tempo run

Crying Uncle and Boston Week 10 Recap

March 14, 2012 by Kristy 14 Comments

On Monday I posted this on Pinterest (please follow me and then teach me all about Pinterest because I have no clue):

I follow this about 99.9% of the time but it’s ironic that on Tuesday morning I crapped out on my last tempo mile. The plan was to run 10 miles with 4 miles around MP and 4 miles around 7:45 pace. The 4 MP miles were easy, and we (my neighbor was running with me) averaged around 8:05 pace…so faster than MP (maybe that was my downfall?). The next miles (7:45 pace) were harder but doable. We came up on a section of trail that was flooded so we moved over to run on the muddy grass and it slowed us down. Once I transitioned back onto the paved trail I could not pick up the pace again. My legs didn’t want to move any faster. I cried uncle and did a 2-mile cool down instead. At least I was able to get in 3 miles at 7:45ish pace.

I’m not a robot and have to throw in the towel sometimes. It did bother me that I didn’t get that last mile in but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter.

So I can’t NOT talk about The Bachelor season finale. I can’t believe I gave up an hour of sleep to watch it (on the plus side, I need to visit Switzerland immediately!). I kinda had a feeling he would choose Courtney. Courtney did seem really excited about the ring – errr, proposal. “It feels so heavy on my hand, Ben.” That’s a completely normal statement seconds after getting engaged, right?

Boston Week 10 Recap
MON: 8 easy
TUE: 11 tempo with 10 miles at MP – this was an awesome, confidence-boosting run!
WED: 8 easy
THU: 8 easy with 5 long hill repeats
FRI: rest
SAT: 15 with 13 miles at MP – another good run!
SUN: rest

50 miles total and the taper is within my reach! 2 1/2 weeks of hard work left and then I get to rest my legs. I really can’t believe Boston will be here so soon. I’m starting to freak out a bit and get excited!

Do you give up easily on training runs or races? I don’t on training runs but if I’m having a bad race day and I know I won’t PR, I will sometimes throw in the towel. It’s a terrible habit thinking that a PR is the most important thing. You can learn so much from bad races.

If you watched The Bachelor, gimme your thoughts!

Boston Prep and Week 8 Recap

February 29, 2012 by Kristy 19 Comments

The Boston Marathon is a mere 46 days away and my Type A self is going into “prep” mode. Race logistics, course info, expo, hotel, race outfit (so important…lululemon, it’s only a matter of days before we are reunited!), etc. I don’t want to be overly stressed during the taper period so it’s best to get this stuff all figured out now.

Thankfully, course-wise, there is so much information. I’m a big believer in studying your marathon course as much as you can before race day. I have this handy little guide that I’m reading(per Robin’s recommendation)…

I’ve been running hills during my long runs and occasionally doing a few repeats during easy runs. Yesterday I threw in 3 long hill repeats at the end of a 7-mile tempo run. Whoa, that was tough. My tempo miles ended up being faster than MP (8:08, 8:10, 8:07, 8:09, 8:08) so maybe that’s why? I’m having a hard time nailing down my MP (8:20) based on feel. I always seem to run faster. Guess that’s not the worst thing in the world!

Boston Week 8 Recap
MON: 8 easy with 3 long hill repeats at the end
TUE: 8 speed (6×400). Ugh, awful run. I ended up doing a few miles at HMP and MP to hit 8 for the day.
WED: barre REST! It was like there was a magnet on the back of my head when my alarm went off at 4:50AM (yep, no wonder, right?). I could not lift my head or get out of bed so I slept.
THU: 9 with 7 miles at tempo (8:12, 8:08, 8:12, 8:03, 8:07, 8:03, 8:13). Again, I was trying for MP and ended up faster.
FRI: REST (again)!
SAT: 18 at LSD pace (9:07). It was windy and I ran through a snowstorm.
SUN: 9 easy

52 miles for the week. This week is a drop-back week before I head into the monster month before taper!!!!!

Help, please! I’m looking for a pair of arm warmers for Boston that are comfy. Any suggestions? I’ve tried Saucony but ended up sending them back. Anyone have the lululemon Swiftly Arm Warmers?

Random Thoughts and Boston Week 6 Recap

February 14, 2012 by Kristy 10 Comments

Barre class from hell
I had to take a rest day on Monday after the barre class from hell. My right upper hamstring and glute were so sore that sleeping in and eating ice cream (instead of running) were completely necessary. I even had to foam roll! No barre class for me this week.

I don’t scream for ice cream
Speaking of ice cream, it’s wreaking havoc on my GI system. I know, TMI…but this is a running blog and runners have GI issues. So Monday night ice cream did not bode well for my early Tuesday morning run. I’m going to give up ice cream for awhile (the horror!) and see if my GI issues go away (I’m betting they will). I’ll just have to up my consumption of cookies to compensate.

Broad Street Run – I’m in!
The Broad Street Run is a super popular 10-mile race in Philly held every May. I generally run it every year, despite it being a pain in the ass every year. They do cap the number of runners but it’s still too crowded. The tradeoff is a great course and a fun race. Yesterday they had a special early registration for Blue Cross Blue Shield members. Score! This race is 3 weeks post-Boston so I *hope* I’m recovered by then and can take advantage of my marathon fitness to PR.

Boston Week 6 Recap
MON: rest – starting the week off right Smile Honestly, I couldn’t get out of bed. That usually doesn’t happen so, when it does, I listen.
TUE: 9 miles tempo with 5 miles @ 7:50 pace (7:55, 7:53, 8:03, 7:56, 7:51).
WED: 8 miles easy (9:15 pace)
THU: 3 miles easy (birthday run!)
FRI: 8 miles with 6 miles at MP (8:13, 8:13, 8:08, 8:08, 8:05, 8:08). Technically faster than MP!
SAT: 20 miles long, slow distance (8:57 average pace)
SUN: barre class from hell

48 miles total and a solid week, in my book! This week I drop back on my long run (13 miles) which means my short runs need to be extra long to make up the mileage. I kinda enjoy these mid-week medium long runs.

Does ice cream the night before a run cause anyone else GI woes?

Do you have a race that you do each year but it’s beginning to get super crowded and annoying? That would be Broad Street for me.

Are you a fan of mid-week medium long runs?

Five for Friday

February 9, 2012 by Kristy 15 Comments

Terrific Tempo
On Tuesday I had 9 mile run planned with 5 miles at 7:50 pace. I was all in my head about this run and was seriously doubting my abilities to maintain 7:50 pace. I’m not quite sure where my confidence has gone this training cycle but I wish it would come back. My neighbor joined me for the run (i.e., Maximus, his blog alias) and that made me even more nervous. I generally run alone and, therefore, can wimp out when the going gets tough. The result? 7:55, 7:53, 8:03, 7:56, 7:51. The 3^rd tempo mile was rough but I got my groove back. The best part? This pace was comfortably hard, the way a tempo should feel.

Green Monsters
So they are very popular in blog land but can you really not taste the spinach? I’ve been drinking (eating?) them for a few weeks now and I promise you that if I tasted spinach they would be a no-go. I generally toss frozen strawberries, a frozen banana (1/2 of one), a ton of spinach, a splash of milk, and some OJ (to add some sugar) into a mixer. It’s delicious. Trust me. This is coming from the world’s pickiest eater.

Birthday Celebration
I can’t wait to celebrate my birthday this weekend with Matt. I just need to knock out a 20-miler on Saturday before the celebration can begin Smile

Mindful Eating
My friend Ruth sent me this article in the NY Times. It’s about mindful eating and really taking your time and enjoying and savoring each and every bite. Nearly impossible in today’s world. How many of you plow through lunch at your desk while reading email? Yesterday I tested it out and ate my lunch super slowly. It was difficult and I had to remain conscious of it at all times (I was also checking email, etc…I can’t just sit and stare at my cube wall). It definitely helped with digestion. Sometimes I feel like crap later in the afternoon because I gulp down my food in a few bites. Hmm, I think the Buddhists on are to something…

Heel Strike vs. Forefoot Strike
Another interesting article in the NY Times. Naturally, my favorite part of the article is something I said in a post a few months ago – does this mean that those of us who habitually heel-strike…change our form? “If you’re not getting hurt,” Dr. Lieberman says, “then absolutely not. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

Ever had a green monster? If not, you are missing out! I’m officially a convert. Although don’t expect me to start eating chia seeds anytime soon

Ever tried mindful eating or is it just not feasible? I would imagine that for parents of small children this is impossible!

The First 20 and Boston Week 4 Recap

January 30, 2012 by Kristy 10 Comments

Saturday was the first of 5 20-milers that I’ll be doing to prep for Boston. Why so many? Well, practice makes perfect and (generally) I handle 20 miles pretty well in terms of recovery, so I can do a lot of them without compromising my other runs.

So the weather was perfect on Saturday. Seriously, it felt like Spring. Night and day compared to a week ago. I did 2 hilly loops totaling 11 miles before heading for some flat, paved trail for the remaining 9 miles. My breathing felt off the entire time. I slowed down, I sped up, and yet it was still off. I started getting hot and I guess I was sweating more than I thought. I tried drinking more but it was too late, I was already dehydrated. Boo. The last 3 miles were HARD. I wanted to stop and quit, especially at mile 19. 19 miles? 20 miles? What’s the difference? I thought about Boston and, knowing I would never quit at mile 25, I trudged onward. 2 hours and 55 minutes later (8:45 average pace), I was done.

I quickly got into my car (all I wanted to do was sit down) and chugged my chocolate milk. Then the aching and throbbing began. My legs were hurting big time. I transitioned into sitting too quickly. I usually walk around, drink my chocolate milk, and stretch a bit before driving home. Thank god it’s a short drive because I was in pain. Some stretching, a nice hot shower, lots of food, and a long walk with Hawk and my legs felt completely fine.

Boston Week 4 Recap
MON: 6 miles easy
TUE: 8 miles tempo with 4 miles @ 7:50 pace (7:44, 7:48, 7:54, 7:57). During the last interval there was a creepy raccoon wandering around and I had to stop and wait for it to move away. Ewwww.
WED: ~~barre~~ My body was screaming for a rest day so I slept in instead.
THU: 5 miles with 10 hill repeats. I did a mix of short and long hill repeats.
FRI: yoga. I left the class feeling wonderful!
SAT: 20 miles
SUN: 5 miles super easy

44 miles for the week. I was aiming for 47 but oh well, I needed rest. This week is a drop back week….all the way to 40 miles. Living on the edge!

Ever get that achy, throbbing feeling in your legs? The last time I got it was after the Pocono Marathon in May 2010 (it was so memorable because it was so painful).

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?