Going With The Flow

AM - Was planning to do 10 miler then saw it was pouring and went back to bed. Will do it this afternoon instead.

PM - 10 miles around Millcreek. Turned out to be a nice fall evening run. 8 min pace. 

Video of Jake at the track yesterday doing his workout. Did it in slow motion so we could look at form. He is a perfect midfoot striker and looks so smooth, even when running at sub-5 min pace. The song just makes me laugh :)

Halloween on the track from Jake K on Vimeo.

AM - 2 miles on the treadmill.

PM - Workout this afternoon. 9.5 miles total.

3 mile tempo (6:09, 6:22, 6:17), 0.5 mile jog
1600-1200-800-400 (5:40, 4:14, 2:45, 1:19) with 400m jog between
1 mile (6:13)

The 3 mile tempo felt harder than marathon pace usually feels, not sure why. I haven't run fast intervals in a long time, so that was quite a shock to the system (16 and 12 at 10k pace, 8 and 4 at 5k pace). The final marathon mile did feel pretty easy in comparison though. Hard workout today.

AM - JAJA Run 7.75 miles. It's so dark in the mornings! Not sure if I'd rather have the extra daylight in the mornings or in the afternoons (with daylight savings time coming up this weekend). 

PM - 5 mile bike ride. Hamstring bothering me a litle.

Turn the big 25 today! :) I gotta say, this past year has been the most exciting and adventurous year ever.

AM - 6 miles up to Sugarhouse with Jake and back home, easy. Thank you for all the birthday wishes yesterday; it made me feel special.

Just wrote an article about the importance of having confidence for a race. Link here.

AM - Weather conditions were not good to do our 4-3-2-1 tempo workout this morning. 2 mile shakeout.

PM - Afternoon conditions turned out to be much better than expected for the workout. Temperatures were about the same as expected for the marathon in two weeks (40 degrees). I'm really glad we decided to wait until the afternoon when the snow had melted off the road. I wish that Adam and Devra still could've joined us, but there will be plenty more runs in the future :) Emily Bates did the workout with me.

We went out to the Frontage Road by I-80W again. There was a due west headwind about 10 mph. After a mile warmup:

Headwind 4 miles  6:17 pace. 0.5 mile jog.
Tailwind 3 miles.  Felt so much easier!! 6:14 pace. 0.5 mile jog.
Mix 2 miles. 6:03 pace. 0.5 mile jog.
Mix 1 mile. 5:37 pace.

3 mile cooldown to end it. I feel great about this workout. I can feel that I have a little more in my legs with the 15 mile drop in mileage this week. Only one hard workout left!

AM - We decided to start late this morning so we could watch the entire NYC Marathon. 6.7 miles, half on soft surfaces. I have a couple sore tendons that need to heal up in the next couple weeks. 

The NYC Marathon results really just emphasized how important it is to not go out to fast, no matter how good you're feeling. I still can't believe that Mary Keitany ran 5:10 pace in the beginning; she paid for it big time at the end. She did give a pretty impressive "last chance" surge when the other two women caught her but just couldn't hold on. The mens race was run perfectly. They went out at a conservative pace and negative split. This method is going to be my strategy in two weeks!

AM - 6 miles to Sugarhouse and back, easy.

PM - 2 miles with 4 x 200m w/ 200m jog in between. 39 s avg. Felt really good. My legs feel fresher and stronger than they have in a while. Taper fun!

Saturday Nov. 12 - Turkey Trot Tune-Up 5K Race
When: 9:30am.
Place: Highland High Track.

We are hoping that the weather will cooperate. Let me know if you are interested, that way we can make sure to keep everyone up to date!

AM - 4.5 miles easy. Wore the clunky, high cushion shoes to try to give some extra support to my posterior tibialis tendon that is giving me problems. 

Jake wrote an interesting blog post yesterday about Footwear and The Middle Ground  that I think is worth reading.

AM - 1 mile just to shake the legs out. Wimpy, I know. BUT I have to keep my mileage down and the very last hard workout (10 days out) is this afternoon! Have to get off work early to do it because it gets dark too quickly.

I got my bib #67. Jake and I compiled a list of all the elite runners yesterday (50 for each of womens and mens) so now we're stalking them all on Athlinks to gauge the competition! If you haven't claimed your races on Athlinks, you should definitely do it so it's easier to stalk :)

PM - Last Chance Workout! Finally! 2 x 5 miles. Splits -

1st 5 miles - 6:21, 6:19, 6:18, 6:11, 6:14. The first 3 miles were the worst of the entire workout - I felt pretty sluggish. Then all of a sudden, I felt great. One mile jog in 7:37.

2nd 5 miles - 6:14, 6:11, 6:09, 6:05, 5:56. Nice negative splits on that one. I felt controlled and strong until the last mile, at about half marathon pace.

Overall a great workout. It accomplished the goal of boosting my confidence a little.

To really go with the whole Biggest Loser theme, I weighed in at 112.2 after the workout. A 1% reduction in one day - I could crush all those contestants!! (don't worry, I promise that I'm not trying to lose weight! I eat more than Jake does and he runs twice as much as me.)

AM - JAJA run! Nice route through some of the ritzy neighborhoods in Sugarhouse. My posterior tibial tendon did not feel good this morning. Workout yesterday irritated it. This issue better go away in the next ten days!!

AM - Easy horsepark loop. Today begins the obsessive checking of the weather for Philadelphia on Sunday 11/20. No need to freak out right now, but I really hope that rain forecast goes away!

Reminder - the Turkey Trot Tune-Up Race is tomorrow at 9am at Highland High Track. The weather might be rainy/snowy, but that is not a good excuse to not come out and run!

Turkey Trot Tune-Up Race! We had a pretty good crew come out this morning to race - James, Fritz, Sandy, Bryan, Chad Robinson, Jake, and myself. Cheering crew included sick Allie, Chad's wife, and Amy.

Jake and I got there a little early to find leaves blown all over one of the turns, so we spend 15 minutes kicking the leaving off the first lane, wishing we had a broom. I'm just glad that it wasn't icy! The weather was actually pretty warm (~48 degrees) but a significant wind from the south at 15 mph. The rain never came :)

After warming up and doing a few strides, Allie did the official start. I think everyone went out a little too fast this morning, hoping that the wind wouldn't make a big difference. Unfortunately, I think that wind cost us all about 20-30 seconds - definitely not a PR day! But still good to get in a hard effort.

I came into the race going for sub-18. This is far from what I am capable of right now, but the fast pace seems to irritate my hamstring tendon and the posterior tibialis tendon has been acting up. Basically, I didn't want to do anything stupid and get myself hurt over a 5k. Well, the competitive edge took over me in the first mile and I went out in 5:31. I was feeling really good up to that point and thought maybe I should just go for a PR. Not my brightest idea! My hamstring started to act up right after that mile, so I slowed it down to not make it worse. Second mile was 6:02. I still wanted to hit that sub-18 as long as I wasn't causing additional damage. I picked it up the last mile a little to get just under 18 minutes. Final time was 17:58.

In hindsight, I should've stuck to my original plan of going out slow and picking it up if I felt fine but oh well. At least I was smart enough to slow down after the mile and don't think there should be residual effects.

Overall, it was a fun event and nice to be able to call people on the blog "friends" instead of just "internet friends"!

Pics of the crew here.

AM - 10 miles around Millcreek easy. Kicking myself for that 5:30 mile yesterday because my hamstring and posterior tibialis tendons hurt today. I'll probably be fine in a couple days, but I just hate the worry and doubt it puts in my head. 

AM - 3.1 mile around the block.

 PM - 8 x 400 at marathon pace. 93, 95, 94, 96, 92,95, 95, 90. 1 mile warmup and cooldown. Easy breezy.

Got to hang out with Rob Murphy and family last night. What a fun crew! I somehow managed to leave without stealing their puppy :o)

AM - 4.4 miles horsepark loop with Jake. I can't believe it's only Tuesday - this week is going by so slowly!

PM - 1 mile with 5 x 80m strides, just to get the legs moving this evening.

Compression garments improve lactic-acid and HR recovery in interval training session for runners - abstract here.

AM - Workout. 8 miles total. 2 mile warmup then straight into 3 x mile at marathon pace with a full mile recovery in between, followed by 1 mile cooldown. Hit the miles at 6:19, 6:15, 6:14. It was tough to get moving this morning, probably b/c it was cold and early. 

Jake and I are speaking at the LDR Circuit Banquet tonight. Hopefully we don't bore everyone!

Weighed in today for our Project "0" Program at work. The goal is to not gain any weight through New Years, and you get $25 if you can do it. Good thing I drank a ton before because it's going to be hard to stay at my marathon weight.

AM - JAJA Run, 6 miles around Sugarhouse. 

The USATF LDR Circuit Banquet was a lot of fun last night. The amount of talent and experience in one room was quite impressive. It was great to talk to everyone and get their support. This year, we didn't know about the circuit until mid-season so weren't able to be a part of it but are definitely doing it for 2012. I won a free entry into the Striders Half in the raffle and got free dinner, so I'd say it was a pretty successful evening!

I think this is some good advice for Tips for Training Through the Winter.

AM - Lucky horsepark loop 4.4 miles. 

I had a dream about the marathon last night. We started the race and after 30 minutes of running, they let all the elite athletes take a 5 minute break. Then we started running again, and I was feeling pretty good and relaxed. We got a 20 minute break once we hit the halfway point and I came in at 1:23:34 (goal was 1:23). I told the two other girls that we would have to pick it up in the second half to get the qualifying time. As we were resting, I started getting really anxious and nervous that the people in charge never stopped the clock and all this time was going against us! We were running again, and I remember thinking that the stop-and-go might actually be harder than just to keep running. Then I woke up. Dreams are so weird. So moral of the story - as much as I may want to stop, it's probably not in my best interest :)

Final Miles Motivation Blog. Let me know if you have anything to add!!

AM - Easy 3.8 miles on some of the marathon course. 

Woke up this morning at 5am then Jake and I went for a 3 minute jog to wake up. Nerves were fine, ready to race. Forced down a power bar and banana - the only time I hate eating is before a race. The weather was 51 degrees when we woke up so arm warmers and headband were out. Still decided to wear gloves, but the really cheap cotton ones that I could throw away in the race. We left the hotel at 6:20am to walk 0.5 mile to the start line. It was very nice to be elite - private bathrooms, heated tent, and no bag drop. We also got to check out the competition, but I wouldn't say that was necessarily a benefit. But I did meet up with a fellow Saucony runner - Lauren Uhler (super nice, by the way), and we planned to go out conservatively together. 

We got to the start line for a couple strides. Met Dave from the blog for a good luck. The elite coordinator told the women that there were two pacers - one going through the half at 1:23 and the other at 1:22:30 (although I did not know that the 1:23 guy was only going 15 miles while the other ran the whole distance).  I decided to go with the conservative plan and stick with 1:23 as long as he was a smart pacer and didn't go out too fast. 

The gun went off and then it began. I've heard so many people tell me that the first miles are supposed to feel very easy, but that was not the case. I will say that they felt comfortable hard but no way did it feel too slow. There were so many people running! I immediately tucked in behind the pacer and about 10 other girls going for the trials qualifying time. First seven miles were 6:23, 6:25, 6:20, 6:24, 6:19, 6:15, 6:14. It was nice running in such a big pack and not having to think much. However, getting a drink at the aid stations became a bit of a challenge with so many people around trying not to trip while moving to the side, all while trying to maintain the pace. I saw my parents and Jake's friends at mile 6 and that was a huge boost. The crowd was especially awesome at miles 5-7 because the road was narrow and the people were making so much noise. I took my first Gu at 40 minutes. 

Miles 8-10 were the hilly ones and the group hit those at 6:29, 6:24, 6:30. The pace was still comfortably hard. I kept hoping that the runners would spread out, but it stayed pretty congested until the half marathon split off around mile 13. The group dynamic was pretty awesome at this point, everyone going for a common goal and working together. Four of the girls ran Chicago six weeks ago, when the 2:46 pacer went out at a blazing 2:39 pace. This was their last chance to make the time and a couple of them were in their forties. 

11-Half was pretty uneventful. I took another Gu and was vigilant about getting Gatorade at every water station.  6:09, 6:22, 6:24 (1:23:15 at halfway, they put the timing mat at 13, not 13.1 for those checking).  Halfway point was pretty awesome. I had so much support here, from my parents, my brother and his girfriend, and 10 of Jake's friends). You know, the crowd is awesome, but to have your family cheering for you means so much. It is such a boost. The girl next to me said she was impressed by my popularity :).

14-15 miles were still good. 6:13, 6:19. Then the pacer said he was dropping right after 15 miles. What?! I figured he would take us all the way, so this caused a bit of a stir. The group had narrowed down to only four girls. We decided that we would work together for as long as we could, take turns drafting and all.

Miles 16-22 were just like this. One girl dropped, but three of us tried our hardest to cut into that 15 seconds that we were behind pace. We really tried, but it just wasn't happening. 6:20, 6:24, 6:19, 6:19, 6:21, 6:21, 6:22. These miles had some people, but nothing compared to the first half of the race. The turnaround did have a pretty good crowd, but it didn't seem to make a difference because the wind suddenly became a huge factor. A headwind - not ideal for the final six miles of the marathon. It wasn't a steady wind, but the gusts of wind were a killer. Right after the turnaround at mile 20, the road was downhill but the pace still didn't change a bit. 

I was pretty sure there was no way those 15 seconds were coming back. Our girls crew of three got broken up for a minute because of some guys running and that's all it took for me to lose the momentum. The other two went ahead and quickly gained some ground on me (unfortunately they missed the time as well). I was tired. I didn't hit the wall, but I was so exhausted. I tried any and every mental game. Nothing helped - I couldn't run fast anymore. My body just couldn't go 6:19s and I slowed to a 6:58. The next two miles of 24 and 25 were 7:15 and 7:08. 

I got a little momentum back once I saw my dad at 25 miles. I picked up the pace a little for the last 1.2 miles and ran it in 6:45 pace. I saw that clock ticking towards 2:49 and pushed to get under it. Missed by 2 seconds! What is with me and hitting the clock right after it hits a new minute? If it was 2:48:59, I could've rounded down to 2:48!

Even though I didn't hit the OTQ, I am still very happy with my time. To run 2:49 is great, especially considering the fact that I decided to run the marathon 8 weeks ago. Honestly, I would've been thrilled to run under 3:40 just 12 months ago. I may not have hit the A+ goal, but I'll take the A goal with pleasure! Aim for the stars, right?

Jake met me at the finish. I was so sure that he ran under 2:19 and the first thing I asked him was how he did. 2:25 was not what I expected to hear. I almost cried right there because I knew how much this meant to him. No way was I disappointed in him - I know he ran as hard as he could. I just knew he had the fitness and wished that today would be his day. Still so proud of him!

Seems like it was a tough last 10k for most of the elite runners. Quite a few dropped out and I think most had a second half positive split, despite the course elevation profile favoring negative splits. There were several girls that hit under the the 2:46 mark, but no one in the 2:46 pace group and only one from the 2:45 pace group. No one hit the standard in the mens. Out of a field of at least 10 guys that were more than qualified to run it, no one could run under 2:19 today. 

I was in so much pain as soon as I stopped. My back instantly cramped up on me and it hurt so bad. Laying down, standing, nothing helped. You can see how happy I was in the photo. It took about an hour and a lot of ibuprofen before I could walk without looking like a hunchback. I will say this - my feet, my stomach, my injuries, everything held up amazingly. I was very relieved about that. 

We showered then went out for philly cheesesteaks for lunch with a big crew. Walked for probably 4 miles and gradually felt better as the day went on!

AM - Went on a jog this morning for 2.4 miles. Ran to the art museum up the Rocky Steps and all! The run had a lot of traffic stops - probably the only time that I appreciated the red lights so I could stop. Then we hit 3 green lights in a row and I was dying :). My legs/arms/shoulders/back have progressively gotten more sore as the day goes on.

I've been playing the "what if" and "if only" game all day today. What if I went out with the faster pacer, if only I ran 2 seconds faster to break 2:49, if only I pushed a little harder, etc. I'm sure everyone goes through this after a marathon, and it totally sucks.

Somehow I managed to lose my ID while in Philadelphia, so thankfully Allie was more than willing to break into my condo and snoop through all my stuff to FedEx some identification for me. After a year and a half of living in SLC, I finally had my first guests over to my place. Wow - that is totally sad. Sounds like Jake and I need to host a "We didn't make the OTQ but we tried really hard" party soon!

AM - In Brooklyn staying with Jake's sister for a couple days. Jake and I jogged around Prospect Park at 9:30 pace. I woke up a little less sore this morning and was able to run less awkwardly. 4-5 miles a day is probably going to become the standard for the next couple weeks (expect maybe Thanksgiving because I will inevitably eat a ton).

We are planning to walk around the city and go to a Rockettes show this afternoon/evening. Should be a good time!

Found this deal on Google Offers - 50% off to Ruth's Diner. I know that a lot of runners in Utah love it so I thought I would post it.

AM - 4 miles at Prospect Park in Brooklyn again. Ran a little shorter today - we ended up walking a bunch yesterday and I still feel quite fatigued. Lots of pushups, squats, and lunges in an attempt to keep the metabolism up.

In Monroe, Connecticut now visiting Jake's family. Glad to be out of the loud, dirty city and back in the quiet, pretty suburbs :)

AM - 5 miles easy 9:15 pace. I'm running at a pace that keeps my heart rate low and isn't stressing my body at all. It seems to be helping the recovery process because I'm recovering much faster than I thought I would. Although I am still fatigued, nothing in particular hurts and I have no more soreness. It makes me feel like I should've run faster - ahhh!

I've been analyzing the race a million times in my head, and I think it really came down to not enough time and experience under my belt. I've only been seriously running for a year. I have no doubt that my training has been great, but I needed a little more time to race the marathon at such a high level. My half marathon times indicate a much faster marathon, so I think another year or two of keeping the mileage up and doing more long runs will get me where I want to be. I probably won't run a marathon next year - can't say I love the distance like I do the half marathon - but maybe in a couple years after I forget this one :)

Jake found some great photos of us and his friend took some excellent ones as well -

AM - Another 5-miler with Jake. Felt comfortable going a little faster than yesterday - 8:30-8:40 pace today! I'm pretty sure I've gained 5 pounds since the marathon on Sunday...so hard to have any self-control with so much good food. Gotta enjoy it while I can! 

AM - Same 5-miler in Connecticut. Travelling all day today in the following order - car, train, subway, walk, taxi, plane, shuttle, car. Just want to be home!

AM - Horsepark loop. No watch, but it seemed to take forever. I felt pretty terrible - all the traveling yesterday and residual marathon fatigue really caught up to me. I'm probably going to take a couple days off from running now, stick to cross training. 

AM - Exercise bike for 30 minutes, level 14. 

PM -Exercise bike for 20 minutes, level 12, then strength training for about 7 minutes before I got bored.

AM - 5 miles up towards Sugarhouse and back. Feel better than I have the past week, probably because I got extra sleep and took a day off running yesterday. 

PM - 20 minutes exercise bike and push-ups.

AM - 5 miles up towards Sugarhouse and back. 

Would anyone be interested in getting together for a Saturday morning run? Maybe around 10-12 miles at 8 min mile pace, don't know if I can run faster than that yet!