Monthly Archives: November 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you had a great day with your families and ate way too much. We decided not to go the vegan route for the holiday and we enjoyed plenty of traditional Thanksgiving indulgences. I’m stuffed!

Mike & Me Celebrating Thanksgiving With His Family Today

I wanted to get a quick post out tonight to let you know that my blog will be quiet for a while. We are off to Belize tomorrow morning for 8 nights and 9 days! We’re traveling backpacker style and staying at an eco-lodge in the jungle for four days of exploring and then heading to a beach bungalow for four days of relaxation.

Leaving On a Jet Plane!

I am so thankful today for an incredible year full of athletic achievements and celebrations with friends. I’m also so thankful for my blog and those that take the time to read it. THANK YOU!

Training Milestones

Running Strides

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One of the new workouts that I’m doing as part of my Surf City Marathon training plan (Pfitzinger’s 18/55 plan) is running strides. Although I have incorporated strides into my taper week runs to keep my legs fresh, I’ve never really used them throughout a training plan before.

According to runnersconnect.net, “Strides are 20 to 35 second sprints at your mile race pace, or roughly 85 to 95% effort. Typically, they are assigned to a running schedule after an easy recovery run or before a big workout or race.” In Pfitzinger’s plan, strides happen at the end of a recovery or general aerobic run, typically the latter. In the book, his directions basically state that the strides should be done as part of your mileage for the day, but twoard the end. For example, if the plan says 8 miles general aerboic with 10 x 100 m strides, I would run 8 miles and around mile 5 or so, I’ll start adding in short bursts of speed. Since my Garmin tells me distance in miles, not meters, I calculated that since 1 mile is 1600 meters, .06 of a mile is approximately 100 meters.

I was surprised at how tough this workout was the first time I did it. Pfitzinger instructs in the book to build your speed to all out at around 80 meters, then float the final 20 meters. I did as instructed and found that it was more tiring than anticipated. However, it actually feels really good to sprint all out sometimes. It’s odd because 100 meters isn’t long enough for it to hurt while you’re running. Instead, it feels absolutely great. After you slow down is when you realize how hard you were working.

An article on Runner’s World claims, ”Strides also improve your neuromuscular coordination, as the bursts of speed stimulate neural pathways. Just as a pianist’s fingers fly over scales that have been practiced repeatedly, your coordination and form become more fluid from these short but frequent doses of speed tacked onto the ends of easy runs. Result: You become faster.”

Strides aren’t always used for marathons – they actually are a more common exercise when training for 5 and 10ks, but can be a just as beneficial addition to half or full marathon training plan.

There are several ways to do strides. Some websites I found recommended you complete your easy run and then run 100 meters down the street or on the track, stop, turn around and walk back, and repeat. I like incorporating them as part of my run, but I think either way the benefit is there. I’m sure it’s a lot of factors, but the last week or two, I have felt like I’m getting faster. Maybe partially thanks to the strides!

Do you incorporate strides into your marathon or half marathon training?

Dailey Method for Runners

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I’m a firm believer that while running itself is the best way to become a faster runner, it is important to supplement training with flexibility and strength exercises. During Ironman training I supplemented my swimming, biking and running with weekly yoga and at least weekly Ab Ripper X. Since finishing the Ironman I have discovered a love for Dailey Method (Carlsbad), which I have found is the perfect supplement to my marathon training. I believe Dailey Method has helped my running in three ways – 1) strengthening of my core, 2) increased my flexibility and 3) improved leg strength.

Core Strength

High C Position

Of utmost importance is strengthening the core, which is where all human movement originates. A strong core will hold you up on mile 20 when your body is tired and no longer wants to stand upright or lift your legs. A strong core protects the spine and creates a bio mechanically efficient position to create efficient movement. Basically, the stronger the core, the less energy you will waste when you run and the faster you’ll go!

Another Example of Core Work

I’ve written about the Almighty Plank, one of the most fundamental moves in Dailey Method, but that is just one of the many ways that Dailey Method works your core. The entire class is a core workout since all moves involve engagement, but there are four more portions of the class that are dedicated solely to core strengthening. There is work in the “High C” position, the “Low C” position, “Round Back” and “Flat Back.” Every time I’m in any of these positions I have to mentally coach myself not to give up. There is very little scheduled rest in Dailey Method – once your abs are contracted, they never get a break.

Flexibility

Bar Stretch

To compliment the strength training aspect of Dailey Method is plenty of stretching. I don’t need to explain the benefits of a flexible body, particularly in the hip flexors, hamstrings and quadriceps, for runners. Between every move there is stretching, but the two longest sets of stretching are the floor stretch and the bar stretch.

The floor stretch begins in a lunge and progresses through various hip, hamstring and quadricep stretches until it finishes in the “Dailey Method Splits.” I can’t say I’m anywhere near getting my pelvis to the floor during my splits, but I can definitely feel the amazing stretch while I try! Key to Dailey Method stretches is maintaining proper form, so I focus on keeping my hips square rather than seeing how far I can get to the ground.

The bar stretch begins with one leg on the bar and both hands pulling the strap toward your body. We bend forward with our backs straight and then round our backs and reach as far forward as possible, grasping the bar with our hands if we can. The bar stretch moves into various other stretches, including an IT band stretch (this one is VERY necessary for runners!).

Leg Strengthening

Squat – i.e. fire in my legs

Each muscle group in Dailey Method is worked for 8 minutes at a time. During this time, the muscles are contracted constantly and there are no breaks. During upper body work and even seat (glutes) work, I’m able to keep my composure through most of the set. Sometimes I don’t even have to rest. Thigh work, however, is a different story.

Dailey Method thigh work changes each class (as do all the moves really – no class is ever the same), but there are several key moves. The most painful of which are the lunge (not much in terms of repetitions here – just keep your legs in a lunge position and slightly move up and down or in and out) and the squat. The squat worse than a wall squat – there is no wall. You grab the bar and get back into a squat position and are expected to stay there as you slightly move up and down or squeeze a ball between your legs. My legs radiate heat during this portion of class and I have never made it through the set without stopping several times.

Although I only incorporate Dailey Method into my training regime about 1-2 times a week, I have found that I am getting stronger and more flexible as I continue to attend. There are certain days when I barely get through 30 seconds of thigh work without a break due to a long run or interval workout that morning or the night before, but I still think that it does my body good.

What kind of cross training or strength training do you do during half marathon or marathon training? Do you focus more on flexibility or strength?

Realistic Goals

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One of the many reasons that I love running and racing is that I’m a very goal-oriented person. I think that’s why my junior year of college I changed from the very “where will this go?” major of Communication Studies to the “I know where this is going” major of Accounting. I like goals that have a fairly straight forward plan to achieving them. Goal: Run my first 5k. Plan: download a 5k training plan and follow it.

So as I’ve declared many a time on this blog, my next big goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Ideally, the 2014 Boston Marathon. I declared the goal. The next step was to pick a plan. After consulting the world wide web, I settled on Pfitzinger’s 18/55 Plan (more details on my blog post here). The mileage was a bit higher than I was used to as a runner, but also the weekly time commitment was MUCH lower than the Ironman, so I figured it’d be a piece of cake to follow.

As I’ve learned first hand while cursing Pfitzinger’s name on several of my runs, this plan might sound easy enough on paper, but it’s quite hard, especially when you are trying to attend 7 weddings and jet off to Vegas and San Francisco and enjoy your post-Ironman freedom. However, I can’t use vacations and weddings as an excuse to why the Pfitzinger 18/55 plan is kicking my ass – it’s because I just can’t hit the pace goals I’ve set for myself using it and I keep trying.

The plan includes a weekly tempo run that includes a great portion at “half marathon pace” as well as a long run with a significant portion dedicated to “marathon pace.” For example, run 16 miles, 10 of which at marathon race pace. The problem I’ve had is that my long term goal is the Boston Marathon and my pace needs to be about 8:10 min/miles to get there. Although I’m pretty sure I won’t be qualifying at Surf City, I still haven’t modified my goal “race pace” for workouts. So I’m going out on these long runs and beating myself up when I can’t maintain a 8:10 min/mile for a large chunk. And to be honest, I can’t even maintain that pace for my mid-week tempo runs.

So, I need to be honest with myself and instead of beating myself up for not even getting close to my race pace, I think I need to just step back and create a new goal for the Surf City Marathon. A realistic goal. Then, tailor my workouts to that pace and forget about even attempting to BQ there. I know it sounds like I’m throwing in the towel, but I know my body and I can tell it’s not going to get there by February 3. I have a little less than 3 months but I don’t think that is enough time to run a marathon at a pace 15 seconds/mile faster than my current half marathon PR (and that’s just my garmin pace, my gun pace at Long Beach was a full 25 seconds/mile slower than my BQ pace).

I’m still trying to figure out what that goal time for Surf City will be and I’ll probably know better come January (I decided to go for the sub 3:50 goal at Surf City last year just one week before the race, although I was doing all my Yasso 800s at that pace with the hope that it could happen). Right now I’m thinking I should go for a 8:30 pace which is about a 3:42 overall time, but that could change. For now, I am focusing on getting as many of my runs done and celebrating the good runs. I had a GREAT tempo run on Wednesday and it wasn’t at “BQ half marathon race pace” but it was hard and I pushed myself and I know it made me stronger. The bad runs happen to us all and instead of worrying about missing some runs or feeling like crap on a long run, I just have to celebrate that it is all part of this crazy thing we call marathon training.

Have you ever set a goal that seems SO far away? How did you motivate yourself to get there? Have you ever changed your goal for a race after training?

2013 Race Planning!

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2012 was the year of the Ironman. Every race that I ran in the first half of the year was to benefit my race on June 24 in Coeur D’Alene. I skipped several races in favor of long training days. Not to mention, there would be no way I could taper for a race and I’m not the type to run a race “for fun” (although I did do that after the Ironman). I like to use races to motivate myself to achieve goals that I set out for myself and since races are so expensive, I really don’t race that often. My non-running Facebook friends might beg to differ, but compared to a lot of serious runners/triathletes, 5-6 races a year is fairly light.

I really like to plan, so planning my race season is quite fun for me. And without a huge, unknown and LONG race looming over my head, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Triathlon has been put on the back-burner a bit now that I’ve declared a goal to qualify for Boston (and come to the realization that it may take a while…). At one point I was sure I’d race a 70.3 in 2013, but now I’m thinking I’ll most likely take on a few sprints and an Olympic. Running is the priority but luckily, there are a lot of running races out there.

With the help of our website, Marathon-Finder.com, some internet research in the form of “which races are the top Boston Qualifiers,” and a great love of chocolate, I’ve mapped out my first four months of 2013 races.

Surf City Marathon

Surf City Marathon 2012!

Already planned, I’ll be racing the Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, CA on February 3, which I signed up for before I even finished the Ironman because of a returning runner early bird discount that was too good to pass up. The plan at this point is to PR at this race. Once it gets closer, I’ll set a real time goal, but likely it won’t be a BQ time goal. I raced here last year and set a 12 1/2 minute PR and really enjoyed the course and the great race organization. Mike and I are the only ones I know signed up for this race, but I grew up in Huntington Beach so I know it’ll be a fun weekend.

San Diego Half Marathon

On March 10, I’ll be racing the San Diego Half Marathon. Last year was the race’s inaugural year and it boasted a finish inside of Petco Park (where the San Diego Padre’s play) as well as a scenic course through downtown. This year the finish line was moved but I still think it’ll be a great race. I only heard great things from people I know that raced it last year and I have been eyeing this race for some time. Several months ago they were selling early bird entries for $55 but since I wasn’t sure how my race schedule would pan out, I passed it up. I ended up paying $99 for this half marathon so I’m really hoping it’s worth my money!

San Diego Hot Chocolate 15k

I love chocolate

This race may be the most highly anticipated of the year! Last year was also the inaugural year and although I heard some bad things about the logistics of the Washington DC race, everyone who raced the San Diego event said it was well run and a great time. I’ve never raced a 15k so it’ll be fun to try out a new distance. The best part is, at the finish line you are presented with a box with a cup of hot chocolate and a mini fondue with various things to dip in it. As a chocolate lover, this is about as good as it gets. Forget the beer garden, give me chocolate!

Besides the chocolate, I’m really looking forward to racing with some of my old running buddies! I sent an apparently very convincing e-mail to the group of girlfriends that I trained for and ran my first marathon with and nearly all of them signed up! Also a few coworkers are running and I am still recruiting more. It should be a great race!

Eugene Marathon

This race is a result of all that research on marathon-finder.com I mentioned above. It’s flat, fast, cool and perfect for a BIG PR! It is still TBD If I will be ready for a BQ by April 28, but regardless, I hope that this will be a great race. Another bonus is that the finish line is on the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field where Prefontaine had his glory days. I’m hoping to channel some of his speed and use it to my advantage.

I’ve had this race on my radar but wasn’t sure about logistics or cost, not to mention I wasn’t sure I could convince anyone to make the trip with me. More details to come, but this will be a girls race weekend which I anticipate to include lots of carbs, girl talk and hopefully more than a couple post-race celebratory drinks.

As for May and beyond, that is going to be decided based on how Eugene goes. Regardless, I see another marathon or two in 2013 and most likely a couple of halves and triathlons. In comparison to how much I spent on the Ironman, these races seem like child’s play!

There are many more start lines in my future…

What races do you have lined up for 2013? Do you want to join me for any of the above? Let me know if you are already planning to race any of them!

Wanted: Running Buddy

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One of my favorite things about training for races is that I get to do so with friends. I trained for my first half marathon alone and I said I’d never do another one. That was until Asia suggested we run and train for our 2nd half together about a year and a half after my first. After that race, I joined a running club to train for my next 2 half marathons and my first full marathon. During my first full marathon long training runs, I’d have as many as five girls to run with and the miles flew by. After that race, our little group never really made its way back together, but I have run with almost all of the girls since then at least once!

Running Buddies!

After our first marathon (Rock n Roll San Diego 2011), Asia and I trained together for AFC half and then the Surf City Marathon. We also trained for our first half and full Ironman together in the first half of this year, along with our boyfriends (team WODS!). Asia has been my constant companion in our quest for PRs and she also shares my goal to qualify for Boston. We have bizarrely similar paces, in and out of races (we always finish within a minute of each other at running races and even our triathlon run times are super close!). At the Surf City Marathon in February we paced each other to our goal of a sub 3:50 marathon. I’m pretty convinced that running together makes us better than if we were to each run separately.

I found out that my tweet to Women’s Running Magazine about my favorite running buddy was selected to be published in the magazine!

Since Asia did not finish Ironman CdA and decided to sign up for Ironman Cozumel and the rest of my running buddies have (hopefully) temporarily retired from racing, I’ve been training and racing largely alone since July. I can’t say completely alone of course since my amazingly supportive boyfriend Mike has also been racing with me and has even joined me on a few runs! I’ve also been able to recruit my co-worker Allison who also ran Rock n Roll San Diego with me last year to join me once a week for my Wednesday recovery run, but I wasn’t convincing enough to get her to sign up for Surf City with me. I’ve also started to get to know one of Mike’s friend’s wives during our (mostly) weekly meet-up runs at the local Moving Shoes store, but she is not training for a marathon. And there have been a few times that Asia’s training schedule has magically worked with mine and we’ve been able to log some miles together.

But in between those miles with friends there have been many more alone. Although I definitely enjoy running enough to run with my thoughts and music alone, I’ve never run over 12 miles by myself and I can’t say I’m looking forward to the 14-20 mile runs I have planned every single weekend from now until February. With Asia beginning her taper for Cozumel and then taking time off after the race to recover, I won’t have the hope that she can join me. Since Surf City is not a San Diego race, there aren’t any groups that are training for them and Mike’s pace is far too fast for me to keep up with for that long (and my pace feels uncomfortably slow for him!).

18 Mile San Francisco Run

My run last week with the girls in San Francisco really brought back good memories of my group training runs for RnR San Diego. So, if you’re out there – I’m taking applications for a Runny Buddy.

Running Buddy Requirements:

Ability to run anywhere from 14-20 miles every weekend from now until February (bonus if you want to run Surf City Marathon as well)
Ability to maintain average pace of 8:45-9:30 min/miles on long runs
Interest in multi-hour discussions about running, triathlon, current events, traveling, Gossip Girl, nutrition, and/or the Bachelor
Patience for bathroom and water stops (and possible photo ops)
San Diego resident or desire to commute to San Diego for long runs (bonus points if you are free for 5:30 a.m. mid-week long runs)

Anyone!?

Lessons Learned at Long Beach Half

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I was meaning to write this post immediately after the race but life has been BUSY lately! With two three day work weeks in a row, I am now slammed at work and trying to get all my training in and squeeze things like laundry and grocery shopping into the work week.

So after a somewhat disappointing performance at Long Beach, I learned a few things about racing half and full marathons.

Post Race!

I have a long way to go to qualify for Boston. I was trying to run sub 1:50 which isn’t even my Boston qualifying pace and couldn’t pull it off. I thought after the Ironman I’d miraculously be a faster runner and have endless endurance. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and I’ve had to work my way out of the hole I fell into after Ironman. However, as I’ve been running more and more, I’m seeing progress. Although I still think Surf City is a long shot for Boston, I have a couple other Spring races in my mind that I think could possibly give me a good shot at making it. However, it’s going to take some serious work to get there.
Race courses are unpredictably longer than you think. I usually subtract about a minute to my goal race time to make up for the fact that my Garmin usually tells me a 13.1 mile race is 13.2 miles, but as I discovered in this race, sometimes they are even longer despite every attempt to run tangents (13.3 here which is practically 2 minutes extra and could have made the difference in me going sub 1:50). At my future Boston Qualifying race, I need to shave a few more seconds per mile off in order to ensure I end up at the finish line under 3:35. There is no longer a 59 second bonus window for qualifying. It has to be 3:34:59 or less and finishing in 3:36 because I ran a couple tenths of a mile extra would not be fun.
Water stations add serious seconds per mile. At Long Beach I didn’t carry a water bottle and there were aid stations about every mile. Since it was a fairly warm day and I had just read in my Advanced Marathoning book about how just a tiny amount of dehydration can affect your performance, I drank at every aid station. I think this added at least 10 seconds per mile to my pace. Every time I looked down at my watch I was in the low 8s (sometimes high 7s), yet when my mile time clicked off it was always slower than I thought it should be. I obviously wasn’t watching my Garmin at aid stations and I think this was part of it. I ran through most of them but definitely slowed my pace to get the water from the volunteers and drink it. At Surf City I plan to carry a hand-held water bottle. I will have to stop a couple of times to refill it (I’ve been told you can just use a few of the cups to fill it or sometimes volunteers will fill it for you), but overall I think it should save me time as well as ensure that I’m fully hydrated for the race. Another great thing about a hand-held is that I can take my Gu when I want to rather than basing it off aid stations. At Long Beach I had no idea where the aid stations would be so I kind of had to hold my Gu and wait until I saw an aid station approaching before taking the Gu. At other races, I’ve taken the Gu without knowing when the aid station was coming and ended up with an upset stomach.

High fives are highly encouraged

In the three weeks since Long Beach, I’ve had some really great runs and some crappy ones. But, that’s how it goes. The good ones are remind me that I am making progress and that I am strong enough to achieve my goal. The crappy ones make me doubt my ability to ever run fast enough to qualify for Boston. I try to focus on the good runs and remind myself that I ran my first half marathon at a 10:10 pace and ran my 2nd marathon at a 8:45 pace not too long after. 8:15 isn’t too far off!

What lessons about racing have you learned the hard way?

Fitness Fatale

Conquering Fitness Goals One at a Time