Post Marathon Recovery and Other Stuff.

I love to ask the more experience runners about their own little tips and advice and learn as much as possible through them and also through reading, blogs, books, etc. My long, detailed race reports are in hopes to help anyone out there with the same questions I've had prior to jumping into running my first 5K to my first Marathon. 

I thought it'd be appropriate to follow up on the post race recovery as part of the journey to my first marathon, and believe me, recovering from a Marathon is way different than recovering from any other type of race I've ever done. I really wasn't expecting the aches and pains that come IMMEDIATELY after.

First of all. Have you seen the massage tables they have available at the end of the race? Do not stand in line to get one. I repeat, DO NOT stand in line to get a massage after running a marathon! Since your muscles are so wasted and thorn apart it is not good that they dig in and loosen anything up and they don't. A good description of what they do to you is...."tickle" your legs and after laying down for 20 mins it will be very difficul to get up and walk and you don't need that on top of all things. Just keep moving.

Another thing I learned. Have a family member bring you a sweater or light jacket. You will need it as you start feeling the chills from your body cooling down. Better yet, just get home as soon as possible and change into something dry and comfortable. I didn't do either and was shivering like crazy after also staying for too long.

Also, you might have an upset stomach after. I don't know if it was all the GU I had ( I had 5 pkg) or dehydration, or both. But having some Pepto Bismol in hand would have been helpful.

One more thing. I heard that for some people it took up to 2 hours until they were able to pick up thier gear bags. I didn't take anything with me besides my Ipod and was so glad I didn't have to wait for a bag. So if you are able to, don't carry anything extra so you can go home as soon as possible.

Be prepared to be shocked when you look at your feet after finally being able to kick off your shoes. Have a needle,  a lighter and some alcohol swabs ready to pop those blisters! It can be very relaxing! Or maybe I'm just weird like that.

They next morning. Oh the next morning! Take your time getting out of bed. Be prepared to feel  very silly as you walk around your house like a penguin. Laugh when your small children make a game out of it and they too want to walk like penguins. Be prepared to have a set of two stairs seem like the stairs going up the Mayan pyramids. Laugh when you can't get in or out of your car. And look at it from the bright side, you'll be exercising your arms and abs every time you pull yourself up to get up from sitting down. Laugh when your kids jump on your legs, because screaming in pain might really scared them. Laugh when you go on your day- after- recovery- walk and people stare at you. Wear your medal so they at least have an idea of why you are walking like you have poop in your pants.

Clean your house, do your laundry, iron your family's church clothes, do your groceries, even make the next days dinner or have something easy to put together prior to your race day. You will not be able to do any of these the next day or two after the race, specially if your laundry room is downstairs. Even make arrangements to have someone come help you if you have that type of support system.


I am definetly doing all these the next time. Yes, I'm already thinking about my next marathon and the things I will do different to improve my time and experience both before and after. It will be sweet!

Happy recovery!


,

Not just a race report. My first Marathon Report.

I'd been waiting to see if I could get my pictures off my camera. For some reason it's been weird and won't let me do it. So here goes another picture-less post. You'll just have to use your imagination.

I'll start with the last week of tapering. I have this book called "CHI Running" It's great! and I have been trying to apply it to my running for the past couple of years. It all  makes a lot of sense when you read it, like one of those things you learn about and think "Geez! Why didn't I think of that before?" I recommend it, go read it. So this book says that on day 6,5, and 4 before the race you should eat protein for breakfast and dinner and then days 3,2, and 1 before the race you load up on carbs, NO PROTEIN whatsoever.  And of course you make sure to drink lots of water all 6 days. So I did that. I had already been at rest  for the past 3 weeks, and did not want to risk taking a "brisk walk or jog" because I was too afraid to make things any worse. So I just concentrated on resting and icing my foot a lot. My sweet husband even suggested I took the week off  doing my house keeping chores to make sure I was as healed as possible for race day. Of course I gladly agreed with his idea! and limited myself to cooking, because we still had to eat :) The day before the race I took a drive of the course. Thank goodness my little girls fell asleep in the car and did not even noticed mom drove around for more than an hour. They were angels.

 I went to bed late, because I figured I was not going to be able to get a lot of sleep anyway. I think I got about 4 hours of sleep. Not only did I go to bed late, but I woke up at about 2:30 am and could not get back to sleep. In fact,  I'm not sure I fell asleep completely for the rest of the night, morning, whatever. It was one of those nights. In the morning I had a banana, and peanut butter on a toast first thing after getting up and very little water just enough to swallow some MORE ibuprofen. I stretched, got ready and jogged it to the Trax Station. I realized right away that the back pocket on my shirt was not going to work to keep all of my GU in it. It got very heavy and bouncy so I stuffed some of my GU in my bra and pants. Not a good idea. I finished with sores in my chest from the sharp edges of the packages, ouch! Not doing that next time. Trax was super packed! A lot of people, including me, had to wait a couple times before boarding because there wasn't enough room. I made it to the starting line just on time for the countdown. I was glad to have stretched really well while waiting for the train to come, or else.

Once I was there amongst the crowd the nerves seemed to go away. Maybe it was the fact that I had already been there a year prior when I ran the half. The feeling was definitely different. I was calm. The race started and I knew in my head what I would do to get me through 26.2 miles. I started slow. My strategy was to pace myself at 10 m/m for the first 16. After that I would take the last 10.2 miles two at the time, that way instead of thinking about 10 more segments to go I would think of 5 (of 2 miles each). And that's what I did. I took it one mile at the time for the first 16 miles. I made sure to check in on my watch at every mile marker to make sure I stayed on schedule.  A lot of things I read emphasized about not going too fast at the beginning or else you would be in trouble by mile 20 or so and I did not want that to be me. I tried to keep my pace down but for the most part I was coming in at 9.30- 9.45 m/m at every mile marker. I was feeling good.  My plan was to pick the pace up for the last 10 miles, but I could not get myself out of the rhythm I had already pace myself to and felt that if I tried I would soon run out of gas. I spent the last 10 miles trying to pick it up, but was never able to, in fact I slowed down and was then averaging between 10- 11 m/m.



About mile 19 I ran a couple of miles next to this very quite, unfriendly lady. I tried to start a conversation but maybe she didn't hear me or was too in the zone to talk. She was probably annoyed by me because I think she tried to pass me but couldn't. I was not trying to go at her same pace, I just was. Then this other lady came from behind and started talking to me. She must had been hitting a wall, we were between mile 19 and 20 by then. She was very friendly and tired.  I only knew that because she told me she was struggling and trying to keep up. Otherwise I wouldn't have know because she was all smiles. I stopped for water and she kept going. I didn't see her after that. Mile 20 came and even though I wasn't running the pace I had planned to I was feeling OK. Didn't hit a wall there, but I have to admit I wasn't feeling super great either. Then my dad jumped in from the sidelines to join me. He is such a sport. I could tell it was taking him some effort to keep up, but he never gave up and that help me to keep pushing too. He gave me a run for my money! And I really think he got me from mile 20 to 22 because right after I left him I started to feel the WALL ( dan,dan dan...). My younger sister joined me at this point. She wasn't going fast, but neither was I, and all I could think of was that stupid up-hill at the top of State Street. I thought it would be a good idea to save some energy for that. I slowed down for about a mile and then fell a little better.  At mile 24 a met with my other 2 sisters. One of them only stayed for a few blocks and the other, Areli (we are 1.5 yrs apart, me being older) stayed with me. She did awesome! She got me through that dumb hill cheering me along the whole way. I was very surprised at her level of fitness, being that she's not a consistent runner,  but she does run every now and then. Later she told me she was having a really hard time, but getting me up that hill and knowing how far I'd already come kept her going. All the while I never knew. She kept shouting and clapping me on and seemed just excited to be out there. Me on the other hand, not so much. That was my biggest WALL right there. Same spot as last year when I ran my first (and only) half. I wanted to just walk, and then I thought of Kim "Just don't think about it!", "Don't look up!" And that seemed like a great idea at the time. I lowered my head and just looked at my feet. One in front of the other. And then I was there, at the top. Aaaaaaah! Thanks Kim! And to my sister. I could not have had anyone better than her during those last couple of miles.

I started picking up speed as we passed the Temple and my sister was still there. I lost her right about the Energy Solutions and took off! Somehow I gathered enough energy to sprint through the finish line. I did not cry. I could SEE myself smiling. Yes, I said SEE myself. It was an out of body experience. It really was.

What I learned from this, and it's funny that running a marathon will let you see things in a different way. I was not expecting to come out of this wiser, I just wanted to run a marathon. So this  I got extra and for free. I learned that I can do hard things. I can prepare and be ready. I can start and follow through.  I will apply this principles to other areas in my life where I feel I fall short and not quiet accomplish everything that I can accomplish and be. All it takes it's one foot in front of the other. The same way in everyday life. Little by little, one thing at the time until I finish what I set myself to do. There!

Oh yeah! I came in at 4 hrs 25 mins 24 secs.

UGH! I just got done reading that post from yesterday. I must have been having a really bad day. My foot felt a bit sore, and I think that got me a little down. I've noticed there's been days when my foots feels almost 100% So I get all excited and start doing stuff like taking my little ones on a walk and cleaning all day, only to have a sucky day the next day. This has happen a couple of times. Yesterday was the day after a good day. I just can't stop all together, specially with my 4 and 2 year old. They are always on the move, and I'm right behind them. Anyway, I am trying to stay possitive, it's hard but I am trying.

So on a possitive note. I went to pick up my packet today! I wanted to go today so I could find the KT Tape sales people and have them tape me up TODAY, I found them! I don't know what I was most excited about, the tape or getting my bib and shirt. I've been using the tape I just didn't know if I was applying it right, I wasn't, but now I am! I have to say it does help.

Also, on being positive. From the very beginning I had talked to my sisters and asked to run part of the race with me, 2 or 3 miles and they happily accepted, they have been training for the past few weeks. I also have another couple of friends who will be running with me after mile 23, one of them just ran the St. Louis Marathon last weekend, also her first marathon and my other friend is also a runner, has ran a couple halfs, they will be bringing me home after mile 23. So those are things I am really excited and looking forward to. All along I've kind of had this time goal in the back of my head, now it's shifted to just finishing. I was watching "Spirit of the Marathon" yesterday, by the way I cried the whole time, and just realized that I might had taken myself too seriously. I'm no professional athlete, I'm not gonna win the race, so I might as well just relax and have fun, whatever that means, nothing about running 26.2 miles could be fun, Aaaaah!

Anyway, this has been a learning experience and I have not even run the thing. I'm sure I will learn a whole let after I get to check that one off my list. Ready or not, here I go!

Me, me, me, me, me........

Wednesday, and two days to go.  I have a huge ball of mixed emotions.  Not being able to run during the last three weeks is very discouraging, I'm doubting being able to do this. It was already scary enough venturing into the unknown strong and injury free, now with this it's like 10 times scarier. I don't want to do anything dumb, but then there's that part of me who wants this really bad that is willing to risk it? I've been thinking about a good enough reason to risk running this race and I'm not even sure I have a good reason to run this all together. We are planning on having a baby soon, and that was one of the reasons, a very selfish one "Let's have another baby, but first I need to run a marathon!" A little pathetic? Who does that? Maybe this injury is kind of my punishment for putting off bringing another soul into the world. What do I have to prove and to whom? It comes down to me wanting to do this, but again why? Someone told me dedicating their race to someone made all the difference. I've tried to think of someone to dedicate this to and can't think of anyone. So again, it comes down to ME. Selfish? Why do I have a hard time being OK with that? Why do I have a hard time with buying myself new shoes ( if I had bought them earlier I would have avoid this injury) Even paying for the registration fee, or sitting here resting my foot? Whatev's! The only good thing right now is that I get to eat pasta for the next three days!

BLAH!

This injury deal is so devastating! I kept from running for a whole week and finally felt better and thought I'd be OK to do 8-9 miles on Saturday. I met up with the group, they would be doing 15miles, I'd just turn around at the point that would give me my desired miles. Well, it did not quite go that way. I got talking to some of the more experienced ladies and one of them even suggested I'd do my 22 miler if I was feeling good. So my goal for the day went from 8 to 22 miles. I thought "I'll do the 15 miles with the group and then just 7 more on my own shouldn't be too bad" ....NOT! I was barely able to finish the 15 and only because I had made it all the way out to 7.5 miles feeling good. It was only after the turn around point when all of the sudden I started to feel VERY sluggish. I was not in pain,  definitely aware of my Achilles, but not in pain. So I ran the whole 15 miles, VERY SLOWLY.  I thought maybe the fact that I had not been running all week long was the reason I felt so sluggish. I made sure to ice and stretch my Achilles all day, and I'm actually doing good there. The bad news is that something else came up! AAAAAH!  I didn't feel it during my run until later that day. I've researched it and it seems that I might have a small stress fracture on the bottom/outside of my foot, my other foot! GRRRR! I'm so frustrated! I want to run!  I still want to keep going! I hope I can keep going! Definitely going to go see the Doctor and hoping he will tell me it's not a stress fracture and that whatever it is, I will be better and ready to go in 2 weeks.

Now, if you excuse me. I'm going to go be depressed about my feet falling apart on me.

It happened.....

I am down and injured. I was overdue to get new shoes and just kept pushing my luck. I went and did some speed training on Wednesday and felt something funny on my ankle/ achilles tendon. I didn't get my full work out and could not go any further, so I stopped. I went and bought new shoes that same day, but the damaged had already been done. I can't even do the elliptical without feeling it, so I have been doing the bike and this other glider machine. I thought I was feeling better, and attempted to do my long run this morning, didn't even make it out one block and decided to quit, and not take any chances with only 3 more weeks to go. Today was supposed to be my last long run, 22 miles, before tapering. I don't know if I should attempt to get the 22 miles in  a few days when I do feel better or if I should just leave it at that. At least I did do 20  miles last week. I want to make sure to be 100% by Marathon day, definitely don't want to risk being able to run it. FRUSTRATED!!!

Runing does not equal loosing weight.

I had an appointment with my Gym's personal trainer on Friday. She showed my how to use the machines and gave me a plan to target each muscle group. Today I worked out my arms, and my core. It feels good to actually know what I'm doing! :) I also did 5 miles. I didn't have my headphones to listen to the TV, and could not take the treadmill. I stopped at 2.5 miles and did the other 2.5 on the elliptical. That counts, right? I'm excited to start seeing results doing weights, hopefully in a near future. I'm also going to attempt counting calories this week. It's so frustrating to see the numbers on the scale at a complete stop even though I'm runing crazy miles training for this marathon. It used to work, back when I first started running after my first baby, I was also nursing and the pounds just seemed to melt away with just running a lot less miles than I do now. Maybe my body has gotten used to running and needs to be challenged in a different way to kick off and start loosing weight with exercise again, that and I guess I will have to start dieting. Blah!

Does this happen to anybody else? Do you run and loose weight or are you kind of just stuck like me? And what do you do that works?

Happy running! and if you are one of the luck ones; Happy running and loosing weight!

20 miler: check!

I almost slept in when my alarm did not go off this morning. I woke up and looked at my alarm clock and saw that it was 5:35 am! Aaah! Thank goodness I had all my clothes laid out and ready to go. I even had time for a BM before leaving, (sorry! that might have been to much info, but those things are important for runners, specially when going on a long early run) and got there just on time.

So we met at 6 am at the capitol, run a couple miles up city creek canyon, came back down and run through the Avenues pass Shriner's hospital, to the Primary Childrens Hospital, the Zoo, one mile or so into immigration canyon and then back to the capitol again. It was great, a little windy and chilli as we went up immigration canyon, but great. We got lost for a little bit around the U campus, which I think gave us a little more milage, and eventually found our way back. The miles go by so fast when you are running with someone new like I did today. She is a cancer survivor, who started running 2 years ago after recovering from cancer, and has already qualified for Boston, she is running it this year. Wow! It's amazing how many inspiring people are out there running, and all the stories they have to tell.  Makes me count my blessings to hear stories like that. I have a little ritual before every run where I make sure to say a little prayer and thank Heavenly Father for the health and strength he blesses me with and being able to run. I am truly blessed.

So I did it! I ran my first 20 miler ever!  It was not a fast one, but I got all my 20 miles in and that is an accomplishment of itself! I think it took us about 4 hours, but I felt great the whole way, even felt like I could have gone for a couple more at the end (I didn't go for more at the end).

Next week 22 miles and then 2 more weeks for tapering til Marathon day!

18 miles: check!

My 18 miler last weekend went great! Great weather, great company, great time! Being able to finish strong gives you such a high. I'm feeling confident that I will be able to finish this marathon. It will be great!

Today I went for a speed work out and surprised myself. I was able to shave 30 seconds off my 800's. Yay! I had not done my Yassos in  2 weeks and decided to do them this week instead of a 7 miles tempo run with the group. I guess the saying is true "If you want to run faster run with faster people" I've only been running with the group for 4 weeks now? and I'm definitely seeing the results. I'm excited!

Doing 20 miles this Saturday.  Most of the group is running Moab this Saturday, and I don't know who will show up to run this weekend. I might have to do this alone, will see how that goes.

If anyone is looking for a great group to run with Locomotion is a great option. You can always come and check it out for a few runs before you decide to regsiter and pay the fees. They ran different routes through out the valley, from Draper to Centerville and did I mention they have a support van to follow you on long runs? Got to love it!

Here's their link

The next level

So I have mentioned running with a group. It's been a few weeks (3 weeks?) and it's been awesome. The people there are all very friendly and welcoming. I tried out a different group before finding them and I didn't quite feel it, but with this group has been a different story. I guess it also helped that I already knew someone and didn't just show up  by myself. Come to think about it, I haven't ran with my friend during our group runs, we run different paces, and that is what is so great about a group, you have all sorts of runners going at different paces you will never be left to run alone. I have run with a different person every weekend ever since starting with the group, which is good, different stories and conversation makes the miles go by a lot faster. I am running with Boston qualifiers, college runners, veteran runners, running moms, etc, etc. It definitely has "forced" me to step it up. There's just something about running with other people, kind of like a race, you feed off of their energy. It's not even competitive, you just go with it and before you know you settle into a good rhythm, 16 miles have gone by, and you finish strong.

This week I also joined a few from the group for a couple of morning runs. I make quite a drive just to meet them, but I so much rather do that than running alone. Like I said, running with them has forced me to step it up to the next level, even getting up earlier. Their during the week runs start at 4:30 am! Who am I, and what has become of me? A running junkie? Ha! But they have been great runs, filled with speed and hills! The girl I ran with this morning decided to let me know towards the end of our 7 miler that she was only 24 yrs old and used to run in college, her specialty : the 800 mts. Uh...thanks for telling me that towards the end of our run. She was lucky I didn't pass out, then she'd have to stop to do CPR on me and that would have ruined her time.

But, really I am glad to have found this people and excited to be learning new things about what my body can do. Kind of like when I first started running after my first baby. Finding out that I could run a little faster and further than a 5 K, I just didn't know it. I'm kind of getting that same sense of satisfaction and accomplishments all over again, and it feels good.

The quest for this weekend: 18 miles. My furthest run yet.

What I did this week:

Sat: 16 miles (not 17 as planned)
Monday: 4 miles, recovery run
Tuesday: 9 miles of rolling never ending hills
Wednesday: rested (should have run 4-5 easy miles)
Thursday 7 miles at 8'30 pace

Happy running to all of you out there! May you conquer all your running quests!

Not sure I'll do this again

 Cool picture I took after being done with my run. That little white dot behind that cloud is the moon.

 

I went out on my 8 mile tempo run, all alone this morning. It was very scary to be running alone in the dark at 5:30 am. My heart was beating fast and my breathing was very heavy, and it wasn't because of how fast I was running just to get out of that little 2 mile canyon stretch, I was really scared and nervous, I was even shaking a little bit, all the while thinking "What in the heck am I doing!?" and battling in my head whether I should turn around and go home and trying to gather the courage to keep going and just get it over with. My heart almost stopped when I saw and heard something moving behind the trees; two deer! I could picture in my head someone jumping from behind a bush. I was sure I would not make it out of there alive. Where were all the other runners we always come accross (Mrs J's been injured and could not make it ) That was the one thing that got me out there, thinking that there is always so many people on that route. Not today! Well, as you can see I did make it out alive, and I'm glad no one had to find the note I left in my car with my whereabouts, you know, in case I went missing.  I do think is amazing how you can get away from busy downtown Salt Lake City and back to the peace and quite of nature in just a couple of minutes though.

On a bright note. One of the things I love about this route is the view of the city below. Before the sun comes up you can see the city lights just as bright as you would at night, it all changes within minutes right before your eyes. The lights begin to disappear and the sky becomes alive with shades of blue, and pink. A good way to start the day., scare and all.

 

The capitol at 7 am. Wondering what all those people in suits do in there. It sure looks like a fun place to work at.

 

**Note to self: "Do not go up the scary trail alone at 5:30 am again!**

week 10

 The plan

Monday:  5 slow recovery run
Tuesday: Zumba aerobics
Wednesday: 8 mile tempo
Thursday: 5x800 Yasso
Friday: upper body and abs
Saturday: 17 miles

Only 6 weeks til Marathon!

My four year old keeps telling people "I'm running a Marathon with my mom" I'm so glad to see her taking notice and hoping this will help her be active and healthy as she grows up. I'm also looking forward to one day crossing the finish line with my little girls, and later, much later even running a Marathon by their side. That would be awesome!

Week 9 and part of 10

Last week I had an interesting week getting all my miles in. Mondays easy recovery run started not so good. We weren't even into a mile in when I could feel like a little pinch in achilles tendon, that and  and my calves felt as if they were on fire. I had to stop and take a walking break for a few minutes, then went really slow from there. We got our 4 miles in, but I could feel every minute of them, my calves were really, really tight. I sat down on my couch that night and tried to massage them, but felt that it was making it worse, they kept getting tighter and tighter. I put some ice on them, but couldn't really feel any relief. I rested the next morning and felt better by Wednesday. My running buddy couldn't come that morning so I thought I'd wait until a little later when there would be a little bit more light and I could feel comfortable going alone. I think I waited too long. I got up there at about 6:30 am. I started out slow and then realized I was going to be really late going back home and had to pick it up if I wanted to make it on time to get my little ones and myself ready for school. So what was supposed to be a 7 mile tempo run, turned into a 7 mile speedwork run. My calves where killing. I was sure I would be sorry later and that this run would result in an injury. I did some more icing that night and tried to massage it. I went on a slow 4 miler the next morning, could not finish the 4th mile and decided to go home before it turned worse. I walked the next day, applied some more ice and yes, I ventured out into my first 16 mile run the next day. I thought I would get out there and play it by ear. I would run slow and if I felt like I just could not do it, I would just turn around and come home. The first 3 or 4 miles where a bit uncomfortable, but not as bad as I'd imagined. I went past a certain point and to my surprise I started feeling  really, really good. I kept it slow to be on the safe side and was able to run 16.5 miles in 2 hrs and 50 min. I felt really good all day long and was again surprised the next morning when I wasn't super sore and could walk up and down stairs and get on the floor, and back up, to  play with my little girl in nursery at church. I think there is a benefit on going slow come recovery time. I like it!

This week I decided that I am going to go solo for the rest of my marathon training. So to be able to run alone in the mornings I decided to run a combination of treadmill and street running. Monday I got up early and went to the gym at the same time I would normally be outside. I did three miles on the treadmill and then came home when there was a little more light and run outside another 2 miles. This way I won't be tortured running on the treadmill for the whole 5 miles. Three miles on the treadmill is really just all I can take. This week my tempo runs go up to 8 miles and I am planing on running those with Jessica from church, and going to the park for speedwork on Thursdays. I feel the park is a safe place because there is other runners there before 6 am, even thought we shouldn't be there. I hope I don't get a ticket or something. Anyway, I'll see how this goes.

This weekend long run calls for another 16 miles, but since I did a little more this past weekend I'm shooting for 17. I think I will be OK.  After this week there is only 6 weeks til crunch time, EEK! and exciting!

Moral of the week: "Slow is good"

Happy running!

Week 8

Last week's long run didn't go as planned. First I set my alarm but forgot to actually turn it on. So I woke up to two little monkeys jumping on my bed telling me it was time to "wakie-wakie!" And missed the first group run I was planning on doing. I was determined to make it happen anyway, so I got on my computer to map a route. City Creek sounded like a good idea. New scenery, gradual elevation. Going up= fun coming down in my book. So I maped my 11 mile run and zoomed in on google maps to find my marker, a water reservoir right at mile 5.5, perfect!  or so I thought. So I ran, no running buddy, Mrs. B. has had a situation come up and unfortunately she is postponing her Marathon training to give priority to other things going on in her life right now.  Someone in my ward told me about a running group she is actually part of and I will start training with her and the group on the weekends, support van and all, YAY!

It was so nice to be able to go on a run by myself. It is true you shouldn't always run alone, but also that you should not always run with company. Being aware of yourself, listening your own thoughts and breathing as your feet pound the road, it's kind of spiritual. A very powerful thing. Add being wrapped by falling snow as you cruise down the Canyon and it can not get any better than that. I needed this run. Now for the bad news. What I thought would be 11 miles, turned out to be 11 km= 9 miles. Duh! I didn't change the little option to read distance in km to ml! I was so surprised with my time, I knew there had to be something off. I had to recheck my map when I got home and sure enough. I'm not as fast as I thought that day. Such a dummy! Anyway, this will not happen again, I hope.

The plan for this weekend will be to turn my alarm on to wake up on time to go on a 14 mile run with the group.

On another note. I was able to read about the Yasso speed training technique and tried it out for the first time today. I am a little challenged when it comes to all the gibberish often used when talking about running and found that this actually made sense. It was simple and easy to remember, so I tried it and loved it. I specially like the part where it says that my projected time for the marathon can be foretold with this simple technique. So I will be making it part of my training once a week until tapering week.  Thanks for the plug Jen!

Week 8 training schedule.

Monday: 4 miles easy recovery run
Tuesday:  Crosstrain. 1 hr Zumba aerobics.
Wednesday: 6 mile pace run
Thursday:  2 mile warm up. 4 x Yasso 800s
Friday:  Stretch, abs and upper body.
Saturday: 14 miles long run.

Hope you are having a great time running too!

Week 7

 The plan for this week

 Monday: 4 mile recovery run
Wednesday: 7 mile pace run
Thursday: 4 miles fartlek (that word makes me giggle)
Saturday: 11 miles long run

Learning new things

It's been a week since I completed my 30 days without sugar challenge, and even though I did not loose all the weight that I wanted, I do feel it benefited me tons. So much that I'm doing it again this month, starting yesterday. It took me a few days to finally kick my butt in gear and get going once again, after 3 or 4 days of bad eating my body was not feeling 100%. Not only would I get a headache after eating but I  felt bloated and gassy (yes I just said that) all the time as if I had been eating non stop, which wasn't the case, but I wasn't eating the best foods, instead I was reaching for sugary stuff and breads, both my weakness. So I have a new motive this time, not only challenging my self and loosing weight, but being healthy and feeling good. It's only being a couple of days, but It has not been hard at all and I'm not having cravings, I feel at ease, even peaceful. I'm adding a little twist to it this time and allowing myself a treat once a week, so it will be more like 1 week without sugar at the time. This will be my experiment to see if I can find the balance that I need to have this be more of a lifestyle than a diet.

On another note, my marathon training is going good. I have mentioned finding a running buddy and training together for what will be both our first marathon. It has been and interesting experience and I'm learning more than I expected, but I guess that is the journey. right? My running buddy and I started at two very different places and condition, and I have been stressed about our pace and time. If you are familiar with my training style you would know that time  is very important for me and I always want to improve that. Time is pretty much what drives me and I become pretty competitive with myself at beating previous PRs. Well, training at someone else's pace has been frustrating, so much that my running buddy has taken notice. I'm not very proud of myself for letting that side of me show. I was bringing in a lot of negativity and unwanted tension that I knew a decision needed to be made where either two people would be left without a running partner and support system or I would just have to humble myself and cool it in order to help both my running buddy and myself reach our marathon goal. So I decided to go with the second one. Mrs B. has not only been patient with me but has push herself beyond her comfort zone. She is always ready with a mapped route and learns every single mile marker, she is full of tips, and stretches and knows every single bone and muscle name in the body. She's my little encyclopedia. I think I'll keep her.
Also anyone agrees that it is a lot safer being with someone out there in the wee hours of the day when it is still as dark as night, and I have to admit having someone whom I know will be waiting for me at 5:30 am makes it easier to leave the comfort and warm of my bed when I'd rather be sleeping and  don't forget those long runs ahead will be easier to bear with some to chat, the things we talk about! Another thing I have been able to notice is that so far recovering after runs has been very minimal and quick. I haven't been tired during or after our runs,  and  have been able to keep my energy up during the day. I also think that my risk for injuries will be lower and there's even a chance that I won't have to deal with that.

So I'm trying to stay focus on the positive side of things and reminding myself of the advice often read and given that as a first time marathoner I should not be concerned about my time, but the experience and being able to cross the finish line and that is what I will do.

This week

I missed one run this week. I've been going to the Gym at night to get my short runs in and I think the treadmill and I are becoming fond of each other, specially on speed work days. I can keep better track of my "speed", if going 9 miles/hr is considered fast to anyone besides me. Anyway, I have seen some improvement on my "speed" this week. Today was proof of that. I did my 8 miles in 1 hr 15 mins! That was an average pace of 9.26 miles/hr. I was pleased with myself. I also got my cross training in on both days that I was supposed (pad myself on the back)

Here's what I did this week:

Monday: missed my run
Tue: 3 miles
Wed: 3 miles on the elliptical
Thurs: 5 miles
Friday: stretch and abs
Sat: 8 miles @ 9.26 pace

On Sugar

Today makes it 21 days on the sugar free diet for me. Let me rephrase that "sugar free challenge." For some reason if I think of it as a challenge instead of a diet a feel more driven and motivated to do it.

Someone asked me to remind her of the benefits of eating sugar free when everyone else was eating yummy food, hehe! I feels that way to me too.  So I did a little research to help shed some light on the subject and found a lot of information. I narrowed it down to these three articles, all very informative and educating.

This one talks about the ugly truth about sugar:
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm

This one is a little more simple and talks more about the benefits of going sugarless:
http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/health_food/healthy_eating/health_advantages_of_eating_sugar_free.html

This is a list of examples for Simple and Complex Carbohydrates:
http://www.howtothinkthin.com/instincts2.htm

I hope this answers your question! Oh, and think happy thoughts. That helps too :)

Cross training and stuff

I created this blog to keep track of my progress, training, miles, and just to be able to look back through it and see the things I can accomplish that I once thought I couldn't or was too afraid to try. Every single mile stone of my running "carrier" has been exactly that. Something that I didn't know I could do or was afraid to try once. I also hope to inspire someone, just one person. I know I have been inspired by many, so this can be my little way of paying it forward. 

On another note. Today was a cross training day. As I have stated in the past, on my other personal blog, I suck at cross training. I'm really bad at it. I just don't have the same motivation to do anyother type of exercise than running.  I think running running doesn't really take a special skill or knowledge at least to get you started,  like lifting weights or yoga, or pilates, to do those I need an instructor or someone to tell me how many reps to do, etc. Running is more about pushing yourself on your own terms and being in touch with  your body, and mind. Sure there are things like posture and speed work, but I didn't know or care about any of those when I first started and I could still run pretty decently, I think. Anyway,  I suck at cross training. I went to the gym today specifically for that and I didn't know what to do. So I just got on the elliptical for 3 miles, then tried to do some of the machines to work my arms, but wasn't really feeling it  and pretty much just gave up and came home. I signed up for an appointment with a personal trainer next week on my way out, I'm sure that will help.

On my plans for my long run this weekend. I will be sticking to our original (my running buddy and mine) training schedule, instead of the running group's. I have been freaking out about our schedule not being there with everyone else's. Everyone else's is already at 12ish miles and ours is at 8 this coming week, but we will get there eventually. I think that is because we are doing a 16 week schedule instead of a 25 week which I see a lot of people do.

On another note. The 30 day sugar free challenge is going good. I am 18 days into it and feeling great. I am kind of bummed on the weight I have lost though. Not much. I have only lost 3 lbs. Last time I lost 4 lbs in the first week only, and 8 lbs total. I don't see that happening this time and I have been very strict, VERY STRICT. We'll see how that goes. Maybe I'll start keeping a food diary in here as well.

Anyway.Got to run! Ha!

Bad air and stuff

I read in an article today that said that the levels of carbon monoxide in the air were so high that going running on a day like today would be like smoking a pack of cigarrettes! Talk about black lung! So this week I was forced to buying a gym membership and thanks to that have been able to get all my miles in this week. I will see to get my money's worth out of this gym membership, maybe this time I will actually throw some cross training into the mix. Today for my long run though, I went to the Olympic Oval, they have an indoor track field that goes around the ice skating rink and supposedly they have the best air filtration in town. I liked it way better than the treadmill, 4 miles in the treadmill almost drove me crazy, I can not imagine 7! I also found a running group with the Salt Lake Running Company. Today was my second run with them. They are also training for the Salt Lake Marathon in April. Their schedule is a little further into the long runs than mine, but I think I can make the jump from 7 miles this week to 12 miles next week. Their schedule made the jump from 4 to 10 miles in an earlier week so I think I should be OK.

Here are my miles this week:

Monday: 30 min on the elliptical
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: 3 miles
Saturday: 7 miles @ 9.33 pace

My new running blog

Ta-da! My new running blog! I've been battling with whether or not I should start my own running blog separate from my family's blog in an effort to keep things simple but, here I am now! I can go on and on about running here and have my own little place in the world wide web. Do I need to elaborate on my blog title? I think it is pretty much self explanatory. Welcome to my Running Blog!