Uh hello, has anyone ever read this blog.
It's been more than 3 years since I have posted!
In the interim I've had 2 babies and won a marathon!
Still haven't achieved all of my time-related goals and also might want more babies, so, like....Father Time is after my ass.
Will I write more about any of this? WE SHALL SEE
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Dave's Run for ALS 5k
Uh, well, how much can I even say about a 5k? Let's find out.
So as I mentioned, this should have been a pretty fast course, however there was some pretty intense wind that would be in our faces for the first half of the race....so before we even started I knew it would be a little rough and probably not as fast as I hoped. I had walked around claiming that I was just running "for fun" and "didn't care about my time" (never true), and I figured the conditions would hold me to that lie.
Anyways as I said the wind was pretty intense the first mile and I tried real hard to stay with a pack. Luckily this was everyone else's plan as well so I actually did get to draft a little bit, although it didn't feel like it helped at all. About 1.5 miles in we turned so the wind was at our backs, and I have to say that it didn't feel like it helped me as much as the tailwind hurt. I also noticed throughout the entire race that I was not at all ready to run at a fast pace, and race pictures confirm that my marathon shuffle abides.
The last half mile or so was into the wind again, and let me tell you what it was rough. In the end I was pretty happy with my race: 3rd place female 19:22 (6:17, 6:05, 6:12, last 0.1 6:00).
Side note, 19:22 is my PR and this is the third race that I've run that exact time. It's good motivation to train hard for the next 5k, if I run 19:22 again I'm hanging up my 5k shoes for good.
So as I mentioned, this should have been a pretty fast course, however there was some pretty intense wind that would be in our faces for the first half of the race....so before we even started I knew it would be a little rough and probably not as fast as I hoped. I had walked around claiming that I was just running "for fun" and "didn't care about my time" (never true), and I figured the conditions would hold me to that lie.
Anyways as I said the wind was pretty intense the first mile and I tried real hard to stay with a pack. Luckily this was everyone else's plan as well so I actually did get to draft a little bit, although it didn't feel like it helped at all. About 1.5 miles in we turned so the wind was at our backs, and I have to say that it didn't feel like it helped me as much as the tailwind hurt. I also noticed throughout the entire race that I was not at all ready to run at a fast pace, and race pictures confirm that my marathon shuffle abides.
 |
| Note feet less than one centimeter off the ground |
Side note, 19:22 is my PR and this is the third race that I've run that exact time. It's good motivation to train hard for the next 5k, if I run 19:22 again I'm hanging up my 5k shoes for good.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Now what
Uh, so, I am having a bit of post-race depression, guys (she says to the empty internet room). This is not surprising, as there is a sudden void in my life left by the training & obsession. Right now I'm filling that void with junk food but that's getting old and I'm starting to feel sluggish, so what's next up for ol' Katie? (A SALAD FOR SLUGGO, FIRST OFF, THAT'S ENOUGH NUGGETS N FRIES NOW)
Well, job #1 is to make myself rest and recover properly so I don't burn all the way out. I've just been doing some easy jogging, maxing out at 5 miles so far. I plan to make myself stick to that for at least a full week post-marathon....although I may have to get out on the old Saguaro loop this weekend. I promise to take it real easy if I do.
I actually have a pretty full spring schedule of races planned, all pretty short ones (THANK THE HEAVENS). First up on March 15th is Dave's Run for ALS, a 5k in Marana north of Tucson that looks to be on a fast-ish course. On that same day is one of my favorite Tucson races, the Green Isle Mile that starts off the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown. If I'm feeling extra fly I might try to jump in that race after the 5k, the timing works out to a few-hours break and that could be fun.
Nothing else planned for the rest of March, then in April-May there are quite a few races. I think I'll finally try to work strength and core exercises in to my training about 3x a week.....after looking at the Hunchy McSlumperson pictures of me running at the end of the Phoenix Marathon, I think it'd do me good.
Well, job #1 is to make myself rest and recover properly so I don't burn all the way out. I've just been doing some easy jogging, maxing out at 5 miles so far. I plan to make myself stick to that for at least a full week post-marathon....although I may have to get out on the old Saguaro loop this weekend. I promise to take it real easy if I do.
I actually have a pretty full spring schedule of races planned, all pretty short ones (THANK THE HEAVENS). First up on March 15th is Dave's Run for ALS, a 5k in Marana north of Tucson that looks to be on a fast-ish course. On that same day is one of my favorite Tucson races, the Green Isle Mile that starts off the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown. If I'm feeling extra fly I might try to jump in that race after the 5k, the timing works out to a few-hours break and that could be fun.
Nothing else planned for the rest of March, then in April-May there are quite a few races. I think I'll finally try to work strength and core exercises in to my training about 3x a week.....after looking at the Hunchy McSlumperson pictures of me running at the end of the Phoenix Marathon, I think it'd do me good.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Phoenix Marathon recap
All right, well, I guess I better write this race up before I forget it all. The short recap: 3:03:59, 3rd place AG/10th overall. Mood: trying very hard to be happy about it, somewhat successfully.
Day before the race went fine, I did a short jog in the morning and spent the day in Phoenix with my parents, lazing around a local park and taking care of things like bib pick-up. I tried to eat plenty of carbs, not sure if everything I ate really worked for me because I had some stomach issues during the race. I did sleep pretty well which is unusual and great.
Race morning, I woke up at 3:15 a.m., ate some breakfast, and headed off to catch a bus to the start. I had an easy time finding my buddies which was awesome and really helped the pre-race hours go by fast. I ate a larger breakfast than usual, hoping to avoid dying in the late stages of the race (ha ha ha HA HAAAA you just wait).
Let me talk for a second about what my race plan was. I planned to divide the race mentally into 3 8-mile chunks and then give it all I had for the last 2.5 miles. I was going to start around 6:55-7:00 pace and get 5-10 seconds per mile faster with each 8-mile section, resulting in a sub 3-hour marathon. I mean, just so you know what the PLAN was, not that what happened was in any way related to this very smart and sensible plan.
Before I knew it we were off and running, and the weather was really nice. Overcast and not (YET) too windy. I felt kind of full already when we started, but I figured that was ok. I felt really great running at about a 6:45 pace. That was a bit faster than planned, but I figured that since the first 4 miles were the most downhill of the race, I was ok. I probably was ok, who knows....I will say that the 3:10 pacer was running at like a 6:40 pace, so if I took off too fast I certainly wasn't the only one. I really wonder if starting off slower might have resulted in a faster finish time.
I continued to feel great for quite awhile...I didn't even feel like I was running until the 6-mile mark, at the end of the only uphill of the race. A Tucson buddy was running with me, to my surprise since he had a slightly slower goal than me, but I really appreciated it. Around mile 8 or so the headwind kicked in, and there were some really tough stretches for the rest of the race. I seemed to find myself in no-mans-land each time there was a big wind, despite my plans to find a big galoot to draft off. In any case, we came through the half in just over 1:29 and I felt good, so I figured the early fast pace was all right. The second we crossed the halfway mark my buddy slowed down and I didn't see him again, which was a little mentally tough but I resolved to go for it.
Untillllllll......
Around mile 16, I started hurting. I needed to eat another Gu but couldn't get it down, which had never happened in training. Also about at this time I remembered my pre-race plan, which I hadn't yet thought about during the race. I had a little cushion of time, so I tried to just relax and mentally tune out until mile 22 or so, but that didn't quite happen...at mile 20 I really lost it and for the last 10k, my pace slowed to 7:30's that felt more like 12 minute miles. I even started to lose coordination in what was probably a pretty hilarious display, first throwing cups of water straight into my face, then knocking them to the ground instead of grasping them. I have never, ever ever ever felt worse in a race in my life, I honestly though I might walk and/or drop out. Well, in any case I held down the barfs and finished in a time that I am really pretty happy with. I'm disappointed in how badly I died at the end since I'd tried so hard to prevent it, but on the other hand I'm glad I went for a fast time. Also, a ~20-minute PR in the course of a year is a good accomplishment.
So let's see, what would I do differently next time? I might just try to chill out a little more in the week leading up to the race, by which I mean not obsessively monitor my every physical motion and bite of food. I think I was a bit overstuffed before the race, and I might back off on that a little bit so that I'm not full when I start to avoid problems eating during the race. Training-wise, I feel like I really did everything I could, so maybe with this training cycle under my belt I'll handle the higher mileage better next time (IF THERE IS A NEXT TIME). I'm sure there are lots of things I can do differently in training but I'm so burnt out on thinking about it right now that I'll worry about that later.
Also my streak is still unbroken, I got my sore and hungover (YEP) self out the the door the next morning for one mile in about 9.5 minutes, and I was very embarrassed by my robot shuffle.
Day before the race went fine, I did a short jog in the morning and spent the day in Phoenix with my parents, lazing around a local park and taking care of things like bib pick-up. I tried to eat plenty of carbs, not sure if everything I ate really worked for me because I had some stomach issues during the race. I did sleep pretty well which is unusual and great.
Race morning, I woke up at 3:15 a.m., ate some breakfast, and headed off to catch a bus to the start. I had an easy time finding my buddies which was awesome and really helped the pre-race hours go by fast. I ate a larger breakfast than usual, hoping to avoid dying in the late stages of the race (ha ha ha HA HAAAA you just wait).
Let me talk for a second about what my race plan was. I planned to divide the race mentally into 3 8-mile chunks and then give it all I had for the last 2.5 miles. I was going to start around 6:55-7:00 pace and get 5-10 seconds per mile faster with each 8-mile section, resulting in a sub 3-hour marathon. I mean, just so you know what the PLAN was, not that what happened was in any way related to this very smart and sensible plan.
Before I knew it we were off and running, and the weather was really nice. Overcast and not (YET) too windy. I felt kind of full already when we started, but I figured that was ok. I felt really great running at about a 6:45 pace. That was a bit faster than planned, but I figured that since the first 4 miles were the most downhill of the race, I was ok. I probably was ok, who knows....I will say that the 3:10 pacer was running at like a 6:40 pace, so if I took off too fast I certainly wasn't the only one. I really wonder if starting off slower might have resulted in a faster finish time.
I continued to feel great for quite awhile...I didn't even feel like I was running until the 6-mile mark, at the end of the only uphill of the race. A Tucson buddy was running with me, to my surprise since he had a slightly slower goal than me, but I really appreciated it. Around mile 8 or so the headwind kicked in, and there were some really tough stretches for the rest of the race. I seemed to find myself in no-mans-land each time there was a big wind, despite my plans to find a big galoot to draft off. In any case, we came through the half in just over 1:29 and I felt good, so I figured the early fast pace was all right. The second we crossed the halfway mark my buddy slowed down and I didn't see him again, which was a little mentally tough but I resolved to go for it.
Untillllllll......
Around mile 16, I started hurting. I needed to eat another Gu but couldn't get it down, which had never happened in training. Also about at this time I remembered my pre-race plan, which I hadn't yet thought about during the race. I had a little cushion of time, so I tried to just relax and mentally tune out until mile 22 or so, but that didn't quite happen...at mile 20 I really lost it and for the last 10k, my pace slowed to 7:30's that felt more like 12 minute miles. I even started to lose coordination in what was probably a pretty hilarious display, first throwing cups of water straight into my face, then knocking them to the ground instead of grasping them. I have never, ever ever ever felt worse in a race in my life, I honestly though I might walk and/or drop out. Well, in any case I held down the barfs and finished in a time that I am really pretty happy with. I'm disappointed in how badly I died at the end since I'd tried so hard to prevent it, but on the other hand I'm glad I went for a fast time. Also, a ~20-minute PR in the course of a year is a good accomplishment.
So let's see, what would I do differently next time? I might just try to chill out a little more in the week leading up to the race, by which I mean not obsessively monitor my every physical motion and bite of food. I think I was a bit overstuffed before the race, and I might back off on that a little bit so that I'm not full when I start to avoid problems eating during the race. Training-wise, I feel like I really did everything I could, so maybe with this training cycle under my belt I'll handle the higher mileage better next time (IF THERE IS A NEXT TIME). I'm sure there are lots of things I can do differently in training but I'm so burnt out on thinking about it right now that I'll worry about that later.
Also my streak is still unbroken, I got my sore and hungover (YEP) self out the the door the next morning for one mile in about 9.5 minutes, and I was very embarrassed by my robot shuffle.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Marathon week
Well I guess I'm not going to be a regular-posting-schedule type blogger, oh man it's gonna be hard to monetize. Too bad because I bet real tedious weekly training recaps bring in the $$$
So all right, I haven't posted here in a couple weeks, what is the haps. Let's do "training highlights and lowlights".
Highlights:
Lowlights:
So now the Phoenix Marathon is this Saturday, let's see, in about the time it took Aron Ralston to cut off his arm with a dull pocket knife I'll be done. I guess I feel pretty good? I think tapering is starting to work its magic. I'm already dreaming about all I'm going to eat and drink when I'm done, and dreading when I'm going to have to get a life when it's over.
So all right, I haven't posted here in a couple weeks, what is the haps. Let's do "training highlights and lowlights".
Highlights:
- 22.5 mile long run 3 weeks ago. 7:26 average pace, although I guess that long run duration is more important than pace, in which case 2:45. Downhill point-to-point, felt super, last 2 miles at sub 3-hr pace. This despite Shark Week commencing at mile 16 if you know what I mean ladies AND I THINK YOU DO LOLOLOL human bodies are disgusting.
- Various good interval workouts
- Tapery 10-mile "long run" this weekend, last 3-4 miles at MP or faster, where 6:50 pace felt like I was really holding back
Lowlights:
- A week of stomach issues resulting in dropping out of a few runs early
- A 16-mile long run where the last 6 miles were supposed to be MP, and I could only do 3 before I had to slow back down, v discouraging
So now the Phoenix Marathon is this Saturday, let's see, in about the time it took Aron Ralston to cut off his arm with a dull pocket knife I'll be done. I guess I feel pretty good? I think tapering is starting to work its magic. I'm already dreaming about all I'm going to eat and drink when I'm done, and dreading when I'm going to have to get a life when it's over.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Training 01/26/2015-02/01/2015
Easy week easy week, here we go
Monday -- 6 miles at 7:35 average pace.
Tuesday -- 12.2 miles total. This workout was Yasso 800's, a super popular marathon-prediction workout. The idea is to do 800m repeats at a pace equal in minutes + seconds. to your marathon goal time in hours + minutes. So if I want to run a 3-hour marathon, I should do these in 3 minutes with 3 minutes rest. I did 10 of them at probably 3:00 average, they ranged from 2:55 to 3:05. Felt surprisingly pretty good, it was very possible. That's wacky, training is wacky, the human body is wacky.
Wednesday -- 6.1 miles at 7:59 average pace.
Thursday -- 12 miles at 7:26 average pace. Most of the run was at 7:30-ish, 10x20 second sprints at the end. For some reason these sprints were the hardest thing I've done in a while.
Friday -- 5 miles at 7:43 average pace. Stuck in my dumb neighborhood due to rain.
Saturday -- 5 miles at 7:22 average pace. The roads were flooded both directions from my house so I ran back and forth between the two floods. Saw a loooot of idiot drivers.
Sunday -- 15 miles total. 10 of this was a "marathon pace" time trial which I ran at 6:43 average. This is about 10 seconds per mile faster than 3:00 pace, and it's a good thing because I did NOT feel like I could have kept it up for 16 more miles.
Total -- 61.2 miles at 7:34 average pace.
Monday -- 6 miles at 7:35 average pace.
Tuesday -- 12.2 miles total. This workout was Yasso 800's, a super popular marathon-prediction workout. The idea is to do 800m repeats at a pace equal in minutes + seconds. to your marathon goal time in hours + minutes. So if I want to run a 3-hour marathon, I should do these in 3 minutes with 3 minutes rest. I did 10 of them at probably 3:00 average, they ranged from 2:55 to 3:05. Felt surprisingly pretty good, it was very possible. That's wacky, training is wacky, the human body is wacky.
Wednesday -- 6.1 miles at 7:59 average pace.
Thursday -- 12 miles at 7:26 average pace. Most of the run was at 7:30-ish, 10x20 second sprints at the end. For some reason these sprints were the hardest thing I've done in a while.
Friday -- 5 miles at 7:43 average pace. Stuck in my dumb neighborhood due to rain.
Saturday -- 5 miles at 7:22 average pace. The roads were flooded both directions from my house so I ran back and forth between the two floods. Saw a loooot of idiot drivers.
Sunday -- 15 miles total. 10 of this was a "marathon pace" time trial which I ran at 6:43 average. This is about 10 seconds per mile faster than 3:00 pace, and it's a good thing because I did NOT feel like I could have kept it up for 16 more miles.
Total -- 61.2 miles at 7:34 average pace.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Training 01/19/2015-01/25/2015
Monday -- 8 miles at 7:42 average pace. Ventured back towards maybe-mountain-lion territory, it was fine. I did too much Googling about mountain lion attacks though so now I'm scared of running in the dark. All "don't run it'll activate their pouncing instinct" "they go straight for the jugular" etc.
Tuesday -- 11.6 miles at 7:19 average pace. WOG workout was 3x12 minutes with 2 minutes of jogging rest, each 12 minutes was supposed to be 4 minutes at MP, 4 minutes at MP-10sec, 4 minutes at MP-20sec. The goal was 6:50-6:40-6:30, who knows what reality was. Something in the range of that or a little faster, it was too hard to figure out the real paces. Felt pretty good.
Wednesday -- 8.4 miles at 7:41 pace. This run had a lot of uphill in the first half, which I inexplicably ran faster than the downhill portions? I don't know.
Thursday -- 13 miles at 7:33 pace. WOG workout was however many miles with 12 x 1 min hard, 1 min easy in there.
Friday -- 8.1 miles at 7:56 pace. Saguaro NP loop, and I tried to take it a bit easy because of the long run coming up Saturday morning.
Saturday -- 20.4 miles at 7:22 average pace. In order to do some downhill running in anticipation of the Phoenix marathon course, I did a point-to-point with a running buddy. It's hard to find a 20-mile stretch of downhill, so this had some pretty significant uphills as well. Maybe 14 miles of this were downhill? Tried to do the last 4 or so at marathon pace, it really wasn't so bad. Last 4 miles were 7:03, 6:43, 6:47, 6:39.
Sunday -- 6.9 miles total. I ran the Sunrise at Old Tucson trail race today....awhile back a bunch of races went on sale and I signed up for them regardless of how they fit into the training schedule. This race is a ~4-mile cross-country style race and my plan was to run pretty easy, as it was rocky and twisty and turny and my legs were painful jello after Saturday. I was happy with my finish, 3rd place overall in an average of 7:00 pace. Sounds cool until I compare the pace to the last 4 of the long run yesterday...
Total -- 76.4 miles, 7:35 average pace. Somehow this week felt way better than the previous week with only 3.5 fewer miles. It's almost as if the body adapts to training or something. Now it's time for a down week and I am super ready.
Tuesday -- 11.6 miles at 7:19 average pace. WOG workout was 3x12 minutes with 2 minutes of jogging rest, each 12 minutes was supposed to be 4 minutes at MP, 4 minutes at MP-10sec, 4 minutes at MP-20sec. The goal was 6:50-6:40-6:30, who knows what reality was. Something in the range of that or a little faster, it was too hard to figure out the real paces. Felt pretty good.
Wednesday -- 8.4 miles at 7:41 pace. This run had a lot of uphill in the first half, which I inexplicably ran faster than the downhill portions? I don't know.
Thursday -- 13 miles at 7:33 pace. WOG workout was however many miles with 12 x 1 min hard, 1 min easy in there.
Friday -- 8.1 miles at 7:56 pace. Saguaro NP loop, and I tried to take it a bit easy because of the long run coming up Saturday morning.
Saturday -- 20.4 miles at 7:22 average pace. In order to do some downhill running in anticipation of the Phoenix marathon course, I did a point-to-point with a running buddy. It's hard to find a 20-mile stretch of downhill, so this had some pretty significant uphills as well. Maybe 14 miles of this were downhill? Tried to do the last 4 or so at marathon pace, it really wasn't so bad. Last 4 miles were 7:03, 6:43, 6:47, 6:39.
Sunday -- 6.9 miles total. I ran the Sunrise at Old Tucson trail race today....awhile back a bunch of races went on sale and I signed up for them regardless of how they fit into the training schedule. This race is a ~4-mile cross-country style race and my plan was to run pretty easy, as it was rocky and twisty and turny and my legs were painful jello after Saturday. I was happy with my finish, 3rd place overall in an average of 7:00 pace. Sounds cool until I compare the pace to the last 4 of the long run yesterday...
Total -- 76.4 miles, 7:35 average pace. Somehow this week felt way better than the previous week with only 3.5 fewer miles. It's almost as if the body adapts to training or something. Now it's time for a down week and I am super ready.
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