Run For Tomorrow...

This morning I completed my 22nd half at the Rotary Run For Tomorrow Half Marathon...

This "race" was less of a race and more of a training run as part of my general Pittsburgh Marathon training plan. So with that in mind, my goal was to finish the distance using intervals that pushed my endurance -- run 1/2 mile: walk 1 minute...

The race average temperature was cold (but perfect for running)...

And people were decked out in their sweaters and mittens from the beginning...

The course doesn't have many any sights to see. It's essentially 13.1 miles of neighborhood streets. But it's pretty flat and simple so if you wanted to aim for a PR you could. But if you like lots of attractions on your half marathon route this is not the race for you. Since this was basically a training run for me I just focused on my intervals and breathing, and then distracted myself with music for the last 3 miles of the course. My earbuds aren't working so I was playing the music on my phone speaker which may have annoyed a few of the runners as they passed me or as I passed them. But, the distraction was what I needed after 10 miles of only my thoughts and breathing to keep me company. 

Once I was done I took a few "yes I was here and earned this medal" pictures...

... and then headed back home to change out of my cold and wet running gear.

So here's the thing about using races as training runs... you get a lot of on course support (water stations and porta potties (if you need it) etc.) but you also need to stay focused on the fact that it's a training run. It's easy to submit to the temptation to race it as people pass you by, but that can be dangerous if you're not properly trained. 

Although this was half marathon #22 for me, my legs (and lungs) are really not in tiptop half marathon shape right now. After Berlin I essentially started my training over and I've pushed it along by incorporating races into my schedule (which has proven to be the best way to keep me motivated for training). But even though I've been trying to push myself, and training has been ok so far, I'm still far from where I need to be pace & endurance-wise. I am really happy about my intervals today though. I'm working my way up to running 1 mile: walking 1 minute, and that will be my goal interval (with hopefully a consistent sub-12 min pace) for 2018.

I have a race next weekend to close out the year and then I will spend most of the holiday period cross training and keeping my baseline mileage up while I prepare for all that 2018 has in store for my running life.

How was your weekend? Any races?

Have you thought about your 2018 goals yet?

Do you use shorter races as training runs when preparing for longer distance events?

This Morning's Run...

I had lost the joy in it

And lost my motivation

It was like suddenly no longer a place of peace

But a source of frustration.

I found every excuse for it to 

Not be the "right" day

I would blame the transient weather

For my decision to stay away.

And when I ran out of excuses 

I would struggle through the route

Using every muscle twinge

As a reason for a "time out".

The blisters were real though

That pain is not something imagined

During every run they appeared

That's not something I tried to make happen.

I tried running with friends

And running solo

I tried running in Berlin

Cause hey... YOLO.

But at the end of the day

In the depths of my soul

I'd lost the joy of running

That used to make me feel whole.

Until this morning when I glimpsed

The joy it used to bring

At a steady pace, ignoring haste

Listening to the birds sing.

I was able to feel the gentle breeze

And feel the warmth of the sun

Vary my route and intervals

Listen to my breathing during my run.

I know each run is different

But tomorrow when I rest

I'll still think of this run fondly

As though it was my best.

And when I get back out there

When my training plan restarts

I hope I remember the joy it brought me

And the way it healed my heart.

                       ©SitariPoetry (aka ThisIsMyFaster; aka LeAnne)

"I Don't Like Things That Are Stressy"...

This week I've done three 4 mile runs and they didn't totally suck! It has been a long time since I've felt good about all my runs in a week so I'm kind of excited about training right now. Especially since it's been so hard for me to get (and stay) motivated... 

I feel like that's been my MO for the past several training cycles but I'm trying to break out of it. I know that a lot of things can contribute to lack of motivation. For me it's usually when I don't see myself progressing the way I want to... and when I gain weight. And typically the weight gain leads to me feeling slower and sluggish, and then that inhibits my progress and so I feel demotivated, and then I eat a ton of comfort food (cause food = joy), and that leads to more weight gain.... and so it goes on and on and on...

 

Although I did a lot of stress eating this week, it was definitely a good training week. So far I've run Tuesday, Friday and this morning (Saturday), with another run scheduled for tomorrow. On Tuesday I did a solo "focus on how I feel" run...

And then on Friday I did another solo run with longer running intervals (which included running the last mile non-stop)...

And this morning I joined Mimi (from my running group) for the last 4 miles of her eight mile run. We did intervals (run 1 minute: walk 30 seconds)...

It seems like later start times correlated with a faster overall pace. Which makes sense since I haven't been sleeping well (the nightmares are back) so the longer I'm able to stay in bed the more rested my legs are (at least that's what should happen in theory). In addition to the nightmares, this week in general was just a stressful work week...

...so I definitely needed as much rest as I could possibly get. 

Quite fittingly, the warning signs that corresponded with my mood/stress level this week were on display in the hospital's gift shop...

So between my Garmin reminders and the gift shop reminders I'm going to take the hint and try and have a relaxing weekend. 

Over the past 5 days I spent more time trying to map out my training plan for Pittsburgh (maybe that was the main source of stress?)

I'm definitely not a believer that "one plan fits all" and now that I'm entering my fourth marathon training cycle I really want to focus on the ideal components of several plans that work best for me. I'm an injury prone runner with a propensity for blisters so my ideal marathon training plan requires: flexibility, a moderate mileage build-up, a focus on both endurance and strength (i.e. A LOT of cross training and non-impact but simultaneously endurance/strength building activities), and different types of training runs. 

For the last two training cycles (2016:NY marathon training & 2017: Berlin marathon training), all my runs were pretty much the same. The only thing that varied was the distance. For this upcoming training cycle I'm planning for a speed workout every other week (it takes me a long time to recover from speed work so I want to space it out); a tempo run at a 10k - 10k+30s pace every other week; varied interval runs; non-stop runs mid week; hill work... actually change that to mandatory hill work (because the course is hilly especially in the last half of the race); and the ever important long run with an interval build up to running for 5 minutes: walking for 30-45 seconds. 

I really feel like the variety of different runs will keep me from getting bored and help me stay motivated. The diversity in my training plan will also be enhanced by my cross training plans (still tweaking those at the moment but swimming will be a foundational component of my cross training). 

The more I work on modifying the training plan, the more excited about it I become. I really hope (and pray) that I can have a great training cycle and a great race. I know I may not PR, but I definitely want to get as close to my PR as possible. Plus, I'm reserving my PR plans for Chicago in October. Wouldn't it be amazing to break my PR at my first and favorite marathon? Just the thought of it makes me happy. I had to defer my entry from this year to next year so as soon as I get that email confirmation from the race organizers I will start to focus on planning for Chicago as well. 

I'm off to relax, rest my legs, and hydrate (in preparation for tomorrow's run). I hope you have a great weekend!

Anyone racing this weekend?

Do you follow a specific training plan/method or do you create your own?

Is there a race that you love to run every year?

I Spoke Too Soon...

I'm currently nursing a minor ankle sprain so training has taken a nosedive. For the past week I've only been able to manage my one mile runs to keep up the running streak...

So I'm spending my days icing my ankle and trying to figure out how to modify my training so that I can still prepare for my Fall marathons. 

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of wiggle room in my training plan because I've had to make a few changes to accommodate family related travel. So I may be forced to break up my runs and/or cross train more so that I don't suffer too much of a long term negative impact from the reduction in miles.

The goal is (and will always be) getting through both marathons safely. So sadly that may mean the end of my running streak so that I can avoid the high impact stuff and focus on strength training and endurance training through other activities.

I'm a little bummed when I think about the possibility of having to stop the streak (as you can imagine) but I'm trying to think of the big picture. It's been more than half the year and therefore my longest running streak ever. But at the end of the day, the marathons are more important, and I can always try and do the streak again some other time.

I'll keep everyone posted. In the meantime please send happy healing thoughts for my ankle to feel better soon 😊.

How is your training going?

How long is/was your longest running streak?

What's your favorite cross training activity when you can't run?

Finally A Good Training Week!

This week's training was pretty decent. I got through all my scheduled running mileage (except for one run that I cut short) and a strength training session. I haven't done any swimming yet but I'm hoping to do that tomorrow. This morning I did 12 miles for my long run. I was the only one in my running group that was scheduled for anything over 8 miles so I ran 4 miles by myself and then 8 miles with my group...

And I decided to try hydrating with my new addiction...

I put my hydration pack (filled with coconut water) in the freezer overnight so it was ice-cold for my run this morning. It was amazing!!! It's hard to find the right hydration balance for humid runs because you want to ensure you're getting enough fluid, without putting yourself at risk of nausea and vomiting because your stomach is too full. Recently plain water has been making me nauseous, but the coconut water this morning was perfect. 

It's A Double Race Week!!!!

It's finally here! My double race weekend is this weekend...

And no... I'm still not 100% ready. BUT I did manage to get some training completed this morning. First I did a 1 mile swim...

And then I did my daily run...

Tomorrow and Wednesday are scheduled to be running days, and for Thursday (and maybe Friday) I plan to swim again and do quick one mile runs.

In addition to this week being busy with training and my back-to-back events on Sunday, it will also be a busy work week. I'll be spending more time out of the office (in class or teaching a course) than I will at the office catching up on work. So eating properly, resting and hydrating will be challenging but essential this week. 

It's probably a good thing the weekend wasn't too hectic. I only did 1 mile runs (on both Saturday and Sunday). I spent most of Saturday at a CPR course and then watching movies and TV shows on Hulu. And Sunday was spent hanging out with Dafney and Kai trying to "escape the room"...

And indulging in dairy-free butter pecan ice-cream...

Happy Monday & Happy 1st of May!!!

How was your weekend?

How was your training to start off the week/month?

T.G.I.F x a million!

So this week sucked. Not running-wise but everything else wise. Running was actually not too bad this week. This morning I did a 4 mile run with Mimi...

Yesterday (Thursday) I did a one mile run to keep up the run streak...

On Wednesday I ran with Mimi again and we did a 4 mile run...

On Tuesday I did a 4 mile run with Jani...

And (finally) on Monday I did a slow & steady solo 5K run...

This week was a big change from the past few weeks of mostly one mile daily runs. And the increased mileage secured a 5 day 10,000 steps/day streak for me...

So really not a bad running week, but a really busy and stressful week otherwise. And while running went well, swimming did not. As in... I did not swim. Not once 😔. You would never guess I have a swimming event next weekend based on my lack of proper swim training. Sigh. It's funny (well not really) but I have no motivation to swim when I'm stressed out. Running is definitely a stress reliever for me. But swimming? Swimming just isn't the same. 

But the fact is I have a swimming event in 8 days and I. AM. NOT. READY. And I won't be until my swims look as smooth and easy like this...

source

How was your training this week?

What are your weekend plans?

What's next on your race calendar?

If This Nursing Thing Doesn't Work Out...

At Kai's Painting with a Twist (without the "twist") 16th birthday celebration yesterday, I tapped into my inner artist and created a masterpiece. Well maybe not a masterpiece, but it was pretty decent. We all started with a blank canvas...

And throughout the event we worked on building our own creative works of art. We started with the basics...

Then we added layers and dimensions...

My finished product was my "in case nursing doesn't work out the way I planned" back up career plan...

We all put our own spin on our paintings and at the end of the day everyone had a great time....

... including the birthday girl whose least favorite part was being the center of attention (so I'll resist posting all the pictures from the birthday cake cutting session 😉).

This morning's run didn't go as planned, thanks to blister pain and lack of sleep. And since the rest of my morning was busy with church for Easter Sunday, and the rest of my day will be busy with family activities (and occasionally watching a show on Hulu), I'll have to incorporate extra miles on my runs during this upcoming week. Even though the full six miles didn't get completed, I was still able to run my one mile minimum for my daily streak...

Happy Easter! (for all who celebrate)

How was your training/running this weekend?

Have you ever done Painting with a Twist (or any other version of this concept)?

Four Miles Later...

My run this morning went well. Before I started I decided to aim for an 11:30 min/mile average pace and to try and maintain a conservative effort. The desire for the conservative effort was because I felt a "twinge" in my left knee yesterday and I didn't want to push too hard considering I also have a longish run on Sunday. And I decided to do intervals (run 3 minutes: walk 30 seconds) for the entire 4 miles because I figured that would help with the conservative effort (plus it gives my legs a well needed break).

I'm happy to report that my effort did feel conservative AND I pulled off a sub-11 minute pace!

I never thought I would see the day that a sub-11 min/mile pace would feel conservative... especially for a distance longer than a mile 😊...

It would have been great to have gotten negative splits but that pesky mile four messed it up for me 😒...

The only not so great thing about the run was that I got a really bad blister on the bottom of my right big toe...

(just imagine this is me with black curly hair, darker skin, and pain to the other big toe 😉)

The blister is not going to be fun when I run tomorrow but I'm hoping I can still get my 6 miles in. It's Easter Sunday so I need to schedule my run before church, with enough time to get home and get ready to go to church. 

Later on I will be off to Kai's painting party for part 2 of her birthday celebration. She chose a nice sunset landscape scene to paint...

It will be fun to see what the "after" paintings look like once everyone is done. One of my favorite things about the painting party concept is that we all get to keep our paintings as a nice keepsake from Kai's 16th birthday celebration. It's kind of like a really great grown up version of a birthday party "goodie bag" 😉. 

Have you ever been to a painting party?

Do you get blisters when you run?

What's your current "conservative" pace?

Initiating Phase I

I added a few things to my reading list this month!

Both these magazines came in the mail today and they just happen to be about two of my favorite things: Trauma Nursing & Running 😊. I'm still in the middle of the novel I'm reading so I'll fit the magazines in between chapters 😉. 

This morning I ran to complete Day 101 of my run streak...

I've been trying to keep up with my morning runs this week so that I have my evenings free. This week will be just as busy as last week because, at the stroke of midnight Kai will be turning 16! In order to keep myself from drifting deep into a depressive state of denial I've been going through pictures of her, from when she was a little girl...

To still little but just not as little...

To not really little, but I'm definitely initiating Phase I of my denial that she is growing up 🙈...

Just three years ago she was embarking on her teenage years...

Three years before that she was celebrating the "double digit age" milestone...

But tomorrow she will kick off the 16th birthday celebrations which will continue straight through the weekend...

Is it just me or are the years going by too fast?

Do you read Runner's World magazine?

How has your running and training been going?