I Finally Completed A Long Run!

Three out of the last four long runs were not very successful.

At Riley's Rumble Half Marathon, I barely got in the 11 miles that was on my training plan (and basically walked in most of the last two), two weeks ago, the 9 miler in Central Park became a 7.5 miler (I'm pretty sure I could have done more but the group had finished at that time and I wasn't going to raise a stink about it!), last week's 14 miler in Boynton Beach, FL turned into a 7 miler due to the heat and humidity.

I was a bit nervous that I would meet the same fate this morning for my scheduled 15 miler.

Last night was my Fantasy Football Draft - which lasted until after midnight. (and where I consumed three slices of pizza and three bottles of Shiner Bock - not necessarily running fuel...) I didn't want to get out too late for my run so I could beat the heat...so I knew I wouldn't have much sleep to go on.

I ended up sleeping from about 12:30am until a little before 6am. No alarm, I just somehow woke up at that time. However, I didn't feel dead to the world - so this was a good sign.

The next really good sign is when I opened the door. It didn't feel like thick soup! The humidity had broken with last night's storms - so it was going to be a more comfortable morning.

I believe the lower humidity made all the difference. Even though my legs started to ache a bit after 10 miles in, I was able to continue and push myself through and finish out this run!

I ran over to the neighborhood where I grew up. I had my parents stow a water bottle in their mailbox so I could refill my water bottles mid-run and only carry two 6 oz bottles on my water belt. The extra water was very helpful. I ended up finishing up the entire 16.9oz bottle along with the 12oz that I started with.

I finished up the run in an 11:17/mile pace with an average HR of 156. My last "successful" long run - a 12 miler three weeks ago - I ran at an 11:23/mile pace with an average HR of 158...so there is a small amount of improvement here.

The best thing, though, is after finishing this run I feel "back in the groove" again. After being on the road for a week, my first few runs didn't feel right - I felt really lethargic. Not that I had a spring in my step for 15 miles today, but today's run felt more natural (even on 5 1/2 hours of sleep!)

I'm going to try to hit the sack early tonight. It's back to work tomorrow :-(

Back Into The Long Run Groove

When I trained for my first marathon last year, I did most of my long runs early on Saturday morning - before the family and I went to synagogue.

This is week 5 of my training, and it is only the 2nd Saturday morning long run I have done. (actually, next week I am planning to go to New York to run my long run in Central Park with Team Run To Remember!)

I set out at 6:30am for my 12 mile long run. My plan - keep it slow. I was hoping to be somewhere in the 11:00/mile range and that my HR would stay in the 150s or below.

I put on my Amphipod water belt with two bottles of water, and took two GUs with me - one for 45 minutes into the run and the other for 90 minutes into the run. I also took my iPod - I let the Genius feature put together a playlist first based on Billy Joel's Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, and since that playlist was not going to be long enough, I supplemented it with another Genius playlist based on Simon and Garfunkle's The Only Living Boy In New York (yes, both songs with a New York theme...).

The beginning of this run went very well - my splits were all in the 11:00 to 11:30/mile range and my average HR was in the 150s or below. After mile 7, however, I started to lose steam - I kept up the same pace mostly (mile 8 was slower, but a large part of that mile is uphill), but my average heart rate started to climb into the 160s.

Also, around that time, I felt I needed more water. I rationed my water out until the end, but having a third water bottle would have been nice. Before my next run over 10 miles - especially given that this is summertime - I need to add the third water bottle to my water belt.

I finished the run in 2:16:24 - an 11:23/mile pace, with an average HR of 158. It's a tad slower than I would have liked, and my average HR was higher than I would have liked. However, I ran the entire 12 miles - no walking - which was a big accomplishment given my performance last weekend.

I also decided to check back in my running log to see how I did on my 12 mile run in last year's marathon training. I ran an 11:13/mile pace with an average HR of 153. It was definitely a better effort than now, but there are two main differences - that run was two weeks later into my program, and it was 31 degrees on that run - not in the mid-70s like today. With as hot and humid as it was today, 31 degrees sounds delightful!

Race Prep

Tomorrow morning is the Parks Half Marathon.  I picked up my race packet this afternoon, I have been drinking a good amount of water and gatorade today (and cut down significantly on the coffee and soda - and no beer during the Michigan game), and I had a pasta dinner.

All in all, I'm ready!

A few last minute items to go through tonight and tomorrow morning.  First, I'll need to figure out which shirt I'm wearing and pin my race bib to it.  The weather is going to be a low of 70 degrees tonight - so tomorrow's race will be warm and muggy.  ICK!  I'll most likely wear my Fleet Feet singlet - I have a U of Michigan tank top - which I wore during last year's race -however, given how poorly UofM played today against Notre Dame, I'm not so sure I want to flaunt my UofM apparel tomorrow.

I think I have my nutrition/hydration plan down for tomorrow.  I'll have a granola bar either on the way to the race or when I get there.  I'll bring 3 GUs - I'll most likely only use 2 during the race, but if the weather is really humid and hot I'll have an extra one just in case.  As for hydration - I'm not going to bring my water belt and I'll rely on the water stops on the course.  I'm hoping I don't regret this decision later on...

The one thing that I have have not figured out yet is my race plan.  In the past I have run according to heart rate, however, two weeks ago I ran my 5K trying to stay at a particular pace and I set a PR.  I'll definitely have my heart rate monitor with me tomorrow, however, I'm thinking of trying to keep to a 10:00/mile pace the whole way through - or even better, for the first 9-10 miles and then speed up for the last 3 or 4.   And, if I decide to do this, should I stick with the "official pacer"?

I have conflicting thoughts about running with a pace group.  On one hand, it's a great way to keep a consistent pace throughout the race and meet people who are at the same level/speed as you.  However, I kind of feel like I'm cheating a bit...I mean, someone else is leading you through the race.  Am I crazy to think that this cheapens the race time if I use a pacer?

I'll try to get to bed early so I can get a good night sleep before waking up early for the 7am race start.  Hopefully I'll post a race report tomorrow afternoon while watching some NFL football!

Last Minute Recommendations and/or Encouragement?

I can't believe the race is in THREE DAYS!!!! Unbelievable!

I have started to receive a few emails giving suggestions and recommendations for the race. I'd love to hear from everyone, so please leave your comments. Here's some excerpts from a few emails I've already received:

Jamie wrote: "I checked out the map of the course. I believe it should be fairly flat; although, going out towards the airport and 144 could be hilly....Get plenty of rest the week before, stay off your legs as much as possible, and eat lots of pasta. I'm excited for you - you have been preparing and training for this for a long time, you're ready to have a great run!"

David wrote: "As far as the marathon goes, you've been following a plan and that's the
main thing. If you keep to your pace, you'll do fine. If you think you feel good and get going too fast, you'll pay for it later....As for fueling and hydration, you've probably got that pretty well worked out. Avoid the temptation to take in more--it won't help. Most inexperienced runners have problems from over-consumption, not underconsumption. Even if you're burning 600+ calories/hr, you can't take in that much because you can only process about 250-280 cal/hr. But you don't need that much anyway, because you've got about 2000 cal of glycogen on board when you start and enough body fat to run to Indianapolis. Body fat converts slowly, however, which is why without any supplemental energy many runners bonk at about 20 miles...Keep hydration to about 20-25 oz/hr unless it's a real hot, humid day. Overhydration takes out far more beginning marathoners than dehydration. Electrolytes are your main concern...The main thing is to go with your training, keep your pace, and fuel/hydrate only as much as you can process, which is a lot less than you're actually expending. Start hydrating early, though and keep it
constant.

Thanks everyone!!!!

The Weather Is Relative

During my training over the winter, if there was an overnight low of 44 degrees with a 40% chance of showers, I'd most likely lay out shorts and a long sleeved shirt and a baseball cap.

That's the forecast for tomorrow morning, and I'm considering wearing running tights, and a windbreaker over a long sleeved shirt. It's funny what a few weeks of warm weather will do to you!
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Day 1 of The Taper Week has gone pretty well. First of all, I'm able to eat breads again - so I had a bagel for breakfast. YUMMMM. I definitely missed bagels! I had black bean burritos with baby spinach for dinner - I missed Mexican food as well :-)

Since I didn't cross train yesterday, I went to the gym this morning and did 36 minutes on the elliptical. It was nice to get my body moving - even if it was not for a run.

Rick left a nice comment for me about how strange this week will be in terms of my runs. 3 miles, 4 miles and 2 miles - and then rest, rest. I know I'm going to WANT to run more. But I will respect the taper.

I'm also trying to hydrate a bit more this week. I had a liter of water with NUUN tablets at my desk today. I'll try do drink a lot of water and/or electrolyte drinks during the week this week. And I'll try to cut down on the alcohol...not that I'm a big drinker, but I normally have about 2-3 drinks a week due to doctors orders to help raise my HDL cholesterol (seriously...those are doctor's orders!).

It's kind of a bummer, as I was going to have a drink tonight to celebrate - I took my Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Exam at work today and passed on the first try! OK...perhaps I will have a small glass of wine in celebration as we have an open bottle of Shiraz in the fridge...

No Rain - Hooray!!!

So yesterday I was a bit bummed out that the weather was supposed to be cold and rainy this morning. I'm glad to report that it did not rain! It was a bit chilly - 37 degree wind chill - however, I dressed appropriately so it was not too bad.

I had a difficult time keeping my heart rate below 150 at the rate that I wanted to run. I believe this is attributable to my blood donation earlier this week - my body has not fully bounced back to its full aerobic capacity. I also think that I may be a bit dehydrated - I drank lots of water on Monday after the blood donation, but on Tuesday and Wednesday I was not in my office and I ended up drinking more coffee and sodas. I got some NUUN tablets this afternoon to try and get some electrolytes back in me...we'll see if that works.

I ended up running pretty well - 12.25 miles in 2:11:43 - a 10:45/mile pace. My average heart rate was higher than I would like for a long run - 159 - but I'm hoping that some more time and hydration will help bring that back to where it should be.

I had a lot on my mind during my run, so the time went quickly. There are a few issues at work which are bugging me a bit - one of which is how to convince my management on the number of Project Manager I need for my current project, as they are not sold on my initial recommendation - so I had a few ideas that I may try to work on during my plane ride to Dallas tomorrow night.

I also was thinking about the NCAA Tourney - I did get to catch the OT buzzer shot that put Western Kentucky over Drake, but all in all I have not spent much time on the Tourney this year. In previous years, I would fill out multiple brackets, read about how the teams did in the regular season and their conference tournaments, and would take at least one of the afternoons off during the first round to watch some games. I actually was planning to "work" from the Wine Harvest Cafe on Friday afternoon - they have free WiFi and a television that would have the games on...multitasking at its best! However, at around 3:45 on Friday afternoon a colleague of mine IMed me asking if I was there and I had totally forgotten about going! I believe that I may have lost about 1 hour of productivity during work this week on the NCAA Tourney - it must be a record for me :-)

The backdrop to all these thoughts was wonderful scenery - I saw a few deer when I ran on the overpass through Seneca Creek Park on Great Senaca Highway - and some Israeli music. I listened to Rami Kleinstein's "Tagid Et Zeh" and then a collection of Israeli Hits from 2006 "Rak B'Yisrael 2006".