Philadelphia Marathon Training - Week 13

Monday October 24
Run 7.25 mi
A bonus Monday run commute!

Random bird at Hains Point

Tuesday October 25
Run 8.87 mi
5x1200
This was another good workout at the track.  I had a pack to run with for the first four repeats and then did the last one by myself.  I had been relying on the others for pacing so I wasn't sure how the last one would go, but it ended up being the fastest of the five (despite the fact that I went way too fast the first 400).
Wednesday October 26
Run 7.3 mi
An extended run commute to pick up a few extra miles (with super dark photos. Sorry, it was early).

Thursday October 27
Rest

Friday October 28
Run 7.19 mi w/4 mi tempo
This was the first really cold morning we have had, so I finally broke out the capris and never managed to shed my long sleeve shirt.  But I love cold weather running so I had no complaints.  There was a smaller crowd at the workout due to MCM and other weekend races so I didn't have a nice pack to run with like the week before. I ended up running by myself for the majority of the tempo, but stayed steady and finished a second or two faster than the week before.  I'll was very happy with this since I had to do a lot more mental work this week and my legs had a lot more miles on them!
Saturday October 29
Run 21.0 mi
This was one of the most miserable runs I have ever had. Certainly probably the worst when it comes to weather related misery.  It was cold and raining the whole time. Because I was signed up to volunteer at MCM on Sunday, I didn't really have to option to push back the run.  Fortunately, Thom somehow still agreed to run with me.  We were both very unhappy the whole time, but I know I couldn't have finished it without him!  As soon as we finished I immediately changed out of all of my wet clothes in the car and was still freezing. When I started driving to brunch (where pumpkin pancakes and fun blogger/twitter friends were waiting!), I started shaking/shivering violently even though I had the heat on as high as it would go.  It took sitting inside for a while and several cups of coffee before I finally felt warm.  I don't know what Mother Nature will throw at me on November 20, but after this run I can say that I am prepared to run in any weather!

Sunday October 30
MCM volunteering & spectating + 60 min pool run
Fortunately the MCM runners had a great, though cold, day and didn't have to deal with Saturday's weather.  I started out handing out water at Key Bridge with some teammates and then spent several hours cheering near the finish line on 110.  It was a lot of fun, though my legs were pretty tired after standing for that long.  Later in the afternoon I did an easy 60 min pool run to loosen up my legs.

Week 13 - 51.61 mi
My very first 50 mile week!  I was very happy to finally reach this milestone in my last big week of training.  I had a very good week and am really looking forward to tapering (while not going too crazy) and racing in Philly!  My legs are definitely feeling the miles and all the standing from yesterday.  So I'm kicking off the first week of taper in the best way possible, with an extra rest day!

Three Things Thursday

1. I signed up for the National Race to End Women's Cancer on November 6, so I'll be racing an 8k in a little over a week.  I'm excited to see what I can do in a shorter race and am I'm hoping it will be a good tuneup for the marathon.

2. I realized on Tuesday that I could get to 50 miles for the week (for the first time ever!) without too much difficulty.  So, of course, I had to make it happen.  I only need to get in just under 7 miles tomorrow, which I normally do for tempo workouts, and I'll be at 30 miles before Saturday's last 20 miler.  When I mapped out my original training plan, which was discarded when I started with CAR, one of my goals was a 50 mile week.  So I'm pretty excited to get there!

3. Obviously I don't have any idea what the temperature will be for the marathon, but I've already started considering possible outfits.  I'm hoping it will be warm enough for a long sleeve tech shirt or a t-shirt and sleeves.  I ordered a bunch of arm sleeves to test out and they should be arriving today.  Main criteria - pockets for holding gels.  I'm hoping that I like one of them! 

Conveniently the temperature has decided to drop on Saturday (highs in the 40s), so it will be perfect for testing out my race outfit!  I have a feeling it will be just a little too cold on race day for shorts, so I'm glad I can get in a long run in my capris this weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Just about two years ago I ran my first marathon.

Over that summer and fall of training I went from someone who ran (and didn't like it all that much) to a runner. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it changed my life.

Philadelphia Marathon Training - Week 12

Monday October 17
Elliptical 45 min
A relatively easy cross training session to kick off the week.

Tuesday October 18
Run 5.1 mi (1600, 1200)
As I mentioned last week, I took a bit of a funny step towards my 20 mile long run.  I had noticed that my lower left leg/ankle felt a bit off over the weekend, but I was hopeful that it was nothing and would be fine.  I had no issues during the warmup or the first interval (1600), but it started to bother me during the second lap of the 1200.  When the pain persisted through the third lap, I decided it would not be wise for me to continue the workout. I did a brief warmdown and headed home to ice instead.

Wednesday October 19
Pool run - 60 min/6 mi
Instead of my normal Wednesday run commute, I went to the pool for 60 minutes of pool running.  I didn't want to take any chances that the soreness and pain in my left leg would turn into anything serious. 

Thursday October 20
Rest
I was already planning to take Thursday as a rest day, so I stuck with this plan to give my leg plenty of time to heal.

Friday October 21
Run 7.55 mi with 4 mi tempo
I wasn't sure what to expect, but planned to warm up and run the tempo if my leg felt fine.  Fortunately I had no pain or soreness during warmup.  I'm not sure if it was the cooler temperatures or the bit of extra rest, but I had my best tempo run to date by far.  It also helped that I was able to hang with the pack that is usually ahead of me, so I didn't have to do much thinking.  I just focused on staying with them and wasn't calculating lap splits like I normally do.  I felt great the whole time and I hope that I can carry that feeling into my last big week of training and the upcoming taper.

Saturday October 22
Run 14 mi
This was another good long run and I had a chance to run with Thom, my potential running partner for the Philadelphia marathon.  We started out at a relatively easy pace for the first half (which was a gradual uphill) and really picked it up once we turned around and headed back downhill to the start.

Sunday October 23
Run 5.1 mi
A nice easy recovery run on a beautiful fall morning.  Due to some poor planning on my part I finished by going up a giant hill, but it was still a pretty relaxed run.

Week 12 - 31.65 mi (+ 6 mi pool running)
I had already planned for this to be a recovery week, but my mileage was even lower than anticipated due to my leg issues early in the week.  I know that it won't make a difference in the long run and I'm glad that I took the extra rest now so that the soreness and pain didn't stick around.  I'm still feeling good and looking forward to working hard in week 13, my last big week before taper starts!

Friday Five

1. After two days off from running, I headed back to the track this morning.  My plan was to see how my ankle/leg felt warming up and, if there were no issues, run the tempo.  Fortunately there was no pain whatsoever and I ended up with my best tempo to date.  Apparently my body likes cooler temperatures and a few extra days of rest!

2. I always get a bit worried when new shoe models come out at the end of the year.  I've definitely had bad experiences with updates (hello Asics 2150!).  Now is the time that the current model is cheap and I'm pretty tempted to buy out the Internet and hoard some 2160s.  I do have one pair that I bought at the Army Ten Miler expo that I'm going to start wearing in the next week or so, and that will be my marathon shoes.  So how many more is it reasonable to buy?  I know storing shoes for too long is probably not the best idea...

3. I signed up earlier this week to volunteer with some teammates at one of the Marine Corps Marathon water stations.  I've actually never handed out water at a race before and I'm pretty excited about it!  Though I'm a bit nervous that I'll mess up!  I know I sometimes get annoyed when I get to a volunteer just as they are going back to the table to get more cups.
4. The Philadelphia marathon is now less than a month away. That's complete crazy talk!  Where has this training cycle gone? 
5. I feel like I've seen a lot of talk about 2012 racing plans on blogs and Twitter this week.  I guess it's time for me to start doing some thinking. All I have on the schedule right now is the Goofy Challenge the first weekend of January. I know I'm going to want to take some time off after that, but maybe it's time to start planning for later in the year, at least in terms of marathons.

Slight change of plans

For the next few days there is going to be a lot of this:

And some of this:

It's really not anything serious (and it won't become anything serious! power of positive thinking), but I took a funny step with my left foot towards the end of my long run on Saturday and whatever tendon (ligament? muscle?) that runs up the inside of my leg from my ankle started to bother me during yesterday's track workout.  I'm hoping that by being extra cautious, I'll be back to normal very soon.

Funny observation that came out of my second ever time pool running this morning - I used to wear swimming shirts when I went running so that I people knew I wasn't a runner.  I was a swimmer who was cross training.  Now I wear running shirts to the pool.  How times have changed!

Philadelphia Marathon Training Week 11

Monday October 10
Elliptical 45 min
I decided it would be wise to take a day off from running after the Army Ten Miler so I went to the gym and hit up the elliptical instead.  Nothing exciting, but it was a good way to get my legs moving (and watch TV at the same time!).

Tuesday October 11
Run 4.7 miles
My legs felt pretty good after the race, though I could definitely feel that I had put in a hard effort.  I kept the pace easy for this run and passed on the track workout.

Wednesday October 12
Run 6.7 mi
This was another easy recovery run (and run commute).  My legs felt fine, though I definitely wasn't ready to try to push the pace at all.

Thursday October 13
Rest

Friday October 14
Run 6.7 mi with 5k tempo
I felt recovered from the race, but my legs proved otherwise when I started the tempo run.  The first mile was fine, and right on pace, but after that I slowed down.  It felt like I was getting slower each lap (only by a few seconds each time), though I'm not sure if that was actually the case for EVERY lap.  I just had no energy to push the pace.  So when I was told around mile 2 to shut it down after a 5k instead of 4 miles, I readily agreed.

Saturday October 15
Run 20.90 mi
I was a bit worried about how this run would go after I struggled at Friday's tempo run.  I also knew that no one else was running 20 and I would have to run a significant portion by myself.  Fortunately, my legs were fine and I brought along my iPod so the 11 solo miles weren't really all that bad.  I felt great the whole time and managed to finish with sub-10:00 mile average pace.  Definitely another confidence boosting long run.  It's hard to believe I only have one more 20!

Sunday October 16
Run 4.0 mi
A nice easy recovery run before I headed out to watch the disaster that was the Redskins v. Eagles games.  At least the run was a good experience!

Week 11 - 43 miles
Another good week of training.  I still find it hard to believe that I only have one more 20 miler and 5 weeks to go!  This has been such a great training cycle that I have a feeling I will almost be sad to have it end.  And I also predict a fair amount of taper crazies.  I'm glad I have a bit more time before I need to deal with that!