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marathon

GMP Talk (again)

February 15, 2011 by Kristy 2 Comments

2/15/11

5 miles speed work

2×1200 and 3×800 at 7:24 pace.  Done.

A few days ago I posted about not running enough miles at goal marathon pace (GMP).  Surprisingly, I have some more to say about that 🙂

Your GMP should be realistic based on current race times (not the half marathon you PR’d in 5 years ago).  You want to sustain this pace over 26.2 miles so it should be a cakewalk.  I say cakewalk because everything gets harder during the last 10K of a marathon.  I’m not talking about hitting the wall, just the normal aches and pains that come along with running 26.2.  You want your GMP to feel easy so that you are able to hit that pace later on in the race.  It is so, so easy to let your pace slip during those last few miles.

If your GMP is too fast for your current fitness level, you’ll start too fast, deplete your glycogen stores (more on that here), and hit the wall hard around Mile 20 (if not sooner).  At RRCA coaches training we learned that by going out too fast early on in the marathon you make up for it by running 2 to 3 min per mile slower during the last 10K.  Ouch!  That’s like beginning the race running a 9:00 pace and finishing with a 11:00 or 12:00 pace!  Banking time for a marathon never works.

Once you figure out your GMP, you should incorporate GMP runs throughout your training plan.  You can do tempo runs at GMP or add some GMP miles to your long runs.  You should be on autopilot with your GMP – knowing how your stride feels, knowing how your breathing feels – so on race day you can just get into the groove and enjoy the race!

3 in 1

January 20, 2011 by Kristy 7 Comments

Workout #1

4 miles speed work

Since thinking at 5am can be challenging, I taped my scheduled speed work to my treadmill the night before.

RI = rest interval

I was short on time so I cut the cool down a bit short and only ended up with 4 miles.  When I’m training for a marathon, I like to hit at least 5 miles for a shorter run.  When I’m not actively training, at least 3 miles will suffice.

The 800s were definitely challenging but went by quickly.  Watching the season premier of Teen Mom 2 helps.

(Mini) Workout #2

2 miles easy

I really wanted to hit 6 miles this morning with my speed work.  All day long I kept thinking about it and couldn’t just let it go so I hopped back on the treadmill for 2 miles after work.  Truth be told, I really wanted to finish the Teen Mom 2 episode I started in the morning.

After I was sufficiently sweaty, I headed to a yoga class…

Workout #3

Power yoga – 60 min

All I could think of is power hour (ah, college)!  This power hour was quite different from those back in the day.

The room was heated and the instructor was so-so.  There are a couple of different instructors that teach power yoga at RYAH so I plan on going to all of their classes to see which one I like best.  What I found funny is that this class was heavy on the leg work…lots of squats and lunges.  My legs were tired from this morning’s speed session and were practically shaking from the get go.  It’s usually my upper body and core that gets the workout.

The half moon pose always scares the crap out of me.  Something about balancing on one leg and hand and then twisting and looking the other way.

(source)

I did not look like that tonight.  Even with using a block, I was a mess.  Practice makes perfect, right?

 

 

Is It Spring Yet?

January 14, 2011 by Kristy 1 Comment

1/14/11

7 miles easy

1:07

9:34 avg pace

Since my run on Tuesday, we were lucky enough to get 6 more inches of snow.  Wonderful.  I couldn’t bear the treadmill today so I slapped on the YakTrax and went outside.  Apparently those 6 inches on top of old snow made for a near impossible run.  I had no traction (even with the YakTrax) and was barely moving in some spots.  I eeked out 5 miles and went home and did another 2 miles on the treadmill.  Here are some pics in case you think I’m being a wimp 🙂

I asked myself for the millionth time why I’m training for a spring marathon.  Didn’t I learn my lesson last year?  We had about 4 feet of snow on the ground and finding plowed areas to run was rather interesting.  Did I loose my mind (again)?  Give me summer running any day over this.

If you are training for a spring marathon (or just want to run outside) and you’d rather throw yourself on a kitchen knife (my sister-in-law’s saying which I think is dead on) instead of doing another treadmill run, here are some tips:

1.  Plan Ahead – We all know the hourly forecast on weather.com is a runner’s best friend but the weekly forecast can be too.  Check it out and see when the warmest days are that week and schedule your runs around that, if possible.  I prefer to do my long runs on Saturdays but if I see warmer temperatures on Sunday, I’ll make the switch.

2.  Improvise – You go out and find your favorite running route or trail covered in snow and ice.  You may need to run around (pun intended) and find a different, safer place to run.  Some routes are plowed and others aren’t.  Knowing this ahead of time can help.  Last winter I ended up running back and forth in a lovely, plowed industrial area during a long run just to rack up some miles.

3.  Dress Right – Keep in mind you are supposed to dress like it’s 20 degrees warmer.  Think lots of sweat-wicking layers.  If you are still unsure, check out What Should I Wear? on runnersworld.com

4.  Beat the Mental Blahs – It’s tough to get motivated and leave your warm house for the frigid cold.  Getting your butt out the door is the toughest part.  But you made a commitment to train for a race and those miles are not going to run themselves.  The first mile will suck but you will warm up eventually and will not freeze to death.  I promise 🙂

5.  Start Slow:  So you made it out the door and take off like lightening.  Probably not a good idea.  You just went from breathing in warm air to sucking in large amounts of cold air and your lungs are paying the price.  It’s best to start off slower in the cold weather and let your body acclimate to the temperature.  Give yourself a mile or two to warm-up.

6.  Refuel:  Hooray!  You finished your long run and all you can think about is getting a hot shower.  But…remember the importance of refueling?  This is why chocolate milk is my go-to choice for refueling.  I can drink it in no time and be in the shower within 5 minutes of walking in the door.

I have a 15-miler on tap for tomorrow and I will be running on a plowed trail!

Happy Friday!

 

Week 1 Recap

January 10, 2011 by Kristy 1 Comment

Today is a rest day but I wanted to recap my first week of training.  Or so I thought it was my first week of training.  Last night I realized I started training 1 week early!  Oops…I guess 1 week early is better than 1 week late.  I’m actually really happy this happened.  Matt and I are going to San Francisco in February and my plan called for a 20-miler that weekend.  A 20-miler on vacation is not a good time.  But with an extra week of training I can use the added wiggle room to rearrange my longs run so that I’ll only need to do 13-15 miles in San Fran.  Sweet 🙂

Week 1 Recap

MON: 5 mi speed work

TUE: 6 mi easy run + 20 min yoga

WED: rest

THU: 30 min yoga

FRI: 6 mi tempo run

SAT: rest

SUN: 13 mi long run

A total of 30 miles. Yikes, that’s low for my first week of marathon training! I’m trying to keep in mind that the mantra for this training cycle is quality over quantity.

Passer vs. Passee

December 31, 2010 by Kristy 3 Comments

12/31/10

10 miles

1:30:49

9:05 avg pace

I wanted to end 2010 with a good run so I decided to do 10 miles at my old goal marathon pace .  Plus, next week I’ll be doing 13 miles at 9:15 pace for my first long run of training so I wanted to ease myself back into things.

Let’s talk about passing people when running.  I rarely pass anyone (always a passee) but today I was the passer.  My passee was a guy in his mid-40s.  I was coming up on him for awhile and knew I would be passing him eventually.  When I passed, I said a friendly “good morning” to which I received no response.  And no, he wasn’t wearing an iPod.  He heard me.  Guess he didn’t care much for being passed by a girl.  This happened to me another time last May during the end of a 15-miler.  Except this time the guy caught up with me and ran the last 2 miles with me.  He was very nice and we talked about marathon training but he kept picking up the pace.  I glanced at my garmin and saw we were doing an 8:00 minute mile.  I told him I need to slow down a bit since this wasn’t exactly my long run pace.  At the end of the run, he confessed that he hates to get passed by anyone (in his head I’m sure he added “especially by girls”).  Why do guys care so much?  Yes, part of me likes to pass people (male or female).  I’m not being malicious; it just happens so infrequently.  And I could care less when people pass me.  I’ve been passed by 70-year-old men and women during marathons!

Check out Susan’s funny re-cap of being a passer.

Happy New Year!

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