Olympic marathon trials

Olympic Trials, Haircut, And A Long Run

January 15, 2012 by Kristy 11 Comments

Happy Sunday! I’m enjoying Day 2 of a 3-day weekend! I just got back from barre class which kicked my butt, as always. My legs were already tired from 15 miles yesterday and all the pulsing and squeezing sent them over the edge this morning.

So, the Olympic Marathon Trials?! So exciting. I cannot wait for London. I just got back from my long run in enough time to catch the Twitterfest of the finish. Meb is amazing and Shalane, Kara, and Desi are a force to be reckoned with in London.

hawk_oly — Hawk enjoyed watching the Trials as well

I wish I could say that I channeled some of that elite energy during my LR but I didn’t. 15 miles with an average pace of 9:04. I will call that a LSD run. I slept 4 hours on Friday night (random insomnia) and, beginning at mile 6, I developed a blister on my right foot (while wearing my Adrenaline 11s – yes, the ones that are supposed to feel good). I have no idea what kind of metamorphosis my right foot is undergoing but it better morph back to my old foot pronto. I’ve never had issues with blisters before. They suck and can really derail a run.

To be honest, my heart was not in this run. I was tired. It was so, so cold. The wind kept smacking me in the forehead and pissing me off. I wanted it to be OVER. I came home and I was upset. This was a slow run for me and a good 45 seconds slower than MP. Then I took out my FIRST plan and looked at what pace I was supposed to run those 15 miles (note: when it comes to long runs I generally “beat” whatever pace the FIRST plan calls for…so I never even bother to look at it pre-run). 9:08. I ran 9:04 and called it a terrible run. I stopped sulking after that.

And…I got my hair cut yesterday! I got a good 6 inches lopped off the back. It feels amazing to have less hair to deal with! It was getting to the point where my hair was in a ponytail every single day. Some pics…

haircut_1 — it may not look like a lot from the front...

Good luck to everyone running Houston today!

What did you think of the Trials?

Did you have a good long run this weekend?

Thursday Thoughts

January 12, 2012 by Kristy 19 Comments

I woke up this morning to torrential rain, despite weather.com’s hourly forecast assuring me that there would only be a 50% chance of rain at 6AM. Ugh. I’m all for running in the rain (especially when it’s 50 degrees in January), but voluntarily running in a downpour is a bit much. My mind starts spinning. How am I going to fit in my tempo run? I could do it on the treadmill or get to work early so I can leave early and do it then. Outside running (even at night) trumps treadmill running any day. Decision made.

I get into work by 7:15AM and manage to spill my coffee not once but twice. The first time on myself as I juggled 2 bags and an umbrella. The second time all over my mouse pad. I dry off the mouse pad, let it air dry, and stick my planner under the mouse. Ugh.

If today continues this way, at least I have my run to look forward to.

I was out the door for my run by 4:15PM. I’m not the best after-work runner but I was aiming for 8 miles total, with 6 at MP (8:15-8:20 pace). Success! MP splits: 8:17, 8:13, 8:17, 8:19, 8:15, 8:14 <– consistency!

Other random thoughts…

I love Running Times. I just got my first 2 issues in the mail this weekend. Way better than Runners World, if you’re a run nerd like me. No fluff, just good articles with quality information.

I’m not so in love with my Brooks Adrenaline 12s. I know, this is blasphemous. I’ve been wearing them for 2 months now with no issues (note: I’ve been wearing them for 11 years with no issues as well). This past weekend, the right shoe started to rub the inside of my ankle the wrong way. My inner ankle is now swollen and sore. I switched back to my Adrenaline 11s and I’m fine. Comparing the 2 side-by-side you can tell the 12s are cut higher on the inner ankle than the 11s. Waaaah! Now I’m running in an old pair of 11s while my new pair of 12s sit in my closet.

Is anyone else super excited about the Olympic Marathon Trials? I would love to be in Houston, spectating and soaking it all in!

Is it true there will be no live coverage of the Trials?

Is anyone else having a similar problem with the Adrenaline 12s?

Need Inspiration?

December 8, 2011 by Kristy 12 Comments

I must admit I’m having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning to run. It’s dark (and now cold). I’m technically only in what I call “pre-training” for Boston. So there’s no plan to follow. My main goals of pre-training are to build my base back up and regain my speed (i.e., more boring runs than fun ones).

So I’m in need of some inspiration. I saw this article on Twitter yesterday and found it so inspiring. It’s short but if you don’t want to read it, here’s the jist…

Erin O’Mara runs marathon #1 in 4:08:08 in 2006.
Erin O’Mara runs marathon #7 in 2:43:55 this past Sunday….and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials! Let’s look at the math…
marathon #1, 9:27 avg pace
marathon #7, 6:15 avg pace

Astounding. Incredible. Amazing.

I won’t call her an ordinary runner, because she’s clearly not. But I highly doubt any of the other qualifiers ran their first marathon in 4:08. She worked her ass off, and that is impressive and inspiring.

What’s inspiring you to run these days?