run

Motivation

February 1, 2011 by Kristy 5 Comments

2/1/11

7 miles tempo

1:01

8:43 avg pace

Splits:
M1 – 10:00
M2 to M5 – 8:06
M6 to M7 – 9:30

…and I felt great the whole time. Exactly 3 months to the NJ Marathon 🙂

Let’s talk motivation. My motivation for writing this post came from Elizabeth Waterstraat. Her blog is awesome, she’s hysterical. Her post yesterday was called No Excuses. Please read it because it’s very good!

It’s no secret that I love running. Running has become as habitual as brushing my teeth and (almost) as enjoyable as ice cream. I love to push myself and my body. I like to set goals and work hard. I find it extremely rewarding.

I don’t find myself lacking motivation to run too often..mostly due to my slight running addiction 🙂 My motivation is most likely to wane post-marathon. Maybe it’s burn out or my mind’s way of telling me to take it easy. So that’s what I do and then I start to crave running all over again.

Some days it’s hard to get out the door. I think of it this way: you always feel better after a run. I have never regretted a run. Never. But I sure as hell regretted skipping a run.

Stop making excuses! Elizabeth’s post talks a lot about this. My favorite part of her post is “the excuse is always the easy way out…bucking up and getting the work done, that’s the hard stuff”.

Or, in the words of Nike, Just Do It.

The Importance of Rest and Recovery

January 21, 2011 by Kristy 4 Comments

Today is a rest day for me. I’ve got a 17-miler to do tomorrow and some easy miles on Sunday.

I get asked all the time if I run every day. I don’t and I don’t recommend it. I’ve always ran 5 days per week with 2 rest days. For this training cycle, I’m running 4 days per week with 2 days of yoga. That still leaves me with 1 day of rest. Figuring out what is right for you takes some trial and error. Whatever you decide, having a day of rest is crucial both mentally and physically.

After a hard speed workout or long run are you stronger? A better runner? The answer is no. Hard training takes a toll on your body – glycogen depletion, tissue breakdown, fatigue…just to name a few. Training provides a stimulus for your body to adapt, but recovery is when you allow your body to adapt and improve (source). Ah, makes sense, right? That is why training plans follow the hard/easy principle: 1 or more hard days should be followed by 1 or more easy days. An easy day could be an easy run, cross-training, or complete rest. Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule. In certain circumstances it may make sense to do 2 hard days back-to-back. Say you plan on doing a half marathon as a tune-up race during training. You may want to taper a bit before the race so your legs are fresh. It would make sense in this scenario to do 2 hard days back-to-back to allow yourself a day of rest or 2 before the race.

Why follow the hard/easy principle? To prevent glycogen depletion (talked about here in an earlier post), illness, and to minimize DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)(source). DOMS is caused by microscopic muscle damage, which leads to inflammation and then soreness. Doing a hard workout when you have a case of the DOMS will not only be miserable, but likely won’t be intense enough to improve fitness.

I expect a case of the DOMS after my 17-miler tomorrow. The “feels like” temp is supposed to be 3 degrees. Does that mean I can skip the ice bath post-run? ! 🙂

Week 2 Recap + Tempo

January 17, 2011 by Kristy 7 Comments

1/17/11

7 miles tempo

1:00:54

8:42 avg pace

The plan called for 1 mile easy, 5 miles tempo at 8:45 pace, and 1 mile easy. I felt good again and went for it.

Splits:

1 mi easy: 9:21

5 mi tempo: 8:26, 8:17, 8:19, 8:25, 8:24

1 mi easy: 9:39

Yeah! It must have been all those Swedish Fish I ate last night 🙂

Week 2 Recap

Since I started training 1 week early, I modified this week’s schedule a bit…meaning I ditched the speed work.

MON: rest
TUE: 8 mi tempo
WED: 4 mi easy
THU: rest
FRI: 7 mi easy
SAT: 15 mi long
SUN: rest

A total of 34 miles. Seems I had a few too many rest days and no yoga (not even Yoga On Demand!). Hmm…that will be fixed this week. I all ready have my yoga plan mapped out so I don’t fall off the wagon again!

Redemption Run

January 15, 2011 by Kristy 6 Comments

1/15/11

15 miles

2:15

9:00 avg pace

I’m calling this run the Redemption Run after last week’s disastrous 13-miler. It’s amazing what a change in perception can do. Running is very much mind over matter. If you think and believe you can do it, you can. If you let doubt and negative thoughts take over, you won’t achieve your goal no matter how hard you trained. A few years ago during a run I overheard another runner say “if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter”. So very true. If only it were that easy. Another great line (from Elizabeth’s blog): it takes years of practice to solidify your head. I’m definitely still working on that one.

My training plan called for 15 miles at 9:31 pace. I felt great so I went with it. I had miles and miles of plowed trails…I was downright giddy 🙂 I was out running a little before 8:00 and it was cold! But there was very little wind so it was bearable. There were also a bunch of like-minded (i.e., crazy) runners out too. Misery loves company.

Splits:

M1 – 9:22

M2 – 9:17

M3 – 9:05

M4 – 9:07

M5 – 9:08 (Shot Blok #1)

M6 – 9:10

M7 – 9:05

M8 – 9:11

M9 – 8:55

M10 – 8:53 (Shot Blok #2…swapped my wet, cold gloves for dry ones – I was a happy camper after that)

M11 – 8:54

M12 – 8:52

M13 – 8:51

M14 – 8:50

M15 – 8:53

I like to see that I sped up during the last 5 miles (must have been the warm, dry gloves at Mile 10).

It was a really pretty run. It’s funny how nice the Schuylkill River looks frozen.

IMG00050-20110115-0930 — I couldn't resist...GO HAWKS!

Next up – a recovery nap followed by some Saturday night shenanigans (partially kidding…I’m old and fast asleep before any shenanigans occur). It’s my friend Steve’s 30th birthday and we are going out to celebrate. It’s nice to know I still have 1 friend that’s turning 30…it makes me feel young!

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!

Snowed In

January 12, 2011 by Kristy 5 Comments

1/12/11

4 miles easy

36:06

9:01 avg pace

A quick post today.

I woke up to this…

and this…

so I had to do some of this…

Key word being some. I was bored to tears. Even the 16 & Pregnant: Life After Labor finale couldn’t keep my attention.

I do have a treadmill in my basement. I’m very lucky to not have to trudge to the gym. And I have a TV across from the treadmill where I can watch a bunch of DVR’d shows. It’s a great set-up but sometimes I still feel like a hamster on a wheel.

Looking forward to running outside on Friday and Saturday!