Peak Week

Every marathon training plan has a peak training week before taper begins and this was my big week to be ready for Columbus marathon (in addition to completing my first month back to work).  The week included a half marathon, a 5K and finished off with a 20 mile run!  I have been diligent with my miles, getting ~40 miles a week, but I have not been doing any speed work and little tempo.  After so many of my long runs on my own and little racing compared to years past, I needed a sense of where I am from a fitness standpoint so I planned to get a check in a half marathon. 
It was a downpour all night long and still when I woke up at 5am to get ready for the race, but right about the time I was getting parked, the rain stopped and the conditions were perfect for running, cloudy and cool.  In years past I would have had pasta before a race, tapered a bit the days before, and gotten plenty of sleep, but times have changed.  We had dinner with friends the night before which was ginger-miso salmon and rice and I got to bed about 11pm, but as it turned out salmon may be a pretty good pre-run meal because my stomach and legs felt great the whole race.  My goal was to run under a 1:40 half (7:30-7:40 pace) after running a 1:41 at the Pig back in May.  When the race started I went out about 7:05 pace, which I knew may be faster then I could hold for the whole race, but I was feeling good and decided to see how long I could hold the pace.  I pretty much held the pace until mile 10 when I was starting to feel my legs, but I knew I only had 5K to go and held on to a 7:20 pace finishing down the runway in 1:34 (7:13 pace), race day magic is amazing!

Thursday afternoon was our semi-annual 5K at work, there is no better way to spend an afternoon then getting outside of the office to run a 5k with your co-workers.  I went out fast to keep up with a girl who usually wins, hung behind her for most of the race but was never able to catch her and finished ~20:40.  A good fast weekday effort and probably still a little tired from the weekend half.

To finish it off, today was my 20 mile run, first in 2 years since Ironman Wisconsin.  There is nothing like the weight of a looming 20 mile run, there is just something about that distance that feels like a weight over my head until I get out and do it.  18 miles no problem, but 20 miles is mentally tough knowing I am going to be out running for nearly 3 hours.  To top it off I've really been struggling to get sleep these past few weeks.  When our daughter was sick I gave into feeding her when she woke up at 4:30am and now she's gotten into the habit of waking up early and not being able to go back to sleep.  So on 5 hours of sleep 20 miles seemed even more daunting.  I set out for my run this morning with my Ipod and knocked out the miles on my own, trying to hold around 8 min/mile, sometimes picking it up and slowing down when needed to keep going.  I broke the run into 6 sections, just telling myself to get through that portion of the run and made it through feeling strong but also worn out when I got home.  Time to taper!

Stroller racing and a marathon comeback

The gorgeous August weather continues and I've been feeling full of energy for running.  Thursday night was my turn to push the stroller in a local 5k and was fun to see how fast I could run with a stroller after all these months of training with the stroller.  I was pretty happy to run 21:39 (7:00 pace) but the highlight of the evening was my husband, our daughter and I all getting to dance together to some fun songs at the post race party before heading home for bed time.

Last weekend I felt so good on my 12 mile run with my friend training for NYC marathon that I began considering training for a full again.  I've been using training time and the possibility of having more kids as a barrier to doing a full, but I'm feeling better than ever and really enjoying long runs, plus a challenge and goal especially once I head back to work could be good for me, so after a 15 miler at 8:30 pace yesterday I registered for an October marathon.  I'm a little scared but that's just what I need!

My Favorite Time of Day

I've always been a morning person with more energy early in the day and not able to stay up late nights, but even more so with my daughter now, I really love the mornings with her.  We wake up, I nurse her, we play, she is smiley and laughs, now we eat breakfast together at the table and then I read her a story before she goes to sleep peacefully for her morning nap.  I love the sun coming in through the window in the morning or the occasional calmness of a rainy morning at home with coffee.  My plan for going back to work is that I will still have this time with her in the morning before we head off for the day, it won't be as relaxed but will be an important way to spend precious quality time with her.
I also love running in the mornings, the start of a fresh day and full of energy.  Yesterday was an incredible weather day for July, there was actually a cool crispness like fall in the air even as I headed out for my long run at 9am after she went to sleep for her nap.  The weather gave me a shot of energy which combated the extreme tiredness from our nights of sleep training over the weekend.  I ran solo with my Ipod and I was smiling as I ran just so happy to be out on a cool sunny morning for a run.  I ran 10 miles at ~8minute pace, feeling pretty much back to my old running self. 

Being Okay with Good Enough

Every year my sister and I head home to run our hometown 5K with my dad in celebration of 4th of July and their birthdays.  This year she couldn't make it, there was prediction of rain and the start time had been moved up to 7:30am, all making keeping family traditions with a baby in the mix a little more challenging.  We hadn't signed up in advance and yesterday realized to get there on time we'd need to wake up by 5am, not very appealing on a holiday for this already tired mom, but I knew the post race feeling, family time and some delicious food awaited so we decided we would plan to go but make a final decision in the morning.  After a 3am feeding I set my alarm for 5:30am for maximum sleep.  At 5:30 the radar looked clear so we got up and decided we would do our best to get there as early as we could, made coffee, skipped breakfast, packed a post race bag, fed the dogs, and lastly I got our daughter up to feed her, grabbed her a 4th of July outfit, double checked the diaper bag and put her in the car seat, we pulled out of the drive at 6:20, not bad, but cutting it very close for getting to the race.  Road closures for the race further delayed us and by the time we parked it was 10 minutes till race time, we jogged with the stroller to the start, hitting a portajon on the way and ran up to the start just as the national anthem got under way.  There were no warm up miles or strides, we didn't even have time to signup for the race, a quick stretch, passed the stroller onto my mom and we were off.  A mile into the race my shoe came untied which never happens to me and I just kept going hoping I didn't trip.  But even with all that it was fun, we got ourselves out the door before the rain, I ran a decent time, we cheered on my dad and our niece as she finished her first 5K.  So for this perfectionist, today was a lesson in doing "good enough" and enjoying the less than perfect because we were out there together and that's better than missing out.  Happy 4th of July!

A Run to Clear my Head

Today my run was more for mental health than physical.  After playing with my daughter, breakfast together (she is now starting to eat solid foods), dishes, getting her down for a nap, unburying the pile of mail, and getting plans in order for the upcoming holiday and weekend events, I decided to get myself, the baby and dogs out of the house rather than moving onto putting away the baskets full of laundry waiting on the bed.  We all piled into the car and headed out for a run.  Within the first mile I could feel my stress and clouded head fade away.  All the "to-do's" although none a big deal had all started to add up, and there is the reoccurring worry of how I am ever going to keep up with all these things when I go back to work.  We did a few miles then headed back home recharged to tackle cooking the carrots for some homemade baby food and maybe get to putting away that laundry.

Hill Repeats-Making Progress

Yesterday I had planned with my husband to do a family run after work but it was so hot in the evening, ~90  degrees, that we decided to bail on that plan and let him get a little Daddy daughter time.  I headed out for a solo run and given a decent amount of track workouts lately and the heat, I wanted to change it up so I ran for a neighborhood hill.  1.5 miles easy to the hill and when I got there decided to try to make it through 6 repeats, the hill about a quarter mile, to get me to ~5miles total workout.  I charged up the hill on a street with beautiful homes, driving my legs forward motivated by the big race I've been working toward at the end of June.  I could feel my legs tiring, getting stronger and once I crested the hill I jogged back down easy.  After the last repeat I went over the back side of the hill to jog easy home.

I was interested to look back at when I had done a workout on this same hill in April to see if I had improved and by how much.  When I got home I looked at my Garmin workouts to find the last workout, only 4 repeats over a minute/mile slower pace, I am making progress!!

Looks like summer weather is here which means finding a way to get out early or later but mid day runs will be getting a little steamy for stroller runs.  Even more reason to get my daughters sleep schedule more regular, that's another topic...

Rainy Day Run

Today was one of those days I wasn't sure if a run would happen, it was storming in the morning and we had evening dinner plans.  After the morning storms rolled through and morning nap time was over we headed out to the park before the next round of rain. The rain had cooled the temperature off about 20 degrees from past days and the skies were grey and gloomy but we've had plenty of sunshine lately so it was a nice change of pace.  The park had more birds than people and was more peaceful than usual as the playground was empty.  We got sprinkled on a bit, but no thunder so we just enjoyed it.  As I got going I felt so good we did an extra 2 miles and I may have kept going if I had not brought our dog.  So today I ended up doing 6 easy miles, my longest stroller run to date.

Summer Track Meets

 
Running on a track never fails to bring nerves and a good workout.  I love running at the track and every summer in our town for about 6 weeks the local running store puts on a low key and free track series.  Basically anyone of any age (2 to 80 as long as you can walk) and ability can show up and jump into any of the events going on that night.  Last night I wanted to get some speed work so I decided to see how fast I could run the mile.  The mile is a challenging event because with 4 laps, go out too fast and you can have a pretty miserable last lap but it still requires a fast pace since it only lasts roughly 6 minutes.    I did 1.5 mile easy warmup with some 100 meter strides. I just wanted to push myself to run hard and see how fast I could go, I started out pretty steady 1:35 laps picking it up on the last lap finishing 6:12. It was scary, it was fun, everything I love about the track and now I'd like to go sub 6:00 this summer.  I felt so good after the mile I did a few cool down laps then jumped in for the 800 as well, a better event for me, running ~2:50.  Welcome summer running!

Pig Half Marathon Race Report

This May started with my first half marathon since finding out I was pregnant last May.  It was actually by running the half marathon last year that I thought I may be pregnant given I started hitting a wall halfway through and walking around mile 10, just sapped of energy.  This year's Flying Pig would be my 10th straight year to participate in some distance and I was excited to keep that streak alive 4 months after giving birth.

In March I had run a 15k as my first and only race back and built mileage through April with weekly long slow runs, hitting 12 miles a couple of times ahead of the half.  

On race day the goal was to finish feeling good, not sure what the pace would be given training had been about building up the long runs again not speed or a large base mileage (I ran about 20 miles a week in April whereas I used to run 30-60 miles a week for a half marathon).  The day started at 3:45 am to be ready for a 6:30 race start time while getting baby fed before leaving.  I got dressed, ate some oatmeal and then fed baby and pumped before heading out the door at 5:00am.  My parents were watching baby during the race and I had bottles lined up for the 2-3 feedings I would miss.  To have the bottles ready takes a bit of preplanning and pumping the mornings in the days leading up to the race but is freeing to allow me to be gone long enough to run and watch my husband and friends finish the marathon.

The race started after a beautiful sunrise and I started nice and easy just over 8 minute pace.  As I made my way back from KY over the bridge around mile 3 I was feeling good and starting to hit just under 8 minute pace, my husband was pacing the 3:25 marathon group and although I didn't originally think I could go with that pace (7:49 min/miles), I had kept their balloons in site and thought it would be fun to catch them and run with him before the assent into Eden Park.  So as I made my way through downtown, around mile 5, I caught up to the pace group and chatted with them before tucking back to focus on the climb.  I kept a steady pace and felt strong through the hills and then the half marathon breaks off from the full around mile 8 and takes a decline back downtown. I picked up the pace on the decent but at this point there wasn't enough miles left to make up enough time to break 1:40, so I finished a strong 1:41.  This was actually my best time for the 3 times I've run the Pig half course and way better than I expected to finish, while far from my 1:31 half PR, putting me almost back to where I was in 2008 when I started serious and consistent marathon training.

I am looking at post pregancy/baby running like starting over my running in a way, setting new post baby PRs and seeing where I can get back to with the new priorities I have and also where I can become even stronger and faster than before baby given the new focus and dedication required to train around a baby's schedule and just the new reason I have to be joyful, running and living with  purpose and heck the new pain threshold I may have from the birth may allow me to find a new speed barrier, it's an exciting new running journey!

A Runner, 2 Dogs and a Stroller

My first run with the stroller and both dogs may not seem like a big deal or may seem crazy, either way for me this was a big accomplishment that required gradual build up. I started with just the stroller then one dog then both dogs. At our 4 month appointment the pediatrician gave the go ahead to begin stroller running, I wanted to stick to paved smooth surfaces like a trail to keep the bumping and bouncing to a minimum but on our first weekday run I felt venerable with just me and the stroller. So the next run I brought our lab along for protection and to get him out of the house as he has the most cooped up energy, leaving our Blue Heeler behind not sure I could control or manage all 3. I shouldn't care so much about the dogs "feelings" but I hate to leave either one behind, they get so excited when I lace up my shoes.

The most difficult part of this balancing act is the strategic process of getting in and out of the car, but now that I have the routine down: get dogs out, stroller out, baby into the stroller. and make sure I have the keys and lock the car, once we get running the dogs actually do pretty well running alongside. It never fails when I have all 3 at least one person says "Wow you've got your hands full" and I have to smile, this just further adds to the fun that I've mastered getting everyone out of the house for a workout at once. The run may not be the most high quality in terms of speed and with occasional stops but I think the effort to push the stroller and control the dogs makes up for it.

A Trail Run Stopover

This morning after a night stop over in Asheville on our way to a family beach vacation, my husband and I got to do a trail run together on the Blue Ridge Mountain Trail.  We'd run on this trail last time we were in Asheville and knew the trail head was only a mile or two from our hotel.  As soon as we got onto the trail we were enjoying the run together and glad we chose to run here vs the road as our hometown doesn't have much in the way of good trails for running.  The woods smelled of pine, giving a soft footing and there was fresh morning rain on the trees.  This particular section of trail had the right amount of roots, hills and turns to be challenging and technical but still allowed us to run at a moderate pace.  We did 25 minutes out and turned to head back, agreeing there is no better way to start the day especially before driving and we even made it back in time for some oatmeal and coffee at the hotel breakfast before cleaning up to checkout.

Spring in My Step

There is nothing like the first run in a new pair of running shoes. Fresh new colors and the renewed cushioning just puts a spring in your step.  I planned to write about how great my run was in my new running shoes, teal and pink Asics Nimbus I was particularly excited about especially because this was my first pair of new running shoes since September given my low mileage pre and post baby, however my workout went different than planned.  My husband watched our daughter on a Saturday afternoon while I set out for the track a couple miles from our house to do my first legitimate interval workout since baby on a quest to find some speed in my running again.  I could feel the spring of the new shoes and felt incredible.  However when I arrived at the track there was a 50 something man sitting in the infield with some football equipment, I was pleasant and said hello while I did some stretching before starting on my 400 repeats. As I made my way through my first 400 I became aware how deserted the rest of the track was and only one gate open as a way out, running a 6:45 pace, fastest in a while I came back to the start, he asked me if I was in my 20s or 30s and I proceeded to spring right on out of the track to the busiest street as fast as possible.  He may just have been friendly but I was not about to find out. So I did my quarter mile pickups on the street instead, looking over my shoulder every now and then.  Post Baby running has been mostly solitary, it's tough to schedule workouts with friends both because my speed has changed and because my schedule is so dependent on baby and having someone to watch her and run between feedings, but in the interest of safety it's time to get back to the buddy system next time I head to the track, one of my favorite places to run.