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Lehigh Valley Marathon: Week 8 Recap

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7/27/11
7 miles easy / 1:05 / 9:17 avg pace

I am more than halfway done this training cycle.  Makes me excited and nervous at the same time.   I hate to complain about the heat again, but it’s really starting to do a number on my confidence.  I know that I can’t do anything about my pace when the humidity is off the charts but I was moving along so well!  I was feeling good, handling more mileage, pulling through on speed work, running (near) marathon pace on long runs and then BAM.  Everything came to a halt.  So. frustrating.

Let’s review…

MON: 7 speed
TUE:  11 easy (7 AM and 4 PM)
WED:  rest
THU:  8 easy
FRI:  17 long
SAT:  10 tempo, MP, MP intervals
SUN:  rest / 20 min yoga video

Highlights ~
1.  Monday’s speed work, before the heat wave kicked in.  This was a tough workout and I was very pleased with my times.
2.  53 miles for the week!
3.  My ability to remain standing during Friday’s 17-miler.  I’m not kidding!  And Operation Hydration was a success!

And the not so good ~
1.   Sunday’s run.  Oh this sucked.  Supposed to be a tempo run (3 miles at 7:44 pace).  There was no way I could sustain that in the heat so I planned on doing a MP tempo.  Riiight, scratch that too.  Apparently MP was too much.  So instead I would run MP for a mile, then recover for a mile, then repeat.  Pathetic.  The heat was a big factor but I was incredibly exhausted from Friday’s run and my legs felt like lead.  I have never been so happy to finish a run.

Onto more positive stuff, I am so looking forward to the weekend!  We are heading to Baltimore for my friend Amanda’s wedding.  I even have Friday off.  I’m squeezing all my runs in Monday to Friday this week so I can take 2 rest (hungover) days this weekend.

Since it is hump day, what are your plans for the weekend?  Any long runs planned?

Operation Hydration

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7/22/11
17 miles / 2:46 / 9:46 avg pace

Stats
5:15AM start time temp – feels like 88 degrees
8:00AM finish time temp – feels like 98 degrees
Humidity 0, Kristy 1

I’m calling Operation Hydration a success!  I feel great!  Dang it was hot though.  Definitely the most oppressive conditions I ever ran in. Some thoughts…

  • Eating salt (yes, straight salt) was a lifesaver today.  I noticed an immediate improvement vs. 2 weeks ago.  I really believe it’s why I feel so good right now – no headache, no nausea, no quad soreness.  Note:  white, powdery-looking substance in a baggie that you eat with your pinky and then stash in your sports bra looks super shady.
  • I also drank Gatorade and I think that helped too, but to a lesser extent than the salt.
  • My shorts were completely soaked by mile 7!
  • I noticed a sloshing sound in my shoes around mile 10 and realized it was sweat.  So. Gross.
  • Thank god for a canopy of shade once the sun came up.  This was also a lifesaver.  The sun would have done me in for sure.
  • Although my pace was slow, I’m amazed that my body was able to run 17 miles!  I was supposed to run 18 but reached my car at 17 and decided to screw the last mile.
A hot mess picture.  There wasn’t 1 inch of me that was dry.
Have a good weekend!  Stay cool!

Random Thursday

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7/21/11
8 miles easy / 1:17 / 9:37 avg pace

Time for some random thoughts!

  • Check out my post on the Lunch Break Blog (thanks Mike for letting me ramble about running on your blog!).
  • I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly nervous about the heat and tomorrow’s long run. Obviously this will be a LSD run and the perfect opportunity to test Operation Hydration!  If I can refrain from entering “stage 2” dehydration on the hottest day of the year, I’ll consider it a success.
  • Blog search term that completely cracked me up this week:  how did Kara Goucher get pregnant? Well…
  • This is more of a rant. I do my easy runs on a popular paved bike trail; usually early weekday mornings. Last week I had to do an easy 10-miler on Saturday and, even though I knew what I was in for, I was still annoyed. The trial was occupied by about 90% bikers (yes, I know they are called “cyclists” but I still say bikers) and 10% runners. The trial is roughly 6 feet wide. Know where I’m going with this? Groups of men (Lance wannabes) going way too fast, families of four going way too slow, and tons of unnecessary “on your left” calls.  Since I generally don’t bust out figure 8s when running, why is it necessary to (often scream) “on your left” when I’m clearly hugging the right, running solo, and in a straight line?  I understand and expect a verbal warning to be given under certain circumstances (say, approaching an intersection or a group of runners) but not all. the. time.  And don’t even get me started on the bikers who use bells…
Do bikers bother you on a run?  
Do you have any funny blog search terms to share?

Lehigh Valley Marathon: Week 7 Recap

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7/19/11
7 miles easy / 1:04 / 9:09 avg pace

Am I really on Week 8 already?! Time is flying by and race day will be here before I know it. I just got the butterflies/nervous feeling typing that! No matter how many marathons you run, the nerves are always there. Especially when you want need to BQ. No pressure though 😉

Week 7 was so-so. I wanted to keep my mileage at 50 but couldn’t due to my left quad soreness (resulting from dehydration on a long run). My quad felt fine by Tuesday but I didn’t want to push it. So no speed work for the week but I did have a good (short) long run and a good tempo run, so I can’t complain.

MON:  8 easy
TUE:  4 easy with a running club (details to come…)
WED:  8 tempo
THU:  rest
FRI:  13 long
SAT:  10 easy
SUN:  rest

A total of 43 miles for the week. I’m planning on 54 miles this week. It’s supposed to 100 degrees on Friday with crazy humidity. This will be a good test for Operation Hydration. I’m going to carry salt packets with me on my long run to see if they help and drink more water than I usually do all week. I’m not afraid of hydrating too much (fun fact: I check the color of my pee all the time). I know my body and if you saw how much I sweat, I think you would agree! On that gross note, I’m outta here!