St. Pete's Beach Classic Review

Miles Run This Week: 4.1
Days until Burlington: 128

Back from vacation! Florida was exactly what I needed - low humidity, warm temps, and awesome running routes. My 4 mile run this week had these as the turnaround point:

 So things could have been worse. On Saturday the 14th, I ran the St. Pete's Beach Classic 10K with Joe. My parents came to watch (not really knowing what to expect) - so around 6:30 AM, we were packed up and off to St. Pete's Beach. It was about 50 degrees and pretty gusty when we got there - but we had about an hour and a half to kill, and the sun had just come up.

One thing I hate is standing in the start corral, freezing to death while you wait for the gun. But that's what we did.

The field didn't look very big - considering the races I've run in the Boston area, I'm used to being packed in at the start, and having to weave through the crowd after the start (total aside - if you're not a sub 6:00 min/mile runner, you being at the front will not make a difference, trust me. No need to start your jog from the front if the pack and run 3 across with all your friends - be real with yourself and get into the middle with the rest of us). Joe and I cruised right through the jogging pack, and after about .3 of a mile, settled into a nice 9:25 pace.

The course was flat - as in, real flat, not 0 elevation change because you kill yourself up a hill but get to dog it back down. A real flat. It was also weave-y, which isn't my favorite. All in all, I added about .15 to the run because of the turns (since race courses are measured in tangents). This might not sound like a lot, but in order to hold pace, I'd have to run a little bit faster to compensate the difference.

Things I noticed about running in the South versus running in the North:
-Everyone was nicer. I know this sounds like a cliche, but there was a guy ahead of Joe and me for about half a mile that was thanking every single spectator  for coming out to watch. I suspect that he has never run a race that draws a big crowd (like Boston or Chicago) - otherwise, he would be exhausted by mile 2 with all his gratitude.
-Everyone seemed slower. Or newer to a race setting. One of my race hallmarks is to pass a whole bunch of people at the beginning, only to be picked off by 70% of them again at the end. This time, I passed a bunch of people, kept passing more, and none of them ever caught up.

So I paced us to about 9:17s til about mile 4, when I  hit the wall. Joe picked up the pace to 9:15s and started shaving off time until we were cranking at 9:05s. I didn't whine, I didn't complain, all I said was, "My stomach is starting to hurt" and he replied with "Then you're doing it right." (Jerk.)

The worst part of the race was the last mile - you crossed the start mats at the mile 5 marker, and then had to run down to a turnaround and back. I'm really glad I looked at the course map ahead of time, or I would have been pissed. We watched some guy turn on his afterburners about 250 yards from the start mats - letting me know that he had no idea how far a 10K really was. Joe and I caught him about a quarter mile after his premature sprintalation, and passed him without any effort.

Once we hit the turnaround, we were running straight into the headwind. I had to start ramping up my speed to make sure the wind wouldn't slow me down. We stayed at 9:05s (but had that extra distance in there to negate that speed - awesome).

We turned the corner for the finish, and there were my mom and dad - so then I had to really sprint to make it look hard (it was already kind of hard). True to form, my mom tried to take a picture, not realizing that we weren't going to slow down just for a photo op (I think she's got a shot of just my arm).

Official time when we crossed the mats was 57:25 - so a 9:15 pace. I beat my previous PR by over a minute (1:09 to be exact)! I also came in 89 out of 323 women - which is probably one of my top finishes to date (but like I said....I don't think it was because of some blistering speed....I just think I wasn't racing tough runners like I do in Boston).

Regardless - I'm pretty stoked at my run, especially considering the fact I wasn't actually training for this race, and I could come out and lay a time down like that. Of course, now my hip has been yelling at me for over a week because of the pace I took (and I ran it in my Reeboks instead of my Saucony's - guess I do still need that support!).

I finished plotting out the training scheduled for Burlington - my goal race pace for this marathon is 10:18s, something that is totally doable (and sustainable for 26.2 miles - unlike my 9:15s that probably would have burnt out around 7 or 8). I think my biggest concerns right now are strengthening my hip abductors to stop this nagging pain, and keeping flexible and relaxed to avoid any other injuries.

Fifteen weeks to go!

Hey Slacker: Give Me Your Money!

Miles Run This Week: 0
Days Until Burlington: 130

OK. First things first - black bean soup was a smashing success. It would have been REALLY good with

some bacon (which many of the recipes called for) or some ground meat (but then it would have been chili). All in all, it was incredibly filling and tasty. The celery was essential to adding some texture/crunch to the other ingredients (so it was good to not saute it too long). 

This morning I dragged myself to the gym for the 6:30 spin class - which had better results for me than when I went to the Thursday class. I suspect it's because this is the spin class with a cute, straight dude as the instructor. I also made sure I didn't sit behind a big sweaty guy - girls butts are way nicer to look at (at least in this class). Last week I sat behind a guy who wore light colored cotton shorts to class, and was definitely part of Resolutionpalooza. Every intense interval was a sweaty TMI. Even though Tuesday spin doesn't really fit into my week...it might be worth it to switch some things around.

One thing that spinning and running have in common for me - they both tighten my piriformis. The piriformis is a muscle in your glute that controls your hip's range of motion. If it gets too tight, it can start to irritate your sciatic nerve, giving you some pretty gnarly pain in your back and leg. I've found it just makes my IT band a horrible mess (more than it already is). It's a legitimate pain in the ass. My go-to to helping me keep it in check is this puppy (which is actually called the pigeon, not puppy):

  

Since it's deemed an intermediate position, you should probably go check out the steps a the Yoga Journal to avoid hurting yourself (especially if you're doing this pose to avoid getting hurt - irony!). It's also a double-feature - I use it to get at my hip flexors, too. Some times I just prop my leg up on the bathroom sink while I'm brushing my teeth, too. Essentially the same stretch (but standing up, obv). 

Lastly, my Runner's World email mentioned a new app to motivate you to go to the gym. The original story ran in the New York Times ; the gist of the app: you lock yourself into number of days and duration each week (minimum 1 day for 30 mins) and then put some moolah down (minimum of $5) - if you don't man up and go for the times and days you originally set, you lose your cash. All the money taken from the slackers is then pooled together and divided up equally among the people who met their gym goals for the week. Meaning, if you're a gym rat, download this app, and low-ball yourself, you could get paid for going to the gym (without an endorsement from Nike paying your way).

While the RW forum brought up some good points (why not donate the money to charity?) - this app raised some bigger questions for me. (Aside from the gym-rat detailed above.) 

• If you don't know how to set realistic goals for yourself, you'll go broke quick. We've all met (or been) the person whose intentions, while well-meaning, are completely batshit. There's a reason that all the "Couch potato to runner" workouts focus on 5Ks - because you can't going from a couch potato to a marathoner. Or how many of us have sat at our desks on a Monday saying, "OK! This week's the week! I'm going to the gym EVERY DAY." Guess what? There's not couch potato to 6 day a week cardio plan, either. Is there something to keep this in check from over extending your reach? 
• This reinforces the stigma that working out is a chore/something that we all know we "should" do, versus setting it up as something we WANT to do. I get that the money will probably re-prioritize your day to make you squeeze in a workout - isn't that what paying for a gym membership is anyway?  I'm already paying $2.50 a day for the BSC, if I don't go all week, didn't I just waste about $20? I don't go to the gym because of the $$ - I do it so my pants fit (and to run a sub-5 hour marathon). 
• It forces you to do something to your body that maybe you shouldn't be doing. Rest days are necessary. If you're the fool up there who over extended yourself, you might force yourself to slave away on the treadmill - risking overuse injury (or worse). The $5 you saved that week isn't going to cover the physical therapy costs if you fuck up your knee or get a stress fracture because you didn't want to skip a day that you needed to skip. 

I'm rolling this app into the Re-tards Tones/Sketcher sneakers, Vibram 5 finger shoes and Zumba category: for people who are looking for a quick fix, most likely because they aren't working out for themselves. 

Meatless Monday #1: Black Bean Soup

Miles Run This Week: 0

Days until Burlington: 131

Last night I capped off a 19.16 mile week - which is the highest volume week for me since Chicago, and featured my longest run (8.14 miles) since 2010 on Saturday. The 8 miles took me 90 minutes; it coincided perfectly with the base building I'm trying to do in the month of January (which had me completing a 90 minute run). I used the heart rate monitor to keep my pace in check - which I think is a big reason I was able to complete this run. I finished up the weekend with a 40 minute recovery run, for only 3.3 miles. It was probably a little too long (my legs are fried today) - but it was so awesome to check off the 19 miles from my to-do list.

Today was supposed to kick off my Meatless Monday resolution, and I just realized I had chicken soup for lunch. Curses!

Tonight I'll be making black bean soup for dinner (to consciously be no-meat) with a modified recipe (taking out the chili pepper) from allrecipes.com:  

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 
  

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. Stir in vegetable broth, 2 cans of beans, and corn. Bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, process remaining 2 cans beans and tomatoes until smooth. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Seems easy enough - and looks yummy!

 

I'll report back and see how mine actually turns out!

This week is also Florida and my 10K race! I'm anxious to see if all the other training I did after the BAA 10K kept my fitness up/improved my fitness so I can stay under an hour for finish time again. I think it'll help that Joe (my rabbit) has decided to run it with me. I ran with him on NYE, and he pushed my pace to 9:30s for 5.5 miles, and I wasn't dying (or really feeling like I was at full throttle pace). Of course, I'll also be going from temps in the 30s and 40s to 60s and 70s - so that might hinder it a bit. I'm planning to run Thursday - Sunday because it will be warm! And sunny! And nice! But I'm still wary about burning myself out. 

Tonight's focus (other than no-meat resolution) will be yoga (another resolution!) to keep my hammies and my hips flexible!

Running IS Math!

Miles Run This Week: 4
Days until Burlington: 138

Apparently, I'm not the only one on Resolutionpalooza. When I walked by the BSC in Central Square last night - there was a line 5 people deep to check in. Like it was a bar. Really? Really. So I kept walking. Totally not worth fighting for a tiny sliver of mat to do some planks on. Now Tuesday was a rest day, and Friday will get a nice workout.

Since college, I've been advocating for a points-based-ranking system for gym space and equipment. If you got a point every time you went to the gym (and like...2 when it's not January/pre-swim suit season/really effing hard to get out of bed that day) - if you had more points than a Sallie-come-lately, you can kick them off of a treadmill or take their weights (especially if they don't actually know how to lift - without correct form, you're not doing anything, cupcake). This is a much better alternative to weaving between girls wearing makeup with their hair down who are waiting to use the elliptical.

But so it goes. A good chunk will burn out in another 3 weeks, and I can probably squeeze an after work session, rather than begrudgingly dragging myself out of bed at 5:45 when it's 10 degrees (10!!!!) outside to make sure I can sweat in peace.

So, I already wrote about my MapMyRun download, and the epiphanies that went along with it.  I'm now just discovering all the tools that go along with the app on the actual website. I can actually record the weather, my mood, and write some notes to go along with each run I record (and I can manually add workouts in case I'm 'mill bound one day). This is going to make my "Keep a running log" resolution a ton easier. Usually keeping information online is tough for me - what do you do when you're not near a computer? But now that I can use my phone to track my workout, and update on the fly, this might actually not be too bad.

The RW "Run a Marathon in 4:30" training plan looks like it only has running 4 days a week, with a lower long-slow-distance run starting point and lower weekly mileage than my current plan. I like this for a couple reasons:
(1) Even though I said I wanted to run 5 days a week through December and January, in reality, I'm only hitting about 3 days. So even if I can get up to 5 days a week, it's not make-or-break at this point.
(2) The weekly mileage starts at 15 miles - the plan I currently have is 25 miles. My average weekly mileage for the past 6 weeks is about 12.5 - so 15 is within reach. I'm slated to do 19 this week, and peak around 23. But still, even if I can't get above 20, it's not make-or-break anymore.

This takes the pressure off of me to try and perform at such a high level before I start training - because training to train is pretty stupid. So this will be a nice base building 6 weeks - long miles, staying within 50 to 60% of my max heart rate.This apparently does science-y things like increase your blood volume (which helps when you need to bring oxygen to your muscles) and improve glycogen storage (which is fuel for running - "carb loading" fills up these stores) and strengthens the connective tissue in your body (which helps with the impact of running on your body). I'll probably repeat this period in June of this year - to come down off of the marathon high, and ramp up into training for DC in July (July 8th!).

I'm still going to try and have 6 cardio sessions a week - but make everything but running non-impact. I'm going to try and find my max heart rate tomorrow during my first weekday spin class! So much for Running Not Being Math - all those years of decimals and percentages and calculations are certainly helping now. Are heart rate-based workouts and training only something for the elite? I guess I'm going to find out (hopefully not the hard way).

Also - for the record - I have yet to do any yoga in 2012. But I stretched a ton while strength training this morning! It's a start. That's what it's all about, right?

Resolution Mania!

Miles Run This Week: 4
Days until Burlington: 139

Happy 2012! I made it through the holiday rush! While I didn't stick to my running-five-days-a-week clause, having it in place at least got me out there as much as I could (which is better than nothing). I ended 2011 with a 5.5 mile run at a 9:30 pace (which is only about 8 seconds off my fasted recorded pace) and felt good. I am most certainly a cold weather runner.

I have to say - 2011 is the most consistently trained year, and I probably ended up with the most miles (but didn't track them in one place, so I don't know how many I did - which is a goal for 2012).

So every January, I join the ranks of....everyone else, and make a ton of resolutions. While I've been better these past few years in making resolutions that are attainable and can be broken down into actual actions, I'm totally guilty of piling on 75 things that in the end aren't sustainable when I try to implement. But I figure, if I can keep 50% of my goals, I'm that much closer to the person I want to be.

So for 2012:
-Keep a running log - to note the weather, how I was feeling, pace, distance - little factors that could either snowball into a bigger problem (like burnout) or factors that could lead to adjustments for big time wins.

- I'm going to have No Meat Mondays - which means just that. But I'll concentrate on deriving my protein from beans, edamame, and quinoa - which are all nutrient dense foods. This also means I'll probably be relying a bit on the No Meat Athlete blog - for recipes and tips for even 1 day a week meat-free. I have no intention on going full blown vegetarian, but I do plan on incorporating a more conscientious diet while I train. This will make it 1 step easier. Also, one of my favorite bloggers, who got me through my tri - Susan Lacke (@SusanLacke) writes for them. She always knows what I'm terrified of (and how to fix it).

-PR in my marathons. We all know it's on my mind. I'm even going to get the Runner's World "break 4:30" marathon plan - so if I don't do it in Burlington, I can train again for DC.

-Hello, my name is Amy, and I have weak hip muscles. There. I said it. I've been in denial for about 3 years. I will deny it no longer! I found a couple exercises and stretches to start strengthening my abductors - which, in the long run, will take the strain off my IT band and my knees. And hopefully make my jeans fit better.

-Yoga, 3 times a week. I started out 2011 pretty OK with this goal - I found a nice little 20 minute "Yoga for Runners" sesh - but fell off the wagon around July last year. Tight hammies kill everything - from calves to butt muscles - and limit my range of motion in my knees (which means slower/smaller strides, and recipe for injury). I can do 20 minutes a few times a week. No biggie (deep breaths).

-Share running more. When I started running in 2008, I was running for myself. I was just out of college, went through a job change, a break up, moved, my dog died and my truck broke down. I was running for emotional release. I was running to focus on something other than the mess I had made of my life. I ran all my races alone. While I was trying to run away from things, I ended up running into solutions. I started rebuilding. I ran myself right into some sort of functioning adult.

I've dabbled in group running, and obviously, I run with my best friend (my pace buddy) and my boyfriend (my rabbit) - but now it's so much a part of how I construct my identity, that people know I run. I mean, I'm talking about it on the internets! So now I want to focus on running with friends in 2012. Running buddies will keep me honest, mix up paces, and be a great support system (which started back with the Healthworks running group in 2009). Sharing running and my experiences will make it more fun! And I still get a run or 2 to myself a week so I can re-center if need be (a must-have for me). But I already have a few great people who run in my life - why not add some more?

-Reach and maintain a healthy BMI. Rather than focus on an ambiguous number on the scale (do I really need to hit my HS weight? Will that make me a better person?) I'm a handful of pounds away from being in the "Normal" range for BMI (whereas I've been in the "Obese" and "Overweight" ranges since...2003?) Have a range of weight to get to and maintain is much more realistic than trying to get myself to a weight I was at when I was taking my SATs. Focus is on health, feeling, and avoiding all the weight-related illnesses that plague my genetics.

Hope your 2012 is a healthier, happier one!