This morning without issue, Rocky and I got up and headed out to the trails at Angel Mounds. I figured it wouldn't be much of a disappointment to find out if the trails were still nasty or flooded for something as small as a 3-4 miler. I lost my headband some point last week so I had to buy 3 more last night (have to see which one I like the best :)......) and my ears were at the mercy of this morning's blistering cold. Temperature was 27 degrees with a feels like 19 degrees, the ground was frozen solid, so all water on the trails were as was the dirt and bike tracks. I will admit, I hate when bikers go out on the trails during muddy or wet weather because their tracks then harden and become freaking demonized ankle breaking mines................ or something like that. Anyways........
The plan was 3.3 to put me at an even number for December but we ended up running 3.8 and I am kind of wishing I had went ahead and shot for 4 miles but oh well. Near the end of the run, I found myself on a flooded section of trail that luckily was completely frozen over. I had to slow down and work my way over it hoping that I didn't hit any thin spots, that would suck major.
We ran 3.8 in 43:27 with a slow pace of 11:26 min/mile (pretty darn slow for me) but understandable as I was freezing and the ground was a freaking pain, but better than muddy and nasty. Elevation gain a measly 43 feet and a loss of 31 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:41
Mile 2 - 11:04
Mile 3 - 12:05
.8 - 10:47
This morning's run closed December and 2013 with a monthly PR of 135.5 miles and 1,178.8 miles for 2013. 2013 has definitely been an awesome year for me in running, I really hope 2014 and the years to come will be just as awesome if not more challenging.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Contemplating my Races for 2014
Okay, so I am going through all my races for 2014, planning and deciding which ones will be "raced" and which ones will be ran. The first 2 of the year:
January 25, 2014 - Winter Trail Half Marathon - if I can figure out travel plans, this one will be just ran for fun as it will be at night at probably freezing cold or really wet and flooded. Travel issues are this - I have never been away from my son for longer than 3 hours and that was to the movies with hubby, just 5 miles from home .... not 2 1/2 hours from home then a race and then another 2 1/2 hour drive which would keep me away from him for like 6-8 hours - I don't think I could handle it (loser, I know) and he most certainly wouldn't stand for it. The only solutions would be for hubby and my son to come up with me, let me get my race packet and then decide where they're going to go to stay warm depending on the weather. At this point I am not sure if I will be to do this race :(
February 8, 2014 - Hearts on Fire 5k - this I plan to run and race my hardest with hopes of placing in the top 3 for my age group. Looking at this past year's results, I will have to hurt myself to get a time faster than 23:00 in order to do that. We'll see..........
March 1, 2014 - Bound the Mound Half Marathon - this one.......... up until today my initial plan was to just run it and enjoy it..... until curiosity forced me to take a peek at the last 2 years' results. This will be it's 3rd year, and trail races aren't extremely popular around here yet. I looked at 2012's results for my age group had the winner's fastest time at 1:53:45, only 3 minutes faster than my IMHM this past November AND she was the top overall female that year. 2nd place was like 23 minutes later at 2:16:45 which I could easily beat as long as I train smart and don't get injured between now and then. 2013's results don't have my age group in there, only reason I can think of is that nobody in F25-29 ran this year's half marathon. Now, granted I like not having a lot of competition as I am not extremely fast BUT to have no competition just sucks and doesn't prove anything :( so I am hoping I have a few out there this coming year because I am going to race it, and push myself because it would be awesome to place in the top 3 at a half marathon even if there are only 5 or 10 of us in my age group! I sure hope I am not the only one in F25-29 :(
March 15, 2014 - Run of Luck 7k - I won't kill myself to race this one, but I won't really take it easy. This past year's fastest time in my age group was around 31:xx, so we will see how things go.
May 17, 2014 - The River Run 10 Miler - Pure enjoyment of it
June 8, 2014 - Indian-Celina Challenge - The Half Marathon of it, as I am not yet ready for a 26.2 miler. This one is going to kick my arse with the elevation gain of around 3,150 feet. The most I have done was at the Go! St.Louis Half Marathon which was around 1,000 feet. I'm going to need to train on some serious hills between now and this date if I am going to survive it (aka: going to John James Audubon State Park every Saturday for a 5-6 miler on the Back Country Trails). It's going to kill me, but it's going to be a great death.
October, 2014 - Evansville Half Marathon - Going to run this one purely out of loyalty. It is the race that started my love affair with running, and I will run this race every year - Running Gods help me.
Last but not least, the big daddy of 2014 (for me)
November 1, 2014 - Indianapolis Monumental Marathon! My first full marathon, my very first marathon and I am so very excited (except it is 11 months away :( ...) I just want to survive this race and finish in okay condition, enjoy myself and have an awesome arse kicking. Hopefully my training will get me there.
Okay, enough obsessing over stuff that is still so far away.
January 25, 2014 - Winter Trail Half Marathon - if I can figure out travel plans, this one will be just ran for fun as it will be at night at probably freezing cold or really wet and flooded. Travel issues are this - I have never been away from my son for longer than 3 hours and that was to the movies with hubby, just 5 miles from home .... not 2 1/2 hours from home then a race and then another 2 1/2 hour drive which would keep me away from him for like 6-8 hours - I don't think I could handle it (loser, I know) and he most certainly wouldn't stand for it. The only solutions would be for hubby and my son to come up with me, let me get my race packet and then decide where they're going to go to stay warm depending on the weather. At this point I am not sure if I will be to do this race :(
February 8, 2014 - Hearts on Fire 5k - this I plan to run and race my hardest with hopes of placing in the top 3 for my age group. Looking at this past year's results, I will have to hurt myself to get a time faster than 23:00 in order to do that. We'll see..........
March 1, 2014 - Bound the Mound Half Marathon - this one.......... up until today my initial plan was to just run it and enjoy it..... until curiosity forced me to take a peek at the last 2 years' results. This will be it's 3rd year, and trail races aren't extremely popular around here yet. I looked at 2012's results for my age group had the winner's fastest time at 1:53:45, only 3 minutes faster than my IMHM this past November AND she was the top overall female that year. 2nd place was like 23 minutes later at 2:16:45 which I could easily beat as long as I train smart and don't get injured between now and then. 2013's results don't have my age group in there, only reason I can think of is that nobody in F25-29 ran this year's half marathon. Now, granted I like not having a lot of competition as I am not extremely fast BUT to have no competition just sucks and doesn't prove anything :( so I am hoping I have a few out there this coming year because I am going to race it, and push myself because it would be awesome to place in the top 3 at a half marathon even if there are only 5 or 10 of us in my age group! I sure hope I am not the only one in F25-29 :(
March 15, 2014 - Run of Luck 7k - I won't kill myself to race this one, but I won't really take it easy. This past year's fastest time in my age group was around 31:xx, so we will see how things go.
May 17, 2014 - The River Run 10 Miler - Pure enjoyment of it
June 8, 2014 - Indian-Celina Challenge - The Half Marathon of it, as I am not yet ready for a 26.2 miler. This one is going to kick my arse with the elevation gain of around 3,150 feet. The most I have done was at the Go! St.Louis Half Marathon which was around 1,000 feet. I'm going to need to train on some serious hills between now and this date if I am going to survive it (aka: going to John James Audubon State Park every Saturday for a 5-6 miler on the Back Country Trails). It's going to kill me, but it's going to be a great death.
October, 2014 - Evansville Half Marathon - Going to run this one purely out of loyalty. It is the race that started my love affair with running, and I will run this race every year - Running Gods help me.
Last but not least, the big daddy of 2014 (for me)
November 1, 2014 - Indianapolis Monumental Marathon! My first full marathon, my very first marathon and I am so very excited (except it is 11 months away :( ...) I just want to survive this race and finish in okay condition, enjoy myself and have an awesome arse kicking. Hopefully my training will get me there.
Okay, enough obsessing over stuff that is still so far away.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
My Longest Run as of Today
This morning's long run didn't look like it was going to happen early, Dorian was up for hours dealing with a runny nose and a headache which meant I was up all that time and more. I didn't actually fall back to sleep until around 3:30 and was constantly being woken up by Dorian having nightmares that would cause him to cry out in his sleep. Eventually he finally fell into a deep sleep, but when my alarm clock went off at 5 I set it for 5:40 because I wasn't ready to get up.
I finally got up, it was warm enough for capris, one long sleeve shirt and my wind breaker jacket (and a hat). I also wore my gloves that are really good for 30-49 degree weather. It was 37 degrees with a feels like 33 degrees, 5 mph S winds and rainy during the first 3-4 miles.
I had originally planned for 12.5 and took my hydration/fuel belt with me, Grape Frost gatorade in one 8 oz bottle, water in the other and 2 gels/gu's (the Chocolate Outrage - YUMMY). Things were pretty questionable when I started off, my legs were a bit tired and I was exhausted mentally, I expected a slow run and was fine with that. Just after mile 6 I had to stop twice, first time to take my windbreaker jacket off and tie it around my waist and the second time to readjust it underneath my fuel belt. At mile 7.5 I stopped and ate one of the gu's and drank water along with it - I have never consumed a whole package of this gu crap but the chocolate outrage is so freaking delicious! Around mile 8 I decided I wanted to hit 13 miles for my long run, at mile 10 I stopped and consumed some gatorade and made a quick pit stop off in some woods, and then I was back on the road.
My legs were feeling much better at this point, but still a little tired. At mile 12 I made another stop to consume the 2nd package of gu, not because I needed it but because I wanted it :) and it is so freaking good. I gave that last mile a good kick and then cooled down for .3 miles finishing the run with 13.3 miles in 2:15:23 and an average pace of 10:11 min/mile - not bad. Elevation gain of 302 feet, a loss of 301 feet.
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:53
Mile 2 - 10:52
Mile 3 - 10:50
Mile 4 - 10:32
Mile 5 - 10:47
Mile 6 - 10:34
Mile 7 - 10:11
Mile 8 - 10:04
Mile 9 - 10:00
Mile 10 - 9:30
Mile 11 - 9:40
Mile 12 - 9:19
Mile 13 - 8:31
.3 - 9:01
Not a bad run at all, overall a really good run even with lack of sleep.... I am feeling it already though, and I expect to feel it a lot during tomorrow's easy run.
I finally got up, it was warm enough for capris, one long sleeve shirt and my wind breaker jacket (and a hat). I also wore my gloves that are really good for 30-49 degree weather. It was 37 degrees with a feels like 33 degrees, 5 mph S winds and rainy during the first 3-4 miles.
I had originally planned for 12.5 and took my hydration/fuel belt with me, Grape Frost gatorade in one 8 oz bottle, water in the other and 2 gels/gu's (the Chocolate Outrage - YUMMY). Things were pretty questionable when I started off, my legs were a bit tired and I was exhausted mentally, I expected a slow run and was fine with that. Just after mile 6 I had to stop twice, first time to take my windbreaker jacket off and tie it around my waist and the second time to readjust it underneath my fuel belt. At mile 7.5 I stopped and ate one of the gu's and drank water along with it - I have never consumed a whole package of this gu crap but the chocolate outrage is so freaking delicious! Around mile 8 I decided I wanted to hit 13 miles for my long run, at mile 10 I stopped and consumed some gatorade and made a quick pit stop off in some woods, and then I was back on the road.
My legs were feeling much better at this point, but still a little tired. At mile 12 I made another stop to consume the 2nd package of gu, not because I needed it but because I wanted it :) and it is so freaking good. I gave that last mile a good kick and then cooled down for .3 miles finishing the run with 13.3 miles in 2:15:23 and an average pace of 10:11 min/mile - not bad. Elevation gain of 302 feet, a loss of 301 feet.
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:53
Mile 2 - 10:52
Mile 3 - 10:50
Mile 4 - 10:32
Mile 5 - 10:47
Mile 6 - 10:34
Mile 7 - 10:11
Mile 8 - 10:04
Mile 9 - 10:00
Mile 10 - 9:30
Mile 11 - 9:40
Mile 12 - 9:19
Mile 13 - 8:31
.3 - 9:01
Not a bad run at all, overall a really good run even with lack of sleep.... I am feeling it already though, and I expect to feel it a lot during tomorrow's easy run.
Friday, December 27, 2013
A Relatively Sore, But Okay 6 Miler with Rocky
Rocky and I got our 6 mile run in tonight, my legs were definitely feeling the soreness from the awesome 7 mile progression run Wednesday afternoon. We ran the riverfront Green way and Rocky tried to decide the pace early on but I was able to keep him in check, and we kept the pace close to an 11 min/mile pace which is where I like my easy runs to be.
Sadly, I think I won't be able to qualify for any of the BA as it doesn't look like we're going to have anymore awful weather lol. Oh well.
We ran 6 miles in 1:04:08 with an average pace of 10:41 min/mile pace. Temperature of 46 degrees, 4 mph S winds and humidity of 53% - a total elevation gain of 71 feet and a loss of 63 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:49
Mile 2 - 10:34
Mile 3 - 10:41
Mile 4 - 10:54
Mile 5 - 10:28
Mile 6 - 10:42
Sadly, I think I won't be able to qualify for any of the BA as it doesn't look like we're going to have anymore awful weather lol. Oh well.
We ran 6 miles in 1:04:08 with an average pace of 10:41 min/mile pace. Temperature of 46 degrees, 4 mph S winds and humidity of 53% - a total elevation gain of 71 feet and a loss of 63 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:49
Mile 2 - 10:34
Mile 3 - 10:41
Mile 4 - 10:54
Mile 5 - 10:28
Mile 6 - 10:42
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
A Relatively Tough Progression Run
Rocky and I didn't get out for our run until the afternoon, at that point I decided we'd head into town and run the greenway as I didn't want to deal with vehicles trying to kill us on their way to family.
It was 36 degrees with a feels like 29 degrees and 8 mph SSW winds, and cloudy. We went to the Green way, no other traffic except for 3 or 4 cyclists. I wanted to definitely push it during this run, make sure it was a progression run, the last mile being faster than the first mile.
We did stop 4 times though, first time was at mile 3 to take one of my long sleeves off as it was starting to get warm. Second time was just before mile 4, I was definitely feeling the pace and today. We made 2 more stops, as much as I hate to take stops like that but you will see why in my splits.
We ran 7 miles in 1:02:05, with an average pace of 8:52 min/mile which is definitely my fastest 7 miler but would have been even more awesome had I gotten it under 1 hour. Elevation gain of 80 feet, and a loss of 75 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 9:56
Mile 2 - 9:49
Mile 3 - 9:29
Mile 4 - 8:48
Mile 5 - 8:33
Mile 6 - 7:56
Mile 7 - 7:35
My last mile was the fastest... I think, I am pretty sure that is my fastest mile. I am getting closer to that 7 min/mile pace which is a very desirable goal. Definitely a nice progression run, Rocky enjoyed it too.
It was 36 degrees with a feels like 29 degrees and 8 mph SSW winds, and cloudy. We went to the Green way, no other traffic except for 3 or 4 cyclists. I wanted to definitely push it during this run, make sure it was a progression run, the last mile being faster than the first mile.
We did stop 4 times though, first time was at mile 3 to take one of my long sleeves off as it was starting to get warm. Second time was just before mile 4, I was definitely feeling the pace and today. We made 2 more stops, as much as I hate to take stops like that but you will see why in my splits.
We ran 7 miles in 1:02:05, with an average pace of 8:52 min/mile which is definitely my fastest 7 miler but would have been even more awesome had I gotten it under 1 hour. Elevation gain of 80 feet, and a loss of 75 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 9:56
Mile 2 - 9:49
Mile 3 - 9:29
Mile 4 - 8:48
Mile 5 - 8:33
Mile 6 - 7:56
Mile 7 - 7:35
My last mile was the fastest... I think, I am pretty sure that is my fastest mile. I am getting closer to that 7 min/mile pace which is a very desirable goal. Definitely a nice progression run, Rocky enjoyed it too.
Monday, December 23, 2013
2013 Recap
In short, 2013 was an awesome year for me (still have 8 more days of it.... but not much can happen between now and a week... I think). I had set up my very own training plan with intentions of having some awesome half marathon finish times and cutting minutes off each one after the one before - to recap that:
2012 October 7 - Evansville Half Marathon - 2:36:39
I limped most of the way after injuring my groin and quad from too much training just after giving birth (race was 6 months after Dorian's birth). I knew then I had to do something, start thinking and training smarter so that is what I did after this race.
April 7, 2013 - Go! St. Louis Half Marathon - 2:18:28
I knocked 18 minutes and 11 seconds off of my time in 6 months.
October 5, 2013 - Evansville Half Marathon - 2:04:48
Six months after the St. Louis Half I knocked another 14 minutes off of my half marathon time. And a year after the same race I had knocked 32 minutes off.
November 2, 2013 - Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon - 1:56:38
A sub 2 hour finish!!! Barely a month after the Evansville Half, knocking 8 minutes and 10 seconds off of my time!
My training plan not only helped me avoid injuries (along with heading to an actual running store to analyze my stride and pronation) - but it helped me kick butt on the half marathon distance, and earning one heck of a sub 2 hour time while enjoying myself.
Not just half marathon races, but I PR'd in the 5k department last November:
The 24th Annual Turkey Dash 5k - 24:40 with a 7:57 min/mile giving me a sub 8 min PR!!
I've also enjoyed two great trail races, one night race that had most lost on the course of the 5 miler and some during the 5k. I got lost, so I didn't reach the 5 miler but I got close to it. Two weeks after the Indy Half I ran a 15k trail race placing 2nd in my age/gender group just 10-12 minutes behind the 1st place woman and coming in 5th place overall in the 15k distance.
Suffice to say, 2013 has been an awesome year for me and I don't regret any of it and I am super excited for 2014 and beyond. My goals next year will begin with one very important one on New Years Day:
January 1, 2014 - Sign up for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
I am extremely excited about this one, as it will be my very first marathon and whole new journey in a new chapter. I had such an awesome time Pr'ing at the half marathon there, but I hope it is my lucky course/city. That of course, is at the end of the year (most likely my last race of 2014).
I've got quite a few races early on in 2014, with the only race during the summer being the Indian-Celina Challenge in June - the half marathon distance which is rumored to have more than 3,500 feet in elevation but thankfully it will be on trails.
January 25 will be my first night time half marathon trail race, it will be interesting for sure. February I've got one 5k race, March I've got two races - March 1st will be another trail half marathon at Angel Mounds so that will be a loop ran 4 times I believe, March 15 is the Run of Luck 7k which I will probably race hard just to see if I can place and earn a trophy. April most likely won't see any races. After the Indian-Celina race I plan to focus on training for the IMM.
Of course I will always run the Evansville Half Marathon, out of loyalty, as it was the inspiration that began my running journey.
I am very excited for 2014, I expect great things and a lot of fun!
2012 October 7 - Evansville Half Marathon - 2:36:39
I limped most of the way after injuring my groin and quad from too much training just after giving birth (race was 6 months after Dorian's birth). I knew then I had to do something, start thinking and training smarter so that is what I did after this race.
April 7, 2013 - Go! St. Louis Half Marathon - 2:18:28
I knocked 18 minutes and 11 seconds off of my time in 6 months.
October 5, 2013 - Evansville Half Marathon - 2:04:48
Six months after the St. Louis Half I knocked another 14 minutes off of my half marathon time. And a year after the same race I had knocked 32 minutes off.
November 2, 2013 - Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon - 1:56:38
A sub 2 hour finish!!! Barely a month after the Evansville Half, knocking 8 minutes and 10 seconds off of my time!
My training plan not only helped me avoid injuries (along with heading to an actual running store to analyze my stride and pronation) - but it helped me kick butt on the half marathon distance, and earning one heck of a sub 2 hour time while enjoying myself.
Not just half marathon races, but I PR'd in the 5k department last November:
The 24th Annual Turkey Dash 5k - 24:40 with a 7:57 min/mile giving me a sub 8 min PR!!
I've also enjoyed two great trail races, one night race that had most lost on the course of the 5 miler and some during the 5k. I got lost, so I didn't reach the 5 miler but I got close to it. Two weeks after the Indy Half I ran a 15k trail race placing 2nd in my age/gender group just 10-12 minutes behind the 1st place woman and coming in 5th place overall in the 15k distance.
Suffice to say, 2013 has been an awesome year for me and I don't regret any of it and I am super excited for 2014 and beyond. My goals next year will begin with one very important one on New Years Day:
January 1, 2014 - Sign up for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
I am extremely excited about this one, as it will be my very first marathon and whole new journey in a new chapter. I had such an awesome time Pr'ing at the half marathon there, but I hope it is my lucky course/city. That of course, is at the end of the year (most likely my last race of 2014).
I've got quite a few races early on in 2014, with the only race during the summer being the Indian-Celina Challenge in June - the half marathon distance which is rumored to have more than 3,500 feet in elevation but thankfully it will be on trails.
January 25 will be my first night time half marathon trail race, it will be interesting for sure. February I've got one 5k race, March I've got two races - March 1st will be another trail half marathon at Angel Mounds so that will be a loop ran 4 times I believe, March 15 is the Run of Luck 7k which I will probably race hard just to see if I can place and earn a trophy. April most likely won't see any races. After the Indian-Celina race I plan to focus on training for the IMM.
Of course I will always run the Evansville Half Marathon, out of loyalty, as it was the inspiration that began my running journey.
I am very excited for 2014, I expect great things and a lot of fun!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
I'm gonna do it!
I made the decision as of tonight, no turning back now... in 9 days and 8 hours I am going to register for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon! I know it won't be easy, it took me 2 years to figure out how to listen and trust my body for the half marathon distance so I am hoping that 11 months of training will be to my benefit and not to my downfall.
I've already set up my training plan, but will most likely change a lot of it as I figure this out. This will be my first ever time training for a full marathon, this for sure will be very educational.
I hope I can do it, this is going to be a step towards my true (long term) goal of running ultras so I must be smart about it.
I've already set up my training plan, but will most likely change a lot of it as I figure this out. This will be my first ever time training for a full marathon, this for sure will be very educational.
I hope I can do it, this is going to be a step towards my true (long term) goal of running ultras so I must be smart about it.
A Great, really Good Long Run on the Roads
It rained all yesterday and the forecast kept threatening flooding which worried me as Chandler is a very low level town/city/area which meant many of the roads flood with raging river type flooding. Luckily that didn't happen, sadly I had to do my long run on the roads and without Rocky because I promised him I would never make him run longer than an hour.......... maybe an hour and 10 minutes on the road. Today I was determined to run 12 miles, the last long run I had was 3 weekends ago due to the stupid snow and ice and aggravations in my legs. I was going to go over 10 miles even if I had to walk some of it (thankfully that didn't happen).
I got up at 5:30 this morning, it wasn't warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt but it was warm enough for capri's, my thermal long sleeve shirt and a t-shirt over that. I went ahead and wore my hat even though the forecast said 13 mph SW winds, 45 degrees with a feels like 38 degrees. At first I thought I made a mistake in not wearing my wind jacket but after the first mile or 2 and from then on it felt comfortable.
Other than the first 4 miles which I have ran many times before, the rest was a new route until mile 9.5 as I got back onto a known road and then from then on. It felt really good, the run overall definitely made up for the really horrible 12 miler I ran 2 weeks before the Evansville Half Marathon last October. Other than some minor inflammation in my left toes/feet at many points of the run, I really enjoyed being out there and finally getting a real long run in.
I ran 12.1 miles in 2:04:39 with an average pace of 10:18 min/mile pace, definitely enjoyed it as I didn't want to go too fast for a long run or too slow as I wanted it to be a challenge. Total elevation gain of 370 feet and a loss of 367 feet, so got some good hills during the run too.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:47
Mile 2 - 10:49
Mile 3 - 10:45
Mile 4 - 10:37
Mile 5 - 10:30
Mile 6 - 10:32
Mile 7 - 10:31
Mile 8 - 10:10
Mile 9 - 9:41
Mile 10 - 10:02
Mile 11 - 10:05
Mile 12 - 9:23
.1 - 7:45
I was tempted to push past 12.1 to keep up that pace for the heck of it, but I know I shouldn't push it and avoid injury. I wore my hydration belt, one bottle (I think 8 oz each) had Grape Frost gatorade, and the other one had water in it. I had two packs of goo, one Chocolate Outrage (D-E-L-ICIOUS) and the other Cherry Lime which wasn't so good but not bad. Next weekend, hopefully Rocky and I will see 13 miles on the trails.
I got up at 5:30 this morning, it wasn't warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt but it was warm enough for capri's, my thermal long sleeve shirt and a t-shirt over that. I went ahead and wore my hat even though the forecast said 13 mph SW winds, 45 degrees with a feels like 38 degrees. At first I thought I made a mistake in not wearing my wind jacket but after the first mile or 2 and from then on it felt comfortable.
Other than the first 4 miles which I have ran many times before, the rest was a new route until mile 9.5 as I got back onto a known road and then from then on. It felt really good, the run overall definitely made up for the really horrible 12 miler I ran 2 weeks before the Evansville Half Marathon last October. Other than some minor inflammation in my left toes/feet at many points of the run, I really enjoyed being out there and finally getting a real long run in.
I ran 12.1 miles in 2:04:39 with an average pace of 10:18 min/mile pace, definitely enjoyed it as I didn't want to go too fast for a long run or too slow as I wanted it to be a challenge. Total elevation gain of 370 feet and a loss of 367 feet, so got some good hills during the run too.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:47
Mile 2 - 10:49
Mile 3 - 10:45
Mile 4 - 10:37
Mile 5 - 10:30
Mile 6 - 10:32
Mile 7 - 10:31
Mile 8 - 10:10
Mile 9 - 9:41
Mile 10 - 10:02
Mile 11 - 10:05
Mile 12 - 9:23
.1 - 7:45
I was tempted to push past 12.1 to keep up that pace for the heck of it, but I know I shouldn't push it and avoid injury. I wore my hydration belt, one bottle (I think 8 oz each) had Grape Frost gatorade, and the other one had water in it. I had two packs of goo, one Chocolate Outrage (D-E-L-ICIOUS) and the other Cherry Lime which wasn't so good but not bad. Next weekend, hopefully Rocky and I will see 13 miles on the trails.
Friday, December 20, 2013
A Very Nice, Warm Run with Rocky
Rocky and I got up and were out the door by 5:05 this morning, a beautiful temperature of 54 degrees, 12 mph S winds that felt really good. I got to wear shorts and a t-shirt which again felt really freaking good. It only took me like 5 minutes to get ready compared to the 10-15 minutes it normally takes me to prepare for cold runs. I miss being able to dress that quickly for runs, this whole layer on top of layer thing is getting a bit annoying.
My calves were a bit sore, but not bad though I had planned on using the foam roller last night and forgot. I think we started off relatively slow, but I had no plans of making it a fast run.... just nice and comfortable. No run ins with other dogs so that is a good thing, always nice not to be slowed down by others.
Rocky and I ran 6 miles in 1:02:41 with an average pace of 10:26 min/mile, elevation gain of 89 feet and a loss of 77 feet. There were sprinkles the whole time, but no rain and I could've sworn I had heard thunder at some points, but thankfully I got to enjoy the little sprinkles on my face.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 10:36
Mile 3 - 10:16
Mile 4 - 10:34
Mile 5 - 10:25
Mile 6 - 9:57
Overall, it was a comfortable pace though around the last mile my empty stomach really began to hurt but did subside thankfully.
This Sunday I think I am going to head to Hoosier National Forest and run the Indian-Celina trail course, or at least try for 11.6 miles (to make for 30 miles this week). I don't know how I will do, and I don't know the conditions of those trails but I know my favorite trails are either flooded, completely disgusting (mud), or at least a lot of the trails or small rivers right now so it would not be a fun run to try and go through all that..... especially after last week trying to stop me from running. Tomorrow is supposed to be raining, but I hope to get 1 mile in... we will see how Sunday goes.
My calves were a bit sore, but not bad though I had planned on using the foam roller last night and forgot. I think we started off relatively slow, but I had no plans of making it a fast run.... just nice and comfortable. No run ins with other dogs so that is a good thing, always nice not to be slowed down by others.
Rocky and I ran 6 miles in 1:02:41 with an average pace of 10:26 min/mile, elevation gain of 89 feet and a loss of 77 feet. There were sprinkles the whole time, but no rain and I could've sworn I had heard thunder at some points, but thankfully I got to enjoy the little sprinkles on my face.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 10:36
Mile 3 - 10:16
Mile 4 - 10:34
Mile 5 - 10:25
Mile 6 - 9:57
Overall, it was a comfortable pace though around the last mile my empty stomach really began to hurt but did subside thankfully.
This Sunday I think I am going to head to Hoosier National Forest and run the Indian-Celina trail course, or at least try for 11.6 miles (to make for 30 miles this week). I don't know how I will do, and I don't know the conditions of those trails but I know my favorite trails are either flooded, completely disgusting (mud), or at least a lot of the trails or small rivers right now so it would not be a fun run to try and go through all that..... especially after last week trying to stop me from running. Tomorrow is supposed to be raining, but I hope to get 1 mile in... we will see how Sunday goes.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
A Quick and Warm Run with Dorian
Today was a really good feeling day, the high was like 60 degrees so since I couldn't really get mom or sister to watch Dorian I decided to take him in the stroller so Rocky stayed at the shop. I'll say one thing, it ain't easy to run with a stroller especially if you don't do it often. When we started, I was tempted to just do a mile but around half a mile I decided to suck it up and head for the mile 1 marker. At that point I figured a little over 2 wouldn't hurt, never know what tomorrow or Saturday, or even Sunday might bring.
I ran the 2.2 miles in 22:35 with an average pace of 10:16 min/mile, elevation gain of 34 and a loss of 27 feet. The temperature 57 degrees, 16 mph SSW winds and humidity of 63%, not bad at all.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:44
Mile 2 - 9:58
.2 - 9:23
Forecast says ran for tomorrow and Saturday, so we'll see how I manage to get up for tomorrow's 5-6 mile run.
I ran the 2.2 miles in 22:35 with an average pace of 10:16 min/mile, elevation gain of 34 and a loss of 27 feet. The temperature 57 degrees, 16 mph SSW winds and humidity of 63%, not bad at all.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:44
Mile 2 - 9:58
.2 - 9:23
Forecast says ran for tomorrow and Saturday, so we'll see how I manage to get up for tomorrow's 5-6 mile run.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Short and Sweet
Both the run and this post, Rocky and I went for our other part of today's run and ended up running 3 miles instead of 2 just because we felt like it. I wanted to take it easy but I also kind of wanted to have fun too, I mean it is only 3 miles right? It was 45 degrees with a feels like 40 and 9 mph SSE winds and an elevation gain of 54 feet, a loss of 40 feet. We ran the 3 miles in 30:03 with an average pace of 10:01 min/mile, not bad even after hitting some hills this morning.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:59
Mile 2 - 9:36
Mile 3 - 9:27
First mile had Rocky a little confused on which side of me to be on, though I don't know why we went that slow at first. Tomorrow I'll probably run around the shipping tables for 11-12 minutes to make a mile. The 3 miles tonight gives me a total of 8.2 miles today with the 5.2 this morning.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:59
Mile 2 - 9:36
Mile 3 - 9:27
First mile had Rocky a little confused on which side of me to be on, though I don't know why we went that slow at first. Tomorrow I'll probably run around the shipping tables for 11-12 minutes to make a mile. The 3 miles tonight gives me a total of 8.2 miles today with the 5.2 this morning.
Feeling Better this Morning
Thankfully the 24 hour stomach bug is gone, I might have lost one day but I am going to do my best to keep running every day until New Year's Day. This morning was a little difficult, I woke up at 1:30 a.m and was tempted to run my 7 miles right then but thought screw it and tried to fall back to sleep. Dorian started getting restless around 4 a.m, and I wasn't able to get out of bed at 5 when my alarm went off, but then when I tried sneaking out at 5:41 (I must have fell asleep) Dorian got out of bed and came looking for me. He was so adorable and cuddly I just had to go back to bed with him for 15-20 more minutes.
Rocky and I only had time for 5 miles which turned into 5.2 miles, so we'll have to do the other 2 miles later this afternoon. I felt really good, I honestly think having one day of no running really helped my legs because overall I felt good. Traffic was pretty crazy on the roads, a little annoying but I just focused on my run and keeping Rocky on pace. We ran the 5.2 miles in 51:02 with an average pace of 9:49 min/mile, temperature of 25 degrees and an elevation gain of 136 feet and loss of 138 feet. I aimed for many of the big hills around the house for this run as I haven't done hills in a while.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:46
Mile 2 - 10:03
Mile 3 - 9:38
Mile 4 - 9:42
Mile 5 - 9:12
.2 - 8:29
Overall a good run, hopefully tonight's 2 miler will be just as good although a bit shorter.
Rocky and I only had time for 5 miles which turned into 5.2 miles, so we'll have to do the other 2 miles later this afternoon. I felt really good, I honestly think having one day of no running really helped my legs because overall I felt good. Traffic was pretty crazy on the roads, a little annoying but I just focused on my run and keeping Rocky on pace. We ran the 5.2 miles in 51:02 with an average pace of 9:49 min/mile, temperature of 25 degrees and an elevation gain of 136 feet and loss of 138 feet. I aimed for many of the big hills around the house for this run as I haven't done hills in a while.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:46
Mile 2 - 10:03
Mile 3 - 9:38
Mile 4 - 9:42
Mile 5 - 9:12
.2 - 8:29
Overall a good run, hopefully tonight's 2 miler will be just as good although a bit shorter.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
My Streak Is Over :(
I was determined to keep my streak going, even if it meant running around the shipping tables.... but then last night I got hit by the stomach bug which lasted all night and I woke up this morning sore in all parts of my body. Today was a no run day, sadly even with 5 more hours to go I know it would be just stupid of me to try and go out for a 1 mile run when my body still needs to heal and hopefully be ready for a 7 miler tomorrow.
I gave my best to this streak, but 19 days with 79.2 miles is all I have to show for it.
I gave my best to this streak, but 19 days with 79.2 miles is all I have to show for it.
Monday, December 16, 2013
I just can't take a break.........
Ugh, I lied....... I wanted to take today and tomorrow off but I couldn't help it, at lunch time I ran around the shipping tables for 11 minutes and 20 seconds figuring up a mile. I am just so used to running everyday now, and I had swore to this holiday streak publicly.... no matter how much I want to just say screw it and not run, I end up running...... even if for 11-12 minutes. I guess a mile won't hurt, my regular plan is 5-6 miles on Mondays so......... we'll see how things go. I am going to try and stretch and use the foam roller every day if not twice a day, and just try to reach 30 weekly miles....... though it seems fate is trying to keep me from that milestone. I am definitely never wearing those orange shoes ever again.
Last Night's 7 Miler on the Roads with Rocky
First off, I almost didn't go running yesterday and I actually felt relieved about it. The scare I got with my foot/toe, and then my soon being up all night from 1 a.m to 6:30 a.m sick to his stomach and vomiting - I just couldn't go run that morning with him needing me (he's only 20 months old). I also didn't want to find out if I did in fact have an overuse injury, so I wasn't even stressed out by the idea of not running and I was already accepting that I was done with the holiday streak as I could tell either it was taking a toll on my body, or trying to stabilize my feet while running on ice, slush or snow and roads are just tough compared to trails; had I kept running trails it would probably be a different story.
Well, my mom got out to the house at 4:30 p.m and Dorian had been feeling so much better and had been eating some without puking since 6:30 a.m. I had avoided giving him any milk, so the only liquids he has consumed since 6 yesterday morning has been either water or pedialyte. I decided to try for 3 miles, I wasn't expecting anything good with my toe. I took Rocky with me and we hit some good hills in the first mile, things weren't sore yet.
We kept running, and the only soreness I felt was my right lower calf and ankle area but it got better after 3 miles. We ended up running 7.1 miles, I really wanted 9 but I promised Rocky I would never force him to run longer than 7 miles on the roads if I could help it (his paw pads are my concern) so I accepted 7.1 miles. It was slow going the first 3 miles but we picked it up and then just after mile 5 ran past the house with the Doberman and he was out (again) so got stuck there for 5 minutes until his owner called him in. Then in the last mile a loose dog decided to run just a few feet ahead of us turning around to bark every few seconds, then had to stop and meet Rocky. He then followed us for a quarter of a mile before going somewhere else, which had slowed us down more than I wanted.
We ran 7.1 miles in 1:15:53, an average pace of 10:41 min/mile and an elevation gain of 157 feet and loss of 158 feet. Temperature was 30 degrees with a feels like 23 degrees, 7 mph SW winds.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 11:36
Mile 2 - 10:33
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:28
Mile 5 - 10:37
Mile 6 - 10:41
Mile 7 - 10:27
.1 - 9:42
Honestly though, I think 18 consecutive days is enough for me - at least for now and until I can get back on trails and there is no more ice. Plus, it's just aggravating dressing up to run in winter, I love being able to wear shorts, a sports bra and shoes (socks too) - it's quick and barely take 2 minutes to dress while winter gear takes 3-8 minutes and it isn't so bad when I have 3 days off from running but to run everyday, to tug on the tights everyday, 2-3 layers of shirts, my long socks and then head band and maybe a hat, then gloves........ it just gets old. I might try a streak in summer next year, but I think I am pretty much okay with saying my holiday streak is over. My legs need rest, they need a break and I'd like to blame it on the ice that I've had to run on :P
Well, my mom got out to the house at 4:30 p.m and Dorian had been feeling so much better and had been eating some without puking since 6:30 a.m. I had avoided giving him any milk, so the only liquids he has consumed since 6 yesterday morning has been either water or pedialyte. I decided to try for 3 miles, I wasn't expecting anything good with my toe. I took Rocky with me and we hit some good hills in the first mile, things weren't sore yet.
We kept running, and the only soreness I felt was my right lower calf and ankle area but it got better after 3 miles. We ended up running 7.1 miles, I really wanted 9 but I promised Rocky I would never force him to run longer than 7 miles on the roads if I could help it (his paw pads are my concern) so I accepted 7.1 miles. It was slow going the first 3 miles but we picked it up and then just after mile 5 ran past the house with the Doberman and he was out (again) so got stuck there for 5 minutes until his owner called him in. Then in the last mile a loose dog decided to run just a few feet ahead of us turning around to bark every few seconds, then had to stop and meet Rocky. He then followed us for a quarter of a mile before going somewhere else, which had slowed us down more than I wanted.
We ran 7.1 miles in 1:15:53, an average pace of 10:41 min/mile and an elevation gain of 157 feet and loss of 158 feet. Temperature was 30 degrees with a feels like 23 degrees, 7 mph SW winds.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 11:36
Mile 2 - 10:33
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:28
Mile 5 - 10:37
Mile 6 - 10:41
Mile 7 - 10:27
.1 - 9:42
Honestly though, I think 18 consecutive days is enough for me - at least for now and until I can get back on trails and there is no more ice. Plus, it's just aggravating dressing up to run in winter, I love being able to wear shorts, a sports bra and shoes (socks too) - it's quick and barely take 2 minutes to dress while winter gear takes 3-8 minutes and it isn't so bad when I have 3 days off from running but to run everyday, to tug on the tights everyday, 2-3 layers of shirts, my long socks and then head band and maybe a hat, then gloves........ it just gets old. I might try a streak in summer next year, but I think I am pretty much okay with saying my holiday streak is over. My legs need rest, they need a break and I'd like to blame it on the ice that I've had to run on :P
Saturday, December 14, 2013
A Not So Great Run
Rocky and I got our 1.5 miles in tonight, on the roads out by the house dealing with cars as usual. Around mile 1, or just before it my left big toe started aching, that was about 2 hours ago so I can quite remember when it would hurt but it would stop if I stopped. My left calf was a little sore too, but it was more annoying just to be out on the roads. I hardly wear these shoes, they used to be for my tempo runs - same brand as my (road) long runs and easy runs but for some reason these shoes always felt weird so I think I am done wearing them. I am really hoping this was just a mishap of wearing the wrong shoes and still being sore from last night's run, tomorrow's long run (hoping for 12 miles) will tell me for sure.
We ran the 1.5 miles in 16:01 with an average pace of 10:39 min/mile, temperature of 34 degrees, a feels like 26 and 10 mph WNW winds. It sucked, because of my stupid toe.
Laps/spits:
Mile 1 - 10:55
.5 - 10:09
I am concerned that this holiday streak is hurting me, I am scared that I am increasing my mileage too quick. I swore to this holiday streak and I don't want to have to quit it or even take a couple of days off. I've ran 17 days in a row now - 71.1 miles in 2 weeks and 3 days..... that is a lot for me. I can't wait until this stupid streak is over with, I am going to take a few days off or drop my runs.
We ran the 1.5 miles in 16:01 with an average pace of 10:39 min/mile, temperature of 34 degrees, a feels like 26 and 10 mph WNW winds. It sucked, because of my stupid toe.
Laps/spits:
Mile 1 - 10:55
.5 - 10:09
I am concerned that this holiday streak is hurting me, I am scared that I am increasing my mileage too quick. I swore to this holiday streak and I don't want to have to quit it or even take a couple of days off. I've ran 17 days in a row now - 71.1 miles in 2 weeks and 3 days..... that is a lot for me. I can't wait until this stupid streak is over with, I am going to take a few days off or drop my runs.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Okay, last night Rocky and I ran 2 miles on the Greenway - at night so I actually let him run loose (with his leash attached to him) because nobody else was out there. Even for 2 miles, it was a pretty nice run - 19:52 with a pace of 9:55 min/mile which was a bit faster than I had planned but it is Rocky's fault.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 10:18
Mile 2 - 9:32
Not bad, and it felt pretty good overall. It was 25 degrees, and the sky was clear. I knew I was going to pay for this and Wednesday's run.
This evening we ran 5 miles in rainy conditions, it had started out as snow half an hour before we left for our run but turned into rain. The Greenway was slushy and slippery, it took a lot of effort just to keep from slipping and falling and my legs were definitely feeling it. I wanted a slow and easy pace but this felt tiring and not so easy. We ran the 5 miles in 52:04 with an average pace of 10:24 min/mile, temperature was 34 degrees with rain.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 10:29
Mile 2 - 11:12
Mile 3 - 10:33
Mile 4 - 9:57
Mile 5 - 9:52
Tomorrow I'll run 1.6 miles on the trails just to see how they are and then I am going to decide after that whether I will run my 12 miles on the trails with Rocky Sunday or on the roads without him.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 10:18
Mile 2 - 9:32
Not bad, and it felt pretty good overall. It was 25 degrees, and the sky was clear. I knew I was going to pay for this and Wednesday's run.
This evening we ran 5 miles in rainy conditions, it had started out as snow half an hour before we left for our run but turned into rain. The Greenway was slushy and slippery, it took a lot of effort just to keep from slipping and falling and my legs were definitely feeling it. I wanted a slow and easy pace but this felt tiring and not so easy. We ran the 5 miles in 52:04 with an average pace of 10:24 min/mile, temperature was 34 degrees with rain.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 10:29
Mile 2 - 11:12
Mile 3 - 10:33
Mile 4 - 9:57
Mile 5 - 9:52
Tomorrow I'll run 1.6 miles on the trails just to see how they are and then I am going to decide after that whether I will run my 12 miles on the trails with Rocky Sunday or on the roads without him.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
A Really Great Run this Morning
I gave Rocky another day of rest, and I am pretty glad I did as I probably would not have had such a good run on the roads this morning. But first, yesterday's 2.3 miler (again without Rocky) which went pretty good though still a little sore in the calves. It was 21 degrees with a feels like 11, 9 mph NW winds and some flurries. I ran the 2.3 miles in 24:02 with an average pace of 10:27 min/mile:
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 10:15
.3 - 9:48
Not a bad run at all.
This morning I found myself arguing with my mind and body, my alarm clock had gone off at 4:40 and I didn't want to get up. I kept trying to find excuses, thinking I would just as my mom to watch little bit and I'd run tonight. After 5 minutes of debating I finally said screw it and got up, I figured 5 miles wouldn't hurt and I would just take it easy. Most of the roads were clear when I got out the door, only my right calf was a little sore still but not bad. It was 18 degrees with a feels like 7, 8 mph S winds but not bad at all - I had my thermal long sleeve undershirt on, a florescent yellow long sleeve shirt and my florescent yellow windbreaker jacket to keep the wind off. I also had my nice warm northface gloves on, my head/ear band and a hat on. Can't remember, but I think my tights are Under Armour, and then my Drymax socks. The first mile was a bit chilly but not bad and I began to warm up after 15 minutes.
It was a good a pace, and just before mile 4 I stopped for a breather as the really cold air can be a bit harsh. I had decided to run 6 instead of 5, and just before mile 5 I found myself picking up the pace. Before I had reached mile 6 I decided I would run 7 miles with the last mile being kind of a cool down.......... it didn't go that way. This was a really good run, it definitely made up for the last few days of tough running and soreness - by the time I had reached mile 4 my soreness was completely gone and my legs were feeling great. I ended up running 7 miles in 1:08:17 with an average pace of 9:45 min/mile, it felt great and I really hope Sunday's 12 miler feels this great whether it is on the trails or road (hoping and praying for the trails to be in a more merciful condition).
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:54
Mile 2 - 10:28
Mile 3 - 10:27
Mile 4 - 10:07
Mile 5 - 9:23
Mile 6 - 8:28
Mile 7 - 8:27
As soon as my garmin lapped 7, it said the 8th lap was reaching a 7:09 min/mile pace...... pretty cool :)
On the Runningahead.com training log they have a widget tool that is called Rolling Run totals - showing you how many miles you've ran in the last 7 days and in the last 30 days.
Last 7 days: 28.5 miles (5:18:54)
Last 30 days: 120.3 miles (21:04:50)
Pretty cool, I didn't start taking notice until last night so I figure 120.3 miles in the last 30 days is really good for me.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 10:15
.3 - 9:48
Not a bad run at all.
This morning I found myself arguing with my mind and body, my alarm clock had gone off at 4:40 and I didn't want to get up. I kept trying to find excuses, thinking I would just as my mom to watch little bit and I'd run tonight. After 5 minutes of debating I finally said screw it and got up, I figured 5 miles wouldn't hurt and I would just take it easy. Most of the roads were clear when I got out the door, only my right calf was a little sore still but not bad. It was 18 degrees with a feels like 7, 8 mph S winds but not bad at all - I had my thermal long sleeve undershirt on, a florescent yellow long sleeve shirt and my florescent yellow windbreaker jacket to keep the wind off. I also had my nice warm northface gloves on, my head/ear band and a hat on. Can't remember, but I think my tights are Under Armour, and then my Drymax socks. The first mile was a bit chilly but not bad and I began to warm up after 15 minutes.
It was a good a pace, and just before mile 4 I stopped for a breather as the really cold air can be a bit harsh. I had decided to run 6 instead of 5, and just before mile 5 I found myself picking up the pace. Before I had reached mile 6 I decided I would run 7 miles with the last mile being kind of a cool down.......... it didn't go that way. This was a really good run, it definitely made up for the last few days of tough running and soreness - by the time I had reached mile 4 my soreness was completely gone and my legs were feeling great. I ended up running 7 miles in 1:08:17 with an average pace of 9:45 min/mile, it felt great and I really hope Sunday's 12 miler feels this great whether it is on the trails or road (hoping and praying for the trails to be in a more merciful condition).
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:54
Mile 2 - 10:28
Mile 3 - 10:27
Mile 4 - 10:07
Mile 5 - 9:23
Mile 6 - 8:28
Mile 7 - 8:27
As soon as my garmin lapped 7, it said the 8th lap was reaching a 7:09 min/mile pace...... pretty cool :)
On the Runningahead.com training log they have a widget tool that is called Rolling Run totals - showing you how many miles you've ran in the last 7 days and in the last 30 days.
Last 7 days: 28.5 miles (5:18:54)
Last 30 days: 120.3 miles (21:04:50)
Pretty cool, I didn't start taking notice until last night so I figure 120.3 miles in the last 30 days is really good for me.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Taking the Next Big Step - Or Setting up the Plan to
Okay, so I've got 5 half marathons under my belt with on awesome PR of a sub 2 hour finish, I've got a lot of 5ks, 10ks, and a few 15ks with PRs too. I know I started a topic a while back about my interest in going straight to 50ks, just passing a 26.2 miler but......... I don't know - it just doesn't quite feel right to me or something like that. Flipping through the January's RW mag I saw the list of FMs and saw the Indy Monumental Marathon on there slated for November 1, 2014 - and that is when it struck me. I want that to be my next step towards my long term goal, heck I don't have a 50k planned or desired until 2015 and I am pretty pleased with the PRs I've earned this year so I won't be racing any half marathons (though you will see the ones I've already registered for in my new training plan) so I won't really have to take so many days to recover. I do still want to run the Evansville Half Marathon in early October, I don't think that will hurt as I believe you have to start tapering 3 weeks before a full marathon. And of course this plan is flexible for changes, flexibility is the best thing you can have with training plans. And my main half marathon goal is in June, not for speed but elevation (around 3,500 - 4,000 feet) which is what I have begun training for from December (now) to June 15 (the race) and then after the much needed days of recovery I will begin my more focused training for the IMFM which will focus more runs back on the road in preparation for the pounding.
Only thing is, when to start my taper for the IMFM - the weekend before the Evansville Half which I am guessing is on either October 4 or 5.......... they probably won't post the date until next summer.... or that weekend of the Evansville Half? Everything is subject to change of course, I mean you never know what the day brings (especially with a child) and I don't know how the increased mileage will affect me and if I am really built for races and distances like that, this plan is definitely flexible and subject to change accordingly.
Anyways take a look at the "plan" I quickly put together and tell me what you think.
A Tough, Miserable 4.1 Miles on the Road
After yesterday morning's really tough run, I decided to give my legs a break and run on the roads with hopes that it would be somewhat easier. I got up at 4:45 a.m, planning for 6 miles with Rocky - I couldn't even make it out of the driveway without busting my butt 3 times, our driveway is around .10-.15 miles long with a hill at the top to the house and it was all ice. That put me in a bit of a mood, and Rocky wasn't helping with his moronic behavior when on a leash which normally isn't bad at all when there isn't any ice or snow........ but my patience was pretty thin this morning.
Not only were we slipping on the roads, and trying to find our footing but my legs were sore from yesterday's run and I was pretty much cursing the weather during the whole run which ended up being only 4.1 miles due to my soreness and figuring it would probably be best not to try and push my legs to 6 miles this morning. I'll try for 2 miles tomorrow though I am not sure if I want to deal with Rocky, I might give him a couple of days off just so I can focus on my legs and not fight with him on leash.
We ran the 4.1 miles in 46:53 with an average pace of 11:26 min/mile, a little faster than yesterday morning's run but still sore.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 12:29
Mile 2 - 11:38
Mile 3 - 10:54
Mile 4 - 10:49
.1 - 10:20
I am honestly hoping and praying for temperatures warm enough to start melting this crap. I am starting to wish that I hadn't sworn to a Holiday Streak, I want a break so bad right now.... my legs are that sore.
Not only were we slipping on the roads, and trying to find our footing but my legs were sore from yesterday's run and I was pretty much cursing the weather during the whole run which ended up being only 4.1 miles due to my soreness and figuring it would probably be best not to try and push my legs to 6 miles this morning. I'll try for 2 miles tomorrow though I am not sure if I want to deal with Rocky, I might give him a couple of days off just so I can focus on my legs and not fight with him on leash.
We ran the 4.1 miles in 46:53 with an average pace of 11:26 min/mile, a little faster than yesterday morning's run but still sore.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 12:29
Mile 2 - 11:38
Mile 3 - 10:54
Mile 4 - 10:49
.1 - 10:20
I am honestly hoping and praying for temperatures warm enough to start melting this crap. I am starting to wish that I hadn't sworn to a Holiday Streak, I want a break so bad right now.... my legs are that sore.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
One Hellish, Snowy, Tough Run this Morning
I knew last night that our run this morning would be tough, I expected 3-5 inches of snow on the trails and for it to be a lot like running on sand. I also figured there wouldn't be anybody else on the trails so I didn't get up and out the door until 7 a.m. Rocky was excited, this was awesome weather to him and I was pretty excited too - this would be my first time ever running in snow. We got to the trail head about 20-30 minutes after leaving the house, and we started off....... within a minute I realized I had underestimated the impact that snow would have on my run. I soon had to admit that I was going to get my butt kicked by 4-6 inches of snow and the ungodly uneven footing that other hikers/runner/deer/dogs/etc had caused on the trails. If I wasn't slushing through snow, my feet were landing in all kinds of directions and my ankles were being bent in awful ways. My calves were screaming mutiny by mile 1 and I was seriously contemplating just 2 miles and being done with it. I had planned for 11 but I just couldn't see that happening, and I was really freaking angry about it. I was already hiking some, and then trying to run if that is what you would call it. By mile 2 I decided I would finish with 4 miles and be done with it, but by the time I was getting ready to reach mile 4 I thought to myself how upset and disappointed I would be if I ended up with 4 miles today so I decided on 5. At this point another runner passed me, he didn't look to be enjoying it an awful lot. Rocky was having a blast, he was really enjoying the snow.
By the time I had reached 4.5 miles I decided 5 miles wasn't going to be enough and pushed on for 6 miles figuring at least with 6 I might be able to handle it. I ended the run with 7.1 miles and my legs at this point were crying, my quads were screaming for a merciful death and my empty stomach was begging for food. Had it not been for my stomach I probably would have pushed for 8 miles.
Rocky and I ran/hiked 7.1 miles in 1:29:34 with an average pace of 12:37 min/mile (the SLOWEST I have ever ran I think). Elevation gain of 130 feet and a loss of 125 feet. Temperature was 25 degrees with a feels like 15, the temperature didn't bother me - it never does when there is snow on the ground.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 14:08
Mile 2 - 14:04
Mile 3 - 13:41
Mile 4 - 12:25
Mile 5 - 11:39
Mile 6 - 11:22
Mile 7 - 11:13
.1 - 10:14
A butt kicker for sure.... and I honestly don't know what or where I will be running tomorrow, I don't really want to have to endure that again for 5-6 miles.
Some pics from this morning's run.
By the time I had reached 4.5 miles I decided 5 miles wasn't going to be enough and pushed on for 6 miles figuring at least with 6 I might be able to handle it. I ended the run with 7.1 miles and my legs at this point were crying, my quads were screaming for a merciful death and my empty stomach was begging for food. Had it not been for my stomach I probably would have pushed for 8 miles.
Rocky and I ran/hiked 7.1 miles in 1:29:34 with an average pace of 12:37 min/mile (the SLOWEST I have ever ran I think). Elevation gain of 130 feet and a loss of 125 feet. Temperature was 25 degrees with a feels like 15, the temperature didn't bother me - it never does when there is snow on the ground.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 14:08
Mile 2 - 14:04
Mile 3 - 13:41
Mile 4 - 12:25
Mile 5 - 11:39
Mile 6 - 11:22
Mile 7 - 11:13
.1 - 10:14
A butt kicker for sure.... and I honestly don't know what or where I will be running tomorrow, I don't really want to have to endure that again for 5-6 miles.
Some pics from this morning's run.
Friday, December 6, 2013
A Cold, Icy Trail Run this Morning with Rocky
This morning I was determined to get up before 5, heck I got up before my alarm clock went off at 4:40 this morning. I was a little nervous as the forecast said freezing rain, but getting out on the road wasn't bad and getting to the trail head wasn't hard either. I was dressed pretty warm but not too warm, and Rocky was just loving the weather. Not soon after starting on the trail I realized I didn't need my headlamp - the accumulation of ice was so much that it lit up the trails and the woods around me just like snow. It was so peaceful and surreal, and even though I was going a bit slower than normal I could definitely feel the effort it was taking to run through and on this stuff. We only ran 6.1 miles which is pretty much all we had time to do, finishing at 1:08:26 with an average pace of 11:13 min/mile and an elevation gain of 76 feet and a loss of 68 feet. The temperature was 27 degrees with a feels like 18 degrees and pelting freezing rain. It was a great run none the less -
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:30
Mile 2 - 11:37
Mile 3 - 11:06
Mile 4 - 11:16
Mile 5 - 11:08
Mile 6 - 10:51
.1 - 9:38
Tomorrow I've only got the 1 mile run which will be ran out on these roads, but I am really hoping and praying that I can get my Tahoe out of it's mess before Sunday so Rocky and I can run the trails for our 11-12 mile long run.
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:30
Mile 2 - 11:37
Mile 3 - 11:06
Mile 4 - 11:16
Mile 5 - 11:08
Mile 6 - 10:51
.1 - 9:38
Tomorrow I've only got the 1 mile run which will be ran out on these roads, but I am really hoping and praying that I can get my Tahoe out of it's mess before Sunday so Rocky and I can run the trails for our 11-12 mile long run.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Our 7 Mile Run on the Trails Last Night - and My 1 (11 min) Run this Morning
I wasn't able to get up yesterday morning in time for our 7 mile run, lack of sleep and the bed feeling too freaking good. So I had my mom watch Dorian later in the afternoon, Rocky and I ran the trails at night and nobody was out there. It was extremely peaceful and warm, 68 degrees which had me wearing my shorts and sports bra and I was still pretty warm. I could have sworn that we were going at a pretty good pace - but everytime I looked at my garmin we were right around 11 minutes if not near 12 min/mile pace.
I did something just before mile 6 that some or a lot would probably consider really stupid, dangerous or just plain crazy. I was feeling so great, so good and with nobody else on the trails I decided on a whim that I was going to run completely nude for a minute or something. And I did....... less than a minute but still - it was liberating, a little vulnerable but fun too...... until as I finished putting my clothes back on just before the trailhead leading to the levee - Rocky perked up and aimed his attention to the levee so I nervously looked and saw a shadow running on top of the levee - another runner was out there but apparently had stayed on the levee and didn't appear to have seen me or my nakedness.... I hope :( suffice to say I won't be doing that ever again.
Rocky and I ran the 7 miles in 1:17:09 with an average pace of 11:01 min/mile so a bit slower than I felt, but it felt great out there. An elevation gain of 116 feet and a loss of 103 feet, 68 degrees with humidity at 64%.
Splits/Laps were:
Mile 1 - 11:18
Mile 2 - 10:41
Mile 3 - 10:41
Mile 4 - 11:06
Mile 5 - 11:02
Mile 6 - 11:50
Mile 7 - 10:29
Right as lap 7 ended and lap 8 began (before I stopped it) the pace said 5:58, god I wish I had kept pushing it just to see how long I could have kept a pace like that up.
This morning, I wasn't able to get up to run as Dorian was having a really rough morning and I thought Cameron was going to be getting up really early to head to Chicago for a machine. So I ended up running around our shipping tables at the shop for 11 minutes, so I assume it was a mile.
I did something just before mile 6 that some or a lot would probably consider really stupid, dangerous or just plain crazy. I was feeling so great, so good and with nobody else on the trails I decided on a whim that I was going to run completely nude for a minute or something. And I did....... less than a minute but still - it was liberating, a little vulnerable but fun too...... until as I finished putting my clothes back on just before the trailhead leading to the levee - Rocky perked up and aimed his attention to the levee so I nervously looked and saw a shadow running on top of the levee - another runner was out there but apparently had stayed on the levee and didn't appear to have seen me or my nakedness.... I hope :( suffice to say I won't be doing that ever again.
Rocky and I ran the 7 miles in 1:17:09 with an average pace of 11:01 min/mile so a bit slower than I felt, but it felt great out there. An elevation gain of 116 feet and a loss of 103 feet, 68 degrees with humidity at 64%.
Splits/Laps were:
Mile 1 - 11:18
Mile 2 - 10:41
Mile 3 - 10:41
Mile 4 - 11:06
Mile 5 - 11:02
Mile 6 - 11:50
Mile 7 - 10:29
Right as lap 7 ended and lap 8 began (before I stopped it) the pace said 5:58, god I wish I had kept pushing it just to see how long I could have kept a pace like that up.
This morning, I wasn't able to get up to run as Dorian was having a really rough morning and I thought Cameron was going to be getting up really early to head to Chicago for a machine. So I ended up running around our shipping tables at the shop for 11 minutes, so I assume it was a mile.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Yesterday's Run, This morning's Run
Okay so I didn't post yesterday's run, unfortunately Rocky and I only had enough time for less than 5 miles so we took it. Got to the trails at 6:20 a.m because I couldn't get my butt up earlier enough. It was a little chilly at first but 34 degrees didn't feel so bad after a bit, especially after the past few days of freaking low 20 degree weather.
We ran 4.3 miles in 42:55 with an average pace of 9:59 min/mile and an elevation gain of 62 feet and loss of 55 feet. Not bad, and I felt pretty good...... no scary animal either.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:46
Mile 2 - 9:55
Mile 3 - 9:42
Mile 4 - 9:49
.3 - 9:00
A bit faster than I really wanted, but not bad so that is alright.
This morning was one of our Holiday Streaking runs so it was only 1.4 miles, I had set my alarm for 6:20 since it wouldn't take long to run and we do these runs on the roads by the house. It was 45 degrees so a bit warmer than Monday morning's run but for some reason I had chose to wear a bit warmer shirt. Anyways, we ran 1.4 miles in 15:10 with an average pace of 10:49 min/mile so it was definitely around the pace I wanted - nice and easy and no elevation change.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:04
.4 - 10:13
We ran 4.3 miles in 42:55 with an average pace of 9:59 min/mile and an elevation gain of 62 feet and loss of 55 feet. Not bad, and I felt pretty good...... no scary animal either.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:46
Mile 2 - 9:55
Mile 3 - 9:42
Mile 4 - 9:49
.3 - 9:00
A bit faster than I really wanted, but not bad so that is alright.
This morning was one of our Holiday Streaking runs so it was only 1.4 miles, I had set my alarm for 6:20 since it wouldn't take long to run and we do these runs on the roads by the house. It was 45 degrees so a bit warmer than Monday morning's run but for some reason I had chose to wear a bit warmer shirt. Anyways, we ran 1.4 miles in 15:10 with an average pace of 10:49 min/mile so it was definitely around the pace I wanted - nice and easy and no elevation change.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:04
.4 - 10:13
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Our 11 Miler on the Trails
Still feeling sore from Thursday's race, I am hoping it will subside soon as I would hate to have to cancel the Holiday Streak. I got up just before 6 this morning, got dressed in a bit less clothing than the last week or so - it was only 43 degrees this time and I still ended up getting too warm. Rocky and I got to the trails at 6:30 and we were off, I was definitely feeling sore - the calves were the culprits and I know that has a lot to do with the race Thursday as they were frozen and I had to push so hard to keep them going. I had forgotten to eat a little something and so my stomach was seriously empty, and it did affect my run - I probably stopped once during every mile/lap.
Within the first 5 minutes of starting, we spooked 5 or 6 deer who took off into a thick brush area and in turn spooked what I am hoping was a Bobcat and not a Mountain Lion passing through our state. Rocky and I stood there for 3 minutes using our ears and eyesight trying to pinpoint where this angry predator was, only to finally set off on our run in hopes that we didn't run into it. The rest of the run went relatively well, short of being hungry and sore - right around 10 miles we ran into a loose dog, a boxer/husky mix who ended up being friendly but didn't feel like running with us.
We ran the 11 miles in 1:55:27 with an average pace of 10:29 min/mile, elevation gain of 155 feet and a loss of 153 feet.
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:52
Mile 2 - 10:28
Mile 3 - 10:46
Mile 4 - 10:39
Mile 5 - 10:17
Mile 6 - 10:23
Mile 7 - 10:23
Mile 8 - 10:20
Mile 9 - 10:53
Mile 10 - 10:18
Mile 11 - 10:05
So not a bad run, I actually felt slower than I was apparenlty going so that is a good thing. I had originally planned to run 8 miles up at Hoosier National Forest, to get a taste of the hills and elevation changes I will be expecting on June 14 but I don't think I will start training there until after January 25th's race, we'll just have to see though.
Within the first 5 minutes of starting, we spooked 5 or 6 deer who took off into a thick brush area and in turn spooked what I am hoping was a Bobcat and not a Mountain Lion passing through our state. Rocky and I stood there for 3 minutes using our ears and eyesight trying to pinpoint where this angry predator was, only to finally set off on our run in hopes that we didn't run into it. The rest of the run went relatively well, short of being hungry and sore - right around 10 miles we ran into a loose dog, a boxer/husky mix who ended up being friendly but didn't feel like running with us.
We ran the 11 miles in 1:55:27 with an average pace of 10:29 min/mile, elevation gain of 155 feet and a loss of 153 feet.
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:52
Mile 2 - 10:28
Mile 3 - 10:46
Mile 4 - 10:39
Mile 5 - 10:17
Mile 6 - 10:23
Mile 7 - 10:23
Mile 8 - 10:20
Mile 9 - 10:53
Mile 10 - 10:18
Mile 11 - 10:05
So not a bad run, I actually felt slower than I was apparenlty going so that is a good thing. I had originally planned to run 8 miles up at Hoosier National Forest, to get a taste of the hills and elevation changes I will be expecting on June 14 but I don't think I will start training there until after January 25th's race, we'll just have to see though.
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