Training for 9/30/10

I was expecting some kind of heavy downpour when I woke up this morning. I immediately heard the high wind, but no rain. It was still not raining much when I was ready to leave for my run, but it looked like it was going to let go at any moment.

So I put on a shirt and a baseball hat and left for 5.6 easy miles. I tacked an extra tenth of a mile onto my usual 5.5-mile route because it would bring my monthly mileage total to an even 150, my best month to date.

It was starting to come down for the first mile of my run, but by the time I was 10 minutes in, it had stopped raining completely and I became aware of how ungodly hot the shirt and the hat were in the humidity. It was quite a bit warmer this morning than it was yesterday. So I peeled off the shirt and the hat and went on my way.

It never did rain. The wind just blew. I finished the run in 50:14, about an 8:58/mile pace.

Well, even though I already spoiled the surprise about my new highest mileage month, I’m still going to go over my monthly summary.

Mileage:

• Week 1 (Sept. 1-4): 12.1 miles
• Week 2 (Sept. 5-11): 50.3
• Week 3 (Sept. 12-18): 32.3
• Week 4 (Sept. 19-25): 36
• Week 5 (Sept. 26-30): 19.3

Total: 150 miles

I didn’t ride my bike at all this month! In fact, I haven’t ridden it since Aug. 27. That’s ridiculous.

But, I did manage to run two half marathons, one in which I PR’d; two 5Ks, one in which I ran my best time of the year; and my longest run ever, 19 miles. And I somehow survived that one-week span where I ran my half marathon PR on Sunday, three weekday runs and an 18-miler on Saturday.

This was the toughest month of training and I pulled it off. For October, I’m looking to run a solid 20-miler on the 9th, taper for the next few weeks and run a great race at the Marine Corps Marathon on the 31st.

Training for 9/29/10

This morning had cooled down quite a bit compared to yesterday, but I still refuse to put on a shirt again. You’re going to have to do better than that, fall. I love running in just a sports bra. It took me eight years to get up the nerve to try it and now I don’t want to go back. Stupid end of summer.

I was supposed to run 8 miles at goal marathon pace this morning, immodest attire and all. For some reason, I was really, really itching to run this morning.

I wore my 100s again. This is the longest run they’ve been on since the 18-mile debut debacle a few weeks ago, and the first time, I think, I’ve worn them for two consecutive runs.

Yup, I’m definitely falling for these shoes. I had another great run in them: 8.2 miles in about an hour and 13 minutes, average pace 8:54/mile. My feet are more tired than they were after yesterday’s run, but they still feel pretty damn good.

This was my last weekday run of more than 5.5 miles. After next weekend’s 20-miler, tapering begins. I might actually make it through the training plan this time. I’m already a week further than the last time I tried this.

Oh, yesterday, I scored big on some running gear. I’m pretty excited about this. I ordered:

CEP compression socks (reg. price $60):

Nike Pacer shorts (reg. price $30):

And a Brooks Podium long-sleeve running shirt (reg. price $28):

It’s all being shipped to my door for a mere $32.57.

I think I’m most excited about the socks. Compression socks have long been used by diabetics and people on long plane flights to keep blood circulating in their legs, and recently, they’ve been catching on among runners. Some runners wear the socks while running, to maintain blood flow and reduce muscle fatigue; some wear them after running, to speed up muscle recovery; and some wear them a combination of both. This pair I got is kind of on the expensive side for compression socks, but they’re supposed to be good for either. And after all the discounts I got, I’m only paying about half the price of the socks alone.

The shorts are supposed to be an improvement on the Nike Tempo shorts I love so much, so I can’t wait to try them out too. And I got a unisex Brooks running top at the Shamrock Marathon this year that is pretty sweet, so I think a women’s cut will be even better.

Anyway, I saved all that money by:

— Signing up for RoadRunner Sports’ VIP club last year — for a one-time fee of $2, you get an automatic 10 percent discount and free shipping on everything.

— Receiving a coupon from RoadRunner Sports for an additional 20 percent off on top of my original 10 percent discount.

— Getting a $50 Visa debit rebate card from Verizon Wireless for finally upgrading my ancient cell phone.

So, the original price of my order was $117. My two discounts dropped it down to $82. Then Verizon footed $50 of the bill, leaving me $32.57 to cover.

I don’t know what I like more, new running gear or bargain shopping.

Training for 9/28/10

This morning, I ran 5.5 easy miles at about an 8:33/mile pace. It was raining sporadically throughout. I would have enjoyed it, but I did not bring a hat, so the time I spent running head-on into blowing rain was not fun.

It was still a warm rain though, so no complaints there.

I wore my 100s. I’m definitely getting used to them. I don’t feel any of the soreness at all in my feet anymore. And that sore spot on the top of my left foot was gone.

My only real complaint about the run was that since I knew it might rain, I had left my iPod home, so I had to listen to whatever song cropped up in my head. It’s almost always annoying pop songs.

All in all, a nice easy Tuesday morning run.

I think I might finally be accepting the fact summer is gone. This morning, I thought the changing colors on the trees looked pretty, instead of depressing. And last night, I baked some pumpkin muffins.

I have been craving a pumpkin muffin from Dunkin Donuts hard, but I just can’t bring myself to eat one. Those little bombs are 600 calories each, loaded with white flour, 44 grams of sugar, high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (trans fats). I know I sometimes make fun of Clark for being so adamant about his healthy eating habits, but he’s right.

Anyway, I found a much healthier recipe online that used whole wheat flour (not a blend of whole wheat and white), spices and brown sugar instead of loads of white sugar, and extra-light olive oil. It also added walnuts (and raisins, but I left them out.) These muffins came in around 260 calories each, which is a lot more reasonable.

Oh, and, most importantly, they are DELICIOUS. Very moist and cake-like. I am rather pleased with my baking skills today.

Training for 9/27/10

This morning, I did some weight training, started another cycle of the last three weeks of the 100 push-up challenge workouts and did some abs and stretching. My calves were unbelievably tight this morning, which surprised me, but I guess it had something to do with running a fast 5K (though sadly not my fastest) Saturday morning and then walking several miles at the track that afternoon and yesterday.

OK, so the 5K on Saturday… the race didn’t start until 9 a.m., and Federalsburg is less than 10 minutes from my house, so there was no 5 a.m. alarm clock like most race days. In fact, I woke up before my alarm. I took my time getting ready for the race, got a small black coffee from McDonald’s on the way into town and was at the race site by just after 8 a.m.

Aunt Helen had pre-registered me (for some reason, she likes to “sponsor” me by paying my entry fee for this race, which sure doesn’t bother me.) I got my race bib and event T-shirt, pulled off the T-shirt I was wearing, pinned my bib to my shorts and did some warm up jogging.

There’s this tendon on the top of my left foot that, for some reason, was really bothered by the tongue on the 905s I wore on the 19-mile run Thursday. I have run many, many miles in those shoes since I got them last Christmas, and they have never bothered either foot before. So my left foot was just being a bitch, but it was still noticably painful to wear any shoes with a tongue, including the 100s I decided to debut in this race.

At any rate, 8:55 a.m. rolled around and we walked over to the starting line, got some instructions and were sent on our way.

Adrenaline kicked in at this point and I forgot about my stupid foot. I started pretty much at the front of the pack. A few men pulled ahead, but so did a woman. Again, just like last year, I passed her less than a half mile into the race.

But, unlike last year, she hung with me for quite a while. In fact, at the top of the hill near the end of the first mile, I heard footsteps very close behind me. When I glanced at the shadow of the runner behind me, I saw a ponytail swinging.

So I ran faster. I don’t know when I dropped her, but I finally did.

At this point, I was closing in on the third place runner. It didn’t take me very long to catch him, but I just couldn’t pass him. I think I knew I wouldn’t be running that fast if I wasn’t following someone. This year’s race was quite a bit warmer than last year’s, and my legs were still kinda beat from the 19-miler two days prior. My legs were getting that so-worn-out-they’re-numb feeling by the time we hit the water stop, about 60 percent of the way through the race. It took a lot more mental effort than usual in a 5K to keep running.

I held on to my pacer. He got away from me a bit coming back to the marina, but I closed back in as we hit the 3-mile marker. I definitely didn’t have anything left to try to finally pass him though.

Approaching the finish line.

We sailed through the finish line and my pacer turned around and said, “I thought you were going to beat me!”

I said, “I knew I wasn’t!” as I realized my pacer was my 10th grade world history teacher, Mr. Smith. From what I can remember, Mr. Smith has run the Boston Marathon, so I felt pretty good about hanging with him through a tough 5K on a warm day with tired legs.

The stats:

• 22:46
• 1st female overall (beat 2nd female by more than a minute)
• 4th finisher overall out of 66

The women's masters champ, the men's masters champ, me (overall women's winner) and the overall men's winner.

I also ran a couple more miles at home at a recovery pace to bring the day’s total to six miles.

That was the end of my races until the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 31. For the next month, I’m concentrating solely on getting ready for this marathon. I can’t wait!

Training for 9/24/10

This morning, I did nothing. Total rest day. Since I ran 19 miles yesterday and I have a 5K tomorrow morning, I figured that was the best course of action.

This was an especially good plan because I had to be at a school function early this morning for work. At least, I thought I did. I got to the school on time, only to find out there was a two-hour fog delay in Caroline County, so I had gotten to work super early for absolutely nothing. The 19,000 school buses that pass by my house in Delaware were rolling on time this morning, so it never occurred to me that maybe Caroline County had a delay.

Oh well. I got a pumpkin-flavored coffee from Dunkin Donuts and walked around at Martinak State Park for a while. It was a pretty morning, once all the fog burned off.

This weekend is looking pretty exciting. Tomorrow morning, I’m running the Caroline Hospice Remembrance Run/Walk 5K, for the third year in a row. I’ve PR’d in this race the last two years, so I’m hoping to keep that streak alive. I would love to hit my 2010 goal of a sub-22 5K, but I’ll be happy just to shave off even a second tomorrow.

After that, I’m spending the rest of the weekend in Dover for the NASCAR races. Tomorrow, I’m covering the Nationwide Series race for the paper, and Sunday, I’m going as a fan to tailgate and watch the Sprint Cup Series race from the stands.

Training for 9/23/10

After training for four half marathons and two marathons in the past year and a half, a lot of habits that before seemed really odd are now commonplace for me: Running more than 2.5 miles at a time, considering 5 miles a short run, getting up super early to drive to races, using the woods as a bathroom. But every now and then, I still manage to do something in the name of training that even makes me wonder, “What the hell is wrong with me? This is so weird.”

This morning was one of those moments.

I got up at 5 a.m., nearly two hours before the sunrise, to run 19 miles, my longest run to date, and all on a work day.

It dawned on me a couple of days ago that starting my run before 5:30 a.m. meant it was going to be pitch black outside for a large chunk of the first half of the run. I don’t have any of the fancy headlamps or clip-on safety lights most runners who typically run in the dark use. I was able to dig up a crappy Energizer flashlight, which, I’m pretty sure, still has the original batteries from when I bought it to carry in my first car, 11 years ago. Did I bother to put in fresh ones? Nah.

When I was going through the drawer that held the flashlight, I also found one of those one-time-use glow sticks. I had no idea where it came from or how old it was, but I figured between it and the flashlight, I could see and be seen for one run.

I have to admit, I was not looking forward to this run. No. 1, I’m kind of a wuss about the dark. It creeps me out, OK? And much of my route goes through deserted wooded areas. No. 2, I was worried about getting creamed by a car whose driver didn’t expect to see a stupid runner at 5:30 a.m. No. 3, the 19-mile long run was the run I so epically failed in February, on my way to epically failing my first marathon attempt. And finally, No. 4, I absolutely had to finish the run in a decent amount of time because, after all, I still had to go to work today.

I left the house around 5:15 a.m. I left a water bottle and a package of Jelly Belly Sport Beans at the end of the lane. I couldn’t figure out what to do with the glow stick (which, by the way, still worked, even though a lot of the liquid had looked brown before I snapped it.) I finally settled on jamming it under a rear strap on my sports bra, and carrying the flashlight in my right hand. Voila, I had a headlight and a tail light. Let’s see some bleary-eyed driver explain why I got run over now.

I cranked up Breaking Benjamin on my iPod and tried to settle into a rhythm. And this is when I thought to myself, “I should be in bed, asleep right now. Not a tenth of a mile into 19 miles. Why is this so important to me, anyway?”

Right as I was thinking that, a Mustang roared by in the opposite lane. I had successfully avoided the front end of a passing vehicle for the first time. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

Woodpecker Road is typically the busiest road I run. Two cars passed me in the first mile I ran on that road, before turning onto Woodland Ferry Road. The ferry sign’s “CLOSED” message glowed bright red in the dark. My weak flashlight beam bounced off the reflective metal as I approached. When is the sun coming up?!

Before the two-mile marker, a black shape came bounding out of the darkness at me. This is it! This is the end! But it was just one of those two stupid dogs. Fortunately, it was the older one, and it quickly lost interest in me, returning to its yard.

After I was sure I wasn’t going to have a heart attack, I kept running toward the ferry. Past the ferry, I hit one of the creepiest spots of the run, the stretch through the swamp. The trees completely blocked what little moonlight was filtering through the clouds. My crappy flashlight beam was the only light.

I was relieved to leave the swamp behind. Just after the swamp, it’s open fields on either side of the road. The clouds had parted and the moon shone on freshly harvested fields. It was probably really pretty. I was too busy checking the horizon for signs of life from the sun to notice.

About another mile and a half down the road, I hit Quail Trail. No one lives on that road. It is completely deserted. My shoes crunched on the gravel as I ran down it back toward civilization.

At the end of that road, I made a right onto Ellis Mill Road and was finally able to see some signs of life — yard lights, sprinklers, etc. Better yet, the sky was starting to lighten up. By the time I had about two miles left on the first lap, I could safely turn off my flashlight. I had survived 7.5 miles in the dark.

Two miles later, I was back at my lane and halfway through my run. I ate my Sport Beans and drank some water, pulled the glow stick out of my bra and left it and the flashlight at the end of the lane, then took off on lap two. This lap was far less eventful. The heavy red sun was just coming up. By the time I was two miles into that lap, I was in full sunlight.

I felt pretty good for most of the last 7.5 miles, until I had about two miles to go. I got really hungry, which never happens, and I started getting a couple of stitches, usually due to dehydration. I guess I should have done shorter laps so I could have eaten and drank more often. I’ll remember that for my 20-mile run in a couple of weeks.

I ran every bit of it though, and when I finished in just under three hours, I had maintained an average pace of 9:21/mile, as fast as my first mile.

Better yet, I had just finished the 19-mile run, instead of calling Clark to pick me up 6.5 miles into it because my right leg was on fire. This marathon is actually happening! I set a new distance PR before I even went to work (on time) today.

I am really glad this run is behind me. I shouldn’t have to do any more long runs during the week, and I only have one more longer than today’s before the marathon. I can do this. I just don’t want to do it in the dark anymore!

Training for 9/22/10

This morning was my last summer workout. Pretty depressing. But it warmed up a bit, and it was a pretty nice morning, just a little breezy.

I ran 5.5 easy miles in my New Balance 100s at an 8:55/mile pace. Tomorrow morning I’m attempting the 19-mile run before work in my 905s. I’m a little nervous, just because this particular run was the one during which my injury first flared in February, but I haven’t been running in screw shoes for the past week. Also, I can’t imagine running this long before a full day of work, but oh well. It has to be done tomorrow if I’m going to stay on track. Just take it one mile at a time… for three hours.

Training for 9/21/10

This morning was supposed to be a 5.5-mile easy run per my marathon training plan. But I have a 5K on Saturday morning (defending women’s overall champ!) so, instead, I went to the track to do a speed workout that added up to 5.5 miles with warm up, recoveries and cool down.

It was another bright, sunny, calm day here. Temperatures were in the low 50s, and when I got to the track, I saw no walkers! It was completely deserted. Pretty much perfect conditions for a speed workout.

I did a mile to warm up. Then I ran four 400-meter repeats with 400 meters of recovery jogging between each. My splits were 1:46 (I was a little rusty, apparently), 1:41 (that’s more like it), 1:39 (first sub-1:40 400 ever!) and 1:40.

Next, I ran an 800 meter interval in 3:27. After a half mile of recovery, I ran the big one, a 1,600-meter interval (one mile.) I was aiming for 7:00. I figured if I could crank out a 7:00 mile four miles into a speed workout, I was doing pretty good. I came up just a little short — 7:01. Then I did a half mile cooldown and called it a day.

I was pretty pleased with my impromptu speed workout and I think I have a good shot at PR’ing in this 5K this Saturday. I’ve done so the past two years, so I hope I don’t break the streak this time. I ran today’s workout in my New Balance 100s. I might take them out for their inaugural race this weekend. I can handle a 5K in those shoes right now.

Training for 9/20/10

This morning was some weight training.

Saturday, I ran the Chestertown Half Marathon. I left home around 6 a.m., stopping to get a pumpkin-flavored coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts on the way to the race site. I made it there in plenty of time to get my race bib and timing chip and get to the starting line by 8 a.m.

I have been saying all along this was going to be a training run, run at a slower pace than I would normally race. I don’t know why I keep saying that, because, like every other “training run in a race” I’ve tried to run, this one quickly became a PR attempt.

The weather was perfect. It was probably still in the high 50s or low 60s when we started. It didn’t feel too humid, it wasn’t very breezy and it was a clear, beautiful day.

It was a very small field, only 181 finishers. I got in line several rows back from the front. There were these two really annoying guys, trying to act as emcees and warm up the crowd before the race start. They were both wearing tight, short shorts, tank tops, compression socks and huge Afro wigs, and, inexplicably, they were talking in these indistinguishable foreign accents. One kept calling the other Sven, so I guess they were supposed to sound European.

Anyway, the gun went off on time. I took off at what felt like 9:00/mile. I missed the first mile marker, and when we hit the second, my watch said 16:30 — 8:15/mile pace. Oops.

I had a decision to make here: Keep up this pace or slow down to where I intended to be. But the second option would mean OMG PEOPLE WILL PASS ME. So naturally, my training run became a half marathon PR attempt.

The course was an out-and-back with a small loop around the halfway point, all on paved roads. The whole way out was fields on either side, except for when we passed through a little “town” called Pomona. The loop was wooded.

Police had not bothered to close the roads. Since there were so few of us, they left one lane open for traffic. As I was leaving Pomona, I saw a car pull up to where a cop was directing traffic. I heard the cop tell the driver, “Yes ma’am, you can still drive through here, but there are some runners, so you might have to avoid them a bit.”

Haha. Avoid them “a bit.”

Anyway, I was cruising right along. I had no energy gels or chews with me, but the water and Gatorade they were passing out at aid stations seemed to be doing enough. In the ninth mile, on the way back toward town, we were running a very long, gradual uphill section, into the sun and into a headwind (where had that wind come from all of a sudden?) I lost a little time there. Then the road flattened, the wind shifted a bit and some trees provided a little relief from the glaring sun. I was getting my stride back around the 10-mile marker, when it happened.

Those old familiar gut pains came roaring up out of nowhere. And with a vengeance.

I knew I was going to have to stop at a port-o-potty in a race for the first time, until, with a sudden panic-inducing realization, I remembered there were NO PORT-O-POTTIES ON THE COURSE.

Up until that point, there had been some woods in which I could have ducked. But by the time my gut pains were reaching emergency status, we were getting back close to town, and the only trees at that point were either in someone’s front yard, or on the edge of the bank of the Chester River. I was really regretting my decision to wear bright purple shorts instead of something more tree-colored. I knew I was going to have to make it the final 5K with the runner’s trots if I didn’t want to literally crap my pants or cop a squat in full view of passing runners.

It was painful. I didn’t think that race would ever end. I forgot about my PR attempt and concentrated on not letting loose in my shorts. I got passed in the final mile by only one runner — but he was pushing a freaking jogging stroller. Both he and the kid in the stroller told me I was looking good. Ha! If they only knew.

Not long after he passed me, I could hear the cheers of the people at the finish line. I managed to give a little kick in the final couple of tenths of a mile while also keeping everything in check in my gurgling intestines. They announced my name as I crossed the line, which is the first time that’s happened.

I even managed to patiently wait for volunteers to rip the timing chip off my shoe, drape the finisher’s medal around my neck and open a bottle of water for me before I nonchalantly walked to the nearest port-o-potty to take care of business. I won’t go into detail here, but it was a pretty big relief.

So, how did I do?

Chip time: 1:49:55 (only 50 seconds off my PR, set two weeks ago!)

Age group place (F 20-29): 6/31

Overall place: 51/181

It was a pretty quick field of runners. I would have finished in the same position had I run the same time I did in Virginia Beach, but I was only in the top 28 percent of the field in Chestertown, while I was in the top 11 percent in Virginia Beach. I can’t compare the age group results because it was a 10-year grouping in Chestertown, while they were five-year groupings in Virginia Beach.

After the port-o-potty visit, I walked some, stretched out, drank some kind of sports recovery drink and ate half a bagel with cream cheese. I left the race site, and I had not even made it out of Chestertown when Round 2 of the gut pains cropped up. For the second time that day, I thought I was going to crap my pants. I was about to pull over on the side of the road and run for the woods when I saw a Royal Farms up ahead. They had a public bathroom, but, to my horror, there was someone in it and someone else waiting to use it! Fortunately, the person in the bathroom walked out almost as soon as I got in line, and the person waiting was really quick. Also for the second time that day, I avoided disaster.

The rest of the ride home was uneventful. I had no more major episodes. I’m not sure what exactly caused it. The night before, Clark and I ate dinner at a sports bar/restaurant. I had pasta and vegetables, nothing out of the ordinary there, but maybe whatever oil they used didn’t agree with my system when I started jostling it around. Who knows.

Everything settled down and I felt 100 percent better by that night. Clark and I went to Bon Appetit in downtown Seaford. Oh my, it was amazing. I loved every bit of it. We both got the five-course dinner. For appetizers, I got the hot Italian sausage-stuffed mushrooms, and Clark let me try some of his escargot, which weren’t too bad. I got spicy gazpacho and Clark got cucumber dill for the soup course. Then we had green salads. For our entree course, I got mahi mahi and Clark got some kind of South American fish that was really good, but we can’t remember the name. Finally, for dessert, I got a slice of amaretto cheesecake and Clark got some kind of chocolate dessert that was also really good but had a name we can’t remember.

The restaurant gave us a complimentary champagne toast for our anniversary. It was the best dinner I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant, much better than that super expensive one we ate in L.A.

Sunday was our actual anniversary. We went to Georgetown and visited the spot we were married, then had lunch at the hotel where our reception was held.

Clark and me on our wedding day last Sept. 19:

And us, a year later, still smiling:

At home, we dug into the wedding cake we’d saved. Not the worst thing I’ve ever eaten, but it definitely tasted better a year ago.

Looks like Clark enjoyed it!

And I gave it a half-hearted thumbs up.

Training for 9/17/10

This morning was push-ups, weight training and barefoot exercises.

Tomorrow morning, I’m heading to Chestertown for its inaugural half marathon, since it just so happens my marathon training plan called for a cutback to 13 miles on the long run this week. I’m looking forward to it. I’m definitely not aiming for any PRs. I’m planning to run it around my goal marathon pace, 9:00/mile, which should get me to the finish around 1:58:00. It will be my slowest half marathon yet, but I have a feeling it will be an enjoyable one.

The course is advertised as being flat, fast and scenic. No finishers medals or race expo, just some T-shirts and water stops. Oh, and we get to the keep the “commemorative” timing chip.

Tomorrow evening, Clark and I have dinner reservations at the only hoity toity restaurant in Seaford, Bon Appetit, to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, which is Sunday. Even though Clark and I skipped most of the traditional wedding things, we did freeze part of our cake last year to eat on our anniversary. I put it in the fridge to thaw this morning. I’m half looking forward to this, half dreading it. As good as it was on our wedding day, I can’t imagine it’s actually still going to taste good after a year in the freezer.