long run

My Strange Addiction

July 12, 2012 by Kristy 18 Comments

Apparently eating salt on the run is strange? This isn’t a common practice? Should I be on My Strange Addiction with people that eat couch cushion and sniff pine cleaner?

I did receive a few questions and it’s worth mentioning on the blog.

First and foremost, I sweat a lot. When people say they are dripping with sweat, I literally am. After last Saturday’s run, my shoes were soaked from all the sweat that poured off of me. I threw them directly into the washer when I got home.

I have come close…(via)

Second, I have visible salt lines on my skin after runs. If I wear a black visor, you can really see it.

Third, that horrible hungover feeling generally haunts me after long runs.

My Shot Bloks contain sodium and potassium but it’s not enough. I’ve tried Gatorade, Nuun, and salt tabs…still not enough. I’m a serious sweater.

So last summer I brought in the big guns and went straight to table salt. I was amazed at how much better I felt during and after a run. I was hooked.

To clarify, I don’t stash a salt shaker in my Stow-N-Go bra. I take a small amount of salt and put it in a baggie. Every 5 miles or more, I eat a very small amount of it (small amount as in I dip the very tip of my pinky finger into the bag and eat whatever sticks). I don’t mind the taste probably because I’m so salt-deprived.

Overall, I consume a small amount of salt. Probably on par with runners that dip boiled potatoes in salt. And I don’t use salt every time I do a long run, just on the hot and humid days.

I definitely attribute salt with getting me through Boston in one piece.

My advice would be to not jump to salt without trying other things first: Gatorade, Nuun, salt tabs, etc.

Now you know my strange addiction…

I haven’t been recapping my 50K training consistently so here’s a look at last week’s runs…

MON: 4 miles Garmin-free
TUE: 8 miles, 9:52 avg pace. Ugh, GI issues strike. Once in a blue moon my stomach revolts.
WED: 8 miles, 9:22 avg pace
THU: rest
FRI: 4 miles Garmin-free
SAT: 22 miles, 10:30 avg pace. Hot as hell.
SUN: 10 miles, 9:54 avg pace

56 miles –> a new mileage PR! Not by much though…only 1 mile.

Are you a serious sweater like me and rock the sexy salt lines post-run? To clarify, I rarely sweat outside of running. I’m more likely to be the person with a hoodie on in the summer.

Friday Thoughts

June 1, 2012 by Kristy 13 Comments

Bonjour! Just practicing.

Speaking of French, after 2 years of high school French and 3 semesters of college French, I can’t speak a lick of it. I can read some but once it leaves my mouth, it’s horribly butchered and completely wrong. The side of your brain (right?) that helps with foreign language learning is also the same side that prevents me from drawing a decent stick figure. But if you need me to explain the intricacies of the kidney to you, I’m your girl.

The past 2 weeks of running have been great! Quality runs, decent long runs, and…fun. Not worrying about pace and not hitting the track every week is freeing.

Since Boston, I’ve been kind of checked out of reality. Pretty easy to do with Boston, Kauai, and now London/Paris back-to-back. I must say the life of a gypsy (that’s what my co-worker called me yesterday) is sweet!

I have 2 runs planned while we are in London and Paris. I wish I could do more but our itinerary is jam packed. In London, walking along the Thames was on our list so we decided to make an early morning run out of it. Notice I said “we”? Matt agreed to join me and come out of his early retirement from running! In Paris, I plan on doing a solo run along the Seine while Matt goes to the French Open with his nephew. Fun, fun, fun!

Would your (non-running) significant other agree to go on a vacation run with you? Matt was technically a runner at one point and did a few HMs and a marathon but he hated every second of it. So he retired.

Are you fluent in another language? If so, I’m impressed. That’s definitely not in the cards for me!

3 days are better than 2…

May 28, 2012 by Kristy 14 Comments

Fun and productive…that’s what you get with a 3-day weekend.

I kicked off the weekend with a 15-miler on Friday morning, my longest run since Boston. I did my same hilly, long run route but slowed down the pace significantly. There’s no need for speedy long runs right now and that is more than OK with me. I really missed just getting out there and running, with no agenda.

On Friday night we went to a wedding (see the importance of getting the long run outta the way?!). But first we swung by my brother’s house to see my niece – it was her Junior Prom. She looked beautiful!

To balance out the fun of Friday night, Saturday was all about sleeping in, no running, making up training plans, and a wee bit of shopping (GAP was having an amazing sale).

And with Sunday, we were back to fun – a BBQ at my brother’s house. In the morning I knocked out 6 miles on trails, bringing me to 40 miles for the week.

Monday morning started with 9 miles on the same trails and then extreme productivity. I made a very optimistic to-do list and, as I type this, I have just 1 item left on the list! We leave for London/Paris on Friday night so I’m trying to get as much done as possible early on in the week. And I’m squeezing another 40-mile week into 4 days of running. Fun!

Was your Memorial Day weekend fun and productive?

I Have Boston Fever

April 9, 2012 by Kristy 26 Comments

I have no idea what I’m going to do with myself this week. I’ll be pretty useless at work (yeah for a 4-day work week) since I can’t seem to think about anything but Boston.

So far the weather looks OK. A little warm and windy but I love cloudy. Can they really predict the wind this far out? I doubt it. I hope the 2003 Boston Marathon didn’t fall on April 16th…with a record high of 84 degrees! Oh wow, the nerdy meteorologist in me just came out.

I did my last long run on Sunday – 10 miles in 1:29 (8:54 average pace). I kept the pace easy and I felt great. My legs felt light and rested. From here on out, it’s all easy. The hard work is done!

Taper crazies have been kept to a minimum. Not sure why?

I’m running Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week and that’s it. Also getting lots of sleep. I generally don’t carbo-load. I eat carbs all the time and may eat just a tad more of them on Saturday and Sunday. I hate feeling too “puffy” at the start line.

On Saturday I got this awesome card in the mail from my friend Camille wishing me well in Boston. Thank you Camille, I love it!

So perfect!

Do you do any special preparations before a big race?

Carbo-load – yay or nay?

The hay is in the barn

April 2, 2012 by Kristy 23 Comments

Or so they say…

21 miles, 8:46 average pace, done!

So this didn’t go exactly as planned. It went much slower! Physically, I felt great. Mentally, I’m a bit burned-out. I’m writing a “Boston Goals” post later this week and I’ll elaborate more then. I think Kristen Armstrong’s latest post sums it up best though…

Running can’t be full speed, full intensity training all the time or you start to crack – either with an injury or with splintering morale. I know some people who do this, go from one marathon to the next without a break, and eventually their bodies cry uncle (and make them take a break).

In other news (Boston-related, of course)…

I got crafty on Saturday. I normally don’t wear my name on my shirt for marathons (then again, my last 4 marathons weren’t exactly filled with spectators), but I want to for Boston.

Rather than ruin an expensive lulu tank, I stole the idea from Celia to make a name patch. I bought some felt and some sticky letters, and voila…a removable patch that I can use again.

The “S” is a little high and it drives me nuts…

Another great idea I read from Lora’s blog was to start eating lunch later, due to Boston’s late start. I’ve been trying to hold off until 1:30 for lunch (2:00 if possible). I can’t think of anything more unpleasant than a growling stomach during a marathon. OK, there are worse things but that is unpleasant.

I’m also eating breakfast between 8-8:30 which will be the time I’ll eat before the race. Five hours between breakfast and lunch does not make for a happy Kristy.

Better now than on race day…

Name on shirt – yay or nay?

For the readers that ran Boston before (or NYC), did you get hungry during the race? I don’t think this will be an issue – it wasn’t for NYC – but I’m taking all precautions!

A Good Run and Good Fun

March 12, 2012 by Kristy 16 Comments

Happy Monday, folks! I’m struggling a bit this morning. I could blame it on Daylight Savings but it’s more likely due to Saturday night fun (yes, I went out)! Before I get to that, let’s talk running!

I “only” had to do 15 miles for my long run this weekend so I made them speedy. I had a great MP run on Tuesday so I wanted to push the number of miles at MP up a bit with my long run. The result? 15 miles in 2:06 (8:24 average pace). Success! I started with a 1-mile warm up, then 13 miles at MP (8:20), and a 1-mile cool down.

8:18, 8:29 (hill), 8:13, 8:14, 8:21, 8:22, 8:28 (hill), 8:21, 8:20, 8:16, 8:15, 8:14, 8:16

I want to say these miles felt as effortless as they did on Tuesday but they didn’t. I was running into a brutal headwind most of the time and my allergies were awful. I’m happy that I was able to maintain MP despite all that though.

Saturday night was a much anticipated night out. We made these plans months ago. Most of my friends have babies so getting everyone together (both the guys and girls) is tough. It was also the Erin Express, Philly’s Irish bar crawl. I was an enthusiastic Erin Express participant multiple times in my 20s…you are pretty much drunk by 4pm and just plain obnoxious. We wanted to avoid any bar with Erin Expressers at all costs. By the time we met up, the sea of green youngins were dwindling and we snagged a table at Oh! Shea’s. We were there for awhile before moving onto another bar.

Matt and I got home at 2am (technically it was 3am – damn Daylight Savings). Sunday was an intentional rest hangover day for me and I needed it. I have no idea how I used to do this every weekend. Youth, I guess.

Ever do a St. Patty’s Day bar crawl? My last Erin Express was when I was 28. I think we were too old then. I do love celebrating SPD though.

Do you plan your rest days around your social life? I used to all the time. My lack of social life right now affords me lots of flexibility with rest days Years ago, rest days were strictly scheduled around my Saturday night shenanigans.