running: the dawn

Welp…I’m in the car blogging from my phone. How technologically advanced of me right? Well, I’ve decided that its time for me to get serious about training. In fact I made that decision last Sunday when I headed out for what would be my first long run in 6 months.

I’ve made several running friends since moving to our new community. In fact I’ve convinced 2 people to sign up for the marathon I’m running in February! However, since I have been struggling with motivation, I have been considering switching from the full to the half. Last weekend I was sharing my discouragement with my running buddies and they both (together and seperately) refused to let me wriggle my way out of my commitment. Like loudy. Persuasively.

Internally I decided that unless I could run 10 miles on Sunday, I would have to give up my hopes of running a full marathon. Then, Saturday night I spent some time working on my training schedule and saw that I had originally planned on running 13 that week. Then I decided that I might as well give it a go …and if I couldn’t run 13, I’d be happy with 10.

I set my garmin for 13 and started out. It was a brutal run. Slow. Ugly. It was 80 degrees and sunny. I carried water and some gels that weren’t Gu’s. My stomach wasn’t happy. My legs weren’t happy. But, I made it. 13 miles on sheer determination. It has been a long time since I’ve been able to “will” myself to run. I feel like I’ve been sitting around waiting to feel like running and I’ve forgotten that I have the choice.

Since my run last Sunday I have felt a switch come on (finally). I feel ready to tackle my training, not just suffer through it. I’m ready to find ways to balance my new life with my desire to run. I’m ready to face my lost fitness and slowly build it back up. In that spirit, here are this weeks workouts:

Sunday–13 miles
Monday–5 miles
Tuesday–rest/travel
Wednesday–3
Thursday–11 miles (5 at a race)
Friday–rest

Total Mileage: 32 miles

Tomorrow I am running 15. Should be nice and painful. Good times!

I usually do my end of the week wrap up on Fridays, but this weekend I was gifted with a wonderful visit from my parents.  Which was WAY more fun than sitting down and typing out all my workouts from last week.  But I don’t want to forget… so here we go:

This week’s workouts:

Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 3 miles & Jazzercise
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 7 miles & Jazzercise
Friday: 3 miles

Total: 22 miles

Hurray for a successful week!  I’m so happy that I was able to get a run in every day.  Seriously, that hasn’t happened in FOREVER.

So, the truth is that I don’t actually have access to a real-life Jazzercise class.  Which means that I cheated.  I still have all of my old dvd’s from when I was an instructor (that’s how we all learn the routines ).  I just pop one in and dance up a sweat.  Full Disclosure: this is no where near as much fun as being in an actual class with friends, but it’s the only way I can get in some good cross training.  Especially since it was still 100+ degrees every. single. day.

Random Thought: I just saw an ipad commercial where someone was using it in place of a cookbook.  I’ve always dreamed of my perfect kitchen with some sort of snap-in device where I could mount my ipad (which I currently don’t own…but assume that I will someday…).  I actually do most (if not all) my cooking with my laptop propped on a near by shelf with the recipe from my favorite food blog (101cookbooks.com) on display.  Someday this will be a disaster.  I’m sure of it.

During my training for Boston this spring, I got away from recording my weekly workouts, and I’m not entirely sure why.  I do know that once I stopped looking at my week’s accomplishments, I lost quite a bit of motivation to complete my scheduled workouts and hit my short-term targets.

So, I’m back with my weekly fitness recaps.  It’s a bit strange, however, because I’m usually counting down to some race …and right now…I’m just running.  Without a goal.  Which has been WAY harder than I anticipated.  I guess for now, I’m just going to count up.  Starting now.  The first week of July.  We’ll see where I end up down the road…

This week’s workouts.  Ok, so this is where I’m going to have to brace myself…cause my mileage and commitment levels are so low that I’m feeling really embarrassed by my lack of activity.  But, I have to start somewhere right?  So, here goes nothing….

• Monday– at the lake…does bobbing in the water, holding on to a fun noodle count as working out?
• Tuesday–driving back from the lake…
• Wednesday–5 miles
• Thursday–nothing, no excuse, just didn’t get out and run.  I did set up my treadmill, as though I was going to run…I’m guessing that’s in the same category as the fun noodles…
• Friday–5 miles

100 day until the Boston Marathon!

I should be in bed.  But since it’s been three weeks since I last posted my training stats, I knew I HAD to get this done.

This Week:
Sunday: Insanity
Monday: 13 miles
Tuesday: Jazzercise & Insanity
Wednesday: 6 miles; 4×800′s
Thursday: Jazzercise
Friday: 7 miles; 5@ 8:14

Total Mileage: 26

Hmmph.  Not sure what to do with that low number.  I’m going to have to “trust the system” and believe that this training plan will do good things for me just like the ones with higher weekly mileage.

Today’s run almost didn’t happen.  I was at work WAY later than I wanted to be.  Then there was so much that I wanted to do around the house before the weekend.  As I was driving home I had this text exchange with Mr. Dawn:

D- “I’m screwed.”

Mr. D- “?”

D- “I’m just now leaving work. Supposed to run, but there isn’t going to be enough time.”

Mr. D- “Run, don’t worry about the house.”

D- “I could run tomorrow night.”

Mr. D- “I’ll get food.  You run.”

He ended up picking up groceries, fixing dinner, cleaning the kitchen and making my life 100% better.

I may have been looking for a way out of this run.  I get scared whenever I have a tempo run on the agenda.  I’m not fast.  I’m not good at running fast.  Especially on a treadmill.  I feel clumsy and overheated.  But with all of my excuses swept away I had no choice but to face the beast.  Turns out that I had a great run.  The first mile was a little awkward as I warmed up and found my rhythm.  Somewhere around 3/4 of a mile I knew that it was going to be a good run.  I cranked up the belt and didn’t look back.  All of a sudden the five miles were done and I was cooling down.

Goodness.  I need to get back into the habit of doing my weekly recap on Fridays like I used to.  Waiting the few extra days really does mess with my memory…

Here’s what I’m pretty sure happened:

Sunday: 15 miles in the snow
Monday: Jazzercise & Insanity
Tuesday: 7.5 miles & Insanity; meant to to 6 miles, but was enjoying myself too much to stop
Wednesday: 1 mile & Insanity; yeah…I must have used all my good running energy on Tuesday, cause I just didn’t have it in me
Thursday: 6 miles, Jazzercise & Insanity
Friday: 10.5 miles & Insanity

Total Miles: 40

I really had several make it or break it moments this past week….I don’t understand how my running emotions could be on such a roller coaster.  Tuesday, I was just running on my treadmill having a great time watching Glee and Biggest Loser.  Then Wednesday there was absolutely nothing I could do to motivate, bribe, or reason my way into running more than that one measly mile.  I had no interest in running.  Period.  Then on Friday, it was so beautiful outside: sunny and 38*.  I was able to get 10 miles in right after work.  I swear, every time I think I’ve got myself figured out something unexpected happens and I feel like I’m back at square one.

Meanwhile, I was tagged again, by Marcia at Running off at the Mouth to answer another set of questions.  So here we go!

Here are your questions:
1. How did you start running?

I used to run a little when I played basketball in highschool and the first few years of college.  I did not enjoy it one bit!  Then, come my senior year, I needed one more “activity” credit in order to graduate, and the only one that would fit with my schedule was a “Running for Everyone” class at 7am.  Needless to say, I didn’t always wake up early enough to make it to the group run (which is really all the class was), so I needed some extra credit.  The instructor was training for a local half marathon the week before graduation and invited people who needed to earn point to run with him on the weekends.  We had to run for a full hour to get the extra credit.  Through that process I decided that I might as well run the half, since I was “training” with him.  I still remember the first time I ran for 45 minutes without stopping, the first time I ran 6 miles, and every step of that first half marathon (in the pouring rain).

2. If you could run just one more race, which one would it be?

Boston.  Which I am.  In exactly 126 days.

3. What’s your favorite post-race treat?

Pizza with green olives.  That’s all I ever want after a race.  And some root beer.

4. What’s your favorite distance and why?

I both love and fear the marathon the most.  I enjoy running halfs, have a hard time taking 5 and 10k’s very seriously cause I know I’m not fast…but I am completely enchanted by the Marathon.  After Boston, I look forward to running some marathons for fun rather than speed so that I can “make nice” with the distance that is so punishing.

5. What’s on tap for 2011?

Right now?  Just Boston, April 18.  I’m toying with the idea of another spring race.  I’d love to do the Holy Half Marathon again, but its the week before Boston…which makes me nervous, but it’s a great race and I love the course.

I’m trying to get down in writing last week’s workout information before I totally forget it.  Especially since I just finished my long run for this week.  Don’t want to get all my numbers mixed up…

This week:
Sunday: 12 miles & Insanity
Monday: oops…rest?
Tuesday: 8 miles & Insanity
Wednesday: 5 miles & Insanity
Thursday: 7 miles & Insanity
Friday: 4 miles & Insanity

Total Mileage: 36

Now, to be completely fair and honest, I did do Insanity this week, but according to the schedule it was my “recovery” week for that particular program.  Their prescribed recovery week includes doing a “Cardio Core and Balance” dvd each day.  I missed Monday.  Oops.

Truth be told, I’m a little worried.  I’ve talked to several people who’ve done the Insanity program before, some multiple times, and they say that the second month feels like starting back at square one.  The intervals increase by 50% and therefore the overall workout is longer.  So, this comes at a time where I’m also building up my mileage…perfect.

Basically, I just got done running 15 miles in a mild blizzard and now I’m supposed to pull myself together enough to do 45 minutes with Sean T.  Hmmmm.  We’ll see if that happens.  I really do want to stick to the program.  I have been curious about plyometrics and specifically the Insanity program and I feel like I can’t really formulate a complete opinion unless I’ve followed their instructions.  I have already noticed some marked improvement in my core strength, hip strength and overall leg power all of which I believe will help me stay injury free.  So, yeah.  I’m going to do it…I just might complain about it more…

So I have two more weeks until Christmas Break!  I’m so excited!!!

I dub this week a success.  I got in the miles and didn’t skip any Insanity!  Hurray.  The 5k (that wasn’t really a 5k) went off without too much pain and a happy Thanksgiving was had by all.

This week’s workouts:
Sunday: Insanity
Monday: 10 miles & Insanity
Tuesday: 6 miles, Insanity & Jazzercise
Wednesday: 5 miles & Insanity
Thursday 5.5 miles & Insanity
Friday: 5 miles & Insanity

Total Mileage:  31.5

Ok, so about those hills that I mentioned yesterday.  I was going to put all of my thoughts about hills as of late into the race report, but that made it way WAY too long.  So I decided to devote today’s end-of-the-week thoughts to hills.

Ever since I qualified for Boston, I’ve been thinking about hills.  Hills, hills, hills.  I know that Boston is a challenging course for the brutal hills especially (but not limited to) miles 17-21.  Particularly Heartbreak Hill.  I want to know as much about these obstacles as I can so that when the day comes and I get to face them I will be up for the challenge and will not be defeated.  To that end, I checked out the book 26 Miles to Boston, a mile-by-mile account of the most famous marathon in the world.  It’s written from the perspective of a first time marathoner but includes a lot of historical information about important landmarks along the way and the course subtleties that we will face along the way.  There are quotes from former champions and stories throughout the generations that really bring the race to life,  both past and present.

It just so happens that on Wednesday while we were driving to my in-law’s house I was reading (well, at least when I was not napping) the chapters that cover the most brutal part of the race: the Newton Hills.  I devoured these chapters, re-reading the sections about the hills over and over to try to squeeze as much information from them as I could.  Here are some of the best quotes I found,

The first of the three Commonweath Avenue hills is like the first punch to the face of the runner: If you’re still standing, you may proceed to the next hill.

It is impossible to do justice to the stature of the three Commonwealth Avenue hills with verbose prose.  The truth of the hills is better described by the beholders: Four-time winner Bill Rogers: “This is the most significant stretch of course in the road-racing world…there is no other section that identifies the challenge and beauty of marathoning more than this section of the Boston Marathon.”  Jean Driscoll: “The marathon is won and lost on the hills.  Those who fear the hills will falter, while those who attack the hills can win”

For me, the second hill exceeds the others in difficulty.  The first hill is attacked with great zest after the turn at the fire station.  Running up heartbreak hill is a battle within the war.  The second one just hurts.

With the fans at the top pulling and the fans behind them pushing, the runners scale to the peak of Heartbreak Hill.  For four tenths of a mile, teeth are gritted and fists are clenched until somehow the runners arrive in the Promised Land.

And it was with all of these words ringing in my head that I faced the hills of my little trail race yesterday.  Granted, none of them where of the same caliber that I will experience at Boston, but something about the description of those famous hills and the tales of people overcoming them year after year inspired me to “attack” the hills of my little Turkey Trot rather than “fear” them.  Up the first (and longest) of the hills I just kept visualizing what it was going to be like facing that first incline after running 16+ miles.  I tried to mentally capture my attitude and “learn” the feeling of attack so that when I need to tap into that in the future I will know where to look.  The second and third hills where similar.  I kept thinking, “how am I going to feel at Heartbreak Hill?  How do I want to run it?  What mental strength do I want to have?  What will be the best way to attack it?”  And then I just gutted it out.  I was SO inspired…I can’t really describe it any other way.

Now if I could just find a way to bottle my new found attraction to hills so I’ll have it in 20 weeks or so…

Ok, so I know I’ve been MIA for several days.  Mr. Dawn and I went away for the weekend and I thought that I’d have internet.  Turns out: nope!  But it really was a blessing in disguise.  I was able to enjoy everything about the weekend and pour myself into spending time with dear friends that we don’t get to see often.  We played games, watched hockey, played more games, ate yummy Indian food, and learned how to press honey (our friend keeps bees and let us enjoy the rich flavors of raw honey).  All in all, it was a fabulous weekend and the perfect get-away!

Before I forget last week’s numbers:

Sunday: 8 miles & Insanity
Monday: Insanity & Jazzercise
Tuesday: 6 miles, Insanity, & Jazzercise
Wednesday: 4 miles & Insanity
Thursday: 6 miles & Jazzercise
Friday: nothing

Total miles: 24

If you look closely enough you’ll see that I missed two full days of Insanity.  Yes, it has been haunting me.  With so much going on getting ready to leave for the weekend and grading and running, I just wasn’t able to fit it in.  The chart on my fridge with the two missed workouts stares at me daily.  But, such is life and now I will just move on.

After we got back from our fabulous weekend yesterday I had so much laundry and cleaning to do that I didn’t get my long run in.  Which means I got to do it today!  And guess what?  It was raining all day!  I took this as a blessing because with all the reading I’ve been doing about Boston the one warning that I’ve heard over and over again is to be prepared for any and all weather circumstances.  I know that I’ll get in some winter snow/sleet runs, but wasn’t sure if I’d get any rain this late in the fall.  I did 10 miles and it felt really good once I started.  I did get dumped on near the end when a huge thunderstorm moved in.  Mr. Dawn graciously came to pick me up so I didn’t have to walk the 1.5 miles to my front door (I always have a cool-down walk before I get to my house).

The weekend did throw off my sleep schedule and I’m hoping to correct that tonight and get some good sleep in early, so that I can get back on track with waking up early.

One more day of work til Thanksgiving Break!!!!  Hurray!

I can tell that it is the end of the week because of the tension I feel between my shoulder blades.  All in all, I feel 100% better about this week then last.

This week’s workouts:
Sunday: Insanity & 6 miles
Monday: Insanity & Jazzercise
Tuesday: Insanity & Jazzercise
Wednesday: Insanity & 4 miles
Thursday: Insanity & Jazzercise
Friday: Insanity & 5 miles

Total Miles: 15

I am happy to report that I felt no pain or tightness behind my knee on my run today.  I’m pretty sure that it was just a result of a super tight hamstring.  I’ve been stretching that out at every opportunity.  Another suggestion was that maybe something I’m doing has slightly changed my stride (thanks ERG at Elkton Runner!) and that got me to thinking.  The only thing that I did differently on that run was consciously hold my pace in the prescribed “recovery” zone of 9:30-10:00 minutes per mile.  Since I’ve gotten used to running at a faster pace I started to wonder if that would have changed my stride enough to effect my knee.  I’m not completely sure, but I decided to not restrain myself as much when I went running today and it felt much better.  Hmmm…I’ll have to see what that means going forward with my recovery pace…

I watched an interesting video today from Marathon Nation: Marathon Nation: Post Race Analysis. Basically he lays out a way to try to be objective about your “marathon story” so that you can learn and improve your racing techniques.  He describes how we all tend to “fill in the gaps” in our race story.  As we tell our story over and over again it becomes similar to a work of fiction with the highs and lows dramatized for effect.  Then we end up with a useless tale that doesn’t really help us to move forward or make the improvements in our training and racing.

He suggests that you write out each mile starting with mile 6 (because 1-5 are where you warm up, go too fast/slow, still feel the adrenaline) along with the split and the elevation information for the course.  Then add anecdotal information like where you took gels/water/sports drink, where you felt a head wind, etc.  Then you can more objectively see how the elements effected your pace.  You can identify trouble spots and see what else was going on to try to overcome that same lull in your pace during the next race.

And so I did, I mean that’s why I have a Garmin and all the stats that go with it, right?  But first a couple things.  I’m actually mad that I didn’t turn off the auto lap.  Since Garmins are always a little off the course mile markers I don’t like that my splits aren’t lined up with the actual miles.  Note to self: self-lap during the next race.  Then I struggle to find enough range in my mile times.  My slowest mile was 8:30, and my fastest mile (not including the kick during the last mile) was 8:14.  That’s only a 16 second difference.  Still, it has been interesting to me to write out my marathon like a timeline.  To see it all together actually helps me feel more connected to the race and what happened that day.  It’s an awesome exercise for anyone who has finished their fall marathon and has lingering questions or frustrations with their race.

Happy Weekend!  And good luck to everyone racing!

Ugh.  What a week.  This week will be filed under the “barely survived” as opposed to the “lived to the fullest.”  Each and every day I felt like I was just getting by moment by moment.  I wasn’t able to look ahead.  I didn’t even have time to make a to do list let alone accomplish anything that would have been on it.  But it’s over and done with.

In the area of exercise and fitness I must say that I did not do accomplish what I wanted.  Especially with this being my first week back to running, I really wanted to log closer to 20 miles.  My actual total is embarrassingly shy of that goal.  But for better or worse, here’s what I was up to:

This week’s workouts:
Sunday: 4 miles & Insanity Fit Test
Monday: Insanity
Tuesday: Insanity
Wednesday: 4 miles & Insanity
Thursday: Insanity & Jazzercise
Friday: Insanity

Total Miles: 8

My goal for this coming week (and the next 5, really) is to get up in the morning to get the Insanity done with, leaving my evenings for running.  Hopefully with the time change, that will be more reasonable.  I need to start building my base back up.  And aside from the “need” I feel the pull to be running more.  I miss it!  In the three weeks since the marathon I’ve fallen off the running bandwagon and really feel like I’m not longer part of the club.  That makes my heart sad.

Today we got the first snow of the season!  I actually love winter.  And I love running in the winter.  Aside from how long it takes me to suit up for the elements, there’s something so peaceful about running around with the ground covered in a blanket of white.  I prefer running in snow than rain.  Granted, my winter running gear is still not complete.  I need a pair of running tights and a good jacket so I don’t have to wear 45 layers, but I have enough to get by and Christmas is coming, right?

Mr. Dawn’s birthday is tomorrow!!!!!   We started our celebration tonight with veggie fajitas and his requested Kit-kat birthday dessert (which was literally just a Kit-kat with candles in it!) in lieu of cake.  He has to work tomorrow night so we decided to celebrate a little early.