Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

May 13, 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, Sep 28, 2008

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Total Distance
6.27	5.00	0.00	0.00	11.27

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.

Comments

From Carolyn on Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 16:28:38

I'm glad to hear you got the book. I'm thinking of starting some hill sprints myself though I, like you, constantly run hills because of the terrain around here.

One week do go. I'm looking forward to hearing about your race.

I'd be interested in hearing which things from Hudson's book you decide to incorporate. I've read the whole book, but don't feel like I really have the experience at this point to really internalize it. I'm interested in your take on what he has to say.

From Dale on Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 16:36:56

I'm only partway thru the book but I latched onto the hill sprints idea too. This marathon buildup has been the only one (completely coincidentally) where I've intentionally scheduled "hill repeat" workouts, and I feel much stronger and stable muscle-wise than ever before. Even though my daily running route is hilly (500' gain over 4 miles), there's definitely a difference when you sprint them or run fast and work on form.

Don't do anything crazy though between now and Portland!!! :)

From JD on Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 18:21:22

Your blogs are so thoughtful and well written. Maybe you could publish them as a training/motivational book someday.

You're looking well prepared for this coming weekend. I'm psyched for you!

From Snoqualmie on Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 08:51:20

JD - thanks for that very nice compliment! Ironically, I believe the blog is a two edged sword for me. The encouragement I get here has been extremely inspiring and knowing I will be logging my miles publicly helps me through hard workouts. But at the same time, I feel an increase in the anxiety that I've been battling because I know that my blog buddies are going to see how I do. I guess a shrink would say I'm transferring insecurites from my family-of-origin to a bunch of strangers on the internet. Maybe so. But I realized yesterday that I will feel just awful if I have to report a disappointing race next week. I know I'm ready, but lots of things can happen. Just trying to keep my head on...

From Carolyn on Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 09:55:28

I, for one, will still think you're fabulous if you have a disappointing race. It would help me know that you're just an ordinary human like me (though you're also an extraordinary machine).

From JD on Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 11:49:55

Any marathon runner knows that things can go either North, South, East or West come race day. All you can do is train well and go into race day confident in your preparation. No matter what happens, you've put your heart and soul into this, and that's the reward in itself. You belong to an exclusive group (less than 1%?) within the human population that has the guts to be a runner!

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