Peak Week! (Part IV)

With only five weeks left until the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon I am feeling pretty good. I'll write a blog about my overall training cycle as the race gets closer, but for now I want to just focus on this week. As I've said in earlier blogs, I am running fewer overall miles with this training cycle in exchange for swimming and pool running. I've also added in core strengthening which consists of 3 planks each day.

Here have been my past "peak weeks" and their resulting marathons:

• August 2008: 55 miles. I ended up getting really sick (maybe the swine flu) and wasn't able to run the Hartford marathon
• December 2008: 56 miles. I bonked at the RnR Arizona marathon due to the heat/sun. 
• March 2009: 61 miles. I bonked at the NJ marathon and ended up in the medical tent with hypothermia.

I don't have blogs for my other peak weeks, but upper 50's-lower 60's has been the norm. This week I only ran 51 miles as my peak.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to add in as much pool running/swimming as I would have liked because my pool is closed for maintenance. Tomorrow I do plan to drive to another pool for pool running/swimming. Or I guess with all the rain we're supposed to get from the hurricane, I could just go outside. . .

 I started the week by mailing my new Garmin heart rate monitor back to Running Warehouse for a refund. The "soft" strap monitor has continued to chafe me, despite massive amounts of body glide. And the readings were completely messed up too, showing heart rates as low as 60 and as high as 200 within the same minute. My readings were just all over the map. I'm now using my old HR monitor and getting accurate readings and no chafing.


Monday: 9 miles easy, avg. 9:05
I took this run very easy knowing that I had a hard week ahead of me. The weather was nice and cool and I resisted the temptation to go any faster.


Tuesday: 8 miles, including 4 x 1200m
I ran this track workout with my teammates in Arlington. I was fully expecting to do 5-6 repeats, so I started out easy. Using the pacing chart from my coach, my goal was to be at 5:12 for each repeat or slightly under. In my past track workouts, I have been doing 800's at around 5:08-5:10.

The woman who I usually run with during these workouts was on vacation, so I wasn't quite sure who to pace off of. During the first lap, I tucked behind this girl who is super fast (wayyyy faster than me) and told myself that she'd probably get ahead of me. Instead, I kept fighting the urge to pass her, knowing how fast she is. I soon realized that she was having leg issues and purposely going slower than she otherwise would. As a result, my first interval was much slower than target pace: 5:23. But I was perfectly fine with this because I knew I had 4-5 more to go. I ended up compensating for that first interval by going a bit too fast on the next: 5:03. But then the next two were more in line with what I expected: 5:07, 5:07. Instead of doing a 5th, the coach told me I was "done" because my form was falling apart. He wouldn't even let me finish it off with a 400.

I was upset, but I trusted that he knew what he was talking about. I felt like I definitely had the energy for at least one more interval. As a result, I left the track feeling like I didn't "give it my all" like I typically do after these group track workouts. Since the first one was too slow, I really only did 3 intervals that challenged me, and it just didn't seem like enough given that this is my peak week, and considering that it was a cool morning.


Wednesday: Rest
Typically I would have gone pool running and swimming, but with the pool closed (and the next closest pool closed as well) I just took a rest day. Except for the planks, of course.


Thursday: 8.5 miles, including 6 tempo
I placed a lot of importance on this run because I feel like I haven't had many good tempos this cycle. I did two of them on the elliptical (trying to prevent a foot injury), and the ones that I did on the road were in really hot/humid weather with less than impressive results.

It was about 72 degrees for Thursday's tempo and very humid. My goal was to run 6.2 miles at a pace of 7:40. If it had been cooler, I would have targeted 7:25. My plan was to start out on the slower side and then pick it up slightly in the last two miles. I ran the first mile by feel and logged a 7:46. This was about what I expected-- so far, so good. Then came 7:44, 7:40, and 7:43. With two miles left to go I was started to feel it. I got through those last two miles with these thoughts:

• This tempo run IS important. You need a good tempo.
• Look at your HR monitor. Stay in Zone 4. If you go above that, just slow down.
• Your pace doesn't matter as much as getting in the full distance and staying in Zone 4
• If you keep up the effort level, I will reward you by not making you do that last 0.2

I focused really hard and kept my HR at the top of Zone 4 and logged 7:46, 7:46. And I allowed myself to stop after 6 miles, without requiring the 0.2. I don't regret this decision-- it was definitely time to stop. The average pace ended up being 7:44, which I was okay with given how hot and humid it was. I would have really liked to see 7:40, but I'm not sweating it (pun intended).

Based on my coach's pace chart, this training pace correlates with a marathon time of about 3:33. (My track paces correlate with a marathon time of 3:25). Given that the weather for the marathon should be substantially cooler and less humid than this tempo run, I think I am realistic in expecting to run a 3:35.

Friday: 3.5 miles

Friday normally would have been a rest day, but since I took one of those on Wednesday instead of going to the pool, I figured that a really short, easy run couldn't hurt. Average pace was 8:58.


Saturday: 22 miles

I was nervous about this run. The temperature was 76 with a "real feel" of 82 and 22 miles is a long way to go in those conditions. I pre-hydrated all day Friday and even used Pedialyte on Friday evening for added electrolytes.

This run was a "test run" for race day nutrition. I ate a fairly large meal on Friday night at Maggiano's with my family. We were celebrating Greg and my one-year anniversary. I ate the same things I typically eat the night before a marathon-- lots of bread and pasta and some chicken. Usually I eat a bagel and a half the morning of a marathon, but my coach recommends more of a "meal". I know peanut butter is popular among runners, but I don't particularly like it (gasp) and I have a sensitive digestive system. I was up at 4:15 this morning and had about two tablespoons of peanut butter on my bagel. Which, by the way, I did not slice in half. :-) I took three Honey Stinger gels with me and a bottle of G2 and set off with my husband on our journey.

At mile 1.5, my husband tripped on his shoelace and fell to the ground pretty hard. Luckily, his water bottle broke his fall so he was okay, but he was scraped up on his other hand and his knee. His water bottle proceeded to escape his hand and fall down the nearby sewer, so we had to go home and get him another bottle and also clean and bandage his scrapes. So at mile 3, when we got back home, there was a 10-15 minute break in the run. But we got him all cleaned up with alcohol and band-aids and got him a fresh bottle of G2.

After that incident, the run was relatively drama-free. We ran around local neighborhoods, as usual, and made two stops at a McDonald's to refill our bottles with water. I took my honey gels at mile 7, 13 and 18.5. During the marathon, I will probably start taking them sooner, but I had the calories from the G2 in those early miles. My husband had 20 miles on schedule, so we split off at mile 16 and he ran home and I continued around the neighborhood we were in.

I typically like to speed up the long run during the last 1/3, but given that this was a 22-miler and it was really hot and humid, I decided to wait until I had just 4 miles left to speed up, and even then, I wouldn't turn on the gas too much.

The overall pace was 9:05, with an average heart rate of 157. For me (based on my VO2 max test) Zone 2 is 155-165, so I was towards the bottom.

• Miles 1-8 avg. HR in Zone 1
• Miles 9-19 avg. HR in Zone 2
• Miles 20-22 avg. HR in Zone 3 

I was very pleased with this run. I have been ending my long runs in Zone 4 and really exerting a lot of effort lately, but given the extra long distance and the weather, I opted to play it safe. 

Sunday

I plan to make the long drive to a pool that's actually open tomorrow and swim at least 1200yd and pool-run for 20-30 minutes.

I'm pleased with my 51-mile week. Up until now, my highest mileage week this cycle has been just 45, so it was a bit of a jump. Next week, I'll cut back the mileage slightly as I have the VA Beach Rock 'N Roll half marathon on Sunday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I stay injury and illness-free for the next five weeks and that Milwaukee isn't having a heat wave on Oct. 2!

On Motivation

A few weeks ago, I was participating in an organized Twitter chat about running. If you've never participated in a Twitter chat, I highly recommend it as a great way to meet others who share your interests by discussing those topics. The moderator asks a discussion question, and participants tweet their answers with the hashtag of the organized chat. In this case, I think it was #runchat, but it may have been another one.

In any case, the moderator asked the question: "What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning and go for a run? Or head out after work?" Usually I am quick to tweet my answer and I know instantly what I am going to say. But for this one, I held off awhile and read what others had tweeted:

• My marathon in two months!
• Eating all that candy yesterday!
• Wanting to get a PR at my next race!
• Wanting to fit into my skinny jeans! 
• I have to stick to my training plan!

These weren't the exact answers, but they sum up the types of things that people were saying. And I wondered if any of them applied to me. The closest I could think of was wanting to PR, but that's not the thought that enters my head when I wake up in the morning and go for a run. I might think about that during a run, and it might be my ultimate goal, but it's not my immediate motivation.

My immediate motivation is simply that I like this lifestyle. I actually look forward to waking up in the morning, hopping out of bed (and yes, I am usually pretty energized from the moment I wake up) and going outside for my run. So I finally tweeted that I don't really need anything to motivate me-- I just enjoy running so much. 

And then I thought about that answer some more. I don't enjoy the elliptical. I'm not all that crazy about pool running, and yet when I do those workouts I still have the same level of motivation and commitment. So what is it then? Addiction? Needing to get those endorphins flowing? 

I guess it's just the high. I like the way I feel when I run or do other types of exercises. I love the physical and mental challenge. I love pushing myself to the limit, and then redefining what the limits are. I love the satisfaction I get from finishing a track workout and seeing the paces and distances in my training log. 

Running Skirts

And believe it or not, I actually like doing the running laundry. I don't put any of my or my husband's technical clothes in the dryer so when they come out of the washing machine, I hand dry each garment piece by piece. I actually love that there is so much of it to do, because that means we ran a lot. When I was injured with my stress fractures, I was saddened by not having my running clothes to wash (although there was the elliptical-wear!) And once everything is dry, it's fun to fold everything and see it all organized neatly in my closet.

Somehow this blog when from Twitter chats to laundry. But as for motivation, I either don't need any, or I have an abundance of natural motivation. I've never felt "burnt out" on running, although I have felt burnt out from following training plans too rigorously and not listening to my body. 

It's also not difficult for me to take a complete rest day. I take one complete rest day each week and I look at it as part of the overall plan. Without rest days, I won't be able to properly recover and my runs will start to go downhill. So on rest days, I don't feel lazy or "fat". I do feel un-energized, but I know it's for a good cause. 

What motivates you? Are you an endorphin junkie or do you fight the "lazy bug" as my husband calls it?

Running on Par

August 14 marked the one-year anniversary of my marriage to Greg. It's been the best year of my life and I never imagined that I would be so happy.

Top Tier of Wedding Cake

To celebrate, we decided to go to a resort on the Chesapeake Bay where we could relax for a few days. But before we left, we thawed out the top tier of our wedding cake which had been wrapped in foil and stored in a large plastic freezer bag. It was a chocolate chip cake with milk chocolate ganache, caramel and chocolate candy crunchies. Several of our guests told us it was the best wedding cake that they had ever tasted, and I would have to agree. How did it taste a year later? Still good, but not nearly as moist.

The bottom layer was the same flavor as the top, but the middle tier was a red velvet cake, which matched the colors of our wedding-- red, white and black.

August 14, 2010

Anyway, enough about the cake! We headed out to Maryland on Sunday at around noon. It was nice to spend most of the weekend in our own home and then have three days away.

The first thing we did when we got to the resort was to go exploring. The area was just breathtaking. We walked along the bay and familiarized ourselves with all of the great amenities of the resort-- several pools, miniature golf, a few shops, tennis courts, a game room, a "library" with a bar, restaurants, and a giant chess board. For our first night's dinner, we went to the Blue Point Provision, which is a seafood restaurant on the resort. The food was excellent, and they even brought us a free dessert with a candle in it for our anniversary!

The next morning, we set out for a run. Greg had mapped out a route that brought us into the town of Cambridge, but I was worried that the roads wouldn't be run-able. Luckily, on our way out of the resort, we realized that the golf course had a path that was perfectly suited for running.We started at hole  13 and wound up back at the hotel just two miles later at hole 18. Greg and I ran 9 miles, and then I realized I was still feeling pretty good so I ran another one for a solid 10-miler. (Greg has been having issues with his foot and his calf, so he's actually just easing back into running after some time off).

Who knew that golf courses were the perfect "course" for running?

• Free of cars 
• Not hilly, but not pancake flat either
• It's fun to look at the different holes
• Built-in water stations that are easy to fill a bottle with
• Porta potties (thankfully I didn't have to use them)
• You're never more than 2 miles away from the main hotel should something happen

Surprisingly, we were the only runners out on the course. Maybe we weren't supposed to be there, but it was early and none of the grounds keepers seemed to mind. On Tuesday, Greg rested his calf and foot while I headed out for 9 miles. I was a bit worried for my safety in some of the more remote areas of the course, when there was not a single person around. But it wasn't long before more of the groundskeepers started to show up. 

Going into the trip, I was a little worried that we wouldn't find a suitable area to run, but I had a fantastic 10-miler on Monday followed by a 9-miler on Tuesday with no problems.

Hanging out at the Pool.

On Monday, we spent most of the day lounging by the pool. I personally don't need too much in a vacation other than to just chill out by a pool or on a beach. I prefer these types of vacations to the more active vacations because I'm always so busy and active during my normal life. I need time to just sit and do absolutely nothing, with the sun shining down on me. We found a wonderful French restaurant a few miles away from the resort to have dinner on Monday night. 

Tuesday was more of the same-- just lounging around by the pool. We treated ourselves to a couples massage at the spa and it was amazing. Usually spa massages don't do anything to really relax the muscles-- you have to go to a sports massage place to really get all the knots worked out. But I was pleasantly surprised. We asked specifically for a deep tissue massage and both of our massage therapists delivered.

One of the cool things about this resort is that they encourage you to toast marshmallows in their fireplace and make 'smores. This was a lot of fun, except for there were A LOT of bugs and I kept getting bitten, and there were kids everywhere, dangerously putting marshmallows on fire.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Greg and I have recently taken a strong interest in Chess. We play it all the time and we knew that there would be a giant garden chess set at this resort. Our first game lasted a really long time. Mainly because I couldn't checkmate Greg, but I could keep putting him in check. And I was afraid he's gain an advantage if I let him make a move where he wasn't trying to get out of check. So I chased his King around for nearly half an hour until I finally figured out a way to checkmate him. He won all subsequent games. 

On Wednesday (this morning) we spent some time playing around in the pool, but then we had to check out and head home. It was a short trip but really nice to get away and celebrate our marriage. 

Shortly after arriving home, we headed for a not-as-fun pool for some pool running and swimming. I was impressed with our motivation to go workout when we got home instead of looking at photos, blogging, etc. 

It was a fantastic trip and I'm so glad we got to spend this time together!

Random Facts Friday

Lately my blog has been reading like a medical journal and my posts about running have been quite technical. To break things up a bit, I've decided to participate in the "Random Facts Friday" trend, where you post little known facts about yourself that may or may not relate to running. I've learned some interesting facts about my friend Katie and others so I decided it would be fun to think about my own randomness.

11 Random Facts About Elizabeth 

Salt Bagels Ready to Eat!

1. I think a bagel is ruined when it is sliced and/or toasted. The only way to eat a bagel is warm (either freshly baked or re-heated in the microwave) and then eaten in large chunks. The wholesome goodness of a bagel is lost when it's cut in half. I'm extremely picky about my bagels-- I detest Einsten Bros, and I absolutely adore Bagel Buddies in Fair Lakes.

2. My obsession with zebras originates from when I was 7 years old and saw some zebras at the Philadelphia Zoo. I was amazed at how fantastic these animals were and have loved them ever since. My zebra collection is quite impressive.

3. I am right-handed but left-everything else. I shoot pool with my left hand. I cut meat with my left hand. As a child, I could only do cartwheels on the left side.

4. As part of my job, I send out blast emails about manufacturing quality control to 50,000+ people. Inevitably, a few people unsubscribe each time.

Playing my piano.

5. I can play the piano by ear. It usually takes about 5-10 minutes to get a song where I want it to be, but I can almost always translate a song to the piano.My latest accomplishment is "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5.

6. I've never been "put under" with general anesthesia. I was awake when my 4 wisdom teeth were removed and during gum surgery. Thankfully, I haven't had any other surgeries.

7. My greatest fear is bugs. Specifically roaches. I would stop running for three full months in exchange for a guarantee that I would never see a bug in my house or at my office, or have a bug crawl on me. Would I stop running for six months? I don't know. I really do hate bugs.

8. My body has a very rigid clock. If I don't fall asleep between 8:00-10:00pm it will be very difficult for me to fall asleep, and I will likely have a restless night and wake up at 4:00am or earlier. I only stay up after 10:00 if I absolutely have to and my ideal bedtime is 9:00. Before I met my husband, my average bedtime was 8:00.

The playcount totally doesn't reflect my preferences.

9. I like to keep close watch on the stats of my iTunes music library. My computer got a virus about a year ago and all my data was lost and couldn't be retrieved. I'm working on re-building my library, although the current playcount doesn't reflect the songs I was obsessed with in 2006, 2007, etc. My iTunes library has 2,596 songs-- enough for 7.3 straight days of music.

10. To go along with number 9, I used to be obsessed with music countdowns on the radio and would write down all the songs as they were played and keep log books. I would love to predict the song rankings. This was when I was a teenager-- now there's the Internet.

11. I lack a natural maternal instinct. I do not feel at all natural holding babies and I'm actually scared I will drop them or hurt them. I'd like to think that if I had my own baby, I would get comfortable really quickly. But as for now, I'm very awkward with babies and small children.

Video Gait Analysis

Several of my teammates had their running gait professionally analyzed by Dr. Maggs, a sports chiropractor, and provider of other rehab services, and I thought it would be beneficial for me to have my gait assessed as well. I mainly wanted to understand how I could run more efficiently and reduce injuries.

The process was a quick warmup around the parking lot for about 1/3 mile so that I could get into my natural stride, and then Dr. Maggs would take video of my running from different angles. Here's the video:



And here is another video from a different angle. I feel like the camera is adding 10 pounds here. I swear I don't look that heavy in person!!!



I know this isn't supposed to be a vanity video, but I can't help thinking that it highlights my extra energy stores.

Anyway, after the video was recorded we watched the play back in slow motion, frequently pausing the video. The main area for improvement was my hips. I'm lacking in hip flexor and glute strength so when I land, my opposite hip droops down out of alignment. He said that this is a moderate problem and that it's more noticeable in other runners, but it's definitely something that should be addressed. I do it more when I land on my left foot, resulting in my left foot pronating more than my right foot. He told me I looked completely neutral in my right foot and that the Brooks Adrenalines are probably too much stability for me.

His theory on my peroneal tendon issue is that I don't pronate on the right foot so my stability shoe is causing supination (the opposite of pronation). While I can see how this might be contributing, I ran far more miles in 2010 in the Adrenaline than I am currently running with no injuries. I think my foot slapping correction is the more direct cause, although eventually I might move away from the Adrenaline.

Dr. Maggs gave me a series of strengthening exercises for my glutes and hip flexors that specifically mimic running motion. He said that you cannot consciously change this gait issue-- you simply need more strength and targeted exercises. This is good because the last time I consciously changed my gait I ended up with Peroneal issues! Eventually he thinks I can move to a more minimalist shoe once I correct the hip weakness. I started the exercises last week and will continue to do them. I just worry about overdoing it and being sore for a run.

The good news is that overall I have good running form. He says that my cadence is close to perfect and my posture is excellent (thank you ballet!) He said if he had to nit-pick, I was over-striding very slightly, but it was barely noticeable. I was really expecting there to be all sorts of problems, but I was happy to learn that I only have one real area for improvement.

Here is a link to the gait analysis results for Katie, Amy, and Cristina.

Update on the foot. I took six full days off of running (I did pool running, swimming and the elliptical instead). On Thursday, I ran 4 easy miles near my gym so I could hop on the elliptical immediately after for a "tempo".  I was 100% pain free during the run and for the rest of the day. Today, I did feel a hint of "something's there" when I woke up, but now it's silent. In fact, it's been the trend that I feel "something there" every morning, but it vanishes completely by noon. So as I write this, there isn't even a hint of anything in my leg or my foot. I am planning on running 18 miles tomorrow, but I am fully prepared to cut that run short at the first hint of anything.

Injury Sleuthing

One of the worst things about being an injured runner is the guilt that comes with knowing that you ignored the early warning signs and are now sidelined because of it. I refuse to let that happen to me.

Warning Signs
About a week ago, as I was laying in bed before going to sleep, I noticed something very faint in a small area of my foot. When I went to go feel for the area, I immediately recognized it as the same area that I used to massage when I had Peroneal Tendonitis back in August of 2009. That was a horrible injury. I ended up having to take five weeks off of running and I missed my fall marathon because of it. I didn't know about pool running back then so when I returned to running, my fitness had gone out the window.

I wouldn't describe what I felt last week as a pain-- more of just a sensation. Throughout the week I continued to run, but I iced the area just to be on the safe side. I didn't feel a thing while running or walking. But when I was completely at rest and trying to fall asleep, there was that nagging little feeling in my foot.

My Peroneus Longus is Irritated

After Thursday's tempo run, the area was more tender during the day, so I iced it off and on a few times while at work. On Friday morning, I actually did start to feel something while walking. Still not a pain, but it was in the exact same area of my previous peroneal tendonitis injury so I was particularly attentive. Friday was a scheduled pool running and swimming day, with no planned land running to irritate it. I also coincidentally had an appointment to get my gait professionally analyzed by a sports doctor (more on that in another blog). I told the doctor that I had a sensation in my foot that felt like the beginnings of peroneal tendonitis. He confirmed that the tender spot was the attachment of the peroneal tendon, thankfully not a 5th metatarsal stress fracture.

Emotional Roller Coaster & Denial
Friday can best be described as an emotional roller coaster. For 15 minutes, the area would be 100% silent, but then 15 minutes later, I'd feel something again. I'd walk around without any sensation in the area at all, but then a short while later I would feel something while walking. I kept going back and forth on whether or not I should do my 18-miler the next day. Eventually, I shook myself out of denial: If you are wavering this much, the answer is no long run. How much would it suck to truly injure myself on a long run when my body was giving me warning signs of a previous injury? An injury that sidelined me for five weeks!!!!

I made the sensible decision to spend 2 hours and 40 minutes pool running. Thankfully, I had the company of some of my CAR teammates. Ironically, Tara and I had planned to meet at 6:00 that day to run 18 miles, and when Saturday rolled around, we were both pool-bound. Even though my foot didn't actually hurt-- I definitely felt something in that peroneal tendon attachment area and I was taking it seriously. No denial!

Detective Work
My most important question was why I was getting this injury. My mileage increase has been extremely gradual and I even had a "cutback" week two weeks ago. I'm only running four days a week, as opposed to the six I used to run during typical marathon training cycles. So it's not overtraining. My first question in my sleuthing: what has changed in my training recently?

I can think of three things: core work, hills, no foot slapping. At first, I thought that the side bridges (core work) were the culprit. Putting weight right there on the side of my foot might have been irritating the area. Good theory, but I ultimately didn't think it was the true culprit. I didn't think it was the hills because I only do them once a week, and the hill isn't that steep. So. . . foot slapping?

When I went on my first long run with CAR, my coach told me that I was a "foot slapper" and that I needed to be lighter on my feet to prevent injury and be more efficient. Foot slapping is when the ball of the foot hits the ground and makes a slapping noise, rather than being quiet. When I asked him how to not do it, he told me to just focus on not doing it. And so I did. I found it easy to correct and since that day in late June, there was no more foot slapping.

So, foot slapping was one piece of the puzzle. Question number two: what causes peroneal tendonitis in runners? I consulted Dr. Google and found that a strained peroneus longus muscle is often the culprit. As soon I read that, I remembered back to earlier in the week when I noticed my outer lower leg was sore. This just felt like the standard muscle ache so I didn't pay any special attention to it at all. But suddenly the pieces were coming together. I massaged around the peroneous longus muscle and voila: a tight and tender area.

Question #3: Why is my peroneus longus muscle strained? To answer this one, I had to figure out which motion stresses that muscle. The answer was easy-- plantar flexation of the foot. This would explain why my foot doesn't hurt at all when I walk, but I definitely feel something while driving. My drive to and from the pool hurt my foot more than anything else because my foot was in a flexed position the entire time.

So far, I knew that plantar flexation while running caused me to strain my peroneus longus muscle, which resulted in mild tendon inflammation near the foot-- felt primarily when driving. And I knew that I changed my gait to avoid foot slapping. Well, what muscle do you use to restrain that forefoot from coming down hard? The peroneous longus!!!! I realized that I was flexing my foot ever so slightly to keep it from slapping down, and in doing so, strained the peroneous longus muscle.

I can't be 100% sure that my foot issue was caused by this, but it makes a lot of sense. Changes in gait often lead to injuries, even if they are for the better.

The Solution
I plan to do strengthening exercises for the peroneous longus muscle as well as stretching and massage. I am also wearing my CEP compression sleeve to help speed recovery. I'm icing my foot A LOT. I also scheduled two ART (Active Release Technique) sessions with the sports doctor who did my gait analysis.

My coach told me to wait until my tendon felt 100% to return to running, and I plan to take that advice. My foot already feels much better today than it did yesterday. I have no pain with walking and I only feel it while driving or when pointing and flexing my foot. And even then, I would give it a 1.5 out of 10 on the pain scale. It's very minor and had I not experienced this injury in the past, I wouldn't be reacting this way. The earliest I see myself running again is Thursday (which would be six full days off) and that's only if I am pain free. My hope is to be able to run 18 miles on Saturday, but I won't do it unless I'm completely free and clear of any foot sensations.

Some of the best running advice I ever received was "sacrifice a day of training to save a week, sacrifice a week to save a month, sacrifice a month to save a year." So I am sacrificing a week to save a month. I'll continue to do workouts in the pool (today I did 40 minutes of pool running plus 1000yd swim) and hopefully get to the starting line of my marathon both healthy and well trained.

Running Controversies (Part III of III)

And you thought I forgot! This post is a continuation of Part I and Part II of the controversial blog series, addressing topics that are often debated among runners. In the previous posts, I addressed headphones, barefoot running, junk miles, unauthorized bib transfers, BQ qualifying times, and weather-related race shutdowns. Here are a few more.

The Treadmill

The Debate: Does running on a treadmill train you as well as running outdoors? Can you train for a marathon solely on a treadmill? If not, what percentage can be on a treadmill?

My Personal Preference: I "grew up" running on a treadmill. I was a gym rat and that's how I got into running. Back in 2001, there were no iPods, so in order to listen to my music I needed to be able to rest my portable CD player on something. There were also no Garmins back then and I wanted to know my pace and distance. It wasn't until 2005 that I started running outside regularly, and even then it was only on the weekends. The more I ran outside, the more I loved it, so I gradually made the transition. Until April of 2010, I still did most of my Monday-Friday runs on a treadmill because they were doing so much construction in my area. There was no safe place to run. Sometimes I would drive to the trail, but that wasn't lit so I could only do it for three months out of the year. Fortunately my husband (fiance at the time) would go with me on the weekdays sometimes which would make it safer to run in the dark. When I moved into a residential neighborhood in April 2010, 100% of my runs were outdoors and I loved it! However, when all the snow and ice fell in December and January, I didn't think it would be safe to run on dark icy roads, so back to the treadmill I went. There was a two-week period when I did all of my runs on the treadmill and BOOM! Three stress fractures. Thankfully now I'm back to 100% outdoor running.

My Stance: I improved my race times quite a bit from 2005-2009 so the treadmill is definitely effective. But would I have seen even more gains had I not used the treadmill as much? I think that the treadmill is a great tool for parents who can't leave the house or for people who don't have access to a safe running area. It's great for business trips and when the roads get icy. However, I think that treadmill use should be minimized and that the workout will be stronger outdoors. It more closely simulates race conditions and unless you are on a track, the surface probably won't be completely flat. After my stress fractures, I am more anti-treadmill than I used to be and I think that during the winter I will limit the treadmill to just 1-2 times per week and go pool running if conditions are not run-able. I don't mind running in cold weather, but I won't run outdoors if there is snow and ice on the ground and it's dark (which it always is because I'm a morning runner). Also, I don't think the treadmill is boring. Yes, it's more boring than outdoors, but with a good music playlist I can totally combat the boredom factor.

Marathon Pacing
The Debate: Should you pace your marathon evenly, or try to aim for a negative split (start slow, finish fast)? According to Pfitzinger and Douglas, in the book Advanced Marathoning, "relatively even pacing is the optimal pace strategy." They continue, "If you ran negative splits for the marathon, chances are that you ran more slowly than optimally during the first half of the race and could have had a faster finishing time." They indicate that you should plan for a 2-3% slowdown in the second half due to physiological factors that I won't get into here. On the other side of the fence, negative splits ensures a strong finish and that you aren't bonking. If you start slowly, you can really give it everything you have in the last 10K and you aren't leaving anything on the course.

My Personal Preference: I plan on starting about 20 seconds per mile slower than goal pace in my next marathon. I've bonked far too many times (not solely because I've gone out too fast, but a slower start would have been helpful in all of those cases). I negative split 3 of my first 4 marathons before I had the confidence that I could really run faster and they were all wonderful experiences. I probably could have done them slightly faster, but I was happy that each race was a PR. My best marathon ever (Shamrock 2008) was run in the way that Pfitzinger and Douglas recommend: 1:54:40 first half and 1:56:59 second half for a 3:51:49. I had a two-minute negative split and I surpassed my goal by about three minutes. I ran a similar race at Richmond in 2007 with 1:56:55 for the first half and 1:59:46 for the second, yielding my first sub-4:00 marathon. Given that my two best marathons (not my two fastest, but my two best) had relatively even pacing strategies, it's going to be tough for me to abandon that. But my fear of bonking overrides it, so I plan to go out slowly at the next one.

My Stance: It really depends on how experienced you are. For first, second and even third timers, I really think the start slow, finish fast approach is best. If you're an elite or a very experienced marathoner, the even pacing does make more sense physiologically. You shouldn't feel "good" at the end of a marathon, but if you are able to significantly reduce your speed in the last 10K then you might have left something on the course. Both my husband and I agree that he could have run Shamrock faster, but he was happy with his time and he was happy that he had enough gas in the tank to really hammer those last six miles home.

"Take What the Day Gives You"

The Debate: If you're registered for a race, do you DNS (Did Not Start) or DNF (Did Not Finish) because of race day conditions-- usually the weather? I've heard many runners say that once they've registered for something they are committed to it no matter what. Nothing will stop them from getting to the start line, and of course the finish line. Other runners assess how they are feeling that week (or even on race morning), take the weather into consideration and may decide to not race something they or registered for. Or if they are feeling like it's not "their day" mid-race, drop out and DNF. The first group would be mortified by these two acts.

My Personal Preference: I'll take what the day gives me weather-wise if it's not an "A" race. And I have no shame in DNFing when it just doesn't feel right. I've done that twice and haven't regretted my decisions. There have been races that I wished I DNFed because the recovery from them was so brutal and my time was awful anyway. I wrote a blog post on this back in 2010 after I dropped out of Shamrock at mile 13.

My Stance: Think big picture. You've already spent the money on the race so that's not going to change. Why risk injuring yourself when you have a nagging pain or wasting your fantastic training cycle on a 75-degree day? There will always be other races. Don't get married to any particular race because it's what you registered for. It's more important to keep your "A" goals in mind and stay healthy. Sometimes it's just not your day. If your marathon is supposed to be abnormally hot (like Chicago 2007) then save it for a better day. Don't get me wrong-- it sucks because you've tapered, you may have already purchased airfare, and now you'll have to train for another marathon several weeks later. It's not ideal, but it's better than wasting all that hard work.

This concludes my controversial blog series. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll be tackling other controversial matters on this blog as I experience them. Please weigh in on these topics by posting a comment!

11 Weeks to Milwaukee Lakefront

There are exactly 11 weeks until I run the Milwaukee Lakefront marathon. I typically don't do weekly reports of my training, but because this was an eventful week and 11 is my favorite/lucky number, I'll recap it.

Monday: 8 Miles
My husband has plantar fasciitis, so he's been cross training at the gym and I've become reacquainted with my iPod.  Monday was a plain ol' 8 miler. Nothing fancy to speak of. Plus 41 seconds of the plank (x3).

Iwo Jima Hill Workout

Tuesday: 7 Miles, including hills
Call me crazy, but I spent 90 minutes in the car before work on Tuesday to drive down to the Iwo Jima memorial to run hills with Capital Area Runners (CAR). 30 minutes to get there, an hour to get back, but it was definitely, definitely worth it. We ran up a hill that was about 1/4 mile long at about 5K pace then took it easy, did a stride back down part of the hill, and then easy down the rest of it. We did this six times. It was record-breaking heat on Tuesday. At the time of the workout (6:15am)it was about 78 degrees, sunny and humid.

Here is a link to the elevation profile. It actually looks a lot worse than it was.  It looks like my group was around a 7:15 pace for most of the laps. When I got home I did the plank for 42 seconds (x3) plus one on each side. Yes, it made me even later to work but I am committed to the core work.

Wednesday: 3 "miles" pool running + 1100yd swim
On Wednesday, I went pool running for 30 minutes (which I equate to 3 miles) and then swam for 1100 yards. I got new goggles over the weekend, and I spent the first 4 laps adjusting them so that no water would leak in. Apparently, my face shape/size is difficult for goggles to fit. My previous pair hurt so much that it would be a limiting factor in the workout sometimes. My new ones are more comfortable, but I have to pull them very, very tight so they don't leak. Every time I swim I feel invigorated and refreshed. I really enjoy it and I think that it's a fantastic workout. 43 seconds with the planks!

Thursday: 9 miles, including tempo
I did a tempo workout as prescribed by my coach. 1 x 3 miles at tempo pace, 1 x 2 miles at tempo pace, 1 x 1 mile at tempo pace. I did recovery jogs for 0.3 mile (about 3:00) and had a warmup and cooldown to get me to 9 total miles. We finally had some cooler temperatures (65) with lower humidity, so the results were fantastic:
3 miles: 7:33, 7:28, 7:22
2 miles: 7:23, 7:20
1 mile: 7:00
This equates to a 7:21 average for the six tempo miles, and a 7:47 average if you include the recovery jogs. Compare this to my 10K bonk of a few weeks ago at a pace of 7:58 and it speaks volumes about how the heat/sun can affect me.

I also had some new gear for this run. The first were my Saucony P.E. shorts. Yes, I am a huge fan of the skirt and rarely buy shorts anymore. But I wanted something really lightweight for my summer speed sessions and these had come recommended by Dorothy at MilePosts. I bought two pairs of them during an online sale and wore them for the first time on Thursday. They were so comfortable and lightweight. And I also thought they were flattering, too.

Garmin Soft Strap HR Monitor

The other item was the Garmin Soft Strap heart rate monitor. My HR monitor has been acting weird for quite awhile. I probably just needed to change the battery, but I thought the soft strap would be more comfortable. While that may be true, I had horrible chafing during this run, despite the gobs of body glide I used under the monitor. The chafing was so bad that I kept having to tuck my sports bra under the monitor so it wouldn't rub. And then when that wasn't working, I just kept putting my hand there, which is no way to run a tempo. I had it on the tightest setting and it wasn't falling down, but I realized that I needed to make it even tighter. With my previous HR monitor, I used a hair tie to bunch up the extra material and make it really fit me. So with this one I bunched up a lot of extra fabric, tied it with a hair tie, and was fine for the next run. Overall, this heart rate monitor is more comfortable, I just needed to fix the chafing. It was one of the worst chafing incidents I've ever had and wearing a bra to work that day was painful.

Thursday was also my husband and my 11-month wedding anniversary! I was pleasantly surprised that he celebrated this occasion by sending me roses to my office. Such a sweetie!

Friday: Rest day! (except core)
Friday was a well-deserved rest day and I even took the day off from work. I actually didn't "rest" too much because I cleaned the house and also did some planks. I took a core rest day on Thursday, so Friday I was back at it with 44 seconds for the plank x 3. Plus side planks and other exercises on the Bosu.

Saturday: 16 Miles
I kept going back and forth on if I wanted to join CAR for the long run or just do it on my own with my new iPod playlist. I eventually opted for going alone because we were having guests later that day and I had food to make and even more cleaning to do. Doing it on my own allowed me to start an hour earlier and when I was done, I didn't have to drive 30 minutes back home. It was also one of those days that was relatively cool in the morning, but the sun rose fast so a 7:00 start would have been a lot harder than my 6:15 start.

This was a progression run with the first 6 miles being very easy (9:05-9:10 pace), the middle third being easy (8:45-8:50 pace) and the last third at marathon pace (8:15). Mile 15 was uphill and not at all shaded, so I worked  really hard on that one, and then backed off slightly for the last mile. The overall average was 8:46 with an average heart rate in the middle of zone 2, so I was pleased. The heart rate monitor didn't chafe me because I tightened it using the hair tie. However, I did need to place it two inches lower on my chest so that it wouldn't rub against Thursday's red mark.

Oreo Cake

I spent the rest of the day on my feet cleaning and baking. And of course, planks for 45 seconds. My legs were just aching by 4:00 and I was glad when our friends came over and I could finally relax. I am not much of a baker, but there is one cake that I love to make which tastes as good as it looks. I crushed up actual Oreo cookies and baked them right into the cake. To accompany this cake, I made soft serve ice cream with a soft serve machine we got as a wedding present. It was delicious. I also made an artichoke dip, and helped Greg out with his Sangria recipe.

Sunday: Pool running and Swimming
I plan to go pool running and swimming in a few hours once all the swim lessons are done and there are more lanes available. I really prefer it when the pool isn't overly crowded. I'll probably do about 30 minutes of pool running and 1000-1400 yards of swimming, depending on how I feel. Greg is going to come with me and it will be nice to have him workout with me again. I've already done the planks-- 46 seconds x 3, plus side planks and other Bosu ball core work.

Totals: 
Running: 40 miles
Pool Running: 6 miles
Swimming: 2300 yards (1.3 miles)
Core: Six days. Advanced plank from 41 to 46 seconds by Sunday.

Next week is a cutback week with 36 miles planned and no speedwork (except for the hills). I'll take two full rest days. It comes at a perfect time because next week's forecast looks miserable, with lows around 75 every day.

Let The Training Begin!

My training for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on Oct. 2 has officially started. I've been asked many times, why Milwaukee? I don't have any friends or family there, but it worked out for me schedule-wise and hopefully being so far north the weather will be cool. Read all the details here: Why Milwaukee?

There are quite a few changes I am making for this training cycle as opposed to my previous ones. Here are the highlights:

Capital Area Runners

Earlier this year, I met a group of women who train with Capital Area Runners (CAR). My friend Cristina joined them after getting injured last fall and spoke very highly of the coach, George Buckheit, and the group. A bunch of the CAR runners were part of a pool running meetup group that I belonged to, so I met quite a few of them that way.

I had known of the group since 2009, when I  was looking for a coach. I didn't join back then because they meet in Arlington for their runs and with a job in Chantilly, I couldn't make it fit into my schedule. Also, their red racing attire is hard to miss at races-- a group of really fast runners often leading the pack. George had been sending me the newsletter since 2009, and in early June, the newsletter indicated that you could get a "basic" membership which covered the production of the newsletter and the weekend long runs. I decided to go ahead an join officially, since I was friends with so many of the runners already and had heard such great things about George.

Hill workout at Iwo Jima with fellow CAR members

A few weeks ago, I took a random Tuesday off work and decided to drive down to Iwo Jima for the hill workout at 6:15am, just to try it out. And I loved it! I loved the team atmosphere and how we all worked together to power up that hill over and over again. Afterwards, I realized that it was worth it to me to go for the "marathon plan" membership, which would allow me regular access to the weekday workouts. It will make me about an hour late for work (as long as traffic isn't horrible), but my job is pretty flexible. I don't plan to go to all of them, just once every two weeks or so. And on the other days, I can do the same workouts that the group is doing on my local track. I think being part of a team and running with a group of strong runners will motivate me to push myself. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to tackle these hills on my own.

Of course I'm definitely still committed to my role as a Pacers Ambassador and will wear my Pacers gear for most races. Being a Pacers Ambassador is my way of giving back to the running community, while CAR is helping me become faster and stronger.

Fewer Weeks, Fewer Miles, More Cross Training
My best marathon ever, back in March of 2008 was run on just 7 weeks of training. I think that the longer cycles, especially in the summer wear me out too much so I cut back to a 13-week program for Milwaukee. As for weekly mileage, it used to be standard for me to peak at around 60, and average in the upper 40's or lower 50's. But this time, I'm going to peak at around 55 and average in the mid 40's. Instead of running 6 days a week I will run 5.

I plan to supplement this with a pool running-swimming combo twice a week. I typically do pool running for 20-40 minutes, and then follow it up with a swim of 20-40 minutes. The total time in the pool is typically 60-80 minutes. I'd like to give myself one full rest day, so one of my pool days will be on the same day as one of my run days. So that's 4 days of running, 1 day of running + pool, 1 day of pool only, and 1 rest day.

I finished this week with 37 miles, and in previous training cycles I'd be up to 45 by this point. But I feel much stronger and I think I'm getting more of a benefit.

Core Strengthening
Coach George emphasized the importance of core work. Of course I've always known this, but since I'm really trying to improve my whole approach, I decided it was time to take core work seriously. My mother, who is 60, can hold the plank for well over a minute. For me, it was a challenge to make it to just 30 seconds. So I have been doing planks and other core exercises 6 days a week for the past two weeks, and I plan to continue to do so. I'm already up to 3 sets of 40 seconds on the plank! I have a BOSU ball which has literally been collecting dust, which I do a few things with as well.

Long Runs as Progression Runs
I used to do all my long runs in heart rate zone 2 (easy), with the exception of two of them, when I would throw some marathon pace miles in. Sort of like the Pfitzinger approach. But George really advocates breaking all the long runs up into thirds. The first third very easy, the second third, moderately easy, and the last third marathon pace to tempo pace. This isn't as challenging as it sounds if you start out slow enough. I'm actually logging sub-8:00 miles in my long runs which has never happened before. Today's long run ended with 5 miles that were: 8:29, 8:19, 8:11, 7:55, 7:57. And this was in 77 degrees and very humid weather. I did a 14-miler last week when it was much less humid and the last 5 miles were 8:30, 7:57, 7:55, 7:54, 7:42. These runs have been extremely confidence-boosting, which is part of the purpose for running them that way. I'm feeling a little bit nervous that my marathon is on Oct. 2 and my longest run has only been 14 miles, but I've done two of them and both were hard efforts.

No more racing for me until Labor Day weekend, when I may tackle the RnR VA Beach half marathon, depending on the weather. George asked me today what my goal for the marathon was, and I don't think I'll really be able to determine that until closer to the race. Right now I think that a 3:35 is realistic, and so does George, but I might adjust that faster or slower based on how training goes. And I didn't pick 3:35 because of Boston-- that's just the time that my training paces, heart rates and races suggest. I'm picking a goal based on what I think I can do, not based on the golden BQ standard that shaped my mindset for way too long and broke me down more times than I care to admit.

Anyway, I've been feeling strong and healthy lately and I hope it continues!

Firecracker 5K: An Over-Analyzed Race Report

This morning, my husband and I ran the Firecracker 5K in Reston, VA. It was about 76 degrees and very humid, but thankfully there was plenty of cloud cover. I was extremely grateful for the cloud cover, and this race further confirms that the sun is my real enemy. Last weekend I bonked during a sunny race, even though both the humidity and temperature were lower. Yes, that was a 10K, but I felt about 10 times worse at that race, not twice as worse.

Preparations
I realize this was only a 5K, but I decided to take hydration very seriously. I've been reading a lot about NuuN and other electrolyte tablets, but it turns out that they all have Sorbitol in them, a sugar alcohol which I am allergic to. So instead, I pre-hydrated with Pedialyte. No fake sugars. If it's safe for babies, then it should be safe for me. Another hydration issue that I have is drinking too much on race morning. In the past, I have always drunk plenty of water the day before the race and maybe just a few cups on race morning. This is because I have a tendency to "leak" while putting out a hard effort, even if I use the porta potty right before the race. (Sorry if this is TMI!)

There were two obstacles that I thought might prevent me from running this race, or force me to DNF: my stomach and my calf. I'll start with the stomach. Without getting too graphic, let's just say that starting yesterday evening, I had frequent trips to the bathroom. And those continued into this morning. It was probably something I ate that didn't agree with me, but my stomach was not feeling good at all. On the way to the race, we drove though a neighborhood where all the street names were "Dairy" this and "Dairy" that, and it just made me feel nauseous. I used the porta-potty twice pre-race and hoped for the best. And thankfully, my stomach was fine during the race.

Now onto my calf. On Saturday, I noticed that whenever I stood up and started walking, my calf was really tight. I stretched it and massaged it, but it simply wouldn't loosen. Yesterday it was even worse. Those first few steps would be painful, but the more I walked around the better it felt. I stretched it and used a warm towel to try and get it to loosen. I think what helped the most, though, was the CEP compression sleeves I bought last winter. I wore the right one around the house all day yesterday and I slept in it. When I woke up, the calf didn't hurt as much, but it was still noticeably tight.

I warmed up wearing the CEP compression sleeves and my calf felt decent. And luckily during the race I couldn't feel it being an issue at all. Dodged bullet number 2.

Greg and I warmed up for one mile, stretched a lot and then lined up at the start line. It looked like there were a lot of really fast runners there. The entire =PR= racing team and then just a bunch of people who looked super speedy. Last year I placed third in my age group but it looked like that would not be happening again. Greg and I situated ourselves about 15 feet back from the start line, but of course there was still plenty of weaving in the first mile to pass these folks.

Strategy
I read my blog post from last year's race and remembered that the second mile was mainly downhill, and that the last half mile of the race was all uphill and felt torturous. My plan was to run the first mile at my goal pace, speed up for the second mile because of the downhill and then see what I could do in the final mile. On Friday, I spoke with my friend Dash about my strategy, and she suggested that I "enjoy" mile 2 instead of going all out so that I had more left for mile 3. I took her advice.

The Race
The race started, and there were a ton of people to weave through. I really hate weaving during the first mile of a 5K because it makes your distance longer and wastes energy, but I had no choice. As I said, I really think I lined myself up close enough to the front so that this shouldn't have been an issue. But of course, it was. I settled into what felt like 5K effort and logged a 7:12 for the first mile.

Now for the fun part. I wanted to "enjoy" this mile while staying strong and still pushing. I was still passing a bunch of runners during this mile and no one was passing me. I ended up averaging a 7:03 pace. I originally thought I should aim for a 6:50 during that mile, but I thought the effort level was appropriate so I didn't worry.

Now for the tough part. Mile 3. As I went into this mile, I remembered how hard it was last year and I was prepared for the worst. And of course, my "leaking" problem began. I drank too much pre-race and apparently my porta potty trips didn't matter. This was embarrassing, but there was nothing I could do about it so I just kept running the race. As I approached the final hill, I remember my husband saying last year that he actually sped up for the hill, and I thought I had enough in me to do the same. I didn't speed up, but I pushed a lot harder and ended up with a 7:20 average pace, which I was very happy with, especially compared to last year. Another thing that made me happy was that I passed quite a few people on that final hill, including the one girl who I had my eye on from the beginning as wanting to beat.

I glanced down at my Garmin and thought I could come in under 22:40 and so I really gunned it at the end, passing three more women in the final stretch.  I Averaged a 6:23 pace as I sprinted toward the finish. I was super excited when I looked at my Garmin and realized I ran a 22:39. But then bummed when I looked at the official results, and it was 22:41. Just a two-second difference, but I worked so hard for that sub 22:40!

I placed 5 out of 89 women in my Age Group

I placed 35 out of 447 women overall. (I said it was a highly competitive race!)

The top 10 women all finished in under 20 minutes. And even more amazing, the top 30 women all finished in under 22 minutes. What a field of strong runners! 

Analysis
Going into the race, my goal was to beat my Lawyer's Have Heart time from 4 weeks ago (thus setting a new "hot weather" PR), but my B goal was to go sub 23:00. Both goals were accomplished.

Mile	Firecracker 2011	Firecracker 2010	Lawyers 2011
1	7:12	7:30	7:20
2	7:03	7:06	7:27
3	7:20	7:43	7:22
Last Bit	6:23 for 0.16 mile	7:23 for 0.14 mile	5:59 for 0.1 mile
Time	22:41	23:21	22:43

I'm excited because I'm in much better shape than I was last year at this time, and I am fairly certain that if today's race was cooler I would have set an overall distance PR. According to my Garmin, I ran 3.16 miles at an average 7:10 pace, which is my PR pace. I blame the weaving. :-) I'm happy that I beat my Lawyer's Have Heart time. Officially, it's faster by only 2 seconds, but this was a hillier course and my Garmin showed me as running more distance so I consider it a more significant difference. Yes, I over analyze my times quite a bit.

Aside from the incontinence in mile 3, this race went really well. No digestive issues or calf problems, and I didn't feel like I was going to pass out afterwards. Now it's time for some 4th of July fun!

Hot Day for a 10K

I ran the Ringing In Hope 10K this morning in Ashburn, Va.  This race was the "summer race" for Ringing In Hope, and I had done the winter version on New Year's Eve. It was a different course, but the same group organizing the event. 

Even though the humidity was low, I knew it would be a tough race for me because of the sun. With an 8:00am race start on June 25 and no shade, the strong sun was beating down on me for the entire race. In 2009, I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler and it was 55 degrees but very sunny. I bonked at mile 5 and DNFed. Even though the temperature was low, the sun really seemed to affect me. 

Yesterday, I was sure to drink plenty of water. I must have gone to the bathroom 7-8 times. I drank Smart Water because it has electrolytes in it. But apparently, I should have been getting even more electrolytes before and during the race. 

Greg and I got to the race about 50 minutes before the start. We picked up our bibs and bumped into my friend Kathy. Kathy was running the 5K and I thought she'd probably win it. (She came in 2nd!-- great job Kathy!) Greg and I warmed up for 1.2 miles, and then found a shady area to stretch and drink some water. We both carried small waters during the race, too. I thought I was getting plenty of water.

At the start line, I saw Karen, the woman who I've talked about in previous blogs as being about my same pace. Although she runs several races each weekend--something I could never do. In the past three races that we've ran together, we have run near each other for awhile, but I ended up passing her and beating her by just a slight bit. Naturally, I use her to kind of gauge how I'm doing in a race. 

Miles 1-2

I tried to go out at an easy pace. I was targeting a 7:40-7:45 race pace so I wanted to go out at about that. Unfortunately, I ended up running a 7:35 first mile. It just felt really, really easy. Karen was way ahead of me, and must have gone out at a pace closer to 7:15. I made sure to back off during the second mile, which I did for 7:50. The course was rolling hills. It was advertised as flat, but we were always going up a hill or going down. Nothing too steep, but the were some very long inclines. Heat + Hills is just not a good combination. 

Miles 3-4

I pretty much knew I was headed for a bonk when I reached the halfway point. It just felt so hard. I was working harder and harder but going slower and slower. I closed in on Karen a bit, but she was still a good 20 seconds ahead of me. She was wearing a fluorescent yellow shirt, so she was easy to spot. My paces were somewhat encouraging, but I just felt awful. Mile 3: 7:45, Mile 4: 7:53.

Miles 5- Finish

Heading for the finish

At this point, I really wanted to DNF. Or stop and walk. It was just so hard to keep pushing. I allowed myself to ease up in mile 5  for an 8:20 pace or otherwise I wouldn't be able to complete mile 6. I told myself that even though this was going to be a slow time for me, I would still probably win an age group award, because there weren't too many women ahead of me. I expected that a bunch of people would be passing me in these miles, because I was bonking so hard, but only one person did, and it was a man. Mile 6 was 8:11. Still a bonk, but faster than mile 5. Granted, mile 6 had more downhill. I was getting closer and closer to Karen, but I never caught her. 

As I ran toward the finish, Kathy yelled out to me "Go Elizabeth" and the way she yelled it made me think there was a woman close behind. I think this was just my own fears, though. I had worked so hard during mile 5 and 6 to simply keep running and not stop, for the sole purpose of winning an age group award. There was no way I was going to let another woman pass me in the last 0.2. So I somehow managed to complete that last 0.2 at a pace of 7:36.  

Finish time: 49:30, average pace of 7:58.

I was really expecting to be in the 47's for this race, based on my recent hot 5K. Even though I bonked, I was glad that I pushed through and didn't stop. I put out a really hard effort, and I'm pleased with how I did given how awful I felt. Plus, it's a 20-second "hot" PR for me! 

After finishing the race, it took me a very long time to recover. I wasn't coherent and able to talk for about 5 minutes.People were asking me if I was okay and I nodded. But I was also a bit confused. I didn't feel like I was in danger of passing out, but I felt so spacey and "out of it". Greg found me and told me to drink water and find some shade. 10 minutes after finishing, I still hurt as if I was running the race. I can't really describe it. I felt like I was working so hard just to "be". I lied down on the asphalt in the shade, which helped, but I was still really spacey for awhile afterwards.

Receiving my Age Group Award

We headed toward the area where they would be giving out awards so I could claim my 2nd place age group award. I saw Kathy again, and she told me that I really didn't look good, and offered to get me some electrolyte tablets. I took her up on it. Shortly after drinking a water bottle with a tablet, I felt much better. Just in time to receive my award which was a gift certificate to a running store. I decided I would use it to buy electrolyte tablets. Kathy told me that just drinking water wasn't enough-- you need to hydrate with electrolytes for hot races. She said that she doesn't race 10Ks in the heat because it really takes a toll on her and it's more than twice as hard as a 5K.

Anyway, I was the 9th overall female (out of 123) and I always like being in the top 10. I typically find myself in the top 4-5%, however, so this top 7th % fits with me not being able to run my potential.

It seemed like I was the only runner struggling to such an extent. Other people were conversational a minute or so after finishing. Greg finished over three minutes faster than me, which is a much larger difference than we usually run for a 10K and Karen beat me. So I know I did remarkably poorly time-wise given my two "benchmark" runners. 

I was so out of it, that I didn't even notice that I was suffering from a major blister/chafing issue until I took my shoe off:

Bloody sock from my shoe chafing my middle toe

Even as I write this, I am a bit dizzy and I don't feel back to my normal self. 

My main takeaways/thoughts from this race are:

- I am glad that I stuck it out and won 2nd place in my age group

- I'm disappointed in my time, but I know it was the best I could do given how I felt

- Fitness wise, I'm in better shape than I was last summer (new "hot weather" PR)

- In the future, I will pre-hydrate with electrolyte tablets and use them during the race

- I will think twice about racing hot 10Ks, unless it's Lawyers Have Heart which I always do.

- I need to "operate" on my shoes to get rid of whatever was rubbing on my toe.

Running Controversies (Part II of III)

And you thought I forgot! This post is a continuation of Part I of the controversial blog series, addressing topics that are often debated among runners. In the previous post, I addressed headphones, barefoot running, and junk miles. Here are a few more.

BQ Times

The Debate: There are actually quite a few debates about the BQ times, and I will tackle two of them. The first is whether or not the women's qualifying times are "softer" then the men's times. Men are obviously built to go faster, but many runners think a 30-minute gap between the men's and women's times is too large. The other debate isn't really a debate, but rather how people are reacting to the new qualifying standards and process for the 2012 event. Many Boston hopefuls are frustrated that their task just got harder, but other runners welcome the new challenge.
My Stance: The movie "The Spirit of the Marathon" provided some history on the Boston Marathon. The qualifying times were set not to make this a prestigious event, but because the number of applications were increasing each year, and they couldn't accommodate anyone. This was before the days of computerized lotteries, so the easiest way to trim down the applicant pool was to set qualifying standards. Over time, those qualifying times have dropped lower and lower as the demand to run this race continues to increase. The prestige factor is simply a byproduct of what the race managers did to control the size of the race.

Given this, it doesn't really matter if there is a 20-minute difference between the top male and female finisher, but a 30-minute difference in qualifying times. Data shows that approximately the same number of men and women (roughly the top 5%) finish within the current qualifying times. This means the number of male and female runners should be about the same. There would be significantly more male runners if they lowered the women's times. As for the new qualifying standards, this falls inline with what they have done historically. The applicant pool of qualified runners is too large (with the race filling up within 8 hours) so they are tightening things up.

How this affects me:
Two years ago, I would have been upset about the faster qualifying times, and even more frustrated that I bonked at the RnR Arizona marathon because of the heat-- and then again in New Jersey. But now Boston isn't really a focus of mine. Trying to attain a goal that was based on someone else's standard wasn't healthy for me, so now I am just focused on running my best races possible. By my standards. Over the past three years, my fitness level has increased substantially and yet I keep bonking in marathons. If I had listened to my body instead of stubbornly trying to run an 8:23 pace no matter what, I probably would have set some nice PRs. So for my next marathon (Milwaukee Lakefront) I am just going to try my best, listen to my body, and if I qualify, great! If I get a 3:40, it will still be the exact same achievement that it was when it was a "BQ time".

Unauthorized Bib Transfers (running under someone else's name)

The Debate: You registered for a race six months ago and now you're injured and you can't run it. Or you got sick. Or you just don't feel prepared. Do you give your bib to someone else and have them run under your name? The debate is whether or not this is "okay". Some runners do this all the time, and other runners would never dream of it. Some large races have a process in place for officially transferring your bib to another runner, but most smaller races don't allow this. And then there is the question of selling your bib to someone versus just giving it to them.
My Personal Preference: This is a no-no. I would never run a race using someone else's bib and I wouldn't give my bib to another runner, even if I were injured. When "Elizabeth Clor" appears in the race results, I want that to actually be me and to reflect my hard work and training. And if I were to run a fantastic race but then someone else's name appeared in the results, I would be bummed. If it was a PR, I'd almost feel as if I couldn't really claim it as my own.
My Stance: As long as the rules don't forbid it, then I don't really care what other people do. Well, unless I got beat out for an age group award by someone who wasn't running under her own name. That might irk me.  Also, in larger races like the Cherry Blossom 10-miler, where they explicitly say that they accept more people than the course can actually hold because they know people will not show up, then I think it is wrong to break those rules. I'm guessing that at smaller races, the race directors don't care as long as the entry has been paid for.

Weather-Related Shut Downs
The Debate: In 2007, the Chicago race course was shut down in the middle of the event because the temperatures were rising into the upper 80's. One person died. This got a great deal of media attention and since then, race directors have been more cautious about holding races in severe weather conditions. This year, the St. Louis marathon was shutdown early as soon as the temperatures got into the mid 70's. The debate is weather or not races should be shutdown when it gets really hot, and how hot is too hot?
My Personal Preference: I've only been affected by this once (last weekend) and the race wasn't even shut down, it was shortened. So I don't really know how I would feel if I was running a marathon and was told to stop at mile 18. My guess is that I'd be relieved. I DNFed at Shamrock because of the heat. I bonked at RnR Arizona because of the heat, and I sure would have loved for someone to tell me it was okay to walk to the finish! I also ended up in the medical tent after the New Jersey marathon in 2009 with hypothermia. I don't think that race should have been shutdown, but if it had, I probably would have welcomed it. As someone who is heat sensitive, my preference is to shut it down!
My Stance: I can certainly see both sides of the coin here. Even though I DNFed at Shamrock, I don't think that race was hot enough to be shutdown. It really has to do with how prepared they are with emergency medical crews to handle any incidents. Even though I would personally welcome a shutdown if the race was oppressively hot, I really think that shutting down the race should be a last resort. There are many other runners who are willing to tough it or who aren't as effected by the heat as me, and I can see how frustrating it would be for them if they were having a good race.

I also don't like the negative press running gets about it being dangerous and people dying during marathons. Most of the people who have died (and there haven't been many) had pre-existing heart conditions.

What are your thoughts on these hot topics? (No pun intended for topic #3).