half marathon

Fartlek Fun

September 30, 2012 by Kristy 14 Comments

My Saturday began with 15 miles in cool, crisp Fall weather. I came home, ate, showered, and headed out to Malvern to cash in a Groupon for a 75-minute therapeutic massage.

The massage was heavenly. I don’t like half-assed massages. If I’m getting one, I want my muscles to be kneaded and worked on. A hurts-so-good massage.

What I didn’t expect was a lecture after the massage. I was told my neck and shoulders were a “hot mess”. This isn’t news – every time I get a massage I hear about my tight and knotted neck and shoulders.

I was then told that I shouldn’t run as much as I do, although I never told her how much I run. She told me it was unhealthy to carry around so much stress. I told her I wasn’t stressed by anything in particular. She kept doing this…

Do I walk around like this? Run like this? (via)

Maybe she has a point (but not about running too much!). I politely listened, smiled, and thanked her. Now I’m hyper-aware of my apparent shoulder shrug syndrome.

On Sunday I did a fun little fartlek run I saw here. I’m tired of my same old tempo and progression runs. This was a perfect way to prep for my 5K next weekend.

Although I misread the workout – it was supposed to be 2 minutes “on”, not 1 minute – it was challenging without being too taxing.

2 mile warm up
5 continuous miles of 1 minute “on” followed by 1 minute “off”. My “on” was a well controlled sprint, focusing on my form (shoulders down!).
2 mile cool down

Your heart rate during the “off” portion never returns to “easy run” heart rate which makes this workout so great. Very similar to decreasing your rest intervals on the track. Try it! Side note: for marathon training I would increase the “on” portion to a few minutes at HM or 10K pace.

Ever do fartleks?

Like getting massages (is there anyone that doesn’t?!)? Do you have shoulder shrug syndrome like me?

The truth and some redemption…

October 16, 2011 by Kristy 10 Comments

10/16/11
13 miles / 1:48:55 / 8:23 avg pace

I ran last Friday and didn’t even blog about it. Who cares, right? Yes, but I want this blog to be an honest look at my running. I was too frustrated and pissed off to even mention Friday’s run. I set out to run 13 miles and ended up with 9 at a slow 9:24 average pace. I never cut a long run short. I can run through blood, freezing temps, boiling hot temps but I never cut a run short. So I was clearly PO’d enough to call it quits.

Friday’s run basically went like this: 9:00 pace (normally my LSD pace) felt labored. Maybe I needed to warm-up? Nope. After 5 miles, I passed my car and was ready to throw in the towel. But I didn’t. Two miles later I was officially DONE and turned around and headed back to my car. I was more frustrated than anything. What the hell was going on?

As I posted earlier this week, I’ve been having trouble breathing when running. It just feels way more labored then it should. I’ve already mulled over the possibility that I’m completely out of shape but I realize that is irrational and just plain crazy. The more I thought about it the more I kept thinking it was my asthma. My asthma is never an issue anymore, due to some incredible medications that keep it under control. But I got a cold a few weeks ago and it started drifting into my chest which is never good for my asthma.

I took Saturday as a mental health day from running. And vowed to come back strong on Sunday.

I used my inhaler pre-run on Sunday (I did the same on Friday). I generally use it pre-run when I’m sick or when it’s very cold out. I was determined to make this a good run. I started out at MP (8:30), dropped the pace slightly, and then stayed consistent. I felt great and my breathing was right where it should be. Ah, redemption tastes so sweet 🙂

It’s funny that I finished right around my half marathon PR. I’m now ready for the Philly Half. Bring it.

Got any redemption runs this weekend to brag about? I have to give a shout out to Kara and Alyssa for going sub-4:00 at the Baltimore Marathon yesterday. Way to go ladies!

My Top Tips

June 15, 2011 by Kristy 6 Comments

6/15/11

8 miles easy / 1:12 / 9:00 avg pace

Last night I was scrolling through my list of blog topics (I keep a list on my BlackBerry), trying to decide what to write about. “My Top Tips” seemed intriguing (to me, at least). These are marathon/half marathon training tips that I swear by. My intention is to list the less obvious stuff; maybe things you don’t hear all the time.

Know The Course
The race course, that is. Check out the elevation profile and do some research. Ask around, check out marathonguide.com, and find out as much as you can. But remember, hills are subjective! Some people think rolling hills are mountains while others think a 1-mile climb is flat. After you gather your information, train for the worst case scenario. I’ve gotten burned in the past (“it’s a flat course, no major hills”). Riiiiight. I learned my lesson last May. Now, if I know there’s one small hill, I’ll incorporate hill work just to be on the safe side.

Delete Your Garmin History Pre-Race
Of course, you’ll charge your Garmin obsessively before the race but it’s also important to delete the history so you avoid getting that nasty warning message during a race. Upload all of your data to your computer and then delete the history on the watch itself. I’ve never gotten the “memory full” warning during a race but it did happen on a 20-miler once.

How Am I Going To Carry All Of That?
GUs, ShotBloks, oh my. Add an iPod or water bottle to the mix and suddenly you’ve got a lot to carry. There are a lot of options out there – fuel belt, SPIbelt, race ready shorts (you know you want them!) – but, as with everything, you need to find what works best for you. Experiment on long runs and take note of any bouncing, moving around, chafing/irritation, and bruising (yup, some are brutal). Make sure you test it on a 20 mile run too. Some things don’t rear their ugly head until the later miles.

Foam Roller + Ice = Your New Best Friends
This is more of an obvious one. If anything hurts, foam roll it and ice it. And be consistent – repeat a few times a day. This could prevent that “twinge” or “tweak” from becoming an injury. A little time spent with your new BFs can save you lots of time later on in training. Runner’s World has some great videos on how to use a foam roller.

Refuel After Hard Efforts
Your body will thank you the next day. Trust me. A hard effort is a long run, a tempo run, a speed workout, etc. It’s important to refuel within 30 minutes post-run with a 3:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio food/drink. Chocolate milk fits the bill and who doesn’t love an excuse to drink more chocolate milk?

What training/race day tips do you swear by?

Tapering For A Tune-Up Race

March 28, 2011 by Kristy 8 Comments

3/28/11

6 miles easy

57:30

9:35 avg pace

Brr, still chilly Philly here…with no end in sight. Waaah!

As I mentioned yesterday, my training this week will be switched up a bit to allow for a mini-taper for Sunday’s Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. I really want to PR in this race (previous 10-mile PR is 1:23) but I still need to maintain my weekly mileage and key workouts. Also, since I’m knee deep into the Monster Month, my legs aren’t as fresh for racing. So this mini-taper is really necessary. So how do you finagle a mini-taper into marathon training for a tune-up race?

With the race on Sunday, I know I want 2 days of complete rest (meaning no running; an easy yoga class is OK). This has worked well for me in the past. So Friday and Saturday are mandatory rest days. I got my easy run out of the way today and I will do my long run tomorrow morning (thankfully, it’s only 15 miles this week). This will allow enough time for recovery before Sunday. That leaves a tempo run and speed work. I’m counting my race on Sunday as my speed work for this week (I will be running like someone is chasing me) and my tempo run will be on Thursday. The tempo will also be at an easier pace (goal marathon pace) so I can recover faster. For you visual people:

MON: easy run
TUE: long run
WED: rest/yoga
THU: tempo
FRI: rest/yoga
SAT: rest
SUN: race

I’m still getting in my 39 miles for the week and still hitting my key workouts.

I’m a big advocate for doing tune-up races during marathon or half marathon training. Your tune-up race can be great practice for the “big event”. But sometimes fitting them in your training schedule can be difficult. It’ll require some planning and a little knowledge about your own recovery but it’s totally worth it 🙂

Do you have any mini-taper tips? How do you handle racing and training at the same time?

Impromptu Long Run

February 24, 2011 by Kristy 11 Comments

2/24/11

13 miles

1:56

8:55 avg pace

So what prompted me to knock out 13 miles after work on a Thursday?! Let me walk you through the inner dialogue I had with myself this morning (don’t be scared)…

OK, long run on Friday morning. Need to check weather. Crap, 100% chance of rain all day and lots of wind. Well maybe I can run 13 miles on the treadmill? Oh that will really suck. I could barely stand 8 miles on Wednesday.

I can’t move the run to Saturday morning since I’m going to Sarah and Aidan’s basketball games (my niece and nephew). I could run after the games but I know that will set me up for a bad run.

I could do it really early on Sunday morning and come home, shower super quick, and head to brunch (I have plans to go to brunch with my friends). But I want to sleep in on Sunday…

WAIT. I can do it today after work. 13 miles is practically a short run these days. Weather is perfect too.

And there you have it. Please tell me other people think this much about their running schedule!

I had a really good run. Which was surprising, given my dislike for running after work. My training plan called for 9:00 average pace but I really wanted to keep it under 9:00. I’m pleased 🙂

This is a drop-week in my training plan, meaning my long run (and thus overall mileage) is decreased to allow my legs to rest. The intensity is still there – I still had a speed and tempo run this week – but the mileage is lower. It’s very similar to tapering before a race. But it’s back to business on Monday.

For the rest of the night, I’ll be doing this:

Matt took this picture after the Philly Rock n’ Roll Half last September. You would have thought Hawk ran the race too!

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? ! 🙂