here I come!
A quote to end my blog for today:
"No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life's most rewarding experiences."
George Sheehan
GEORGE SHEEHAN
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Let's Talk About Me... Wait, We Always Do!!!
Hello everyone! Life is crazy (as always). After our NYC weekend, I ended up with Bronchitis and a bacterial infection in my lungs which put a little bit of a damper on running for a little while (about 2 weeks). I basically ran only on race day for 2 weeks straight. Here are the race reports and a marathon update from the past 3 weekends.
Washington DC - Army 10 miler:
We drove down to DC after school on Friday - a 7 hour drive when we were both very sick. We arrived in DC at Mimi and Erich's house (sorry to both of you for our non-stop runny noses, coughing, etc.). It was a beautiful weekend in DC. We went to the National Portrait Gallery on Saturday after packet pickup. The Gallery was enormous. It was so cool though. I can't believe how many pictures and paintings there are in that building. We spent a good 2 1/2 hours there and didn't get through half of it. We then headed back to Erich's house to order pizza for Radius (some of the best pizza I have ever had), watched a little of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and headed to bed early. The next day we wake up early, get on the metro, and arrive at the Pentagon in the dark. This is the biggest production I have ever seen. There were armed army officers everywhere. There were even security dogs. We wandered around for a while found the port-a-potties, found the baggage check, watched the Canadian parachute team do formations after jumping from a plane, and then went through security to get to our starting corrals. Yes, I said security - no electronic devices, no bags, and no beverages over 6 ounces. This was the most secure race I have ever been a part of. It is also the most organized race I have ever been a part of which was great for me since I am a little obsessive about having organized events. The first wave started at 8 am, Erich and Joe were off - not that I could see them as I was in a parking lot and they were up on a road about a 1/2 mile from where I was standing. I was in the bathroom line again when their wave went off which was great since no one was waiting for them at that point. I had been warming up for about 20 minutes by this point so I bathroomed it, found my corral and stretched. By the way, my warm-up consisted of running back and forth in an area inside of security since I would have had to go back through security again if I had left the area and the lines were far too long. So, my wave started at 8:10. Really??? The canon went off but we were still standing in the parking lot. 8:20 we were on the move through the parking lot and up a grassy incline (how come those of us who are the slowest have to go farther than those who are the fastest - oh, the irony) and at 8:25ish I am across the finish line. Why did I bother warming up??? Not sure, I will not do that next year. The race started well. I was running ok considering I was not feeling well. It was a little more hilly than we had anticipated and it was warm. Beautiful route though. We went by the Botanical Gardens which had these really cool "Earth's" outside. We went by a lot of monuments. Imaging running here everyday - how cool would that be. Then we got to mile 8. It went on a road that acts as an overpass. Holy crap!!! It was such a long incline. At this point not feeling well really started to hit home. I wanted to run my marathon race pace (11 min per mile) but had averaged under that up until this point. I didn't think I could keep it up. But we got past mile 9 and then to mile 10 and the finish. I finished in 1:48.32. A 10.51 per mile pace which was good for me during marathon training. I then had to navigate through the chaos of the 30,000 runners and their family members at the finish area at the Pentagon. I finally decided that Erich and Joe may have decided to go to baggage claim to wait for me since I would have to end up there at some point. After the race, Joe and I both felt awful. I told Erich and Joe that running this race was probably one of the worst moves I have ever made and I should have just stayed home today. Oh, well, hindsight is 20/20. We all know that next time I am sick and there is a race I will do exactly the same thing I did that day and feel bad after all over again. I finally found them at baggage check and we went back to Erich's, showered, ate, and I took a nap before the GPS took us on a screwy way home but we were home within 7 hours so it was ok. We will be back next year and hopefully we will be in better health and faster!!!
HMRRC 1/2 Marathon:
So, running 10 miles when sick is not a good idea. I didn't feel well the entire week leading up to this race. I finally felt ok to run on Saturday and the race was on Sunday. So, I guess I was really well rested for this one. My goal - to finish without relapsing into sickness again. We get to the start we find that it was much colder out than we had planned. We got to the start at a perfect time though. We got to use the bathrooms before the busses got there with all of the other runners who left their cars at the finishing area. (Those of you who are not runners don't understand how important bathroom time is to us runners.) When we got to the start and I decided that I was going to sacrifice a long sleeved shirt for my warmth. A mile in I lose the shirt - bye bye shirt. I feel like I kindof fell asleep for the first 4 miles - not really sure why but I did. After a sub-par mile 4 I kicked my butt into gear and started to race. Not sure what clicked but it was the best and longest tempo run/1/2 marathon race pace of my life. What a fantastic run too. I had a 5 minute PR in the 1/2 marathon. I ran it in 2:18. I finished before the first marathon finisher too. I knew I was on my upper limit as to my pace for this distance and kept waiting for the wall - I love when I hit the wall because it shows me that I have pushed as hard as I can and I learn where my limits are. The wall never came. It was a fabulous experience. I realized today that I have done all of my 1/2 marathons in Lake Placid or Schroon Lake which are incredibly hilly courses so who knows if my PR is one of just being on flat terrain or of me being in better shape. The downside of this run is that I have learned that my new shoes are great for up to 6 miles but over 6, I get a horrible blister on my heel. Need to fix this by next week if these are going to be my marathon shoes.
Marathon Training Run - 15.5 miles - What a great day. I felt great. It didn't feel like I ran that far but I did. I also can't believe how good my body felt the next day. How exciting!!! Blister worse though. I ordered new shoes. Thank you Alynn for riding your bike with me for 2hours and 50 minutes.
The Great Pumpkin Challenge - 10K
I love this race. It is really flat in the first 5K and then the second 5K is all hills. It is challenging once you get past mile 4. Today was a speed day. I wanted to average under 10 minutes per mile for the course which is tough on a hilly course for me. I am in great distance running shape but have not trained on hills because the San Antonio course is not hilly and I am not in 10K speed shape either with my focus on 11 min per mile workouts to make sure that I can PR at San Antonio. This was going to be hard for me even though it was only 6.2 miles. The course is through Saratoga State Park which is gorgeous so I was hoping that that would be a distraction enough for me to succeed. I went to warmup on this rainy, cold day and felt ok on my warm-up. I got to the starting line 5 minutes before the start time to stretch but we started late so by the time we started I was cold again. The first mile felt fast but wasn't what I wanted it to be - 10:08. The next mile was better 10:01 but still not fast enough. Mile 3 was great - 9:15. I was happy with that mile. Mile 4 was a 9:45 then mile 5 with 2 or 3 of the hills was slow at 10:08. Mile 6 was excellent even though I was struggling - this was a fast day for me and I was feeling the pain - 9:55. I finished on my watch at 1:00:56 which is my PR on the course. They had me at 1:01:17 which still may be a PR for me on that course. Nice and fast day!!! My new shoes are fantastic too. No knee or foot pain. No new blisters. No extension of the old blisters. I am happy with my performance of the day.
In conclusion:
So, I feel semi-confident in my abilities for the marathon on November 16. Next weekend is my longest run of my training. Hopefully that will go well and I will end marathon training on a high note. Then I go into the Stockadeathon in Schenectady where I want to do some more speed training for 9.3 miles (about the same pace as the Great Pumpkin Challenge just with 3 extra miles) which should help me with some speed and a little endurance late in training right before the main part of my taper. I really want to PR this marathon. I am not sure why it means that much to me but it does because I don't think I have given this distance a great try. I am faster than my previous times would show that I am.
So, I will end with my mantra that gets me through running hard and long because these are all true of my and my running.
I am strong
I am fast
I am visualizing pain leaving my body with every breath exhaled.
Talk to you all after my last long run next weekend. Have a good week.
Washington DC - Army 10 miler:
We drove down to DC after school on Friday - a 7 hour drive when we were both very sick. We arrived in DC at Mimi and Erich's house (sorry to both of you for our non-stop runny noses, coughing, etc.). It was a beautiful weekend in DC. We went to the National Portrait Gallery on Saturday after packet pickup. The Gallery was enormous. It was so cool though. I can't believe how many pictures and paintings there are in that building. We spent a good 2 1/2 hours there and didn't get through half of it. We then headed back to Erich's house to order pizza for Radius (some of the best pizza I have ever had), watched a little of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and headed to bed early. The next day we wake up early, get on the metro, and arrive at the Pentagon in the dark. This is the biggest production I have ever seen. There were armed army officers everywhere. There were even security dogs. We wandered around for a while found the port-a-potties, found the baggage check, watched the Canadian parachute team do formations after jumping from a plane, and then went through security to get to our starting corrals. Yes, I said security - no electronic devices, no bags, and no beverages over 6 ounces. This was the most secure race I have ever been a part of. It is also the most organized race I have ever been a part of which was great for me since I am a little obsessive about having organized events. The first wave started at 8 am, Erich and Joe were off - not that I could see them as I was in a parking lot and they were up on a road about a 1/2 mile from where I was standing. I was in the bathroom line again when their wave went off which was great since no one was waiting for them at that point. I had been warming up for about 20 minutes by this point so I bathroomed it, found my corral and stretched. By the way, my warm-up consisted of running back and forth in an area inside of security since I would have had to go back through security again if I had left the area and the lines were far too long. So, my wave started at 8:10. Really??? The canon went off but we were still standing in the parking lot. 8:20 we were on the move through the parking lot and up a grassy incline (how come those of us who are the slowest have to go farther than those who are the fastest - oh, the irony) and at 8:25ish I am across the finish line. Why did I bother warming up??? Not sure, I will not do that next year. The race started well. I was running ok considering I was not feeling well. It was a little more hilly than we had anticipated and it was warm. Beautiful route though. We went by the Botanical Gardens which had these really cool "Earth's" outside. We went by a lot of monuments. Imaging running here everyday - how cool would that be. Then we got to mile 8. It went on a road that acts as an overpass. Holy crap!!! It was such a long incline. At this point not feeling well really started to hit home. I wanted to run my marathon race pace (11 min per mile) but had averaged under that up until this point. I didn't think I could keep it up. But we got past mile 9 and then to mile 10 and the finish. I finished in 1:48.32. A 10.51 per mile pace which was good for me during marathon training. I then had to navigate through the chaos of the 30,000 runners and their family members at the finish area at the Pentagon. I finally decided that Erich and Joe may have decided to go to baggage claim to wait for me since I would have to end up there at some point. After the race, Joe and I both felt awful. I told Erich and Joe that running this race was probably one of the worst moves I have ever made and I should have just stayed home today. Oh, well, hindsight is 20/20. We all know that next time I am sick and there is a race I will do exactly the same thing I did that day and feel bad after all over again. I finally found them at baggage check and we went back to Erich's, showered, ate, and I took a nap before the GPS took us on a screwy way home but we were home within 7 hours so it was ok. We will be back next year and hopefully we will be in better health and faster!!!
HMRRC 1/2 Marathon:
So, running 10 miles when sick is not a good idea. I didn't feel well the entire week leading up to this race. I finally felt ok to run on Saturday and the race was on Sunday. So, I guess I was really well rested for this one. My goal - to finish without relapsing into sickness again. We get to the start we find that it was much colder out than we had planned. We got to the start at a perfect time though. We got to use the bathrooms before the busses got there with all of the other runners who left their cars at the finishing area. (Those of you who are not runners don't understand how important bathroom time is to us runners.) When we got to the start and I decided that I was going to sacrifice a long sleeved shirt for my warmth. A mile in I lose the shirt - bye bye shirt. I feel like I kindof fell asleep for the first 4 miles - not really sure why but I did. After a sub-par mile 4 I kicked my butt into gear and started to race. Not sure what clicked but it was the best and longest tempo run/1/2 marathon race pace of my life. What a fantastic run too. I had a 5 minute PR in the 1/2 marathon. I ran it in 2:18. I finished before the first marathon finisher too. I knew I was on my upper limit as to my pace for this distance and kept waiting for the wall - I love when I hit the wall because it shows me that I have pushed as hard as I can and I learn where my limits are. The wall never came. It was a fabulous experience. I realized today that I have done all of my 1/2 marathons in Lake Placid or Schroon Lake which are incredibly hilly courses so who knows if my PR is one of just being on flat terrain or of me being in better shape. The downside of this run is that I have learned that my new shoes are great for up to 6 miles but over 6, I get a horrible blister on my heel. Need to fix this by next week if these are going to be my marathon shoes.
Marathon Training Run - 15.5 miles - What a great day. I felt great. It didn't feel like I ran that far but I did. I also can't believe how good my body felt the next day. How exciting!!! Blister worse though. I ordered new shoes. Thank you Alynn for riding your bike with me for 2hours and 50 minutes.
The Great Pumpkin Challenge - 10K
I love this race. It is really flat in the first 5K and then the second 5K is all hills. It is challenging once you get past mile 4. Today was a speed day. I wanted to average under 10 minutes per mile for the course which is tough on a hilly course for me. I am in great distance running shape but have not trained on hills because the San Antonio course is not hilly and I am not in 10K speed shape either with my focus on 11 min per mile workouts to make sure that I can PR at San Antonio. This was going to be hard for me even though it was only 6.2 miles. The course is through Saratoga State Park which is gorgeous so I was hoping that that would be a distraction enough for me to succeed. I went to warmup on this rainy, cold day and felt ok on my warm-up. I got to the starting line 5 minutes before the start time to stretch but we started late so by the time we started I was cold again. The first mile felt fast but wasn't what I wanted it to be - 10:08. The next mile was better 10:01 but still not fast enough. Mile 3 was great - 9:15. I was happy with that mile. Mile 4 was a 9:45 then mile 5 with 2 or 3 of the hills was slow at 10:08. Mile 6 was excellent even though I was struggling - this was a fast day for me and I was feeling the pain - 9:55. I finished on my watch at 1:00:56 which is my PR on the course. They had me at 1:01:17 which still may be a PR for me on that course. Nice and fast day!!! My new shoes are fantastic too. No knee or foot pain. No new blisters. No extension of the old blisters. I am happy with my performance of the day.
In conclusion:
So, I feel semi-confident in my abilities for the marathon on November 16. Next weekend is my longest run of my training. Hopefully that will go well and I will end marathon training on a high note. Then I go into the Stockadeathon in Schenectady where I want to do some more speed training for 9.3 miles (about the same pace as the Great Pumpkin Challenge just with 3 extra miles) which should help me with some speed and a little endurance late in training right before the main part of my taper. I really want to PR this marathon. I am not sure why it means that much to me but it does because I don't think I have given this distance a great try. I am faster than my previous times would show that I am.
So, I will end with my mantra that gets me through running hard and long because these are all true of my and my running.
I am strong
I am fast
I am visualizing pain leaving my body with every breath exhaled.
Talk to you all after my last long run next weekend. Have a good week.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Weekend in NYC
Last weekend we went down to NYC so that Joe could do the Urbanathlon. What a crazy race. Run 8 miles with lots of different obstacles in that 8 mile time frame including 52 flights of stairs up and down, monkey bars, jumping over taxis and scaling an 8 foot wall. I just was not up for that craziness but Joe and Erich had such a great time with it. If I could find two more to make up a team, I would do it next year. Just have to find 2 more crazy people to come down with us and run and do crazy obstacles. Maybe that will happen.
Running is a little better now that I have a new pair of shoes. I actually ran on a treadmill at 5:45 am on Saturday morning while we were in NYC because I wanted to continue to break in my shoes. I feel like my joints are returning to normal now that I have more padding and support under my feet. The shoes should be ready for this weekend at the Army 10 miler in Washington DC.
So, we are in Washington DC this weekend. I am really excited. Army 10 miler here I come.
Alright, back to the biggest loser. I love this show. I want to get on the show but I don't fit the criteria to get on the show. I want someone to kick my butt for 8 hours a day. I would love it. You wouldn't hear me complain once. I love Jillian!!!! I want her as my trainer. Can she come and live with Joe and me??? There are very few shows on TV this season that I like except Biggest Loser, Till Death, How I Met Your Mother, Lipstick Jungle, and The Big Bang and all of those shows are on on Monday and Tuesday nights. Lipstick Jungle must be DVRed as it is on too late at night for me. So, I am really enjoying watching Biggest Loser tonight.
OK, enough of the randomness. Have a good night and good week. Maybe I will try to have Joe update his blog now!!!
Running is a little better now that I have a new pair of shoes. I actually ran on a treadmill at 5:45 am on Saturday morning while we were in NYC because I wanted to continue to break in my shoes. I feel like my joints are returning to normal now that I have more padding and support under my feet. The shoes should be ready for this weekend at the Army 10 miler in Washington DC.
So, we are in Washington DC this weekend. I am really excited. Army 10 miler here I come.
Alright, back to the biggest loser. I love this show. I want to get on the show but I don't fit the criteria to get on the show. I want someone to kick my butt for 8 hours a day. I would love it. You wouldn't hear me complain once. I love Jillian!!!! I want her as my trainer. Can she come and live with Joe and me??? There are very few shows on TV this season that I like except Biggest Loser, Till Death, How I Met Your Mother, Lipstick Jungle, and The Big Bang and all of those shows are on on Monday and Tuesday nights. Lipstick Jungle must be DVRed as it is on too late at night for me. So, I am really enjoying watching Biggest Loser tonight.
OK, enough of the randomness. Have a good night and good week. Maybe I will try to have Joe update his blog now!!!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Its been a while
I have been really busy. Between teaching, running, and traveling, we haven't been around at all. The last two weekends were in Keene Valley. Last weekend was the North Elba Half Marathon. I have been really struggling with running recently but North Elba went pretty well - 2hours 24 min 25 sec. My PR is 2: 23 so I was fairly happy with that time. It was more hilly than I thought it was going to be. Joe left out a couple of decently sized hills. When I got to the hills that Joe forgot, I though "Huh??? Maybe they changed the course. Maybe Joe just didn't want to scare me." The temps for the day were supposed to be in the high 50's which would have been perfect but it wasn't in the high 50's it was in the high 60's and a bit humid. I started well and actually felt really strong until mile 10 but I was happy with my ability to maintain after I didn't feel as good any more. The only thing that was tough for me is that it wasn't a large race so I felt that I was soooo far back at the beginning but I did catch people near the end which always happens. I did well. The frustrating part was that when I entered the horse shoe grounds where the finish was I started to give a little "kick" (little being the operative word). Then I got to a line of people and could see the finish line behind the people. I let out a "S#^%" when I realized I had to go around the parking lot to get to the finish line. My kick was gone by the time I got around the parking lot. Lila and Kaelah tried to run the last .1 miles with me but Kaelah kept falling behind since she did the warmup with me so they cut across and caught me at the finish line. Overall, it was a good day.
Yesterday, I went for a run. It sucked. I was dehydrated. I am over it.
Today, I went for a run. It was good, almost great but not quite. My new shoes felt good. I did a tempo run that went exactly as planned. I have been waiting for an excellent run for weeks. Since I have been back at school, I haven't felt great while running and since running is my stress relief, I have been incredibly stressed out. When the thing that relieves your stress isn't going well, it ends up adding more stress to your life. I just have been off since being back at school. I think I am finally back to normal, well, as normal as I am ever going to be.
I just want to make a note on YOGA!!!! I love YOGA!!! I have missed yoga sooooooo much!!! The only way I get through Wednesdays is because I know that I will be in YOGA soon and will feel 100% better than I did when I went in. Even if I don't want to go at the end of the day, whenever I go I am always so much happier when I left. I don't know how I made it through the summer without YOGA!!!! Next summer, I am finding somewhere that I can practice while in Keene Valley. It is a must.
Yesterday, I went for a run. It sucked. I was dehydrated. I am over it.
Today, I went for a run. It was good, almost great but not quite. My new shoes felt good. I did a tempo run that went exactly as planned. I have been waiting for an excellent run for weeks. Since I have been back at school, I haven't felt great while running and since running is my stress relief, I have been incredibly stressed out. When the thing that relieves your stress isn't going well, it ends up adding more stress to your life. I just have been off since being back at school. I think I am finally back to normal, well, as normal as I am ever going to be.
I just want to make a note on YOGA!!!! I love YOGA!!! I have missed yoga sooooooo much!!! The only way I get through Wednesdays is because I know that I will be in YOGA soon and will feel 100% better than I did when I went in. Even if I don't want to go at the end of the day, whenever I go I am always so much happier when I left. I don't know how I made it through the summer without YOGA!!!! Next summer, I am finding somewhere that I can practice while in Keene Valley. It is a must.
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