Tuesday I had a 14 mile medium-long run scheduled (the longest mid-week run I have done) so of course the weather was forecasting 90 degrees with high humidity. I contemplated moving the run to Wednesday, but the forecast looked equally as brutal. Unfortunately 14 miles is too much for me to fit in the morning without getting up at 4am so I was forced to run after work.
I have this little desktop weather thing on my work computer that tells you the temperature outside. All day I kept my eye on it waiting for it to jump up into the upper 80's. To my surprise it never did!! I guess the front shifted or stalled or something because by 5pm for my run it was a comfortable (but still humid) 75 degrees.....I couldn't have been more excited! Its always nice when you go into a run thinking it's going to be miserable and it turns out much better than expected.
My 14 miles felt great. I averaged ~9:00 min/mile for the first 7 miles then picked it up to ~8:40 min/mile for the next 5 and 8:20 min/mile for the last 2 (average pace for 14 miles was 8:44). Overall, I was very pleased with the run and actually had to hold myself back some early on.....I know I shouldn't push too hard since I did 20 miles only 3 days before this and I have a marathon pace run this weekend.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
A hot 20 mile run
Saturday was my first 20 mile run in my training for Hartford. I met up with one of my training friends from Team BMC and his co-worker who are both training for the Chicago Marathon. They were planning to run 16 miles so it was great to join them and have someone to chat with.
We started early since it was supposed to get up to 85 degrees by mid morning and be oppressively humid-yuck! There was not a cloud in the sky which made it a beautiful day...just not for running 20 miles with the sun beating down on us! We made sure to take plenty of water breaks and our route kept us in the shade as much as possible. Miles 8-10 were pretty exposed and I remember thinking how the heck am I going to run another 10 miles in this weather?!?! We just kept reminding each other how easy it will feel to run in cooler, more ideal conditions.
We got back to our starting point covering 16 miles so I said goodbye to John and Paul. Bryan was nice enough to come meet me for the last 4 miles and he brought cold water with him. Those last miles were tough...the sun was high and strong and we were running uphill. There was a sprinkler watering flowers at Boston College so I ran through that a couple times to cool down :)
We finished back at Marathon Sports where I had met my friends. I hobbled over to the Seven-Eleven for some Gatorade and 3 bags of ice. That was the best tasting Gatorade I have ever had! I caught my reflection in the mirror and it looked like I had just gone for a swim, not a run!! I got home and filled the bath with cold water and my ice bags and jumped in to soak my sore legs.
I finished the day with some shopping (new running shoes and a pair of jeans) and then went to the movies and out for ice cream. I'm feeling pretty good today....my shins and hips are a little sore, but hopefully the new shoes will take care of that. Today was cooler and not as humid....we went blueberry picking and to Ikea for a little more shopping. Overall a great weekend!
Total miles for the week: 52.5!
We started early since it was supposed to get up to 85 degrees by mid morning and be oppressively humid-yuck! There was not a cloud in the sky which made it a beautiful day...just not for running 20 miles with the sun beating down on us! We made sure to take plenty of water breaks and our route kept us in the shade as much as possible. Miles 8-10 were pretty exposed and I remember thinking how the heck am I going to run another 10 miles in this weather?!?! We just kept reminding each other how easy it will feel to run in cooler, more ideal conditions.
We got back to our starting point covering 16 miles so I said goodbye to John and Paul. Bryan was nice enough to come meet me for the last 4 miles and he brought cold water with him. Those last miles were tough...the sun was high and strong and we were running uphill. There was a sprinkler watering flowers at Boston College so I ran through that a couple times to cool down :)
We finished back at Marathon Sports where I had met my friends. I hobbled over to the Seven-Eleven for some Gatorade and 3 bags of ice. That was the best tasting Gatorade I have ever had! I caught my reflection in the mirror and it looked like I had just gone for a swim, not a run!! I got home and filled the bath with cold water and my ice bags and jumped in to soak my sore legs.
I finished the day with some shopping (new running shoes and a pair of jeans) and then went to the movies and out for ice cream. I'm feeling pretty good today....my shins and hips are a little sore, but hopefully the new shoes will take care of that. Today was cooler and not as humid....we went blueberry picking and to Ikea for a little more shopping. Overall a great weekend!
Total miles for the week: 52.5!
My 1,000th mile this year!!
This past week Bryan and I were on vacation in Martha's Vineyard. This was the second summer we have gone out there and we loved it. The weather was perfect -- sunny and hot! We had a great time relaxing at the beach, riding bikes around the island, and enjoying our time together. And of course, I was happy to be able to fit in my runs :)
On Monday, we headed out together for a 6 mile recovery run. I thought Bryan would turn around early, but he was feeling good so he ran the entire time with me. I was so happy to have his company and proud of him for going the whole 6 miles....he hasn't run that far since our half marathon last September.
Then on Tuesday morning, I headed out for a 10.5 mile run. The 4th mile was my 1,000th mile of 2007!!! I can't believe my legs have taken me so far in 7 months time. Before this year I don't think I had run more than 1,000 miles in my life! It amazes me that just a year and a half ago I was probably running 50 miles in a month (if that) and now I am running 50 miles in a week.....crazy!
I can't wait to see how many more miles I can log before the end of the year!
On Monday, we headed out together for a 6 mile recovery run. I thought Bryan would turn around early, but he was feeling good so he ran the entire time with me. I was so happy to have his company and proud of him for going the whole 6 miles....he hasn't run that far since our half marathon last September.
Then on Tuesday morning, I headed out for a 10.5 mile run. The 4th mile was my 1,000th mile of 2007!!! I can't believe my legs have taken me so far in 7 months time. Before this year I don't think I had run more than 1,000 miles in my life! It amazes me that just a year and a half ago I was probably running 50 miles in a month (if that) and now I am running 50 miles in a week.....crazy!
I can't wait to see how many more miles I can log before the end of the year!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Awesome Tempo Run!
I was a little nervous for my tempo run on Monday...10 miles total with 5 miles at lactate threshold pace. Luckily, the weather was almost perfect...63 degrees, cloudy, with a light mist. The only negative was a strong wind coming from the east. But I am not going to complain about it at all...its not often we get cool temps like that in at the end of July!
I warmed up for 3 miles (9:05 pace) and then did the 5 LT pace miles. My splits looked like this (I bet you can guess which miles I had the headwind and which miles the wind was at my back!):
8:16--ok...a little slow
8:14--just put my head down and run through the wind
7:57--now that's more like it
7:44--wow....where is this speed coming from?
7:41--last mile.....make it count!
I ended with a 2 mile cool down that was still pretty fast (8:26 pace) and my overall pace was 8:25. The best thing about this run was that I felt awesome the entire time, especially in those last 3 LT miles. It's runs like this that make me think the magical 3:40 marathon (my BQ time) is a possibility!! But I don't want to get my hopes up....there's still lots of training to be done!
Of course just as quickly as the cool weather moved in, it was out of here. Can someone explain to me how it can go from 60 to 90 degrees over just 48 hours? Today I did an 11 mile medium-long run. It was hot and my legs felt heavy, but I averaged an 8:44 pace overall with the last mile at 8:17 (I'm working on my finishing kick!) Its supposed to stay hot and humid for the next few days....luckily tomorrow is a rest day so I'll get some relief.
I warmed up for 3 miles (9:05 pace) and then did the 5 LT pace miles. My splits looked like this (I bet you can guess which miles I had the headwind and which miles the wind was at my back!):
8:16--ok...a little slow
8:14--just put my head down and run through the wind
7:57--now that's more like it
7:44--wow....where is this speed coming from?
7:41--last mile.....make it count!
I ended with a 2 mile cool down that was still pretty fast (8:26 pace) and my overall pace was 8:25. The best thing about this run was that I felt awesome the entire time, especially in those last 3 LT miles. It's runs like this that make me think the magical 3:40 marathon (my BQ time) is a possibility!! But I don't want to get my hopes up....there's still lots of training to be done!
Of course just as quickly as the cool weather moved in, it was out of here. Can someone explain to me how it can go from 60 to 90 degrees over just 48 hours? Today I did an 11 mile medium-long run. It was hot and my legs felt heavy, but I averaged an 8:44 pace overall with the last mile at 8:17 (I'm working on my finishing kick!) Its supposed to stay hot and humid for the next few days....luckily tomorrow is a rest day so I'll get some relief.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Step-Back Week
Last week was a recovery week in my training....only 37 MPW with a long run of 12 miles. It was nice to give my body a bit of a rest especially with coming back to work after my California trip.
My weekend was busy and full of activities! My parents came up from PA for the weekend to visit. On Saturday we rented Kayaks and paddled around the Charles River for the afternoon....talk about a great shoulder workout! On Sunday we drove up to NH and hiked Mt. Israel (~2600 ft). It was a beautiful day so it was great to be outside and out of the city. The only bad part was that all the activities prevented me from starting the new Harry Potter book until Sunday night!
It was a good visit with my parents and a fun weekend.....let's hope I am "recovered" enough to pick up my miles again this week!
My weekend was busy and full of activities! My parents came up from PA for the weekend to visit. On Saturday we rented Kayaks and paddled around the Charles River for the afternoon....talk about a great shoulder workout! On Sunday we drove up to NH and hiked Mt. Israel (~2600 ft). It was a beautiful day so it was great to be outside and out of the city. The only bad part was that all the activities prevented me from starting the new Harry Potter book until Sunday night!
It was a good visit with my parents and a fun weekend.....let's hope I am "recovered" enough to pick up my miles again this week!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
California Girl!
Last week I was in beautiful Long Beach, CA for a work conference.....nice choice, right?!?! This was the first time I had been to southern California and it was awesome. The weather was ideal - sunny and around 80 every day. Every time I talked to Bryan I kept saying how I want to move out there :) I was there with a couple other coworkers and they liked to sight see. I saw Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Malibu, Laguna Beach, and had lots of great food and drinks! The conference wasn't bad either....just took up too much time :)
First things first: The Running We arrived on Friday and I was exhausted from the trip so no run for me. On Saturday morning, I woke up at 4:00am because of the time change so I hit the gym for 4 miles on the treadmill before the conference. Sunday was free so I was able to get my long run of about 14 miles in that morning. There was a great bike/pedestrian trail that ran along the beach so I followed that and enjoy the ocean! On Monday I did 4 miles with my friend Mike during our lunch break.....we were both hurting during that one due to the mid-day heat and the fact that we had both just eaten lunch! On Tuesday I managed a good pace 9 miles again along the beach with 10 sets of strides at the end. I was hoping to get another run in Thursday morning before my flight, but I had a little too much to drink the night before so that didn't happen...tequilla shots are never a good idea.....ooopps! Overall, not too bad of a running week given my conference schedule and wanting to go out and see California.
On Wednesday, three of us took a surfing lesson at Laguna Beach. It was so much fun (and great crosstraining too!) I had a hard time getting up on the board for the first hour of our lesson....I think I spent more time flying off the board and hanging onto my bathing suit! But finally I was able to get up and ride a couple waves in before I called it quits to relax on the beach. What a great day!!
Now its back to the real world......hot and humid Boston.
First things first: The Running We arrived on Friday and I was exhausted from the trip so no run for me. On Saturday morning, I woke up at 4:00am because of the time change so I hit the gym for 4 miles on the treadmill before the conference. Sunday was free so I was able to get my long run of about 14 miles in that morning. There was a great bike/pedestrian trail that ran along the beach so I followed that and enjoy the ocean! On Monday I did 4 miles with my friend Mike during our lunch break.....we were both hurting during that one due to the mid-day heat and the fact that we had both just eaten lunch! On Tuesday I managed a good pace 9 miles again along the beach with 10 sets of strides at the end. I was hoping to get another run in Thursday morning before my flight, but I had a little too much to drink the night before so that didn't happen...tequilla shots are never a good idea.....ooopps! Overall, not too bad of a running week given my conference schedule and wanting to go out and see California.
On Wednesday, three of us took a surfing lesson at Laguna Beach. It was so much fun (and great crosstraining too!) I had a hard time getting up on the board for the first hour of our lesson....I think I spent more time flying off the board and hanging onto my bathing suit! But finally I was able to get up and ride a couple waves in before I called it quits to relax on the beach. What a great day!!
Now its back to the real world......hot and humid Boston.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
One word summary of last week -- HOT!!
Last week Boston had its first heat wave of the summer.....3 days with temperatures above 90. This made running extremely difficult! On Tuesday I waited until about 7:30pm to head out for my 4 mile recovery run and I was still dying. On Wednesday I actually got up at 5:00am to do my 10 mile general aerobic run......and it was already 75 degrees out. I think I was still half asleep during the run because I missed a turn and didn't realize it until I was about 0.5 miles down the road! I walked in my house and it looked like I had been swimming instead of running....I was drenched! I walked right into the bathroom and took a cool shower.
Luckily it cooled down for the weekend and my long run. We went to my in-laws in upstate NY so I ran my 14 miles on Saturday morning in the Adirondacks.....very pretty, but also hilly. I felt good and had a good pace the whole time. Bryan met me and ran the last 4 miles home with me. We picked up the pace and finished the last 3 miles between 8:18-8:30 pace. The weekend was capped off with lots of good food, relaxing, and a round of mini-golf...ask Bryan who came in last place :)
Total weekly miles: 40.2
Luckily it cooled down for the weekend and my long run. We went to my in-laws in upstate NY so I ran my 14 miles on Saturday morning in the Adirondacks.....very pretty, but also hilly. I felt good and had a good pace the whole time. Bryan met me and ran the last 4 miles home with me. We picked up the pace and finished the last 3 miles between 8:18-8:30 pace. The weekend was capped off with lots of good food, relaxing, and a round of mini-golf...ask Bryan who came in last place :)
Total weekly miles: 40.2
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