Harrigan's race recap/PR!

 I was a bit nervous going into this race since I haven't run a race since the Columbus half marathon in October.  I'd run the Harrigan's 5k in Kettering last year and pr'd  running a 21:40.  Ten seconds faster than my old high school pr of 21:50. 

I wasn't expecting anything to great this year.  I figured that my training runs have been about 8:30 pace so I'd probably do better so I was hoping for around 22-23 mins.  I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment.  My training has been much lighter than last year by this time.  In fact, I only ran 2 times this week.  At the same time, I've been surprised how much spinning 3-4 times a week has kept in in shape as I dealt with plantar fasciitis.  I have felt stronger on my runs and consistently run about 8:30 pace for training.  I decided this race, I would not look at my Garmin for my pace, but to just go on how I felt...

 COLD...it was COLD.  Brrrr.  I got to Harrigan's about 40 mins before and stood around with everyone else.  I was totally regretting my fashionable running skirt,  cute purple compression socks, t-shirt, arm warmers (with my hoodie as my only cover up!)  It was cold.  35 degrees.  Everyone else was wearing tights, jackets, earbands, etc.    I knew once I started running I'd be fine, but that was a long 40 minutes!

Start to mile 1-  Forgot to start my Garmin until for about 40  6:seconds after the start (rookie Garmin user) doh.  I passed a bunch of girls I knew (who are much younger than me, and my motivation for the rest of the race- really hoping they wouldn't pass me later in the race).  I couldn't feel my feet yet.  They were frozen blocks of ice.  Reached the first mile in 6:40-  starting to panic a bit, that has to be my "adult" PR for a mile. 

Mile 2-3 Hoping keep it up...I kept waiting to feel "the burning lungs, I'm going to throw up" stage where I slow down and back off.  Nothing. Passed the 2 mile marker 13:something.  Pretty good.  Started to recognize the course from the beginning which meant it was almost done.  I pushed it as much as a I could.  Turned the corner, saw the finish line, saw that timer was still at 20 mins.  What?!  By the time I reached the finish line it was 21:13 (6:51 pace).  I'll take it.  Wow.  How'd that happen? I dropped 27 seconds off my 5k time.  That's huge. 

So, for someone who hates running on the track (umm, Carrie, talking to you), spinning definitely helps with the speed. I'm so happy to see that it does actually help my running.  I've been having a hard time looking at my schedule to try to fit in spinning. It can be such a hassle at our rec since there are only 14 bikes and you have to get there 50 minutes before to line up otherwise you're out.  By the end of the evening it can take almost 2 hrs of your night,  not good when the spring gets going and kids have soccer starting soon. 

So my stats are bit messed up since I started my Garmin late.

Mile 1- 6:40 at mile 1 clock (Garmin time 6:55)
Mile 2- Garmin time 7:12
Mile 3- Garmin time  6:31 (wow, did i really run that fast?! at the end?!)
Overall time for Garmin: 20:38
Overall Official race time 21:13
Place overall: 49/970
Place in sex:  11 overall female- I didn't count the rest, the results didn't sort them by sex
Place in age group 2nd!
Oh, btw- those girls never did pass me.  Looks like I'll get some street cred with them! :-)

Bragging about my brother

My brother moved out to northern Utah last summer.  His blog was the featured blog today on wordpress.  Take a look if you have a chance.  Very cool pictures!

http://lookingatthewest.com/

Plantar fasciitis has no mercy

 I hate to see anyone have to suffer through plantar fasciitis.  I can not imagine how frustrating it must be if you were on the U.S. Olympic marathon team and have to train through it.  It's so painful- not while you run but as soon as you stop.  Ryan Hall, I wish you a speedy recovery! 
 ryan-hall-has-plantar-fasciitis
If you don't know how fast he his...check out this video

But on a side note, it is good to see that even elite runners (like the rest us "normal" runners) get plantar fasciitis - and they have to do all the same things for recovery.   Night splints, golf balls, frozen water bottles, stretching, double checking with a MRI, shockwave therapy (that was next for me),...and you just have to wait.  There is no magic pill.  Most of the stuff I read while suffering through my PF said it would usually last no more than 4 to 12 months.  If you are a runner, that's an eternity!  Mine lasted 3.5 months then just went away one day. 

I still have twinges if I do too much, mostly just a stiff foot after sitting down for awhile at night but no pain.  I'm trying to make sure I cross train and not do too much running on consecutive days.


Speaking of training:  so far this week...

Sunday- 6.2 miles (treadmill)

Monday- 3.5 miles (treadmill- hills)

Tuesday- 20.4 miles spinning (legs were dead- bad workout)

Wednesday (today)-??  I wanted to run since the weather is great, but I have my first night of a running clinic and I'm not sure what to expect so I don't want to be wiped out- also probably need a rest day at some point.

Thursday- spinning night/or running- depends on the weather :-)
Friday- easy 3
Saturday- my first race of 2012- Harrigan's 5k. 

wild week of weather

What a crazy few days here with the weather! 

wdtn.com picture

Friday, I had the day off and ran in the morning (3 miles) since they were calling for bad weather/tornados in the afternoon.  I kept the tv on all day (usually never do this) since the weather channel and our local news kept updating with the chances of the storms being bad.  Weather channel actually gave Cincinnati/southern Ohio a Tor-con rating of an 8- 80% chance of a tornado within 50 miles.  I knew that my dh has everything prepared in the basement shelter area, but I was more nervous since I was alone.  The kids were in school and dh was at work. I worked on lovely laundry- actually almost had it done! Made our york peppermint patty brownies for the school concert in the evening and waited.  Dh came home early and we went to pick up the boys. 
As soon as we got home, the we had a tornado warning (not a tornado watch) but it was for the northern part of our county.  No sirens, just some heavy rain and lightning, then it was over.  Just like that. Over.  We all know that we were really lucky since Southern Indiana and Kentucky got the worst of it.    I know that I get anxious about storms and I'm always kicking myself that I spent so much time worrying about it.  The good thing was that our boys had a blast at their concert later that night.  They both looked so cute in their ties- which they insisted on wearing (and we found out almost all the boys were wearing ties). 

Only in Ohio...snow today, 70's on Thursday

Today was my long run for the week.  Another 6 mile run.  It was snowing this AM and I really didn't feel like getting all bundled up to run in the snow and wind for 6 miles. So I headed to the rec center to find out they weren't open yet!
 So back home for another hour- wasted times looking at training plans for a full marathon (future post about that)- then headed back to the rec for my run(s).  I love that our rec center is super close to where we live, but there are little things, like 25 min limit on the cardio machines is so annoying!  I was planning on doing a steady  run with some hills but ended up boosting up the speed near the end since I like to try to get 3 miles in.  I ended up going about a 7:10 pace the last few minutes as I raced the clock.  Multiply by 2 and you have my workout.  6.2 in 51:40. (snuck in more minutes during the cooldown)  I figure I might be at the rec again tomorrow- and actually pick up some weights too!  Looking forward to the 70 degrees on Thursday.  Got to love Ohio!  If you don't like the weather, wait a day and it will be completely different. 

 

  Flying Pig 1/2 marathon training: 
Sunday- Ran my longest mileage since October.  6 whole miles!  It felt great.  I could have keep going.  The hills felt manageable. (Thank you spinning!) We managed to do it 61 mins. which is great considering about 30% of the trail was squishy mud or steep hills.  I have to say I'm glad I have trail shoes for days like Sunday!  Monday- I felt twinges with my stupid heel.  My friend the spiky golf ball took care of that! 
 
Monday- quick 3.5 miles in the neighborhood- pretty uneventful.

Tuesday- Spinning class- we worked on keeping a consistent pace throughout the workout- 3 sets of 5 mins sitting, 5 mins standing, 5 mins sitting.  I increased my resistance each set.  Managed to PR in my calories85555555555- thank you to my cat- my calories to 700.  I don't worry about calories since I'm not exercising to lose weight but I do use the number for how hard of a workout it was-since the only way on our bikes (Keiser) is to keep the RPM and the gear up high.  Normally my goal is 20 miles and 600 calories- Tuesday it was 700 calories and 23.5 miles.  Anyone know the bike to run ratio?  I figure my Garmin gives me about 100 calories for 1 mile so is that the equivalent to 7 miles running?  

Wednesday- 6x400 at 5k pace (7 min mile) 13 hour day at work- no energy after. 

Thursday(today)- Rare day at work where we had a more flexible schedule.  I had a break from 11-1 so took advantage of another mild day in Ohio to get out and run.  5 miles in 43mins ( 8:33 pace). I would love to have job that I could run at lunch everyday!  I unfortunately only get 50 mins for lunch- so changing, running, changing, then eating...it's probably not really worth it, when I can run after work- but it's nice to get outside in the middle of the day!

Friday- planning on 3-3.5 tomorrow am, since we're supposed to get severe t-storms/tornados tomorrow afternoon.  

Saturday- spinning? or running long?

Random stuff:

• Signed up for a running clinic.  This is an early birthday present to myself.  I've heard they work you hard- looking forward to sharing what I learn.    
• My new favorite beer- Bell's Two Hearted Ale- yummy IPA from Michigan (sorry- completely random- but really- you have to try it!)  www.bellsbeer.com
• Thinking about new trail shoes- I have Saucony Peregrines- which I like but am wondering if the lower heel maybe making my PF flare up.  I do most of my long runs on the trails so maybe I should look at a different style shoe?  Any suggestions? Mizunos and Sauconys seem to fit my foot the best.  

Just a normal week...

Wow! Totally failing on blogging this week. 

Buster & Cub snuggling @7am after stumbling out to say bye before I head to work.

 

 

Got to be like big brother!

A few days off of work is always nice.  Managed to get in my training with this awesome February weather here in Ohio.  I'm loving it! 40-50 degrees w/ NO snow! Awesome for running. I bet there will be a ton of PR's/fast early races here in Ohio since everyone has been able to get out and run.

I have 2 little races in my future.  I'm running "the Greene goes Red 2 mile race" this Saturday with Cub.  I've been waiting to run with him since this fall.  I was supposed to run a 5k at the end of October but I was injured so...now we get to!  2 miles is perfect too.  It's actually supposed to be chilly (35 degrees) on Sat so a short race with Cub will be perfect. 

I also went ahead and signed up for the Harrigan's 5k which is on March 10th.  It's were I PR'd last year beating my old high school PR from 18 years ago. (wow...I'm old!)  Anyways, it was a great run and I'm looking forward to see what I'll do this year.  I really think my spinning classes have really improved my running.  I feel stronger and faster so I can't wait to push myself in a race to see where I'm at.  Plus it's on the training plan for the PIG. 


This week/last week:
Friday: 3.5 miles
Saturday: Spinning (19 miles/600 calories)
Sunday: 4.6 miles
Monday: 3.5 miles
Tuesday: Spinning (20 miles/620 calories)
Wednesday: 4.6 miles w/hills
Tomorrow:  spinning?
Friday: off
Saturday: 2 miles

So I noticed I didn't actually take any day off last week. I did cardio everyday.  Is that ok? I figure I'm not doing high impact everyday...and I still need to work in weights.  I'm wondering, is it better to fit in lifting after spinning? or after running? 

What did I just get myself into?

I knew Cincinnati had hills...really I did, but I didn't think about looking at the elevation for the 1/2 marathon.  Until now...

I know you're all thinking "Is that a 3 mile downhill at the end of 13.1? Awesome!" but that first 3/4 looks a bit tough.  Is that a 6 mile hill? Darn it, the 10k wasn't bad last year, but this is way more of a hill than some bridges over the Ohio River. 


Here's my typical run elevation.

Looks like I'm going to have to find 6 mile hill to practice. Lol.  I'll just say sorry to Carrie now for convincing her to do the half. :-)

Meanwhile in week 1 of 1/2 marathon training this is what I did/will do:

Monday: Run 3 
Tuesday: Spin (20 miles)
Wednesday: 5x400 @5k pace Spin:  6x400 sprints on bike plus pyramids of seated/standing 20 miles 
Thursday: Spin run 3.2 miles at 8:15 pace
Friday: run 3?
Saturday: xt (TRX?/Spinning?)
Runday:  Long run (not so long run) of 4 miles (with a hill- big one at that)?


Looks like I'm going to have to incorporate some  hill training into the mix this Spring.  Any suggestions?

Marathon runner vs Fiat Panda

I've mentioned that my current favorite show is Top Gear on BBC America.  I'm not really into cars, but they make it interesting with different kinds of challenges and the hosts are really funny.  Last night my dh and I watched this one.    Enjoy!  (It's about 7 mins per part)

Happy 8th Birthday, Cub!

2 weeks old

1 year

18 months

2.5 years old, meeting Buster for the 1st time

4 years

5 years

6 years

7 years old

My big 8 year old (with friend's hands)

People always say that you will have a hard time remember what your life was like before children.  I can't imagine my life without my Cub.  Happy Birthday, sweetie! 

Better safe than sorry

I have been trying to be good with my mileage since I really haven't been running in awhile and I don't need to end up with shin splints, etc. from doing too much too fast.  Here's my training log from August 2011 til now.

My weekly mileage (week of 31 Jan)

I hadn't planned on running 5 miles on Wednesday but I had to find my house key.  Afterwards, I was feeling my IT band.  I've had twinges in the past with this so I knew what I was feeling.

On Friday, I'd planned on running before my last (hopefully ever) PT appt.  I only had time for 2 miles but I had to take advantage of such nice weather in Feb.  My IT bands protested the run.    I talked to my PT about what I could do to stretch them out better.  He suggested getting a foam roller and rolling out my leg with it.  I tried it there and ouch! that hurts but it felt better afterward.  So now, I'm a proud new owner of a foam roller.  (surprised I hadn't gotten one of these earlier!).  Here's a link to  how to foam roll from MichaelRunner.

I'd planned on running the Frostbite 5 miler this weekend in Centerville since the weather has been awesome, and today it was 48 degrees.  But I decided to be a responsible.  I can not get injured again, especially after forking over $80 for the Flying Pig Half Marathon.  So what did I do instead? Ran in the neighborhood- just 3 miles with plans on quitting as soon as I felt my IT bands. It actually was a great run no pain at all.  I made sure to foam roll after.   

I've been working on my training plan for the half and I think I've made a good compromise. I originally wanted to do the Hal Higdon's Novice B plan with low mileage then I looked at the intermediate plan and I felt that was more my speed. I love track workouts- my running partner not so much.  Plus we both have other classes/cross training that we want to keep doing this spring.  So here's my plan- basically a cross between the 2 plans.  I wanted to keep my spinning as part of cross training but by the end of March my son's soccer practice starts so I had to switch my days for spinning.  I'm planning on being "one of those moms" who workout while their kids are practicing.  I don't need to watch every soccer drill!  The nice thing is the park where he practices has a mile loop bike path (and an 400 m. path around a lake.   

So, on a completely funny note, here are some great videos that cracked me up.  Oh, silly runners!

 

I saw this one on the Boring Runner- loved this one.

It's Spring! no wait it's February

What month are we in?

The forecast has been a big talking point around here the last few days.  We've been having Spring-like weather which has been awesome! Yet, anyone who lives in Ohio knows that it probably will be snowing later this week.  BUT- it is great to get some great weather days for getting outside!

My HUGE Garmin

I got to bust out my new running skirt that I got from Christmas from dh and my favorite running shirt and my new Garmin.  That's it.  No extra layers, no jackets, gloves, long socks.  It actually felt weird to see my legs- I felt so exposed-and pale!  I set out for a 3 miler, since I'm trying to be good and build up my mileage slowly.  I was doing an out and back run today. 

I was about 2/3 of the way done, when I realized my house key was no longer in my running skirt pocket!  I had to back track through my route until I found it.  I'm just glad I'd stuck to sidewalks, because for awhile, I was thinking about running on the grass.  Needless to say, I won't do that again.  I had put my key my running skirt pocket that has a velcro closure but only on little part - I figured it was a deep pocket so it would be safe!  Normally,  I carry a water bottle-which I should have brought! (Can you tell I'm out of practice?) or I have my key in a zipped pocket or I tie it to my shoe.  I'll blame it on my excitement of running in 60 degrees again!  I ended up doing 5 miles in 43mins.  Not bad actually.  I'll take it.  Although, I'm feeling the impact of running since it's been awhile.  My legs are sore, a good sore, but sore none the less. 


Now for my big news...
for me anyways.  I went ahead and registered for the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati on May 6th.  I'm so happy my running partner said she'd do it!  We're going to have so much fun!

"Running Happy" I am!

I was on the fence about it but I looked into some training plans.  I originally decided to use Hal Higdon's Novice B plan since the mileage was low...then I started looking at the Intermediate plan- it has 2 more days of running but I'm thinking I might try to do a mix of plans, since I want to keep my spinning as part of my training.  And, I like track workouts- yes, I'm weird.  The Novice plan just has you running 3 to 5 miles 3x a week.  I'd like a bit more of a challenge.  Yet I know I can't do too much too soon or I'll be out again. 


Have you tried mixing up training plans to  have something work for you?  Have you done any of the Hal Higdon marathon training plans?