January & Marathon Training Wk 12

First things first.

To describe January in one word would be... hard to put into one word.
But I could use a picture. (...or 3)

pictures from the f^3 Lake Half Marathon

I cannot believe they actually shot that picture where it looks like I'm about to cry. haha.. awkward...
I was just celebrating in disbelief. I promise, there was no tears lol I really really like the other two tho. Anyways January was filled with an amazing PR, highest mileage and just a great overall training month.

Mileage: 170 miles (WOOH! last February of 2012 I peaked at 142, so this is a new record)
PRs: 3
Races: 3 (one 5k, 2 half-marathons)

DietBet January Weight-Loss Challege: I signed up for the weight-loss challenge, paid $10 took my weigh in pictures and cleaned up my diet.

The Good: I managed to lose 5 pounds! And won $21
The Bad: Now that the challenge is over, I'm slacking off.. I knew this was going to happen. And I'm not paying $10 to do it again (even though I earned ~$21 for losing, my $10 were given back to me so technically earned myself 10 bucks). Should I do it again? Meh.. It gets me motivated not to slack but what if this time I can't lose 4% of my starting weight? I will keep debating.

I also have a streak going so far for half-marathon and 5k's... every single race I've done in that distance, I have PRed. I don't want to jinx it now..  I've started to develop some pain on my foot after yesterdays long run, so I'm planning to take it easy this week and maybe even take some time off (and get new shoes). The last thing I need is an injury 13 weeks into marathon training.

That being said, as soon as January was over, my workouts have sucked.
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Marathon Training Week 12

Monday-Rest
Tuesday- 5 fartlek miles + Spin (50min) + Arms (tried out spin at my gym, loved it! Crossed off #22 on my to-do list)
Wednesday - 5.08 miles in the rain
Thursday - 4.02 miles (semi-intervals) --> (suppose to be 5mi, but got lazy)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 8 mi @ "marathon pace" went slower than I should've, I blame the snow
Sunday - 12.7 (painful) miles

Total: 34.8mi

How I felt: ...like crap. This week was "step back" week and I literally did the least I was suppose to and even cut back on Thursday's 5miler to 4. I had no motivation in the mornings to go out in the cold but I would still drag myself. I think I've hit a wall. Or I'm burning out...I HATE the cold and the snow at the moment.. It doesn't help that it's dark and freezing at 6am and I have to crap out 5 milers.. ahh. (I refuse to jump on the TM for more than 3)

Sunday I felt good in the beginning, but I had to cut down the 13miler because my foot had been really hurting. The last 6 miles were painful. I took a million walking breaks. Me and JV decided to park near McCormick and run 6.5 miles south and run back to the car to make it 13 (smart buuut not so smart today), so we had no way of getting back to the car, but to run (or walk). Every time my left foot would hit the ground, I felt my arch explode. We were hungry, we were COLD, my foot was in pain but my legs were fine...

My best guess why it hurts:
A) Running too much (peaked in weekly/monthly miles in January)
or
B) I need new shoes, my long run shoes are 4-5 months old

Today will be complete rest. Depending how I feel Tuesday morning, I'm def going to take extra good care of my foot. Especially if I have a 20 miler this weekend (womp..womp...) Not excited..

I have to remind myself 5 more weeks.. only 5 more weeks..

I don't know how I went from feeling super good to feeling like crap.. but Hey, marathon training isn't suppose to be easy. And I was bound to feel some kind of pain eventually. I just have to be smart about it. I also have to be realistic, I'm not going to enjoy every single run. I'm going to tough these next 2 high mileage weeks out. The snow isn't going to help one bit, or my arch..
I just have to stay positive.

40 days until the marathon...

During Saturday's 8 miler, glad they plowed around Midway
i don't know where else I would run.

Marathon Training Week 10 + 11

I'm starting to panic.. just a little.


Week 12 begins today. With a well deserved rest day. I will do absolutely nothing (I'm doing my body a favor and letting it recover) .

NO Crosstraining
NO treadmill
NO abs
(just a slow mile bike commute to class)

Even if the weather is tempting me... (NOW it decides to warm up.. sheesh)

I am feeling sore this morning, and this week is "step-back" week! Yes! I love it.. because it couldn't have come in a better time. I need to rest and catch up on school work haha.

Week 10

Monday: Cross-training 10.5mi on the bike, short swim, and p90x Shoulders+Arms
Tuesday: 4 slow miles + abs
Wednesday: 8mi
Thursday: Intervals! 1mile warm-up, 6x400s at 5k pace. p90x Arms + Abs
Friday: switch my Saturday run (8miles) to today. Need to rest before Sunday's 5k/Long Run
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Midwinter Cruise 5k (22:57) + 14miles @ 8:42pace = 17.1miles

Total Running Miles: 41
Total Bike Miles: 10.5
How I felt: Good, for the most part. A little sluggish during the week, but made up for it Thursday and Sunday with some speed.

Week 11

Monday: Rest Day (biked ~4mi to school)
Tuesday: 5 miles in the COLD 0 degress but feels like -16 degree weather.+ p90x arms & abs
Wednesday: Felt sluggish, so I opted for 5 No Garmin miles instead of 8.
Thursday: I felt better, so I did 4 miles outside, but the snow slowed me down. Treadmill Intervals 6 miles (Total 10miles) + 'Flex' Drop-in Fitness Class
Friday: Rest
Saturday: f^3 Lake Half Marathon (PR!) + 5 mi = 18miles
Sunday: Slow 7 miler

Total Running Miles: 45
Total Bike Miles: ~9
How I felt: Sore from the half, and the extra 12 miles after the race but overall, I feel good. I'm at the point in the marathon plan where my weekly mileage peaks. (I even added a mile or two this week and last just because I felt comfortable) And so far, my legs have been holding up pretty well. I'm trying to fit in cross training and strength workouts.. and sometimes I forget to log them. Oops. But I've been sticking to it! I've also started biking from one campus to the other (~1mi) everyday instead of the bus, does that count as cross-training? lol

According to dailymile... the f^3 Half was intense haha (my heart rate)


Week 12, prepare to be demolished!
I'm going to take it relatively easy this week. and maybe even try out the cycling class I've been curious about. Don't want to get injured, burn out or lose motivation. I'm really excited for the weeks to come

F^3 Half Marathon Race Recap

(This might be long... ) haha

24 hours later, I am still in disbelief at what happened yesterday. Mainly because I did not anticipate the outcome (spoiler: an amazing PR). 

My morning was the opposite.. like always, I'm doing everything last minute. I was running late, the CTA bus I needed to take to the train station was delayed by 20 mins.. I was better off walking to the station. I realized too late I had forgotten my ipod at home :( but I had brought everything else in my bag (even a banana for my pre-race snack). I wasn't worried, I guess I would have to run with my iPhone.

I was meeting up with Marisa from the UIC Run Club and hitch a ride from the loop to the start line. Once we arrived I looked for Christina (this was going to be her first half!) And we were warming up in the warming tents. I was so glad they had these. I was shaking the entire time, I don't know if it was because I was nervous or really really cold. Christina was able to calm me down a little by telling me I had nothing to worry about. (Which I really didn't, but idk what i was thinking). I had worn 2 pairs of tights, a tank, my Nike zip-up, Saucony jacket, gloves, and a hat. I knew I would warm up once we started running. I also took my first Shot Blok while waiting.

My goal for the race was to run a sub 1:45... I was skeptical. My calves were sore from my 10-miler & fitness drop-in class on Thursday. I had rolled and wore my compression sleeves to sleep in the night before so I was hoping it would help. 

"The cold is good for speed". 

Part of me believed it, I love running in the cold because I can't feel my legs most of the time. All I had to do was trust my legs, believe that I could do it and go through with it.

Me and Marisa lined up right behind the 1:45 corral. Got ready, and prayed for a good race.
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Finish Time
1:43.13

Mile 1-3
The first mile and a half was congested (not a surprise) I weaved around alot. Then we got off the paved path and onto mud/snow unpaved (?) road. Are you fucking kidding me.  
Mile 1 (7:58)
 
I didn't want to sprain anything/fall on my ass/use too much energy so I played it safe. they had warned us about this and I know they tried to keep it at a minimum, since it had snowed the days leading up to the race so I wasn't too pissed. I noticed the 2 mile marker on the side. What the? So I manually lapped this mile.
 Mile 2 (8:08)

The next mile was a little off, I couldn't trust the mile markers and relied on my watch.
 Mile 3 (7:46)

Mile 4-8
I don't remember much from these miles. I just kept looking at my lap pace, and tried my best to keep it consistent. For the most part, I did. I felt great. I wasn't hot and I wasn't cold. Took Shot Blok #2 Mile 4 (7:51)
Mile 5 (7:48)

I had my phone, so I took a picture during the race just for the hell of it.  
Mile 6 (7:56) 

I started to see runners coming back! Pit-stop: Gatorade and another Shot Blok 

Mile 7 (7:56)

I see it! I see it! I switched my garmin over to see my overall pace so far, I was surprised. 7:53 and I had finished my 8 miles in 1:02.
Mile 8 (7:47)

Mile 9-13
I knew I was going to get tired soon. I kept thinking, just one more sub 8 mile.
Mile 9 (7:56)

Mile 10 is usually around the time I start getting a little tired. Come on... one more sub-8 mile. I thought about the marathon, and those last 6.2 miles that are going to kill me. I needed to be prepared for that day.  
Mile 10 (7:59)

10 down, 3.1 to go.. I was starting to feel my calves cramp up a little
Mile 11 (8:03)

I was careful at this point, 2.1 miles.. I had to conserve atleast one more before going all out. My calves were tight and as I ran, I tried adjusting my stride so that I was able to stretch out my calves a bit. At the 11.5 mark, there was an aid station, the last one. I walked, touched my toes and stretched out my hamstrings in less than 10 seconds and gulped down some gatorade. After mile 12 is where I need to give it my all.  
Mile 12 (8:08)

Passing mile 12, I had 1.1 miles. It's GO time! I started picking up my pace. At about mile 12.7ish I switched over my garmin to overall pace and looked at my overall time. HOLY SHIT! It was in the 1:41s. I had about .4 to go. I could do this. What kind of time was I on pace for? I had no idea. So I pushed it.   
Mile 13 (7:53)

I saw the finish line.. my stomach was feeling iffy at this point. I was going faster than my stomach wanted me to. I kept my eye on my watch. 1:42:30. At this point I wanted to try to run a 1:42:59 and I was counting down in my head. I was soooo close. I ran my heart out. I crossed at 1:43:13. I was just in disbelief. I was feeling great!

Finish Time 1:43:13
Overall Pace 7:53

11th out of 56 Female 20-24

60th Female Overall

(2 min 35 sec PR,
2 weeks after PRing during Polar Dash)

Crossed off goal #23 from my 2013 Goals List 

I scooped up my medal, downed a clif bar with some gatorade... I still had 5 miles to cover (womp, womp) haha. Marathon plan called for an 18 miler... but I wanted to stick around to see Marisa finish. 
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After
Clif Bars, bagels, gatorade, coconut water.. more than enough for everyone. The Clif bars were delicious and I took 2 since I needed to recovery food for the extra 5 miles and Sundays run. I learned the hard way to always eat after a workout. My muscles needed food.
I ran the 5 miles at an easy pace and Marisa was nice enough to wait for me while I went. By the time I came back to the finish line, there was still enough food! A good perk about running training runs during a half. haha I had gatorade on the course and goodies after the 5 miles. I got more than what I paid for. A good ass race, followed by training run and goodies for both.

Marisa & Me before the race

Once in the car and on our way home, I noticed my tummy hurting/burning. I had chafed. BIG time. All around my abdomen, and my sides. The 2 pairs of tights I wore were tied on too tight, and had cut into my skin, badly. I will not post pictures because it looks like someone beat me up haha. Ofcouse I cursed out loud when I jumped into the shower. But that race was worth it.

Back to reality: 48 days till the Marathon. I'm starting to feel really confident in my training and how hard I've been working. Next week is cut-back week and 13 miles for the long run. After that, the long run will be the 20 miler.. I don't know yet if I'll run a half marathon and then add 7 miles. I haven't looked around to see if there's anything in the area... if I do, hopefully I'll shave those 13 seconds off. :D but no plans or goals yet. 

At the moment, next race will be on March 17. LA Marathon. 

What I thought of the race itself:
-loved the t-shirt
-Interesting medal, something different
-enough goodies and food
-fast gear check
-warming tents (almost a must during the winter)
-great volunteers and even had gels on course
-free photo downloads (still haven't seen them)

I didn't get to check out the after goodies too much or any of the sponsors but I'm very satisfied  with what I saw. Def will be on my to-do list next year.

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updated 2/4/13
Look what I found! Woohoo! 

Marathon Training Week 8 + 9

Week 8

Week 8

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 4 miles to start off the year
Wednesday: 7 miles
Thursday: 4 miles + p90x abs
Friday: 3 miles + p90x Shoulders & Arms
Saturday: 7 miler + p90x abs
Sunday: Long run 15 miler!

I felt great this week (and I'm starting to incorporate more strength training workouts on short running days)! During the 15 miler, my goal was to run it at least at a 9 min pace, but I ran with JV the whole time and with him I'm usually faster. We ended up doing 15 miles at 8:46 pace. I didn't feel too bad afterwards either. I also got a chance to see my progress. We ran 13.1 miles in 1:55.

Back in June, running 13.1 miles in 1:57 was the fastest I could go and today on a training run, I was doing it at medium effort. I was thinking of all the hard work I have put in and how far I still have to go to reach my goals. One thing I forgot today is the importance of fueling and hydrating. I didn't bring along water with me but I did bring Shot Bloks (prefer them over GU). They work fine for me except sometimes I need water to drink it down. Afterwards, I felt dehydrated (which tends to happen to me alot). I felt woozy and even felt like I was about to hurl. I've had this problem for a while.. it could be either after a hard effort run or a long run or too little water, but I feel horrible afterwards  and sometimes I start seeing dark spots. The only thing that makes it go away is usually after I end up throwing up or I sip on orange juice. It also goes and comes randomly. Sometimes I run at a hard pace and feel fine and sometimes I go on a short run and suddenly I feel dizzy. But anywho, after the 15 miler, I only gagged a little and ate a banana while sipping on water and felt fine afterwards. Still curious as to why this happens.

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Week 9

Week 9: Step-Back Week

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 4 miles.. slow and recovering + p90x Shoulders & Arms
Wednesday: 1 mile warm-up + 4 tempo miles (7:52 pace) + abs
Thursday: 3 slow miles, prepping for Saturdays race
Friday: no running; 30 mins of p90x Chest & Back + abs
Saturday: Polar Dash Half Marathon! (spoiler: new PR ;))
Sunday: 4 Easy shakeout miles

Kept my runs at an easy pace this week after the 15miler and also because of the half marathon. Did a 4mile tempo on Wednesday to get speed training in. Although I thought I wasn't going to be able to run my tempo miles at a sub-8 pace after the long run, and also because I was still a little stiff, I was a little skeptical. Once I warmed up, I focused on keeping my pace and surprisingly I was able to. It was tough, but I did it. I'm also really comfortable getting in strength training on my short-run days.

I was def ready for Saturday's Polar Dash Half Marathon.

On Sunday, I felt like I could go for a short run to loosen up my calves since they felt a little tight. Kept it slow, and just enjoyed being out there.

Week 10, bring it!
8 weeks of training left
and 6 weeks till taper!!!


Midwinter Cruise 5k and 17 miler here we come :)

(Oh yeah, first day of Spring Semester tomorrow, one year and 4 months till graduation!!!!!!)

Marathon Training Week 6 +7

 

Week 6

Week 6
Monday- I was suppose to go swim with JV... but we got lazy. Took a rest day because I can (and because of Sundays Half)
Tuesday- easy slow 3 miler (9:00min pace)
Wednesday- 5
Thursday- another 3 slow miles
Friday- Rest Day :)
Saturday- 6 mi
Sunday- I cut it short by a mile because I felt like crap. 8 miler. Done

Week 6 was a "step back" week, and the whole week I tried keep my pace above 8:30 and around 9:00min miles. I felt exhausted, I don't know if it was the half marathon, or the temperatures getting colder, or my lack of motivation but I felt crappy.

Week 7

Week 7
Monday- (Christmas Eve) Cross-training consisted of 2 slow miles, stretching and abs (again, I suck at cross-training)
Tuesday- Progressive run 4 Miles
Wednesday- 7 miler. Nothing interesting
Thursday- Wooh! Speedwork! Did 8x400s (with progressive effort each one) recovery jogs in b/w 4mi 
Friday- ..err "Rest Day". I was feeling good, so I jumped on the treadmill for 30min and also did some p90x arms and shoulders
Saturday - Dash into the New Year 5k + 4 slowwww tough miles = 7 miles
Sunday - Long Run! ah. it was hard and cold. Need to start experimenting with energy gels and stuff. I'm glad I wasn't alone thanks to JV and Christina (who joined me half way). 14 miles done!!

Week 7- I felt really good, thanks to the step-back week and slow running during week 6. I think the PR had something to do with recovery week.

So far, I love this training plan. I think it really fits to what I'm use to running and I even added some running days when I wasn't suppose to for week 7.. so thats a good sign I picked the right plan. If I feel the same way next week, I might even consider going up a level to Intermediate II.. I'll see.

Shoes- the day of the 14miler, I used my Saucony Hurricane 14's. The only thing I don't like about them is that I tend to blister for 12+milers in them, in one certain spot on my toe.. wierd. I've tried everything from putting glide and band aid on it, but no cigar. So I'm looking for new distance shoes. I have started breaking into my adidas and the longest run on them has been 7 miles.. so far so good. But for a marathon? Not sure yet. They felt awesome for the 5k, thats for sure.

Energy Gels/Gu's - Have not tried anything on my runs yet. During half marathons, I usually take Shot Bloks, yummy. Except, at the end of each race, my tummy usually tends to cramp up a little. Experimenting will  start soon and hopefully I'll incorporate real food like pretzels.. but during the winter runs I will probably not want anything besides something warm. lol

Half way through marathon training! ahhh.

-Does it really matter if I stick 100% with the mid-week runs? Sometimes I feel like running more, but I stop myself since I feel it might affect the rest of the week.

-Any food/energy chews/gels you recommend?

I Survived Winter Finals 2012

YES!!!!! They are OFFICIALLY over (finals) and to celebrate, we ran a half marathon in Indy! Recap later today. 

Quick update:

-Totally forgot to type up a recap for the Rudolph Ramble 8k we did last last weekend.

-Marathon Training
Finally started following a program (Hal's Intermediate I) and have tried sticking to it as much as I could these past few days. I technically just finished week 5 of the plan.. so from now on, I'll refer to it based on what's left (March 17 seems to be getting closer and closer) . Hurray! Having a plan kind of gives me hope that I'll actually finish this thing.

Week 4: Total 27 miles (Week of 8k)
Monday- Suppose to crosstrain, but did 1.5mi
Tuesday- 7 mi
Wed- 5 mi
Thurs- 2 mi
Fri- 6 mi
Sat - rest
Sunday- Rudolph Ramble 8k

Week 5: Total 28 miles (Taper week, for Indy Half on Sunday)
Mon- crosstrain aka studied for finals aka took an unexpected rest day
Tue- 3 mi
Wed- 6mi
Thur- rest
Fri- 6 taper miles
Sat- Rest
Sun- INDY HALF! YEAH! NEW PR!

-Christmas is NEXT WEEK! and there's still no snow! Holy shit.. I like.

-Having a month off school sounds really amazing right now


Luz

60 degrees in December and My Goals

Holy smokes.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm not complaining about this weather. This past weekend was amazing! Sunday, I woke up feeling iffy. Lately, my joints feel tired? Sore? I dunno. My lowest mileage month was October (48 miles, what the heck?!) and in November, my mileage doubled. Oops. Maybe that's why my joints are feeling it. But everything else feels great!

November Recap: With November ending, looking back it was a fantastic running month!
- I got 109 miles done. Woohoo!
- two 10ks (new PR), one 5k (new PR)
- I decided to give myself a break this month from calorie counting, and stayed away from my scale, and to my surprise, I didn't stray away from my "comfortable" weight. Yay! With all the running and eating, it makes sense I didn't gain or lose anything.

Sunday's Surprising Run
Anyways back to Sunday! We didn't have a goal set in mind as we walked out the door (in shorts and a tank!), but after our warm up we decided 10 miles would be nice and he challenged me to try to keep it at 7:50. He was trying to kill me apparently...

Mile 1-5, average pace was 7:51! and I was feeling good. After mile 6, I was starting to feel my legs getting tired. And after mile 7, I def slowed down. The last 2 miles, I was trying to focus on keeping my pace and not slowing down even further, which tends to happen to me. After we were done, I couldn't believe my eyes. We had finished those 10 miles in an hour and 19 minutes at a 7:57 pace. I was exhausted, but I felt GOOD! Dunno if it had to do with the weather..

I am on runners high at the moment.. since yesterday. This gives me hope for the Santa Hustle Half in two weeks. I can come real close to my goal time. I was hoping to run a 1:45 in the spring.. But I think I can do it sooner than that.

So I'm adjusting my goals a bit..

-We have the Rudolph Ramble 8k this weekend... never ran an 8k.. so I'm going to try to run it a close to my 5k pace but faster than my 10k. (I suck at short distance, at the moment I hate 5ks). Goal pace: 7:47

-Plan A: Going to attempt to run the Santa Hustle half at a 1:45:58 (8:05pace)
Plan B: 1:47 (8:10 pace)
Plan C: ...if worst comes to worst... at least PR (sub 1:49, 8:20 pace)  

Why is this going to be hard?  I won't have the bf with me.. pacing me. I run faster with him than alone.

That, and Finals are next week. Am I going to try to squeeze in running? Maybe. Hopefully.


Marathon Training

I HAVE NOT STARTED!
Ahh.. I'm planning to look up some plans this afternoon.. or tomorrow afternoon.. and come up with something to atleast get me started. The bf kind of popped my bubble. I thought I had more time to relax after finals and turns out, we were already suppose to begin. With finals, other goals in my head, turkey trotting, and Christmas around the corner, I completely forgot how time flies. Next thing I know... March will be here and I will be ready.


Luz

LA Marathon & Nike Womens Half --HELP!

With all the turkey-trotting and finals coming up, I've hardly had time to type up anything besides recaps.

The crazy bug bit me before Thanksgiving break, and I signed up for the LA Marathon and the Nike Women's Half in DC. (Just looking at the word "marathon" is freaking me out.) So I need some advice for this first-time marathoner.

I've never followed any training plans, so it's going to be tough sticking to one (for 16 weeks?!). Especially during the long, cold, dark winter days. The marathon is in early March, in California weather I'm not sure what to expect. There's a couple things that stress me out besides following a training plan.

1) what marathon training plan to follow?
2) training in cold winter, to then run in California.. ehm? Will this be a bad thing?
4) there's hardly any races during the winter, is it a good or bad thing?
5) motivation to go out and run in 20 degree weather
3) the upcoming winter here in Chicago is unpredictable.. running 13mi+  in the snow?

I'm also running this marathon for charity (Susan G. Komen) and my minimum goal is to hit $500. I have more than enough time to raise this money, but how do I get started? Any good tips on what to do and how to go about fundraising? If anyone is kind enough.. and donate here! :) that would be sooo nice of you


Now.. onto the Nike Women's Half.

I'm not too stressed about it (the distance anyway) but it's about 4 weeks after the marathon.. will I have recovered by then? When I first heard about this inaugural race in DC, I thought "this will be my goal race" I've made it a goal to run a half in 1:45 ever since I finished the Chicago Half at 1:49. But will my legs be fully recovered by then? I'm not so sure

... so Plan B is to just finish it and have fun. I always wanted to run a Nike Women's race (looks awesome! and Tiffany necklace at the finish line ;).. even if it's really expensive. The perks of being a college student -- not only did I get the registration at a discounted price, but I also got a guaranteed spot (no raffle or waiting to see if I got in).

Is anyone else running the DC race?
Me and another fellow run club runner are planning to drive there so we're looking for anyone who is wanting to split gas costs! Please let me know :)
and if you're debating whether to run it or not.. registration is still open! If you're a college student $125 & guaranteed entry :)

Sincerely, distressed and in need of advice runner...