Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Objective: recovery

Weather: High 40's F, Pt Cloudy, breezy.

A good run; not as difficult as I expected.  I had an unusually long sleep that I'm sure helped a lot.

I am 5 weeks from the Portland Marathon now and have been thinking through my race plan.  My goal for this race is 4:10, which is about 9:30 per mile.   The Portland Marathon has 2 small but significant hills and one big one.  I think I might run the first mile about 9:50  to warm up.  Furthermore, I would like to walk through the aid stations, except for the first one and the last 2 or 3, which I plan to skip. 

Considering the hills, the warm up,  and the walking for water,  I thought I'd try to keep my pace at about 9:20.  Does that sound logical?  My tempo runs have been about 9:00-9:10 and my MP runs have been 9:15-9:30.  My last Porland Marathon was a little too ambitious; I was running 8:50s until mile 18 (except the hills) and faded badly after that (plus had 2 bathroom stops). 

I would sure appreciate any input from the group about this plan.  Thanks!

Objective: General aerobic w/ form and cadence drills

Weather: High 40's F, mostly clear, calm. Pretty skies.

15 min. abs & weights

Kept my pace about 10:30 (1 min slower than MP), except for about 5 form drills, concentrating on fast turnover or good posture/running form, arm swing, etc. Those intervals approached MP, but never for more than 2 minutes.

Again, disappointed with my pre-run routine; I was about 10 minutes late getting out the door.  It's very early and that makes it hard, but something always comes up and I always underestimate the time it will take to take care of it.  This morning it was a scratchy spot inside the back of my collar where the Asics logo had started to peel off.  I should have just chucked it aside and grabbed another shirt to wear, but in my sleepy stupor I decided to rub off the logo with a callous remover and picking at it with my nails.  Five minutes! Dumb!  It's so dumb, in fact, that I wonder if my subconscious is trying to sabotage me; it was cold and dark out and I'm sure part of me really wanted to go back to bed. 

Objective: Easy run.

Weather: High 40's F, clear & calm.

20 min. abs & weights

I slept poorly last night, and it showed in my run.   So I let this be just a very easy jog today - almost a day off.  Saw some lovely sights: starry sky yielding to pretty pre-dawn, mist on the ground in the parks, and a mama racoon with 2 babies.

I must say that the sleep tracking feature of this site has given me a lot of insight about my habits.  It's one thing to be vaguely aware of whether one has had enough sleep or not, and quite another to see it in black and white.  Very useful.

Objective: Lactate Threshold: About 5 miles easy, then 6 x 5 min. @ LT w/ 1 min jog between. Finish with easy miles until time to go home.

Weather: High 40's F, clear and calm

Lovely morning, great run.  My LT pace felt easier than it did last week - yay!  This was another Daniels workout.   Energy is much better than yesterday.

20 min abs and weights

Objective: General aerobic.  (About 1 minute slower than MP.)

Weather: 50 F. A few clouds. Breezy.

20 min. abs & weights

A nice run.  I cannot seem to get my mind off the coming of bad weather.  We're pretty temperate here, but starting in November we'll get these "car wash" days when the wind is strong and steady and the heavy rain falls horizontally.  I've handled it before, and I'll handle it again, but I'm feeling the calendar ticking away...

An interesting observation this morning: the neighborhood is suddenly full of new runners I've never seen before.  It is the time for new beginnings... the school year and the Jewish calendar start afresh this month.  It's great to see new people out there, although early in my run before the first light in the sky, it was still pretty much deserted as usual.  I don't have any "newness" right now. In fact, I'm in more of a "finishing up" stage: about 4 weeks until my marathon.

Rest day.  

Objective: Endurance + Tempo ...  A Daniels workout, modified for a few extra miles in the easy section:  2 mi w.u. + (4 x 6 min @ LT w/ 1 min rest b/t) +  ~9 mi easy + (4 x 6 min @ LT w/ 1 min rest b/t) +  2-3 mi easy.

Weather 50's F w/ loads of gorgeous, cool,  performance-inspiring FOG.  Ah...

It's a good thing I got my favorite weather today because parts of this workout were torture!  My second set of tempo intervals were so hard, and I did slow down about 15 seconds, but I gave it my all.  It was so discouraging to have the slowdown, but this is the first time I've ever tried to do this very difficult workout: LT pace after so many miles and after putting in one set of intervals already.   I don't know if I'm a sucker for punishment or if I just had to prove something to myself, but I decided to do my last couple of easy paced miles running up and down some nasty hills (Bandera and Palisades, for you locals).   I'm wiped out but I also feel a bit redeemed after the LT interval slowdown.  

I just read through my old running log to see what kind of training I was doing the 2 months before last year's Portland Marathon, and to read my race report from that race.  I was training well, but not as well as I have this summer, hehehe.  I have to keep looking at stuff like that to reassure myself.   When training,  everything feels so hard and I can't remember how fresh the taper makes me, or how the excitement of race day and the presence of competitors (even at my slow pace) energize me.  It just all seems impossible. 26.2 miles at a steady, moderately fast pace.  Nope, impossible.  Do you get that?  So I have to read old race reports in order to believe. 

Objective: recovery, easy pace.

Weather 50 F Clear and calm.

15 min. abs & weights

Pretty morning. Uneventful, easy run.

Objective: General aerobic pace at first (MP + 1 min) but switched to Easy/Recovery pace (MP + 2 min.) after first 4 miles. Legs are not yet recovered from Sunday's workout.

Weather: 50F Clear and calm.  Starry skies, weird pockets of cooler and warmer air in the neighborhood. 

15 min. abs & weights

Not quite enough sleep last night due to a combination of unavoidable circumstances, but the thing that really slowed me down was "dead legs."  They just haven't quite bounced back from Sunday's difficult workout.  I guess that  is good, since it means I'm building strength.

Just for fun...

Dear  Dog Walker,

I regret to inform you that, as incredible as it may seem, there is not a leash law exemption for Labrador Retrievers.  I know, it's absurd.  After all, when I think of the trouble it would take for you to actually hold a leash in your hand... you might even have to follow the dog over to each tree he wants to sniff! Absurd. I totally sympathize.  All those pesky tax payers who built the sidewalks and parks in this neighborhood are such whiners. So what if your off leash dog inflicts anxiety on every child, runner, and leashed-dog owner who passes?  They can get therapy! The important thing is that you not be inconvenienced in any way.  But alas, until that happy day when the leash law exemption you so richly deserve is magically delivered, you will have to exert yourself. 

Sincerely...

Objective: General aerobic

Weather: High 40s F, Clear, breezy.

20 min. abs & weights

Much better legs today, though still not 100%.  I put new batteries in my headlamp this morning -- what a difference!  The old batteries were not dead, but they dim so gradually that I always forget how bright the headlamp can/should be.  Some parts of my neighborhood have no streetlights and it was great to be carrying my own, so to speak.  I must remember to change the batteries sooner next time, otherwise I find my eyes filling with water because I'm straining to not blink to see in the dark.

Random thought of the day: The other night while watching  my daughter's gymnastics class, I struck up a conversation with another mom who said, "It's  not like they're going to the Olympics. My husband can't even stand to bring her because he hates to watch such amateur gymnastics."  It's not like they're going to the Olympics.  I've heard similar comments before and I've seen parents encourage their kids to drop it when it's clear "they won't ever be really good at it. "

I'll bet you can guess what my thoughts are about this.  Why should I spend so many hours running when I'm never going to be "really good?"  This attitude misses the whole point.  My daughter enjoys her sport as much as I enjoy mine.  We enjoyed it even when we were rank beginners.  She did a lop-sided cartwheel; I ran all the way to that tree down there. It was fun from the first. 

When choosing to pursue and work hard at a sport, amateur ability is irrelevant.  The stronger I get from training hard, the more pleasure I feel when I'm running.  I'm sure my 11 y.o. has the same pleasure.   Here's to our right to excel and enjoy -- even far below the level of the elites!  :)

Objective: Tempo Thursday :)    w.u. + 15 min @ LT + 30 min easy + 15 min @ LT + c.d.

Weather: 50's F and clear.

My husband had the morning off so I got to sleep a little later (8 hrs -- woohoo!) and run in the light of day.   Oddly, it had its drawbacks.  I've always thought that when he retires I would stop getting up so early and have a "normal" sleep schedule of 10 to 6 or some such.  But I found myself becoming very annoyed by all the cars and their fumes, having to zig zag around groups of children waiting for their buses,  etc.  Now I think maybe I'm destined to be an early bird.  I actually like the quite pre-dawn runs. What to look forward to in the retirement years?  Naps! Long, refreshing naps every afternoon at the time of day I like the least...  mmmm

Now, I've got to start obsessing about what is left to be done before Portland.  This Sunday I will attempt my last really long run, 23 miles (closer to 24 if I can make it) at a slow pace but with all the hills in the neighborhood -- to build strength & confidence, and to avoid repeating terrain for that long distance.  Then I start a bit of tapering  for my week day runs, though I'll still have Tempo Thursday next week.  The following Sunday is a marathon pace run of about 14 miles plus w.u. & c.d.  That will bring me up to my final 2 weeks: lower mileage with a little bit of tempo and marathon pacing to keep sharp.   Don't be surprised if I mention this schedule one or two more times in the coming week.  Or three...

Objective: Easy day

Weather: 50's, clear w/ a few cirrus clouds; pretty sunrise.

15 min. abs & wts.

Running in my sleep this morning, zzzzz.  Actually, I love that feeling of knowing there is no reason to push myself on easy days, and every reason to relax and let myself be slow.  RESToration.

Dale's comment yesterday about my long run got me thinking that I would like to put my reasoning in black and white for posterity, commentary and just a sense of clarity for myself.  

Most training programs cap the long run around 20  miles, but I have never been comfortable with that number.  In my early marathons, when I was training with the Galloway method, I actually ran up to 27 miles,  but my goal back then was just "to finish," and I could afford to give up quality weekday runs for the sake of distance.

When I started aiming for time goals,  I had to make sure that my long runs were not so long that I needed 3 or 4 days recovery.  Weekdays were needed for some speed work.  But the 20 mile cap was too frightening; at my slow pace it means almost an hour of extra running on marathon day (compared to my longest long run).  I settled on 23-24 miles as a comfortable but still demanding distance.   As long as the pace is slow enough, this is the distance that will fill up approximately the same amount of time as my marathon goal time.  Who knows, when I get faster I may be able to shorten it! :)

And now the "posterity" part... I want to go through my paper log and list all the weekend long runs I've done since April.  I was very ill during the winter, and April is about when my training became somewhat normal again (despite continued bad weather -- snowfall even in that late month!).  Some of these runs were "fast finish" or had MP sections in them, but I'll just list distances.  Hopefully this will be a confidence builder for me...

April: 16.32,  10.12,  12.32,  17.85.  May: 0 (vacation),  18.2,  19.54,  18.17. June: 18.25,  20.2,  16.37, 0 (vacation),  20.1.  July:  20,  19.92,  21.3,  20.52. August: 13.5,   22.05,  15.15,  19.86 (b/t 2 runs),  21.15.  Sept: 19.55, TO DO: 23, then taper.

Rest day for me.  Good luck to all of you doing your last long run today. Mine is tomorrow.  

After yesterday's overview of my long run history for this upcoming race, I thought of another little statistical survey that I wanted to make.  Since I didn't run today, perhaps this is the perfect time to lay it out. My marathon history... 

I'm going to compile a review of my 14 marathons to date (beginning in 2004) and the miles per month  for the 4 months preceding each one.  Of course, many other factors play into a race performance.  For example, at my Personal Worst marathon, #10, we stood in a raging rain & ice storm for 15 minutes before the gun went off and I shivered intermittently during at least half of the race (on top of the low mileage preparation). 

There were some marathons (such as # 3) that were intentionally slow (used as training for another race), and others (such as #1) where I pushed as hard as I could and nearly made myself sick. The mileage for #3-8 will show repeated numbers because I was running a marathon every month for one insane season. I used to use some marathons as training runs, since I was on the Galloway method back then, which dictates long runs up to 26-27 miles anyway -- it was actually a nice way to be motivated and get fed along the way! :)

Still, I'm interested in seeing how much of a mileage pattern exists.  All of the marathon training included some kind of speed work as well, but it was not until #12 that I had a well structured speed plan.  Also, from #12 on, I decided to "graduate" from Galloway, to pursue time goals and to eliminate the walk breaks, though  I still believe I do best walking through the aid stations. 

I'll list the mileage for the ~4 months previous / marathon finish time ...

#1: 87.8  90.1, 94.2, 90.5 / 4:59    #2:  94, 115.3, 125.5, 105.6 / 4:37   #3: 69, 127.9, 105.7, 145 / 4:58   #4: 127.9, 105.7, 145, 118.5 / 4:47   #5: 105.7, 145, 118.5, 117.2  / 4:55   #6: 105.7, 145, 118.5, 117.2  / 5:09   #7: 145, 118.5, 117.2, 106.6 /  4:47   #8: 117.2, 106.6, 120.3, 125.9  /  4:57  #9:  106.6, 120.3, 125.9, 101.4  /  4:50   #10: 69, 95.7, 99.8, 93.5  /  5:16   #11: 93.5, 134.8, 145.8, 145.4  /  4:55   #12  88, 166.4, 176.9, 174.3 /  4:27  #13: 131.3, 165, 153.3, 162.45  /  4:28  #14: 116.6, 244.48, 210.57, 190.14 /  4:17

And my past 4 months for this upcoming race: (Sept excluded) 137.19, 159.2, 230.87, 252.78.

Objective: Endurance, with hills

Weather: 50's F (felt warmer in sun towards end of the run), clear, light breeze

Fueling note: 5 Accel gels, taken at 45 min intervals after the first 5 miles.

A fantastic run! I am so pleased today. A hilly long run, with a monster hill thrown in at mile 17 to mimic the mile 17 climb up to the St. Johns Bridge at the Portland Marathon.  I've thrown a big hill into lots of other long runs at that 17 mile mark (with varied  success), but today I tackled one that is longer and steeper than Portland's, and I just sailed up it!  I think I might be happier about that one hill than I am about achieving my mileage goal today.

It was a beautiful morning. I started quite early for a Sunday run, 5:00 AM, partly to beat the heat and partly because I had to get home on time to take over parenting duties: my husband is playing with an orchestra today that will back up Alice In Chains at half time at the Seahawks game.  Pretty cool, huh?  Anyway, in the first few miles of my run I enjoyed watching the beautiful moon in the conifers and dipping behind the mountains.  After that, it was pretty mists on the ground in the parks and on the ponds.  It was a really pretty morning. 

And now I enter Taper Time.  I don't want to taper! But I know I must.  Just a small reduction this week, and much more after next Sunday.  

Objective: recovery

Weather: Clear, 50'sF;  full moon

15 min. abs & weights

Dear Legs,

Please don't worry about today's feeling of deadness.  It's a well earned exhaustion. You'll feel better tomorrow, just like you usually do. Remember? You got out there and enjoyed the little jog and that's all I asked for. And yes, I got your memo about not eating junk food in these next 3 weeks.  You're right of course about it not taking all that long to steam some veggies, and that if we're too busy to cook healthfully then we're too busy.  You've been wonderful these past 6 months and I won't let you down.  It's "in the bank" now.

Sincerely, The Brain

A missed run. A missed run.  Breathe. Breathe. 

I have never been injured running, and I hope I am not now, but I got a scare.  Yesterday there was this little pain in my lower right leg.  To understand why I rolled my eyes and ignored it you have to know that I am a veteran of many episodes of something called Tension Myositis Syndrome, or TMS.  You can google it if you're curious. (Here is one.) Like a headache, menstrual cramps, or charley-horse, it is real pain with a physical etiology (closed capillaries) but, like those other types of pain, it is not caused by injury, illness, or something "broken" inside the body.  It is caused by psychological trauma when the brain wishes to create a protective distraction from emotional stress; the most common manifestation being back pain.

I think I may have blogged about this once before.  Suffice it to say I have extensive experience with these phantom pains, which for me have never once turned out to be a true injury. How do I know that?  Because I can make them disappear.  And because they make the mistake of moving around, or only hurting when certain thoughts are on my mind, or getting worse with rest instead of better.  But mostly because they respond not to physical therapies but to the psychological ones set forth in John Sarno's books (he's the guy who is at the front of TMS research). 

So today, 4:30 am, I'm up and I'm thinking about stuff coming up in my day, and the twinge of pain pops up.  Right. I roll my eyes again.  I start my morning routine.  I take a look at my leg.  Yikes -there is a red area!  It's not terribly distinct, but one of the hallmarks of TMS is the lack of swelling, redness, or other physical symptoms besides pain.   I. freaked. out.  I am somewhat calmer now, since the redness is so faint I'm not even sure it's there (could it have been a shadow?) but I could not think of what to do.  Do I follow Sasha's injury care advice that he posted on the discussion forums and go jog on it?  Or do I rest?  I guess the deciding factor was the fact that I am officially on the taper now.  Dang - and I just told Sean that I agree with his advice to not "go crazy" with the taper.  But I can always do the jog plan tomorrow and intellectually I know (though part of me is still screaming) that one extra day off will not hurt, and may actually save me. 

I'm wide awake, and the eastern sky is just now getting a little pink glow. The sun will peek over the Cascade Mountains in about 30 minutes.  I wish I were out there running. 

Objective: general aerobic (MP + 1:00-1:30)

Weather: Clear, mid 50's.

20 min. abs & weights

All is well!  As I described in my blog yesterday, I had a scary pain in my lower leg.  I can't say it's gone, but I have determined that it is definitely TMS (explained yesterday).  It's doing all the things TMS does: shifting around, hurting at illogical times, not hurting when it should, and getting worse during emotional stress.  TMS is a clever devil, but not clever enough.  This is a huge relief, since I know what to do with this rude house guest.  I've had it before.  It's packing its bags as we speak... Yesterday it was scary, now it's just annoying.

On to a more positive topic!  Groceries. As the marathon day draws nearer, I am renewing my commitment to getting most of my carbs from fruits and vegetables.  I know runners are supposed to practically live on starchy foods, but I do believe fruits and vegetables are better.

This information comes from The Garden of Eating by Matesz. I thought I'd pass it on.  "Although many official diet guidelines recommend whole grains be the foundation of healthy eating, a produce-dominated is superior."  The reasons follow: 1) Produce provides more nutrients, calorie for calorie.  2) Vegetables and fruits contain more and friendlier fiber than grains. (Soluble fiber in f & v is healthier. Also, grain fiber contains phytate, which interferes with the absorbtion of many nutrients.) 3) Fruits and vegetables provide cancer protection and 4) Alkaline-forming nature of f & v may facilitate fat loss and prevent decalcification of bone mass.

When I'm at the grocery store, I have to remind myself of all these benefits, especially because f & v are expensive, relative to those staff-of-life type foods.  I view it the same as paying $90 for running shoes every 4-5 months.

Between my disrespect for bread and my un-injury, I guess I'm rather rebellious today.  Hope I haven't lost anyone...   :)

Objective: general aerobic (& psychotherapy, lol) Taper countdown: 17 days.

Weather: Fog, mid 50s F

15 min. abs & wts

Spent most of the run trying to work out some personal issues in my mind.  Running is great for that.

On a slightly less personal note, I've been wondering lately about bell curves.  I think if we put all the finish times from a large marathon on a graph, some kind of bell curve would emerge.  And if we knew what kind of training each finisher did leading up to race day (both quality and volume), that could somehow be graphed in a bell curve as well.  This is just speculation on my part, but I think I'd be on the slower-runner side of the hump in the first graph and on the higher-training side of the hump in the second.  

Something about this imagined scenario strikes me as unfair.  I know that my training isn't exactly that of an elite, and I am nearly 50 years old, and have only been running for about 6.5 years -- but sometimes it just seems like I'm working so hard, asking for so little, and not getting the payoff. (Thank goodness I love running at any speed, or I don't think I would choose to continue.) 

I can live with this apparent injustice, but I long to know whether it will change and what might change it.  I suspect the following factors would make a difference during the next couple of years:  consistent mileage throughout the year, not just spring to fall; more speed work, again throughout the year; the simple passage of time and the cumulative effect of running.  (Might the latter be canceled out by aging?)   Numerous times I've heard and read runners refer to 8:30 minute miles as their "easy" pace, often with a depreciatory tone.  I can only peek over the top of the bell curve at them enviously and sigh. 

Objective: General aerobic. Taper countdown: 16 days

Weather: mid 50's F. Heavy fog.

15 min. abs & weights

A very still, quiet morning.  I didn't quite get the miles in that I wanted, and I'm still struggling a little off and on with this stupid leg thing (see Tues. & Weds), so I haven't had the week I planned.  Since I had Tuesday off, I think I would like to get a run in tomorrow, which would normally be my rest day.  The plan for Sunday is a ~15 mile run with a good portion of it at marathon pace.  Thanks again to everyone who has left comments on my blog this week.  It means a lot to mean and is very encouraging.

Objective: general aerobic and pure enjoyment

Weather: High 50s F. Cloudy. Wet streets but rain had stopped.

This was a "bonus" run.  I swear, I really have gotten over my missed run (Tuesday), and have even matured to where I can see how ridiculous it was to be upset about it.  ;)   But I wanted to run today.  And I was sure that a run today would not have any negative effects on tomorrow's workout.  It felt so good;  I enjoyed it immensely.  My only worry (what, me get through a day without worrying? lol) is that the reduced mileage this week has left me feeling so fresh and energetic -- did I decrease too soon?!? Maybe I can "wipe that smile off" with tomorrow's marathon pace miles. Just kidding.

Since my week has been full of deep ponderings on psychological matters, I want to write down a key discovery.  Maybe my future self will need to come back and read it someday.  Please feel free to surf away if you're tired of my do-it-yourself therapy sessions.  :D

This is not an original idea, but something I read in a self help book. (I have a shameless love of this genre.)  It's about something called "musty" thinking, a self imposed set of "musts" that hamper our ability to enjoy life, forgive, and sometimes to even function (as when they lead to illness brought on by stress).  

The "musts" come from three kinds of demands we make: 1)  demands on our selves (to be perfect, to always get everything done, to look after everyone else and not ourselves, etc.), 2) demands on others (to meet our every expectation, to share our priorities, to understand us, etc.), and 3)  demands on the universe (to give us propitious circumstances when we need them -- eg "there just cannot be a traffic jam when I'm running late..." etc. )

The trick is to change these kinds of demands into preferences and hopes.  If you mentally demand things of yourself, others and the universe, it leaves no room to solve or forgive, or cope.  In fact, it leads to the equivalent of a mental temper tantrum.  

I don't know where we get our "musty" thinking, or why some people don't have it at all.  I certainly hope I can continue to shift to preferring and hoping instead.  Oh look what I just said! "I hope..."  Ha hah!

Objective: G.A. w/ 6 mi at MP. Taper countdown: 14 days

Weather: Mid 50'sF, cloudy, w/ light rain first 3-4 miles.  Starting to see some beautiful autumn colors.

A good run.  I wish it could have been a bit longer but I have to dash off to a wedding shower this morning.  Sometimes I think my training would benefit greatly if I had a strict policy of No Events On Long Run Day.  Unfortunately I am incapable of strict policies.  :)

Each day I am getting better control over this stupid TMS (more here and here).  It is very nearly gone.  I looked at my running log from the last episode I had (about a year ago) and it had lasted about a week.  I used that fact today to mentally attack the fear that keeps TMS going. I also was really excited about being able to do the MP part of today's run, and that contributed to a mental boost.

It felt especially good to work hard today.  I really don't know how much objective data has gone into the notion of a 3 week taper.  I believe that I recover relatively quickly from workouts, and that I also lose fitness relatively quickly when I'm not actively maintaining.  I know that a few days of low mileage plus one or two rest days before the race will leave me feeling very fresh, but I think I will be careful about how much reduction I do this week.  If anyone has thoughts on that I would love to hear them.  Now off to shower for the shower! :)

Objective: easy, taper countdown: 13 days

Weather: 49F, light rain

15 min. abs & weights

A nice run.  It's still warm enough that I can be comfortable in the rain without a nylon shell or long pants.  I resurrected a thin microfleece top that I have not worn for about 3 years and it was perfect.  It has a ~6 inch zipper at the neck which is broken (hence not worn for so long), but I realized it wouldn't matter that much. 

Why is it that I seem to always run across some fabulous running program right around taper time when it's too late to try it out?  The latest Running Times magazine has an article called Run Faster, by Brad Hudson, that sounded SO good.  (A book by the same title is available.)   Maybe I liked it so much because it addressed a few points on which I have harbored similar opinions. 

For example, Hudson is a proponent of year-round consistent mileage, rather than re-building your base for each training cycle.  He also likes lots of hill workouts (I can hardly avoid them in my hilly neighborhood).  And he favors "nonlinear periodization," meaning less distinct training phases and distributing different kinds of workouts through the training cycle.  The exception would be toward the end of the cycle, when he favors race pace workouts. 

Alas, it's too late for me to dive into his program for this race. Perhaps for the next one too, since I am running CIM in early December. Coming right up!   I hope that wasn't a foolish choice, but I wanted another marathon without waiting until spring, and the winter marathons are mostly run in fairly warm places.  As I told my Phoenix relatives who want me to come down for the R & R mar. there, 65 degrees does not feel "cool" when you've been training in 35-40 degree weather.  CIM can get warm too, but I won't be so entrenched in winter conditioning at the beginning of December.  Besides, I love that race.   Maybe I can implement some of Hudson's principles in Oct-Nov, but I'll probably have to wait until January to really see what it can do for me.

Happy first day of Autumn, everyone!

Objective: G.A. w/ cadence drills and strong effort on hills. Taper countdown: 12 days.

Weather: Clear, 43F, starry sky w/ crescent moon. (Saw a shooting star.)

15 min. abs and weights

Although I put all  my miles in the "easy" category up there, I know I was closer to MP during my drills, and MP effort level (but not pace of course) on the hills.  It was a fun, quality run that made me feel more at ease with the reduced volume.

This is the first morning we've dipped under 45 degrees. It felt cold! My body warmed up pretty quickly but it took about 30 minutes for my hands to feel comfortable, and that was with my fleece gloves on.  I'll soon be breaking out the wool...

Warning, indelicate subject ahead.  I'm wondering if anyone has some good suggestions for... ahem, how shall I put this?  Let's call it PATS (Porta-potty Avoidance Tactics and Strategies) -- specifically during a marathon.  And I do mean any kind of pit stop, not just the digestive type.  I try to keep my diet very clean and "normal" (no exotic foods) in the last week, and I do try not to go crazy with pre-race hydration, but in my last marathon I had to stop twice.  Gr.  It sure would be nice to avoid that this time around.  I think most of my races have been stop-free, but certainly not all.  Maybe it's just luck. I'd love to have some control over it though. Send me your PATS ideas please!

Objective: Easy. Taper countdown: 11 days.

Weather: mid 50s F, cloudy, breezy (10 degrees warmer than yest. - almost overdressed myself)

15 min abs. weights

Sorry - another Brain of Snoqualmie discourse...  I spent a great deal of today's run thinking about goals and fears (thanks a lot, Taper).  Like many others, I like to create 3 levels of goals. 

• Nearly Impossible Dream Fantasy Goal is 4:05 (BQ). 
  
• Challenging But Realistic Goal is 4:10.  
• Acceptable Without Disappointment is any PR -- i.e. less than 4:17. 

I believe I am much fitter than I was last year on the same course and I am about 5 lbs lighter, so I think these are reasonable goals.

Enter creeping fears and doubts....  I thought it might be useful to do a little permission-to-fail mental exercise to see if I can calm the perfectionist part of my brain.  Do you know about perfectionism?  It is not really about trying to be perfect.  It is an all or nothing attitude that insists on a particular outcome.  There is no forgiveness.  So I could make a dozen goals -- even one that said "finish in under 6 hours" -- and still be uptight about not achieving any of them.   That's why the permission-to-fail exercise is so useful.  I think I first learned about it from a book about performance anxiety for musicians.

The first step is to identify what would be a disappointing outcome.  That's easy: I truly would be disappointed with anything slower than 4:25.  I can't help it.  I just feel I can do so much better.  This training cycle has been dream-come-true good.

Now comes the hard part.  What would it take for me to forgive a 4:25 finish? "Do your best" is a little vague, but I think I can live with this: "Dear Self, I hereby give you permission to come in at the disappointing time of 4:25 or slower, provided that you: 1) keep your diet healthy between now and Oct. 5 (you're doing great so far!), 2) continue to follow your taper schedule, 3) go to bed on time, and 4) in the next week and a half, say "no" to any further events, obligations and duties beyond what you already have on your calendar.  If you do all that and still have a disappointing time, we will just forge ahead and eventually you will reach your goals.  Your goals are attainable."

Objective: w.u. +  MP miles + cool down  Taper countdown: 10 days

Weather: High 50'sF, cloudy, wet streets, light rain at first

Today I had scheduled a small tempo run (9:00-9:10), following the training schedule in Daniels' Running Formula.  But my head is so messed up right now with anxiety that I decided to ease up and do some MP miles instead (9:20-9:30).  Ironically, my pace kept creeping up to tempo pace and once I even caught myself doing 8:50!  It reminds me of the Dickinson poem:

We never know how high we are
'til we are called to rise.
And then, if we are true to plan
our statures touch the skies.

The heroism we recite
would be a daily thing,
did not ourselves the cubits warp
for fear to be a king.

Bad moment: I was nearly done with my MP work and it was still mostly dark and I twisted my ankle on a rock. It was so stupid. I run in the street so that I can avoid all the cracks, bumps, skateboards, etc. that lurk on the dark sidewalk. Usually I can point my headlamp straight ahead that way. But a parked car was idling and I wasn't sure when he was going to pull out, and so I skirted the side of the road and my foot found the one rock sitting there. Fortunately I didn't go down. Just made a goofy save motion and experienced about 5 minutes of complaints from the ankle. Feels fine now.

Nice moment: I was taking a short cut through a wooded path and it was just starting to get light out.  I came into this little clearing and there were 2 deer grazing. They didn't run away from me. We all just looked at each other and kept on with our business.  I got really close to them.  Lovely experience.

Objective: Easy. Taper countdown: 9 days.

Weather: Low 50'sF, patchy fog. Crescent moon. Nice sunrise.

I found a way to keep my pace in the "easy" zone.  I typically breathe in a 2/2 rhythm (with foot strikes).  I noticed today that if I consciously try to breathe in 3/3 I stay at a slower pace. Switched back to 2/2 on the hills.  That worked quite well.

I kept crossing paths this morning with a guy wearing the coolest vest. It was lined with a row of red flashing lights.  He caught up with me the last time down in the Crestview neighborhood where he was turning in to go home and I complimented him on the vest, which he said his wife found...  (drum roll)  in the automotive section at Costco! Very interesting.  I also ran across my house sitter walking her dogs. Quite the social run for me, compared to my usual solitude.

Objective: Specificity & Marathon details rehearsal. 3 mi easy + 5 @ MP + ~3 easy. Practiced marathon morning routine, shoes, clothes, eating a gel on the run, etc. Taper countdown: 7 days.

Weather: 48 to 51 F, sunny, clear. Fog in valley.

I am ready.  [gasp] Who said that?

Got started yesterday on reading Brad Hudson's new book.  I think I am already doing several of the things he advises, especially my hill running (though I haven't tried the hill sprints).  I am making some notes about what I want to incorporate into the little training period I have between Portland and CIM.  It felt really good (psychologically) to concentrate on Life After October 5. 

Objective: An easy, "any run better than no run" run. Taper countdown 6 days.

Weather: clear, mid 50's F,  Northerly wind Beaufort 2-3

Abs & arms - lightly (probably last resistance session for a while)

Yes, I have dug up my Beaufort scale along with my fall clothing.  The theory goes that I will get used to giving myself some kind of mental gold star for windy runs and by the time the real hurricanes come I will view them positively.  I live in a place where, from October to March, we get such violent winds that the house shakes.  When we were thinking about moving here, at least 4 people said to me, "Do you know about the wind?"  I remember one run last winter when the wind was coming sideways at me and my upwind foot kept blowing into the other leg mid-stride.  If there is something called hill repeats, is there also something like wind repeats? "Run into wind for 60 seconds, jog in reverse direction, repeat..."

Enough chit chat about the weather, and back to The Wee Monday Run.  We had dinner guests last night who stayed much longer than I expected.  At bedtime I realized that if I did my scheduled 5 miles I was going to violate one of my cherished Taper Rules: get lots of sleep.  But another rule of mine is "any run is better than no run," unless I'm sick of course, so off I went. And it was a lovely little jog.

Speaking of sick, one of our dinner guests sounded a little congested and kept going to the tissue box in the bathroom.  I finally said, "Do you have a cold?"  She replied "Yes, I do. But I didn't want to reschedule our dinner after we had such a hard time finding a date."  Great.  I had already kissed her, chatted close to her face, eaten the salad she brought.   Excuse me....   I had to go scream. I'm back now.  It is said that Louis Pasteur, on his deathbed, recanted one aspect of his germ theory, proclaiming, "Seed is nothing. Soil is everything."  I hope my "soil" is healthy.

Objective: Easy + 2 mi @ MP to remind my legs what they must do and my brain that they can do it. Taper countdown 5 days

Weather: Mostly clear, calm, high 50'sF (unseasonably warm)

Well, that was September.  I have just 2 days of easy jogging and then I intend to take Friday and Saturday off altogether.  My focus now will be on eating well, hydration, and getting extra sleep if I can. 

I have a little recipe to share.  Back in the days when I was fat I used to love to make (& eat!) pies.  Pumpkin pie was my favorite.  This is the "Runner's Pumpkin Pie Facsimile Experience:" Get an organic sugar pumpkin (organics are sweeter, healthier), slice in half and scoop out all the seeds and strings.  Bake the two halves, cut side down, on an oiled baking dish for 1 hour at 400F.  Edges might brown, that's ok.  Let the halves cool. (I put mine back together and store it in a bowl of the same size in the refrigerator.)  Cut chunks of about 1 to 1.5 inches away from the shell into a bowl. Add 1/4 to 1/3 C of honey or Agave Nectar (depending on your mileage for the week, lol), 1 t cinnamon, 1 t nutmeg, 1/2 t ground cloves and toss it together thoroughly. Either microwave it or warm gently on stove top to a temperature that is high enough to feel hot but not enough to burn your tongue. Put  2/3 C servings in small bowls and top with 1/2 C of vanilla bean ice cream (if you have Alden's in your store that is the best).  Bon appetit!