Training for 8/31/10

This morning was the first run of taper week, a VERY easy 5.5-miler at about a 9:16/mile pace. My legs were still a little sore from Sunday morning’s race, mostly in my quads due to the hills.

It doesn’t look like we’re going to get that blast of cooler weather the week before the half, like we did last year. It’s going to be in the mid-90s today and tomorrow, and then supposedly we might get a little rain and wind from the edge of this passing hurricane out in the ocean. Sunday is supposed to be clear with a comfortable daytime high temperature, so it should be pretty nice at 7 a.m. when the race starts.

Since it’s the last day of August, here’s my monthly summary:

Mileage:

• Week 1 (Aug. 1-7): 27 miles
• Week 2 (Aug. 8-14): 33.5
• Week 3 (Aug. 15-21): 30
• Week 4 (Aug. 22-28): 22
• Week 5 (Aug. 29-31): 17.5

Total: 130 miles

And I put in about another 50 on my bike.

This was my second-highest mileage month ever, behind only January, when I ran 144 miles. This month coming up should top that though, if I can stick to the very demanding schedule.

Also in August, I ran my longest long run prior to the half, 15 miles; dropped my 5K time back into the 22-minute range; and ran my first 10-mile race.

It was a very successful month — we’ll see how much it pays off in this race Sunday.

In September, besides the upcoming half in Virginia Beach, I also have a half marathon I’m running as a training run in Chestertown on Sept. 18 and my favorite 5K, the Hospice Remembrance Run/Walk, in Federalsburg on Sept. 25. And on Sept. 23, I get to take on that 19-mile training run that kicked my ass and set off my ITBS in February. This time, I will kick its ass (mostly because I know I don’t have to worry about ice or screw shoes this time around.)

Training for 8/30/10

This morning was weight training, the beginning of another cycle through the last three weeks of the 100 push-up challenge and a short bike ride.

I had an interesting weekend, the highlight of which was the Annapolis 10 Mile Run yesterday, which was freaking awesome.

Anyway, it really started Friday night. I took my bike out for 12 miles that evening. Clark’s brother was home for the weekend, so his family was going to spend the weekend at the beach house Clark’s parents just bought. I would have spent Friday night in Fenwick with them, but I had made plans to meet Robyn early the next morning in Easton so we could ride up to Annapolis and get our race bibs.

I know I’m going to be spending the night at home alone, which I already don’t like, so what do I watch? “Ghost Adventures” on the Travel Channel. These three guys lock themselves in haunted places overnight with equipment like infrared cameras and digital recorders and try to record evidence of ghosts. It was the first time I’d ever watched this show, and I expected it to be like any other show of that format — some really thin “evidence” is collected and blown out of proportion.

Not so much this time. These guys were out in Nevada, and first they got a VERY convincing recording of a man-shaped apparition walking through an empty room, and then later, while staying in an abandoned hotel, they got clear footage of a brick launching itself across a room, followed by a board slamming to the floor.

I was freaked the hell out. It was getting late and I needed to go to sleep, but I had no chance of it at that point. I watched some of “Hair Spray” to try to forget about the ghosts in Nevada, but I didn’t get to sleep until almost 1 a.m., and that was only with the kitchen light left on.

Yes, I’m 4.

Anyway, I got up Saturday morning, met Robyn and went to Annapolis. We had no problems getting our race packets. After that, I drove straight to Fenwick and spent the afternoon down there. We spent some time on the beach, out in the water, and then had steamed crabs, beer and birthday cake for dinner. Not my typical pre-race dinner, but I wasn’t too worried about it.

I went home and got to bed around 10:30 p.m., which usually isn’t too late, but was that night since I had to be up at 4:30 a.m. and I was still freaked out by that stupid TV show.

Now this race has not really been on my radar this summer. I signed up for it after Robyn asked me to, hoping it would motivate her to keep training for it if she knew someone else who was, as she just had a kid less than six months ago. My main focus has been the half marathon next weekend, and if I thought of this race at all, it was just as a training run.

I was going for an “easy” 9:00/mile pace, which I knew might not be so easy after all, because this is the elevation profile of the race:

YIKES. The elevation profile of my usual training routes looks like a pancake with maybe a few lumps in the batter. I really don’t ever encounter hills.

So between the two restless nights leading up to it, the not-so-great-dinner the night before and all the hills, I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this race.

OK, so 4:30 a.m. rolled around. I hauled myself out of bed and got to Preston to meet Robyn and her mom, Linda, at 5:35 a.m. On the way to Annapolis, we stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts, where I got a small black coffee, mostly because my hands were freezing for some reason.

I got a little more excited about the race when we got to the U.S. Naval Academy stadium, where it began and ended. We got there in plenty of time to hit the bathrooms twice beforehand, which I needed thanks to that coffee, and meet up with some of Robyn’s coworkers, who were also running the race. One of her coworkers was a 70-year-old woman named Miss Pat, who runs, among other races, the Annapolis 10 and the Marine Corps Marathon every year. She gave me a very good piece of advice about the hills:

Keep your head down and pretend it’s flat.

I added that to everything else I’ve read about running hills — lift your knees higher to create more force, pump your arms to drive yourself forward on the uphills. Lower your arms and let gravity do the work on the downhills.

The start of the race was packed; 5,500 runners can’t all start at the front, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. The gun went off, and I didn’t move for at least a couple of minutes. Finally, as we approached the line, things thinned out a bit, and I hit the start timing mat running. I waved goodbye to Robyn and headed off to see what these hills were about.

The first mile was a little crowded, as we all tried to sort ourselves out by pace. There was a small taste of the hills, but not too bad. I felt like I had barely started running when I saw the first mile marker. I looked at my watch — 9:04. Perfect. I was sure I could keep that pace for another nine, easy.

Over the second and third miles, I picked up speed and was more than a minute ahead of schedule when I hit the third mile marker. It was in the fourth mile that I faced the first real challenge of the race. We crossed the Severn River Bridge, which rises pretty damn high so boats can pass underneath. I put my head down, pretended it was flat, pumped my knees and my arms and was pretty happy to get to the top.

The way down was nice, but I knew I was going to have to run up it on the way back. The part of the course after the bridge was mostly residential and really, really hilly. There were a couple of uphill climbs in this section I didn’t think would end, but every time, I would get to the top gasping for air and then catch my breath on the downhill. I took a chocolate-flavored GU just after the halfway point. It wasn’t quite the chocolate frosting I was expecting based on other runners’ raves about that flavor, as it was more jelly-like than frosting, but it was OK. It didn’t make me want to puke.

A lot of the residents were very supportive, spraying us with hoses and sprinklers and cheering their heads off. There was a turnaround point after the seventh mile marker, so heading there and back, all the runners got to cheer for each other too.

Just after the eighth mile marker, we hit the bridge again. I passed so many people on that bridge. I don’t know what came over me. I had figured out hill running. When I got to the crest, I was grinning from ear to ear. I couldn’t believe I had crossed that bridge without walking — twice! We hit the nine mile marker not long after the bridge, and yet another uphill. No matter, I’m a hill runner now apparently. I saw so many people walking that last big uphill, but I didn’t have to.

There was a slight incline at the finish. I sprinted it out and crossed the line in 1:27:23 (watch time, official results not yet posted), almost three minutes faster than I was aiming for. The best part was, I didn’t feel like I’d just run a race at all. It felt like a training run (just a strange one, due to the hills.) I was actually a little sad when it was over. Between the scenery, the other runners (most actually stuck to the “no headphones” rules and were therefore talkative), the spectators, the more than plentiful water/Gatorade stops and the challenge created by the hills, I absolutely loved this race.

Somewhere in the third mile of the race. See, I really was enjoying it!

I’m not sure, but I think not having a very challenging time goal in mind was what made this race so enjoyable. It was nice to be able to take in everything instead of killing myself to shave off a few more seconds per mile. (That’s what next weekend’s race is for, anyway.)

Robyn finished somewhere around 1:47. We found her mom, ate some free food and headed home. At home, I ran two recovery-paced miles, stretched and took a well-deserved shower. I was coated in sea water, hose/sprinkler/drinking water and Gatorade (still haven’t figured out that whole drinking-on-the-run thing). It felt so nice to be clean again.

That race was the last tough run before the half, as I am now in a taper week. This week’s runs will be shorter and mostly easy (there’s a short tempo run Wednesday). I can’t wait for Sunday’s race. I don’t know if I’m 1:45:00-ready, but I am definitely ready to beat my PR.

Training for 8/27/10

This morning, I did some weight training and some more foot strengthening exercises (if you’re curious, those exercises involve things like balancing/hopping on one foot, picking up small objects or gathering a small towel with my toes and doing one-legged squats, simple stuff.)

I’ll probably go for a bike ride this evening. I just ran out of time for it this morning.

Tomorrow is a rest day. I’m going to Annapolis first thing in the morning with my friend Robyn, who’s also running the 10-mile run, to pick up our race packets. Race day pick-up is available, but they recommend getting there at like 6 a.m., almost two hours before the start of the race, to guarantee pick-up, so we’ve decided to not take any chances.

As for the race Sunday, I’m running this as my final long training run for the half next week, so I’m aiming for an easy 9:00/mile pace. That might turn out to be tougher than it sounds though, because the course is extremely hilly. I’m looking forward to it though, since I’m not worried about my finishing time anyway.

Training for 8/26/10

Wow, welcome back to the game, calf muscles.

Switching back to those old neutral shoes definitely helped me switch back to a stride closer to a midfoot strike. I could feel some tightness in my calves this morning, and that was before the 7-mile pace run.

The pace run went really well. I did a mile at marathon pace to start, then three at half marathon pace and three more at marathon pace to finish.

I’m getting more comfortable at 8:00/mile, but I’m not so sure I’ll be able to keep that up for 13.1 miles yet. I feel pretty confident I’m going to set a new PR though.

Yesterday, after I sent back the 760s in exchange for 730s, I found out, thanks to the internet, a lot of people love the New Balance 100s for minimalist running. They’re actually a trail shoe, but a lot of people run exclusively on pavement with them.

So I changed my mind, and now these babies are on the way instead of the 730s:

I’m excited about this. I feel like I’m making the right decision here to cut down on the amount of shoe I’m strapping on my feet. Time will tell, however.

Last night and this morning, I did a little barefoot running, maybe three quarters of a mile total between the two runs. I’ve also found some very simple exercises to strengthen feet, and I’ve tried those out. Just have to wait and see if any of this makes a difference.

Training for 8/25/10

A book is ruining my running life.

Last week, I bought “Born to Run,” by Chris McDougall, from Amazon.com. I knew the basic premise of the story: McDougall, a Runner’s World contributor, among other publications, was a 40-something recreational runner with chronic foot pain. Then he did an article for the magazine about the Tarahumara Indians, this tribe in Mexico, who can run for hours, days even, on these barely visible trails through the canyon in which they live, wearing nothing on their feet but thin leather sandals. McDougall learns their running style and goes from not being able to run two miles in his fancy running shoes without severe foot pain to running a 50-mile ultra race with the Tarahumaras, pain-free, with a lot less padding on his feet.

I had no idea this book was going to be so freaking convincing about the evil running shoe industry. I’ve been curious about barefoot running, but now I’m about ready to burn my running shoes and curse the Nike founders who developed the first modern running shoe in 1972 while simultaneously convincing people they had been running wrong for centuries. 

The guy who developed the actual shoe, Bill Bowerman, had never even run until he was 50 years old, only a few years before he developed the first Nike shoe, though he was a revered college running coach. He guessed runners should land on their bony heels, not their padded midfoot as they do when barefoot, to lengthen their stride and run farther, faster. Thing is, our feet evolved over centuries to have a midfoot strike and landing on our heels just screwed up a lot of stuff. Injuries have skyrocketed since 1972 (of course, so has the number of people actually running, so we can’t totally blame Nike.)

The worst part? The most expensive shoes have been proven to be the worst in terms of causing injuries. I looked at my fluffy new New Balance 760s, with their enormous wedge of cushioning to “correct” my foot’s running pattern, and decided they’re not fixing anything, they’re causing it. Or at least making it worse. They’re the second pair of stability shoes I’ve owned and the second pair of shoes I haven’t been that happy with. I have always felt like I can’t run right in stability shoes, like I’m flat-footing the ground. But I bought them because I overpronate apparently due to my low arches, so all the expoerts said that’s what I needed.

I can’t just shuck the shoes and hit the ground barefoot though. I’ve been running and walking and existing in arch-supporting shoes for nearly three decades. My feet are, well, wimpy. If I tried to run in minimalist shoes, or barefoot, I wouldn’t make it 5 miles probably.

So, this morning, I conducted a little experiment. I ran my 5.5 easy miles in my worn all to hell NB737s, the low-tech neutral shoes without a lot of cushioning I wore last summer and in my first half marathon. For the first time February, the last time I ran in neutral shoes, I could feel it in my calves, a sign my running form was closer to a midfoot strike than it has been in months.

In light of this, here’s my plan: I just shipped back the new 760s and ordered a pair of 730s, the second update of the neutral shoes I liked last year, but learned I wasn’t “supposed” to wear. I’m going to work on strengthening my feet. They’re flat, but apparently the arches can be built up, just like push-ups and squats can build up your arm and leg muscles. I’m going to start incorporating a little barefoot running and try to build it up, maybe even get a pair of Vibram FiveFingers some day.

I doubt I’ll ever abandon running shoes, but I’m not going to buy any more overengineered, thick-as-a-phonebook shoes.

I haven’t finished “Born to Run” yet; I’m about two thirds of the way through. Besides the author’s journey to run an ultra, a lot more great stuff is in there, about top ultrarunners, nutrition and the evolution of running. It’s a really entertaining read. It’s just also really persuasive.

Training for 8/24/10

This morning was my final, and toughest, speed workout of my half marathon training — 10×400 repeats at the track.

I was freaking exhausted when I finally dragged myself out of bed, three snooze alarms after the initial alarm. Guess I’m still a little sleep-deprived from the weekend. I would normally do an easy run on Tuesdays and speed work on Wednesdays, but I have to be at work early tomorrow to cover first day of school goings-on, including a visit to two Caroline County schools by the state superintendent, so I figured I’d better do this speed workout today, when it didn’t matter if I was a little late.

On the way to the high school track, I found out school started today for Sussex County kids, when I saw a little girl standing at the end of her lane with her backpack and the most pissed-off expression I have ever seen. And I thought I used to hate the end of summer vacation!

I smirked a little when I saw all the middle and high school students walking to school as I was pulling up to the track parking lot. Suckers.

Anyhow, the workout. There were a few walkers at the track, but it wasn’t too crowded. The weather was completely overcast and a little on the cool side (I actually wore a shirt today.) If I hadn’t been so tired, it would have been perfect conditions.

I ran the first four 400 repeats in 1:42, 1:43, 1:44 and 1:43. The thought of six more one-lap repeats was boring me, so I decided to make it a little more interesting. I ran repeats five and six as an 800, and then stuck together the final four repeats for a mile.

I ran the 800 in 3:29. It’s been quite a while since I ran a mile for speed. Since June 9, in fact, when I ran a 7:40. I was really hoping to go sub-7 today, but the first lap was a couple of seconds slow and I never got it back. I ran the mile in 7:02. I’m sure if I had run the mile first, at the beginning of the workout, I could have run it faster, but I saved it for last for a reason.

I did one more cool-down mile for a total of 6 miles today.

A weekend of debauchery in Bristol… and a little training

OK, I know I’ve neglected this blog since last Wednesday, but I was busy making a total ass of myself in Bristol over the race weekend, so I’ll try to fill in the blanks.

Last Thursday morning, I got up at 5:15 a.m. and ran my 15-miler, my longest run before my half. I made a tactical error and decided to run the 10.5-mile loop first, without any fluids. By the time I finished that loop and got a chance to finally drink some Gatorade at the end of my lane, I was toast. (I also didn’t have any kind of energy gels or food.) But I pressed on for the second 4.5-mile loop. The first 2.5 miles were OK, but then I got terrible stitches right under my left collarbone and my right side ribs, probably due to dehydration. The last two miles were slow and painful, but I learned my lesson (don’t wait until mile 10 of a 15-mile run to drink anything) and got in my 15 miles.

No more time to think about running, we’re going to Bristol! Clark and I met Ben, Molly and Mike, and Ben’s aunt Jan and uncle Dave in Preston and were on the road for the roughly nine-hour trip around 11 a.m. in Jan and Dave’s RV.

The ride down was uneventful. We got to the campsite around 8 p.m. and got to work setting up the RV, getting the grill going and making the first small dent in the keg. I went to bed around midnight, but Clark and Mike held out until 3 a.m.

Friday morning, we started back in on the keg at 10:30 a.m. and headed to the track, about a mile from our campsite. Other than a brief glimpse of the track on the way in the night before, this was our first real look at Bristol Motor Speedway.

We walked around the souvenir haulers and the sponsor booths. For some reason, it’s a tradition among NASCAR fans to sexually harrass life-size or larger images of NASCAR personalities.

Ben gets close to Miss Sprint Cup...

...while Clark gives Mark Martin a friendly tweak o' the nipple.

Here’s our entire group in front of the Bristol Motor Speedway marquee — how did it know we were race fans?

From left, Aunt Jan, Uncle Dave, Clark, me, Ben, Molly and Mike.

As most NASCAR fans know, most of the sport’s early drivers honed their driving skills running illegal moonshine on backroads down south. One of the most famous was Junior Johnson, who spent time in jail thanks to his moonshine, and then went on to be a successful driver and, later, car owner. Well, now his moonshine operation is legal and charging ridiculous fees for either sweet tea or lemonade with a shot of his “moonshine” (it’s vodka.)

So naturally, we had to pay $10 each for a drink.

Ben got the sweet tea and I got the lemonade, which each came in a souvenir plastic Mason jar for added authenticity. Everyone agreed we couldn’t taste the vodka, which either meant there was hardly any in there, or it was really good vodka.

This is important later.

We’d bought what we wanted, gathered all the free sponsor giveaways and had had enough of the heat, so we headed back to the campsite for a few hours before it was time for the Nationwide race. More drinking ensued.

This is when my memory starts getting fuzzy. I’d been drinking since 10:30 a.m., I’d mixed vodka with beer and my lunch had only consisted of chips and French onion dip, so I was a little tipsy. OK, I was drunk.

On the walk to the track, I bonged a beer. It was just a Bud Select 55, but obviously it went down really fast. Once at the track, Clark bought me another moonshine lemonade and convinced the kid at the booth to put two shots in it instead of just one.

By the time the race started, I was three sheets to the wind. Our first look at the view from our seats got the obligatory two drunk thumbs up:

One drunk thumb up from Clark...

...and one from me. And disregard the Chevy hat; that was the closest thing to a Bobby Labonte hat I could find!

About five laps into the race, Clark and I went to finally get something to eat. It was too late for me, though. After we ate subs, he went to the bathroom, and in my drunken state, I got confused and thought he, and everyone else, had left the track. So I somehow stumbled my way back to the campsite, which was amazing since part of that walk involved crossing a four-lane highway with no traffic lights or crosswalks.

Now, when I took off, I only had my camera and Aunt Jan’s headset. I had left my phone and my wallet in the cooler in the stands. So when Clark couldn’t find me, and no women could find me in any of the women’s bathrooms, and he couldn’t call me because I didn’t have a phone, he was in the process of getting track security to launch a full-scale search for me.

By that time, I had made it back to the campsite and gotten even more confused when the RV was empty. Where the hell was everyone? Somehow, the owners of the campsite found me, and I explained what was going on. They lent me a cell phone to call Clark, just as that search was about to commence (how I remembered his cell phone number, I’ll never know.) He ran back to the campsite to get me.

Remember how I had my camera with me? Turns out someone got some pictures of my rescuers:

I have no idea who you people are, but thanks!

These same people also found Clark’s wallet when he dropped it in the campsite the next evening on our way to the track for the Cup race, and got it returned to him. If you’re ever camping at Bristol, make sure to set up in Bos Campgrounds. It’s a bit of a hike to the track, but the service really goes above and beyond!

So I was found and everyone felt a lot better. Turns out Kyle Busch won the Nationwide race, so I really didn’t miss anything (though Kasey Kahne had a pretty cool wreck.)

However, I had lost the borrowed headset, which I replaced the next day.

Saturday morning, I woke up around 6:45 a.m. and headed out for a run to sweat out my hangover. The only area I knew was the track, so I ran to and around it, probably about four miles altogether. I actually didn’t feel too shitty anymore when I got back.

It rained that afternoon. Since I had made a decision to hold off on drinking until much later in the day because I really wanted to actually remember the Cup race, it was kinda boring. The rain finally stopped about 3:30 p.m., and it was time to hit the keg again. The skies cleared and everyone was in a really good mood. We grilled some dinner and shot the breeze before it was time to head back to the track.

Ben, you can try to cozy up to Bobby...

...but he really only has eyes for his No. 1 fan, haha! (Ignore his small, girly hands.)

Clark, Ben, Molly and Mike perform a group fist explosion.

Time to head back to the track. This time there was no moonshine and no beer bongs. I was feeling good about my chances for actually remembering this thing.

In our seats, I finally got to appreciate just how freaking huge this track is. It’s only a half mile long, but the enormous walls of people completely surrounding the track are truly amazing.

Our seats were in Turn 2. This is looking down the back stretch.

And this is looking over toward the front stretch.

Vertical look at the view of the back stretch.

Mike, Molly and Ben before the race started (Clark had left to find his missing wallet.)

 OK, so how was the race? Well, Bobby stunk it up and finished 38th, which sucked, and Kyle Busch won, which was only cool because I watched all the pissed off Earnhardt Jr. fans give him both middle fingers when he did his victory lap. But I got to see this:

If you squint, you'll see a car headed the wrong direction down in Turn 3. That's Jimmie Johnson! That was pretty sweet.

I really, really loved the Bristol night race. I have wanted to go to this race since I was probably 10 years old, and it actually lived up to my expectations. I can’t really describe why it was so cool. It’s just something you have to see for yourself.

One last parting shot:

This pretty much sums up the weekend.

We got back to the campsite and turned in. About 3:30 a.m., I was woken up by a thunderstorm and suddenly realized I had left my camera, cell phone and wallet in my cooler… outside. I looked out the door, and sure enough, there they were, getting drenched. I ran outside to get them and almost crapped myself thanks to one of the loudest claps of thunder I have ever heard.

The next morning, we packed up the soggy campsite and were on the road around 9 a.m. After a two-hour breakfast at Cracker Barrel and a GPS malfunction, we made it home around 8 p.m. I have never been so happy to see flat land.

This morning, I did some weight training, the 100 push-up challenge workout I missed Friday and took my new trainers out for their maiden voyage, a 3-mile easy run. I have the Annapolis 10-Mile Run this Sunday and the half marathon a week after that, so it’s time to work all of that junk food and beer out of my system and get back into training.

Training for 8/18/10

Today was weight training and a 100 push-up challenge workout, followed by a 5.5-mile easy run. It wasn’t raining when I left for the run, but it started about a mile into it. I hadn’t worn a hat, and the rain was blowing right in my face when it first started falling. But then I made a turn on the next road, got out of the direct path of the rain and really enjoyed the rest of the run.

I can’t believe I used to hate running in rain, since I look forward to it so much now.

Training for 8/17/10

This morning, I ran my longest tempo run before the half marathon, a 45-minute run. I did a 10-minute warm-up, 30 minutes at about a 7:53/mile pace and a 5-minute cooldown for a total of 5.5 miles.

It was extremely humid out there, once again. I was totally drenched in sweat by the 1.5-mile mark. In spite of the heat, I felt pretty damn strong at that pace, until I hit that road that has been resurfaced. The gravel is still loose and it made it a lot more difficult to maintain my speed. I was wiped when I got to the end of that road. The last couple of minutes of that tempo session felt as hard as the first 28.

Back home, I stripped off my soaking wet running clothes and literally rung out several ounces of sweat from my bra. The shorts weren’t that terrible. I went out to the kitchen to get a glass of chocolate milk. Standing there, I realized I was still sweating so much, it was running down my legs and making a little puddle under my feet. I went through at least five paper towels before I stopped dripping on the floor.

But supposedly we’re getting a cold front tonight, and tomorrow’s easy run should be in much cooler temperatures and possibly — dare I say it? — rain!

Two exciting things happened since my last post.

1. I ordered new shoes! New Balance 760s. They seem similar to the 740s I’m wearing right now, maybe with a little more stability. They’re a tiny bit heavier too. But every single customer review I read was positively glowing. There was absolutely no negative feelings toward these shoes. So I’m going with them.

2. I got the confirmation sheet e-mail for the half marathon, and I am in CORRAL THREE! Of like, 27! Of course, that’s based on the 1:43:00 predicted finishing time I put on my registration form last October, long before I got injured, when I was positive I’d be in that kind of shape by now. I will definitely be starting as close to the rear of that corral as possible. I just want to hang with the 1:45:00 pace group now.

Training for 8/16/10

This morning was weight training, a 100 push-up challenge workout and a 4.5-mile bike ride. After a weekend of pleasant weather, I was a bit annoyed to walk out the door for the bike ride and find it had heated up again. Oh well.

Speaking of pleasant weather, I think it had a lot to do with my totally awesome long run Saturday morning. I started running later than intended, but it turned out to not matter. By the fifth mile, I was humming along and actually hit a runner’s high. The first thing I noticed were the all-over goose bumps for no reason. Then I couldn’t wipe the goofy grin from my face. Next thing I noticed was how my running suddenly felt effortless, like I was gliding along.

That first 9.5-mile loop absolutely flew by. When I was approaching my lane for a quick swig of Gatorade and a PowerBar gel before starting the 4.5-mile loop, my neighbor was out to get her mail and wanted to talk. That broke my momentum and unfortunately gave me a second to notice how bad my feet hurt. The second loop wasn’t as much fun as the first, but I maintained my pace anyway.

After knocking down 14 miles at a 9:09/mile pace, I changed my shoes and did a 2-mile recovery jog, bringing my day’s total to 16 miles.

My feet are getting blistered and achy, which is a sign I need new shoes. Based on mileage, I figured I could hold out until the end of August to get a new pair, but I’ve had these shoes since February. So they might not have 350 miles on them, but they went through physical therapy and cross-training, and they’ve clearly broken down.

Last night, Clark and I met with everyone else who’s going to Bristol this weekend. We decided to leave Thursday morning, so I’ve got to do some workout juggling to get it all in this week. Last week, this week and next week are the most crucial training weeks leading up to my half marathon, so I can’t get off track now.

I did my weight training this morning as usual, but tomorrow I’m going to do the speed workout (45-minute tempo run) instead of the usual easy run. Then I’m going to do the easy run and Friday’s weight training Wednesday morning and hope that gives my legs enough rest to get through the 15-mile long run early Thursday morning before we leave for Bristol.

That way, I can take off Friday, since I won’t have weights or my bike anyway, do a short 7-mile easy run Saturday morning and take off Sunday.