Penny

Treadmill, 1%, 7:45 avg pace.

 Its so weird. This was a completely aerobic run for me. Yet just ONE year ago, this was my threshold pace; I remember struggling to hold a 7:45 pace for 15 minutes at a time!

Easy miles at 8:00min/mile pace. Felt a little pull in my butt in later miles but it didnt last.  Also soreness above my ankle in the interior calf muscle.

XT elliptical, 50 mins + leg strength

 Im trying to do all my runs easy at the moment, to give both my body and mind a break from speed work (and to make sure these niggles heal up!)

 But today, I couldnt help myself. What began as an easy run, turned into a beautiful (mostly) progression. Splits: 8:48, 8:17, 8:10, 8:15, 8:04, 7:50, 7:36, 7:28, 7:10, 6:41.

 I started off at recovery pace, did a few easy miles, down to (roughly) marathon pace (approx 7:10-7:30) and then finished with my 10k to half pace. 

What felt great about this run (apart from the fact that 7:30s felt like a piece of cake!) was that I picked my paces at each mile and stuck with them. I traditionally have a hard time keeping on a certain pace, and tend to surge/fall back/surge again a lot. Today felt very smooth.

 Ok, but seriously, NOW only easy runs for a few more weeks at least.

XT - 60 mins elliptical + a little leg strength

10 lovely miles for my 30th birthday. Easy at 7:50 avg pace. 

Easy at 7:45 avg pace (one mile at 7:11, accidentally!) 

40 mins elliptical  -20 mins easy, 20 mins w 2 min hard/1 min easy, 20 mins easy + core strength

Easy at 7:49 avg pace through central park

6 miles at 8:00 min.mile and 2 miles progression at the end (roughly current half mara pace- 6:58, 6:55.

 Probably should not have done this run. Butt is back. Rest tomorrow.

Easy miles. Butt/ham feeling better. Just a pull, no pain. Will keep running easy. Also had gotten a little slack on stretching rolling routine, so must get back to that. Feels good to be building base mileage though!

10 easy at around 8:00 pace. Last mile more like around 7:30 because I tried to jog past a dude running about 15-30 seconds slower than me... that couldnt stand to be passed by a girl. So he sped up to about 7:30. I let him go the first time, but he couldnt hold it and slowed down again. This time I passed him. He tried to race again, running around 7:00min/mile. Im like, really? Dude, you are not less of a man because I happen to be running faster than you today. For all I know, you did a 20 mile tempo run yesterday, and you are doing some easy recovery miles. Everyone has their own pace for their own reasons on any particular day. Just get over it.

 Anyway, this time I sped up and held it to pass him. I hate being sucked into that crap, but it felt a little bit good when he dropped off ;)

XT 40 mins elliptical plus light hip/misc. workout (clam shells, lateral leg raises, eccentric calf dips and push-ups)

2% incline, easy miles at 8:30-8min miles

Easy miles, around 8:10 average pace. Windy for the first four, then easy for the last four. Wanted to go longer but I had to work.Tried to finish the last mile fast (HM-10K pace) but my hip flexor felt weird and weak, and my hamstring started twinging so I backed off and went home. Kind of a "meh" run.

Have worked about 23 days in a row now. At least I can get in some good mileage. I peaked at 45 last cycle, so Im aiming for 50-55 this cycle because.... Ive decided Im going to run my first marathon this year! May 5 New Jersey. Looking forward to it.

Easy miles at 7:50 avg pace, with 7 x 1min fartleks thrown in (around 5K pace, I imagine). 

Was going to run this one in the gym because Im a sissy for any temps below 30 degrees (if its below freezing, I get scared of slipping on ice. And getting cold. Im Australian and spent the last three years in SoCal - dont judge.)

Buuuut, got outside and it was around 30 degrees, and felt warmer. So I ran outside. SO much better. Legs felt heavy and my easy pace felt a bit harder today (outside of the fartleks, avg pace would have been around 8:15). I only ate a salad and a dish of scallops last night; virtually no carbs. Hadnt really thought about it before, but every time I have Mexican, and chow down on a bunch of fried delicious tortilla chips, I have a great run the next day. Must attempt to incorporate more carbs (and more healthy ones) in the evening meals.

If anyone is reading this, do you do your easy morning runs unfueled (ie not eating anything beforehand)? If not, how early do you get up to eat something before running? I have taken to doing all easy morning runs unfueled, and hard workouts in the evening, because I just cant seem to eat early enough for it to make a difference in my morning runs.

P.S. Just realized I think Ive graduated from 4 runs to 5 runs a week! Yay for patience :)

Easy treadmill miles. at around 8:00 pace at 2% incline.

XT - elliptical 40 mins + leg strength:

3x

20 x Air squats with lateral leg raise;

15 x lunge with front leg raise (each side)

15 x side step up on box (each side)

15 x hamstring curls with exercise ball

15 x eccentric calf dips (each side)

Treadmill. 2%. Brutal, but only because I hate treadmill running. Had a bit of leg lock going on, but no pain in butt... maybe dehydration related? It was over 70 degrees in there and no fan....

Treadmill 2% again. This time did progression from 8:30-7:30 then last mile at 7:08 (Marathon goal pace). The 7:08 felt tiring a little in the legs (possibly the incline) but felt aerobic (heart-rate was steady at around 160). 

Central park in the SNOW. Am total hard core runner.

 8:05 avg pace, easy run lots of hills. Practicing for a half mary there in late Feb.

Possibly one of the most efficient workouts Ive ever done. Working today (this is one month straight of working every day and night) so I had to be quick about it. 

40 mins elliptical - 10 aerobic, 20 mins intervals (2min hard, 1 min easy), 10 aerobic

Strength: 2 x

20 x pushups

20 x squat jumps

20 x squat with lateral leg raise,

20 x standing lunges with front leg lift (on each side)

20 x ski jumps in plank position

 Finished with 50 tricep dips (for vanity) and 2x15 eccentric calf dips (for being a responsible runner).

8:00 avg pace exactly. Run around Central Park.

9 horrible, horrible miles. GI issues like I have never had before. Note to self: rethink the one metric shit ton of Korean hot pepper paste you eat with your stirfry the night before running.

60 grinding minutes on elliptical.

Leg strength:

2x

 20 x squats with lateral leg raise

15 x lunges (each side)

15 x step up on box (each side)

15 x hamstring curls on swiss ball

15 x leg raises

15 x eccentric calf dips (each side)

Mostly easy miles (8-8:15) with a one mile "tempo" ish thrown in. It felt great actually... around 6:50-55 (mile split didnt quite line up with my laps). Tried not to look at watch and just run "comfortably hard". I was happy with how the pace felt; breathing felt easy and legs felt light.... obviously its a different story when you start doing proper tempos at this pace though :)

Easy miles in the freeeeeezing cold. Avg of 7:50. First and last miles were about 8:20, then I pretty consistently ran 7:45s the rest of the way, feeling comfortable and easy breathing, but probably faster than usual because (a) it was cold, and (b) I wanted to get home quick because... wait for it... it was cold. I know, 28 degrees is probably balmy for a lot of people, but for this little weak-skinned Aussie (who spent the last two years in socal) its quite chilly.

 Am contemplating taking all of next week off running before launching into actual marathon training (ie, adding back in hard workouts). I have a few niggles that I feel would heal up if I gave them a little rest. Also I am mentally waning a little, and less enthused about running at the moment (especially after a couple of disappointing races) than I could be. In fact, I barely took off any time (3-4 days at most?) after those races, which could explain the general "meh" feeling I have about running right now. Perhaps a week's break would also bring back some fresh enthusiasm?

I can be a bit obsessive about getting my sweat on, so this wouldnt be a week off entirely; just no impact aerobic, strength and yoga allowed.

Any thoughts? Any chance I could suddenly lose all my running strength and end up injured if I go back to running 40-50 miles per week after a week off?

No running: Day 2. Holding strong. 

Insanity core cardio and balance; a very low impact workout that always works my hip flexors and lower core which is feeling kinda weak at the moment. 

Extremely stressful day; doing cross-examination at trial in federal court. Managed to sneak in a leg workout in the morning. 

Warmup: 1 min jump rope (without the rope) jumps; 1 min mummy kicks; 1 min star jumps

3 x

20 x pushups

20 x sumo squats with lateral leg raise

20 x lunges with front leg raise (each side)

13 x side lunges

15 x bridge + leg raise (works the hamstring kinda like curls on a swiss ball)

Stretch

XT: 65 mins elliptical intervals. 15 mins stair master. Good long stretch. 

Day four of no running. 

Day 5 no running. Still holding strong. 

Insanity core cardio and balance again. This is such a great little workout. Not at all heavy, but really targets some running muscles that dont get much attention. 

Plus 45 mins elliptical intervals. 

Elliptical 60 mins + 60 mins yoga

60 mins elliptical + core cardio and balance

I SURVIIIIIIIIVED. My one week off running. I strength trained and yoga-ed and cross-trained instead. It was naaaasty. 

This was an 8-miler in 28 degree weather. Usually too cold for me, but I needed to get out! 8:05 pace around the hilly Central Park big loop. Felt a little tired and that was not 100% easy pace, but I think my legs were probably burnt out from all the strength/cross training... in a good way :)

First speed session of this cycle! Did it on the treadmill, because I just find speed easier that way (I dont have access to a track, otherwise that would be the best option).

 1.5% incline.

1 mile easy. 12 x 400 repeats at roughly 5K pace (6:18min/mile or 9.5mph on tready), with 400m recoveries at around 8:30-9 pace.

Tough workout (though not as bad as 800s!), but really felt strong. My leg began to lock up at one point but after stretching my hip a little and focusing on allowing my hips to rotate with each turnover, it completely stopped. Reinforces my theory that tightness in the front hip flexor muscles is forcing my glutes to work harder than necessary, which makes them seize up and grab hold of the sciatic nerve, causing the leg lock. It only ever happens when I have been lazy about stretching those muscles....

My other niggles - namely posterior shin splints and some ITB tightness - are gone gone gone.

Im about 12 weeks out from NJ marathon. Im really happy that I took a break from running, as I am reeeeearing to go.

40 mins easy elliptical

Easy 8 on slliiiiiiippery paths. It would have been about 8:00 pace, except for all the sliding around attempting to avoid falling on my ass. 

 Going to see sports doc today re hamstring/butt. Its still about a 0.001 on the pain scale, but marathon training is going to be a big ramp-up from where I am at currently. I want a proper diagnosis on this thing now so that if there is a gait issue or muscle imbalance, I can correct it now before it becomes a chronic problem that prevents me from training hard. 

This was to be a tempo run.... but quads were still sore from my first speed session.

Marathon tempo attempt #1.

 Ok so two things to note.

(1) marathon tempos are easier than HM tempos. That's nice.

(2) My body got pretty good at finding and holding HM pace (6:50-6:55) in tempos.

(3) My body has absolutely no idea where marathon pace (7:10 ish) is.

 So I did 2 easy miles to warm up... by mile three my toes were still numb. I attempted my first tempo mile, but decided to run slow toward the end, as I wasn't able to hold pace (still cold and running into the wind). Turned around, and did 4 miles of "tempo" running. The award for uneven splits goes to......

 7:30, 7:13, 7:06, 6:52, 6:55.

Hmmmm. They all felt pretty much the same, effort-wise, so I guess its fine, because effort is what matters with tempo running, right?

It might take a little longer to find my marathon pace. HM pace was easy; it was really just below lactate threshold, and I felt like it was the hardest pace I could hold while still being mostly aerobic and not building up lactic acid too quickly. Marathon pace is hard because its a slightly lesser effort, and I have to hold that pace for 26.2. It'll be interesting figuring this out as my tempos get longer.

 In other news, I went to the sports doc, who said my butt/hamstring problem was simple: I have "white girl weak butt" syndrome (his words). Haha! Apparently my quads and hamstrings are very strong, and are just overpowering my backside. Easy to fix, and should be fine with about 6 weeks of some strength training focusing on the gluts, hips, piriformis etc.

Easy miles on the tready at the gym, 1% incline at around 8:20 pace. I much prefer running outside, but it was 25 degrees with some serious wind, and I didnt want my face frozen off.

Did the majority of my first strength workout, targeted to my gluts. Already feel the difference; Im experiencing no more hamstring twinges at all. I think the exercises serve to release the piriformis, as much as it does strengthen; and that in turn gives all the muscle around the sciatic nerve a rest.

Includes: squats, jump squats, lunges, jump lunges, deadlifts (light weights), single-leg squats and jump-squats, core work (push ups, crunches, planks, plank-rows), burpees and upper body strength stuff combined with some squats and one-legged balance work. 

I finished it all except the burpees, as I knew my core and quads were plenty worked out by the end, and I was too fatigued to carry on.

Easy miles around 8:10 pace. Muscles still sore from strength training on Sunday!

Speed! Treadmill, 1% incline.

8x600s at 6:22 (5k ish pace I think) with 400m jog recoveries. 

This was surprisingly hard! Not quite as quickly over as the 400m repeats, but almost as fast....looking forward to the slightly longer slower repeats coming up on the plan - I forgot (from training for Vegas) how hard these things are. I was totally freaking out (unnecessarily) about it all day. Its the only workout I allow myself to listen to music to! But done and done.

Tready run-lunch....runch! 

 Ooph, this was a hard one. Five-mile tempo. 1% incline. 

2 miles easy, 2miles @ 7:19, 2 miles @ 7:13, 1 mile @ 7:08, 1 mile easy.

Not sure why this felt so hard. Running on the treadmill is easier for speed, I feel, but absolutely blows on tempo running.7:08 felt like 6:50 outside.

Thinking about readjusting marathon goal. Not sure where to aim for. Without wanting to inflate myself, my racing times just dont reflect my fitness right now, Im sure of it.

Then again, I really dont feel like I can run 7:10 for 26.2! Any other ways to test preparedness to run the big one at a certain pace? I need another race soon to test my fitness!

Easy miles, around 8:30. Running a half marathon tomorrow, so wanted to take it easy. I'll be running it as a long run, not racing. I decided this at the beginning of the week, because my legs are fatigued from the training Ive done so far, and racing this would definitely take me out of commission for at least a week. Plus, this way I can run it with a friend, and dont have to worry about all the nutrition/bathroom etc stuff you normally do for a race. 

Oh yeah, and did I mention that its around Central Park (ie really hilly) and there were 25mph winds forecast? May have had something to do with my decision :)

Originally signed up for this race thinking I would run it as a marathon tempo. Then weather forecasted rain, snow and 25mph winds on an already very hilly course through Central Park. So I decided to run this with a friend as an easy/long run. I ran 9 miles yesterday, and did a tempo on Friday, so I was just hoping my legs were good for it.

 Well, low and behold, the weather (as I should have known, if I paid any attention to Murphy) was perfect running weather. Overcast, cool in the 40s, barely any wind!

 Ah well, it was really nice doing a race with 0 expectations other than to have fun. 

Overall a  1:44-ish for a average pace of 7:53 min/mile (with a bathroom break - first time in a race ever!) All miles felt pleasantly aerobic with a bit of effort going up those Harlem hills.

Again I'm reminded at how far Ive come. This was an easy/long run for me. A year ago, I had never even run a half marathon.

Iron Strength Workout from Dr Metzl. Hits everything - a great one for runners.

Easy at 8:07 avg pace. Tired legs, but feeling good. Butt-sore from strength last night - at least I know its working haha!

Speed, treadmill, 1% incline.

6 x 800s at 6:22min/miles (9.4mph) with 400 jog recoveries at about 9:30-10 min miles. 

 Wowzas, this felt hard. I cant believe I did 10 of these last cycle (albeit at 6:27pace). Though its possible that I was walking my recoveries back then... jogging/running increases the difficulty a lot.

 Im pleased with how the training is going so far. Excited to have another crack at the tempo tomorrow. Partially because its not going to hurt as much as this workout, but also the weather is great in NYC right now, and its a good opportunity to get in some nice morning miles.

Best workout so far. Completely awesome. I had a 5-mile tempo scheduled. Did two easy miles, around 8:30 pace.

Tempo splits were: 7:23, 7:09, 7:09, 7:01, 7:04, 7:08. Cool down for an easy mile.

So the average here was a little bit slower than last week's 5 mile tempo, but what made it so awesome was how it felt. Completely controlled. The splits were a little bit uneven in places because of wind, but the effort felt very sustainable, even and even easy. The last two miles flew by, and for the first time on a tempo run, I was not counting the minutes til I could stop. I was only supposed to do 5 miles at effort, but decided to add an additional mile because my first mile was a bit slow (takes my legs a while to warm up in 30 degree weather).

Average overall pace was 7:09 with fuel left in the tank. I was starting to think my goal marathon pace should be closer to 7:30 instead of 7:15, but I feel like I could sustain 7:15 pace for quite some time.

Easy miles, 8:30 to 8. Leg locked cos I didnt stretch - ugh. 

 A wee bit of strength, then called it a night.

First time I have achieved 45 miles though - nothing compared to some people, but it has taken me over a year to build up to this mileage! 

Hard run because I was cold and unfueled; legs felt a bit dead but when I looked back over the last week, I realized I got some really quality running in; so dead legs will happen!

 Goes to show the benefit of having a training log, rather than following a plan ad hoc. 

8:15 avg pace.

other half of Iron Strength workout from Sunday

Easy dreadmill miles on a runch (run-lunch) break from work. around 8:30min/miles moving up to 7:50. 1% incline. 

Speed. Hardest one I've done so far.

Warmup (1.5 miles), then 5 x 1K at 6:22min miles (5K pace - 9.4mph) at 1% incline, with 400m jog recoveries.

I nearly didn't finish this workout. Jog recoveries, instead of walking, really made it a lot harder, even though the jogs themselves were really slow (10min/miles).

Happy that I completed it....just.

Yoga

Yay, a nice little PR for the half, and some more information about my current fitness levels. Plus, my first cash prize as third lady :)

 Recap on running blog HERE

 Figured I'd throw in the splits if you don't want to read the whole blog post: :) Aim was to go 5-10 seconds slower than what I think my half pace is (6:55-7 or so), to get a PR and have a more accurate HM time for determining marathon pace for NJ marathon. I wanted to push myself, but have a generally even effort without trashing my legs (legs were not even sore the following days!)

 Splits: 7:04, 7:04, 6:50 (oops - tail wind) 7:04, 7:03, 7:02, 6:57, 7:02, 6:52, 7:08, 7:15, 7:01, 7:19, 0.1=7:09 

Average pace: 7:04min/miles 

Legs not at all sore after the race, but it was hilarious how slow this run was. About a 9:30 average pace (felt like 8:00!)

Very very pleased at my recovery time. It tells me that I didnt run all out (and trash my legs) and I am getting a lot stronger. 

8 easy miles on treadmill. Still feeling good, but taking it easy, just in case. No speedwork til next week. 

40 mins easy elliptical. Short leg/butt/hamstring strength session. 

Treadmill run; very easy (around 8:30-9:30 min miles) at 2% incline. 

Very easy miles around Central Park. Explored a few more trails, including the North Woods. Around 8:30 pace.

 Legs still feel tired and a little achey in places, but no major niggles or anything. I know I just ran a PR, but I am actually more proud of the fact that I got through a tune-up half and did not experience any soreness or injuries after the race. I have been waiting, paranoid, all week to feel something awful, but it hasnt happened. Perhaps my legs are finally becoming stronger and more conditioned. So touch wood, I can continue training (carefully)!

8:06 avg pace. Wanted to run the last two miles at MGP (7:20) and started to, but I felt a pull in my hip flexors and immediately backed off. Having run a fast race just a week ago, I knew not to push my body and be vigilant about not getting injured now. 

This was the first long long run in preparation for NJ marathon. I am doing Hansons plan, and the long runs from that plan do not exceed 16 miles. I understand the science and method of the Hansons plan; and I think it makes sense. But as a first time marathoner, I must admit to just being a little fearful of not having a few really long runs in my preparation. So I decided to try about 3 or 4 18-20 milers before I finish the cycle to just give me some mental confidence in being on my feet for that long.

 Still up in the air about pacing strategy.

am: 8 miles easy

pm: light leg strength + yoga

Marathon pace tempo. 1 mile easy, then 8 miles at 7:18 avg pace. Splits were:

7:22, 7:24, 7:18, 7:17, 7:14, 7:18, 7:20, 7:14

1 mile easy cool-down.

 I was not happy with the run. I guess the splits are fine - they are my present MGP. But I felt like complete rubbish from the first tempo mile, and nearly quit at mile 2 (yay for mental strength development!)

 I would've liked to have run 7:10-15 pace like I did on my last tempo, or at least have a nice progression up to just slower than HM pace...so I was a bit disappointed. But I'm gunna go ahead a make few excuses for myself:

1. 5.5 hours sleep. Not enough.
2. Just got off  a 6 hour flight from NY- San Diego.
3. Ran my longest run ever (18.5 miles) just a few days ago on Sunday.
4. Ran a half marathon 10 days ago (this was my first "effort" session back).
   
5. Suddenly running in 65 degrees with warm sun, after running outside in 30-40 degrees for several months.

Oh, I am the queeeeeen of excuses :)

Come to think of it, looking at all of those things, I'm relatively pleased to have just finished the run at roughly goal pace. It may not have felt good or easy, but it wouldn't be marathon training if you didn't feel like a dogs breakfast occasionally, right? :)

Edited to add: the splits were a little uneven because of some wind coming off the oceans - [7:22, 7:24, 7:18 (into wind)  7:17, 7:14, 7:18 (wind at back) 7:20 (into wind) 7:14 (wind at back)] - but because they were really consistent with the wind direction and I felt my effort level was the same, I think I can safely say I was hitting the right paces.

XT for 15 mins on elliptical. How the hell did I used do that for 60 mins at a time. Hooray for increasing to 5 runs a week.

 leg strength + core work.

Threshold (tempo?) intervals at around half-marathon pace or roughly 10 seconds slower than goal marathon pace. 6x1 miles with 400m jog recoveries:

6:56, 6:55, 6:52, 6:56, 6:57, 6:54

Based on my goal marathon pace (7:20), Hanson said I should have been running these at 7:05, but the description called for around half-marathon pace, which for me is a little faster. I think my estimate for this was correct, because these intervals felt hard, but comfortably so. I was not wiped out at the end of the workout. It was actually a bit of a confidence builder.

Some very easy miles (around 8:50 pace) on a trail through Balboa Park in San Diego (here for 10 days of work).

And THAT makes my first >50mile week! Woot!

Easy miles at 8:30 pace with Kristen around Mission Bay, San Diego. Definitely aerobic; we talked the entire time :)

Easy miles around 8:15 pace

Woosh, this was a good workout. 4x1.5 miles at HM pace with 800m recoveries. I cheated on my last two recoveries a little because I needed the bathroom, and then accidentally switched off my garmin. I dont think the workout was too greatly impacted though.

 Splits were almost the same as last week's mile repeats, which was encouraging:

6:53, 6:54, 6:55, 6:55.

Felt a bit harder than the mile repeats, but that might have been because it was a morning effort and unfueled, which is always a little harder for me than the afternoon hard workouts.

3 very easy treadmill miles (probably around 9:30 pace)

 Iron strength workout: core, plyo, leg strength, arms

Tempo run.... ahhh, this felt tough. Not as tough as last week... but it seems like marathon pace should feel easier. Or maybe Im wrong. I remember reading that Ryan Hall was lamenting he couldnt even hit one mile at marathon pace a few months out from his Boston marathon. 

Anyway, I hit the target, which felt good... didnt feel good doing it, so much. 

The avg pace was 7:18 - exactly the same as last week. Splits were a little wonky again because of the wind. Again my first mile was super slow (7:25 - is it normal to take that long to get into a groove?) and had a few 7:15-17s in there. Overall pace, outside of that first mile, would have been 7:17, so not too much of a difference.

Note to self: sometimes you just gotta get it done. It ain't pretty, it ain't a walk in the park. But its done.

I am definitely feeling the effects of my highest mileage ever. Easy run at about 8:45 pace, on legs that felt like lead!

Easy trail run with my buddy Kristen at around 9:00 pace... covered nearly 2000ft in elevation gain and drop, including the infamous torrey pines hill.

This run kicked my ass, but it was great to get the aerobic stimulus without pounding my legs on concrete. Woke up this (Monday) morning feeling a little tight in the calves, but otherwise like I hadnt even run yesterday!

Cant wait to head back to New York tomorrow - its springtime finally!

Easy miles in the dark around San Diego embarcadero... around 8:20 pace. 

I feel like I say this about every workout, but wow, this one was tough.

 3x2miles at HM pace, with 1 mile recoveries.

I faced 17mph winds initially... the sort of I-dont-want-to-run-in-this-but-I'll-grow-some-balls-and-just-do-it kind of wind... but quickly graduated into 24mph holy-crap-I-must-look-like-Im-practicing-running-tangents sort of wind. For the last interval, I had to run to get away from the waterfront where it is windiest, and did it in Riverside Park, which provided a bit more protection.

It wasnt terrible physically... but mentally, I was at the edge and promised myself I could quit after each 2-mile interval. Funnily enough, allowing myself an "out" always results in me keeping at it, and completing the workout. Its almost like it releases the mental pressure and my stress about how hard the whole workout will be, and focuses me back in on the immediate task at hand. Just get through this interval. And just enjoy this recovery. Ok, now you have another interval, why dont you just give this one a go too. Oh hullo, another recovery.

I am fully aware I must sound like a crazy person.

Splits: First interval: 7:04, 6:47, second interval: 6:57, 6:59, third interval: 6:55, 6:54

Avg Pace: 6:56

I was a little bit disappointed with the first mile, but when I saw the next mile split, I realized that it evened out the wind I faced initially.

Leg + core strength

Easy miles around Central Park - around 8:45 pace. The harder my workouts get (and yesterdays tempo was haaaaaard) the slower these easy paces get :)

Long run @ 8:30 and longest run ever! Felt like it should be faster. I have done an 18-miler at 8:05 avg pace, but it took me a while to recover from. Given that Im already going beyond my training plan (Hansons calls for only a few long runs, and limits them to 16miles), I thought a slower pace for this one was fine. It was also more about confidence-boosting than anything else.

This run was really great for me. I ran around the entire island of Manhattan with some really gutsy winds from all directions. I listened to podcasts - sermons, NPR and "Stuff You Should Know" the whole way. My last few workouts have left me downright miserable, so it was really great just to lace up, and enjoy being out and about for 3 hours. Oh, and know that I can actually run the marathon distance. Thats nice :)

Easy miles, around 8:20 pace

THIS. This is what a breakthrough workout feels like. 

 1 mile easy, 10 mile tempo at average pace of 7:16, 1 mile easy.

 I felt like the stars aligned on this one, but in reality, it was just finally doing all the things I should have been doing all along, e.g.: (a) spent 30 mins stretching and rolling the night before; (b) ate huge sweet potato the night before with dinner + lots of water; (c) got 8.5 hours sleep; (d) wore new shoes (same model but not bashed to death by NYC pavement).

Splits were: 7:22, 7:20, 7:12, 7:16, 7:16, 7:14, 7:17, 7:15, 7:19, 7:12.

 Even though it was "only" four seconds per mile faster than last weeks tempo, the feeling was worlds away. Last week I hung on for dear life, and had to stop mid-way. This week, no stops and felt strong to the end. Anytime I felt tired, I imagined being at mile 15 or 16 of the marathon with 10 miles to go, and needing to push through it. It worked!

X-trained, 60 mins elliptical.

Ahhhh, groin/adductor felt weak before my tempo, and I think that run strained it slightly. Its weird... I dont feel it while running, but feel it when I walk or move suddenly. Its about a 2 on the pain scale, so nothing serious, but knew that I needed to take the day off to not make it worse. While I sort of wish I had been smart enough to not run that tempo, it was such a big confidence booster, that I think I am better off having done it, and now taking a few days lighter. I havent had a "recovery" week basically this entire cycle, so its probably about time anyway. I will miss one threshold workout (2x3 miles at HMpace) which I'll do next week. Other than that Im hoooooping to not miss anything else.

9 easy miles around central park around 8:10 pace.

Groin still not feeling 100%, but it felt more like everything in that leg was stiff, and that made it worse...? Came home and rolled/stretched up a storm, and I havent felt it since. Also added some adductor strength exercises to my routine. It takes a while for PT to work, but may as well start now.

 Im a bit sad that this was supposed to be my highest mileage week at ~ 60 miles. But I have been running in the 50s for the first time ever, about four weeks in a row, so thats pretty good. And the aim at this point is to get to the start line healthy. Way more important than hitting mileage numbers!

Easy 16 miles at 8:20 pace. Was going to try to add some threshold or MP miles at the end, but my hip flexor was having none of it. 

I have two rest / x-training days planned, so hopefully I'll be able to get back on the workout schedule this week. Trying to be calm given that NJ is only three weeks away. 

XT - 40 mins elliptical, + core

Was really hard not to run today. Groin is great, hip flexor feeling about 80% now. Hopefully tomorrow will be fine for a threshold workout. Ive decided to x-train instead of easy miles for the moment. Its hard not to feel like everything is falling apart, when Ive really only missed 1 workout, and 1 easy run. Remember Jake's advice: training is cumulative!

 Edited to add: I feel overwhelmingly selfish caring about my little niggle, after what happened in Boston. It was so tragic. Why attack spectators of all people in the world??? I dont get it.

Workout was 2x3miles at HM pace or ten seconds slower than marathon pace. 1 mile easy recovery in between intervals. Probably the hardest LT workout in my plan.

Well, I didnt quite get there on the pace: 7:02 average, with only one split in the 6s. Previous workouts have had me comfortably sitting at 6:55.

That said, I had all the same circumstances from my last bum workouts: early morning flight from Tennessee back to NY, not enough hydration, poor sleep the night before. No amount of carb loading can make up for adequate sleep and water. Note taken :)

This workout was tough, and I had to stop twice, because I was tired and then nature called. But Im glad I got through it - Im starting to see that one bad-feeling workout does not mean you didnt reap fitness benefits and does not mean you're not progressing. You just had an off day.

 Hip flexor still feeling week, but ok. I felt a lot of restricted movement in my glut and hip on the same side so I think thats probably what caused my hip flexors (already tight from sitting at a desk all day) to get overworked. Getting my roll/stretch on tonight!

Treadmill, 2x3 miles at MP (7:18) at 1% incline. About 30 seconds break between them stretching out my hips and gluts.

I was pleased at how aerobic this pace felt, but my gosh I completely forgot how dreadful it is to do any quality workouts on the treadmill. Ugh. I should have done a 10-mile tempo outside, but there was a storm+20mph winds about to hit, and I didnt want to get stuck in it. I figured that if I could at least do six, maybe I can take on a few more MP miles in my final long run on Sunday.

So not a perfect last few weeks before the marathon - travelled twice this week, had to rest a "niggle", and I have even more travel scheduled next week, to the West Coast. But it could be worse, I suppose.

Very easy miles, around 8:45-9 pace.

Last long run before NJ. I was tossing up whether to do this many miles two weeks out, but several training plans Ive reviewed had 16-18 milers at this point so I deemed it ok.

I wanted to add some tempo miles at the end (to make up for my crappy Friday tempo), but had NO energy to do so whatsoever. I guess it was really windy, and I had no fuel... but there was nothing in my legs at all. Plus I was worried about my hip flexor which was feeling really weak. Whatever it was, it sucked from start to finish.

 For long runs, I have done, 1x18 miler (8:05 pace) 1x20 miler (8:30 or so but with lots of water stops) and probably about 3-4 16 milers at various paces. Im worried its not enough, but trying to trust the process. I feel like those long mid-week tempos on tired legs are what will get me through miles 18-26. We'll see!

XT 40mins elliptical

Workout: 3x2 miles at HM pace (6:55).

Actual: 2x2 miles in which I couldnt  even break 7 mins. First interval was 7:11, second was 7:25. I quit this workout early - first time ever. Those paces felt as hard or harder than the 6:55s I have been doing in the rest of my threshold workouts.

After some immensely shitty runs over the weekend (where 8:30 felt like 8:00, and 9:00 felt like 8:30) Im wondering if Im just a teensey bit overtrained. Also possibly under-fueled, as I have lost a couple of pounds.

10 miles at 7:20 average pace. Much better.

Last tempo and last workout before NJ.

Splits started off slow: 7:24, 7:21, 7:27, 7:19, 7:25, 7:21, 7:26, 7:15, 7:15, 7:08.

I tried to start off comfortably hard, but not too hard, as I have been concerned about pushing my body over the edge into overtraining land. There was also a very cold and strongish wind of about 15mph that made it difficult to warm up! The last three miles I was trying to picture myself feeling really tired but finishing strong at the marathon. As I warmed up, the miles became a lot easier, and I relaxed into the run. I had a few little mantras going, and tried to relax my hands, arms and upper body as I moved into the pace.

The last mile felt hard, but great to finish the run at that pace (around halfway between HM and MP) especially as it was going into the wind.

4 miles very easy, 9:45 pace

50 mins easy elliptical + core and upper body workout

Was going to run 8 easy miles today, but my groin niggle came back a little (pain only at a 1-2 on scale) after the last tempo, so I want to make sure thats taken care of.

 As everyone keeps reminding me: there is nothing I can do at this point to improve the marathon, but there is a lot I can do to wreck it!

 Didn't check the weather for next sunday quite so obsessively today, so thats good. Getting into a good, slightly more calm, frame of mind about it.

Stretch + foam roll. Restorative yoga poses.

Easy miles. Supposed to run 8 yesterday, but groin hurt. Today my legs felt like LEAD and I have had a pain under my heel for a couple of days. I guess this will be that taper-niggle (the one you get a week before the race, that you are convinced is an injury that will sideline you). So not too concerned.

 A little concerned that legs still feel this tired after not running hard since Thursday, but Im sure it takes a little longer than 3 days for your muscles to start repairing and really getting the benefits of taper.... or so I hope.

40 mins easy elliptical, just getting heart rate up and a bit of a sweat.

 Hip flexor/groin feels perfect. Now my foot hurts a tad. I suspect a bit of bursitis in the heel. Not very noticeable, so Im hoping it will be gone by Sunday.

Very easy miles. The pain under my heel has persisted. 

 Also kind of expecting my legs to feel bouncy right about now... but I just felt tired. Hopefully a couple more easy/rest days will help. Just need to focus on sleeping and eating enough now.

Well this is a little more rest and taper than I was anticipating, because my heel is still feeling iffy. I decided to nix my run yesterday, and shake-out today. I have not given it more than 1 day rest since I felt it pop up, so Im sure two days will do the trick. And if its just a taper phantom, I have not lost a lot. Plus, I don't mind if my legs feel a bit sluggish at the beginning tomorrow, it'll keep me from starting out too fast :o)

 I just ran my FIRST marathon in 3:17! Placied 3rd in age-group (30-34), 14th female (out of 800), 159th overall (out of 2257).

 I'll write up a full report later but suffice to say I was really pleased with the result. It was a teensey bit slower than I was aiming, but I felt like I executed my race plan really well. I hit my targets in the first half, and only really slowed the last 3 miles (need to work on that endurance!) Aerobically, I felt strong to the finish. I never hit a wall, never walked and finished with a big smile, wanting to do it again asap! I couldn't be happier!
 

 Race report HERE!

40 mins easy elliptical + stretch and foam roll. Felt good to have the blood moving again. 

Huffed and puffed my way through 4 miles at around 9 avg pace. Nothing hurts, but wowza, I guess Im not 100% recovered yet!

40mins elliptical easy

Very easy miles - legs feeling a little less heavy... finally broke 9min/mile average pace - haha!

Insanity core

Easy miles in Florida Keys - very hot and humid. 8;40 avg pac... felt a lot harder obviously haha.

XT elliptical for 40 mins easy + planks

Easy miles on treadmill, about 8:30 avg pace

50 mins elliptical

50 mins XT on elliptical, 20 easy, 20 mins intervals (2 mins hard, 1 easy), 10 mins easy

 2 min plank, 1 min side plank (each side)

Easy miles, on hotel treadmill, fueled by excessive amounts of sugary fudge the night before. Oh my, I thought my legs were going to fly off. Started at a slow jog (9:45) and kept going until about marathon pace (7:30)

Did a cross-fit style workout. Do not be alarmed. I did not drink the Kool-aid.

 It was actually kind of fun. 

2 x rounds of:

30 seconds pull up bar (25 pullups for men)

25 x box jumps

25 x push ups

25 x kettle bell swings

30 x walking lunges

1 minute jump rope

25 wall balls (you squat and then throw a weighted ball... at the wall. It does feel a little daft, not going to lie).

 Then a short ab-workout. My left hip flexor is still a little ouchey (same one as before the marathon) so doing ab-work that involves bringing my legs towards my chest, feels a little uncomfortable.

Cross training: 45 mins elliptical, 20 mins stair master, 5 mins rowing machine (just got taught how to row properly).

Easy miles, around 8:20 pace. Felt pretty dang slow and stompy. But it is that time of the month (sorry any guys reading this) which makes me feel pretty sluggish. I think it might be to do with a lack of iron. So I had steak for tea :)

 Also decided to do a 10K on July 4. See where the fitness is at before I get into training for my Fall marathon. I'm trying to decide between the Wineglass Marathon (Oct 6), the Harrisburg marathon (Oct 12) and Philly Marathon (November 17).

Leaning towards doing the Wineglass half as a tune up, then Philly full. If nothing else, it will give me a big 18 week build up for the marathon, while still have some time to rest and then get into shorter races over the summer. Has anyone run these as PR races?

Treadmill miles... started at about 9:30, up to 8 or so

40 mins elliptical + leg strength workout: squat jumps, single-leg squats, deadlifts, forward and side lunges

60mins elliptical, 15 mins stair master... meant to do some core stuff but was too lazy.... why is it easy for me to run/XT for nearly 1.5 hours but I cant find it within myself to do 5 mins of core work?

Easy miles around 8:20 pace.

 I had wanted to be running a bit more by now, but an old niggle has come back. Some sort of posterior shin splints - the inside of my lower right calf/soleus. I think its from a combination of building up mileage (which is weird, because I was running 55 mile weeks a little while ago, without this issue, but I got it before when I was building up mileage), tight calves and a possible form issue. I noticed in my NJ photos that when Im tired or not paying attention, my right foot kicks out diagonally, which I guess could feasibly put a lot more stress on the inside of my ankle, which is having to stretch and pronate further every time I strike my foot.

 Either way, Im rolling my calves, stretching, and occasionally doing eccentric calf dips etc. The pain goes away about two days after a run, and so I can run every second or third day. I could run more frequently as the pain is barely there while I run but I fear it turning into a stress fracture, as it is really close to the bone down there.

If anyone is reading this and can think of anything else, I'd love to hear it.

50 mins elliptical, short plank sesh

50 mins elliptical. Short leg strength workout. 

Easy miles on tready, plus 40mins elliptical.... trying to keep up that aerobic base while I cant run much

60 mins elliptical + leg workout. Squats, lunges, deadlifts. The whole bit.

Shin splints nearly gone. Felt good. Ran about 8:30 pace, with last 0.5 mile at around 6:45. 

40 mins elliptical, upper body workout for vanity

Easy miles, around 8:30 pace

40 mins elliptical, 20 mins stairmaster, 2 min plank

10 miles: 8 miles easy, 1xmile at MP pace (7:15), 1x 800 at HM pace (around 6:55), 0.5 mile cool down.

I was going to do the whole last mile at HM pace, but I ran out of path before I had to go up a big hill to go home.... and it was hot and I got lazy :) No need to do full workouts right now, its good to just get the legs turning over a bit.

40 mins elliptical, 25 mins stairmaster

Leg workout: 3 x

Squats (40lb) x 20

Forward Lunges (30lb) x 30 (15 each side)

Single-leg dead lifts (20lb) x 30 (15 each side)

Side step ups (onto weight bench) x 30 (15 each side)

Calf dips from step with 20lb x 10 each side

In case anyone is wondering, for my leg workouts I try mix it up so I dont get bored, but also so I keep it challenging. My basic formula is 13-20 reps x 3 of one each of the following:

1 squat (barbell front or back, jump squats, air squats, kettle bell swings, sumo squats, etc)

1 lunge (forward lunges, back lunges, side lunges, weighted/non-weighted etc)

1 lateral movement (side-step ups, side lunges, side leg raises, clam shells, heismans, sumo squat with lateral leg raise etc)

Something targeting glutes/hamstrings (dead lifts, single-leg dead lifts, good mornings, hamstring curls, ski jumps)

Something for my calves/achilles - (eccentric calf dips, single leg heel dips, power jumps, vertical jumps, single-leg balancing on bosu ball etc.)

And I try to make at least one of these movements, if not, as many as possible, single-leg versions (single leg squats, single leg jump squats, lunges, single-leg deadlifts etc.)

Easy miles at 8:20 avg pace.

 The last few runs are the first that have felt somewhat normal since the marathon. My niggles are going away. I do feel very heavy and breathless... not sure whether it is an actual decrease in fitness or the additional heat im running in now. Im going with the latter... I really only took off a week from running and have kept relatively regular dates with the cross-trainers....

Mid-July is beginning date for my fall marathon training. Im excited!

Headed out for an easy run after a long day... at around 10pm eastern (I flew to CA last night from NY).... 

As soon as I started running, I could feel my legs were up for a bit of effort in this run. I decided 2x1 miles at LT pace. Not a big workout, but good practice to remember how to feel uncomfortable :)

Run was 2 miles easy, 1 mile at 6:45 avg pace, 1 mile recovery, 1 mile at 6:48 pace, 2 miles easy.

The pace was a tad faster than my goal HM pace right now (about 6:50). Not important, but it'll be interesting to see how it measures up against a full LT workout when I get started marathon training again...

40 mins elliptical easy

50 mins elliptical. 

Leg workout: 3x

Weighted lunges x 15 each side (20 lbs)

Side lunges x 15 each side 

Single Leg Deadlifts  x 15 each side (15 lbs)

Calf dips x 10 each side (10lbs)

Plus 1st round, 15 x goblet squat (15lbs) 2nd round 15 x deadlift to overhead press with 20lbs

Easy miles, 8:12 avg pace. Felt a bit huffy and puffy. Im ready to go back to the mostly very easy, sometimes very hard miles soon. All easy miles is a bit boring!

Easy miles on the treadmill, around 8:45 pace avg, 2% incline. Heart rate got up pretty high still!

Just trying to keep up my aerobic base til work chills the heck out. 

40 mins easy elliptical

Easy miles, with 6x1 min fartleks at about 5:55-6:10avg pace. 8:00avg pace overall.

I know they're only short intervals, but I was surprised to see the speed on my garmin. I remember doing exactly the same run about 1 year ago, and the fastest time I saw was about 6:45. 

65 mins easy elliptical

Leg workout:

3x

Jump squats x 15

Push ups x 20

Single-leg deadlifts x 15 each side

Side lunges x 15 each side 

20 x mountain climbers  

Easy miles around 8:15 pace. Quite warm down on the embarcadero in San Diego. Getting some nice sunshine before heading back to the serious summer going on in NYC

All easy in 80+ degree heat. High humidity. 8:40avg pace. Stopped and drank water a few times. Its kind of nice to just trot along with no times to hit or anything...

Easy miles, 8:20 avg pace

40 mins elliptical, (10 mins easy, 6x2 min hard intervals, with 1 min recoveries, 10 mins easy)

20 mins stair master

 I've noticed that I feel a lot more balanced if I switch up cross training machines rather than doing all XT on one machine. I feel like doing that promotes strength in certain areas (on the elliptical I use my quads a lot) that then can lead to imbalances in other areas for running.  

Easy miles at 8:40 pace

65 mins elliptical

Strength workout. 3 x

30 jump squats

15 single leg squats with hop (each side)

15 forward lunges each side 

15 side lunges each side

20 push ups

30 tricep dips

15 crunch things, where you place a ball (or in my case, a cushion) between your ankles, lie flat on your back, and raise your legs to pass it to your hands, bring it back over your head, then pass it back to your legs again.  

Mostly easy miles on the treadmill with 2% incline. Around 1 mile moved up to HM and MP... (7:30-7:00)

65 mins elliptical

50 mins stairmaster, upper body/arms workout

Im just gunna go ahead and complain for a second.

I finally started building back up some miles, but have been coming down with a bit of pain in my shin; probably just medial/posterior shin splints (only in the muscle, no pain in the tibia itself). So I'm like, well Im about to start training for my Fall marathon next week (first time Im doing a full 18 week training plan!) so I should rest this up, and rehab, so its all golden before I begin training.

 Well I haven't run since saturday and the pain is exactly the same. Its not bad pain; I certainly pass the hop test. And it hasnt gotten any worse. But what the hell - how can it still be there?

My rehab is the following (based on a ton of research including the FRB message boards): eccentric calf dips and calf raises with pigeon toes, rolling and massaging my (very) tight calf muscles (I suspect this is the culprit). I bought new shoes that have less stability but more of a arch support, which will help my arch from collapsing.

 I guess there is little more I can do than wait for all this to work. But I guess my question (should probably just post this on discussion boards) is, should I just keep running a bit, (easy, low mileage) while it heals, as long as its not getting worse? I would take the time off exercising completely if I thought it would help... but it doesnt seem to be. I'm likely going to have to cut down to a 12-week training plan anyway, so maybe I should use the extra 6 weeks to heal up and build up some decent mileage.

Easy miles. Felt my shin but not very much (and no pain the following day at all).

 I think its just tight calves. Stretching/rolling them on a tennis ball is working wonders. 

65 mins elliptical

Easy miles, 8:30 pace.

 Shin hurt a little to begin with but went away, and no pain after run.

The two things that have clearly helped the most are calf stretches (this is almost instantaneous; I stretch my calves, and the tightness and pain in the medial tibial muscle dissipates) and arch supports by way of superfeet (thanks Andrea!!) - these prevent my arch collapsing and over-pronating, putting more stress on that muscle, which I can feel the effects of when I run.

Im also wearing a lower-heel drop shoe. This initially has the effect of tightening my calves, but helps me not to overstride, encourages a mid-foot strike very naturally, and overall is lengthening and strengthening these muscles. Ultimately I'd like to do away with the superfeet, but they're working for now. (The blisters in my arches will testify to that :)

Philly Marathon training Day 1!

Scheduled was 8 miles w 4 miles at 15k/HM pace. I ended up doing something more like tempo intervals. 

1x2 miles (6:53, 6:53) about 4 mins recovery, 2x1 miles (7:03, 6:58) with 1 min recovery in between.

Obviously had tougher workouts, but it felt great to be working hard, and hitting the right LT pace... and I wasn't going to try doing the whole 4 at once in 80 degree heat and with the minimal miles I have been running in recent months.Shin pain was barely there (only about a 1 on pain scale) and I formed some gigantic blisters from the superfeet. But overall, felt really good :)

50 mins stairmaster