Monster Mash Marathon

MAF Training Update (Part II)

April 14, 2015 by Kristy 4 Comments

I’m feeling rather giddy about yesterday’s MAF test. (What MAF training is and why I’m doing it, see here.)

The last time I did a MAF test was in February. It went OK – I didn’t think it was indicative of my progress but you get what you get on testing days. Then I got sick, didn’t run for 2 weeks, etc., etc. I spent the last 3 weeks getting back on track. It was frustrating to say the least. My HR monitor would beep incessantly. I was running 10:00-10:30 average pace on most runs. Then, last Monday, I had a really great run (9:32 average pace). I waited a week (was it a fluke?!) and decided to do a MAF test yesterday.

MAF testing days always make me nervous. You can have a good day or a bad day and it is what it is. No redos (at least I don’t allow redos). I generally run a 3-mile warm up at well below my MAF HR (~ 130), then run 4 to 5 miles at my MAF HR (143).

Baseline MAF test from November 30th (when I started MAF training). Shown below are the MAF miles (purple) and their corresponding HR.

Month 2+ MAF test from February 8th. This was a blah run. My stomach was rumbling (note the GI issues!) and I felt that my paces were faster on other runs. There is definitely progress though.

Month 4.5(ish) MAF test from April 13th. I felt amazing yesterday and decided to add a 5th MAF mile. I got so excited about seeing 8:xx pace that my HR was a smidge high for miles 4 and 5!

I do take yesterday’s results with a (slight) grain of salt – it was a good run day. Just like February 8th was a blah run day. But you cannot deny the data! MAF training – it works, folks!

I still have 6 more weeks of MAF training. Unless I plateau…then I’ll stop MAF and start adding in speed work. Part of me will be sad to set aside the HR monitor but I’m actually looking forward to moving my legs (fast) again!

Fall Plans

April 8, 2015 by Kristy 2 Comments

Once you put it out there on Facebook, you’re committed.

Honestly, this makes me very excited. My last marathon was before I got pregnant (December 2012) so I may as well get back at it.

I chose Lehigh Valley Marathon as a last ditch effort for Boston 2016. I ran it in 2011 and BQ’d so the race means a lot to me. It’s also a great course and a not-too-crowded one (although it has grown in popularity since 2011). I’m not sure yet what time I’ll be going for (PR is 3:41). With MAF training and missing out on the LOVE Run, I have no clue where my speed is right now.

Then there’s the Monster Mash Marathon in DE…5 weeks later. This was a deferral from 2014. If I can snag a PR/BQ at LVM, then maybe this will be a fun run. If LVM goes bad, then maybe this will be a redemption run.

I’ve never done 2 marathons so closely together but I think this will be my new standard (well…we’ll see). I love to run 2 marathons per year and generally do Spring and Fall but, after the winter we had and being sick, I don’t think I’d ever do another Spring marathon (outside of Boston, of course).

And then there’s the Philly Half Marathon…because I look forward to running it each year.

I’m taking the next 7 to 8 weeks to build my mileage back up to the 40 and 50s. Slow, gradual, and strictly adhering to the 10% rule. I’m still MAF training too. My intention all along was to continue MAF though May and then add some speed work back in when I began marathon training. Last week I hit 40 miles for the first time in over a month. And on Monday, after 2 weeks of thinking I was back to square one with MAF training, I was finally hitting my pre-bronchitis MAF paces. (And then I thought it was a fluke, but it wasn’t!)

I’m still mulling over how I want to train for these marathons. I’m tossing around the idea of following Pfitzinger’s 55-70 mpw plan, with some modifications. I find that I’m very bad at coaching myself after creating plans for clients all day. It totally falls by the wayside. Pfitzinger’s plan is pretty much where I would want to go with my training this time around. But we shall see 🙂

changing my mind again…

October 6, 2014 by Kristy 8 Comments

Two weeks ago I ran the Philly RnR Half Marathon for the 12th time. This was also my 4th postpartum race and I had some high hopes – not PR hopes but I was sure I would finish sub-1:50. Well, I didn’t. Not even close: 1:56:41. It was unexpectedly humid and yes, that counted for something but it wasn’t solely responsible for my utter demise on the course.

Let’s review the past year, shall we?

LOVE Run: 1:53:08 (11 weeks pp)
Broad Street: 1:23:41 (4 months pp)
ODDyssey HM: 1:57:42 (5 months pp) –> can’t count this one in the mix. There’s a definite reason for my poor performance – sheer exhaustion. Matt came back from a 2-week work trip the day before the race.
RnR Philly: 1:56:41 (8 months pp)

Notice a trend? I’m getting slower. I distinctly remember reading Dr. Clapp’s book Exercising Through Your Pregnancy and being excited about postpartum running and all the potential PRs I envisioned myself running. It made sense. Physiologically, all those adaptions that take place when you run during your pregnancy hang around for 6 months to 1 year postpartum. That’s why some women run their fastest times in that year postpartum. Right?! Right?! Wrong. At least in my case.

What gives? I’m working hard and getting slower? How is this possible? I have a few theories that came to mind while running the RnR.

#1 – Get some blood work done, maybe something is off. I have been feeling off lately – some non-specific symptoms that have been hanging around for a few months now. I’m getting the blood work done this week so hopefully I’ll know soon.

#2 – I need to re-wire my brain to accept discomfort when racing. You know…head to the pain cave, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, blah, blah, blah. Turns out my brain has completely forgotten how to do this.

It seems that all my slow running could be to blame for #2. When I say slow running I’m talking about no speed work and running all runs at a comfortable, conversational pace (think MAF training without the heart rate monitor). This is the same slow running that is responsible for all my Fall 2012 PRs (5K to marathon), an enjoyable 36 weeks of pregnant running, and my injury-free and endurance-building return to running postpartum. What?!

I did some hard thinking after the Philly RnR. While my body craves that slow running, my mind craves finish times that are within 10 minutes of those 2012 PRs. It’s time to bring back some speed work. Gulp. I’m talking 400m, 800m, and mile repeats. Gulp.

Because of my change in training, I’m not running the Monster Mash Marathon on Oct. 18th. I was able to defer until 2015. I want to put 100% of my efforts into training for the Philly Half Marathon in November. And maybe come within 10 minutes of 1:41 (my current PR)!

If you’re keeping track I’ve been changing my mind a lot about my race plans for 2014. From a 50M -> 50K -> marathon…to half marathon? I should have relinquished all decisions about racing this year to Matt. He isn’t under the influence of hormones.

There is some good news. I ran 400s yesterday that aren’t too far off from my times while training for Boston in 2012. And I still get to run easy on most days 🙂

I can’t end a post without unrelated pictures of Fiona!

Training Update {8 months out}

September 8, 2014 by Kristy 4 Comments

Fiona will be 8 months old tomorrow. Eight months?! I sound so cliche but time really does pass in the blink of an eye. I wish the same was true for training.

This is definitely my longest training cycle so far. By the time the marathon rolls around I will have racked up 20 weeks of training. Totally necessary but daunting at the same time.

Here’s a little look at what I’ve been doing…

The first 10 weeks (when I thought I was doing the 50K) included lots of slow miles, lots of hills, and some trail running. This is exactly what my body craved (it still does). I ran my first 50+ mile week when Fiona was 6 months old. A slow and steady comeback. Structurally I feel great – I’m still religiously doing pre-hab 3 times a week – but I’m exhausted most of the time. Which brings me to the topic of “total work”.

Pre-Fiona, when I was training, I would get solid sleep and sit on my ass for 8 hours a day at work. I recovered as hard as I worked. Now I get less sleep, run around all day, and carry 20 lbs on my hip (alternating hips, of course, to balance out the inevitable imbalances that will result). So my “total work” skyrocketed and 50+ mile weeks knock me on my ass. Too bad I can’t spend some time there and rest.

So this parenting thing is exhausting and coupled with marathon training, it’s really exhausting. Maybe I’ll adjust (has anyone adjusted?) but for now my weekly mileage will remain around 45 so I don’t fall asleep at dinner. And I realize that doesn’t sound like much of a decrease but it seems to be my sweet spot these days.

Since I decided to run the marathon instead of the 50K you would think I would begin to do some type of speed work. Nah, I’m too exhausted for that! In all seriousness, I just don’t want to do any type of organized speed work. I have picked up the pace on a few runs and I do coach a track workout on Tuesday nights, where I run with all different pace groups…well, the ones I can keep up with. My goal for the marathon is a “solid effort”. I’m not in PR shape – nor should I be at 8 months postpartum – so a PR would be an unrealistic goal. I just want to get out there, enjoy myself, get used to marathoning again, and see what I can do.

After the marathon I’m running the Philly Half Marathon in November. I definitely want to race it (and would love to PR) but I need to see how the marathon goes and how recovery goes.

But before all of that I’ll be running the Philly RnR in 2 weeks. That kinda snuck up on me. So I guess I’ll see where my speed is (or isn’t) very soon.

I guess what all of this means is that 2014 is my rebuilding year. Exactly what I intended it to be and exactly how I’m training. It may be a year without any PRs but my engine will be strong for 2015 – and ready for a PR.

50K out. Marathon in.

August 26, 2014 by Kristy 8 Comments

Turns out I’m running a marathon on October 18th. Something I distinctly remember saying that I would not do this year.

Months ago I registered for the Blues Cruise 50K after much research. I scoured photos of the course and read every race recap I could find. The course was hilly but not technical (per the race website). And the terrain didn’t look technical in course photos (the leaves on the ground were hiding something). I’m a terrible technical runner. I have issues with uneven sidewalks. The Blues Cruise 50K appealed to my clumsy side…and the hills I could handle.

So for 10 weeks I logged lots of slow miles on trails (some technical), ran up and down hills, and got 2 20-mile runs under my belt. A few Sundays ago I headed out to do a test run on the course itself. I wanted to see if my hill work was adequate or if I needed to step it up a notch.

bad omen (and I was wearing blue)

Turns out my hill work was adequate and the course is technical (in my opinion)! I did email the RD to see which portion of the course was the hilliest. I didn’t really notice the hills too much since I was too busy dancing around tree roots and rocks.

So this picture does not show how technical the course was. To add some perspective – I could only manage about 11:00 minutes/mile due to all the “dancing”. Feel free to mock me and my clumsiness.

I drove home defeated and not one bit excited about the race. I couldn’t imagine running 31 miles of terrain like that. I do have access to some technical trails but not 20+ miles of them. I emailed the RD (who was awesome) and found out they did offer refunds. Score! Now I could sign up for something else…

I knew another 50K around the same time and location would be unlikely so I settled for the Monster Mash Marathon in Dover, DE. Local? Yes. Good timing? Yes. These were my top requirements. The race had decent reviews on marathonguide.com but it’s the complete opposite of what I have been training for – flat, fast, and on roads.

I am excited though. This will be my first marathon since December 2012, a few months before I got pregnant (which was oddly also a DE marathon). Might as well rip off the bandaid and get back at it! And it will be good prep for a PR/BQ in Spring 2015 (my goal).

I’ll write a whole post devoted to training soon, including the challenges I’m encountering with training post-baby.

Speaking of baby…an unrelated picture of Fiona!