Hey girls! What's happening? Long time no blog! :) I know we're all super busy--especially Tessa! Good luck on Tuesday! You can do it!!
Just thought I'd update y'all on what I've been up to. I missed the 12-mile run with my group last Saturday because Rob and I went to Highlands, NC, for the weekend. It was a great trip, but I was sad to miss the long run with my group. I did manage to run six miles last Saturday morning, and five miles on Sunday. Plus a hike on Saturday afternoon. So I wasn't a complete bum!
My training group is tapering because their race is on Thanksgiving. (Can you believe how quickly it has approached??) I had originally thought about running 10-12 miles on my own today, but I really didn't run alone. So I ran 8.7 miles with the group. I figured that would be fine...right?? I kept my intensity up and finished at a 10:05 pace. How did I manage that? That's faster than my fastest 10K pace! So I'm thinking that I can run faster than I think I can. LOL. Moral of the story, if I'm holding you back during the race, just run faster and I will follow. :)
On another topic, I e-mailed the race coordinators about having one of you pick up my race packet on Friday. They said that's fine if you have a copy of my ID and my registration confirmation. So, if you don't mind, I'll let y'all pick up my stuff so that we can go straight to dinner when I get into town (should be 7-8 pm). I'll give Toni and Tessa copies of my stuff next weekend.
Sounds like a lot of us have gotten new shoes lately! I had been fitted for shoes a few years ago, but I wanted to try out the "scientific" looking system that they use at a different local running store. It was time for new shoes anyway, so I went by Big Peach Running Company and checked it out. First, they have you stand on a pad that analyzes your arches. Mine are medium to low. So the salesperson made sure that the shoes she recommended didn't have high arches. Then they videotape your feet while you run on a treadmill. I overpronate, so she recommended three different pairs of shoes for me to try. I ended up with a pair of Mizunos (except they were green and way uglier than the ones in the picture!) They felt super comfortable when I ran around the block outside the store. Unfortunately, when I got home and took them on a longer run, they made the muscles along the outsides of my feet hurt. It was weird. Luckily, the running store let me exchange the shoes even after I had run outside in them. So I'm back to a new pair of my old standbys, Brooks Adrenaline.
That's about it for me. Hope y'all are doing well! Can't wait to see Toni and Tessa next weekend, and all of you in two weeks! Hugs from Atlanta!
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Kick it up!
Dear friends, sorry I've been MIA as of late! I gave an exam on Monday, so I spent most of the weekend writing it, and Monday through yesterday grading. Now I'm bracing myself for hate mail from my students about their grades...
Anyway, thanks Jen for posting that picture! Man, we were soaked, and that was not sweat! The rain was absolutely POURING around mile 7. After we finished running, we were soaked and freezing and didn't bother to cool down or stretch. OOPS! I was feeling a little stiff on Sunday morning, but I was better by Monday. The run went pretty well, other than the rain! I'm thinking I should be able to keep up the same pace, or possibly slightly faster, for the half marathon since it will be flatter and I'll have you girls to motivate me :) Anyway, here's the race results--Jennifer and I got 16th and 17th in our age group! :)
Which brings me to the title of the post. Our running coach's motivational e-mail of the week told us that for our last four long runs, we should take it easy for most of the run but push the pace on the last two miles. I've been picking up my pace on my own in the last mile of my long runs (the last mile of my 10-miler was 9:43!), but two miles will be a bit tougher. Just wanted to share that with y'all in case you want to try it as well.
All of you have posted such great ideas about Memphis, t-shirts, etc. I'm going to comment on those posts individually.
Oh, and my mom was so excited to finally be able to post a comment to the blog! She's been reading all along and finally got the comment function to work. So, hi Mom! :)
One month til Memphis!! Can't wait!! :-D
Anyway, thanks Jen for posting that picture! Man, we were soaked, and that was not sweat! The rain was absolutely POURING around mile 7. After we finished running, we were soaked and freezing and didn't bother to cool down or stretch. OOPS! I was feeling a little stiff on Sunday morning, but I was better by Monday. The run went pretty well, other than the rain! I'm thinking I should be able to keep up the same pace, or possibly slightly faster, for the half marathon since it will be flatter and I'll have you girls to motivate me :) Anyway, here's the race results--Jennifer and I got 16th and 17th in our age group! :)
Which brings me to the title of the post. Our running coach's motivational e-mail of the week told us that for our last four long runs, we should take it easy for most of the run but push the pace on the last two miles. I've been picking up my pace on my own in the last mile of my long runs (the last mile of my 10-miler was 9:43!), but two miles will be a bit tougher. Just wanted to share that with y'all in case you want to try it as well.
All of you have posted such great ideas about Memphis, t-shirts, etc. I'm going to comment on those posts individually.
Oh, and my mom was so excited to finally be able to post a comment to the blog! She's been reading all along and finally got the comment function to work. So, hi Mom! :)
One month til Memphis!! Can't wait!! :-D
Saturday, October 24, 2009
First 10-miler!
Hey girls! So, what's up? I haven't heard from y'all in awhile. I know you're busy. I hope training and life in general are going well! I hear that Toni and Tessa ran together last weekend, and I am jealous...but Jennifer and I get to run a 10 mile race together next weekend! Yay!
So, I did my first "10-miler" today. It was actually only 9.8 miles, so I'll have to wait until next week to officially break into the double digits. I was happy with how it went! It was a pretty hilly course and I still managed to keep a 10:50/mile pace. So I'm thinking that another 3.1 miles on a flat course won't be too bad! I finished off the pack of Shot Bloks that I started last week, and also ate a pack of lemon Sports Beans (just because the training group had them for us for free). I have a few different flavors of Shot Bloks at home to try over the next few weeks! The sales associate at the running store told me that black cherry, cran-razz, and strawberry are the most popular flavors, so I got one of each.
I will say that I'm sore/stiff in places I never expected. After about an hour of running, I really start to feel it in my abs. I really need to work on my core strength! Tessa, I know you posted exercises from Runner's World awhile ago, but I am a huge slacker when it comes to core workouts...ugh! Also, my hips are pretty sore, which I guess isn't too surprising. I started to feel it after about an hour too. Luckily I don't have any real pain, just some soreness and stiffness. And I'll have to remember to put Body Glide on my toes next time, because I seem to be developing a blister on my little toe.
So, I did my first "10-miler" today. It was actually only 9.8 miles, so I'll have to wait until next week to officially break into the double digits. I was happy with how it went! It was a pretty hilly course and I still managed to keep a 10:50/mile pace. So I'm thinking that another 3.1 miles on a flat course won't be too bad! I finished off the pack of Shot Bloks that I started last week, and also ate a pack of lemon Sports Beans (just because the training group had them for us for free). I have a few different flavors of Shot Bloks at home to try over the next few weeks! The sales associate at the running store told me that black cherry, cran-razz, and strawberry are the most popular flavors, so I got one of each.
I will say that I'm sore/stiff in places I never expected. After about an hour of running, I really start to feel it in my abs. I really need to work on my core strength! Tessa, I know you posted exercises from Runner's World awhile ago, but I am a huge slacker when it comes to core workouts...ugh! Also, my hips are pretty sore, which I guess isn't too surprising. I started to feel it after about an hour too. Luckily I don't have any real pain, just some soreness and stiffness. And I'll have to remember to put Body Glide on my toes next time, because I seem to be developing a blister on my little toe.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
20.9 miles last week!
I am excited because this is my highest mileage week since fall 2007 (I started running longer distances for no particular reason...I think I got up to 9 miles at a time and haven't done it since!) I figure that y'all are the only ones who might care :)
I skipped my training group on Saturday because they were doing a 10K race in Cartersville, which is 44 miles from home. Our coach told us to get there by 6:45 at the latest. I wasn't up for driving an hour at 5:45 am on Saturday, so I did 7 miles by myself at 9:30 (a much better wake-up time!) I ran the same route as last week and actually took about a minute off my time!
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I must say that I'm getting a little frustrated by the lack of daylight in the morning. I woke up at 6:55 this morning and had to wait 30 minutes for it to be light enough to run outside. I rushed to get ready for work and still didn't get here until 9:30 am! I think I'm going to have to rearrange my schedule next week, at least until Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 1 (woo hoo, an extra hour of partying on Halloween!)
I skipped my training group on Saturday because they were doing a 10K race in Cartersville, which is 44 miles from home. Our coach told us to get there by 6:45 at the latest. I wasn't up for driving an hour at 5:45 am on Saturday, so I did 7 miles by myself at 9:30 (a much better wake-up time!) I ran the same route as last week and actually took about a minute off my time!
View Larger Map
I must say that I'm getting a little frustrated by the lack of daylight in the morning. I woke up at 6:55 this morning and had to wait 30 minutes for it to be light enough to run outside. I rushed to get ready for work and still didn't get here until 9:30 am! I think I'm going to have to rearrange my schedule next week, at least until Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 1 (woo hoo, an extra hour of partying on Halloween!)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
7 down, 6.1 to go!
Michele and I flew back from Cleveland on Saturday afternoon, so I missed my 7-mile run with my training group on Saturday morning. The weather was really crappy on Saturday, and it was Rob's birthday, so I didn't run at all. I got up on Sunday morning and did my 7-mile run and still made it to church at 11 am! (I know 11 isn't that early, but I was proud of myself! :) ) The run was nice--I felt good and kept up a pace just under 11 min/mile. That's pretty good considering that I ran the Peachtree Road Race (10K) at an 11 min/mile pace! The weather was great, too. I am so happy that fall is here!
I love to run through Piedmont Park when I do long runs on my own. It's about 3 miles from our house, so it's the perfect destination for a loop route. The neighborhoods between our house and the park are great to run through, too! When I was entering the park on Sunday, I noticed people running a race down the street I was crossing. I thought, "hmm, I didn't know there was a race today" and kept going. But when I got into the park, I quickly realized that I was running toward the finish line of the race! There were racers blowing by me and spectators cheering them on to the finish. I was like "crap, I've got to get out of here!" But everywhere I looked, there were racers! I was able to escape from the park without causing any apparent disturbance to the race, but the whole thing felt like it was out of a sitcom! I figured out from the race numbers that the race was the Atlanta Ekiden Relay, which sounds like it could be fun. (Except that it's six laps around the same 5 K course...I guess this eliminates the need for a van to transport runners, though.) The team captain instructions say "Please be aware of non-race participants as they may not know a race is going on." Haha, that was me!
I love to run through Piedmont Park when I do long runs on my own. It's about 3 miles from our house, so it's the perfect destination for a loop route. The neighborhoods between our house and the park are great to run through, too! When I was entering the park on Sunday, I noticed people running a race down the street I was crossing. I thought, "hmm, I didn't know there was a race today" and kept going. But when I got into the park, I quickly realized that I was running toward the finish line of the race! There were racers blowing by me and spectators cheering them on to the finish. I was like "crap, I've got to get out of here!" But everywhere I looked, there were racers! I was able to escape from the park without causing any apparent disturbance to the race, but the whole thing felt like it was out of a sitcom! I figured out from the race numbers that the race was the Atlanta Ekiden Relay, which sounds like it could be fun. (Except that it's six laps around the same 5 K course...I guess this eliminates the need for a van to transport runners, though.) The team captain instructions say "Please be aware of non-race participants as they may not know a race is going on." Haha, that was me!
Friday, September 18, 2009
First interval run
I've been slacking a bit on running this week (starting last weekend at Davidson when I skipped my long run...oops!) I did make it to the gym last night to run intervals, though. It has been raining here all week...I am getting a bit tired of it (though I know better than to complain about rain in Atlanta!) I was hoping to squeeze in a run between bands of rain, but no such luck. After one lap around the outdoor track, I was already getting soaked, so I moved inside to the 1/8 mile indoor track. I ran around the indoor track 29 times. It kind of sucked! But I got my interval run in! Next up is a 6 mile run with the training group tomorrow. Hopefully the rain holds off in the morning!
I was just thinking about a Road ID--Toni, did you say you have one of these? I've never run with one before (heck, I don't even carry my cell phone, is that bad?) I'm thinking that since I'm going to be running longer distances, it might be a good idea...just in case.
Happy running to everyone!
I was just thinking about a Road ID--Toni, did you say you have one of these? I've never run with one before (heck, I don't even carry my cell phone, is that bad?) I'm thinking that since I'm going to be running longer distances, it might be a good idea...just in case.
Happy running to everyone!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Started training today!
Okay girls! 14 weeks until the big race! Have you started training yet? I officially started this morning. I woke up at 6:15, which was the earliest I've gotten up all week! Hehe! I met my running group at 7:30 and we ran an easy 4 miles (I ran it in 43:48).
I was surprised by how big the group was. I guess I was expecting 20-30 people, but it was probably around 100! The intermediate group left first to run 5 miles, then the novice group left to run 4. The coaches didn't put us into pace groups; they just told us to run easy so that we could carry on a conversation. There were plenty of people both ahead of and behind me, which was good! I didn't chat much with anyone during the run, except to ask one girl how she liked her running skirt. (Have you seen these or do you have one? She told me that I'd never go back if I switched!)
So, I've got an easy 2 miles tomorrow, then a rest day on Monday. (I appreciate that rest days are on Mondays and Fridays!) How is running going for the rest of you?
I was surprised by how big the group was. I guess I was expecting 20-30 people, but it was probably around 100! The intermediate group left first to run 5 miles, then the novice group left to run 4. The coaches didn't put us into pace groups; they just told us to run easy so that we could carry on a conversation. There were plenty of people both ahead of and behind me, which was good! I didn't chat much with anyone during the run, except to ask one girl how she liked her running skirt. (Have you seen these or do you have one? She told me that I'd never go back if I switched!)
So, I've got an easy 2 miles tomorrow, then a rest day on Monday. (I appreciate that rest days are on Mondays and Fridays!) How is running going for the rest of you?
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Welcome!
Hi everyone, and welcome to our running blog! (Though Toni beat me to the first post :) ) A couple of months ago, Toni had the great idea of the four of us running a half marathon together. I wasn't very hopeful that it would come together, because all of our schedules are pretty busy. But after a few rounds of suggestions, we picked a half marathon: the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon on December 5th! I get the song "Walking in Memphis" in my head whenever I think about the race. But hopefully we'll be doing more running than walking in Memphis!
I was thinking about doing the Hal Higdon intermediate half marathon training program (or dropping back to novice if intermediate was too tough). It's a 12-week plan, so I would start the official training plan in mid-September. I have heard lots of good things about Hal Higdon's training programs, and the basic information is available online for free. But then I discovered a training group for the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to join that group, since our race is only nine days after the Atlanta Half Marathon. The first group run is on August 29, and we'll run together for 13 Saturdays. I don't know what kind of training plan they will provide, but I'm looking forward to having a group to run with!
In the meantime, I'm running the Peachtree Road Race on Saturday, the 4th of July. The Peachtree is a 10K and with 55,000 runners is one of the largest road races in the world. This will be my third time running the Peachtree, and it is always a lot of fun. Of course, the vast crowds make the roads tough to navigate, but once I get over that, it's like a moving party! There are live bands and DJs, as well as tons of spectators, all along the route. Last year my sister and I ran together, and we were doing the "YMCA" dance around mile 2! This year, I was randomly placed into the very last starting group, so I will be starting around 9 am. Ugh, it will be hot at that hour! But other than the heat, I am looking forward to the race! I will update after the Peachtree!
I was thinking about doing the Hal Higdon intermediate half marathon training program (or dropping back to novice if intermediate was too tough). It's a 12-week plan, so I would start the official training plan in mid-September. I have heard lots of good things about Hal Higdon's training programs, and the basic information is available online for free. But then I discovered a training group for the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving. I think I'm going to join that group, since our race is only nine days after the Atlanta Half Marathon. The first group run is on August 29, and we'll run together for 13 Saturdays. I don't know what kind of training plan they will provide, but I'm looking forward to having a group to run with!
In the meantime, I'm running the Peachtree Road Race on Saturday, the 4th of July. The Peachtree is a 10K and with 55,000 runners is one of the largest road races in the world. This will be my third time running the Peachtree, and it is always a lot of fun. Of course, the vast crowds make the roads tough to navigate, but once I get over that, it's like a moving party! There are live bands and DJs, as well as tons of spectators, all along the route. Last year my sister and I ran together, and we were doing the "YMCA" dance around mile 2! This year, I was randomly placed into the very last starting group, so I will be starting around 9 am. Ugh, it will be hot at that hour! But other than the heat, I am looking forward to the race! I will update after the Peachtree!
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