Friday Five – Five Runs

Squeezing in under the wire for my Friday Five Link up with

Eat, Pray, Run DC, Mar on the Run, and You Signed Up for What?

Five Runs I’m doing to train for the Marine Corps Marathon

The Cut-Down

Now it seems like there are several different ways to run these, but I run them the way my coach tells me to and I like them even if they are the bane of my existence! Example of my last cut-down assignment. Warm up mile at 11 minute pace. Next mile at 9:45. Next mile at 9:25. Two miles at 9:20 and a mile cool down for a total of 6 miles. The miles and the pace fluctuate. Yes, they are hard. No, I don’t always hit the pace. Yes, these are the runs that I love to hate. That being said they are effective.

The Long Run

We all do them. Most dread them. These are another hard run, but this run is harder mentally. As we all know, running a marathon is just as mental as physical. So as it trains the legs to run the miles, it also is training the brain to deal with it.

The Recovery Run

I love these. They are short and sweet and slow!! Who doesn’t love a recovery run with their friends.

Aerobic Runs

These are runs at a given pace usually on days after a hard run. These runs are designed to help me learn to run on tired legs. It takes a while for it to happen, but eventually your legs know just what to do even when your mind thinks it can’t. I had such a run this week. This run was the day after a brutally hot cut-down run of 6 miles. My coach warned me that this run would be hard and just to run which I did. I went into this run thinking how much it would suck and it did in the beginning. My legs were heavy. My legs were tired and I just didn’t know how I would do it. Then a funny thing happened. My legs just did what I’ve been trying to train them to do. They almost were on auto pilot. I started to just concentrate on my legs turning over pushing me forward and the feel of them turning over. Even on tired legs, I was consciously slowing my pace down. It was a run that I was sad to see end because I felt like these were the legs I’ve been waiting for and these are the legs that I want the day of my marathon I decided. These were legs that kept moving even when my mind was thinking they wouldn’t be able to go.

Rest Days

No, this is not a run; but it is equally important. Our body needs it. Without it, we may be more prone to injury. I embrace my rest days! I can’t do it every week,but I love to get a massage on a rest day. Yes, it is a luxury. No, I don’t go as often as my legs would like, but when I do go I enjoy it!

Suck it Up Buttercup and Smile

Sep2

I’ll let you in on a not so secret secret

Running a Marathon is hard.

I’ll let you in on another not so secret secret

Training for a marathon is even harder.

Yup, I said it.

I think that the training is just as demanding as running the actual marathon,

maybe even more so because you don’t tend to have cheering fans on a training run even if using Nike+

but

in a very different way.

Yes, Running a Marathon is VERY hard

as the saying goes,

It really is the truth.

Now, I’m not saying that everyone has to run a marathon if you don’t want to.

What I’m saying is that since I for some reason have said that I’m going to run a marathon, I need to train so that I can finish said marathon. Anyone who has read the last few posts, might know that I’ve been struggling. My struggles though have been more mental which has made my running suffer. I made the mistake of letting the doubts creep in. Yes, everyone has doubts time to time. The trick is to use your doubts to motivate you to push through not give you an excuse to fail. I needed to take a step back. A brief one as I’m running out of time to flub my training. I messed up a run. I missed some runs. I was becoming my own worst enemy. I needed to get out of my way and just run.

I went back and looked at my training runs realizing that I was able to do these runs that I was flubbing. I talked to Dawn. I talked with my coach. Both had very similar words of advice for me.

” You have done so well with this training and IT IS NOT EASY. “

NO it’s not easy. I never expected it to be easy, but even though I ran a marathon last year; this is my first time marathon training. I just did not take into account how hard it would be, but I’m realizing that is a good thing. I need it to be hard. I need to push myself. I want to do this and most of all I want to enjoy doing this.

Today, I went for a training run where I did not worry about my pace. I needed this run to get my head in the game. I only wanted to finish my 9 miles. I downloaded a mix on my Rock My Run App, put on my sun block, loaded up with water, and out the door I went. I used to run to think about why I started on this journey. I really just fell into running because of my first Sprint Triathlon. I hated it, but over time I realized what it brought into my life. That although not a “fast” runner, I could be a steady runner. It was something that I did for me. I also thought about how far of come, how much I’ve accomplished, and how much I can still accomplish if I just keep my head on straight.

Back to the run. I did it. I did what I set out to accomplish. Running just to run. Running for the joy I get out of it. Then when I looked at my splits, I realized that I wasn’t that far off pace from what my training plan called for 20-25 seconds. Average pace ended up being 11:06 in 1:37:12. My head is back in the game…. At least for today!

Running With Friends!!!

Aug27

As you know, I’ve started transitioning to morning running on days that I can or truthfully days that I’m motivated to get out of my PJ’s early. What has really helped is meeting friends. Hard to not put on your running shoes when you know someone is expecting you to run with them. Plus it really is a nice way to start the day – chatting with a friend. I used to do this over coffee. Now I seem to do it over the miles.

Yesterday was another such day. I had another 9 miles on my calendar which really is nice to get out of the way earlier in the day. It does remove that feeling in the back of my head telling me and wondering, “you’ve got to run” or ” When are you going to run?” Plus, I live with a family of late sleepers. If I’m lucky, I usually can get out and back in before anyone even notices depending on the run. Great thing about this run is that not only was I meeting Genine again, but Dawn was making a guest appearance! I haven’t seen or run with Dawn I believe all summer long. Not sure how that happened with the exception of we both have a house full of kids, she works, and we’ve got a lot going on. September is right around the corner though which means that we can settle into a normal routine.

I was scheduled to run 9 miles again which seems to be my new norm I’m realizing with various paces and such. This run was supposed to be at a 10:40 pace witch is slightly faster than my easy runs of 11+++. Both Dawn and I were excited to run together, but for some reason she was doubting if she would run the whole 9 at the 10:40 pace. I’m not really sure why she was doubting it because she is much faster than she realizes it or at least cares to admit. She more than proved that today as we kept a rocking pace the entire run and only stopped for a potty break at mile 3 and a water break around 5 1/2. Other than that we kept on trucking. Since Dawn wasn’t wearing her watch as is her norm, I was the time keeper. That being said, she set the pace for a most of the run and I just monitored it. There were several times that I needed to tell my friend to slow down as she was moving way to fast.

We did it. We finished 9.45 in 1:33:36. Not sure of what our average pace was, but we rocked the splits! When all was said and done we had a really great run.

Not only was it a great run time wise, but it was a great run because I got to run it with a friend. During the run, Dawn said something that was so true when we were talking about marathon training as she’s training for NYCM. She was saying along the lines about how I’ve been running so many miles lately and you just can’t do that many alone as it’s a mental thing. It really is true too. Yes, I do like running alone. Yes, I do like running with friends. They both have their advantages. The biggest advantage to running with friends though is that the miles really do not seem as long!

Then I come home and post my run on a running group that Dawn and I belong to. She posted this in response

“A running friend will run with you; a real friend gently guides you for 9 miles as you talk yourself into what you can do until you believe what she already knows.”

All I can say is that one of the best things that running has brought into my life besides killer calves is the friends that I have made along the way. Sometimes as Mom, many of your friends are parents of your child’s friends. That works when they are little and you have to go everywhere with them, but as they grow those friendships change as everyone gets caught up in their daily activities. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t friends, it just means it’s harder to find time to see them. It is nice to have friends that are forged over the miles and that will stand the test of time.

Do you run with friends?

From Night to Day

Aug25

I’ve been doing something the last few days that I hate doing. I’ve been getting up early to run. Now, I’m not talking crazy early, but I’ve been getting out the door by 7:00. I like to say that I only wake up early to run only if I’m getting a shiny medal. For the most part that is true and it’s not like I’m doing track workouts at 5:30 in the morning like some Mama’s I know. Unfortunately, my training called for runs that really need the light of day. If I want to be ready for the shiny awesome medal in October than that means a few “early” workouts at least until the kids get back in school.

So what have I been doing?

Wednesday – 9 miles with average pace of 11:15 in 1:41:23.

More night time running which is good and bad. I would like to say that it was cooler, but it really was still hot and humid. My pace was supposed 10:50, but it was hard to maintain that pace in the dark even with all my lights.

Thurs: Aerobic: 4 miles Average pace 11:46. Easy to keep +++ pace with heavy legs.

I like “easy” miles. Although nothing is easy when in comes to putting in so many miles. Although my feet have been feeling good, my quads have been feeling tight. Might be because I’ve been doing so many miles and probably not stretching or rolling as much as I should. Truth be told is that it is hard enough to find all the hours it takes to get my run in, let alone add the extra time for that.

Fri: Aerobic: 10 miles – Aaverage Pace 11:01 in 1:49:27

This was the the transition to an “early” run. Truth be told it really wasn’t early as I didn’t get out the door till 8:00 AM. I should have left a little earlier, but this was still better than leaving at 11:00 AM. My quads were still tight making legs feel heavy and me feel a little sluggish. Luckily this was a run where it was more about miles than pace and my goal was to stay in the 10:50 to 11:00 range. Some miles better than others, but overall a decent run and the overall average pace was on target.

11:00, 11:04, 11:29, 11:01,10:49, 10:39, 10:46, 10:49, 10:51, 11:46

Sat: Aerobic: 4 miles average pace 13:03

This run I went out with the intention of finding house #13 for my MRTT scavenger hunt. Hey, you’ve got to do something to keep your mind occupied while training. I had a route lined up as my friend lives at #10 on a street. Got to her street and the numbers on her street went from 11 to 15. Grrr. So I started making my way home, going down other streets to find the ever ellusive number 13. Shockingly many streets were just like the first. I did finally find one:) More truth, I would never live in a house number 13. Yeah, I’m a little superstitious. Maybe I shouldn’t be because literally right after house number 13, I almost ran into some wild life which I also needed for my hunt.

What is life if it’s not fun?

Sun: Off:

Off from running. Did go to a Yoga class with at Athleta with my MRTT group. This class felt so good and it made me realize that I need to get back to yoga. I also realized that I haven’t been all summer. Maybe this has something to do with why my quads are so tight.

Mon: MP Aerobic: 15 miles Average pace 10:34 in 2:38:40 but overall time was 3:38:38

I needed to get this run done early because I didn’t want to do it at night since I was going to be running 8 miles of it at marathon pace. I also didn’t want to be running in the heat of the day. Luckily, Genine, wanted to run a few miles but she needed to run early. So we made plans to meet at 7:00 AM which was perfect for me. Without knowing that she would be meeting me, I’m fairly certain I would have wasted my morning and not gotten out till at least 8:00. That being said, I think the first thing I said to her when I saw her was “this sucks.” I was kind of dreading this run since it was such a long one, but it all worked out. My legs felt better and I’m not sure if it was extra rolling and stretching or yoga.

Genine stayed with me for the first couple of miles which was good. I still wasn’t feeling it, but I was already a few miles into it, so what choice did I have but to keep going. I hit most of the targets and did use fuel which I haven’t been using on my long runs but since I was running at marathon pace, I got to use fuel. I didn’t get a chance to eat before I left since I burnt my toast, I used a gel with caffeine instead. Then around mile 3, I ate 2 of jelly belly sport jelly beans (love them). Then I had another gel with caffeine at mile 8 and Gatorade at mile 10. Not sure if this was too much fuel for this run, but I figured since I didn’t have breakfast and hadn’t eaten anything since 7:30 the night before I needed it. Plus even though it was early, it was already hot and humid. Plus, I am such a hot mess when I run I think I needed it. Might need to think about Gatorade more as it really hit the spot!

Now the reason that my overall time was so much more than my actual running time is that I plan my runs so that I can refill my water bottle and I also have to wait at intersections and such. Still shocked at the difference as I didn’t realize I slowed down that much. Anyway, first water stop was at the park for bathroom break, refill bottles, a few pictures for my scavenger hunt. Then my second stop was at the 7-elleven where I normally stop to buy a $1 bottle of water. For this run though, I decided to get Gatorade for some reason. Nothing ever tasted so good. I might have to think about using this again although I don’t know that it would always taste as good as it did on this run.

11:10, 11:46, 10:59, 10:01, 9:44, 10:25, 9:57, 9:59, 9:48, 10:03, 9:59, 10:43, 11:00, 10:50, 12:11

I timed it that this run would end at Dunkin Donuts where I could get a nice recovery iced latte. Some people do look at you a little funny when your in line, but what’s a girl to do. I want (need) my iced latte and I can’t help it that I look like I ran through the sprinklers. I then cooled down with a short walk home. I’m also wondering if this is why my overall time is so much different too. I don’t think I reset (ended) my run until I got home, So who knows.

I don’t have my schedule for this week yet as I get my schedule on Tuesday’s. I’m curious as to what this week will bring. Last week since I had the long run with 8 miles at marathon pace, I didn’t have a tempo run which was nice. I’m thinking that I won’t be so lucky 2 weeks in a row!

How is your training going?

How do you fuel for your runs?

Night & Day!

Aug18

The day after my epic coming of the rails run, I had a 14 miler to do. I planned this one a little better as I knew that the whole point of this run was to run on tired legs. My legs were tired. It was still hotter than Hell, but I was determined to make it a good run.

First I decided that I would go later in the evening. It is hard knowing that you are going to start a long run that won’t finish till the 10:00 PM news comes on, but still better than running in the heat of day. Second, I plotted out a route that would allow me to meet some of my fellow MRTT Mama’s for miles 3 through 8. They were supposed to be running a slower pace and I thought it would be good to have company for some of the run. It was just what I needed even if they had me going a minute or so faster for those miles than my legs wanted to go, but still worth it. As Janna pointed out, I did miss my tempo run the day before:) I even had Helen run with me for an extra mile once the group was done. She thankfully slowed down and it was nice to run with her as I don’t often get a chance.

Then it was time to do the last 4 1/2 miles by myself. At first it was hard, but then I realized that it was only because I forgot to put my music back on. For the record and safety, when running on roadways I do NOT use headphones at all. I play my music right from my phone. I also stopped at the local 7-elleven to refill my water bottles with cold water as I really hate warm water. The man at the counter looked at me and all my lights a little odd as did some of the people in the parking lot. Not sure if it was how sweaty I was because I was a hot, hot mess or the lights. Either way I went on my way.

shortly after this stop, I had a group of teen boys (God, please don’t let my boys be this obnoxious) yell at me that I should wear reflective gear while running, but in a sarcastic tone while laughing at me. I just yelled back, “you think?” Then under my breath said a few things I will not mention on my blog. This did get me thinking. What do people think the point of all m reflective gear is? I have been doing most of my runs ALONE at night with some of the streets not having good lighting. I want to see where I am going and I think more importantly, I want to be seen! Truth be told, I worry about drivers when I’m running during the day. I worry more about drivers when I’m running at night because most are not expecting people to be out when it’s dark. I’ve said before, my goal for every run is to make it home safely and if looking like a Christmas tree helps you see me at night, I’ve got no problem with that because you know I love Christmas trees!

So what do I wear…..

Headlamp
Reflective Vest (mine is pink)
Nathan Runner’s flashlight
Armband reflective lights – I wear mine on my running belt
Nathan Strobe lights – one of front of the vest and one on back
Another Strobe light on my belt
Reflective running gear
Pepper Spray – not reflective gear but I think important safety gear

Most of these items were either purchased at my local running store or Amazon. To the average person, I may seem a little crazy with my lights maybe even bordering on OCD. That’s ok as long as you see me coming:)

What do you use for night running?

The Accidentally Running Mama

Run, Bike, Swim and Have a Life!

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