Tonight I had one of those runs that made me really glad that I'm not training for anything right now. I had it in my mind that I would do somewhere between four and six miles when I got off of work, but it was sunny outside, and I missed one of the routes that I used to run a lot. So I threw on my stuff and headed out for 7.7 miles.
It was beautiful out. I haven't done too many runs outside since the weather turned really fall-like. I love the smell of fall, which is kind of weird because it smells a little bit like decay. But it reminds me of when I ran as a child, zigzagging through the grass in order to catch leaves that spiraled to the ground.
I ran through the 29 mph gusts of wind, I ran up the hills, I ran through the sunset and watched the sky streak pink, I dodged cars and only flicked off a couple of them. OH, and I encountered another friendly runner! She said, "You go girl!" as we passed each other. Corny, yes, but so nice.
And the best part of this run was that I maintained a pace under 10:00 (9:57). I'm well aware of the placebo effect that cold weather has on my interpretation of my fitness, but I'm going to take it. Sure, I'm faster than I was during the summer because my body doesn't have to work as hard to cool down. But let's just ignore all the words in that last sentence that follow "summer". Take the sugar pill and be happy. :)
So I need to remember these fun impulsive runs when I get the urge to plan out from now until next June. I now understand cyclical training. If you train all the time, if you maintain your ability to run 20 milers whenever, you get burned out. Fall back in love with running and drop the training schedule. :)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Berbee Derby prep
My next race, the Berbee Derby, is coming up on Thanksgiving.
This race will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first race I ever ran. I had nervously signed up for the 10k because I was already running 11.5 mile long runs, and it seemed like such a waste to just run the 5k. But it was my first race. I had no idea how to pace myself. But I actually did much better at pacing myself during this race than I did during my marathon. My lofty goal was to get under 60 minutes (9:40 pace), and I managed to finish in 57:50 (9:18 pace).
I'm not sure what my goal is this time. Obviously I want to be much faster than last year, since at that point I had only been running about five months. According to various race predictors, if I were in shape to run a 4:00 marathon, I would run a 10k in 52:27 (8:26 pace). But based on last year's time, I should have been able to run a 4:30 marathon... (But then again, I could have- if I had stuck to my training plan!)
This year, my whole family is participating! My mom and dad are doing the 5k walk, my younger brother is doing the 5k run, and my older brother, his wife, and my husband are joining me for the 10k. :) Being the competitive brat that I am, I guess I can set a goal of kicking their butts. If that's possible...
For maximum butt-kicking, I should try to run 30-40 miles per week, with one good tempo session and one nice long run. Since my marathon, my weekly mileage has been quite pitiful. But hopefully the competition will inspire me to do more than 4 mile runs. :)
This race will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first race I ever ran. I had nervously signed up for the 10k because I was already running 11.5 mile long runs, and it seemed like such a waste to just run the 5k. But it was my first race. I had no idea how to pace myself. But I actually did much better at pacing myself during this race than I did during my marathon. My lofty goal was to get under 60 minutes (9:40 pace), and I managed to finish in 57:50 (9:18 pace).
I'm not sure what my goal is this time. Obviously I want to be much faster than last year, since at that point I had only been running about five months. According to various race predictors, if I were in shape to run a 4:00 marathon, I would run a 10k in 52:27 (8:26 pace). But based on last year's time, I should have been able to run a 4:30 marathon... (But then again, I could have- if I had stuck to my training plan!)
This year, my whole family is participating! My mom and dad are doing the 5k walk, my younger brother is doing the 5k run, and my older brother, his wife, and my husband are joining me for the 10k. :) Being the competitive brat that I am, I guess I can set a goal of kicking their butts. If that's possible...
For maximum butt-kicking, I should try to run 30-40 miles per week, with one good tempo session and one nice long run. Since my marathon, my weekly mileage has been quite pitiful. But hopefully the competition will inspire me to do more than 4 mile runs. :)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
My First Marathon
Running a marathon has always been something I wanted to do, even when I didn't like running. A coworker recently asked me why I wanted to run a marathon, and... I couldn't really put my finger on it. I guess I thought that maybe, if I could run I marathon, I would be the epitome of accomplishment and discipline and fitness (read: thinness).
Now, if you take a look at the graph below, you will realize that I certainly never attained the discipline necessary to properly train for a marathon. If I had stuck to my plan, the majority of my training weeks should have been in the 40s, with a few in the 50s. I had two really good weeks in July, felt accomplished, and proceeded to slack off.
As the weeks ticked by, the panic never set in. This was both a curse and a blessing. Panic would have motivated me to get out there and run more often. Log more than one 19.5 mile long run. Eat more than Coldstone and Snyder's cheddar cheese pretzel pieces. (Yeah, I never became the epitome of thinness. Surprise!) On the other hand, panic would have motivated me to get out there and log more miles, which we all know can lead to injury. It would have stressed me out. It could have lead me to believe that I couldn't run a marathon, so why try?
But I knew that I could. Lots of people run marathons. Big people, thin people, old people, young people, fast people, slow people. So I arrived in Milwaukee with a very level head. I was going to stick with my pace group so that I could reach my goal of 4 hours and 30 minutes. I didn't race well (I ditched my pace group to run faster in the early miles, then they caught up to me, then I couldn't keep up with them) and ended up finishing in 4:38, but apparently it's not awful to only finish your first marathon 8 minutes slower than your goal time. Hooray!
So what's next? Well, in the weeks before the marathon, during the marathon, and immediately after the marathon, I had decided that I wasn't going to run another one until I got much faster. I must make my long run pace faster by a minute per mile. I must run a half marathon in under 2 hours. Etc etc. Then I realized that even if I was that fast and logging 50 mile weeks, I would only be saving myself 50 minutes per week. And given the amount of television I watch, that's no excuse not to train for another marathon. Unless I don't want to.
But I do!
I still can't explain it. I now realize that being able to run 26.2 miles doesn't necessarily require discipline. Training won't make you skinny if you eat your weight in ice cream every Sunday. But it will give you a sense of accomplishment.
What do I want to accomplish next? A sub-4:00 marathon. I know that's crazy, trying to take 38 minutes off my time. But I'm signed up for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, which is in June. Eight months away. I've got plenty of time to train. And hopefully publicizing my lofty goal will help the panic kick in a little bit, and I'll be able to maintain 50 mile weeks in the spring. Hooray!
Now, if you take a look at the graph below, you will realize that I certainly never attained the discipline necessary to properly train for a marathon. If I had stuck to my plan, the majority of my training weeks should have been in the 40s, with a few in the 50s. I had two really good weeks in July, felt accomplished, and proceeded to slack off.
As the weeks ticked by, the panic never set in. This was both a curse and a blessing. Panic would have motivated me to get out there and run more often. Log more than one 19.5 mile long run. Eat more than Coldstone and Snyder's cheddar cheese pretzel pieces. (Yeah, I never became the epitome of thinness. Surprise!) On the other hand, panic would have motivated me to get out there and log more miles, which we all know can lead to injury. It would have stressed me out. It could have lead me to believe that I couldn't run a marathon, so why try?
But I knew that I could. Lots of people run marathons. Big people, thin people, old people, young people, fast people, slow people. So I arrived in Milwaukee with a very level head. I was going to stick with my pace group so that I could reach my goal of 4 hours and 30 minutes. I didn't race well (I ditched my pace group to run faster in the early miles, then they caught up to me, then I couldn't keep up with them) and ended up finishing in 4:38, but apparently it's not awful to only finish your first marathon 8 minutes slower than your goal time. Hooray!
So what's next? Well, in the weeks before the marathon, during the marathon, and immediately after the marathon, I had decided that I wasn't going to run another one until I got much faster. I must make my long run pace faster by a minute per mile. I must run a half marathon in under 2 hours. Etc etc. Then I realized that even if I was that fast and logging 50 mile weeks, I would only be saving myself 50 minutes per week. And given the amount of television I watch, that's no excuse not to train for another marathon. Unless I don't want to.
But I do!
I still can't explain it. I now realize that being able to run 26.2 miles doesn't necessarily require discipline. Training won't make you skinny if you eat your weight in ice cream every Sunday. But it will give you a sense of accomplishment.
What do I want to accomplish next? A sub-4:00 marathon. I know that's crazy, trying to take 38 minutes off my time. But I'm signed up for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, which is in June. Eight months away. I've got plenty of time to train. And hopefully publicizing my lofty goal will help the panic kick in a little bit, and I'll be able to maintain 50 mile weeks in the spring. Hooray!
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