The VCM website breaks my performance down into different categories. Not bad statistics for running a sub-ideal race :)
Result in Entire Field - 756th place
1625 finishers behind. About 32% of finishers ahead.
Result in Gender (Female) - 170th place
759 finishers behind. About 18% of finishers ahead.
Result in Division (F2529) - 40th place
158 finishers behind. About 20% of finishers ahead.
FACTS
Who's who: Of the 2381 who finished, 39% were female and 61% were male.
Opposite Sex: For the record, you were ahead of about 60% of male finishers.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Just not my day...
So I think I am finally ready to write the race report from Sunday’s Vermont City Marathon. I appreciate all the e-mails I have received before the race wishing me luck and after the race to see how it went. It means so much that so many people care!
To start, Burlington was great! It was the first time I have been up there and what a beautiful, fun city! Bryan and I headed up on Saturday and met my parents and in-laws late afternoon. We headed into town, walked around Church Street and Lake Champlain waterfront and then headed to dinner. We had a great meal outside on Church Street and my family all got Ben and Jerry’s for dessert….I just had a taste :(
Race day…..it could not have been a more beautiful day outside…..for everything BUT running 26.2 miles. It was perfectly sunny and looking to warm up to almost 70 degrees by noon….yikes! I got up early, ate, stretched, and headed down to the start….I was feeling pretty good. I warmed up and was ready to go!
The first couple miles felt good…nice and easy as I settled into my pace of 8:20-8:25 and tried to get comfortable. I saw my family at mile 3 and I was feeling good. Miles 4-8 were a lonely out and back on a highway. I started drinking water/Gatorade early knowing it was going to be a hot one. At mile 5 I took some water and immediately my stomach started cramping. This wasn’t good….from this point on something just felt off. I knew I needed to keep drinking, but every time I put something in my mouth I would cramp up. Mentally this stretch of the course started getting to me so it was great to see my family again at mile 8.5.
I was able to hold my BQ pace until about mile 14, but I knew long before then that it just wasn’t my day. Mile 15 was the Assault on Battery Hill, the course’s famous hill with these cool drummers at the base to help push you up. You could hear them coming from ½ mile away! I saw my family towards the top of the hill and shook my head to let them know things weren’t clicking.
From this point on, my pace would continue to drop with every mile. I kept looking at my Garmin and watching the average pace tick slower and slower…..8:23…..8:27…..8:35….when would it stop?? Even though I continued drinking (and cramping up), I don’t think I was getting enough fluids in me. At one point around mile 17 I remember actually getting the chills and thinking “this is not a good sign!” Mile 21 brought a steep downhill to get us to the bike path along Lake Champlain (gorgeous!!). My quads were already shot so I took it as fast as I could to get it over with. The last 4.5 miles were a struggle with some walk breaks to keep my quads and left calf from completely cramping up....dehydration?? (good news is my hip and shin felt great!). I was hurting and mentally just wanted this to be over.
I mustered the energy to finish as strong as possible and crossed the finish line in 3:51:59 (average pace = 8:50)……still an almost 6 minute PR, but no where near what my goals were. I haven’t even looked at my Garmin to see my miles splits…..not sure if I ever will. I know I crashed and burned in those last 10 miles…I don’t need a GPS unit to tell me that!
I’m not one to make excuses for my performance…..bottom line is that it just wasn’t my day and I didn’t run the best race I know I am capable of. Sure there are a few factors that contributed to this, but no one thing caused it. In the span of 26.2 miles, a lot of things can happen…..its just part of the game! What makes real marathoners is the courage and drive to get back out there and do it again.
Before the race, I took a picture of my Grandpa and taped it to the back of my bib number. Many times during that last 10k I thought about him and asked him to help me through this. I was hoping to carry him to a BQ…..next time Gramps!
A huge thanks goes out to my parents and in-laws for their support and enthusiastic cheering squad! And of course I couldn’t have done this without my husband there….he is proud of me no matter how I race and that means the world to me!
A PR is a PR and I should be proud of my time. I have many more races ahead of me and having sub-par ones makes me appreciate the great ones better!! I’ll post pictures as soon as people send them to me (hint hint Mom and Maureen!).
To start, Burlington was great! It was the first time I have been up there and what a beautiful, fun city! Bryan and I headed up on Saturday and met my parents and in-laws late afternoon. We headed into town, walked around Church Street and Lake Champlain waterfront and then headed to dinner. We had a great meal outside on Church Street and my family all got Ben and Jerry’s for dessert….I just had a taste :(
Race day…..it could not have been a more beautiful day outside…..for everything BUT running 26.2 miles. It was perfectly sunny and looking to warm up to almost 70 degrees by noon….yikes! I got up early, ate, stretched, and headed down to the start….I was feeling pretty good. I warmed up and was ready to go!
The first couple miles felt good…nice and easy as I settled into my pace of 8:20-8:25 and tried to get comfortable. I saw my family at mile 3 and I was feeling good. Miles 4-8 were a lonely out and back on a highway. I started drinking water/Gatorade early knowing it was going to be a hot one. At mile 5 I took some water and immediately my stomach started cramping. This wasn’t good….from this point on something just felt off. I knew I needed to keep drinking, but every time I put something in my mouth I would cramp up. Mentally this stretch of the course started getting to me so it was great to see my family again at mile 8.5.
I was able to hold my BQ pace until about mile 14, but I knew long before then that it just wasn’t my day. Mile 15 was the Assault on Battery Hill, the course’s famous hill with these cool drummers at the base to help push you up. You could hear them coming from ½ mile away! I saw my family towards the top of the hill and shook my head to let them know things weren’t clicking.
From this point on, my pace would continue to drop with every mile. I kept looking at my Garmin and watching the average pace tick slower and slower…..8:23…..8:27…..8:35….when would it stop?? Even though I continued drinking (and cramping up), I don’t think I was getting enough fluids in me. At one point around mile 17 I remember actually getting the chills and thinking “this is not a good sign!” Mile 21 brought a steep downhill to get us to the bike path along Lake Champlain (gorgeous!!). My quads were already shot so I took it as fast as I could to get it over with. The last 4.5 miles were a struggle with some walk breaks to keep my quads and left calf from completely cramping up....dehydration?? (good news is my hip and shin felt great!). I was hurting and mentally just wanted this to be over.
I mustered the energy to finish as strong as possible and crossed the finish line in 3:51:59 (average pace = 8:50)……still an almost 6 minute PR, but no where near what my goals were. I haven’t even looked at my Garmin to see my miles splits…..not sure if I ever will. I know I crashed and burned in those last 10 miles…I don’t need a GPS unit to tell me that!
I’m not one to make excuses for my performance…..bottom line is that it just wasn’t my day and I didn’t run the best race I know I am capable of. Sure there are a few factors that contributed to this, but no one thing caused it. In the span of 26.2 miles, a lot of things can happen…..its just part of the game! What makes real marathoners is the courage and drive to get back out there and do it again.
Before the race, I took a picture of my Grandpa and taped it to the back of my bib number. Many times during that last 10k I thought about him and asked him to help me through this. I was hoping to carry him to a BQ…..next time Gramps!
A huge thanks goes out to my parents and in-laws for their support and enthusiastic cheering squad! And of course I couldn’t have done this without my husband there….he is proud of me no matter how I race and that means the world to me!
A PR is a PR and I should be proud of my time. I have many more races ahead of me and having sub-par ones makes me appreciate the great ones better!! I’ll post pictures as soon as people send them to me (hint hint Mom and Maureen!).
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Here we go again!
It seems like just yesterday that I was blogging about the Boston and Hartford Marathons. Last night I spent some time reading back over some of my old blog posts. A sense of pride came over me as I realized for the first time just how far I have come.
Approximately 2 years ago, I remember being in the gym the night of the Boston Marathon '06. I wasn't able to watch the race that year because I had to work so I was watching the news coverage while I ran on the treadmill. I remember watching Rick and Dick Hoyt and all the 20,000+ runners and thinking how cool it would be to do that....but never thinking I could. For the first time that night, I ran 3 miles without stopping to walk at a 6.0 mph (10:00 min/mile)....I remember being excited about this. Flash forward two years.....I have run two full marathons and flirting with qualifying for Boston in my third!! A 10:00min/mile is at or slower than my recovery runs now. All this in just two years!! I know I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to run the coveted BQ, but looking back there is so much more to focus on.
So many people ask me how I do it and tell me they could never do something like this. I don't believe that.....if I can do anyone can do it!! Actually running a marathon isn't the hard part....its putting in the time and training that's hard. Anyone can motivate to run when thousands of people are cheering for you, volunteers giving you water, and other runners to keep you company. The hard part is motivating to run day in and day out....mile after mile with no immediate rewards. It's in the training that you learn what your body and mind are capable of accomplishing.
So here we are again less than 24 hours from race time. The race starts at 8:05am so at this point tomorrow I hope to be around the 8 mile mark. As you've probably read, my "A" goal is to qualify for Boston...Mission 3:40! My "B" goal is 3:50 which would still be a 7 minute PR from my last marathon. I know the 3:40 BQ will be a push, especially with the warm and sunny temperatures but I have to go for it. Bryan said to me last night when I was freaking out about the pace, "would you rather pace conservatively the whole way and run a 3:45 but have gas left in your tank at the end or would you rather pace for the 3:40, give it all you've got, and end up running a 3:45?" He's right....if I don't go for it, I am always going to question whether or not I could have run the BQ. If I'm going to miss 3:40 then I'm going to do it by giving it my all!
We're heading up to VT soon so I have to finish packing. I'll be sure to post a full race report when we return. There is no online tracking for this marathon, but you can probably check the results online after the race at www.runvermont.org or www.coolrunning.com.
Here we go.......please keep me in your thoughts and prayers...I'm going to need it!!!
Approximately 2 years ago, I remember being in the gym the night of the Boston Marathon '06. I wasn't able to watch the race that year because I had to work so I was watching the news coverage while I ran on the treadmill. I remember watching Rick and Dick Hoyt and all the 20,000+ runners and thinking how cool it would be to do that....but never thinking I could. For the first time that night, I ran 3 miles without stopping to walk at a 6.0 mph (10:00 min/mile)....I remember being excited about this. Flash forward two years.....I have run two full marathons and flirting with qualifying for Boston in my third!! A 10:00min/mile is at or slower than my recovery runs now. All this in just two years!! I know I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to run the coveted BQ, but looking back there is so much more to focus on.
So many people ask me how I do it and tell me they could never do something like this. I don't believe that.....if I can do anyone can do it!! Actually running a marathon isn't the hard part....its putting in the time and training that's hard. Anyone can motivate to run when thousands of people are cheering for you, volunteers giving you water, and other runners to keep you company. The hard part is motivating to run day in and day out....mile after mile with no immediate rewards. It's in the training that you learn what your body and mind are capable of accomplishing.
So here we are again less than 24 hours from race time. The race starts at 8:05am so at this point tomorrow I hope to be around the 8 mile mark. As you've probably read, my "A" goal is to qualify for Boston...Mission 3:40! My "B" goal is 3:50 which would still be a 7 minute PR from my last marathon. I know the 3:40 BQ will be a push, especially with the warm and sunny temperatures but I have to go for it. Bryan said to me last night when I was freaking out about the pace, "would you rather pace conservatively the whole way and run a 3:45 but have gas left in your tank at the end or would you rather pace for the 3:40, give it all you've got, and end up running a 3:45?" He's right....if I don't go for it, I am always going to question whether or not I could have run the BQ. If I'm going to miss 3:40 then I'm going to do it by giving it my all!
We're heading up to VT soon so I have to finish packing. I'll be sure to post a full race report when we return. There is no online tracking for this marathon, but you can probably check the results online after the race at www.runvermont.org or www.coolrunning.com.
Here we go.......please keep me in your thoughts and prayers...I'm going to need it!!!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Let the eating and drinking begin!
Today starts my carbo load and hydration......this morning I packed a bagel, pretzels, granola bar, banana, and ham sandwich to bring to work. Just looking at all that food is making me full!! I also keep refilling my water bottle every 2 hours....about the time between bathroom breaks :) Because the temps appear to be a little warm on Sunday, I have started drinking Gatorade today too (typically I'd wait until tomorrow for this). Figure I could use the extra salts....as if the carbs don't make me bloated enough!!
Last night I got my last massage and it felt great. She worked on my left shin and calf for a while which felt great. She went easy on the rest of me with the race so close....no bruises this time! I woke up this morning and was so excited to feel zero pain anywhere!!!!!! The mornings have been the worst since everything tightens up while I sleep, but today it felt great....I could actually walk with my normal stride right away.
So now I am getting really excited and pumped up for the race. I have decided not to let the warm weather predictions bother me.....nothing I can do about them so why worry, right? I have been listening to my favorite running songs and reading some of my favorite running quotes that I've accumulated. Two of my favorites:
"I would rather end this life crushed, drained, and barely held together by modern medicine than having gone through it too scared to ever find my own limitations"
"Maybe to people on the outside looking in, it seems as if it's just a race. It's no big deal. But it is a big deal....You've paid the price for nine months, or a year, or five years of training to get to the finish line. You want to see it to the conclusion. You want that medal, because you've earned it. Somebody on the outside looking in may think that's hokey. But it doesn't matter what they think. It's real. Whether this is life changing or not for you, it is for some people. That's a fact." --Dave McGillivray, Boston Marathon Race Director
We aren't heading up to VT until tomorrow morning so I'll probably pop back on here again tonight or maybe before we leave. For now I have to keep eating, drinking, and making myself look busy at work because I am too excited to actually get anything done!!
Last night I got my last massage and it felt great. She worked on my left shin and calf for a while which felt great. She went easy on the rest of me with the race so close....no bruises this time! I woke up this morning and was so excited to feel zero pain anywhere!!!!!! The mornings have been the worst since everything tightens up while I sleep, but today it felt great....I could actually walk with my normal stride right away.
So now I am getting really excited and pumped up for the race. I have decided not to let the warm weather predictions bother me.....nothing I can do about them so why worry, right? I have been listening to my favorite running songs and reading some of my favorite running quotes that I've accumulated. Two of my favorites:
"I would rather end this life crushed, drained, and barely held together by modern medicine than having gone through it too scared to ever find my own limitations"
"Maybe to people on the outside looking in, it seems as if it's just a race. It's no big deal. But it is a big deal....You've paid the price for nine months, or a year, or five years of training to get to the finish line. You want to see it to the conclusion. You want that medal, because you've earned it. Somebody on the outside looking in may think that's hokey. But it doesn't matter what they think. It's real. Whether this is life changing or not for you, it is for some people. That's a fact." --Dave McGillivray, Boston Marathon Race Director
We aren't heading up to VT until tomorrow morning so I'll probably pop back on here again tonight or maybe before we leave. For now I have to keep eating, drinking, and making myself look busy at work because I am too excited to actually get anything done!!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The good and the bad
I was waiting to post until after I ran today so I could give you an update. I played it smart and haven't run since Friday. I road my bike both Saturday and Sunday, did yoga on Monday, and biked again yesterday. I decided I would run today and Friday with a massage on Thursday. Today felt both good and bad.....I did 5.5 miles with 2 miles at marathon pace. My hip felt fine (yay!) and my shin felt much better (another yay!) however everything else just felt off.....I just couldn't get into a rhythm. But I'm not going to let it get to me.....for every bad run, a good one is waiting to happen :) Let's just hope that good day happens on Sunday!
I got an e-mail from my friend John today with a great pep talk.....just what I needed. John coined the phrase "Mission 3:40" that I love (note to self.....if the 3:40 doesn't happen this time, get shirts made with this for next time!). He told me to have confidence in my abilities and my training. Everyone always says to "trust your training" but I haven't fully understood that until now. With these last couple days off from running and a so-so run today, I really need to trust the strong training runs I have had and the miles I logged over the past 18 weeks and know those are what's going to carry me the 26.2 miles on race day....hopefully faster than think!
Now I just need to stop thinking about the weather....looks like its going to be a hot one!!
I got an e-mail from my friend John today with a great pep talk.....just what I needed. John coined the phrase "Mission 3:40" that I love (note to self.....if the 3:40 doesn't happen this time, get shirts made with this for next time!). He told me to have confidence in my abilities and my training. Everyone always says to "trust your training" but I haven't fully understood that until now. With these last couple days off from running and a so-so run today, I really need to trust the strong training runs I have had and the miles I logged over the past 18 weeks and know those are what's going to carry me the 26.2 miles on race day....hopefully faster than think!
Now I just need to stop thinking about the weather....looks like its going to be a hot one!!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Taper Hypochondria Becoming Reality :(
One of the symptoms of Taper Madness is hypochondria (along with anxiety, restlessness, and self-doubt......its really a great time!). Many runners experience aches and pains during taper that they haven't felt before in training and freak out about them . People say its just the body's way of healing itself after the months of training.
The Taper Hypochondria has hit me hard this past week. Monday I went out for what should have been a 7 mile run but quit at 3.5 miles because my hip was tight and my left shin was really sore. I decided to take Tuesday off to rest and road my bike instead. Wednesday I decided to try running again and covered 6 miles still with some discomfort, but not as bad as Monday's run. I was feeling optimistic!
Thursday I took off too and got a massage. I told her about my aches and pains....tried to blame it on everything except the running (did I overstretch in yoga? was it the 9 mile bike ride?) She just laughed, told me to stop making excuses, and said of course it was the running! She said she wasn't worried about my tight glut as that's easy to massage (I think what she was doing to my left butt cheek could be considered assault in a court of law!). But she said she was worried about my shin....crap :( We both agreed that it wasn't the bone since that wasn't where it hurt. She said she thinks its the fascia (connective tissue) becoming inflamed and pulling away from the bone....that doesn't sound good! But we remained optimistic that with ice, Advil, and another massage next week that I should be good enough to go!
She wanted me to run on Friday to see how things were feeling. Overall it wasn't a great run, but my shin was feeling much better....again, not 100% by any means, but better. After much convincing from my running friends via e-mails and talks at work, I decided not to run my scheduled 12 miler this weekend and bike instead. No good will come of one more 12 mile run.....I'm not going to gain any fitness at this point and taking a couple days off the pounding will probably be beneficial. I am trying remain optimistic and think of this as a positive thing!
My calender at work this month features Deena Kastor when she ran Boston last year. I was looking at the picture on Friday and felt encouraged. See my friend John has started calling me "Deena" because he thinks I'm so speedy. After a few e-mails back and forth yesterday, I wrote this to John..."If Deena Kastor can take 6 weeks off running in 2005 (foot injury)and still win the Chicago Marathon then this 'Deena' can take a couple days off!" He completely agreed and told me that this break will actually help in "Mission 3:40". This is why I love my running friends....they make me laugh when I need it most!
I'm not going to say I'm not worried, because of course I am but its really out of m hands now. God has a plan for me and I have to leave this race in His hands. So ice and Advil will continue to be my best friends over the next few days and I just have to hope this Taper Hypochondria moves on to some other victim ASAP!! Off for a bike ride.......
The Taper Hypochondria has hit me hard this past week. Monday I went out for what should have been a 7 mile run but quit at 3.5 miles because my hip was tight and my left shin was really sore. I decided to take Tuesday off to rest and road my bike instead. Wednesday I decided to try running again and covered 6 miles still with some discomfort, but not as bad as Monday's run. I was feeling optimistic!
Thursday I took off too and got a massage. I told her about my aches and pains....tried to blame it on everything except the running (did I overstretch in yoga? was it the 9 mile bike ride?) She just laughed, told me to stop making excuses, and said of course it was the running! She said she wasn't worried about my tight glut as that's easy to massage (I think what she was doing to my left butt cheek could be considered assault in a court of law!). But she said she was worried about my shin....crap :( We both agreed that it wasn't the bone since that wasn't where it hurt. She said she thinks its the fascia (connective tissue) becoming inflamed and pulling away from the bone....that doesn't sound good! But we remained optimistic that with ice, Advil, and another massage next week that I should be good enough to go!
She wanted me to run on Friday to see how things were feeling. Overall it wasn't a great run, but my shin was feeling much better....again, not 100% by any means, but better. After much convincing from my running friends via e-mails and talks at work, I decided not to run my scheduled 12 miler this weekend and bike instead. No good will come of one more 12 mile run.....I'm not going to gain any fitness at this point and taking a couple days off the pounding will probably be beneficial. I am trying remain optimistic and think of this as a positive thing!
My calender at work this month features Deena Kastor when she ran Boston last year. I was looking at the picture on Friday and felt encouraged. See my friend John has started calling me "Deena" because he thinks I'm so speedy. After a few e-mails back and forth yesterday, I wrote this to John..."If Deena Kastor can take 6 weeks off running in 2005 (foot injury)and still win the Chicago Marathon then this 'Deena' can take a couple days off!" He completely agreed and told me that this break will actually help in "Mission 3:40". This is why I love my running friends....they make me laugh when I need it most!
I'm not going to say I'm not worried, because of course I am but its really out of m hands now. God has a plan for me and I have to leave this race in His hands. So ice and Advil will continue to be my best friends over the next few days and I just have to hope this Taper Hypochondria moves on to some other victim ASAP!! Off for a bike ride.......
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Going Green
Ever since I got my bike last August, I have wanted to ride to work. Unfortunately I work 20 miles away from my house so its not really practical. Plus I'm not allowed to ride on busy roads....remember the spill I took the day I got my bike??? I have a really ugly scar on my elbow that still looks pretty fresh and it happened over 9 months ago!
So if I can't ride all the way to work, I decided to ride part of the way. You see my company has an office about 4.5 miles from my house that runs a shuttle back and forth to my building....20 miles one way is not doable, but 4.5 miles I can handle!
Last week I tried this for the first time. I packed my work clothes in a backpack, put on workout clothes, and set off on my bike. It took me about 20 minutes to ride to our office....yes, I am a slow biker! I locked my bike up and jumped on the shuttle the rest of the way. It was a great way to start out the day....I got my heart pumping which woke me up and then I was able to relax on the shuttle without having to stress about driving or traffic. When I got to work I showered in our locker room and got ready for work. At the end of the day I did the reverse.....totaling about 9 miles of biking for the day.
This week is the Bay State Bike week (http://www.baystatebikeweek.org/) where bikers from MA are pledging to commute on bike over 50,000 miles this week in place of driving. I can't bike/shuttle every day, but I did today and plan to do it again Friday. That's about 18 miles of biking but 80 miles that I won't be driving in my car. I figured out that between gas and tolls I spend about $10 a day driving to work.....by biking 2x a week I am saving $20/week! That will add up....not to mention what it will do for the environment!
Way to decrease my carbon footprint!!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Pain in my butt!
So this is a new one.....Saturday's long run was literally a pain in the butt. Well, just the left side :)
To back up, I met John, Paul, Janette, and Dave (a new runner friend that was on Team BMC 2006) at Marathon Sports early Saturday morning for a run. They are all training for the Run to Remember Half Marathon the same day as my marathon. We ran and chatted the whole 12.6 miles....it was great to run with a big group again! Although most people don't consider a 12 mile run at 8am on a Saturday morning fun, but we really had a great time! I was planning to run 16 miles so I tacked on a couple extra on my own after they finished.
Overall I felt pretty good.....everywhere except my left side. My left butt was really tight for some reason.....never felt that before. Also, my calf and shin were a little tight....they are all connected somehow so I'm not surprised everything felt a little off. Miss Yoga Teacher Extraordinaire Janette thought it was my hamstring insertion point which makes sense because my hammys have been pretty tight lately. She gave me some stretches and pointers that seem to be helping. She told me what would be the best is to have Bryan massage my butt.....let's see if he goes for that one :) I'm thinking I stretched it a little too aggressively in yoga class on Friday night and that's what caused the tightness.....I've been icing, stretching, and foam rolling it and its feeling better today.
My two goals for the next two weeks before VT City are to (1) listen to my body and not push it too much and (2) get at least 8 hours of sleep each night between now and the race. I accomplished #1 today by stopping my run early because my left shin was really sore......I'm trying not to worry about it yet as its not bad and I have a massage scheduled for Thursday which should loosen everything up. Now I have to head to bed to accomplish #2!
To back up, I met John, Paul, Janette, and Dave (a new runner friend that was on Team BMC 2006) at Marathon Sports early Saturday morning for a run. They are all training for the Run to Remember Half Marathon the same day as my marathon. We ran and chatted the whole 12.6 miles....it was great to run with a big group again! Although most people don't consider a 12 mile run at 8am on a Saturday morning fun, but we really had a great time! I was planning to run 16 miles so I tacked on a couple extra on my own after they finished.
Overall I felt pretty good.....everywhere except my left side. My left butt was really tight for some reason.....never felt that before. Also, my calf and shin were a little tight....they are all connected somehow so I'm not surprised everything felt a little off. Miss Yoga Teacher Extraordinaire Janette thought it was my hamstring insertion point which makes sense because my hammys have been pretty tight lately. She gave me some stretches and pointers that seem to be helping. She told me what would be the best is to have Bryan massage my butt.....let's see if he goes for that one :) I'm thinking I stretched it a little too aggressively in yoga class on Friday night and that's what caused the tightness.....I've been icing, stretching, and foam rolling it and its feeling better today.
My two goals for the next two weeks before VT City are to (1) listen to my body and not push it too much and (2) get at least 8 hours of sleep each night between now and the race. I accomplished #1 today by stopping my run early because my left shin was really sore......I'm trying not to worry about it yet as its not bad and I have a massage scheduled for Thursday which should loosen everything up. Now I have to head to bed to accomplish #2!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
One word to sum up this past weekend's runs would be wet! Friday it rained during my 10 miler, Saturday it rained during my 6 mile recovery run, and last but not least.....Sunday it rained for my long run....my final 20 miler of this training schedule! Let's just say I have gotten really good at dodging puddles and my Boston Marathon jacket from last year has gotten a lot of use!
The last two weeks have gone well. The mileage is starting to wear on me and I am mentally tired. I have been doing all my runs and hitting all my paces, but its more of a struggle to get out the door every day to run. I think this is pretty normal.......after strictly following a training plan for 15 weeks, your mind starts to get a little tired! I really wanted my last long run to go well as a confidence booster going into taper. I waited to run until about 10:30am on Sunday because it was pouring earlier. The first couple miles felt comfortable and my legs didn't feel as heavy as they have recently. I felt really good going up the hills on Comm Ave and was able to pick up my pace to hit the last couple miles at goal marathon pace. I ran the first 10 miles at an average pace of 9:05 and finished with an overall average pace of 8:54.....not too bad! It was just the run I needed to feel strong and confident for Vermont City.
And now I am embracing my taper with open arms!! I'll cut my mileage back from 55-60MPW to 43 miles this week and then 32 the next week. In my past two marathon trainings, I dreaded taper.....it often comes with anxiety, restlessness, and hypochondria. This time, I welcome it because I know I have put my time in and my body needs the rest to get me at my best for the marathon in 3 weeks.
Total weekly miles = 58.15
The last two weeks have gone well. The mileage is starting to wear on me and I am mentally tired. I have been doing all my runs and hitting all my paces, but its more of a struggle to get out the door every day to run. I think this is pretty normal.......after strictly following a training plan for 15 weeks, your mind starts to get a little tired! I really wanted my last long run to go well as a confidence booster going into taper. I waited to run until about 10:30am on Sunday because it was pouring earlier. The first couple miles felt comfortable and my legs didn't feel as heavy as they have recently. I felt really good going up the hills on Comm Ave and was able to pick up my pace to hit the last couple miles at goal marathon pace. I ran the first 10 miles at an average pace of 9:05 and finished with an overall average pace of 8:54.....not too bad! It was just the run I needed to feel strong and confident for Vermont City.
And now I am embracing my taper with open arms!! I'll cut my mileage back from 55-60MPW to 43 miles this week and then 32 the next week. In my past two marathon trainings, I dreaded taper.....it often comes with anxiety, restlessness, and hypochondria. This time, I welcome it because I know I have put my time in and my body needs the rest to get me at my best for the marathon in 3 weeks.
Total weekly miles = 58.15
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