Other than the fact that I am ending November on a non-running note due to weird pain while running. I felt November was a successful month and in comparison to last November, I did extremely well. December should be even better. I am starting to run either Wednesday (if I have my way) or Saturday (if my husband, who loves me and may be the voice of reason in this situation, has his way). I feel stronger now than I did 2 weeks ago. My legs are finally feeling better. I do need to up my bike and swim miles and keep my running about the same but I have progressed well this month . I have some great distances under my belt for November. Another bright thing that has happened in November is that I started strength training and yoga again!!! Yoga is my sanity and I missed it so. I am happy my yoga instructor is also my friend Melinda so I feel bad when I do not attend thus I must attend. Strength training and core strength is a weakness of mine and I am happily working on it. I am happy with my progress right now! I am happy with myself!
November 2009 stats:
Run time: 11 hrs 11 min
Run distance 60.6 miles
Bike time: 4 hrs 30 min
Bike distance: 50.7 miles
Swim time: 56 min
Swim distance 1.1 miles
Yoga time: 4 hrs
Total time: 20 hrs 37 min
Total miles: 112.4 miles
As a comparison, November 2008 stats:
Run distance: 82.75 miles (I did a marathon last year in November)
Run time: 15 hrs 32 min
Bike distance and time: 0
Swim distance: 1.2 miles
Swim time 2 hrs 5 min
Total time: 18 hrs 37 min
Total distance: 83.95 miles
Good enough for now!
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.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Troy Turkey Trot
The tradition of running in the Troy Turkey Trot continued yesterday. After a really bad weekend, I didn't run at all on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday but went to Yoga on Wednesday. Race started at 10:45 am which is funny since I haven't had a race start that late in a while. The race started and I sucked the first 2 1/2 miles but then finally got into somewhat of a groove and finished. It was a 1:06:13 - yuck! Oh well. New shoes now so maybe I will be better soon. We can hope!
By the way, Joe won his age group and ran very well!
By the way, Joe won his age group and ran very well!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Phildelphia Half Marathon
Preview of the weekend:
1. In September, I was denied then let into the half marathon downgrading from the Marathon - just a sign of what was to come
2. Staying on the Temple campus - What? Who planned that?
3. Incorrect information on getting to the race site by public transportation at the Race Expo
4. Not being allowed late checkout even though we were running
5. Being gouged $15 for parking when the signs and race website said it would be $8
6. No coral for Kelly
7. Bad planning on porta potties on course and my need to use one
8. Pain, pain, and more pain
9. Where's the results tent
10. GPS wasn't helpful
Went to Philly for the weekend. The trip started well on Friday. The song "Empire State of Mind" was on the radio lots of time (an omen to stay in NY, we heard it about 10 times during the entire trip). Not too many problems getting out of NY and into PA but once we got to Philly, we had major issues finding the hotel. We were staying at the Conwell Inn but didn't know that it was actually on the Temple University campus and the street that it is on isn't open to traffic. The GPS was going crazy with directions and "recalculating". We finally found parking and the hotel, checked into a beautiful room and worried that with all of those college kids around it may be loud at night. Actually, we didnt' have any problems with noise the entire time we were there. We went to a bar/pizza place that was on campus. We got a couple of slices of pizza (buffalo chicken pizza was yummy) and then got the Sam Adams Winter Lager. I thought this was funny because it was a college bar and, unless things have changed a lot since I was in college, when do college kids drink Sam Adams, Guiness, or Blue Moon as their beverage of choice? The night was great in our room - two big beds with lots of pillows and an almost perfect sleeping temperature.
We woke up at around 8 am the next morning and I looked on-line to see if I could find what we wanted to do during the day and find the public transportation information since we don't like to drive and park in big cities. It is unusual for me to not have a plan of action before we leave for a place but I didn't plan at all for this trip other than to book a hotel and register for the race. So, we tried to go to Saxby's for breakfast but all they had was really expensive coffee and no breakfast foods so we ventured to the Reading Terminal Market for breakfast. By the way, I want that here. That was a great experience. A fantastic muffin and a great cup of coffee was a perfect way to start the day. We headed off to the Convention Center for the Expo. It was easy to get all of our stuff but there weren't enough retailers for shoe sales and I was looking for a new pair of running shoes. We asked if we could use public transportation to get to the race site because there wasn't enough information on the race website but we were told that we wouldn't get there in time if we took public transport as they weren't running that early. We toured the liberty bell, went to the Campos for lunch (they were rated as one of the best Philly Cheesesteaks in Philly) and had a fantastic Philly Cheesesteak. We toured the water front and then headed back to the hotel for a nap. During the time we were walking around, my legs were really bothering me. I had horrible runs this week with some weird muscle pain all week long and it was bothering me while walking today (not a good sign). The nap was fantastic and needed. After napping, we asked about getting a late checkout time so we could race and shower and were told that they really couldn't but would be able to give us until 1pm at the latest - the woman at the desk was not helpful with the subway information as well, it was like pulling teeth. We headed to South Street to eat dinner at Jon's Bar and Grill, home of Larry Fines. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries with a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer. It was the best burger I have ever had. The beer was great too. The people watching there was even better. On our way back to the subway, we found Phileo Yogurt. It was fantastic - even better than tangy sweet in DC. We got back to Temple in time to see the Temple v. Siena game. What an exciting game. Weird though, during a break in the 1st half, they loaded packaged hot dogs into an air gun and shot them into the stands. Weird! They flew!!! This was the most excited crowd I have ever seen at a basketball game so it was a lot of fun. Siena lost in the last minutes of the game but it was a great game. We then went back to our hotel, got all of our stuff together for the next morning, found on the race website the parking areas that were cheap (between $6 to $10) and then went to sleep.
I was up nice and early 4:45 am on race day. We were out of the room by 5:20 am. We got in the car and headed to our 1st parking area. They were charging $15 so we went to another lot (getting lost on the way and me, driving, getting really frustrated). This lot told us to just park so we did. It was on the race webpage as $8 and the signs said that if you were in the lot on weekends it was a flat rate of $8. We took off toward the race site, about 6 blocks. Funny though, as we were walking, we saw a city bus delivering racers to the race site (remember we were told it wasn't running early enough at the expo) and we found out that the subway had opened at 5:00 am. Great! We found porta potties easily - I did not have a successful trip to the potty. We found our baggage check area and put our clothes in a bag. Joe went off to his race corral and I checked our bag. I went to find my orange corral and couldn't find it. I asked a volunteer and she told me it was back further but then a group of us were all the way at the end of the corrals and there was no orange or purple corral. Weird. So, we just jumped in when the groups moved up. We heard the 3 groups ahead of us take off and then we were on the way (~18 min after the first group - not too bad). So, we were off. My goals for this day had started as: A) In June, PR in the marathon B) In September, do well in the half-marathon C) 2 weeks ago, be comfortable in the half marathon D) today, finish the half marathon in less than 3 hrs and go home. Within the first mile, I was in pain. At mile 2 we passed a Starbucks and I debated stopping, getting a coffee and waiting for Joe to come back. But I pushed on. I missed most of the sights except the LOVE sign and the Philadelphia Zoo balloon because I was trying to focus on the race not on the pain. At mile 5 or 6, my intestines felt like they were going to explode so I stopped and sat in a line at the porta potties. Another thing with this race, there were not enough porta potties open on the course so the lines were ridiculous. That mile was a 16 min mile with the bathroom stop. Now, I had to get back going again. It took 2 miles and then finally I felt like I was doing ok, not great, not even good, but ok. So, then I thought I had 4 miles left (funny how long runs make your math skills horrible) and then realized as I approached mile 8 that I had 5 miles to go. I tried to convince myself that anyone could run 5 miles (not really a successful sell). But, I was picking up speed and in less pain at this point. By mile 11, I was finally in a groove. So, the finish was nice because it was over but also because Joe was on the corner and gave me the thumbs up that he had qualified for the NYC marathon for next year. In the end, I ran a 2 hr 36 min 53 sec 13.1 mile race - NOT GOOD but I finished and I was able to laugh about it sucking. Joe keeps telling me I accomplished plan D and should be happy with that. I think this was one of my slowest half marathons ever. At least Joe accomplished his goal. I did get a good Philly Pretzel in the finishing area so I guess that is exciting.
We were looking to leave but Joe wanted to see how he did in his age group and to see if he would qualify as an elite in next years race. But we couldn't find the results tent. We asked volunteers who brought out a map of where the tents should have been but it wasn't where it was supposed to be. After 5 calls to other volunteers, no one knew where this tent was so we left. We went to leave the parking lot and were told that it was a $15 parking fee - WHAT?? The sign says $8 and the website said $8!!! We were livid! Plus, our GPS wasn't helping us get back to the street that we needed - it just said go to Broad Street (well how the f*$% do we get there).
Back to the hotel, check out before noon. Legs are sore. Subway to the Reading Market again to eat a fantastic Cranberry Turkey sandwhich and get coffee then back to the car and headed out. Ride home was pretty painless. I am thankful to be home! The highlight of the trip was traveling with Joe and we had fantastic food the entire time. BUT... There were so many low points that I don't know that I would want to do it again. No running for me until Thursday - hopefully it will be fairly painless. Yoga on Wednesday with Melinda. Turkey Trot on Thursday with Grace.
1. In September, I was denied then let into the half marathon downgrading from the Marathon - just a sign of what was to come
2. Staying on the Temple campus - What? Who planned that?
3. Incorrect information on getting to the race site by public transportation at the Race Expo
4. Not being allowed late checkout even though we were running
5. Being gouged $15 for parking when the signs and race website said it would be $8
6. No coral for Kelly
7. Bad planning on porta potties on course and my need to use one
8. Pain, pain, and more pain
9. Where's the results tent
10. GPS wasn't helpful
Went to Philly for the weekend. The trip started well on Friday. The song "Empire State of Mind" was on the radio lots of time (an omen to stay in NY, we heard it about 10 times during the entire trip). Not too many problems getting out of NY and into PA but once we got to Philly, we had major issues finding the hotel. We were staying at the Conwell Inn but didn't know that it was actually on the Temple University campus and the street that it is on isn't open to traffic. The GPS was going crazy with directions and "recalculating". We finally found parking and the hotel, checked into a beautiful room and worried that with all of those college kids around it may be loud at night. Actually, we didnt' have any problems with noise the entire time we were there. We went to a bar/pizza place that was on campus. We got a couple of slices of pizza (buffalo chicken pizza was yummy) and then got the Sam Adams Winter Lager. I thought this was funny because it was a college bar and, unless things have changed a lot since I was in college, when do college kids drink Sam Adams, Guiness, or Blue Moon as their beverage of choice? The night was great in our room - two big beds with lots of pillows and an almost perfect sleeping temperature.
We woke up at around 8 am the next morning and I looked on-line to see if I could find what we wanted to do during the day and find the public transportation information since we don't like to drive and park in big cities. It is unusual for me to not have a plan of action before we leave for a place but I didn't plan at all for this trip other than to book a hotel and register for the race. So, we tried to go to Saxby's for breakfast but all they had was really expensive coffee and no breakfast foods so we ventured to the Reading Terminal Market for breakfast. By the way, I want that here. That was a great experience. A fantastic muffin and a great cup of coffee was a perfect way to start the day. We headed off to the Convention Center for the Expo. It was easy to get all of our stuff but there weren't enough retailers for shoe sales and I was looking for a new pair of running shoes. We asked if we could use public transportation to get to the race site because there wasn't enough information on the race website but we were told that we wouldn't get there in time if we took public transport as they weren't running that early. We toured the liberty bell, went to the Campos for lunch (they were rated as one of the best Philly Cheesesteaks in Philly) and had a fantastic Philly Cheesesteak. We toured the water front and then headed back to the hotel for a nap. During the time we were walking around, my legs were really bothering me. I had horrible runs this week with some weird muscle pain all week long and it was bothering me while walking today (not a good sign). The nap was fantastic and needed. After napping, we asked about getting a late checkout time so we could race and shower and were told that they really couldn't but would be able to give us until 1pm at the latest - the woman at the desk was not helpful with the subway information as well, it was like pulling teeth. We headed to South Street to eat dinner at Jon's Bar and Grill, home of Larry Fines. I ordered a cheeseburger and fries with a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer. It was the best burger I have ever had. The beer was great too. The people watching there was even better. On our way back to the subway, we found Phileo Yogurt. It was fantastic - even better than tangy sweet in DC. We got back to Temple in time to see the Temple v. Siena game. What an exciting game. Weird though, during a break in the 1st half, they loaded packaged hot dogs into an air gun and shot them into the stands. Weird! They flew!!! This was the most excited crowd I have ever seen at a basketball game so it was a lot of fun. Siena lost in the last minutes of the game but it was a great game. We then went back to our hotel, got all of our stuff together for the next morning, found on the race website the parking areas that were cheap (between $6 to $10) and then went to sleep.
I was up nice and early 4:45 am on race day. We were out of the room by 5:20 am. We got in the car and headed to our 1st parking area. They were charging $15 so we went to another lot (getting lost on the way and me, driving, getting really frustrated). This lot told us to just park so we did. It was on the race webpage as $8 and the signs said that if you were in the lot on weekends it was a flat rate of $8. We took off toward the race site, about 6 blocks. Funny though, as we were walking, we saw a city bus delivering racers to the race site (remember we were told it wasn't running early enough at the expo) and we found out that the subway had opened at 5:00 am. Great! We found porta potties easily - I did not have a successful trip to the potty. We found our baggage check area and put our clothes in a bag. Joe went off to his race corral and I checked our bag. I went to find my orange corral and couldn't find it. I asked a volunteer and she told me it was back further but then a group of us were all the way at the end of the corrals and there was no orange or purple corral. Weird. So, we just jumped in when the groups moved up. We heard the 3 groups ahead of us take off and then we were on the way (~18 min after the first group - not too bad). So, we were off. My goals for this day had started as: A) In June, PR in the marathon B) In September, do well in the half-marathon C) 2 weeks ago, be comfortable in the half marathon D) today, finish the half marathon in less than 3 hrs and go home. Within the first mile, I was in pain. At mile 2 we passed a Starbucks and I debated stopping, getting a coffee and waiting for Joe to come back. But I pushed on. I missed most of the sights except the LOVE sign and the Philadelphia Zoo balloon because I was trying to focus on the race not on the pain. At mile 5 or 6, my intestines felt like they were going to explode so I stopped and sat in a line at the porta potties. Another thing with this race, there were not enough porta potties open on the course so the lines were ridiculous. That mile was a 16 min mile with the bathroom stop. Now, I had to get back going again. It took 2 miles and then finally I felt like I was doing ok, not great, not even good, but ok. So, then I thought I had 4 miles left (funny how long runs make your math skills horrible) and then realized as I approached mile 8 that I had 5 miles to go. I tried to convince myself that anyone could run 5 miles (not really a successful sell). But, I was picking up speed and in less pain at this point. By mile 11, I was finally in a groove. So, the finish was nice because it was over but also because Joe was on the corner and gave me the thumbs up that he had qualified for the NYC marathon for next year. In the end, I ran a 2 hr 36 min 53 sec 13.1 mile race - NOT GOOD but I finished and I was able to laugh about it sucking. Joe keeps telling me I accomplished plan D and should be happy with that. I think this was one of my slowest half marathons ever. At least Joe accomplished his goal. I did get a good Philly Pretzel in the finishing area so I guess that is exciting.
We were looking to leave but Joe wanted to see how he did in his age group and to see if he would qualify as an elite in next years race. But we couldn't find the results tent. We asked volunteers who brought out a map of where the tents should have been but it wasn't where it was supposed to be. After 5 calls to other volunteers, no one knew where this tent was so we left. We went to leave the parking lot and were told that it was a $15 parking fee - WHAT?? The sign says $8 and the website said $8!!! We were livid! Plus, our GPS wasn't helping us get back to the street that we needed - it just said go to Broad Street (well how the f*$% do we get there).
Back to the hotel, check out before noon. Legs are sore. Subway to the Reading Market again to eat a fantastic Cranberry Turkey sandwhich and get coffee then back to the car and headed out. Ride home was pretty painless. I am thankful to be home! The highlight of the trip was traveling with Joe and we had fantastic food the entire time. BUT... There were so many low points that I don't know that I would want to do it again. No running for me until Thursday - hopefully it will be fairly painless. Yoga on Wednesday with Melinda. Turkey Trot on Thursday with Grace.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
October 2009
October 2009 was a little less intense than I would have liked it to be. I am still struggling with recovery but seem to finally be able to find a good scenario where I am not sore all of the time any more. I am finally running more distance, not fast at all, but running more. I feel like after this week I will be ready for the Philadelphia, not the day I was expecting it to be, no marathon, no PR but it is ok. At least I am trying to get back to where I need to be so that I can start Ironman training this month. I started lifting weights and doing ab work too. I always slack off in the biking and swimming after my last triathlon of the year and start to focus mostly on running so it wasn't so surprising that I did it again this year. I love running in the fall though. So, even though my stats aren't great for the month, they are ok. November will be even better! Question though, once you have done an Ironman, can you ever feel like you are doing enough when you are not training for an Ironman (I used to do these times and distances on a good month before training for Ironman now I feel like I am soooo out of shape). I just want to be happy with not killing myself in the gym and on the road. Be ok with taking 2 rest days a week so that my body can heal and recover normally. Be happy with a run of 1 hr instead of thinking that it isn't long enough. Some day I think I will be normal again!
October 2009
Swim distance: 0.76 miles
Swim time: 32 min
Bike distance: 47.52 miles (on the trainer again so the distances are lower)
Bike time: 4 hrs 3 min
Run distance:43.78 miles
Run time: 8 hrs 21 min
Total distance: 92.06
Total time: 12 hrs 55 min (I used to do that in 1 week!!)
October 2009
Swim distance: 0.76 miles
Swim time: 32 min
Bike distance: 47.52 miles (on the trainer again so the distances are lower)
Bike time: 4 hrs 3 min
Run distance:43.78 miles
Run time: 8 hrs 21 min
Total distance: 92.06
Total time: 12 hrs 55 min (I used to do that in 1 week!!)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
It's been a while
I know I haven't blogged in a really long time but life has been interesting. After Ironman I took 1 full week off and then started to bike and swim and then about 3 weeks later I felt up to running. I felt ok during the summer when I was exercising but that is about it since I was in Keene Valley and on vacation too. I have since gone back to work (teaching) and my legs did not like to stand all day and then go out and exercise. My body did not like to run at all once I went back to work. The North Elba 1/2 marathon was put on hold. The Lake George Triathlon was not done. I have had to change the Philadelphia Marathon to the half marathon in November. I have really raced (except for the Rutabega 5K in Keene Valley) since Ironman. My upper back has been really effected by Ironman and I still have knots under my shoulders. The cut I got on my leg the Wednesday before Ironman isn't completely gone - still in healing/scarring mode. I gained 8 lbs in 10 weeks (not sure why), finally I am down a couple now which is great. I was not recovering from workouts the way that I used to and I just felt horrible when I was exercising. I decided that maybe if I started eating meat again I would feel stronger muscularly. 3 weeks later, I am not sure if it is making a difference yet since my intestines don't like meat very much and I hate the taste of it. So, I am basically taking one day at a time, listening to my body, and hoping that all will be ok. I would like to start training for next years Ironman in November so I am training and trying but now I am lifting and trying to get my legs and momemtum back. It will happen, I just need to be patient. I am excited to get back into yoga and have been doing much more in October after taking an entire week off again in September. I will be stronger and I will be better next year. I will be great.
Here are August Stats and September stats:
August:
swim distance: 2.1 miles
swim time: 1 hr 30 min
Bike distance: 129.39 miles
Bike time 9 hrs 13 min
Run distance: 13.75 miles
Run time 2 hrs 29 min
Total miles: 149.24
Total time: 18 hrs 57 min
September:
Bike distance: 56.14 miles
Bike time 3 hrs 57 min
Run distance 35.16 miles
Run time 6 hrs 34 min
Total miles: 94.3
Total time: 12 hrs 7 min
Total mileage through September:
Swim distance 67.01 miles
Swim time: 45 hrs 38 min
Bike distance: 2002.13 miles
Bike time: 150 hrs 5 min
Run distance 445.91 miles
Run time: 84 hrs 54 min
Other distances 12.01 miles
Other time 18 hrs 22 min
Total miles 2527.06 miles
Total time 298 hrs 59 min (about 12 1/2 days)
Wow!! That is a lot of working out. More to come to.
Here are August Stats and September stats:
August:
swim distance: 2.1 miles
swim time: 1 hr 30 min
Bike distance: 129.39 miles
Bike time 9 hrs 13 min
Run distance: 13.75 miles
Run time 2 hrs 29 min
Total miles: 149.24
Total time: 18 hrs 57 min
September:
Bike distance: 56.14 miles
Bike time 3 hrs 57 min
Run distance 35.16 miles
Run time 6 hrs 34 min
Total miles: 94.3
Total time: 12 hrs 7 min
Total mileage through September:
Swim distance 67.01 miles
Swim time: 45 hrs 38 min
Bike distance: 2002.13 miles
Bike time: 150 hrs 5 min
Run distance 445.91 miles
Run time: 84 hrs 54 min
Other distances 12.01 miles
Other time 18 hrs 22 min
Total miles 2527.06 miles
Total time 298 hrs 59 min (about 12 1/2 days)
Wow!! That is a lot of working out. More to come to.
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