Longest run

Today I ran my longest training run ever (excluding marathons and one marathon I did as a training run). By the end my distance was 23.15 miles. I had thought about doing 23 miles but had dialed it back to 22 early on. And look what happened anyway.

I ran in Marysville, into Everett to check on my cats (even though I would be back later, they needed food and water sooner), then back Marysville. This meant running the 3-mile highway stretch twice, which I was not a fan of...but at least it made the run productive.

I had a sort of big breakfast, with a whole grain power scone, some yoghurt, and about half of a big cup of coffee (about 375 calories total). I pretty much ate it right before I left. I wouldn't do that for a race, but I wasn't going to get up two hours early on a Sunday morning unless I had to!
I took Saturday off to rest my legs and it really paid off. Even though I had the usual slow warm-up woes, my legs felt really good, especially for the first ten miles. I even felt myself using a nice mid-foot strike (at least I thought I was).

Even with the warm-up, I was running 10:15-10:30 paces, mostly. A few slow miles left me with an overall average of 10:24 per mile. The slower or faster miles were fairly random--mostly I can't identify why any particular mile was 10:00 or 10:45.

I took a bathroom stop at McDonalds at seven miles. Actually I ran a couple extra blocks before doubling back to stop, so I could bump it up to seven! That also meant I passed nine miles before I left Marysville to head across the highway. I ate a Gu (chocolate mint) before I took the plunge.

The highway distance is a little less than three miles (about 2.75 I would guess). It wasn't too horrible, though, probably because my legs still felt pretty fresh. Pretty soon I was in Everett passing twelve miles! Things got a little rough around mile 15, though. Not because I was having difficulty running, but I had a mental setback. I had planned to stop at my house after 17 miles to take care of my cats. It became clear that if I continued on my current route I would hit my house at 16 miles, a mile short. So I had to deviate from my route in order to squeeze in that extra mile. I still had to run around the block to get to 17. (Of course if I'd known it was six miles back to Marysville instead of five, I wouldn't have needed that extra mile!)

I only had a little bit of "I don't want to leave" feeling at the house. I refueled with some chocolate dipped pretzels (seemed like a more appealing choice than Gu), and tended to the cats. By the time I left, though, it was almost 1:00. I started feeling stressed because I had estimated that I would finish at 1:30, and with (at least) five miles to go, there was no way that would happen. Rod was waiting to have lunch until I got there, and I felt terrible making him wait. (I probably over-exaggerated the significance of this, but after running 17 miles, sometimes your head is not in the right place!) I sent him an email telling him to go ahead and eat.

The next few miles I was slowed down by the weight of guilt. Again, I know I blew it out of proportion. It didn't help that in his message, "see you at 1:30," the time was highlighted. This was not his doing, it is an iPhone trick to allow you to easily transfer stuff to a calendar. But it makes truly minor things look BIG.

I know that running is supposed to help lift your spirits, and usually it does, but there is also a kind of gloom that can set in while running that is exacerbated rather than helped by the running. I think that there is a point where your body is so tired and beaten down that the endorphins don't have their usual effect. Obviously this can happen in a marathon, people often seem to get overwhelmed in the last few miles.

Anyhow, I managed to work through my dark moments (even running back across the highway), and regain my moderate pace. Mile 18 was 10:52 (tied for slowest with mile 17, right before I stopped), but mile 19 was 10:26, and mile 20 was 10:15. I noted that my overall time after finishing mile 20 was just under 3 hours 30 minutes (which would lead to a 4:30 marathon time).

Amazingly to me, I managed to kick up my effort level and finish the next three miles in under 30 minutes overall. Miles 21 and 22 (still mostly on the highway) were 9:52 and 10:16. The remaining 1.15 mile was all in town and I really pushed myself. I just wanted to be done! I did a sort of fartlek routine by a block pretty hard, then jogging across the intersection, and repeating. This worked well enough to give me 9:26 for mile 23, and an 8:45 pace for the last .15 mile. (I noticed that I was just under four hours at the 23 mile mark.)

I also learned that the distance from my house to Rod's is just under a 10K (6.15 if I stop at the garage, probably closer to 6.2 if I go around to the front).

Total time for 23.15 miles was 4:00:55, average pace 10:24.

Next Saturday I am doing the Birch Bay 30K as a final long training run. My experience last year was that the distance is a tiny bit longer than 30K, about 18.6 miles total. Although I might do a short warm-up, I have no real desire to stretch it to 20 miles. I've done three runs longer than 20 (20.65, 21.5, and 23.15), plus 17.5 and 19.25. I think I may have enough long runs in the bank!

Then, after Saturday, the taper begins.

Rest day

Today I am taking an unplanned rest day. Originally I had intended on a long run (20+ miles), but I have postponed that until tomorrow and am giving my legs a much needed break.

After my successful speed work on Thursday, I planned on a moderate effort pace run on Friday morning. I had a CLE to go to, but I thought I could still get up early enough for ten miles. In actuality, I got up early enough for seven or eight miles. I did nine, and was late to the CLE.

I've been doing these "goal marathon pace" runs at about 9-9:30 pace, depending on how I'm feeling (actually how fast my legs are feeling). This week I would have been happy with 9:30, but my legs were having none of that. Not only did they just feel slow, they were actually achy and my ankle and heel remained sore throughout the duration of the run (instead of letting up after a few miles as they usually do).

After two very rough warm-up miles (11-ish plus), I ramped up my effort a little. While my Garmin blinked 9:30 a couple of times (not for full miles), the remaining seven miles varied from 9:45-10:15. I probably could have gone faster but that would have required a higher effort than I was willing to provide.

This morning I was prepared to hit the road again, but I was nervous. My legs still felt the opposite of fresh, and I was a little afraid of not being able to finish or of aggravating my ankle further. So after Rod and I agreed that we didn't need to go skiing tomorrow, it didn't take much for me to postpone running for a day, and declare a total rest day. (that means no cross-training at the Y either).

I did walk to and from Safeway to buy sandwiches for lunch. I thought about a bike ride around town, but that may not happen. It's amazing that time passes even when you're not running 4-5 hours!

In other news, I got an iPhone! The blackberry finally had one too many roller ball failures. I'm still learning how to use it. Seems promising, though. :)

One more thing.... You'd think that on a no exercise day I wouldn't be as hungry as usual, right? WRONG. I have been hungry ALL.DAY.LONG. A ravenous beast, that's me.

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This has never been a big holiday for me, other than the mandatory wearing of the green, and my participation in the Shamrock Run over the last few years. I am definitely not into the beer-drinking and partying aspect, and I don't love a parade. I wouldn't mind eating corned beef, cabbage, and/or Irish soda bread, but have never actually prepared them.

But I do love the color green. So there's that.

Today was a rather lucky day for me, in the running arena. Well, I felt lucky that I finally got my act together to run my scheduled 8 x 800 track workout (which had been put off from Wednesday morning to Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning), and I actually ran my best series of 800s (really half miles) since this training season began! All but one was at or under four minutes, and all but two were at or under 8-minute pace (one of the 4:00 repeats was a little short on distance). My half mile splits and paces:

1 - 4:00 (8:00)
2 - 3:56 (7:51)
3 - 3:58 (7:56)
4 - 3:57 (7:57)
5 - 4:00 (8:15) (.49 distance, and I didn't feel that slow!)
6 - 4:00 (7:57)
7 - 4:04 (8:09)
8 - 3:55 (7:54)

I won't pretend it was easy. But it wasn't too hard; I didn't feel like my lungs were being ripped out or my legs were falling off. I found it hard to imagine running a 10K at this pace without stopping, but I've done it in the past (as well as in some 5Ks). It pretty much felt like all track work does; hard but not impossible.

I jogged a quarter mile between the intervals. After the eighth one my total distance for the track was at 5.75 miles, so I decided to make it a 10K. I jogged .2 mile then did another quarter mile fast (1:53/7:28 pace), which gave me a 10K total time of 54:01. (Which irked me, I had hoped to make it under 54 minutes!)

My warm-up was a little over 2.25 miles, and I jogged about a third of a mile to QFC when I was done, so my total morning distance was a bit over 8.75 miles.

Raining in Portland

This feels eerily reminiscent to last October! I know it doesn't rain here all the time (just as it doesn't rain in Seattle all the time), it's just unfortunate luck that it's happened my last two visits. I just pray that the rain (if any) is LIGHT during the Shamrock Run 15K tomorrow, and not a DOWNPOUR like the Portland Half was.

My mother and I drove down here yesterday, and manage to leave so late in the day that we were able to collect our free Starbucks petite treats on the way out of town. Mmmm, LOVE THESE! Yesterday I had the mini PB cup cupcake, and my mom had the mini whoopie pie. (Thursday I had the salted caramel bar. Oh. My. God. Love!)

The late-ish start worked out well, as we missed out on any Portland rush hour traffic. I was also able to finish my packing on Friday, and get in a 9.36 mile run in the morning. (Progression run, starting with warm up pace and finishing with the last full mile at 8:35 and the final third of a mile at 8:20 pace.)

Today I need to get over to the Convention Center to pick up my race number. The Tri-met should take me right there BUT I am concerned that road construction is going to interfere with the transit routes. I guess we'll see. I don't really want to get the car out of parking and drive over.

I'd also like to go by Foot Traffic Sports because I heard there's a sale, and by Lucy as well (no sales tax!). I also had an urge to seek out the Apple store...but I fear the lines may be too long to bear.

This morning when I went to get my coffee from the nearest SBUX, they were giving away treats early because they close at 3. So I got the salted caramel bar to share with my mother (after we ate our oatmeal breakfast).

Well, time to get this day rolling!
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Another run

I couldn't resist the balmy weather this afternoon and instead of going to the Y, I headed out for my second run of the day after work.

I don't typically run twice in a day. The few times I've done it have usually been for a specific reason. Today it was "just because."

I didn't attempt 800s or any speed work (that WOULD be excessive). In fact, I ran the first two miles without my Garmin (explanation below). These were surely junk miles, if there is such a thing, run primarily for calorie burning and mile accumulation. I don't believe that any run is wasted, though. Every run has some purpose to me.
I was dismayed as I geared up to head out to realize my Garmin was "missing," not in its charger. Of course I knew where it was--I had brought it to work to download data. I was prepared to go Garmin-free, but decided instead to run to the office (about a mile away) and pick it up.

But when I rummaged around my desk there was no Garmin! So it had to be at home after all, or in my car. So I ran back home. I peered into the car and didn't see anything, so I went back in the house and there it was in my lunch bag, where I had looked before unsuccessfully. I'm counting that initial distance as two miles, even though it is undocumented.

I headed out again for another three or four miles, measured. I have a 5K loop from my house that I sometimes do (it's great for walking, too). It's a great loop because of the distance, not the route. At one point it passes a house where there was a shooting a couple months ago...maybe not the BEST neighborhood. But it was only 6:30 or so, not the dead of night.

My legs felt a little tired but not too bad. Even with the Garmin on, it was too dark to monitor my pace, so I was running free. About a 10:20 average pace, it turned out.

I went a few blocks past my house then turned back towards Starbucks. I got to SBUX just past the four mile mark (not including the two miles sans Garmin).

I popped into Starbucks to get a short mocha post-run treat. I then discovered that I had forgotten the free drink card that I had meant to use. Luckily I had a Starbucks card with me, as I had ALSO forgotten to bring money. Brilliant!

Tomorrow is definitely a day off running!
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Fartleks and 400s

Seven x 800 this morning = FAIL. Not even a DNF, simply a DNS. Was it the rain on the roof? (Maybe.) Was it the inevitably muddy track? (Maybe.) Was it the general achiness of my bod (which turned out to be illusory after I finally got going)? (Maybe.) Was it PURE FREAKING LAZINESS? (Well...maybe....)

In the end, I managed to overcome at least the laziness portion and get up and dressed and on the road. I wasted a little too much time trying to decide whether to go to the Y and then run in the afternoon, or run some in the morning and try to do the 800s in the afternoon, or just stay in bed and run in the afternoon (that one got overruled). Eventually, I started out with the plan of doing an easy run in the morning and trying for the 800s later on.

But as usual, conditions were not nearly as bad as I feared. It really wasn't raining (well, barely), and by 6:30 it was practically daylight (soon to change with Daylight Savings Time). I still didn't want to go to the track (and I didn't have enough time for the full track workout anyway), but I managed to work up a nice little speed workout all the same.

After about a mile of warm-up, I started doing little fartleks, just a little sprint alternating with a jog. This also helped speed things up so that I made it to my bathroom stop faster...always a good thing. After the stop I expanded the fartlek distance to blocks, running hard for a block then jogging for a block, until I got to Grand Avenue Park. There my fartleks turned into 400s (convenient as the length of the park is about a quarter mile!). I ran up and down the park four times (4 x 400), then decided to extend the 400s back toward downtown.

7 x 400 - 8:35 pace, 8:08, 8:29, 8:03, 8:24, 8:29, 8:27.

Instead of an eighth one, I decided to make the last one a half mile, but miscalculated and did .65 mile instead (pace 8:55).

Finally, I busted out a final mile at 7:57! It would have been a little faster, but I had to stop abruptly (pausing the Garmin of course), when a car turning right out of the McDonald's driveway did their best to run me down in their haste to leave.

In the end, 7.56 miles, 9:11 average pace.

Even though this wasn't my planned speed work, I think it was successful enough to call it good and move the 800s to next week instead. I'm not going to try to get in a second run this afternoon. Although I must say, I was right when I gauged that the weather would be better in the afternoon! Blue skies and sunbreaks midafternoon, though who knows how it will be by the end of the workday.

I was also vindicated (as such) when I was walked home from Starbucks past the track...muddy and puddley. It would not have been a good time this morning. Or very clean.

Dilemma of the day: Should I register for the night time Vegas Rock & Roll Half Marathon on December 4? Apparently registration closes tomorrow...a decision must be made! Do I want to do this for fun a week before the Tucson Marathon? If I thought I could fly in and out of Vegas in one day I would (almost) definitely do it, but I don't think I could get a flight late enough to avoid spending the night. If I were a partier or gambler I would appreciate this opportunity a lot more. I don't know. I still need to think about it!

Six weeks to Boston

Not an original title, I know. All over the blog world, "Six weeks to Boston" posts will be popping up today and tomorrow. Because (obviously) the Boston Marathon is six weeks from tomorrow!

And you know what? I think I'm ready. If I had to, I could run it tomorrow. Or, preferably, in a week or two so I had some time to taper. Although I am close enough to ready, my legs could use a little recovery after last week's training and Saturday's 21.5 mile run.

This week went very well! Seven miles on Monday, easy, in the MORNING--no slacking and outting it off till Tuesday. (Good thing, too, as I had to get to work early on Tuesday.) Plus an hour of elliptical and yoga Monday night. Tuesday is a semi-rest day, just an hour or so of elliptical in the morning (EARLY).
Wednesday I did have a bit of a slacker episode but redeemed myself in the end. I was afraid that did wouldn't have enough time for my 800s before work (and it was dark, and rainy, and I was lazy) so I went to the Y instead.

In the afternoon the sun came out (except for that downpour of hail that swept through, and it was windy all day), so I left work a little early to try to run before dark.

I started out with 5K to warm up in my neighborhood. About halfway through my legs really lightened up and I sped up enough to average a 10-minute pace for the distance. I stopped at my house to use the bathroom, then headed to the track (just a few blocks away).

The track was not a promising sight. It's not a great track to begin with, and thanks to all the snow and rain we've had, the unpaved parts (about half the distance) was muddy and squishy. I thought, I can't do this. Then I decided to do one 800 (or 400 if it was too bad), and if I couldn't get anywhere near four minutes, I'd quit and just finish the run on the streets.

So I headed out and though I didn't love it, I was able to take my two laps and my time was about 4:05. So it was doable but I didn't want to do it! Then I made a deal with myself. I was supposed to do 7 x 800, but if I made it through four, I could quit.

It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't easy. Half the way I was running in mud, and the other half I was running into the wind. I never got faster than 4:00 for a half mile (but I gave myself a little break on that, due to conditions). After the four I did one more, then another, and then I only had one left to make my seven, so I did it. My legs were screaming, I was gasping for air, but I made it through (with a quarter mile recovery between). I ran another easier mile around the track, then over to Starbucks for a mocha. Total distance 10.10 miles (this required some running around the parking lot to make my distance!).

Thursday was a cross-training day, and I actually took the morning off from the Y due to a cat crisis (all was solved before work). I made up for it Thursday night with about an hour and a half of hard elliptical, plus some push-ups and yoga stretches.

Then it was Friday, with a medium-long pace run on the schedule. Knowing I had the long run on Saturday, plus having some things to do, I meant to keep it to eight miles or so (though ended up with 15K in the end).

This was my best pace run of this training cycle so far. After two miles of warm-up I picked up the pace. I'd been doing 9:15-20 on these, but this time I was hoping for closer to 9--or below. I was stunned when the first mile was about 8:40...and I kept it up (thought not all that fast!). Miles 1-5 of the pace miles were all sub-9. Mile 6 should have been sub-9, but thanks to some lights changing, ended up just over, 9:05 I believe.

I finished that mile right by Renee's, and popped in to say hi and have a look at the sale rack and new arrivals. I spent long enough there that I cooled off too much. My final mile was 9:16, but I'm sure if I hadn't stopped it could have been close to 8:30.

As great as that run was, I do think it left my legs a little tired to tackle my long (20+ mile) run on Saturday. That's not all bad though, there are benefits to running long on tired legs.

I might write a separate post about the long run (as I'm getting tired now), but let me just summarize: 21.5 miles. It seemed harder than the 20-miler two weeks ago, but there were those tired legs, of course. I got it done, and that was a success in itself. That made 47.95 miles for the week.

So how does all this make me ready for Boston now? Well, I think I've done a lot to regain my moderate speed (most, though not all of it). I don't know that I can get much faster over the next six weeks, although perhaps I can lock in the pace a little more firmly. (I don't EXACTLY know what my pace will be, but for Boston I would be more than happy with 9:30, if that is possible.) (I would be fine with slower, too.)

I've done four LONG (> 16) runs. 17.5, 19.25, 20.65 and now 21.5. I have two more planned, which I think will happen, but I wouldn't be concerned if I cut one out.

My legs have been a lot less tired and achy after medium-long and long runs. I feel really good about that, and it is certainly easier to live with!

This next week is going to be a sort of cut back week, as it finishes with the Shamrock Run 15K in Portland. So my distance will be shorter this week. However, this 15K is very hilly, so it will be a good hill tempo workout!
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