Run The Long Road Coaching

personalized coaching for distance runners

Kristy

Friday the 13th

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5/13/11

13 miles

2:00

9:16 avg pace

During the summer I try and do my long runs on Fridays. Sometimes this means getting up before 5AM, getting ready, driving to my long run spot, and banging out a 20-miler so that I’m home and ready to work by 9AM (I work from home on Fridays). It’s so worth it to have your long run out of the way before the weekend begins.

Today I kicked off my Friday summer runs with the same hilly route that I used last summer for marathon training. After NJ’s flat course I really need to step up my hill workouts so I’m ready for anything come September.

I was especially happy this morning and thankful that my quad feels 100% back to normal after the marathon!  A small part of me was afraid it was an injury (instead of dehydration) and that running on it for 6 more miles during the race made things worse.

And how can you not be happy when you get to spend your Friday mornings looking at this?  Since today’s run was a “fun run” I snapped some pictures.  I only had my BlackBerry so the quality isn’t the best.

I was going to include a self portrait but didn’t want to scare away readers 🙂

Any races this weekend? Or crazy training runs?

Knowing Yourself as a Runner

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In the past 10 years I’ve been running, I learned the following about myself as a runner:

1.  I’m not naturally speedy.
2.  I have to work my ass off to get faster.
3.  Endurance is my strength.  In many ways, running 20 miles is easier and more pleasant than a speed workout.
4.  Because of #3, I shy away from 5Ks and 10Ks.
5.  I’m a morning runner; running in the evening is tough for me.
6.  I run my long runs at or within 30-45 seconds of marathon pace.  Long, slow distance doesn’t work for me.  Practice makes perfect.
7.  Although my mental game has improved, negative thoughts and self-doubt still haunt me.

It took lots of trail and error but I’ve learned so much about myself from marathon #1 to marathon #8.

Marathon #2 (NYCM 2005)
Marathon #8 (NJM 2011)

Don’t compare yourself to other runners
This is pointless and will get you nowhere.  Every runner has different abilities.  The speedsters who make it seem so easy are genetically gifted.  Trying to copy their training schedule to “be like them” will also get you nowhere.  It’s important to know your strengths, weaknesses, and limitations as a runner so you can train smart for you.

Easier said then done, right?  I still compare myself to other runners.  Case and point:  after the NJ Marathon I was bummed about my PR (yes, I was bummed about a PR) and kept reading Twitter updates of everyone’s fabulous PRs.  I said to Matt, “I’m sick of reading about everyone’s PRs”.  His reply, “Oh…and how about your PR?”  Enough said.  Thanks Matt.

Training plans are NOT one-size-fits-all
As I said above, don’t take your super fast runner friend’s training schedule and follow it to a T and expect the same results.  Training plans need to be modified to fit your needs and they need to be modified while training so they continue to meet your needs. 

What lessons have you learned about yourself as a runner?


Wordless Wednesday

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Well, this is semi-wordless.

Ever watch the show Dogs 101 on Animal Planet?  Probably not, unless you are a crazy dog person.  Each episode profiles a different breed of dog with little snippets of information about them.  Matt and I DVR’d (oh yes we did) the episode about Miniature Schnauzers (Hawk’s breed) and watched it on Sunday afternoon.

The following pictures were NOT staged in any way.

Is this Dogs 101? I knew it! That looks like a schnauzer.
It's the miniature schnauzer episode?!?! I'm so damn smart!
I could have been an extra!

I swear that as soon as the schnauzers started coming on and barking, Hawk sat there the entire time.  Matt and I had to get the camera.  It’s like he was possessed.

Running Safely

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I could bore you with the details of my “fun runs” or I could talk about something very important – running safely. I’m not talking about injuries; I’m talking about ways to be safe when running alone. My intention is not to scare…just to make you think.

So you’re thinking I’m completely paranoid and crazy?!  You may be right but I feel preparation is your best weapon. Let me explain where I’m coming from. My dad is retired cop so I grew up thinking about “what ifs” and how I would handle tricky situations. It’s engrained in me.

  • Carry mace. Or at least carry your cell phone.  I find mace to be more effective Smile  I found one online that you can attach to your shorts and I never know it’s there. Call me crazy (again) but I feel so much more at ease carrying it.  And no, I thankfully never had to use it.
  • Mix up your routine. If you always run the same route on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, change things up a bit. You don’t want to be too predictable.
  • Run with a friend or a dog. Or if you run alone, make sure someone knows where you are running just in case something happens.
  • Don’t wear your iPod. I only wear my iPod on weekends, when there are usually lots of runners out.
  • Be aware. This is so hard to do when you are zoning out on a run. I’m always looking around and listening to what’s going on around me.
  • Don’t second guess. If you feel that someone is suspicious, DON’T think you are being paranoid. Turn around. I have done this before. It’s better to just avoid the suspicious person all together.

Sorry for the frightening post but this is so important!

Do you have any other tips? Does anyone else think about this stuff?

Weekend Fun

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5/9/11

5 miles

46:55

9:23 avg pace

My mind wanted to run last week but my body apparently needed a full rest week post-marathon.  I went for a run last Friday and my quad was still a little sore.  I decided to rest over the weekend and start up again today.  I felt fine today but didn’t want to push it.

I want to get in a good “base maintenance” week (not sure what else to call it) since I leave for Ireland in a week and won’t be running while I’m over there.  Matt and I did look for races to do in Ireland and we found one – the County Clare Marathon – but it’s not going to work out schedule-wise.  We were going to do the “mini-marathon” (as they call it) of 6 miles.  A complete and total fun run.  I’m bummed.  It would be nice to be an international racer 🙂

So Saturday was our date day/night and we started off by going to a dog park in Radnor.  Radnor is a posh suburb of Philly, also known as the Main Line.  We (and our Honda) don’t fit in.

It was a beautiful day.

Hawk played around in the creek…

and looked for squirrels.

A photo shoot ensued.

After Hawk was sufficiently exhausted, Matt and I headed into Philly for drinks, dinner, and a concert.  It was a good day.

How was everyone’s weekend?  Any races or good training runs?  Tell me about it, I’m in running-withdrawal!

Friday Favorites

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I may do an easy run this afternoon since the weather is so nice and I’m really antsy to run again.

But for now, it’s Friday Favorites time!

Gossip Girl
I’m a little embarrassed to admit this one…yes, I love the show Gossip Girl.  It’s the ultimate guilty pleasure.  At least I have company.  My friend Michelle loves it just as much as I do.  We love Chuck Bass.  He’s got the best one-liners.  In fact, for my birthday a few years ago, I got this from Michelle…

Poor quality picture but it says "good Bass is hard to find". I love it.

Date Night
For Christmas this past year, Matt and I decided to plan “date nights” for each other instead of buying gifts.  My date night for him is tomorrow.  We plan on hanging with Hawk at a park, having lunch outside, and going to see The Airborne Toxic Event at the Trocadero on Saturday night.  Fun, fun, fun!

Hawk is thrilled to be included in date night

May Fun Runs
Since I don’t start officially training again until the end of May, I got nothing but fun runs scheduled until then.  All I have to do is maintain my base by running whatever distance I want at whatever pace I want.  So liberating.  I may even go sans Garmin!

This is a picture of a meerkat I took at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. It makes me laugh every time I see it. Not sure what it has to do with fun runs though.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  Happy Mother’s Day!