Leigh Valley Marathon

Ugh

June 13, 2011 by Kristy 12 Comments

After the knee fiasco on Saturday things got better and then got worse. I had a great time at the wedding (more on that later) but tossed and turned all Saturday night because my body just ached. Not long run aches, flu aches. I was so uncomfortable I barely slept. I woke up feeling awful, kinda like the flu – achy, feverish, chills. I took some Advil and we made our way back home. We got home, I slept for a few hours, parked myself on the couch, and watched TV. I also begged Matt to get me a DQ Blizzard (hey, there was nothing wrong with my stomach). Since I know I can’t have the flu, I’m chalking it up to the damn tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis vaccine. Not only does my arm hurt, it made me feel crappy…for two days! I’m home from work today because I still don’t feel good. This needs to end now. I hate being sick.

Onto more fun stuff! The wedding was a good time and Camille never looked happier. Some pictures…

DSCN1110 — With Amy and Albert (also friends from grad school)

DSCN1124 — A little flashed-out but a good table pic nonetheless

A Bloody 15 Miles

June 11, 2011 by Kristy 17 Comments

6/11/11

15 miles / 2:13 / 8:52 avg pace

Catchy title, huh? I’m sure wannabe vampires will now be directed to my blog. I always keep it real on RTLR and today I’m going to show you the ugly side of marathon training. If you have a weak stomach, you’ve been warned. If you love gruesome stuff like me, then you are in for a treat.

Right before mile 6 I have to cross this wooden plank bridge. It’s not my favorite part of my long run since it’s high (I hate heights) and I’m scared of tripping on one of the planks. So I generally run across the bridge no slower than 8:30 pace so I can get it over with and reduce the risk of tripping. Here’s a picture of the bridge:

It’s super narrow and you can only go as fast as the people in front of you. Today I got stuck behind a Team in Training group and we were going slow (10:30-11:00 pace). I had to change my stride and I could feel that my feet were shuffling. See where I’m going with this!? Of course I trip over a plank and fall on my right knee. After I crossed the bridge I took a peek at the damage. Blood was running down my knee and it was more of a gash than a scrap. My knee felt fine so I finished my run (another 9 miles). I did make a pit stop to clean up the wound. The damage…nice and close for ya:

I got home and showered but the gash wouldn’t close and it kept bleeding. I figured I needed a few stitches and a tetanus shot. So on our way to DC (for a wedding) we made a pit stop at Bryn Mawr Hospital. I ended up with 2 stitches and a tetanus shot. The PA said that since the gash was over a joint it would probably open up when I ran so a few stitches would be the way to go. Good times.

The aftermath. It feels fine now but the bruising is setting in.

I think I’m OK to still dance tonight 🙂

I fall all the time when I run. I’m pretty klutzy. Last year I fell while running down the shore (see scar to the right on my knee).

Have you ever tripped or fallen on a run? Got any battle wounds?

What I'm Looking Forward To…

June 10, 2011 by Kristy 8 Comments

6/10/11
A rest day with an easy yoga class at noon!

I was thinking about this summer yesterday and how many fun things we have planned. So…why not list them?

Early morning summer running. Can’t beat rolling out of bed, throwing on shorts and a tank, and hitting the road.
Long runs (do I need to say more?).
Summer wedding season!
Trips to the Shore for Amanda’s Bachelorette (fun!) and 4th of July weekend (more fun!).
Attending the Healthy Living Summit in August. I couldn’t pass it up since it’s in Philly. Can’t wait to meet some of my fellow bloggers!
Celebrating our 2-year wedding anniversary.
Celebrating Matt’s birthday.
Running marathon #9 on 9/11 (technically still summer so it counts).
Hopefully BQing in marathon #9.

We kick off wedding season this weekend with my friend Camille’s wedding. I met Camille when I was a grad student at Georgetown. She is one of the nicest and kind-hearted people I know. I’m so happy for her and can’t wait to celebrate.

658 — Me, Matt, and Camille at our wedding. We love our Miller Lite.

What are you looking forward to this summer?

I Survived

June 8, 2011 by Kristy 10 Comments

6/8/11

5 miles easy / no Garmin

Yesterday I took my first strength training class in ages and I lived to tell about it. It wasn’t so bad actually. I’m a little sore today but not as bad as I was expecting. The class did confirm that my leg strength is >>>> my upper body and core strength. This is what I would expect when my legs do all the work and my upper body and core are just along for the ride.

The class was set-up like a circuit and we did lots of different things: kettlebells, pilates reformer, stability ball, etc. There were only 2 students in the class (including me) which I liked. I was able to learn each circuit with the help of the instructor.

It wasn’t terribly difficult but I’m not sure if I want anything difficult right now. I do have to be able to run a lot so I’d like to keep myself somewhat mobile!

Speaking of running, I’ve been getting up at 5AM to run and I’m oh so tired. I crawl into bed at 9-9:30 every night and pass out. I love to run in the summertime but sometimes fitting it all in is hard. We are away most weekends until August so I find myself squeezing in as much a possible Monday through Friday so I can enjoy the weekend (weddings, shore, etc.).

How do you fit running in around your social life (or life in general)? I know there’s no magic answer. I used to get pretty creative with fitting in my long runs when I would have plans on both Friday and Saturday nights. But that was back in the day (my 20s) when I used to go out much more!

Something New

June 6, 2011 by Kristy 7 Comments

6/7/11
6 miles with hill repeats / 58:32 / 9:45 avg pace

To go along with my “if you keep doing the same thing, you’ll get the same results” theme, I’m doing two things today that are new and one of them is outside my comfort zone.

Scary thing #1 – hill repeats
I’m alternating my speed work this cycle between track workouts one week and hill repeats the next week. In the past, my hill work simply consisted of running on a hilly course. To my surprise, it was very effective. Imagine what hill repeats can do! Today’s workout was pretty informal. I warmed-up for 1.5 miles and picked out 3 hills along my run. I did 5 repeats on the 1st hill, 3 repeats on the 2nd, and 4 repeats on the 3rd hill. I would run up the hill as fast as I could, and then jog back down. Not so scary at all. In fact, it beats a track workout any day.

Scary thing #2 – strength training class
Scary thing #2 hasn’t happened yet (12pm). But I’m putting it out there in the blog world so I can’t back out. My yoga studio has a whole body strength class that they offer a few times a week. I can’t tell you the last time I strength trained; it’s pretty sad actually. My focus has always been run, run, run. Strength training is crucial to making you a more balanced runner (literally and figuratively!). I’m taking the “all levels” class so I don’t make a fool out of myself. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow, provided I’m not too sore to type.

What have you done recently that was new or scary?

Progress!

June 4, 2011 by Kristy 12 Comments

6/4/11

13 miles / 1:53 / 8:42 avg pace

Today was a good run. I was excited and the weather was beautiful. I swear I’m not pulling anyone’s leg when I say that I was excited. I love long runs and look forward to them each week.

I’m doing my long runs on the same hilly route I used for Steamtown last year (beginning – hills, middle – flat, end – hills). Two things really stood out after this run:

The first mile is especially hilly and last year my pace would always be around 9:50. Today I ran the first mile in 9:23.
My overall time – 1:53 – is 4 minutes shy of my half marathon PR (1:49) last September. I think it’s time to race another half marathon!

I love seeing progress in numbers. It’s so satisfying knowing all your hard work is finally paying off!