Norvo Nordisk New Jersey Half Marathon Race Report - 2:04:46

Hello there! Let's see, this is the first road race I've entered since the Army 10-Miler way back when. As I've mentioned in the past, I've been struggling finding motivation to run, since I just wasn't enjoying it very much. Alex paces the marathon every year, and I've been wanting to run the half each time, only I was never prepared. Finally, though, I was prepared enough this year.

A little backstory, if you will:

In December, a climbing friend asked Alex and I if we were interested in a 10-miler trail race in February. Instead of thinking I wouldn't have time to train, I decided to use it as an opportunity to return to running. All the while, this race was in the back of my mind. The trail race came and went (pro tip: walk the uphills of a trail race), and I hadn't yet registered for the half. My semester also picked up, and I used that, the cold, and early morning wake up times as an excuse to slack off. Yet, I knew I would be disappointed for putting it off once again.

Eventually, I finished up with three 10-mile runs, which should allow me to at least complete the race.

About the course:
The NJ half marathon features a decently flat course through the surrounding neighborhoods of Long Branch, finishing on the boardwalk of the beach. The only inclines are bridges, and maybe one or two slight uphills on the streets. There is water and Gatorade at every water stop, and they hand out Honey Stinger gels around mile 7-8. The only con is the construction along the first section of the boardwalk, resulting in some tight turns before heading onto the straightway of the boardwalk. Those condos gotta get built, though!

I'd definitely run the half again next year.

The weather was cool, slightly windy, and drizzling at the start, eventually warming up to a respectable temperature with no rain. The sun came out during the three hour mark of the marathon. By that point, though, I had finished and was wearing all four layers of clothing from my gear bag (pants, fleece top, Uberlayer, and rain jacket.)

Outfit report:

Energy gels: Boom Nutrition. The ingredients include actual fruit purees and are some of the best tasting gels I've ever used. My favorite is the apple cinnamon, though I like all of them, except the orange vanilla.

Shoes: New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v7 Brooklyn Half.
I got them on sale. I had been developing a hot spot on the inner side of my right foot almost each time I ran, unless I taped that spot up. The other downside is that they're not very cushioned, and I don't think I'd buy them again. I had considered wearing an old, comfortable pair of shoes for the race, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Nothing terrible happened to my legs in them, though I know I'd benefit from a softer shoe.

Socks: Wrightsock in size large (for a women's 9.5 shoe size). I bought these last minute at work. With the shoes mentioned above, the thicker socks I usually run in make my wide foot feel too squeezed. I really enjoyed these socks and would buy more.

Shorts: Patagonia Strider Running Shorts. My old Pearl Izumi racing shorts are too small and my Nike Tempos are blagh. These are very comfortable and include a small zippered pocket on the back. I'm gonna get the Strider Pro shorts next time because they have more pockets for gels and such. I wear a size small in these.

Watch: Garmin 230. Measurements always seem off from the course.

Top: An old Adidas top that doesn't chafe. It's a little long, and normally that's not a problem, except I wore a Nathan running belt underneath so that I had my phone with me after the race. The belt was too big and my shirt rode up the entire race.

Bra: Brooks Frontrunner in size small. This is a seriously flattering bra with good support for me. I have two of them and love it.

Hat: An old Brooks hat I picked up a while back.

Hair report: Low pony.

Race details:

Watch time and distance: 2:04.47 - 13.43 miles

Despite what my training paces indicated, I thought I might have a chance to break two hours if I paced decently. I opted to start near the 2:00 pace group and see how I felt.

Mile 1 - 9:19.24
Decent. My "fastest" 10-miler had been with the half marathon's training group, with an average 9:20-ish pace. I felt comfortable here.

Mile 2 - 9:00.47
Seemed a bit fast, since a 2-hour half is a 9:09 pace. I felt okay, and figured the pacer would adjust eventually.

Mile 3 - 8:55.43
At this point, the pace group began pulling ahead of me. I immediately knew that trying to keep up would be futile, so I attempted to keep them within sight. Still feeling okay.

Mile 4 - 8:57.61
Still trying to figure out why the pacer kept pulling further and further ahead, but was not trying to catch up.

Mile 5 - 9:02.73
Beginning to realize that I'm out of practice regarding pacing, and I should have stuck to my own plan.

Mile 6 - 9:01.53
While I'm maintaining my pace, I'm beginning to feel tired, which isn't a good sign halfway in.

Mile 7 - 9:12.46
The slowdown begins. Had I paced correctly in the first half, this is the pace I should have sped up to by this point in the race, not slowed down to.

Mile 8 - 9:12.54
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to finish the race at this pace.

Mile 9 - 9:25.64
Unfortunately, I was just unable to maintain it. I was feeling worn down, my hips hurt, and I simply didn't have the base mileage to back up what I was trying to do.

Mile 10 - 9:30.09
There was really nothing I could do at this point other than to focus on my form and look at the restaurants through the downtown portion of the course. I was fortunate that this course is relatively flat.

Mile 11 - 9:29.22
I'm still relatively pleased that I hadn't slowed down more than my training paces, but, boy, was I struggling. I kept thinking about my last half, in Pittsburgh, where I mentally lost it the last two-three miles and walked. At this point, I knew a sub-2 wasn't happening, but I could at least finish the race running.

Mile 12 - 9:39.41
Yup.

Mile 13 - 9:56.84
This is a pretty slow mile. I think it was part boardwalk congestion, partly the wind, partly that my body just would not speed up.

Mile .1 - 4:04.19
My watch measured every mile short by about two tenths. It's never fun, because whenever my watch signals a mile, I know I have to wait for the race markers to see what's actually happening. According to my watch, I averaged a 9:18 pace over 13.4x miles, but according to the race website, it's more of a 9:30 pace.

Clearly, and this has always been my issue, I have yet to learn the art of pacing. Regardless, I'm very pleased that I actually got myself together in time to run it.

My PR in the half is 1:51.xx, and I believe that with actual training, I can break 1:50, so that's going to be my goal for the fall. If not sub 1:50, then close to it.

Thanks for reading!

What was your first race back from an extended period of time off like? What would you have done differently in retrospect?

summertime, and the runnin's easy

Summer is basically the best time of the year. Sure, it gets hot and humid, but the SUN is out, flowers bloom, and everything is green for a while. After a particularly difficult winter, where I basically became a shut-in and was generally unmotivated to do anything but the absolute essentials (and I can't say I did that very well), I plan to maximize every free moment I have this summer by taking advantage of all the things I've been wanting to do, and things I keep saying I want to do but never did.

lacing up my running shoes & breaking out the whisk

After my race in August, I took a sabbatical from everything running and cooking related; my motivation for the former was waning and the latter began to feel like more of a chore than a pleasure. There isn't much to talk about here otherwise, so I put blogging on the back burner until I was ready to begin anew. Fortunately, my dry spell only lasted a month. (It could have been worse, right?)

During the last week of August, I finally had the desire to lace up my running shoes. My iPod wasn't charged and I didn't have my Garmin, but neither of those were necessary. I simply ran for fun, paying attention to just my breathing and the scenery. It got a little rough under the blazing sun, though for the first time in a while I didn't mentally quit. Since I wasn't able to see my distance and pace, I avoided subconsciously racing myself, which happens more than I care to admit. Not only did I feel proud of myself, I started feeling hungry. Not long after, I found my way back into the kitchen.

If you subscribe to Bon Appetit, you'll have noticed an incredible chocolate layer cake in August's issue. Something grand, something chocolate would have made an excellent choice!! But it was too much work - the cake layers, the crumb coat, the final coat, the hazelnut crunch. I needed something simpler. Homemade red velvet cookies sounded promising until I remembered that I was out of red dye. Eventually, I decided to bake madeleines, the simple little French cakes that look impressive without even trying.

Madeleines are made from genoise batter, which is a buttery sponge cake leavened by air (some recipes call for baking powder in addition). These cakes require a scallop-shaped tin or else they can't really be called madeleines. I looked up a David Lebovitz recipe I knew I could trust and set to work, preparing the tins to chill in the freezer and the batter to rest in the fridge. According to everything I've ever read about madeleines that Lebovitz' recipe confirms, lengthy chilling of both tins and batter aids in majestically humpy cakes, so make sure you plan ahead. Good things come to those who wait, though, and after a quick nine minutes of baking you will be rewarded with perfection.

Unlike cupcakes, which showboat under a mountain of fluffy frosting studded with sprinkles, madeleines tempt you with their delicate scalloped edges defined by a dusting of confectioners' sugar or a light glaze, quietly stealing the show with their elegance. They're small enough that you can eat three at once without inducing a toothache, because believe me, you're not going to eat just one - I speak from experience, people. Unfortunately, there are only a dozen left (I shared them, okay? I haven't been running that much), so I will have to make something else soon.

Hopefully this trend will continue. The cooler temperature will make for more pleasant running conditions, and I'm looking forward to fall baking. I even have a few ideas up my sleeve.

---

Lemon-Glazed Madeleines from David Lebovitz

.

Those are not random scraps of fabric from a sewing project, they're the bra inserts from my running shirt that I cut out. Why? They're useless. Even though I'm not a very big person, running solely in these shirts felt like once bounce away from needing surgery when I hit 30. When I wore a sports bra underneath, I felt like I couldn't breathe because the double layer was very tight. I meant to do this a long time ago...

So, I think running two days in a row might have been too much. I had some shin pain after Sunday's run that has since almost disappeared, though I'm going to be a little more cautious for the time being. I was expecting a bad run yesterday because of the shin pain but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't very bothersome. What bothered me more is my breathing -- I just can't seem to breathe at all when it's hot. I'm working on pushing through it and seeing how far I get.

Remember the race I'm running on Saturday? Yeah... Earlier weather forecasts showed highs of 87 and lows of 67, clear skies, not too bad. I shouldn't have a problem running around 70-80°, though. The humidity might make it rough. We'll see.

What I'm looking forward to the most is the post race massage! No matter how well I self-massage my calf, it never feels as good as when someone else does it. I cannot wait.

Also, I'm going to attempt to run in the morning tomorrow. I've been saying this for a while now and it never happens.

getting out there.

Kroger's had these G Series Energy Chews on sale 10 for $10 so I bought a few packages. Although I'm not running long or hard enough to necessitate the use of supplements, the heat seems to drain a lot of energy out of me (could really be mental, but whatever) and I am hoping these help a little.

Speaking of which, I ran 6.18 without walking. It was more the 79° temperature and 50%-ish humidity that made it possible, though I'm sure the chews helped because it was a nice little progression run.

There's really no need for me to be running six-milers right now, except that I registered for a 10k a few weeks ago. I did it more for motivation than anything, as I was struggling finding a reason to keep running. I figure the thought of crashing in front of a crowd would do it, and it sort of has. The race is the Logan's Run. I have never run this race before due to my usual race schedule, so I'm looking forward to it. Like the Holy Half 10k, this race course is run around Notre Dame's campus, including both their little lakes (read: SHADE!). It should be fun!

My leg is doing alright. I am doing a few lower leg and foot strengthening exercises twice a week along with walking squats and lunges. The calf is responding to it, as there is less of a dull throbbing sensation after I run. I'm paying very close attention to it - if it starts affecting my stride or causes me to limp while walking, I'm going to back off. Between runs, I'm wearing a compression sleeve for half an hour at a time.

Hopefully, everything continues to go well!

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Race Report

Yeah... I did say I wasn't going to run it. However, my leg showed signs of improvement a few days after the initial incident, and my run one week later felt alright. I hate to pass up on a race I trained for, so I decided to go ahead and do it. I felt that although my fitness had been compromised a little I could still pull off a good race.

We drove into Pittsburgh on Friday, arriving late in the evening. On Saturday we headed to the expo where I finally found out which corral I would be in - B. My first time in an assigned corral!

This was also my first large expo (I went to the NYCM expo, but as a spectator). Because of the poor design of the race people, you had to walk to the other end of the expo to pick up your race bag. I'm sure they set it up this way in hopes that you would buy more stuff you don't need/already have/can buy at home. The only item I needed to buy was a packet of Honey Stingers Chews, after which I waited outside because it was too busy and crowded.

During the rest of the day, we walked around Pittsburgh, went back to the hotel, and ate dinner later that night (I had a 12-inch pizza). I guzzled water throughout the day and evening, knowing Sunday would be on the hot side.

My leg felt a little achy, but I didn't have any trouble walking on it. I went to bed feeling alright about the race the next day.

Four a.m. is a really early wake up call. Since all my races are a) in town and b) short, I've never needed to do this before. I woke up surprisingly easily, though, ate breakfast, drank water, gathered my race gear, and got dressed.

We arrived downtown around 5:30 a.m., parked, and made our way over a bridge (if I never cross another bridge on foot in my life I will be a very happy person) and set up shop near the corrals. The race starts at 7:30, so we had a while to wait. I went to the restroom once during this time and should have gone again because I kind of needed to go when I was in the corral. I hoped the feeling would pass. I also entertained my group with my brother's rendition of a mouse tap dancing on a piece of cheese.

Race: Pittsburgh Half Marathon with 25,000 runners. This was my first time running a large race with assigned corrals - I started in corral B.

Goal: sub-1:50 at 8:18 pace

Weather: A little warmer than I'd have liked, a touch humid, and sunny.

Pre-Race: I definitely have pre-race fueling and hydrating down, maybe a little too well with the hydrating part.

Race: I had a setback two weeks prior to Sunday, resulting in 7 days of no running. While this wasn't the sole factor in not obtaining my goal, it didn't make it any easier. I have some sort of soleus strain/pain/something on my left leg, and my right foot had been giving me trouble for the past few weeks.

Mile 1: 8:25.24 - I wasn't sure what pace to run at, knowing my fitness wasn't exactly were I wanted it to be. I had been debating between 8:30 for the first few miles, or trying to keep my 8:18 goal pace. When I hit the first mile I figured 8:20s was fine.

Mile 2: 8:09.07 - So... If you're an experienced runner, this second mile might give you a hint as to how this will end. I felt really great, actually, and the course wasn't as hilly as I thought. I knew there were bridges (many, many bridges) to come, which meant that I would keep my splits around 8:10-20 for the rest of the race. I slowed on the uphills and didn't fly down the downhills, though I didn't slow myself down either. I started hitting the water stops at this point.

Mile 3: 8:14.38 - I can't quite remember -- in fact, I can't quite remember anything specific about the course, but I think I crossed a bridge this mile. The Pittsburgh race course map was so bad that not only did it not show mile splits, it didn't show scale or tell you were the elevation gains were. This would be detrimental to me.

Mile 4: 8:02.30 - By this point, I'm feeling good. I'm managing the bridges and keeping an even pace. I did realize I was running faster than goal pace, but like the idiot I am I thought I was just doing well and could hold it. I can't remember if I grabbed a Gatorade at this point or not because it was on a bridge. It made sense that there wouldn't be a water stop on a bridge, I thought.

Mile 5: 8:09.89 - This mile was on a bridge. I remember it because I didn't see a water stop. I could be confused.

Anyway, at this point, Alex caught up to me. His plan was to run the first 6 miles with me, but it took him a while to catch up. At first, I thought he was a random weirdo pushing me over with his arm. As I turned to say something rude, I realized who it was and was happy to see him.

Mile 6: 8:09.70 - My 10k split clocked in at 51:35, which, according to the website's tracking, was an 8:18 average pace, though the course might have been long. I grabbed a Gatorade. It was starting to heat up and the sun was pretty bright, but I was holding up and managing the uphills. At this point, I still felt strong and my leg and foot, which were suspect during the first three miles, felt fine.

There were bands along the course that I would have thrown my empty water cups at if possible, not because they sucked (I wasn't listening to their tunes) but because my left ear was stuffy and the sound was amplified in my right hear. It was terrible.

People also make the dumbest signs that they think they are clever. "Run faster than Kim Kardashian's marriage lasted!" I was blown away by the wit. I almost stopped to applaud.

Then there was the sign, "Hurry up and finish - my arms are tired from holding this sign!" Nobody was holding the sign.

I checked out the shorts of some of the women in front of me.

Mostly, though, I ignored everything.

Mile 7: 8:18.29 - I took a GU just before the start of mile 7, but unfortunately had to wait until mile 8 to chase it down with water. I commented about this to Alex. I didn't realize that there wouldn't be a water stop at this mile - it would have been nice if Pittsburgh Marathons let you know where the water stops would be. But the GU went down easily so I figured I was still hydrated - what I didn't think about was that I no longer had to go to the restroom like I did at mile 1.

Mile 8: 8:02.95 - An eight-minute mile? I was doing great! I was a little fatigued, but I figured that's what was to be expected. I finally got that water I had been longing for since the last mile. I still thought that I was doing well, though in retrospect I was beginning to feel annoyed (and sounded like it - sorry, Alex, if I could go back in time I would pour the cup of water you tried to hand me over my head) which is a sign that I was beginning to struggle.

Mile 9: 8:23.61 - Um, this was starting to feel bad. I didn't realize this mile was slightly uphill or else I would have adjusted my pace. I thought I was being a wuss, was being affected by the heat, and just tried to hold on to my pace. That was my big mistake.

Mile 10: 8:40.98 - And the slowdown begins. I was feeling terrible. My legs were beginning to feel unresponsive and I was guzzling as much water as I could, which wasn't much because I haven't learned to drink and run yet. I didn't want to slow down to drink more because I thought it would be a bad idea. In retrospect, it would have been a great idea.

Mile 11: 8:30.48 - Finally, a downhill. My pace was still slower, but it wouldn't affect my overall by much.

Mile 12: 11:54.55 - This was the end of the race for me. I was struggling on a bridge, was running a 9:30 pace, and hating everything. My legs just wouldn't move. What Alex thinks happened is just that my muscles quit working. Because I don't run many miles, when I hit that point of no return fatigue-wise my legs are unable to keep going. It's happened before in training and it happened again here. I saw that the uphill I was struggling to climb kept going up and I mentally gave in. If I could go back in time, I would try as hard as I could to keep going since I was still ahead of the 1:50 pace group at this point. I felt so bad when I saw them pass and was unable to get myself to start running.

Mile 13: 13:46.79 - What happens when you stop running is that your legs feel terrible. My leg felt like it would fall off, my foot felt like shit, and my toes kept hitting the edge of my shoes and felt as if the toenails had been ripped off (they hadn't and my feet came out looking good). I got myself to start running at mile 12.5. That last half mile plus .32 was torture. This mile was entirely downhill, another reason I wish I could have kept running instead of stopping.

Mile .32: 2:49 @ 8:51 pace - I have nothing to say about this except that I finished just under 2 hours. I wasn't really happy about that because I didn't make my goal. Not only did I not make my goal, but I missed my goal by a lot. I kept walking through the finish line chute and guzzled a few cups of water. I finally lied down under a tree. I remember being glad Alex ran with me because it would have sucked to be alone.

Total: 13.32 in 1:59.36

Thoughts -

• My problems mostly boil down to inexperience at the distance. I didn't recognize the signals early enough to make the necessary adjustments to salvage the race.


• 25-30 miles per week is not enough to obtain the goals I set for myself. Basically, my muscles gave out and I didn't have enough of a base to keep going at a slower pace. I'll be working on that this summer.


• I really failed at drinking enough fluids on the course. Since I mostly run shorter distances and don't need to drink on the run, I've had no real practice at it. I tried the pinch-the-top method, but liquid kept going up my nose or fell out of the cup. I might try bringing a short straw next time.


• Overall, I'm not as disappointed as I expected. I'm not proud of my time by any means (race times are very personal and relative to my personal running ability, this was not a good day for me), but I did gain a lot of insight into what went wrong and how to prevent it in the future.


• The Pittsburgh website didn't mention where the water stops would be, just that water stops would be throughout the course, or something like that. Being specific helps.


• The Pittsburgh race course didn't show mile splits, a scale, or give you any inclination as to where the inclines were throughout the course. That would have helped me plan better.


• In the end, I started off not making adjustments for not being 100% and for not knowing the course. It's better to start off a little slower and finish strong than to suffer and fade. Also, since I don't have much of a base I needed to adjust for that, as well.

Having talked it over with Alex a few times, it boils down to inexperience at this distance which leads to not reading the warning signs. As for my pace, while it's possible to start off fast and hold the pace in a 10k, you can't run a half marathon like that. Because I lack miles on my legs, they aren't used to running when fatigued. I did have some strong progression runs, but the difference between those and this half is that the progressions were run when it was 45-50 degrees on a flat course. I also started off much slower. It all boils down to not making the necessary adjustments to my pace early in the race.

As for training goals this summer, I'm going to work on running more slow miles. I will probably switch to timed runs instead of miles. I might try and look for a fall half.

Now, I do have the Sunburst coming up. I really hope that I can redeem myself, though it's going to be tough. The course is easier, but it's always a hot and humid race. My leg still hurts and I'm not going to try running until Monday. If it feels alright Monday, I'll go ahead and run the half. My goal isn't so much a PR as it is smart pacing.

that's all, folks.

Well, turns out that I injured myself. I seem to have strained my soleus on the left leg. My foot still hurts, too. Unfortunately, this means Pittsburgh is out, which I'm pretty bummed (har har) about because I really thought I could do well. My hope is that my leg will heal in a few weeks and I might be able to salvage the Sunburst half. I'll cycle and do yoga (when it's okay to stretch again) in the meantime.

Why did this happen? I have a few reasons.

- I probably should have given myself a solid six months of just running before training for anything more than a 5k.

- Maybe the yoga isn't enough and I should find a way to work with weights.

- I should stretch more.

- Perhaps I should be wearing a more cushioned shoe, especially one for slight pronation problems.

I'm sure I can think of more reasons why I failed. But, I'm not too upset because it could have been worse. I can still bear weight on my leg and walk normally. Sometimes when I press too hard on my forefoot pain shoots up my leg, so depending on how it feels that day I don't flex my foot completely when walking. Currently, I'm icing, and wearing a compression sleeve for a few hours a day.

So, that's about all. I'm still going to Pittsburgh because the room and everything is already set up, though it's going to pain me not to be able to run it. A part of me thinks I still can, but I know that's dumb.

Week 7 - Training Recap

My foot didn't feel too bad this week. It still flared up a bit, but on Monday's run it was barely noticeable. Perhaps all the icing and exercises have helped, though it's nowhere near healed.

Because my foot held up, I had a decent week of running.

Monday -
6 miles. This was the run where my foot felt pretty good. Usually, it takes about a mile for my foot to feel okay, but it felt fine from the first step here. I figured it was either healing, or trolling me.

Wednesday -
6 miles, 4 at tempo. For the last two weeks, I haven't successfully been able to complete a tempo. I ended up cutting all of them short, or just ending the run. Apparently it took me two weeks to recover from the 10k. Granted, I did get sick, so it's probably a combination of the two, and the cold delayed my recovery.

Splits:

8:56.64 - w/u
7:47.19 - T
7:43.31 - T
7:34.23 - T
7:39.47 - T
8:57.72 - c/d
3.44.88 - c/d

I didn't feel too bad at the end, either, so that gives me more confidence maintaining an 8:18 pace for the half.

Thursday -
7 miles. I ran this a little too fast. My overall pace was 8:49, but I did that for a reason. I would be flying to Jersey on Friday and figured my long run would suffer because of the heat and tiredness. That meant an actual long, slow run instead of a progression, right?

Saturday -
10 miles at 8:40. Oops, wrong. But, I did get a taste of running in the heat. I got out around 8:00-8:30 am, though it was quickly warming up despite the cool breeze. I ran 4 miles before stopping for a water and GU break - boy did I need it. During the final 6 mile out-and-back, I could feel the air shift, sort of how Frodo and Sam must have felt the closer they got to Mordor. Okay, not that bad. I did feel tired still. However, on race day I will be waking up a few hours earlier to eat a full breakfast, topping off my energy stores. I'll also take an energy shot and eat some Honey Stingers shortly before the race, so I'll have more energy.

Total - 29.64

Not a bad week at all. This week will be the beginning of a cutback week, though really I'm just going to shorten the long run. Next week will be semi-easy, then the final week before the half will be a coasting week. I'll just run easy, do strides on Thursday, then a short run on Saturday and do my thing on Sunday. That's the plan for now. I'm hoping the weather cooperates; if not, I'll put up with it.

On another note, I bought a pair of Pearl Izumi Women's Split Infinity shorts from Running Warehouse. I had been eying them for a while, but at $38 I put them on the back burner. You see, I normally buy a pair of Nike Tempos from the girl's section (size large). They're just so hideous that the women's sizing fits terribly. They're relatively inexpensive that I put up with it, and if you roll the waistband down it cinches the excess material.

THEN...

The Izumis from Running Warehouse were on sale for $22! No way was I passing that opportunity up, so I ordered a pair. They fit wonderfully, are semi-form fitting if you buy true to size, and feel so lightweight that you won't notice you're wearing shorts. They're shorter in length than the tempos, but that's okay for me. The design is pretty sweet, as well. As with all Izumi wear, the pocket is on the back. That's okay for keys and things you don't need until you're done running, but for GUs or anything like that it's a bit awkward. I've been told that it's a cycling thing. Oh well.

I just checked RW again and saw that they're marked down even more, if you're interested. I bought another pair because it's a deal I just can't pass up. (Is anyone else spoiled by RW's free shipping? I wish more companies offered this for every purchase, not just when you spend more than $75.)

Anyway, I just thought I'd talk about this because I've been having trouble finding new running shorts. I end up stalking race pictures to find women built similarly to myself to see what they wear, and even then I have questions. I know I'm not the only one who has trouble finding different styles of gear, so I hope this helps.

Week 6 - Training Recap

This will be short and sweet because I only ran three times last week! Unfortunately, I'll be marking my spreadsheet with red blocks because I failed on two of my runs, one of which I didn't even bother doing.

Monday -
6 miles at 9:20 pace. I remember this being a little stiff. It wasn't horrible by any means, but I was very glad when I finished.

Wednesday -
4.44 miles at 9:07. This was going to be my first tempo run since the 10k, but unfortunately it didn't go as planned. The goal was to slow my pace to 8:00-10 and add an extra mile. All I could manage to hit was 8:20, and it felt disgusting. I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep it up, so I decided to slow down to my slow pace and jog the remaining miles. Only, I wasn't even able to do that. I walked 1.5 miles home. The shame.

Thursday -
I usually run on Thursday. After feeling so disgusting after yesterday, I didn't bother trying. Instead, I cycled 15 miles and found out that my favorite running route was open again. There was construction on a hill that closed the road down for a while last year and I never checked back to see if it was open. I don't drive that way so I didn't notice the "closed to through traffic" sign had been removed. Little things.

Saturday -
10 miles at 8:41 pace. I was expecting to fail, and I sort of did. Don't you like it when things work out like you planned? I ran along the previously closed route, which included more hills than I usually run. I also overdressed, felt thirsty, and was dealing with my sucky foot. The foot didn't bother me in that my stride changed, but it felt bad. (It felt like a dull, numb ache for the rest of the day.) So, I didn't run a proper progression run because I couldn't hold on to race pace. That discouraged me quite a bit. After the ninth mile, I walked a little to calm myself down before running the last mile.

Total - 20

That was the lowest week of the training cycle. I'm tempted to just run three days per week for the rest of the cycle, but I'll be in Jersey up until Pittsburgh and don't feel comfortable cycling there. I can manage a short, three mile jog, so that will probably replace my six/seven mile recovery run.

Ugh. I hate running so little after I worked hard to get myself up to the mid-twenties. I know I'm only decreasing my mileage by a little bit, though I already subbed my 12 miler for Saturday's 10 mile run because of my foot. It's not just the upcoming half that I'm worried about, it's the Sunburst half marathon that I am registered for, and the 5k a week and a half after that.

This sucks.

Week 5 - Training Report

Yeah, I skipped week four. There wasn't much to say other than I took the week easy in preparation for the 10k I ran last Saturday.

This week was tough, not because I had difficult workouts but because I got a cold. Though it was at its worst around Wednesday and Thursday and didn't start to improve until yesterday, I made it through my runs. I usually get pretty fatigued when I'm sick, so I'm glad that didn't happen this time.

Tuesday -
6 miles, easy. After some consulting, it was decided that my two quality runs would be tempos and long progression runs. That meant I needed to be diligent about taking my easy runs easy. It feels like I'm going a lot slower, but I kind of like just being able to settle into a groove without worrying about pace. I kept this run around a 9:23 average.

Wednesday -
5 miles with strides. My foot has been causing me trouble since last week, and especially during the race. It doesn't affect my running in the sense that I have to hobble, but it could progress to that point. Because of that, I decided not to run a tempo and replaced it with strides. Just trying to take it easy.

Thursday -
6 miles, easy. I almost didn't run this one. My head was pretty foggy and I had trouble breathing due to my cold. But I finished it with an average pace of 9:27.

Saturday -
11 miles, progression. I expected to fail miserably out there, so I was pleased that it went so well. My chest felt a little stuffed, but the miles ticked by at a rather fast clip and I felt pretty good despite the cold symptoms. My splits:

11.03 mi 01:35 08:36 pace

9:11.77
9:10.92
9:09.52
8:47.52
8:36.94
8:30.22
8:20.04
8:16.82
8:18.03
8:11.36
8:10.44

My half marathon pace will be 8:18, so I wanted to hit that pace the last four miles. It felt alright, though I was more tired than expected (which I don't think was from the run itself).

Total - 28

Now about that foot. I located the pain to the left side of my right foot. If I press hard, the bone hurts. I looked up anatomical foot pictures, Googled pain associated with names of the part of the foot that seemed to be where my pain is, and came up with accessory navicular syndrome. To sum it up, "the accessory navicular is an extra bone or piece of cartilage located on the inner side of the foot or just above the arch." The symptoms of accessory navicular is a visible bony prominence on the midfoot, located redness and swelling, and vague pain or throbbing, usually occurring during or after periods of activity. It doesn't look to me like I have a bony prominence, but I feel a bump when I rub the side of my foot, and it hurts when pressed.

Internet diagnosing aside, the real cause of my foot pain is my foot strike. After looking at my stride, I see that my knee rotates inward, causing me to strike on the inside of my foot. That would hurt, extra bony protrusion or not. My plan is to add walking lunges and squats after runs to strengthen my hip and knee in hopes that it realigns my leg and helps me land on my feet properly. I am also doing foot strengthening exercises as well as massaging my foot myself, which hurts really, really bad.

Already, if I land further back on my foot instead of forefoot, it feels much better. I also try not to flex my forefoot on the push off because that causes me much pain. I'm hoping the strengthening and stretching will help solve the problem.

So that's that. Next week, I'll be running a tempo again, only I'm slowing it down to an 8:00-8:10 average pace and increasing the tempo distance by a mile. I'm also running my longest run of the training plan, which will be twelve miles. See you then.

Week 3 - Training Recap

I realized this week that I'm not entirely comfortable with training. I haven't been at it for very long (I wouldn't consider what I did previous years to be true training), which adds to my uncomfortableness. In my mind, I feel a little more in shape than I was two years ago when I ran the Holy Half Marathon, so that leads me to believe a sub-1:50 half is possible. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to doubt that. Just six weeks remain in my training plan, which isn't enough time to make significant gains in training for what I'd like to accomplish (two of those weeks are cut back).

Remember the Holy Half Marathon? On a whim, I signed up for the 10k this Saturday. Racing the 10k supposedly will help determine what time to shoot for at the half. Unfortunately, I'm dreading the 10k. I haven't mentally been in a great place lately, and much of racing is keeping things together mentally. I'll see how it goes. I can't seem to get excited about any of these races lately.

Monday -
6.4 miles - My easy pace has seemed to improve a little lately, so I ran this one at an 8:55 average pace. I just felt like it, really.

Wednesday -
5.05 miles - This was the most encouraging tempo of the cycle. I managed to keep a 7:40 average pace for the three tempo miles, though that's all I think I can do at that pace for now.

Thursday -
7.05 miles - If you live in the Midwest, you are more than aware of the recent heat streak we're having. While I normally run later in the afternoon, I've been running earlier in the morning to avoid the heat. Most people don't have problems running in the heat - I'm not trying to be special, but I can't seem to manage it. My heart rate goes up, my breathing gets shallow, and I really just can't keep running. Add in a blazing sun and all my energy gets zapped. I was keeping a 9:10 pace for the first four miles, then I had to start adding run-walk intervals to finish. The good that came from this is that the running intervals were still at a 9-ish pace, but at that point it felt more like a sprint than a slow pace.

I suck.

Saturday -
11.11 miles - Saturday long run time. My schedule needed adjustment due to the race next week, so I ran 11 miles this week. It was better than I expected. Although I didn't eat as much prior to the run as I'd like, I got out early to avoid the heat and had a solid run. My brother biked alongside me to hand me water, and I took a GU at mile 7. I started fading during the last two miles, but kept the sub-9 pace I had been running since mile 7. The fatigue was due to not fueling enough prior to the run, so I'm not concerned about that at all. I felt fine the rest of the day and have no soreness today.

Total - 29

I seem to be running more than I had planned. Most of my weeks were supposed to be in the mid-twenties, but they're creeping up to the thirties. It's probably for the best that I get a little more mileage in.

Even if I can't run a sub 1:50, I can at least try to quit doubting myself in general. I always assume something is going to go wrong (not just running related), or that I'm misjudging my ability to succeed, both of which adds to doubting myself. Even with the few good long runs I've completed, I still go out every weekend waiting to blow up during the run. It's just not a healthy way to think. Hopefully I can work on it a little this week, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about it.

Week 2 - Training Recap

The theme for week two was WIND. Every single day I went out, it was extremely windy. I either had to succumb and walk, or run a longer route to avoid running into the wind for as long as possible. I also didn't run proper paces for any run but my tempo and long run, for no reason other than I was angry and didn't feel like controlling it. It wasn't terribly fast or anywhere close to tempo pace, but not what it should have been.

Monday -
5.5 miles (breathing issues came up, so I had to walk half mile before I was able to run again)

Wednesday -
6.5 miles (I ralked 1.5 miles of this because I started off too fast and died when faced with 30mph wind gusts)

Thursday -
6.4 miles, 3 at tempo pace (this really surprised me - based on the two previous runs, I didn't have high hopes. However, I surpassed my low expectations by running the tempo miles at 7:43, 7:34, and 7:19, respectively. Not consistent splits, I know; I think I kept speeding up thinking I was compensating for the wind.)

Saturday -
10 miles, progression (I felt very comfortable during this entire run and was energetic during the hilly portion. I haven't run 10 miles since forever - or the last time I trained for a half - yet it felt fine. I didn't bring any water or energy supplements, though my plan is to bring one during my upcoming 11-miler.)

Total - 28.4

Overall, I'm fine with how this week played out. Minus the first two runs, I did well and stuck to the plan. I'm somewhat encouraged by the tempo and long run. I still think I can't breathe well in the wind. We need to quit relying so much on corn, dig up the cornfields, and plant more trees.

I'm continuing to do yoga twice a week, and the hundred pushups challenge three times a week. Since I haven't done any push ups since the last time I tried this challenge, I began my program in the easy column. Already, I'm having to repeat day 1 from week 2. I'm planning on quitting before completion if I feel like I'm at risk for developing Madonna arms.

As for yoga, I can tell I'm developing better balance, strength, and flexibility. Many members of the running community are quick to say that stretching doesn't benefit running at all, but I always feel better when I'm stretched out - my stride feels fluid, I don't feel stiff, and I seem to recover better. However, I'm not stretching before or after running, just when I do yoga.

Here's to hopping the wind dies down this week.

Week 1 - Training Recap

Week one is in the books! I ran each run as planned, minus the tempo that I felt was inaccurate due to the heavy wind, and the recovery the next day that I ran a little faster than I meant to.

Monday -
5 miles, easy

Wednesday -
5 miles, 3 at tempo

Thursday -
6 miles, recovery

Saturday -
9 miles, progression

Total - 25

Simple enough week. I do pretty well running four days a week, and it doesn't tire me out much. It's still low, but it's doable because I'm not planning on going over 30 mpw for this training cycle.

Types of runs I'm incorporating into my training plan

Easy - You all know what this is. However, I'm varying my easy days by running some and the faster end of my easy pace, whereas my recovery runs should be closer to the higher end.

Tempo - Right now I'm just running 3 miles at tempo pace, which is fine for me. I might contemplate adding another mile during the peak weeks, but I'm waiting to see how I get through these next four weeks.

Recovery - Self explanatory. The only difference is that I moved this run the day after my tempos instead of the day before my long runs.

Progression long runs - I've been having issues running my long runs at the proper pace, i.e., slow. I have this fear that if I don't maintain a somewhat faster pace, I won't be able to run fast during a race. Dumb way to think. Enter: Progression. What I do is split the long run up into segments, like 3-3-2 for an 8-miler, 4-3-2 for a 9-miler, and so on. I run the first segment at the higher end of my slow pace, second at the middle, and last segment at the lower end of slow pace. This breaks up the distance mentally, as well, because it's not all one long stretch and I'm constantly waiting until the next segment to speed up.

Rest days - Save for Sundays, my rest days during the week are "running rest days" aka cross training weeks. I've been doing yoga, and have just started the One Hundred Pushups Challenge again. Hopefully I'll stick to it this time because it's part of a preexisting formal training plan.

That's it! I'm hoping the wind settles down next week so I can attempt a proper tempo. I'm curious to see if I can run the pace myself when I'm not pushed by the wind.

I'll get my act together eventually...

I should be training for a half marathon right now.

Instead, I played catch up this week since I only ran five times between 2/06 - 2/19. That happened because I hurt (bruised?) my medial cuneiform, aka the knobby bone directly underneath your big toe. Although the pain was bad, it didn't affect my stride; however, I decided to take the rest of the week off to let it heal. After that initial week, I guess I just didn't feel like running. It looks like half training will begin tomorrow, if I write up a plan between now and Monday's run.

I'm not entirely sure how I hurt the medial cuneiform. I've narrowed down the culprits to my shoes, recently adding a fifth day of running, incorporating tempos, and landing on the ball of my foot. The pain is just about gone completely, though I'm still concentrating on landing midfoot (I wasn't intentionally landing on the balls of my feet before), paying closer attention to which pair of shoes might have caused the bruise, and going back to running four days a week.

According to my calendar, I have just nine weeks left to train. Unfortunately, those two weeks of inconsistency were enough to make me lose my mental fortitude (I'm weak) as well as a little bit of my fitness. Since I signed up and I do want to run a good race, I'm just going to ignore my self doubt and focus on completing runs.

Nine weeks is enough time to put together a decent plan, and coming off of a solid two month build up period, I don't feel like I've let too much time pass even with the setback. I figure I'll split the weeks up like so: 5-3-1, where 5 is the "intro" phase, maintaining an average distance while increasing long runs and continuing a weekly tempo; 3, the "focused" phase, where I add another weekly (but mild) speed workout, something relatively simple such as strides or fartleks, and my longest run will peak during this period; the final week will be the taper, which I don't need to explain.

Yes, I made this up off the top of my head. No, it's not groundbreaking and my terminology is stupid. But that's what I have for now.

I ended this week with 22 miles, which isn't bad for running 7 miles last week. (Yes. Total.) I'll make up any lost fitness this next week. Hopefully by then the weather here will improve enough to make my life a little easier.

Waah.

Running Recap

My last recap was three weeks ago. In that span, I completed my first two weeks running five times, including 2 tempos and two longer runs. Last was a cutback week where I ran 4 times, but included a tempo and long run. The five day weeks were great, I had excellent tempo runs where I found my optimal tempo pace, and encouraging long runs.

Then week three happened. My tempo failed when my Garmin wouldn't show distance or pace. I figured I'd hit laps manually and do the math afterward, only I kept hitting stop instead of lap. My pace was probably all over the place and I ended up jogging most of the run. I attempted to make it up the next day, but that proved to be a little much for my current capabilities.

However, the long run went off without a hitch, only I felt a little woozy during the last two miles. I ate a double Baconator and small fries from Wendy's that needed an hour longer to digest, but I didn't throw up or feel fatigued. I just felt like crap for a while afterward. I seriously thought I might throw up, though I didn't because it's disgusting and I don't like feeling disgusting.

I've been in Jersey for the past few weeks, which has made running even more enjoyable. The average temperature is around ten degrees higher than the midwest and it's not as windy. I've mostly been running in t-shirts and short, no hat or gloves. It's glorious. Running in such comparatively mild temperatures has kept me from wussing out, using the weather as an excuse for my failures. There are also a lot more people on the route I take and it keeps things interesting.

There is one more week left in my plan, then I have to write out a training plan for the half. I signed up for the Sunburst, and I'm also running the Pittsburgh Half in May. The course profile for Pittsburgh is mostly flat with some elevation change during the last half of the course. Running Pittsburgh will give me an idea of how I'll do at Sunburst, and I can adjust my plan in the month between the two races as necessary.

I plan to increase my miles without exceeding 30mpw (I'm already getting bored being out there for 1 hour 15 minutes), increase the duration of my tempos by 1-2 miles, finally ending with a mild one week taper. Something like that. I will continue adding cutback weeks every third week, though they'll still include a speed work run and a long run, it just won't be as long.

I feel like I've gotten a good sense of my ability these past few weeks, though I still tread tentatively when it comes to long runs and speed runs. I'm nervous of not meeting my expectations and blowing up, though my caution isn't necessarily a bad thing because it'll help keep me focused and not overdo anything. Overall, though, I'm excited to see what I can do these next few months of training.

Running Recap

This was a decent week of running. It started out really cold, snowy, and wintry, but the latter week warmed up nicely and wasn't too bad. I hope it won't get much worse, though you never know around here.

Saturday marked the fourth week of running over twenty miles. It's a doable distance on four days of running a week, though I'll be adding a fifth day soon to prepare myself for running more often. Minor changes for 5-a-day weeks include adding short runs of three miles and reducing the mileage in my midweek runs to one four, five, and six-miler instead of two five or six milers. The long run remains the same.

As for the long runs, I've gotten through three seven-milers and an 8.5 miler pretty well, which leaves me hopeful for half marathon training. In two weeks, I'll alternate between eight and nine milers to slowly increase my endurance.

Most of my runs have been at a slightly quick, yet still manageable pace. I start off slow, then speed up during the latter half of a run. While it feels alright, and considering I haven't done any speed work it's not too bad, I realize I need to focus on maintaining a legitimate slow pace. This week, I'll run two of my runs at a 9:30 pace, specifically the long run and a midweek run. The remaining two will include strides each mile, and a mid-range pace run, so something around 8:40-50. I'll see how that goes.

Monday - 5 miles

Wednesday - 5.6 miles

Thursday - 6 miles

Saturday - 7 miles

Total - 23.6 miles

ING New York City Marathon Recap

It's a good thing I wasn't running this race because a few things went wrong. I woke up early on race day, excited to be a spectator. I gathered my cameras, donned my Social Media Reporter shirt, and walked to the bus stop. Only the bus didn't arrive until almost 40 minutes later. It turns out I had gone to the wrong bus stop. Public transit: 1 - Christina: 0.

After the bus pulled up to the George Washington Bridge instead of Port Authority like I expected, I walked down to the Subway for some public transit redemption. According to the map the approaching train was the line I needed, only it didn't stop at 72nd street like I thought. Fortunately, it did stop at Columbus Circle which is right next to Central Park and the final turn of the marathon course leading to the finish line.

I didn't want to stay here so I headed over to 1st Ave and 60th Street, aka mile 16. Along the way I saw spectators preparing to cheer the runners, fans dressed up, and runners running along a portion of the course. Everyone seemed very upbeat and excited. Like candy canes at Christmas.

After walking a few blocks and popping into a Starbucks to use the restroom (didn't want any race-cheering accidents) I made it to 1st Ave, where you could see the Queensboro Bridge (part of the race course) in the distance. It wasn't crowded at that point and I was able to find a spot right up by the fence next to two very nice spectators, Judy from New York City and Peter, hailing all the way from the Netherlands.

And then we waited. The wheelchair division had already started but hadn't reached mile 16 yet. The elite women were minutes away from their start.

Fans from other countries were setting up. The band (there was a band at every mile) was testing one, two, three. It was almost time! I had fun talking to Judy and Peter about their family who were running the marathon, their goals, and random tidbits about the race.

Finally, the wheelchair racers rolled by! It was great to see their effort, knowing they wheeled themselves over the same bridges with steep inclines (unless they had a different course?) was an incredible thought. My arms are limp noodles and I can barely eke out five push ups.

As this man veered to the side, we didn't know if he was hurt or dropping out. Fortunately, he only needed to change his tire, eventually rejoining the race.

Once the procession of motorcycle cops drove by we knew the elite women would be right behind them.

They weren't.

The elite women followed the pacing truck that had the marathon time. This lady had quite a bit of a lead, though she was eventually overtaken later on.

A pack of other elite women shortly followed the leader. Their strides looked so effortless. People were really getting excited now!

Next up was the elite men! It was amazing to see Meb Keflezighi running in person. I'm a big fan of his and was happy he placed 6th.

And then both my cameras died, making me the worst blogger in the history of the internet. On the way to Central Park I stopped inside a drugstore to buy batteries for the flip cam. Unfortunately, they just so happened to be out of store brand AAs, meaning I had to buy a 4-pack for $7. Why I didn't bring any batteries with me, I do not know. I should start religiously making lists, only I have a feeling I'll forget to write something down on the list anyway.

At least I didn't have any bathroom accidents, right?

Fortunately, thanks to the batteries I captured enough of the race to put together a little video for you to enjoy.

I had a lot of fun watching my first big city marathon. I really was inspired to kick start my own running and I loved seeing the city support the 40,000 plus runners. All along the course of this marathon, excluding the bridges, there are fans lined up. I've never seen that kind of spectator support anywhere and it was probably one of the best moments in my life.

Seeing the runners and knowing all the hard word and dedication it took them to get to this point is something I'll be thinking about when I get discouraged during the winter. Maybe I'll eventually train for a marathon myself in two years or so.

60 Degrees.

The weather can't seem to make up its mind, but I'll take it. Pretty soon, I'll be doing nothing but complaining about the cold and wind. It made for a decent run today, too. Last week, I completed my scheduled 17 miles. I did alright with my two longer runs (and by "longer" I am talking about a mere 4.5 miles), though Sunday's run was challenging because I didn't eat that much prior to going out. Oops.

I worked out a pseudo schedule for the next 13 weeks, working up to 25 miles. It might seem a bit overly cautious to take 13 weeks to work up to 25, though I think taking my time will be better than jumping ahead of myself. Here's what I'm planning on for the next 4 weeks:

4 4.5 4.5 5	4 4.5 4 5.5	4 4.5 4.5 6	4 4.5 4 6.5
total: 18	total: 18	total: 19	total: 19

I don't know why it skipped down that far. Basically, I'm increasing in .5 to 1 mile increments, and I'm moving around the half miles to get longer distances. I feel that this will help me as I increase the duration of the runs without tiring out, and I'll feel more comfortable running more overall. Eventually, I'll be running 5 days a week, but 4 is working out well for now.

As for today, I pushed the pace a little because I seemed to be feeling it. This isn't really a great thing to do, but I'll run more slowly on Wednesday.

4.06 mi 37.44 09:17 pace

Mile 1 - 9:51:
I'm starting to feel more comfortable running again. During the first two weeks, I felt a little awkward and like I lost my running legs. I'm slowly getting back to where I was, which is a good sign. This is such a great time to be running because the temperature and weather caters to wusses like myself.

Mile 2 - 9:19:
Around here I kind of didn't know why I was running so fast. I didn't feel out of breath, but I figured I should have slowed down. However, since this is my shortest run this week, it worked out better this way.

Mile 3 - 9:07:
I purposely kept this mile above 8 so that I didn't stress myself out too much.

Mile 4 - 8:57:
Overall, this run pleases me. Next time, though, I'm going to try a more formal speed work approach, one that won't be as stressful as running 3 miles at a quick pace. I'm not really looking to do much speed stuff, though I don't want to run everything at the same pace. Maybe I'll throw in a few strides so that I pick the pace up just a bit.

Hope you guys are having a good start to your week.

Unintentional Speedwork and Roadkill

I wasn't looking forward to my run on Wednesday at all. If you live in the midwest, you would know that it had been raining all day, was cold, and windy. If you know me, you know that I hate running in the rain, I hate the cold, and the wind makes me want to punt dogs. Turns out, though, that I ran better than I would have expected. I didn't get to add on an extra .5 because of time constraints, but I had two more days to make it up. I finished the day with this: 4.05 mi - 00:36 - 08:54 pace

You see, when it's excessively cold or the conditions are just terrible, I unconsciously decided I need to run faster so I finish sooner. The good part this time is that although I started off at a much faster pace than usual, I managed to maintain the effort, speeding up during the subsequent miles, and I didn't feel all too bad at all. Sweet.

Today, I got my "long" run in, running 4.55 miles. I kept the pace slow because that's what I need to do, and I also have a habit of getting ahead of myself after one good run. Also, I ran past a freshly killed raccoon, so be on the lookout for some stew recipes.

4.55 mi - 44:37 - 09:48 pace

Mile 1: 10:01 -

I forgot to take my iron today. I'm just typing this out here now so I remember to take it after posting. It has nothing to do with this mile.

Mile 2: 9:55 -

After each mile, I end up speeding up, slowing down to maintain an even pace, then trying to speed up just a little so I don't go too slow. Am I the only one who does this?

Mile 3: 9:54 -

During this mile, it became very obvious that I overdressed. It was 50°, but I expected it to be colder. Because that's how I am. Fortunately, I wasn't all that overdressed, so I wasn't dying. I also felt pretty good, though for some reason I seem to tire out trying to run a slow pace. I'm weird.

Mile 4: 9:43 -

I sped up a little. I forgot my sunglasses and I was running into the sunlight.

Mile .55: 5:05 -

This was run at a 9:14 pace. I felt alright, though I still seem to be too tired for this pace. I'm hoping that's just because this is my 3rd week back and I'm not where I used to be. Then again, I can't remember the last time a 9xx pace felt easy, even when my race pace was in the high 7s.

It's going to be in the sixties next week. I am overcome with joy.

Weekly Running Summary

Yesterday wrapped up another week of running. It went smoothly, for the most part, and I got in 16.5 miles. The .5 was due to an unintended longer run because I misjudged the route distance.

Usually, I don't wear my my heart rate monitor. I had some trouble with rather high heart rates earlier this summer, which I thought was due to the heat and stuff. So I wore it yesterday, and kept an average pace of 10:03 for 4 miles. What was odd is that it climbed up to 177 during the third and fourth mile. A ten minute mile pace should be relatively easy for me, so I don't know what to make of it.

This week, I plan to add .5 miles to two of my runs, and I'll run those at a ten minute pace. The other two runs can be a little faster, like today's run ended up being. I'm just gradually increasing distance to hopefully get up to 25ish by December. If this week goes alright, I'll add another half mile on to one of the longer runs, and keep everything else the same.

For today's run, it was a little windy. That's what happens when you tear down trees for cornfields, one of the midwest's finest achievement. If you can't tell, I hate the midwest.

Splits:

4.10, 40:07


Mile 1 - 10.19:

Sometimes, the first mile feels decent. Other times, it takes me a while to feel like I'm moving fluidly. Today was one of those other times.

Mile 2 - 9:52:

I slowly sped up. My breathing started feeling a little labored, and I was developing a side stitch.

Mile 3 - 9:34:

The wind was against me, and I kind of wanted to get it over with, so I didn't fight the pace as I sped up. The side stitch was in full swing by 2.5. I continued breathing deeply and it seemed t help.

Mile 4 - 9:23:

I sped up quite a bit this mile. It felt alright, but I wasn't feeling very comfortable because I'm not used to running fast anymore (not that 9s were ever fast for me, but it's all relative).

A promising start to the week that ended with a slightly bloodied toenail. I am enjoying a cup of hot tea with lemon, since windy runs usually make me feel queasy. Tomorrow is a rest day and though I run on Wednesday, I likely won't update with another running post until Friday.

Hope you guys are off to a great week!