Sorry that I’m late on the post, I’ve just had a crazy weekend and Monday! I had a great week, with a PR on my virtual 10k and an age group win for a 15k. This next week is my last full week of training for the Holy Half, and I’m pretty excited to see how it all goes.
Monday: Rest + some yoga!
I did an hour of vinyasa on my own at home, but I took it pretty easy. It was nice to have a day off, especially the day before attempting to PR on my 10k for Kristina’s Virtual Race!
Tuesday: 6.2 Virtual Race + Yoga
I had a great time running the Race for Paws 10k! I went out a little too fast for my first mile, so I certainly did some serious suffering. However, I managed to finish in 51:28, which was a pretty big PR for me (my previous PR was set during the A1A Half Marathon, so I knew I had it in me to push). I did some hot yoga afterwards to stretch the body out, and generally felt pretty great.
Wednesday: Easy 3.5 with run group! + Yoga
I went out for my weekly run with the Fleet Feet run group. They changed the start location, which is only a half mile from my house. Now I can just run there! I ran 3 miles with the group and then we all stayed for some food. It was a pretty easy pace, which was nice, especially since I had pushed myself the day before. My pace was 9:52.
Obligatory group run photo. Yeah, we are a nerdy group.
Thursday: Intervals! (4.5 miles)
I had a great time doing my intervals. I did a warm up mile and then ran timed intervals on Notre Dame’s campus. It was nice to do a few minutes of all out intermixed with some easy running. I felt great after the run and had pretty good runner’s high. Overall pace was 8:53, including warm up and cool down.
Friday: Rest… for real!
I took Friday to chill, since I had a race the next day! Frank and I checked out the trail conditions before the race though…
Is that a trail or a creek?
Saturday: 15K Trail race! + hiking
So… it had been raining for two days by the time I got to the trails and it was MUDDY! Like… foot stuck in the mud, muddy. I’m going to write a race review on this, so, I’ll tell you more then. It was slow going and hard to run, but I finished 4th for women and 1st in my age group, despite crossing the finish line with only one shoe on (more on that later). We did some hiking afterwards, but tried to stay away from the super muddy trails (which was like, most of them).
Uh…yeah. I am definitely running through the finish line with my shoe in my hand. Priceless.
Sunday: 3.4 recovery run + hiking
I camped Saturday night at the park that held the race, and woke up to beautiful sun and warm temps. I just couldn’t resist, so I went for a short recovery run through the park. (9:02 pace)
I couldn’t resist to go out on such a beautiful day!
This was a pretty great week and I am starting to feel ready to run the Holy Half in a little over a week. I’m not sure what to expect from that race, but we’ll see.
How did your training go this week? Were you surprised that Ryan Hall didn’t finish LA? Also, Lizzy totally kicked LA’s (and Ryan Hall’s) butt at the marathon on sunday!
This weekend is the season opener for the DINO trail racing series, and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ll be headed to Mounds State Park on Friday, to camp and wake up early for a 15K. The best part is…..my husband is running too! He’s doing the 5K, but I’m pretty excited to have him racing with me. He isn’t often a runner, but it’s fun when he comes out. The race is likely to be a muddy one. The snow has melted on the trails and it is projected to rain on Friday and Saturday. I guess that just makes for interesting trail conditions.
Perfect recipe for some muddy trails. Bring it on!
Typically I don’t have time goals for trail races, since the terrain and trail conditions play such a large role in race difficulty. I’ll be shooting for 1:35:00, but my only real goal is to just have fun and run a smart race.
I completed Kristina’s Virtual 10K for Team Paws today! It was pretty awesome, and I walked away with a PR! To make the day even better, it was warm enough to wear shorts. Spring has finally arrived.
I’m getting fast! This was a pretty big PR for me.
So, I have a surprise. It’s more of a dream right now, but I wanted to tell you, since it could really change my training in the next few months…
I entered the lottery to run the Chicago Marathon. I realize that most people will not be picked, but hey, maybe I will. I’ve always wanted to run Chicago. I was in town a few years ago during the marathon and it looked awesome. It would be my first, and I think it would be a pretty awesome race to debut at. We’ll see what happens…
Anyone else looking to do Chicago? What do you think about trail racing? Also, go wish Lizzy good luck on her Marathon this weekend!
This week began with temperatures in the single digits, but ended with highs of 45 degrees. I’m pretty excited about the change, and I’m hoping that the snow leaves for good. I’m definitely feeling a lot better than I was a week ago, and I’m back to my usual training intensity. Also, I jumped on the bandwagon and got a Believe Training Journal. I gotta say, I love it. There are lots of helpful hints on training and also on what you should include in a training journal. The material in it is light hearted, and it helped me keep track of how I felt all week.
My Believe Training Journal. I think this will help me track potential injuries and things that really work for me in training. I still need to write out my goals.
Monday: Rest day
I felt pretty terrible, and ended up taking the afternoon off from work to sleep.
Tuesday: More Rest
I was still feeling pretty icky, so I laid low, went into work late and did not run.
Wednesday: 3.1 miles on treadmill + Yoga
I was feeling a lot better and decided to run. I didn’t really want to run in the cold with such a terrible cough, so I went to the gym and ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill. I took it really slow and just focused on my breathing. I had to stop a few times from coughing, but I felt ok and pretty strong, despite the cold.
Thursday: Unintentional 0 miles + Yoga
I had intended to run on Thursday, but I got stuck at work until pretty late. I had to teach yoga at 8 pm and I took the class before mine and did most of my class along with the students. I didn’t really want to run at the gym late at night, so I just went home to rest. I wanted to run, just didn’t work out. Eh….Oh well.
Friday: Hill Repeats x 6 – total of 4.4 miles + yoga
Friday was the first day that I felt totally fine again. It was also 7 degrees. I sucked it up and ran outside with a 10 minute warm up, and then 6 times up and down the only hill in town. It isn’t exactly big, but I tried to keep a pretty good pace on the way up to tire myself out. Worked pretty well, and I had major runner’s high afterwards. I warmed down for about 10 minutes and kept an overall pace of 9:15/mile. Pretty fun workout! Yoga was awesome, as per usual.
This is the only hill in South Bend.
Saturday: Easy 4.3 miles + Hiked 6 miles
Saturday had a high of 45 degrees (I know, it was 7 the day before. The midwest is nuts!), so Frank and I took the opportunity and went hiking at a state park close by. The trails were covered in snow, but the skies were blue and it was wonderful to finally be able to be outside without a jacket. In the afternoon, Frank biked while I ran along a bike trail about 30 minutes outside South Bend. It was relaxing and fun! I tried to keep it chill and had a pace of 9:30/mile.
Running along the scenic Pumpkinvine Trail.
Sunday: 12 mile long run + Yoga
Ah, finally a long run. I missed mine last week from being sick and I was really happy to get out. The day was perfect too, with blue skies and warm (for Indiana) weather. I ran along the river, at my usual long run spot. Miles 10 and 11 were kinda slow, since I was on tired legs from running three days in a row. Besides that, it felt great to be out there. I kept a 9:34/mile pace.
Nice view for my long run! I’m loving the spring weather.
Total Milage: 23.8
I’m pretty excited about this upcoming week. I have the first trail race of the season on saturday, and the temperatures are supposed to make it all the way up to 60 degrees. I can’t wait to be running in comfortable weather and IN SHORTS! The trail race is at Mounds State Park and is through the Do Indiana Outdoors trail series. I’m pretty excited for this one, and hopefully I’ll get to participate in a few more of their events. Next week should look something like this:
Monday: Rest Tuesday: Kristina’s Virtual 10K Wednesday: Recovery Run with Run Group Thursday: Intervals Friday: Rest Saturday: 15K Trail Race Sunday: Recovery Run
How was your week? Is the weather looking better where you are too?
Yoga can teach us a lot about patience and how we perceive progress. We can go to class to after class and feel that we don’t improve fast enough or find ways to get deep enough into new postures. This is usually because we don’t see the small amounts of progress that is made each week. So, I am starting a Pose of the Month Challenge. This way we can track our progress and see it happen over a rather short period of time! Here’s the deal:
Each month, I am going to pick out a posture to do, and I will take a photo of myself at the beginning of the month. Then, I will challenge myself to do the pose each day for one month. At the end of the month, I will take another photo to see how far I’ve come. I challenge you to do the same! You can use the same posture I am, or you can pick one of your own. The important thing is that you set an intension and stick to it each day.
This month’s pose is… (drumroll please)
Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise is a posture that I have always struggled with. It requires an immense amount of control, balance, and flexibility in the hamstrings and hips, which are two places that I am not flexible. This posture features a very challenging bind as well. You can get into the posture from binding in extended side angle pose, then scooting the back foot forward, and finally standing on the non-bound leg. It’s very difficult, and is a posture that I have always wanted to improve on.
This photo was taken of me in the posture just two days ago:
By doing this posture each day, eventually, it will become second nature. It’s a way to see results in yoga rather quickly. In fact, usually you end up seeing results in a little over a week. Make sure that you still warm up before going into the posture you have chosen. At the end of the month, go ahead and take another photo and see how far you’ve come. You’ll be amazed how much easier it gets to transition into the posture after just a little bit of practice.
Join me on this fun challenge!
What poses do you struggle with? Have you ever just made an intension to figure out a single posture?
Well, this week was really kind of a crappy one. I slipped and fell on some ice (and tore up my knees) and I got sick. Hopefully I can get better and pick it back up this coming week.
Yep! That’s how I’m feeling!
Monday: Rest!
Tuesday: Intervals for 37 minutes (4.1 miles)
I went out after work, but I was feeling a little weirdly tired. I kinda choked it up to the cold, but while I was out, I developed a pretty nasty headache. Both my husband and my roommate were sick, so I was likely starting to come down with what they had, but was in denial. I kept trying to run hard, but was slowing down each interval. I got home pretty exhausted, ate a little and passed out for like an hour.
Wednesday: 30 minute Foundation Run (3.4 miles) + Yoga
Wednesdays are my group run day. We met at the local run store, and left for an approximately 5k route. Adidas was there to demo their new fancy shoes, which I tried on. I’ve been having a lot of blister and toe nail issues, so I’ve been looking for new shoes. I have unusually narrow feet (I measure as a 3A), so finding shoes can be quite a challenge. The shoes were comfortable, but I kinda felt like I was running on pillows. Also, they didn’t come in narrow sizes, so that ruled them out.
Adidas Boost….kinda feels like running on pillows. Not sure how that would work out on a long run.
Thursday: Rest + got new shoes!
I was still feeling a little funny, so I took a rest day. I did, however, finally get myself a much needed new pair of shoes. I got a pair of Saucony Ride 7’s in an 8.5 Narrow! Hopefully I stop having such terrible blisters!
Please please please… no more blisters!!
Friday: Yoga + Attempt at Kristina’s Virtual 10K… instead, I fell flat on some ice (4.6 miles)
Friday was the worst… I set out (in my brand new shoes) to run Kristina’s Virtual 10K for Team Paws. It was sunny out, and a relatively warm 18 degrees (better than the -18 last week). I was feeling good, so I went out pretty strong. My first mile was 7:38, which was a record on my Garmin, and I was feeling strong through the 5K mark. I stopped for a sec to take a picture and continued on. Then, at just before mile 4, I slid on some ice and landed right on my knees. I was in a ton of pain and was worried I had broken something. I then pulled out my phone to call my husband (by this point I was sitting on the ground crying), and of course it dies because of the cold. I had to drag my sorry butt up and run/limp to the local food co-op where a few of my friends work. I came in, crying with ripped up pants (I’m sure they thought I was nuts) and asked to use the phone. Frank came within minutes to pick me up. I was pretty bummed. Not only did my knees feel like someone went to town on them with a hammer, but I had ripped my favorite run tights AND I was totally about to PR on the 10K.
Looking at this picture, I guess I should have been running on the road. The sidewalk does look real icy.
Saturday: Hiking/Rest/Taught Yoga/Spent the day with painful knees
Went hiking with the South Bend Adventure Club to see Lake Michigan’s beautiful ice. I was inwardly still pretty angry at winter for my fall the day before.
This is a lighthouse covered in ice. Pretty cool!
Sunday: Rest…
I figured I might have to rest my knees and not run, or shorten my run on Sunday. Instead, I woke up with a rather nasty cold. So… no running for me.
My total milage for the week was 12.1. Oh well…. I’m gonna sleep a lot and hopefully be back to my usual self next week.
If I’m feeling better this coming week will look something like this:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Intervals
Wednesday: Foundation Run
Thursday: Recovery Run
Friday: Tempo
Saturday: Hiking
Sunday: 14 mile Long run
Northerners, have you ever had a bad fall on the ice on a run? Anyone else have trouble finding shoes that don’t cause blisters?
I love running with people. I find it to be really beneficial and fun to delve into a more social side of running. I’m sure that it wouldn’t surprise you that on social runs, I often end up talking to people about yoga, but the conversation often goes something like this…
Runner: What do you do when you don’t run?
Me: I teach yoga.
Runner: I didn’t think runners could do yoga.
This conversation almost always sends me into a fit of rage. Of course runners can do yoga!! In fact, runners NEED yoga. Not only does it help stretch out overused and tight muscles, but the mental benefits are exactly what you need to get through the last few miles of a long run. Somehow, yoga got the rap that it is only for people who walk in ready to chill in full splits. It also got the rap of being something “extra”… not a workout, but this thing you sometimes do… like once a month… you know, if you have the time.
I promise you, consistent yoga will help your running.
This is not only because it will help keep you limber and less injury prone, but learning to quiet your mind is the only way you can beat the negative thoughts that ALL of us struggle with. Yoga teaches us about our bodies, our breath, and tendencies we might have in our thoughts. It also teaches us how to set an intension (and stick with it), it teaches us how to not fly off the handle when someone does something you don’t like, and it makes us strong. If you can do a handstand, you’ve got some serious core strength.
Check out her handstand! She is so strong!
Sometimes I hear how runners probably can’t touch their toes, and that is why they can’t do yoga.
I have been running a lot longer than I have been doing yoga. I was a sprinter by the time I was 6 and I played soccer starting at 11. When I began my yoga practice (as a disgruntled adolescent that was going because their mom said they should), I could barely touch my knees. My hamstrings were like rocks. Over the years, my practice started to get more consistent and eventually, my palms were on the ground.
Standing head to knee pose took many years to build flexibility through consistency and perseverance in my yoga practice.
Am I now a better yogi because my hamstrings are loose?
NO! Absolutely not. Nothing happened when I touched my toes, well, besides me touching my toes. No rainbows or unicorns appeared. I just touched them. No one high-fived me or threw a party. Maybe I look a little “prettier” (to Yoga Journal Magazine‘s standards) in some postures. I am, however, not “better at yoga” for it. I still lay in relaxation trying to quiet my mind, just like everyone else.
If I have not convinced you yet, here are some runner’s that practice yoga:
They practice for various reasons. Some are looking for the mental benefits, others are looking for strength and flexibility. Regardless, yoga can give you all of these things.
Wow… This week has really been a wonderful experience. I really can’t believe A1A is over AND that I totally crushed my A goal with a time of 1:56:45 for my half marathon debut. On top of all of that… I signed up for the A1A Half Marathon again next year. It was an extremely positive experience and I can’t wait to do it again. But now I’m back in the midwest and hitting the training hard.
Uh… why do people live here?!
I have a few running related things up on my to do list over the next few months. The DINO trail series starts up again in less than a month and I am planning to do a few of their races again this year. The season begins with a 15K at Mounds State Park on March 14, about 2 hours south of town. I never really plan a real time goal for trail races because every race is so different. Depending on how they make the course, there can be sections of bush whacking and river crossings that really slow you down. Trail running is really just a fun experience and pretty scenery. But I gotta say, I love doing it.
My next big goal is the Holy Half Marathon. I have no idea what to expect and I am sure a lot of it depends on weather. I am not very good at running in the cold, which may have been the reason I over-estimated my pace so much before A1A. If the temperatures are reasonable, I’ll probably shoot for getting into the 1:55’s. If the weather is bad, I’ll just aim to finish.
Elly has done a good job of keeping me warm despite the temperatures.
So, how did training go this week? I was tired and it was SO COLD! I had to take a few of my runs inside even though I hate treadmills. My long run was with a few of the professors in my department, so not only was I intimidated by running 10 miles one week after a half, but I was also intimidated by the people. There was certainly some suffering, but less than I would expect given the conditions.
Monday: Rest Rest Rest
Tuesday: 3 very slow miles on treadmill
Wednesday: Yoga
Thursday: 4 very slow miles outside + yoga
Friday: 4 miles + yoga
Saturday: Cross country ski
Sunday: 10 mile long run
Total: 21 miles
I was a little worried about doing 10 miles after my half, but I was so intimidated by running with the professors in my department that I kept it together. Peer pressure I guess.
This next week I am switching over to Matt Fitzgerald’s half marathon training plan. His method is to run by time and heart rate, not by milage, which is what I am used to. I’ve heard good things about his plan, but my main reason for making the switch is that he has some pretty good speed word in his plan, which is what I am really looking to add to my training. He also has some pretty strict nutrition plans, but I’ll see if I stick to that.
Next week training:
Monday: Rest Rest Rest
Tuesday: Intervals
Wednesday: 40 minutes easy + yoga
Thursday: Figure out max heart rate (20 min run) + yoga
Friday: Tempo run + yoga
Saturday: Hiking?
Sunday: 12 mile long run
What are your upcoming plans? Have you ever tried to train by time instead of milage?
This week has been awesome! I’m still on a PR high and I am looking forward to all of the training and craziness of my next Half Marathon.
If by training, I mean partying, then yes. I did some of that this week.
It’s only 38 days away…
This half is quite a bit smaller, so I wont have the crowd of people to lean on mentally when the going gets tough. However, Lizzy (from Run Hare Run) will also be running the race. I am sure having her there will help me tons. I have a lot of confidence issues about running, so having someone at a race that I regularly run with will be good for my head. Frank (my husband) will also be there to cheer me on. He was greatly missed at my last race.
Also, this race photo from A1A might be the worst pic of me ever taken…
Haha! This is me when I’m working hard at the finish line. Hard work isn’t pretty.
My training for this week:
Monday: REST REST REST!!!
Tuesday: Treadmill 3 mile run
Wednesday: 4 mile easy run + yoga
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: 6 miles + yoga
Saturday: Cross Country Ski
Sunday: 10 mile long run
How do you celebrate a big race? How long do you usually take to recover?
Some days you go out and they are perfect. Perfect weather, perfect energy, perfect race. The A1A Half Marathon was just that and I killed it. My goal was really just to finish, and in the back of my head, I wanted a sub 2-hour half, which I thought was impossible.
My time was 1:56:48.
The race was in Fort Lauderdale, Fl, which is a solid 3 hour drive and a 2.5 hour plane ride from South Bend. With delays, I was traveling for close to 12 hours before I made it into bed on Friday night. The next morning, my mom and I headed over to the expo, picked up my bib and some free stuff, and then took off to teach a guest yoga class.
Pre-race yoga with my mom. Also, we got my personalized bib!
I got to bed pretty early Saturday night for a 3:45 am wake up. I slept ok, but not great, since I still had a ton of anxiety about even finishing. I had never run that distance before, and I figured I would struggle. My breakfast was an a luna bar and a banana, which did not go down too well. My stomach was doing flips and I was nervous. My parents and I hopped into the car and headed to the start line at the Broward Museum of Discover and Science and there were TONS of people. Like I have never seen so many people up at 5 am in one place in my life.
My dad and I chillin’ before the race. It was COLD (for Florida). Perfect race day weather.
Standing at the start line, I still had no idea what my strategy or my pace would be. I was considering going with the 2:00 pacer or the 2:15 pacer… but I was also thinking about doing it alone. I felt good, and as they started the race, I walked up towards the starting line, looked behind me, saw the 2:00 pacer and made a last minute decision to commit to running with her.
Hanging by the start with anticipation and a little anxiety.
The start was still pretty dark, and I was running with a rather large group of runners. We were trying to get through the crowds of people and set our pace comfortably just over a 9 minute mile. The pacer was really nice and we chatted a bit about Notre Dame and the weather up there. I talked to some of the other people in the group and they were all pretty excited that it was my first Half Marathon. My plan was to run with the pacer and at the half way point if I was still feeling good, I’d stick with her.
The course was beautiful and took us down Las Olas Blvd (which, honestly, I don’t even remember running on), then north on A1A to Birch State Park and finally up to the Galt Ocean Mile before taking us south to South Beach Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale. There were ocean views and a pretty rockin’ sunrise.
At Birch State Park, we started to see the potential winners of the half marathon heading back to the finish line, and they looked awesome. I was still feeling good and was really enjoying being with a pacer. Giving up control of the race to someone who can definitely run it is actually pretty wonderful. I felt like my usual mental battles were being fought by someone else and all I had to do was follow that person.
However, just after mile 8, I went to a water stop and lost the pacer. I knew I was ahead of her, and as I was about to head into the Galt Ocean Mile, I looked behind me and couldn’t see her carrying the sign. I figured I’d just run and if she caught up, I’d know that was the 2 hour mark.
I looked at my watch and noticed that I was running at 8:42, and I just kept going. And then I ran another 8:42, and another. And before long, I knew I was minutes ahead of the 2 hour pacer.
Negative splits… like a boss.
Suddenly, mid-race, my goals were changing. I was not only looking to break 2 hours, I was looking to crush 2 hours. I have never run (before today) a race at a negative splits. Usually, I go out too fast and get really tired. I knew that in order to reach my new goal, I’d have to dig deep and do it.
And then mile 13 happened. I got there and was dying. I was looking to the crowd for help and I was really thinking I was gonna have to walk or something. I kept taking water at the stations, but nothing was helping. An older guy came up from behind me and said “you’re doing great” and I told him that it was my first Half Marathon, that we were way past the furthest I’d ever run and that I was really struggling. He looked out in front of us, saw an overpass in the distance and said “that overpass is your goal, just make it to there”.
So I ran to the overpass with him.
He then spotted another landmark ahead, told me to run to that… I continued with him. Suddenly we were a half mile from the end, I was dying, but he just kept talking me through it.
Then I saw my mom, who didn’t think I’d be coming in that early, so she wasn’t paying attention to the racers. I ran over to her, grabbed her and yelled “I’m about to break 2 hours!” …and then I sprinted and gave it my all. I passed the finish line, looked at my watch and saw 1:56:45. I couldn’t believe it. My reach goal was just to break 2 hours… I broke it by over 3 minutes. I had never run negative splits, and my 2nd half was close to 4 minutes faster than my first.
Running with the pacer was the best decision I could have made. Even though I eventually took off ahead of her, she really helped me remain on time and stable. Usually my mind does a lot of fighting in races, and there was none of that (until the last mile). This race could not have gone better.
At the finish line my parents, cousin, and in laws were there to cheer me on. We walked around the vendors and watched the marathoners and half marathoners come in. I even saw Kristina from blogaboutrunning.com cross the finish line. She looked awesome!
Thanks to everyone who helped me get through my training and overshoot my goals. I had a blast and I can’t wait to do it again.
The Holy Half Marathon is in 41 days. Now I have a time to chase.
She Runs the Wasatch 