Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

May 02, 2024

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Location:

Snoqualmie,WA,

Member Since:

Jan 31, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon PR: 4:17 at Portland Marathon, Oct. 2007

5K PR 24:37 2009

10K PR 52:58 2010

Have run 22 marathons to date.

No injuries, ever. :)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Qualify for Boston (4:05 for my age/gender) - or, perhaps, to use my desire for a BQ as a way to get in the hated speed work so I don't just get slower and slower over the years. This goal is "under (re)construction" right now, until I figure out whether it is truly what I want. :)

Long-Term Running Goals:

To continue learning about myself and about running, and to enjoy being a fit, happy runner for life. To always know why I am running and the best way to get the most (both mentally and physically) out of my runs. To keep a sense of humor and remain optimistic about myself as a runner. To enjoy running more and more with every passing year.

Personal:

Baby boomer generation. Jogged a little in my 20's and 30's. Started running seriously in 2002. Low-carb runner since January 2010.

I love long runs and cold, cloudy weather. I don't believe in "junk miles." I am an optimist. I adore dark chocolate, fog, my family, and knitting -- not necessarily in that order.

"As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are." -- Joan Benoit Samuelson

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00
Brooks ST3 Lifetime Miles:						891.35
Vibram Five Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles:						23.77
Brooks ST3 II Lifetime Miles:						965.17
Lunaracers II Lifetime Miles:						198.23
Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Lifetime Miles:						104.14
Asics Piranha Lifetime Miles:						536.83
RunAmocs (Softstar) Lifetime Miles:						16.23
Piranha II Lifetime Miles:						219.53

Sun, Nov 23, 2008

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
11.19	7.00	0.00	0.00	18.19

Objective: 5-6-7 progression, endurance: 5 miles @ MP + 2 min, 6 mi @ MP + 1 min, 7 mi @ MP -- all + or - for hills and wind. 2 weeks until CIM.

Weather: Sunny with some cirrus clouds & a sliver of moon. During course of run it went from 38F to 42F, and from calm to breezy to very windy (Beaufort 7).

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... and it's beginning to look like a PR. Dare I say it? I had so many awesome runs in August and September and then Portland was a disaster. So maybe I'm foolish to count on anything right now. But today's run was fabulous. This is essentially the same workout I tried to do on 11/8. I couldn't quite hold my pace through the last segment on that day. Today I couldn't quite hold it -- when going uphill and into the 20 mph wind! [Insert crazy happy dance here.] It was pretty tough at times, but it was doable, enjoyable, and I had LOTS of energy left when I came inside.

As a harpist, I know of a little saying: "bad dress rehearsal, good concert -- and vice versa." I've often seen that come true. In light of my unexpectedly horrible Portland race in October, I'm sticking with my CIM goals of 1) having a good time, 2) getting a negative split, and 3) going for a PR only if I feel good by the half way point. But after the good runs of the past month, I have this tiny little hope for much more that won't go away. I'll have to gag it; I really don't want to be disappointed again.

This week I will start to taper my volume and run some MP miles every other day or so. Next week will be more of a cut back but still do some faster running and hopefully keep what I've got. I am so glad I did not taper much this week. Everything feels great.

Blue Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 18.19

Comments

From solemate on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 15:14:14

I am holding good thoughts for you. Congratulations on the run today. Sounds awesome.

From haynes on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 15:19:55

Looks like you are doing everything right. You need to be positive but not cocky. If you think you are gonna fall off pace you most certainly will. But if you think its gonna be a piece of cake, even a marathon at marathon pace + 1 minute is not easy, so you will be surprised by the difficulty. You need to run negative or near negative splits. And you simply cannot know what to expect until about half way. Even then you have to hold back and relax, but it starts to become clear how the rest of the race is gonna go down. I assume you have a good nutrition and hydration plan? I take in 600-1000 calories during a marathon. Good luck with the taper.

From jefferey on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 15:50:12

Super job on the run!! It's PR time baby8)

Your comment about babies sleeping on their tummy was the same thing that happened on all of ours. None of them slept well on their backs. So I made the decision to put them on their tummies so my wife could get some sleep and it worked out after that.

From Carolyn in Colorado on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 15:56:41

Great workout today! I think you're in great shape. I hope that CIM goes well for you.

From Metcalf Running on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 17:28:01

Great run today... way to go. I think you will have a fantastic race!!

Lori

From Snoqualmie on Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 19:47:07

Wonderful encouragement -- thanks everyone! Haynes' advice and thoughts about the mental side of racing -- very interesting. "Positive but not cocky." Sounds like a good plan. Nutrition: I've been doing my 22 and 23 milers with 4 or 5 gels, and will just add some sports drink during the middle third of the race. I may not have gotten very much faster in my 15 marathons, but I definitely have learned a lot about my stomach. lol

From Dale on Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 17:48:05

Well put Haynes...

Snoqualmie, once again, you've prepared yourself well for this race. You've run the mileage, gutted through the workouts (even those that didn't go all that well), and now as you get closer you're starting to see things click. Seeing as how you're only a couple weeks out, it seems like you're peaking at exactly the right time, so go in confident that you'll be able to run a good race.

As for PRs, we all know it depends on so many factors out of our control (weather being high up on the list!), so just stick to your peak & race plan and I'm sure it'll all come together. But definitely get excited!!! Otherwise it wouldn't be any fun :)!

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