2 Weeks Down, 14 Weeks to Go
The first 2 weeks of my marathon training has gone well. All my key runs were good, and I managed to run 30+ miles each week. I also got in 3 cross-training days each week, 2 on the bike, 1 in the pool. I would really like to be swimming at least twice a week, but if something’s going to give, that’s what it’s going to be. This Wednesday I leave for CA for 6 days to work at Stitches West. I did this event 2 years ago and it proved to be exhausting; I ate poorly; and I gained a good amount of weight. I’m hoping that it will go better this time around. My plan is to try to stay close to an East Coast sleeping schedule, which will mean not going out with everyone to eat after the show each night. This is going to be hard since that is one of the fun things about these events. I am cutting out my swimming for the week and only going to do 2 cross-training days. I need to simplify to get through it. Plus I’ve got a 17-miler which I will most likely be doing in the dark in an unfamiliar area. But I like an adventure.
On my long run today, I recorded a little audio every two miles. I’m not good at editing audio, so it’s not pretty. But once my long runs are over, my memory of it fades fast. This does not mean I have any plans of doing a podcast. I actually hate talking.
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And a few picts from the run this morning. 1) Look Park 2) End of the path to Easthampton 3) Why I don’t run on sidewalks when it’s dark
Marathon Training Begins
Today begins the official day of my marathon training for the Keybank Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, VT. This will be my first marathon. Two years ago I started running and I had no idea then that it would lead me to a marathon. My only plan at the time was to get my clothes to fit better and be able to run a local 5K. But now I’ve completed 16 races in the past 18 months: 7 5Ks, a 4-miler, 1 10K, 3 half marathons, 1 duathlon, a run leg of a triathlon, and 2 sprint triathlons. And I’ve found I truly love running.
I’ll be using the FIRST marathon training plan from the book Run Less Run Faster. It consists of 3 focused runs each week (intervals, tempo, and a long run), plus 2 non-weight bearing aerobic cross-training days (I’ll be biking), and then an optional day. This plan worked well for me for my two half marathons last fall, especially when that training overlapped my triathlon training. I can’t help but to have doubts as to how well this will work for a full marathon. Will my running mileage be too low? Of course my main goal is to just finish the race, happy. But I know I want to do a little better than just finish.
Time to fit in a ride this morning before work. Then I’m off to the pool after work, desperately trying to work on my swimming form so I don’t flail so much at the triathlons this summer. But I’ll leave the tri-talk for another time.
Hartford Half Marathon Race Report
I had a 14-mile long run planned for this weekend for my Philadelphia Half Marathon training plan. I signed up for the Hartford Half thinking it would just be part of my training run. But training has been going great and I thought I would run the race faster than my training pace and see what I could do. My previous half marathon time for the Iron Horse Half last May was 2:12:19 (10:06 pace). I’ve been using the 10:00 pace half marathon plan from Run Less, Run Faster since July.
I picked up my race packet Friday evening with my family. I like having everything set the night before a race. Though if I run this race again, I’ll just pick it up the morning of the race and skip the extra 2+ hours of driving down to Hartford and back. I got up a little after 4am Saturday morning to get my oatmeal and tea in me in plenty of time before the race start. I still hadn’t decided how I was going to deal with hydration/nutrition on the course and brought all of my options with me, way more stuff than I needed.
I got down to Hartford and parked by 6:15, plenty of time before the 8am start. I found an indoor bathroom and then walked around the park for a bit trying to figure out where everything was. Then back to the car to pack my checked bag and decided what to do about hydration/nutrition. I wore my Atalanta Commitment skirt with the awesome back pockets. So I ended up carrying an 8 oz bottle of water in one pocket, and my 4 oz gel flask in the other. I also wore my SpiBelt to carry my phone and other essentials, and attached my race number to the belt with the toggles I bought at the Expo the night before.
Since this was supposed to be a 14 mile run, I got in an easy mile warm up first. Then waited in a very slow-moving porta potty line and made it to the starting line with four minutes to spare. Weather was in the low 60s, cloudy, and kind of humid at the start. It could have been a little cooler, but mostly I was quite comfortable. I was back by the 4:45 marathon pacers and probably should have been up farther. The first mile was really crowded. I had never done a race with nearly this many people before. There was a lot of bumping and elbows, but fortunately no tripping. I did way more weaving in and around people than I wanted to.
Once we got to the bridge, the crowd spaced out a bit and I was able to get into a groove. After 2 miles, I noticed several runners turning right suddenly. I was a little confused until I passed them and realized it was just a bunch of men peeing in the bushes. Where was that pee patrol? Before the 4-mile mark, the marathoners split off from us and the crowd thinned out even more which was nice. At the 4-mile water stop, I filled up my water bottle again and sipped a little Gatorade. Going up the hill to the Founder’s Bridge I started feeling some cramping and slowed down. I was getting a little discouraged. Shortly after that I got a text from Bill saying “Run fast! Don’t fall over or get in a fight!†The laughing actually helped a bit. And after 5 miles when we turned onto Market St I saw a WNEC Law sign and noticed it was Erin holding it. She was supposed to be running the half but skipped since she’s recovering from an injury and is trying to get better for the Philly Marathon. It was great seeing a friendly face and getting a “Go Dena!â€. From there everything went more smoothly.
I did a couple of things differently for this race than the last half. I did not bring my iPod. I enjoyed listening to the different conversations along the way. And I enjoyed the music along the course too, but there wasn’t as much as I thought there would be. There were a number of hills, but all of them were short and not too steep, at least that’s how I remember them. I increased my cadence, but not my stride going up the hills. And instead of going all out down the hills, I increased my speed, but was more conservative and in control. The other big change was that I had a negative split, a significant one. My 10K split was 1:07:06 (10:47 pace). I had a 9:42 pace for the whole race, a huge difference.
By the end of the race I had drank 16 oz water, 2 oz of gel, and several sips of Gatorade at the water stations. That felt about the right amount. Though I did notice my skin seemed very salty. Ella even said when she kissed me later that I tasted salty. I never missed my iPod. Didn’t once think to myself “Why the hell am I doing this. Never again. I could be in bed right now.†And by the end of the race I still felt good and could keep going. It was a great way to end.
After the race I picked up my checked bag and put on my extra shirt and started drinking the bottle of Heed I mixed. Found an empty porta potty, no line. Wandered to the food and was pleased to see something other than dry bagels and orange slices. I had mac & cheese, apple crisp, soup, wild rice salad, and a giant oatmeal cookie. Then I stood in a long line for a massage which I enjoyed. But by that point I was shivering and couldn’t stay warm so made my way back to the car. Next time I will pack more clothes to wear after. I never did get my free beer.
Garmin distance and time: 13.22 miles in 02:06:49. So there was some weaving, and I probably started my watch too late too. Garmin mile splits: 9:52, 9:04, 9:37, 9:39, 10:04, 9:45, 9:50, 9:42, 9:35, 9:36, 9:41, 9:31, 8:55, 8:20 (last 0.22). Official final time was 02:07:03. 1968 out of 4068 finishers. 128 out of 399 in my age group. I am so very happy with this race.
To get ready for the Philadelphia Half Marathon in 6 weeks, I’m going to bump up my training to a 9:40 pace plan. And then for the race itself, I’ll focus on having a stronger first half, and seed myself at the start to more similarly paced runners. Otherwise, I think everything else is working out pretty well. My family is coming with me to Philadelphia and I’m super excited that they’ll be there. They haven’t been to my last 4 races.
Fall Race Season Begins
I’ll be running the last leg of the Great Josh Billings Runadground Triathlon on Sunday with Malea and Sage. Go Team WEBS! This will be my second 10K, the last one was the Get Your Rear in Gear in Texas last March. My time there was 59:13 and I was thrilled I finished in under an hour. I’m hoping to get a new 10K PR, but with the hills at the end of this race, I have no idea what to expect. I’ll be waiting for Malea and Sage to finish their legs and timing my warmup will be tricky. Plus I’m going straight to the race after sleeping two nights in a tent. But whatever happens, it’ll be lots of fun.
Why I love to Run
Recently a friend asked me why I like to run. This got me thinking about why I started and how there are many more reasons why I continue now. Two years ago I wanted to start running so I could do the Hot Chocolate Run in town. I had started and stopped couch to 5K programs multiple times that year, never getting very far into the program. Life always seemed to get in the way and it was easy to come up with excuses. I never got around to signing up for the race and by race time I wasn’t prepared anyway. Now it was winter, it was the holidays, and I didn’t belong to a gym anymore. So the most active I was for the next few months was when I was shoveling. By the end of the winter, it was clear I was going to have to do something, otherwise I’d have to buy a new wardrobe. Everything was tight.
So that was my big motivator. And my goal was to be able to do the Hot Chocolate Run that year. I was determined not to give up this time. I started another couch to 5K program (again) in April. Slow going at first, but I kept at it. By July, I started putting my training plan on my calendar and that helped me be more consistent. I also noticed around that same time, I started loosing some weight. Then finally by August I was able to run 30 minutes without stopping. This was a huge milestone. Running got a lot more fun after that point. Sort of spur of the moment, I signed up for the Smith College Fall Fit 5K, a low key local race. I could do the distance and thought it would take the pressure off the Hot Chocolate Run in December. I only told a couple people I was doing it, still doubting myself. But I finished it and didn’t feel like I was going to die at the end either.
I continued running through the fall using a beginner 5K program, though weekly miles were only about 8 each week. It felt so good to finally be able to do the Hot Chocolate Run. I improved my time by 2 1/2 minutes and was thrilled. But soon after the race, my runs dropped to about 1 a week. I guess I really needed a future race to keep me motivated. In January, I signed up for my first 10K and started a 10K training plan to get ready. And that’s when I really started to get into running and was looking forward to a lifetime of running.
So here is why I like to run.
• I can eat more pie.
• I enjoy the feeling of running as fast as I can.
• My body doesn’t jiggle as much as it used to.
• It’s fun to push my body further than it’s ever gone before.
• I have better endurance so I can go on longer bike rides.
• I’m discovering lots of interesting podcasts such as 4 Feet Running, The Runners Round Table and Run Run Live.
• I love data, and there are lots of numbers I can collect from my runs. Too much fun.
• It’s a great, portable workout I can take anywhere I travel.
• I like to motivate others to be active.
• I actually enjoy being outside now, even when it’s raining. But I still don’t like wind.
• Running gives me a chance to see a lot more of my town and neighborhood than I would see otherwise.
• It makes me feel better when I’m angry or frustrated or sad.
• It’s a great way to enjoy my favorite fast and loud music.
• When I run first thing in the morning, I feel so much better about my day.
• It makes me feel strong.
• It makes me happy.
And I plan to continue to run well into my 80s.
Whately Police Triathlon Race Report
I was originally planning to do my first triathlon with my SIL Jenn in Portland, but Whately race was so close to home I thought I couldn’t pass it up. It would be good practice. My goal was to finish, have fun, and maybe learn something. I definitely accomplished all three of those.
I kind of didn’t want to wash off my number.
It couldn’t have been nicer weather. 60s at the start and the water temp was 71°. I got there well over an hour before the start of the race so I had plenty of time to set up my transition area. Someone noted how organized my transition area was. If they knew me, that wouldn’t be very surprising. I told them at least that was one thing I had control over. While setting up transition, I was very surprised to discover my Garmin 405 had frozen at 10:34 pm and there was nothing I could do about it. I’m so used to at least having some kind of watch. This sort of forced me just go by feel and have fun. I had no idea of how much time was passing through any of the race. While talking to other people, I did come across a few other first timers. But I also noticed I was only one of two people who didn’t have a road bike. And I’m sure I was the only one with a kickstand and bell on their bike. Well at least I don’t have streamers on my handlebars anymore. I also had a little wetsuit envy. I got the feeling most of these folks had done a triathlon before, probably many times. But finally two familiar faces. Sage and Furn showed up, and Sage parked her bike next to mine which was nice.
There were 6 relay teams, and 101 individuals racing, 38 of which were women. You could say it was kind of intimate with only 3 racks in the transition area. The men went out in the first wave 3 minutes before the women. We started in the water up to our calfs/knees. While waiting for our wave, someone got nudged by a turtle and freaked her out a bit. I managed to avoid the wildlife. The temperature of the water didn’t bother me a bit (probably my biggest fear before testing the water last week was being too cold). When it was time to go I was able to start right away. I didn’t have to worry about getting kicked in the head since I was way back. I tried a few freestyle strokes and then immediately went to my crazy breathing state and switched to breaststroke. It wasn’t until I turned around at the half way point that I was able to control my breathing so I could attempt more freestyle. I managed to go the rest of the way with intervals of freestyle, resting with breaststroke and backstroke. Through the whole swim I was near Sage which was kind of comforting.
Near the edge of the beach I stood up whipping off my goggles/cap and ran to my bike. Super easy to find it since there weren’t many left at that point. I managed not to tip over while trying to get on my shoes and socks. Now I totally understand the appeal of speed laces and wish I had a pair. I ate a little banana, had some water and was good to go. There was a longish transition to run through with the bike before getting to the road. Glad I didn’t have bike shoes for this part. Furn was just a bit up ahead of me and stayed so for most of the bike portion. There was one other woman in our mini-pack throughout the race too. With the excitement of T1 I went out a little fast. But since I was familiar with the course I was able to get back on track so I had enough energy to tackle the quite hilly bit of the route right after you cross 91, after mile 4. The reward of getting through the hills was being able to ride down the windy portion on Westbrook Rd by the very pretty creek. I didn’t push myself too hard on the bike. I was shooting for comfort. But by the time I was running my bike into T2, my legs were telling me I had been doing some work on the bike. Kind of rubbery.
T2 was pretty fast. The only thing that held me up was my race skirt. Apparently when I had pinned my number to the skirt, I pinned the front and back of the skirt together. Kind of makes it difficult to put on. So there was some repinning to do before I could get going. The first 3/4 mile my legs felt heavy and it sounded like I was just plodding along. But then I got into a good rhythm and felt better. Unfortunately by the half way point, my left foot went numb and I couldn’t really feel it. I guess the ankle strap might have been a little tight. Don’t know how else to explain it. Just kept moving. Since the course was an out-and-back, I could see there weren’t many runners left behind me. Once I got to the lake I knew I only had a 1/4 mile left and pushed it, finishing comfortably strong. I actually got a little teary as I crossed the finish line. Not something I usually do.
I was hoping to finish in under two hours. Final time was 1 hour 48 min and 55 seconds. So even though I was at the back of the pack, I’m super happy with my time. Got some food and water and waited for Sage and Furn to come in so I could cheer them on. It was a good race and it seemed well organized. Everyone was supportive and helpful to a newbie like me. I’m really looking forward to the next triathlon coming up. I’d love to cut off 2 minutes from my swim. That means I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m not shipping my bike, so it’ll be interesting to see what bike I end up with. But best of all, I get to do it with Jenn. It’ll be her first triathlon.
Final Times: Swim 20:43, T1 2:15, Bike 57:19, T2 1:02, Run 27:38.
Garmin Forerunner 405 Review
Well, I’ve been using my new Garmin Forerunner 405 since mid-May. I’ve been meaning to write a review sooner, but life has happened.
Earlier this year I started to run more than 2-3 miles eat a time and wanted an easier way to calculate my distance and pace. Mid-January I got a Nike+, basically because I wanted something but didn’t want to spend too much since I still wasn’t sure how committed to running I was. The Nike+ is cheap. I used it with my kids’ Nano. But I had issues with the Nike+: figuring out how to carry the Nano was always tricky; adjusting volume, or skipping a song, or checking current pace was difficult without messing with my workout; and it wasn’t very accurate even with re-calibration.
As I got closer to the half marathon, I new how committed I was to running, and how much I enjoyed it. REI’s Anniversary Sale was perfect timing. The new Garmin Forerunners had come out by then, and REI had a couldn’t pass up sale on the Garmin Forerunner 405 with heart rate monitor. So mid-May, I finally had my own new fancy GPS watch.
And I love it. I have a math background, with a statistical emphasis, and I’m crazy about data and numbers. Running has been a ton of fun, but now it’s even more fun. There’s so much I like about my Garmin. The size/weight has not been an issue as I feared. It’s not petite. But I’m able to tighten it enough that it doesn’t bounce around. I do have quite a tan line forming, but I don’t care a bit. The other problem I’ve read about the watch is the bezel. But it’s been working for me. I’m mostly used to navigating through the menus by now. And I haven’t had problems with accidently stopping or pausing a workout. It has three separate views of data fields (in addition to the heart rate view) and are totally customizable. I’ve found that having one with lap pace/lap time/lap distance, one with avg pace/total time/total distance and one with current speed/total time/total distance works great for me. The current pace while running seems to fluctuate way too much and just makes me anxious. The lap pace is the view I use the most while running. I have it set up to lap at each mile. So it’s been easy to see if I’m on pace for each mile as I’m running.
I’ve tried to use the interval feature but find that I don’t have the same flexibility when it comes to views. But I can start a new lap by the press of a button. So recently when I did a track workout (400 m with jog intervals in between) I could press the lap button at the beginning and end of each 400 m lap and be able to see all of my splits for each 400 m and each rest interval. Very nice.
The Garmin also has a biking mode which I’ve been using. I think the only difference between the two is that it’ll calculate your calories differently. While biking, I’ll use the current speed view since I don’t have a bike computer. I’m so new to biking that this works for me. But I can imagine adding the cadence accessory some day, once that’s something I think I need to keep track of.
I’ve only used the heart rate monitor once. It took a little getting used to having the strap around my chest. But after a mile or two, I didn’t notice it. I mostly pay attention to my breathing. I know how it sounds when my heart rate is getting to the top. I’m not sure how much I’m going to use the monitor. I think it would be nice to periodically use it for a 10min/mile test and see how my fitness is increasing as I train more.
I know there’s a lot more I can do with the Garmin that I haven’t tried, geocaching and uploading planned routes to the watch are a couple I can think of off the top of my head. I also haven’t taken the time to figure out how to upload workouts to any of the training logs I use. I’ve been using Garmin Connect to view the maps of my workouts. It’s so much fun to see the maps, especially if I’ve been out of town (a lot lately) or taking a crazy route. It’s easy to read all of my data from the workout, splits/heart rate/pace.
So I’m super happy that I got the Garmin. I love the instant feedback as I run. And it’s great to just head out the door and run, and not have to map it out ahead of time.
Finished Project-Capstone Sweater
Project Specs:
Pattern: Designed by me for the WEBS Expert Knitter Program.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, color 203
Needles: US 3
Size: 36″
My Ravelry Link
It feels so good to have the sweater finished. Even though I had 5 months to work on it, I carefully created a schedule back in January of when I needed to finish each component, I finished it on the due date, only a few hours to spare. What can I say, I’m really good at procrastinating.
There are things I would do differently if I did it over again, but overall, I’m really happy with the sweater. It feels like it’s me.
Garlic Lime Butter
Not much too this recipe, combine the following:
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp coarse salt
8 Tbls butter, softened
So far we’ve put it on steak, potatoes, broccoli, fiddlehead ferns, quesadillas, migas…I think there were other things. Someone mentioned it would be good on fresh sweet corn. That’s for sure. I think we need to keep a batch of this made up all summer long.
Yarn Frenzy
It was once again amazing watching the excitement of the WEBS Tent Sale this year. I especially enjoyed every time more FREE YARN was put out, gone in a flash.
