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Friday Favorites

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4/8/11

6 miles easy

56:53

9:28 avg pace

A nice, easy run to shake out the legs for tomorrow’s dress rehearsal (that’s how I like to think of the last 20-miler before the taper).  It looks like the weather is going to cooperate too – high of 59, low of 48…that’s shorts-wearing weather!

Time for a random edition of Friday Favorites!

Saint Joseph’s University
Oh, I know this is so obvious.  But what would Friday Favorites be without one of my all-time favorite things?!  Brief background for newer readers:  SJU is where Matt and I went to college (and met).  Our dog is named Hawk (after the SJU mascot).  My brother is also a SJU alum.  We are slightly fanatical about what I consider the best school on earth.  The proof is in the pictures…

Where Matt proposed...right on SJU's campus
Post-proposal pic taken by the SJU president who just happened to be walking around campus after we got engaged.
Naturally our wedding pictures were taken at SJU. Some of our bridal party were SJU alumni.
Walking down Lapsley Lane.
We even had the SJU Hawk come to our cocktail hour!
Hawk on Hawk Hill
Standard family uniform

Nuts, right?  My sister-in-law says it’s a cult.

Wawa
Wawa is a convenience store (think upscale 7-11, minus the funny smell that most 7-11s have) found in PA, NJ, MD, VA, and DE.  Wawa is awesome.  Good coffee, no surcharge ATMs, and actual healthy food options (although I often find myself in there getting ice cream).  Sorry to the folks outside of these 5 states…you are missing out.

Yes, you do!

(source)

Flats
I think I’m officially giving up on wearing heels.  OK, I rarely where heels to begin with but I’ve been wearing flats to work for the past couple of weeks.  Yesterday I wore my boots, with a small heel, and I could not wait to get them off.  Not to mention my ankles were wobbly all day.  They are just no good for you….they are torturous!  Jen did a post a few months ago about high heels, bringing up some great points why we should not be wearing them.  At least I don’t have many heels to swear off…luckily my standard uniform of Uggs, flip flops, and running shoes are all flat!

Is anyone obsessed with their college like me?

Any thoughts on heels?  Yay or nay?



Advice for Newbie Runners

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I’m currently training two Mains for their first 5K at the end of May (hi Trish and Heather!).  I am so excited for them; we are going to be Team Run The Long Road!

Heather and Trish: my soon-to-be-5Kers

I compiled my best tips for newbie runners (or ones that I find myself telling people most often).

Get proper shoes
This is my #1 tip!  If you are serious about starting to run, visit a local running store and get fitted for proper shoes.  The right shoes make all the difference in the world.  If your feet are properly supported, your knee and hip will be in alignment,  and you’ll be less likely to get injured.

Forget about pace
When most people decide they want to begin running, they hop on the treadmill or go outside and take off like lightening.  Within a few minutes they are huffing and puffing, cursing running, and ready to hang up their running shoes for good.  What they don’t realize is that if they slowed down, the run would be 10x more enjoyable and they would be able to run longer.  Never worry about pace when you begin running.  I tell Trish and Heather to go as slow as they need to in order to cover the amount of time they are to be running.  For example, if their plan calls for 10 minutes of running they can run as slow as they need to as long as they run for those 10 minutes.

Forget about distance
Nothing is more discouraging than telling a newbie runner to go out and run 1 mile.  I never focus on distance when training newer runners; I always focus on time.  Here’s what Trish and Heather are doing this week:

Run#1:  walk 5 min / run 19 min / walk 5 min
Run#2:  walk 5 min / run 17 min / walk 5 min
Run#3:  walk 5 min / run 20 min / walk 5 min

I am gradually building them up to run for 30 minutes straight.  We never count miles.  By focusing on time, it makes training less daunting.  If they can run for 30 minutes, they are more than ready for a 5K.

Use the run/walk approach
Another thing that is daunting for a newbie is thinking that they have to run the entire time.  This is unrealistic and very discouraging. By using the run/walk approach, you can spend more time actually running because you are allowing yourself brief walk breaks.  When Trish and Heather started training, their first week looked something like this:

Walk 10 min / run 6 min, walk 3 min (repeat x3) / run 5 min, walk 2 min (repeat x2) / walk 10 min

Over time, I decreased the amount of time they spent walking and increased the amount of time they spent running.  The changes were so small each week, I doubt they even noticed it 😉

Be consistent
You will see progress pretty quickly (Trish and Heather can attest to this) but you need to be consistent.  That means no skipping weeks or running just once per week.  Being inconsistent also puts you at risk for injury.  Begin to incorporate running into your schedule like you would anything else…and stick to it.  Remember, you will never regret a run but you will regret skipping a run.

Signing up for a race can be a great motivator
If some of that newbie enthusiasm starts to fade, sign up for a race!  Having a goal can be such a powerful motivator.  Heather told me yesterday that when she runs she thinks about how it will feel to cross the finish line…it not only motivates her but brings a smile to her face.  What could be better than that?!

Random Wednesday

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4/6/11

7 miles easy

1:06

9:33 avg pace

I’m skipping speed work this week.  My legs are definitely not feeling it.  Rather than force it, I’m going to do another easy run tomorrow but include some striders.  Having fresh legs for my last 20 22-miler is more important than speed work this week.

My favorite parts of the day are my morning run and eating dinner with Matt.  The whole job thing in the middle I could do without.

I’m already starting to bathe in hand sanitizer.  Germs, stay away!  Usually this neurotic behavior doesn’t begin until the taper but there are some nasty bugs going around.  Last May, I got a head cold 2 weeks before my marathon.  It started to go south towards my chest, which is never good news.  Since I have asthma, this usually gets real ugly and drags on and on.  I went to the doctor and begged and begged for an antibiotic (“I have a marathon in 2 weeks, I cannot be sick!”).  He prescribed one and I was on it up until 2 days before the marathon.  If felt superhuman, like no germs could catch me!

What is your favorite part of the day?

What crazy things do you do to avoid getting sick before a big race?

The Final Stretch of the Monster Month

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4/5/11

8 miles tempo

1:11

8:52 avg pace

1 mile warm-up
6 miles at GMP (8:45 pace):  8:44, 8:43, 8:34, 8:32, 8:46, 8:45
1 mile cool-down

I still have some residual soreness from Sunday’s race 🙁

Proof that the hourly forecast on weather.com is worthless:  it was warm and a little humid when I started running.  It started to drizzle, which I didn’t mind.  I love running in the rain and it was actually refreshing.  Then it started pouring, the temperature dropped about 15 degrees, and the wind was smacking me relentlessly in the face.  Waaaah!

This week is my last big training week before the taper.  I’m trying to rally hard since in my mind I just ran a race and race = an easy week of training afterwards.  This will be my highest mileage week of this cycle – 43 miles – which still isn’t much compared to my previous training plans.  I also have a 22-miler on schedule for Saturday.  I really want to do well in that run since (for me at least) it sets the tone for my marathon.

Week 13 recap of NJ Marathon training:
MON:  6 easy
TUE:  15 long
WED:  rest
THU:  7 easy
FRI:  yoga
SAT:  rest
SUN:  10 mile race

A total of 38 miles for the week.  I’m glad I was able to get in most of my key workouts and still manage a PR in a tune-up race.

Here are some pictures from Sunday’s race (sorry they are so small, I tried to make them as big as possible).  I want to preface these pictures by saying that 99.9% of the time, I HATE my race pics.  I always look like I’m speed walking and I have a miserable look on my face.  With that being said…

The best one of the bunch
This was taken pre-race. I don't normally stand like that, I was freezing!
How is it possible for both of my feet to be on the ground? I also appear to be in agony, while the guy next to me is having a blast.

Does anyone like race day photos?  I always think they are so unflattering!

Cherry Blossom 10-Miler Race Report

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Matt and I made it back to Philly safe and sound, albeit a little sore from yesterday’s race.  We had a great weekend in DC and realized how much we miss living there.  Thankfully, we get to visit quite often!

I loved this race and would definitely do it again.  Fast and flat course, much like Philly’s Broad Street Run.  Well organized with the exception of numerous locked porta potties pre-race.  Apparently no one had the key either so race officials had to literally hammer the locks off.  Nice.  The weather ended up being perfect too; just a little cold at the start.

The only goal I made known to the blog world was to PR (beat my 1:23 time).  I was pretty sure I could do this.  On the way down to DC, I told Matt that I wanted to break 1:20.  Lofty?  Yes.  I knew exactly what that entailed – maintaining a sub-8:00 pace for 10 miles.  I wasn’t sure if I could do that…but I needed to try.

My strategy was to start out slow (always the best way to go) and then pick up the pace to just below 8:00 and keep it there.  We had to check in our bags pretty early so we were left hanging in the cold for almost a 1/2 hour.  My body was literally trembling and my muscles were getting stiff.  I knew I needed to take the first mile easy to allow my body to warm up.

Mile 1 (8:14): right on target.  This is exactly what I wanted to do.  We started by running down a small hill and I heard someone say that we get to come back up the hill at the end of the race.  I was hoping he was wrong and they had somehow changed to course.

Mile 2 (7:51): a little fast but my breathing was nice and controlled.  By this time I had completely warmed up.

Mile 3 (7:43): this is where I committed to running a sub-1:20.  I felt good and I wanted to give it a shot.  I figured if I crashed and burned at Mile 6 I would probably still PR.  I just had to try.

Miles 4 and 5 (both ~ 7:49): I missed the mile marker for Mile 4.  Saying that I was glued to my Garmin would be an understatement.  I must have glanced at it every 10 seconds.

Miles 6 (7:49) and 7 (7:50):  a beautiful section of the course.  We entered East Potomac Park and were running between rows of cherry blossoms along the river.

Miles 8 (7:49) and 9 (7:48): I start to get tired and I have to really push to maintain pace.  I kept thinking back to my last marathon and how I felt like slowing down at Mile 23 but didn’t allow myself to give in.  There was no way I was going to work my butt off for 23 miles and then slow down for the last 3?!  That just didn’t make sense.  I used the same thinking here – you came this far, do NOT give up.

Mile 10 (7:42): Remember the slight hill I mentioned during Mile 1?  Well it reappeared during the last 1/4 mile.  Fun.  I plowed up it and then saw the finish line.  I can’t believe I ran the last mile in 7:42!!!!  I wanted that sub-1:20!!!

Official results:
1:19:12 (7:56 pace)
age group:  135/1857 (woo hoo!)

This is so helpful mentally with a marathon less than 4 weeks away 🙂

Matt’s results:  1:42:57 (10:18 pace).  Matt doesn’t train at all.  Literally rolls out of bed and pulls 10:00 min/miles outta nowhere!

Now for the fun stuff – pictures!  I was a good blogger and made sure I snapped a few along the way…

Foam roller doubles as a tripod. Can you spot the White Chocolate Wonderful in the background?!
Sun rising over the Washington Monument

Post-race...so pretty!

I have to provide some background for the next picture.  Matt has these gloves from a race he did a few years ago.  They say “one more mile” on them.  Every time he puts them on he says to me, “You know me…just one more mile.  That’s my mantra”.  If you know Matt, this is hysterical.  Remember, he doesn’t train.  One more mile is torture to him.  After I took this picture, I almost peed myself.

One more mile!

I hope I didn’t bore you to tears!  Thank you for your kind comments on my PR.  They meant a lot to me and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them!

A New 10 Mile PR!

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4/3/11

Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Race

1:19:13 (unofficial Garmin time) –> a 4-minute PR!!!

7:55 avg pace

I’m very pleased!  A full race report to come tomorrow, along with official results.  Off to lunch with Matt and Hawk and then dinner with Camille and Reggie tonight (and a few beers)!