First 15 mile run

Well, our first 14 mile schedule run was this weekend. I ran from home so in total 14.9 miles (ok I rounded up to 15...close enough. I wasn't sure how the day was going to go because I had two pieces of pizza on Friday night, ice cream and then slept at home with no a/c. Neither of us slept much because it was so warm in the house. This was my first run without Marin with me because now it's Richard's turn to take her.

I felt good the entire run with even some gas in the tank at the end. Sharon and I brought the final 1/2 mile home running around 8 min/mile (7:44 when I looked at my watch). I'm very happy with the run and how I felt before it, during it and after it.

PACE: At some points, I found the pace challenging because we were running at a slower pace than I am use to lately. While that was probably a struggle, it's probably the reason why I had energy toward the end of the run. Diana was out running with us this week (she was on her bike) and she was very clear to remind us that pacing ourselves is key to a good run without hurting ourselves but also in finishing strong. That is my goal so I will listen to the experts in the crowd.

NUTRITION: I worked hard to remember my shot blocks and made sure to drink my water during the intervals. This may be the key to the stamina required (I suppose that sounds obvious but I will keep working on it).

RECOVERY: I think the recovery stretch makes a big difference in how I recover and how I feel for the rest of the day. I didn't even need a nap :-)

HEART RATE: My heart rate was lower than it is usually is after a long run. 158 vs 164 ... again proving the point that there was gas in the tank.

Sunday was a tough day because I was pretty tired. I slept 10 hrs Saturday night so I guess these things have a way of taking their toll on us. I keep reminding myself that if it were easy, everyone would do it. I guess that's why not everyone does it. I mentioned to someone at work this week that the run kicked my butt and their response was "maybe you should slow down". NOT a chance!!! That's the point. I can't accomplish my goal without getting my butt kicked a little.

I would like to run at 9:30 pace and then taking the walk breaks. I would like to keep aiming for an avg 10 min/mile. So far seems possible.

12 mile run

So today's run was FANTASTIC!! The weather was 66 when I left the house. What a difference 2 weeks make! Marin and I set out to park at Deli Lane so we could drive home after breakfast. From the hospital we set out to run 12 miles. None of the miles seemed hard today. I didn't wonder at any point in time when it was going to end. I felt really good the entire way. I don't think I have said that before. I really think the weather is helping.

The new Pearl Izumi got their debut today. I love these shoes!! 12 miles and they were great the entire time. Avg heart rate was 158 bpm. That's a little lower than usual so that's a great sign. I knew that training all summer would be good for me and now I am super happy that I plugged away for so long.

I am starving all the time now. I continue to gain a little weight but I know it's because I haven't eaten some chocolate and some brownies. I need to work on staying fuller longer with better foods. My habit of filling the void with 'crap' must stop!

Part 2 of Oct 2 run

I'm back. Having a family and a training schedule sure does take some discipline. It's Sunday night and I'm back to writing about the Saturday morning run. I guess I know why I'm tired all the time. Life doesn't really stop.

I will say that I now realize how focused Richard and I seem to be on our training. Some people could call us self involved while others (and us) would say focused.

The run was fabulous yesterday morning. As a group, we had our fastest run to date. We ran 8 miles as a group and I ran 9 because I ran from home to the hospital with Marin. I felt really good. The morning was fresh but it was still a little humid. I wasn't sure how the day was going to go but it went really well. We were all feeling great and pushing the limits at times. I am working on the shot block routine. I did better this week but still not on target. This will become increasingly important as the distance starts to get higher. Right now, I can still manage. This week we started from SMH which is a little better than Key Biscayne because then we don't have to do the bridge. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the extra workout and the change of scenery but it is nice to get up and leave from home. My average heart rate was much lower than it has been in weeks. I averaged 156 bpm over 8 miles. Pretty good.

I am looking forward to the Marine Corps 10k at the end of the month. My goal is to beat my time at the ALS (56:32 net/chip time). That would mean that I would need to run under a 9 min mile. I KNOW that I can do it but it's fast for me. Let's hope the weather cooperates.

Now on to the trouble spots after all the good stuff. The last two weeks have caused me to reevaluate my plan. My legs have had some discomfort, especially in the calves. I couldn't seem to get ride of the feeling so I called Ernie. Ernie is our expert neuromuscular therapist. We LOVE Ernie!!! He came over on Wednesday and without giving you all the details, said my legs were pretty much a mess! What does that mean...well, it turns out that the extra stuff that I have been doing at work at lunch to work out is probably not a good thing. All the different exercises are working my quads and they seem to be tired of all the work. So my other muscles are compensating. The solution you ask??? Lots of stretches and some hamstring work. I need to strengthen the opposite muscles. I guess that makes sense. So no more BOSU for a while. Instead, I am going to work on the hamstrings, core and stretches. I guess that's ok. Trust me it's less fun but the pain isn't worth it and I really really really don't want to get hurt. I want to train for this marathon and then finish in the normal amount of marathon pain. Not the kind of pain where you need to stay in bed for 2 months.

I do feel much better today. I'm not sure if it's Ernie's great massage from Wednesday, all the stretches I have done since then, the great stretch routine that Edwin put us through after our run on Saturday or all of the above. I just know that my legs feel wonderful today.

Now for one more truth. I have been starving for two days now. Even though I have had good meals with solid proteins, veggies and carbs, I cannot stop being hungry. I have eaten so much chocolate this weekend, it's frightening. I made the mistake of buying Halloween candy on sale this week so that we had it in the house in case mom wants to give it out and now that's all I think about!! I hope tomorrow is better.....

So there! That's all the dirty truths. I will be back tomorrow after spin class hopefully to let you know that all is well and the class was good.

October 2 & other runs

WOW! I suck! I cannot believe it's been three weeks since I updated my runs. I thought I missed last week but didn't realize I had missed two full weeks of long runs.

I'll start with this week's runs. They were great!!! The weather has cooled off a little so running is sooo much easier. Tuesday night was a great 4.8 mile run. I ran the first two miles at less than a 9 min mile. I was feeling great! I then decided that running with my friends was more important so I held up and then ran with them. I'm glad I did because we solved a few world issues :-). I missed Thursday's run but did get out on Friday morning. It was only 72 outside so running was great. I was running an 8:20 to 8:40 pace. I had to force myself to slow down. AWESOME!!!! I'll write more later about today's run.