Tag Archives: Race

Oct8

The 2012 B.A.A. Half Marathon

Posted on by
Standard

Let’s back up to Saturday night to start this story.  The weather was gorgeous on Saturday afternoon so Michael and I decided to head into the Back Bay and walk around Newbury Street.  We had plans to meet his coworkers at 7 for karaoke so we walked around and grabbed an early dinner.  I went with mac and cheese with chicken and a salad.  We had calamari to start.  A really healthy pre-race dinner hahaha.  I tried to stay off my feet while at the bar and we managed to get home and to bed pretty early.  Since I was being all chill about this race and running for fun I didn’t feel like we needed to miss out on plans, it’s not like I stayed in every night before my long training runs anyway.

Sunday morning the alarm went off and I promptly hit the snooze not once but twice.  It was cold and our bed was so warm and cozy.  I got up, washed up, pulled my hair back, ate my oatmeal, taped my knee and got dressed.  You know, the usual race day routine. We got to the race, found an awesome parking spot (yes, good parking spots make me really happy) and headed to the start to meet my friend Lauren.  We chatted while I got ready but we didn’t really get there early enough for me to tackle the massively long bathroom lines.  I figured I could quickly go on my way to the start.  Wrong.  So I made my way to the start and hoped my bathroom urge would disappear.

The start was quick and painless but I could tell as soon as I started running that I was going to have to make a pit stop.  Luckily around .5 I found a porta pottie off to the side and within 30 seconds I did my business and was on my way.  I finished the first mile in an 8:13.  I’ll take it.  As the miles kept ticking by my pace was low.  I was holding a sub-8 pace and was surprised at how easy it felt.  When I ran this race 2 years ago I was able to PR and yesterday felt so similar to that day.  I kept pushing the pace, ticking the miles off.  Around mile 6 we hit an uphill and I could feel my legs getting tired.  I was afraid I’d pushed too hard too early and I was going to pay for it later.  I decided in that moment to just go for it, if the final miles were hard I’d survive and it was too early to give up on a good time.

BAA Half Splits

Here’s the thing about races…they go by so quickly for me! All the sudden we were at mile 8 and I was wondering how that happened.  It felt like we just started!  I knew I’d see Michael and Lo around mile 9 so I kept pushing it until I saw them.  Mile 9 was uphill, the entire mile.  I kept telling myself that mile 10 was downhill and I’m strongest on the up’s so I needed to keep pushing.  Mile 10 came and the downhills didn’t feel as effortless as I’d hoped.  My legs were getting tired.  I rounded the corner at mile 11 and knew that there was a good uphill.  At this point I knew I was a couple of minutes off my PR so I shifted it into a lower gear and just tried to tackle the hill.  Michael and Lo were about mid-way up the hill cheering me on and I was pretty happy to see some familiar faces.

Once I hit the top of the hill I could feel how tight my butt and hamstrings were.  Yep, I was going to pay for my quick pace the last mile.  I kept pushing but my legs were tired and heavy.  I wanted to stop. I kept thinking about how good walking would feel but I kept telling myself it was a mile left.  Lie. There was way more than a mile left.  People were passing me with a good kick and I was getting frustrated and more tired.  I kept pushing and thinking about the finish.

And then I had this nice little chat with myself…If you had done some tempo runs this training cycle you’d have some kick right now.  This is why you do tempo runs so in the last few miles when you are tired and your legs are toasted you can still hold the pace.  How many times do we have to learn this lesson again and again?  Tempo runs are good for you.  You aren’t so awesome where you don’t need them.  You need them.  Note to self…do tempo runs, they make the final miles of a race so much easier!

2012 B.A.A. Half Marathon Results

Thankfully my self talk was interrupted with sights of the finish.  I was almost done.  I pushed it as hard as I could (which felt pretty damn slow) to the finish.  1:45.23 at an 8 min/mile pace.  I’ll take it because let’s be honest I did not expect that at all!

Post race I met up with Michael and Lo.  They had great food for the finishers…including a WHOLE bag of Bear Naked Fruit and Nut Granola (can we say score?!) and JUICE Boxes, which is just brilliant if you ask me.  Seriously, who wants more Gatorade when you’ve just had Gatorade and GU and all that?  Not me!  Juice boxes on the other hand…awesome.  I made friends with a yellow lab who was pretty thrilled that I decided to plant myself on the ground right near her.  She came over and laid down next to me, snuggled with me and let me pet her for a good 5 minutes.  I love some pet therapy post race.  Thanks to the stranger for letting me get some doggie love!  

We didn’t stick around for long and headed to a new to us brunch spot.  DELICIOUS.  I had strata with kale, chourico sausage, broccoli  tomatoes, cheese and a side of home fries and fruit.  Let’s not forget the coffee.  It was so fun to chat with Lo and Michael! The perfect way to end a fantastic morning!

I’m off to cheer on and support our Team in Training participants at the Tufts 10K for Women in Boston! I love my new job!

Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend with a special shout out to all the Chicago Marathon Finishers!!!

How did your weekend races go?  Did anyone do better than expected?  

Oct5

On My Mind Pre B.A.A. Half!

Posted on by
Standard

It’s hard to believe that race weekend is finally here! It seems like just yesterday I signed up to race the B.A.A. Half Marathon.  So what’s the race weekend plan?  It’s to have fun!  This training experience has been very different from with my last marathons.  For both Boston and Chicago I was so focused on time and numbers but this time I’ve just been running because I love it.  I think yoga teacher training is to thank for that, it’s been front and center for me so running has been the “break” I need.

Ultimately I’d like to run in the high 1:40′s but I know that will be a really fast race for me.  Realistically  I’ll be happy to finish around 1:55.  That’s about an 8:45 min/mile which is what I’ve been averaging on my long runs.  I haven’t done any speed work or tempo runs for this half so I’m not expecting to PR.  I really just want to enjoy the fall weather, the race and have fun!

The BAA Half 2010

The weather is looking good with high’s around 57, cloudy with a chance of showers.  Why wasn’t it like that at Chicago last year?!  I’ve been mentally having the what to wear debate.  Do I go with crops and a short sleeve?  Stick with shorts, a short sleeve top and arm warmers? I’m thinking it’s going to be a race morning decision!

My real concern though is the fact that I haven’t been feeling great this week.  Last weekend in teacher training we focused on splits which requires a lot of hip and hamstring openers.  Since I’m tightest in those areas it was a hard weekend for me.  My hips have been so sore since Sunday! I’ve felt ok on my runs and my pace has been normal but I’m definitely concerned about my soreness.  Here’s my plan so I’ll feel my best race day…

  • Rest days on Friday and Saturday.
  • Foam roll, foam roll, foam roll.
  • Get to bed early and get extra rest, sleep in on Saturday.
  • Drink plenty of water to flush out my muscles.

Historically, and by that I mean every year, I get sick following this race weekend.  I get an awful cold, usually spend a good 2 days on the couch.  Since I just started a new job, already have a mild cough and quite honestly just don’t want to get sick here’s how I plan to ward off sickness…

  • Emergen-C.  Best. Stuff. Ever. I find this stuff really keeps me from being down and out when I have a cold.  I also think it helps prevent illness too.
  • Rest, and more rest.

So if you haven’t caught on, the plan from now until Sunday morning is to rest as much as possible.  Even though my plan is to race for fun, I still want to enjoy the race, feel good and give it my best shot.

One thing I’m looking forward to on Sunday is the mental miles I’ll run…

  • I’ll run for my friend, who passed away this week.  A runner who ran Boston year after year for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a runner who left us all too early, who had more smiles and hugs to give.  I know I’ll find some extra motivation to run happier thanks to him.
  • I’ll run for Jess and Scott who’ll be tackling 26.2 in Chicago the very same day.  Jess has so openly and honestly shared every moment of her journey to run her first marathon. I’m so excited for them and wish them the best of luck! I know I’ll think of them when I need some motivation.
  • I’ll run for Michael and I.  It’ll be the one year anniversary since we ran Chicago together.  I’ll never forget that day, the smiles we shared and the memories we made.  It’s hard to believe that a year has already passed!
  • I’ll think of Michael’s sister who is running Chicago this year and his parents who are out there again this year to cheer her on.

I love that I have so many thoughts to fill my miles, thoughts to keep me going and miles to “share” with others!  I’m really excited and looking forward to my fall race!  I’ll be back on Monday with a recap!!

Best of luck to all of those who are running the Chicago Marathon this weekend!

How do you fight off aches and pains in the days leading up to your race?  What are you favorite ways to avoid the common cold?  Are you running Chicago this weekend? Who will you run your miles for?

Apr5

Preparing For Your First 5K!

Posted on by
Standard

Happy Thursday! It’s almost Friday and the weekend is almost upon us!  I have a nice 3 mile tempo run with a warm up and cool down tonight and then some study time is in order.  I can’t believe how close the marathon is and that I’ll be taking my test in a few short weeks! Crazy how time flies!

Speaking of time flying by, spring has arrived and with that comes 5K races.   It seems like in the spring months there are multiple 5Ks every Saturday and Sunday and everyone is signing up for them!  I’ve heard lots of people talking about how they are tackling their very first 5K this spring.  New runners make me so happy and I love to hear people are tackling the 5K and starting to race.  A few of my friends are doing their first race and were wondering what my tips were for race day.  They are a pretty fit and active group just not “runners”.  A plan like the couch to 5K would not be challenging enough for them.  If we had to give them a category I’d say they are intermediate runners.  So here’s my tips to be successful!

Follow a Plan of Sorts. 

I’d say many intermediate runners are people who regularly workout but aren’t the type to run religiously 4 or 5 days a week.  My advice to them is to take a look at some intermediate running plans on sites like Runner’s World and Cool Running.  You don’t have to give up your normal workout routine you love but do add some miles into your week.

  • If your someone who regularly does the elliptical try replacing that time with some time on the treadmill or out on the road.  Aim to run 2 or 3 miles instead of your normal 30 to 40 minutes on the elliptical.
  • For those who like to weight lift, add a mile or two to your cool-down or warm-up.
  • Love Zumba and classes?  Get in two miles before class and then another mile after.  You’ll warm your body up for your class and get some miles in to be ready for your race!

Ideally you should be running about 4 days a week.  One of those days should be a long run.  You might start at 2 miles and build up to 9 miles over the course of a few weeks to help build your endurance.  Also add in a day of speed work to help give you that final kick over the finish line.  Need some ideas for speed work?

  • Try 4 x800m with 400m rest.  Include a mile warm up and a mile cool-down.  Aim to run your race pace for these workouts.
  • Don’t like the track?  Try doing 45 second to 1 minutes bursts throughout a 2 to 3 mile run.   Think 1 minute on, 1 minute off.  It will keep your heart rate elevated and improve your speed.
  • Try a tempo workout!  You would do a mile warm up and then run 2 or 3 miles at a hard but comfortable pace, then do a 1 mile cool down.

Runner's World Intermediate 5K Plan

Preparing for the Race. 

  • The day before your race be sure to eat well and balanced.  It’s not the day to skip lunch and eat fries at the bar after work with your co-workers.  Your best bet is to eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner and include a snack or two.  Make sure you get some carbohydrates and protein into your diet.  The goal is to fill your muscles with glycogen so you’ll have enough fuel to push through your race!
  • Hydrate.  Be sure to drink plenty of water the day before your race!  Since your likely racing on a Saturday or Sunday the night before is not the time to go out with your friends and have one too many to drink.  One beer won’t kill you but don’t push it much more than that.
  • Get a good night’s rest.  Make sure you wake up feeling rested and energetic.  Get to bed early and catch some extra z’s!
  • Layout your race clothes the night before.  Look at the weather and wear something you’ll be comfortable in.  If you lay it out the night before you’ll be sure to have everything you need!
  • Pack a bag with dry clothes and whatever else you may need the night before.  You don’t want to rush in the morning!

Race Day!

  • Give yourself plenty of time to get up, get dressed and be ready for your race!
  • Eat a light breakfast.  A bowl of plain oatmeal with some applesauce is perfect or a couple of pieces of toast with a banana.  You don’t want to over eat but rather just be satisfied.
  • Get there early.  You don’t want to rush to find parking, take an extra layers off or get your bib number.
  • Warm up a little bit.  Do a few laps or sprints in an open area near the start.  You want to get the blood flowing and warm your muscles up.
  • Find a place in the back of the pack.  I recommend this because you don’t want to go out too fast.  Staying in the back of the pack will force you to do this.
  • Start slowly and build your speed over the race.  Your last mile should be the fastest!

Start Slow and Build Speed!

Post Race. 

  • Catch your breath and change into warm dry clothes.
  • Cheer on your fellow runners and have a fun time at the after party! Be sure to celebrate your first race!

As always you can leave any questions or additional tips I may have missed in the comment section!  Good luck to all of the new runners out there who are tackling their very first 5K this spring!  Runners are an amazing group of people!

Enjoy Your Big Finish!

What are your tips to running your first 5k?  What do you do to train for the race?  What are your pre-race rituals?  What makes you successful in a 5k?  What’s your favorite way to celebrate?

Sep23

Tapering and the Three Week Countdown

Posted on by
Standard

Three weeks from Sunday I will be running the Chicago Marathon with Michael. October 9, 2011. I am beyond excited and already making a list of things that I need to do and get before the big day. The most important thing that needs to be done before Marathon Day is TAPERING.

My 3 Week Taper

Tapering is often overlooked by runners.  Some runners just don’t bother to stick to their plans in these final three weeks before the marathon.  A 2 mile run, some may skip it and others may think it is not enough and head out for 4 or 5 miles instead.  This is wrong. Tapering is a key part of any marathon training plan.  It keeps your body moving and muscles familiar with running without overdoing it and stressing out your body.  It’s a chance to rest and recover so you can perform your best for 26.2 miles.  As always, Runner’ World says it best:

Training is about progressive adaptation to stress. Tapering enables your musculoskeletal and neurological systems to recover from that stress and be in prime condition for competition.

So how do you ensure that your tapering is doing what it should? Follow these tips…

Stick to the plan!  You have been following your plan day by day and week by week for months now, why would you “freestyle” now? Keep doing what you’ve been doing and following the plan.   In three weeks you’re not likely to make any significant improvements in pace or time if you keep training without a taper.  In fact, you’ll probably race better if you rest and recover and start your 26.2 miles feeling fresh.

Recover, recover, recover!  Remember monster month? Or the first few weeks of marathon training? You probably rearranged weeknight plans and activities to get all your runs in and likely skipped a Saturday night out with friends in order to get some extra rest for Sunday’s long run.  I sure did! Post run you were diligent to stretch, ice, get a good night’s sleep and eat well.  It’s your job to keep doing all of those things, except this time you won’t have time-consuming runs to worry about too.  Since you won’t be using so much time for runs, plan extra time to lay on the couch, stretch and rest. Don’t go run errands or make more plans.

Use Caution!  You have spent a lot of time training and preparing for Marathon Day. Now would not be the time to pick up waterskiing, or go for a long hike or try cycling if you haven’t been doing it the entire time you’ve been training.  You don’t want to do anything that will cause you to be extra sore or give you an opportunity to injure yourself.  Stick to things you have been doing all along.  I’ve been doing yoga regularly throughout my training.  If I’m feeling motivated I may try to do some extra yoga classes, likely a gentle or restorative class so it is easy on my body.  If you have cross-trained on the elliptical then you could do some of that.

Rest!  This is simple. Plan to get lots of rest, sleep in on the weekends since you won’t be doing really long runs. Get to bed early during the week.  Take naps. Marathon training is stressful and exhausting.  Use these three weeks to let your body catch up on sleep and rest so that you will feel awake, fresh and energetic for race day!

Speaking of marathons, completing your taper and accomplishing your goals I’d like to share with you another blog in the running world.  Angela at mypinkytoes.wordpress.com writes about her experiences as a runner and new marathoner.  She encourages all women to have a positive body-image and a “I can do anything attitude!’ She wrote one of the best marathon re-caps I’ve read in a long time!  I’d encourage you all to read it!  It will make you want to run a marathon if you never have, run another one if you already have and it will certainly make you excited and encouraged for your upcoming marathon if your currently training!

What do you look forward to during the taper? Shorter runs? More rest? Do you have any tips to help your get the most out of your taper so you’ll perform your best on race day?

Sep9

One Month…and a To-do List

Posted on by
Standard

Today is Friday September 9th.  Exactly one year ago today I went on my first date with my amazing boyfriend Michael.  A running date. At the time it seemed funny to me, but I was thrilled to be doing something I loved with someone new.  It was a success.  About a month after that I ran the B.A.A. half-marathon here in Boston.  It was a cool but beautiful fall morning.  My friends had planned to come watch but life got in the way. Michael did take time out of his busy life (he was finishing grad school) to come cheer me on and spend the rest of the day with me.  I was pretty thrilled by all this.  He cheered me on and helped me to PR in the half-marathon with a time of  1:41.38…I was SO excited!

I ran sub 8 mins in the BAA Half, it inspired me to try to BQ!

After the race when we were walking to the car Michael turned to me and told me that he’d really like to run a marathon someday, as a personal challenge. I perked right up and said I want to do another one! I said that Chicago was the next one I wanted to do and he simply said “Let’s Do It!”.  We never really discussed whether or not we should do it again, it was already decided. So on February 1st I called to wake him up and register for the Chicago Marathon…I woke him up at 6:45am for this…it didn’t sell out for another 20 some days but I was excited!  Back in June we started training together, both with the goal to Boston Qualify. We have had quite the journey and a lot of fun.  Now, here we are 1 month away from the running of Chicago Marathon on October 9th, 2011. I’m feeling a lot of emotions about all this.  The biggest feeling is that I’m thankful to have met someone who shares my passion for running and is willing to endure the challenge and pain of a marathon, I’m anxious, I’m nervous, I’m scared, I’m thrilled and I’m excited!

So in preparation for race day Michael and I made a one-month list.  All the things we need to do in order to be ready on race morning.  I thought I’d share.

1.  Keep Running! We have a 16 mile run this weekend, another challenging week of monster month next week with our last 20 mile run and then we begin a taper for the final 3 weeks.

2.  Rest! This month is tough. We are trying to eliminate as much stress as possible, lay on the couch, sleep well, ice our injured muscles and stay focused and positive.

3.  Stay Healthy! I did 9 miles in the POURING rain the other night. It was cold and I failed to wear a rain jacket. So I was freezing the whole time. I woke up the next day with a horrible headache and a cough. Not good. Luckily I drank lots of tea and had some of these:

I’m feeling much better but need to keep it that way.  So these will be part of my morning routine until race day!

4.  Pick our race day outfits out and run in them for one of our final runs! This is more for Michael. I’ve already picked out the Dash Tank II in heathered royalty and the Run: Speed Skirt in black for my outfit. It’s super comfortable and breathes well.  I also got the Shape Me Sports Bra in royalty to wear.  I’ll review all these products soon! I do need to decide between a hat or headband and if I’ll need arm warmers.

5.  Order Rocktape and test it during a long run! I love this stuff…I recently used it during a 36-hour relay.  It survived sweat, rain, showers, and everything the whole time.  It’s much more comfortable than my knee brace which absorbs sweat and moves around on my long runs.  I also need to brush up on their videos with taping instructions.  I may try taping my foot for plantar fasciitis as well.

Source: rocktape.com

6.  Plan our trip! We have most of this done, flights and hotel are booked.  We need to plan our days leading up to the marathon.  We have our final run to do on Friday and we also need to go the expo to pick up our packets.  We also want to check out the sites of Chicago.  We’ll be doing the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise tour on Saturday morning but need to decide what else we want to see.  We also want to plan in some down time and naps back at the hotel so we can rest our legs. We also need to look in to restaurants so we can eat appropriately!

7.  Choose our fuel! We have been training with Clif Shot Bloks but we need to decide on a flavor and pick some up for our trip! I’m thinking the Cran-Razz Flavor!

Clif Shot Bloks Cran Razz

8.  In the week before we will begin to carb-load. More on that later though as there is some interesting research out there for this!

9.  Look for our confirmation numbers and marathon information packets in the mail! According to the website they mail these out 2 to 3 weeks before the race and should be here in mid-September. I’m psyched for them to come and find out my number and the race details!

10. Get Excited, and Motivated! This seems funny to add to our list but I think it’s important.  The last month before a marathon is HARD! Your sore, tired and the runs are LONG! We still have a lot to get through before the big day but I really want to be sure we enjoy the last month of our journey and each run we have left. It’s all part of the experience!

I’ll keep you all posted as we get closer to race day and of course keep your eye out for a marathon recap post! Happy running everyone!