via lehigh valley marathon

Truth

May 13, 2015 by Kristy 6 Comments

I’m #keepingitreal today.

This week and next week are “pre-marathon” training weeks. The only goal of these 2 weeks are to add some speed work back in and acclimate (reacquaint?) myself to higher intensity workouts. After that I’m doing a traditional 16-week plan.

I should be excited. I’m always excited to begin training for a marathon.

I’m scared instead. Add in anxious and doubtful too.

My last marathon was December 2012. Ages ago. Pre-Fiona and during the best Fall racing season I ever had. I look at my training log from 2012 with my mouth wide open. I really did all that?

So, in no particular order, these are my scared, anxious, and doubtful concerns:

And now I have a kid
Yes, lots of people with children train and run marathons (i.e., most of my clients). Totally doable. I’m more worried about being tired all the time. I’m already tired with regular training and running around after Fiona. I don’t want to be a zombie. Not really looking for a magic answer here other than suck it up. Everyone does it. And everyone is tired. Right?

MAF training – the land of happy, low intensity
MAF training was awesome. I build a solid base and got faster. And before MAF training, I spent all of 2014 base building. My base is built. The foundation is solid. But I’ve become very comfortable with low intensity training. Other than a few half marathons last year, I’ve spent very little time in the pain cave. I fear the pain cave. (If I can think of any drawbacks to MAF training, this would be it.)

How should I go about this?
Obviously, I want to PR at the Via Marathon (September) or Monster Mash Marathon (October). That’s the goal. But without a recent half marathon time, I’m kinda lost on an exact goal time. (My PR is 3:41.)

The only thing I figured out so far is how I want to approach marathon training. I mentioned using a (modified) Pfitz plan but decided against it. What I need is the exact opposite of what I have been doing. No more base building. Instead, it’s track work and tempos. Every week. Simple and uncomplicated (but tough). It worked wonderfully for me in the past. And I’m really hoping that layering in these speed workouts on top of a solid base brings me to that PR. If nothing else, I’ll spend time in the pain cave and build some mental toughness. Gulp.

Or maybe I should shut down all this thinking and analyzing and Just Do It?!

Fiona enjoys the track…with snacks, of course.

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 🙂

Adele on Repeat and Boston Week 9 Recap

March 8, 2012 by Kristy 22 Comments

One of the many reasons I love barre is the music. I don’t listen to music when I run, so it’s a treat to hear a good playlist when working out. I especially love it when yoga teachers mix it up a bit…using popular music instead of that chant-y yoga stuff.

Since last week’s barre class, Adele has been on repeat in my head. It’s starting to get annoying. You know when you just cannot get a certain song out of your head? Last week it was “Rolling in the Deep”, which is played during class. Then it was “Someone Like You” and now it’s “Rumour Has It”. Rumour has it. (rumour). Rumour has it. (rumour). Over and over. Thankfully, I like Adele.

My taste in music goes from one end of the spectrum to the other. I was in lululemon over the weekend and heard “Get Busy” by Sean Paul and pretty much had to restrain myself from breaking it down in the store. Oh yeah, you know you love it too.

Some more barre favorites are Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” and some old school Britney. Would you believe me if I told you this blog was partially named after Pearl Jam’s song “Long Road”? Yep, one end to the other.

If you run with music, what’s your go-to song? This is a little embarrassing but I love the Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling” (along with most 3^rd graders). It was playing when I crossed the finish line at the Lehigh Valley Marathon (my BQ). Now I have even more reason to love it.

I have to mention my run on Tuesday, since it was definitely a confidence booster. I’ve been doubting my ability to run 8:20 pace for 26.2 (eeek!). On Tuesday I ran 11 miles with 10 at MP (8:20). I felt springy, my breathing was controlled, and my stride effortless. I felt amazing. I have 15 miles as my long run this weekend and my goal is to run 12-13 at MP (with hills!). Maybe, just maybe, I can do this!

Boston Week 9 Recap
MON: 5 easy
TUE: 8 with 5 at (faster than) MP + 3 hill repeats at the end
WED: barre
THU: 7 with 4 at tempo (2 at 7:45 pace and 2 at 8:00 pace)
FRI: rest
SAT: 20 at 8:36 pace
SUN: rest

40 miles total. A drop back week. 38 days until Boston!

Small Improvements

January 31, 2012 by Kristy 13 Comments

I have to focus on the small improvement here or else I would cry. This morning was another set of 3 x 1-mile repeats. Oy. This was the same exact speed workout I did 4 weeks ago.

Week 1: 7:10, 7:08, 7:11
Week 5 (today): 7:04, 7:10, 7:10

OK, so the 7:04 was a small improvement. All of these were effort based (Week 1 and Week 5) and I was sucking wind hard today. Unfortunately, I can’t say this is my 5K pace. Unless I want to die during the 5K.

So…even though I said I wouldn’t do this anymore…I took a peek at my training cycle for the Lehigh Valley Marathon (same week, same workout) — 7:11, 7:08, 7:05. Hmmm. I’m starting to think of my last training cycle (my BQ cycle) as the one where I constantly improved and this training cycle as the one where I constantly remain stagnant. Maybe I’m not meant to get any faster? Maybe I maxed out my speed? Maybe I should forget mile repeats (or any track work for that matter) and just run hill repeats? They are more fun anyway.

Moving on…

My favorite part of Runner’s World is the “I’m a Runner” feature on the back page. It’s like US Weekly for runners. I’m highly disappointed with the March issue. Kate Gosselin?!?! Jeez, were they desperate? I would like to knock her off the kitchen counter she’s sitting on. Her interview was obnoxious. Thanks RW…I’ll stick to Running Times.

Did you watch Jon & Kate Plus 8? I did, during its height…before she went crazy.

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

December 31, 2011 by Kristy 12 Comments

I debated about whether to write a 2011 recap post. Last night I decided not to but then today I had this nagging feeling like I should. 2011 was a good year so I should do it justice!

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time you probably already know what I’m most proud of in 2011 – qualifying for Boston at the Lehigh Valley Marathon on 9/11/11.

3 weeks later, I found out that I would be running Boston in 2012.

There were other PRs too. Cherry Blossom 10-miler (1:19), a hot and humid 5K (23:22 – I need to revisit this!), and a not-what-I-wanted-but-a-PR-nonetheless at the Philly Half Marathon (1:47).

I can’t forget our travels in 2011 either. San Francisco in February. Ireland in May.

Other good stuff: I started a blog and “officially” started my own little coaching business.

Instead of resolutions, I prefer to make goals. I want to document them here on the blog so, one year from now, I can see my progress (or lack of). In no particular order, here’s what I’d like to accomplish in 2012:

1. Run a sub-3:40 at Boston and BQ again (more on this later).

2. Study and pass the CSCS exam.

3. Revamp the blog and switch to self-hosting.

4. Grow my coaching business.

I think that is enough! I also don’t like to be unrealistic!

Happy New Year!

Tell me something you would like to accomplish in 2012 (it can be anything)…