Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Toronto

As I mentioned in my previous post, Greg and I spent a long weekend up north. Having recently learned that I was recovering from mono, we tried our best to get the most out of this trip without overdoing it.

Buffalo
We started in Buffalo. My friend Todd, who I have known for over 10 years, was getting married. I was so happy for him! It doesn't seem like that long ago when we were both complaining to each other about being single and doing the online dating thing. It's just so hard to meet the right person! But when you do, the payoff is huge.

We flew in on Friday evening. The trip was off to a rocky start when we learned that there was no air conditioning on the plane. We sat there in the heat sweating bullets for at least 20 minutes before they told us to get off the plane. An hour later, we re-boarded and finally were on our way. After a quick shower, we were on our way to Bacchus Wine Bar and Restaurant. I enjoyed a beet salad followed by a delicious Mahi Mahi dish. I knew that beets were a super food and I was trying to give my immune system every advantage I could.

Dark Chocolate Sundae at The Chocolate Bar

After Bacchus, we went to The Chocolate Bar, conveniently located inside our hotel. I took one look at the menu and was instantly obsessed. The Martini options were endless and unique: chocolate pretzel, sweedish fish, wedding cake. . . the list went on and on. There were so many fantastic looking desserts that I couldn't bear the thought of just choosing one. Eventually, I chose the brownie sundae with homemade dark chocolate ice cream and hot fudge. Yummy! One of the many things that sucks about mono is that I don't share desserts with Greg. This means I know exactly how much I ate and a little guilt creeps in. But it quickly passes when eating something so delicious.

The next morning, it was time for a long run. For Greg, that meant 14 miles. For me, it was 6 miles. We opted for the treadmill because we were running different distances and we weren't sure what routes there were in Buffalo. Greg was just killing it at 7.3 miles an hour, staying in his "easy" heart rate zone. I was steady at 6.2-6.3 (about 9:30 pace), keeping my heart rate in the easy zone and feeling pretty decent.

After the running, Greg took me on a drive through the University at Buffalo campus. He showed me all the places he used to live, and where he used to go to class. It was really cool thinking about Greg as a college student!

Afterwards, it was lunch at the Chocolate bar, where I had a flat bread with chicken, accompanied by a Salted Caramel Frozen Hot Chocolate. This drink was incredible!!! I know that frozen hot chocolate sounds like an oxymoron, but it was just like hot chocolate, only cold.

Afterwards I took a nap while Greg watched the Olympics. Naps were key during this trip! Then, it was off to the wedding. The ceremony was at 3:00 and the reception was at 6:00, so there was some downtime in between for me to take another nap or pseudo nap. The ceremony was beautiful and very well done. I just love this couple!

The reception was awesome. I refrained from dancing, with the exception of one slow dance with Greg. It of course reminded me of our wedding, which doesn't seem like that long ago.











Niagara Falls

The next morning, we watched the women's Olympic Road Race and then hopped in the car for our trip to Niagara falls. Greg had been here a bunch of times in college, but I had never been.

We crossed the border and were immediately at the falls. We parked and walked around for a little bit. It wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting it to be more like Great Falls where there are waterfalls scattered throughout an expansive area. But instead it was just one major waterfall. Don't get me wrong-- it was highly impressive, just not what I was expecting.

We walked into the "town" area which was like one big carnival. We had lunch there and then came upon an arcade/bowling alley. We decided to bowl a game. This is something we've never done together, so it was nice to have a "first". Greg bowled a 122 and I managed a 70. Bowling is a good recovering-from-mono sport because it doesn't require that much energy but it still gets you out and doing something!

We then hit up a candy shop where we procured some authentic Canadian Maple Nut fudge. This would be my between meals snack for the next few days. We walked past the falls again, bought some souvenirs, and then got back into the car.

Toronto

The Old Mill Inn and Spa

We didn't really have a game plan for Toronto. We mainly just wanted to check it out. When we arrived, we basically just wanted to relax at the hotel. We stayed at the Old Mill Inn and Spa, which was very nice. It wasn't in the downtown area, but it was on a metro stop in a nice area. We walked around the property, had dinner there and then fell asleep watching the Olympics.

It was interesting to get a Canadian commentator and hear the perspectives of the Canadians. We got to hear the human interest stories of the Canadian synchronized divers, who were essentially that country's heroes while we were there.

We slept horribly that night. Greg was too hot, which meant tossing and turning. That kept waking me up, and then I was up for awhile coughing, which kept Greg up. I also have a skin rash, which is apparently a side affect of mono, which was itching and keeping me awake. The result was that we slept in until 8:00. I don't think I've slept in until 8:00 in over 10 years. Probably not since just after college. Even sleeping in until 7:00 is pretty unheard of me. It threw our whole day off because we wanted to get our run over with early, but we made the best of it. I also managed to hurt my upper back by sleeping with my neck in an awkward position. Gosh, I am just a mess!

We couldn't have been more pleased with the running options. Toronto seems to be a very fit city with cycling paths and cyclists everywhere. Our hotel was situated on a trail that brought us right out to the waterfront. It was beautiful scenery and an interesting comparison to the Chicago Lakefront Trail I ran two weeks earlier.

Greg was kind enough to go slowly with me. Since we started at 9:00a.m., the sun was high in the sky and it was hot. We averaged a 9:51 pace for 7 miles, which was really discouraging for me. My pace on the Lakefront Trail had been around 9:25 for the same heart rate zone and 9 miles. Plus, it was even hotter in Chicago. I know recovery is not a straight line and I'll have my ups and downs, but it's just super frustrating for two weeks to have passed and I'm doing worse. Yes, I relapsed. Yes, it set me back. I have accepted it, but I do not like it.

Afterwards, I was exhausted. I probably overdid that run. I just felt really great for the first half, so I thought 7 miles would be doable. We ate breakfast and relaxed in our room for awhile, of course watching the Olympics. This was the worst I felt during the trip. The rest of the trip was pretty good, except for getting the occasional "I need to rest now" feeling.

Grevy's Zebras at the Toronto Zoo

Finally, we got in gear and headed out for the Toronto Zoo. This is a huge zoo with a wide variety of animals, but there was really just one type of animal I cared about-- the zebra! After paying a shocking $60 admission fee ($25 each plus $10 parking), we headed towards the zebras. It was hot and I knew my energy wouldn't last for long, so we didn't stop for long at any of the other animals.

Seeing the zebras was totally worth it! They are so cute and exotic. There are just no other animals that can even compare to this combination of cute and unique.

They don't let the visitors get too close to the zebras, so Greg really had use the zoom feature on his camera here. At first, they didn't do much of anything, but eventually they started playing around with each other and it was great to watch! If you really want to get close to a zebra, you need to go through a drive-through safari park. Ever since that trip, I've been spoiled with getting up close and personal with the zebras.

Of course we couldn't leave the zoo without taking home a new member of our family from the gift shop!

We drove back to our hotel, quickly changed and headed out to dinner in downtown Toronto. We went to a swanky place called Brassaii, recommended to us by the front desk staff. I enjoyed yet another beet salad which was good, but couldn't top what I had a Bacchus in Buffalo. My main course was a Halibut dish that was just spectacularly done.

Dinner took awhile, so we didn't really have time to explore Toronto afterwards. I was, of course, tired. We took a cab back to hotel and feel asleep pretty quickly.

The next day, we drove back to the states, and flew home to DCA. It was a quick trip, but we packed a lot into it. A precursor to our anniversary celebration in two weeks!

It's Mono.

As it turns out, the illness that I was suffering from during the last two weeks of June was actually Mono.

I thought I had made a complete recovery and I was proud of how I eased myself back into training. I was feeling 100% during the day (no lingering fatigue) and my runs, although slow, felt good. I really thought I was out of the woods because this healthy feeling lasted for nearly three weeks. I completed a 13.1-mile run in extremely hot weather and that didn't set me back. And the following weekend I ran 14 miles and felt great for the next few days.

But then I went to Chicago for business. The first few days were great. I went running on the Lakefront trail and I was feeling very energized during my business meetings. But by the third day, my throat felt scratchy, and by the forth day, the sore throat and all symptoms returned with a vengeance. I realized that my Chicago trip was about the worst thing for my immune system:

• Being on a plane stresses the immune system due to all the germs you are exposed to and have to fight off.
• The first night, I was extremely restless and got only 3-4 hours of sleep (this often happens to me the first night of a trip)
• There was a time zone change of 1 hour, which meant everything was off schedule
• Healthy food wasn't readily available during the day, and I wasn't eating dinner until much later than I was used to
• I had two glasses of Sangria at one of the work dinners-- alcohol is a big No-No for the immune system.
• I was going to sleep later because the work dinners lasted so long. I ducked out early for two of the nights, but that still caused me to go to sleep two hours later than normal.
• The weather there was hot, and I did a faster-than-normal run my second day there

These are all immune system busters! And had I known I had mono, I would have been a lot more careful. 

Anyway, on Friday I went to the doctor, who was highly suspicious of mono. I received the results on Tuesday and they were positive. Basically this means I will be feeling fatigued for a long time. Recovery takes 2-3 months. (I am hoping that my start date for this is June 18, and not the date of the relapse). I can run as tolerated, but I am steering clear of speedwork. I attempted to run on Sunday, but I had to stop after just 3.5 miles. I tried again on Tuesday and lasted for six slow miles, but I felt pretty tired by the end of it. Nothing since then.

I'm not going to speculate about what this means for all the races I have lined up this fall. There is no question that they will all be impacted, including the November marathon. I just don't know to what extent yet. I have already had to drop out of two races in the past month due to this illness, so I hope that's the end of it. 

My strategy now is to minimize stress (which is tough with all the stuff at work that has to get done) and try to get as much rest as possible. 

I am boarding a plane for Buffalo, NY later today (I know-- bad idea) for a wedding. After that, Greg and I are renting a car and driving up to Toronto for the fun of it. This was supposed to be like a mini-vacation for us, and now I think I'm going to have to take it easy while I am there, instead of doing all the exploring that I wanted to. We've pre-paid for the Toronto hotel and our flight comes back on Tuesday, so we can't really change plans at this point. I would just love to get back to where I was two weeks ago! Why can't that come back!?

In the absence of running, I have been keeping up with my strength training. No heavy lifting-- just planks and other toning things for my glutes, hips and upper body. If I wasn't doing this, I would feel like my body was turning into jello.

Well, it's time to pack for my trip. I hope to keep the sore throat at bay and that I have enough energy to enjoy it!

Chicago Lakefront Trail

I'm in Chicago this week for business which means I get to explore running in a new city. I've been to Chicago quite a few times in the past but I've never run on the Lakefront trail. Most recently, I came here in February and I just didn't feel like packing all the layers and gloves and hats, etc. required to run outside. I resorted to the treadmill. And in my previous trips here, I stayed just outside of the city and wasn't close enough to the trail.

I didn't know much about the Lakefront Trail prior to this trip other than that it existed and it was a path for running, walking and cycling along the lake. Some things that I was curious about that I eventually discovered:

I took this photo from inside of a cab

• There are plenty of water fountains along this trail
• I didn't notice any bathrooms
• The part that I ran on was concrete as opposed to asphalt, so it's not ideal
• However, part of the trail has a gravel-like side area that you can run on that's softer
• If you are in Downtown Chicago, you have to find stairs or an elevator down to get to the lake level
• The trail had quite a few people on it, but wasn't nearly as crowded as the Embarcadero in San Francisco.
• If you start in Downtown Chicago and go south, are there are some trees and shading. If you go north, there are no trees whatsoever. 
• The trail has mile markers, and half mile markers.

Much to my surprise and dismay, it's warmer here in Chicago than it is back home in the DC area. At least in the mornings. On Monday morning it was 79 degrees at 6:00am and yesterday it was 82. With the humidity, the "real feel" yesterday was 86 as I started my run. The only saving grace was the breeze, which felt good on my face.


Monday: 9.2 miles (easy)
So, how did my runs go? On Monday morning, I set out for 9 miles. I looked at a map and figured I just needed to turn right from my hotel and go straight and I'd hit the Lakefront in less than a mile. That was kind of true, only I hit dead ends, twice. I was too high up and the water was below me. I finally asked a woman walking her dog how to get down to the lakefront and she pointed out an elevator. So, another first for me, I have an elevator ride during my run. 

I decided to go south, which was a good decision because I later learned that there are no trees or any kind of shading in the other direction. I had my trusty heart rate monitor with me, so I just made sure to keep it in zone 2, no matter how slow that was. I think I am finally starting to come back from that darn illness so my paces weren't as ridiculously slow as they have been for the past two weeks, considering the 79-degree heat. I filled up my water bottle a few times during the run and I had pre-hydrated the day before so I felt pretty good throughout the whole thing. The total run ended up being 9.2 miles, and I really enjoyed it. One of the best parts about the run was when I turned around and got a great view of the city with the lake. So beautiful and amazing!

Tuesday: 7.3 miles (moderate)
Yesterday morning, the plan was to try to incorporate some kind of speedwork in lieu of the hill workout I would otherwise be doing back home. Well, it was a "real feel" of 86, so I didn't do the speedwork exactly as planned. I started out running with two guys from my company. Once we got to the Lakefront, one of the guys (who is an Olympic class runner with a marathon PR of 2:20) ran ahead of me and the other guy, so the two of us continued on at around an 8:30 pace. 

This was too fast to be a warmup, but too slow to be considered a tempo run (which I am planning for Friday), but I just went with it because it was nice having someone to talk to. He turned around after 2.5 miles, and I continued on. I figured I would just slow down and make this an easy run but it was really hard to do that once I had established a cadence at the faster pace. I slowed down slightly, but not to the point of it being a truly easy run. So, I'm going to log this as a marathon pace run on the books! Keeping in mind, if it hadn't been so hot, the pace would have been easy, but I usually slow down abut 30-45 seconds per mile when it's this hot.

I got back to my hotel and was just dripping with sweat. I got out of the shower and was still sweating, and my face was still bright red. I tried drying my hair after the shower and I just kept sweating. Not the greatest for having to give a presentation in front of 30 people!

Today is a scheduled rest day (although I did lift weights in the hotel fitness center), and tomorrow I plan to run about 7-8 miles on the trail again. Friday I will be back home on the track with my teammates for a tempo run.

Other Chicago Things

I took this photo from the top of the Willis Tower

The meetings that I am attending are taking place in the Wills Tower (formerly the Sears Tower). It's the second tallest building in the world, depending on which standard of height you are using. Apparently their are four different definitions of height when it comes to buildings. After we were done with work, all 30 of us went to the top of this building and looked out. It was incredible. It was 110 stories up, and I have to admit it was a bit scary being that high at first.

My hotel is situated very close to the Magnificent Mile. When I got in on Sunday night, I tried to explore to see what was so Magnificent about it, but I didn't find any shops or anything. I later learned that I was looking down the wrong street. I'll have some time tomorrow before my flight leaves to check it out!

It's been a great trip so far. I've enjoyed meeting many of my co-workers in person who I previously only knew from conference calls and emails. I also gave a presentation to the group which went well and received many compliments afterwards. Having only been with this company for six months, the positive reinforcement is nice!

Anyway, if you ever come to Chicago, I highly recommend the Lakefront trail as a scenic, safe place to run!

Beat the Heat: 13.1 in 79 Degrees

Is it odd that someone like me who absolutely hates running in warm weather, was really excited for this morning's long run? Instead of dreading it like I typically do for hot runs, I was really looking forward to the challenge.

The high for the day is forecast to be around 105, and this morning's low was 79.  By 8:00 it was forecast to be 85. This meant that even starting early would still mean a ridiculously hot run. My coach, who hates treadmills with a passion, suggested that these conditions were hot enough to make the treadmill a viable option. For me, however, it was not a viable option because I was afraid of getting injured. I attribute my three stress fractures to running a 20-miler on the treadmill after not having run on one in a year, so I wasn't about to risk that again. Plus, it's just not at all enjoyable.

Greg, on the other hand, opted for the treadmill, so I was alone in my long run this morning. This didn't bother me because I enjoy running by myself. I rarely run alone, so it's a great opportunity to have "me" time.

In order to tackle this weather, I needed a strategy. I've run 13+ miles many, many times, but never in this kind of heat. Today might even set the record for the hottest day that Washington DC has ever seen. Not just the daily record high, but the record high of all time (or at least since they started tracking these things). I struggle with the heat more than most runners. In hot races, my ranking/placing is significantly lower than it is in cool or mild races-- which I interpret to mean that I am more adversely affected by heat. In the past, I've done runs in the heat where I have seen black spots afterwards and felt dizzy/spacey for the rest of the day. I wanted to avoid this at all costs.

Yesterday, I planned out what I would do to be able to run safely in the weather. My strategy consisted of these elements:

Adjust Mileage if Necessary: The original plan called for 14 miles this weekend, but I figured that with the marathon being so far off, I could certainly afford to knock that down to 12 or even 10 if necessary. I'm also still recovering from being sick for so long that even if it was perfect weather, 14 might be a stretch. I decided I would go out planning to run 10-14, based on how I felt.

Hydrate: Yesterday, I drank water throughout the day and threw in a coconut water for electrolytes, plus some Pedialyte. I am not a fan of most hydration tablets because they contain sugar alcohols which upset my stomach. I prepared a handheld bottle of G2 to carry with me for the first six miles, and then I would stop home and get another bottle of water. (I am not fancy-- I use Deer Park 24oz sports bottles as my hand-helds). Before leaving the house, I would put the refrigerated water bottle in the freezer, giving it about an hour to get really, really cold but not frozen by the time I needed it. If I did decide to run 14 miles, I would stop at mile 10 and fill up at a McDonald's, which is conveniently located 4 miles away from my house.

Route: In order to execute this hydration strategy, I needed to plan a route that would bring me home after six miles, and then to the McDonald's after another four. I knew of a 6-mile route throughout a neighborhood near me that's not shaded. I figured that would be perfect for the early miles because I wouldn't need shade. I also have a standard 8-mile route which does not go through that neighborhood, but through a shaded one and has a McDonald's at the halfway point. I figured I would head out that way, but if I didn't want to do the full 14, I could turn around early in which case I probably wouldn't need a refill on my bottle.

Timing: I set my alarm to 4:30 and hit the start button on my Garmin at 4:47am. This allowed me to run the first five miles before the sun had risen, and the rest of the miles while the sun was low in the sky. I finished a few minutes after 7:00-- just as Greg was starting his treadmill workout. :-)

Wrist bands with mini ice packs

Being "Cool": I recently purchased a pair of Be Cool Bands which are designed to keep your body cool in hot conditions. They are wrist bands which contain an ice pack thingee that touches the inside of your wrist. Apparently, ice on the inside of your wrist is one way to keep your entire body cool because of the veins there. Or something like that-- I don't really know why, but putting ice inside your wrist is a very efficient way to cool the body. Luckily, these bands came with two sets of cooling packs. I planned on swapping them out when I stopped at my house at mile six so that I would have a new, frozen pair. They felt amazing!!!! It also felt great to be holding that water bottle which had been in the freezer. These are my equivalent of the "hotties" I wear in the winter to keep my hands warm. :-)

Pacing: Very slow! This was not a race and I didn't want to make the mistake of trying to run a certain pace and then getting to exhausted to finish. I've been running in the 10:00's all week due to the heat and my recovery from being sick, so I was fully prepared to continue that trend.

Music: I usually don't run with music, but for solo long runs it's nice to have. Yesterday I downloaded a bunch of songs from the DC101 playlist as well as the new Linkin Park album (only $5 on amazon.com) and the new Shinedown album. I figured new music would make the run more enjoyable.

My excitement came from wanting to see how all of this would come together for me. So how did I execute all this and how did it go?????

Fantastic! I couldn't have been more pleased with this run. I did everything according to plan. As I started the run, I realized that I wasn't getting a heart rate reading because I had forgotten to put on my heart rate monitor! My first instinct was to go back inside and get it, but then I realized that it might actually be better to not have it. I have been running in zone 2 all week and I know what it feels like. Plus, my heart rate was bound to get above that zone, even at a really slow pace just because of the heat. I was prepared to be in zone 3 for a lot of this run, but not wearing the monitor left me free to run by feel. I'm really glad I forgot to put on the monitor and didn't go back for it. I was able to run without looking at my heart rate the whole time, which I know I would have been doing. And. . . I had one less piece of "equipment" to wear, which was nice.

I ran in the dark for the first 3-4 miles and then the sun began to rise. I kept the pace very slow, didn't look at the Garmin very much and just enjoyed the music and the feeling of running. I had missed it so much while I was sick!  I returned home after six miles, traded water bottles, drank the leftover G2 that didn't fit into the first bottle, swapped out my "Be Cool" ice packs and was out of there in less than two minutes!

Back on the road I was mentally prepared for the second leg. I had the ice packs on my wrists and the water bottle from the freezer felt awesome. I figured I probably wouldn't need to go to the McDonalds because I drank all that extra G2 at home, so I wouldn't need to drink from my water bottle for the first 15 minutes-- leaving me more water for the end of the run.

About 8 miles into it, I started to think about how many miles I would run. 10 would be no problem, and 12 also definitely doable. But 14 was an unknown and with the sun rising quickly, I didn't want to take the risk of heat exhaustion. So I settled on 13.1-- a half marathon!

I turned around at the point on my route that I knew would get me back home at 13.1 and was so pleased that the run continued to go well. I felt really good! After so many bad experiences in the heat, this kind of surprised me. But then I realized that I had all the "tools" I needed to deal with the heat, so there was no reason to have expected it to go poorly. With one mile to go, I picked up the pace just a little bit and it felt awesome!

I came home and my face was bright red and my clothes were dripping with sweat. I was drenched! I immediately got into the shower and let the cold water hit my face. HEAVEN! I also checked the weather to discover that the temperature was still 79 degrees, but now with a "real feel" of 90!

I think the fact that I paced this really slowly prevented me from ever feeling tired, sluggish, or overheated. I had fully expected those last few miles to be very difficult, but they weren't. This run was actually relatively easy. I did not push myself, but that wasn't the goal. My goal was to run 10-14 miles safely and I accomplished that. I attribute my success to:

• Careful planning
• Positive attitude (excited for the challenge vs. dreading it)
• Very conservative pacing
• Smart hydration
• Having been conservative with my return from illness earlier in the week, so I wasn't beat by the time today arrived
• Letting myself enjoy the run and the new music with no pressure to run at a certain pace or heart rate.

Just goes to show what a little planning can do. Yeah-- I beat the heat!!!!!!

This was actually faster than I expected, given my recent illness and the heat!

Postmortem

As mentioned in previous posts, my sports psychologist likes me to do "reviews" of my weekly training. (Also reviews of individual workouts, races, or anything related to running). They don't have to be fancy, but he wants me to get in the habit of ensuring that I gain proper perspective on what I am doing, and that I continue to build my confidence.

As you can imagine, it's pretty difficult to gain confidence when you are sick and unable to run for nine days in a row. But I'm up to the challenge, so I will do a "review" or "postmortem" of my illness and return to running. I'll start with a summary of what I am reviewing.

Monday, June 18:  Easy run of 6.8 miles in the morning, throat started to hurt later in the day
Tuesday, June 19: Hill workout with my team, feeling sluggish and lethargic
Wednesday, June 20- Thursday June 28: Nine days of no running
Friday: 2.5 miles at 9:54 average pace
Saturday: 4.3 miles at 9:48 average pace
Sunday: 6 miles at 10:30 average pace (4 outdoors, 2 on a treadmill) + 1 mile walk on treadmill incline.
Monday: 6.7 miles at 10:41 average pace
Tuesday: Rest

Note: The paces are getting slower, but the distances are getting longer. This is due to having to slow down in later miles to keep my heart rate low.

What went well? What improved?

• I took care of myself while sick-- tried to get plenty of rest
• I am now well enough to go to work
• I am now well enough to run
• I was extremely disciplined about keeping my heart rate in my easy zone so as to not over stress my body, even though that meant running ridiculously slow
• I enjoyed getting outdoors and running, even though it was very hot
• I slowed my pace to ensure that my heart rate stayed within the target range
• I enjoyed being able to wear my favorite running clothes
• The runs felt energized, despite the slow pace (except for Friday) I didn't feel like I was fighting against my illness.
• I didn't take my slow paces to mean that I was out of shape, rather that my body was still using its energy to fight off the illness

What Worked?

• I ate healthy foods while sick (easy-- because my husband is such a great cook)
• I kept well hydrated in the heat-- particularly important because I am on antibiotics
• Focusing on things like my form when I knew I wasn't at all challenging myself with my pace
• Powerwalking up an incline on the treadmill when my heart rate got too high for running- which was a good glute workout
• Not overdoing it when starting to run again-- I would rather feel "good" at a 10:30 pace than overly fatigued at a 9:00 pace. 
• Checking my ego at the door and run/walking up hills to keep my heart rate down
• Reminding myself that I put my health first, and I was doing the best I could to return to running healthfully
• Doing a modified version of my planks and other strengthening exercises while sick
• Keeping up with work email, but not letting work stress make me feel guilty for taking time off

What didn't work?

• Coming home from the run and getting upset that I had to adjust my pace so much to stay within heart rate range
• Doing the hill workout after not having gotten much sleep and feeling like I was getting sick
• Getting depressed about the fact that I had this huge setback
• Looking at my training log and realizing that June was my second lowest mileage month of the year, when it had been on target for the second highest.
• Getting upset about missing my trip to San Diego and the fantastic running I would have had

What did I learn?

• If I feel like I am getting sick-- no hard workouts. (Hill workout was a mistake)
• I am still very much emotionally affected by how my running is going. I need to work more on separating my running from my overall self contentment and happiness.
• I can be very patient. . . but I also have a threshold. For me, being sick for more than a week is my threshold. I would like to learn to not have a threshold!
• The rule of thumb is that when you are coming off of an illness, it will take you the same number of days as you missed to get back to the fitness level you were at pre-illness.
• Being a good athlete is about so much more than being fast.  It's about discipline, patience, motivation, confidence, and self-awareness. As I was going along at my 10:30 pace (a pace which is even slower than what I ran when I first started running back in 2000), I realized that patience and process are the keys to success. I've known this for awhile, but I felt like I really experienced it as I was able to truly enjoy running at a pace that I might otherwise be embarrassed and ashamed of.

I kept saying to Greg: "a 10:30 average!" and "My last few miles were in the 11's! Can you believe that!!" He thought I was beating up on myself, but I think the obsession over it afterwards was the realization that I actually could swallow my pride, go on a run at that pace, enjoy it, and realize that it was all part of me getting healthy again. It was upsetting to me because my patience was wearing thing and I desperately wanted to be running at my regular paces, but I was also pretty impressed with how I kept a positive attitude during the run, and was happy just to be outdoors and feeling semi normal again. It was a weird spot emotionally-- to be proud of how I was taking care of my body, but also frustrated that I wasn't 100% well yet.

Greg and I are registered for a 5K tomorrow and I know I'm not ready to handle speedwork, let alone a race in the heat. I will be at the back of the pack keeping my heart rate in the easy zone while Greg kills it at the front of the pack. I hope to get some miles in before and after and start working on getting my mileage back up there. I would love to be able to do the tempo intervals (or just one set) with my team on Friday, so that's the tentative plan, depending on how I feel.

It was not easy being sick for so long-- but hopefully I can use it as a learning experience.

Get Down With The Sickness!

I am supposed to be in beautiful San Diego right now for a work conference. My favorite place in the whole country to be! Instead I am sitting on my couch, legs propped up with lap top, iPad and iPhone, alternating among Chess.com, Facebook, work email, and Greek episodes on Neflix. How did people ever survive being sick before the Internet and iPads?

Here is a progression of the events over the last week. I'm writing this more for my own benefit, so I apologize in advance if it lacks the typical excitement of a Racing Stripes blog post.

Monday: I woke up with a very minor sore throat, went for an easy run which felt great (and had a low heart rate) so I figured everything was good. In fact, the longer I ran, the better I felt! At work, the sore throat persisted, so I got some fruit and soup for lunch, along with Cold-Eeze. I figured I was probably coming down with a cold, but that I could fight it off or shorten it with these simple things. That night, I did not sleep well at all because my throat hurt.

Tuesday: I set the alarm for 5:00am, insisting that I go to my hill workout at Iwo Jima no matter what. I knew I was going to have to miss some of these workouts due to work travel and a July 4th race, so I wanted to make sure I went to every single workout I could. I was tired from not having slept well and it was really humid out. I purposely lagged behind my teammates during the hill workout so as not to overdo it. I felt really awful in the middle of the workout, but things turned around toward the end, and I did the last two at full effort. Probably a mistake. I haven't run since.

Public service announcement: if you think you are coming down with something, do NOT push yourself in a workout. Easy running only!

I showered at a nearby Golds Gym and headed into work. I attended a 9:30 meeting but went home afterwards. My throat was extremely sore and I didn't want to get other people sick.

Wednesday: I worked from home because the throat was getting even worse. It really hurt to swallow and I had to constantly be sucking on a Cepacol in order to feel decent. The rest of me felt fine, my energy level was normal and I had no congestion. Just a killer sore throat. I went to a Minute Clinic for a strep test because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of my doctor's office. It always takes forever when I go there and I always have to park far away. At the Minute Clinic, I was told there was a virus going around featuring a very sore throat, and I tested negative for Strep. She gave me Lidocaine to gargle with that was supposed to numb my throat.  The Lidocaine didn't do much because I later found out that the swelling went much further back than the Lidocaine could reach.

Thursday: I lost my voice. I was able to speak in a very low, dramatic whisper, but it hurt to do so. Even still, I went into work for a meeting. There was no way I could miss this meeting because I was the organizer, and had been planning it for weeks with an outside vendor. Thankfully, I didn't have to do much talking because others in the meeting had most of the knowledge that I did. I was just the one managing and coordinating everything. I spent the entire meeting alternating between Cepacol and warm water with honey. I think I looked ridiculous sitting there with a bottle of honey in front of me, but I needed it! At night, I took NyQuill, but that did nothing. The act of swallowing was so painful, that whenever I felt myself falling asleep, I would swallow, and the pain would wake me up. I was up in the middle of the night having Cepacol and gargling with the Lidocaine, because I couldn't sleep with the pain.

Friday: This was the worst day ever. Greg was trying to get me to go to my regular doctor, but now I didn't have any energy. I didn't feel like I could go anywhere. I was tired, I lost my voice completely (except for a whisper) and my throat was killing me.

I knew that I was in no shape to travel, so reality set in about me having to cancel my trip. I was so excited about San Diego. On a professional level, I had spent a great deal of time building a presentation that was going to be given and coaching the presenters, but now I wasn't even going to see it! I was supposed to be meeting with 5 different vendors (being wined and dined) most of whom I only know by speaking with over the phone. I was also going to meet a lot of the sales people who I work with over the phone but had never met in person. I had my running route all planned out. I had done that same route as a 20-miler back in 2008 and it was one of the most beautiful runs of my life. My hotel was conveniently located right on the route and I was really looking forward to it. I even made plans to meet up with some friends who live in San Diego who I haven't seen in years. Thankfully, there were plenty of other people from my company going so it wasn't like the world was going to end without my presence. I was going mainly for my own benefit. I'm new to this company and this industry and it would have been great for networking and understanding the industry.

Friday night was yet another night of not being able to sleep because I kept waking myself up by swallowing.  More Cepacol. More gargling with Lidocaine.

Saturday: My wonderful husband took such good care of me! He took me to urgent care where we spent about two hours. Maybe more? It felt like forever. At least I got my "airport" experience-- I had to show ID, I had to be X-rayed, and then I had to wait forever. But the end result was getting meds that made me go to a happy place!

Greg made this yummy soup!

I was running a fever, and my throat was so swollen that they had to x-ray to see further down. They ruled out Mono and Strep, and did a throat culture to see if it's a bacterial infection. I won't have those results until Wednesday. It's either a bacterial infection or a viral infection, but she started me on antibiotics just in case. I was prescribed steroids, which immediately helped the swelling in my throat. But it was accompanied by some severe sweating. Best of all was the Vicodin which meant I was finally able to sleep without pain.

As I mentioned before, Greg took such great care of me. He went to the grocery store and bought me everything on my list. He made a delicious healthy soup for us too. Best of all, he kept me company and gave me massages!

Sunday: I finally started to get my voice back and the pain in my throat had subsided immensely, although not 100%. I'm thinking it's because of the steroids. Congestion arrived, which I took as a good sign because at least my immune system was kicking in. I spent the day playing online chess, tracking my friends who were racing in an Ironman, and watching Netflix. Unfortunately, the Vicodin didn't help me sleep as well on Sunday night as it had on Saturday, but it was still much better than it had been earlier in the week.

Greg made asparagus soup from scratch, along with baked salmon. Both were delicious and very healthy!

Today: I have my voice back, but it still hurts to speak loudly. Now my main symptom is fatigue and dizziness. I am not sure how much of this is due to the illness or the side affects of the meds. I don't take Vicodin during the day, so it would have to be the steroids, which I took less of today. I am well enough to be writing this blog, so that is certainly a good sign!

Looking ahead: I haven't run since Tuesday, and the earliest I would think about running again would be Wednesday. Tomorrow I will be off of the steroids and the Vicodin, so if I feel better, then I might attempt something easy on Wednesday. But I am not going to push it. The last thing I need is to prolong my recovery time. Most of my co-workers are in San Diego, so it makes sense for me to be working from home. Today is an official "sick day" because I'm too tired to focus on work. I expect that I will have more energy tomorrow to actually be working. At least I hope!

On the plus side, I haven't been stressing too much about all the time off running I'm having to take. Yeah, it's annoying and I know I will lose some fitness, but I've accepted this. Thankfully I don't have any key races in the near future, so I can take as much time as I need to recover. I'm getting better at speed chess, but I have to stop moving so fast and letting people take my queen! Nothing kills your chess mojo like a queen loss.

Also on the plus side, I figured out how to get people at work to keep their distance from me during my taper and not get me sick. (I'm such a hypochondriac during my taper.) I just have to pretend like I am the one who is sick, and everyone will be sure to stay far away!

Anyway, hopefully I am on the mend. I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful husband who took me to the doctor even when I didn't want to go. I think I'll go have some leftover soup now.

Lawyers Have Heart History -- In Pictures!

I thought it would be fun to take a look back on my race photos from this yearly Lawyers Have Heart tradition.

2005, wearing all cotton.

2006, looks more like the chicken dance than a race.

2007, getting into a groove

2008, my poor knee!

2009, approaching the finish, super hot!

2010, focused on the finish line!

2011, midfoot strike. The only photo they took of me.

2012, red face to match my red top! Nice background.

I shared my race report with my sports psychologist and he helped me see that I ran exactly the race that I needed to be running to advance myself as a runner. He asked me: "if you had set a ballpark goal before the race (not knowing what you know now) do you think you would have set a goal to run a course PR by over 2:30?"  I thought about it, and I probably would have set my goal to run a course PR of about 2:00, which would have been a 47:50.

Only after the fact did I start being hard on myself for not pushing. So in reality, I ran a faster race than I expected by NOT focusing on a goal time. I focused on my strategy, pacing and execution and in doing so, I ran negative splits and exceeded any goal I would have set for myself. And looking at the below photo, I do realize how hot it actually was, despite it being "good weather for this race".

He told me that if I run all of my races like this, where I accomplish everything I set out to do, then I am going to make a lot of progress as a runner. If I look for failure, of course I am going to find it. And my natural instinct is always to look for failure in myself.

So what did I learn by having some gas left in the tank at the end? Not that I need to push harder when I race, but that my capability level is higher than I expected. Which means great things for the next time I race!

Yes, 2012 was hot!

Lawyers Have Heart 10K - Steady As It Goes

This morning I ran my 8th consecutive Lawyers Have Heart 10K.

This race holds a special place in my heart because it was the first large race I ever ran, and it encouraged me to get into racing instead of just treadmill running. That said, this race is always so tough. Every year it's extremely hot and humid and it's usually too early in the summer for me to be properly acclimated.

This year, the weather was rather pleasant, with low humidity and temperatures in the low 70's. Even though this is amazingly good weather for this race, it's still hot and sunny, which I have to keep reminding myself when thinking about my time.

I organized a Capital Area Runners team, which only had six members on it. However, there were at least 10 people from our group running. I think most of them had signed up before I created the team or were running with their law firms' teams. I ended up being the only female, which mean my time would count as being in the top four of the team. As a co-ed team, they have to score at least one female.

Pre-Race
After seven years of doing this race, I know the drill pretty well. Get there an hour early so that there is time to park, walk to packet pickup and line up early for the porta potties. Go back to the car, put on bib, put shirt in car. I find it somewhat humorous that the race runs out of size small every single year. You would think they would learn! Every year I indicate "small" on my registration, but always end up with a medium. This year, I didn't even ask for a small. I took the medium and the volunteer informed me they were out of small. The shirt material is actually rather soft, and they make good nightshirts, so I'm actually okay with my collection of mediums.

After putting our bibs on, Greg and I warmed up for about a mile and a half.  I felt pretty good.

I didn't have a goal time in mind for this race, which worked both for me and against me. I had no idea how much the heat would affect me. Two weekends ago, I went out at a pace of 7:22 in a hot 5K, and I ran the last mile at 8:01. Clearly, I didn't adjust my starting pace enough for the heat. So I decided I would go out very conservatively and then try to maintain an even pace. It's good to not have a goal time because then you are focused more on the execution. But having no ballpark idea of the time I wanted to run also left me unmotivated to push to the extent that I was physically capable of.

Mile 1-- 7:57

My goal with this mile was to take it super easy. I always, always bonk in this race and I was determined to not let that happen. It's really crowded and I didn't want to waste energy weaving and it's also uphill. I just took it very easy.

Miles 2 & 3--  7:35, 7:38
I settled in here. I didn't look at my Garmin for awhile after mile marker one, but when I did, I was happy with a pace in the 7:30's so I told myself to just maintain the 7:30's. I fully expected that I would be in the 7:50's by the time the race was over, as usually happens in this race, so I thought that staying in the 7:30's would be a challenge.

Miles 4 & 5-- 7:35, 7:34
I was so happy to be past the turnaround and feeling strong. Usually this is where it all falls apart for me, but I felt myself getting a little faster! I was so thankful to be maintaining my pace that I didn't dare try and speed up. In hindsight, I think I could have sped up a little and I think I was just being too intimidated by past experiences. I wanted to play it safe, and I did. I started making my grunting and screaming noises in mile 5, which means I was working hard, so I didn't question the effort level. A nice woman ran next to me for about half a mile and told me to relax and focus on breathing. It's funny how I always sound like death when I put out a hard effort, even when I am perfectly fine. I've been known to let out some yelps on the track, and particularly during pool running.

Mile 6: 7:34
The sun was beating down on me here and it got a lot harder, but this mile is a net downhill, so I used it to my advantage.  The last 0.2 is under a bridge, so I don't have Garmin data to support my perceived effort, but I would say I was doing a solid 6:15 pace. I was passing people left and right and now that I was in the shade, I felt awesome. I kept thinking "wow- I have a lot in the tank here, where was this earlier in the race?"

I finished with a time of 47:18, good for 18th out of 364 in my age group.

I must have had the math wrong in my head because as I was running, I was sure that a 7:35 pace would land me somewhere in the 46's, but I guess that first mile worked against me. And yes, my math was wrong. I used to obsess over which pace would get me to which time, but I have stopped doing that (thank God). So, I was a bit let down that I was in the 47's.

Nevertheless, I was proud that I ran a consistent race. I executed my strategy perfectly. This is the first time in Lawyers Have Heart history where I ran a negative split.

Sports Psychology
One of the things I am working on with my new sports psychologist is the post-race "review". We've identified that I am very black and white in my thinking and that unless I amaze myself with my performance, then I'm extremely upset. There isn't any middle ground. So for practice, here are all of the thoughts and feelings that occurred to me once I heard that some of my friends had set PRs, and others weren't that far off:

- I'm two minutes off of my PR. Nobody else is that far off, so the heat must have just affected me more.
- But could the heat really have affected me more? No. I just wimped out. I didn't push as hard as I could.
- 47:18. Sure would have been nice to get into the 46's.
- This is the best weather this race has ever had, and I still couldn't break 47?
- Other people PRed in this heat! I was so far off of mine. Boo!!!!!!!
- It was a mistake to start off so slowly. I should have had more confidence than that.

I know these feelings and thoughts don't get me anywhere. They are counterproductive and they don't build confidence. They serve no purpose and I am being unreasonably hard on myself.  My sports psychologist recommended a much more effective approach to post race "reviews".

50% of the review: What went well?
- I had a strategy
- I executed the strategy exactly as planned
- I beat my course PR by over two minutes
- I ran negative splits and didn't blow up-- which was one of the key goals
- I was in the top 5% of my age group, and this is a competitive race
- I kept a positive mindset while running the race
- I had a really nice final kick, passing most people
- I enjoyed it (as much as one can enjoy the pain of a 10K!)
- I ran the tangents
- I met my total weekly mileage goal by doing a warmup and cooldown.

30% of the review: What Worked? What didn't quite work?
- My nutrition worked
- I was well hydrated
- Focusing on my form worked
- Keeping a positive attitude during the race worked
- What didn't quite work: not having a ballpark goal
- What didn't quite work: being intimidated by my past performances in this race
- What didn't quite work: not asking myself if I could push harder during the race

20% of the review: What should I adjust for next time?
- Have a ballpark time goal, and know an approximate pace I want to run-- adjust that if necessary during the run.
- Don't let past performances affect my confidence for future ones.

Just as I have to make adjustments to my pacing and slow down if I underestimate the effect of the heat (like two weeks ago), I also have to learn to adjust my pacing to go faster if I overestimated the effect of the heat.  However, better to be safe than sorry, and I played it safe. Few things are worse in a race than a heat bonk!

And now the key is not view this is a "bad performance" and not let it feed negativity into other races. There were a lot of positive things that came out of today's race-- particularly in the area of strategy and execution. And a new course PR!  I am just a bit disappointed in my finish time and the fact that I let this race intimidate me. There are some good things to learn from here.

Finally, an important point that my sports psych makes is that once the review is over, move onto something else. Do not dwell on it all day. (Except I do get to write a blog!)

Team Results
Our Capital Area Runners team placed 3rd in the Open category:

  3. 2:49:02.1 Capital Area Runners                              (  42:15.6)
============================================================
  1    37:30.9  Christopher Carney    M 
  2    39:51.7  Jamey Burden          M 
  3    44:21.1  Greg Clor             M 
  4    47:18.4  Elizabeth Clor        F 

Lawyers Have Heart History

Date	Race	Time	Comments
June 2005	Lawyers Have Heart	53:09
June 2006	Lawyers Have Heart	53:32
June 2007	Lawyers Have Heart	50:59
June 2008	Lawyers Have Heart	55:25	Coming off of injury
June 2009	Lawyers Have Heart	51:30
June 2010	Lawyers Have Heart	49:50
June 2011	Lawyers Have Heart 5K	22:43	Race was changed to a 5K due to heat
June 2012	Lawyers Have Heart	47:18

Ringing In Hope 5K: Heat, Hills, Humidity

This morning I ran my 4th Ringing In Hope race (I've run both the summer and the New Year's race ever since the Inaugural race on New Year's Eve, December 2010.) They always offer a 5K and a 10K, and this year I chose the 5K. Last summer, I ran the 10K and it was a truly miserable experience because of the heat. My pace slowed by over a minute per mile during the last two miles and it took everything I had not to walk. Afterwards, I was really out of it and kept feeling like I was about to pass out.

I didn't want a repeat performance, so I decided to stick to the 5K. With a start time of 9:00, I knew it was going to be brutally hot once again, well before the forecast even came out.

I just had to laugh when I received an email on Friday with a subject line of "Weather Looking Great for Monday's Race."  Ha! It was 80 degrees and very humid at the start line. Not exactly great, but I knew what I was getting myself into when I signed up.

Going into this race, I was worried about dehydration. Although I had drunk plenty of water the day before, I had either food poisoning or just a really upset stomach. I was in serious pain for several hours and all my hydration work went down the toilet, literally. This morning, the stomach pains were still there, and I just had to hope that my stomach would behave for the duration of the race.

When Greg and I arrived at the race, there was a very long line for getting our bibs. We got there just before 8:30 and it took about 20 minutes to get through the line and pin our bibs on. I still needed to go to the bathroom again, so there wasn't much time to warm up.  We ran for about one minute, and considered ourselves warm. We didn't get shirts because we didn't have time to wait in the shirt line and then go back to put them in our car. Oh well.

At the start line, they announced that the start would be delayed by five minutes due to the number of people still in line to get their bibs. Seriously? UGH. I was getting so hot just standing there. And then when 9:05 rolled around, that's when the pre-race rituals started, meaning the actual start didn't happen until 9:10.

My strategy for this race was to go out slowly and not push until the end. I didn't have a time goal-- I was more hoping to win an age group award of some sort. I figured just getting sub-23:00 would be a nice achievement, given the heat.

It was hot!

The race starts on an uphill, and I am very familiar with the course. My first mile was 7:21. I told myself that if I could hold on to that pace, I'd be golden. Well, it got really hard after the first mile marker. I was so hot, and there was no shade anywhere. High humidity, 80 degrees, rolling hills-- the 3 H's that can really test a runner's mental resolve! I decided not to look at the Garmin and just keep the effort level constant. I don't know if I could have pushed harder, or if I just didn't push harder because I was afraid of passing out in the heat. Either way, the tempo effort was as much as I could muster, and I told myself just to keep going, and the race would be over soon. Mile 2 was 7:39.

During the last mile, I came upon a 10-year old being paced by a woman who looked to be in about her 40's. I wasn't sure if she was the mother or the coach. I was about 10-15 seconds behind them. Normally I would try and catch up, but I thought "neither of them in my age group, it's okay if they stay ahead". All I cared about during the last mile was maintaining my placing and not letting anyone pass me. I had slowed down significantly, but it looked like a lot of other people were, too. In fact, I saw quite a few people walking during the last mile. I remember the one time I walked in a super hot 5K. I wasn't pleased with myself afterwards, so I told myself to just keep running no matter what. I ended up with an 8:01 for that last mile, which included a long uphill at the end. I didn't let it phase me, I just focused on keeping the effort level up and hoping that no one would pass me. I had a super fast downhill finish to 23:39. Far off of my time goal, but I finished in one piece without stomach problems or feeling dizzy at the end.

This is the second 5K in a row that a 10-year-old has beaten me by 10 seconds. I need to watch out for those little ones!

I was the 8th overall female out of 382 and I won 2nd place in my AG. My award was a gift certificate to a local running store. Yay! This puts me in the top 2%, so even though my time was really slow for me, my placing validated how tough it was out there.

It's hard to believe that I can run a 10-miler at a faster pace than I ran today's 5K. Heat is serious business!

Afterwards, Greg and I were chatting with our friend Chad, talking about the potential for age group awards. While doing that, I nearly missed getting my award! I noticed they were giving them out, so I ran over there, and the announcer (who knew me) said "Elizabeth did you get your award?" Ha-- I feel like I crashed the whole order of things. Turns out she thought I was in my 20's and had won first place age group, but then quickly realized I was in my 30's, which was a more competitive grouping.

Anyway, I'm happy about the award, pleased that I didn't stop and walk, but obviously not thrilled with the major slowdown and slow overall time. Is it fall yet????

Chad (won 2nd place AG), me and Greg.

VO2 Max Test Results

Three years after my first VO2 max test, I decided it was time for another one, so I had this done last night.

What is this test?
A VO2 max test tells you how your body consumes oxygen and burns calories during exercise. It also identifies your heart rate zones so that you can train at paces that are most beneficial for your body, as opposed to looking at standardized chart (which may or may not apply to you).

The test is not fun. You warmup for 15 minutes on a treadmill and then put on this mask that's attached to a computer. The computer is measuring your oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output, and from that it can tell all sorts of things. You also wear a heart rate monitor, which is closely watched by the person performing the test. Once the warmup is complete and the mask is on, the person performing the test gradually increases your treadmill speed. In my case, it was 0.2 MPH for every minute. I started at 6.0 MPH and after 10 minutes, I was at 8.0 MPH. Eventually, he also ups the incline along with the speed. The test continues until you can't take it anymore.

The fact that you are running at a high intensity on a treadmill is bad enough. Add the mask in there for additional discomfort and you're really not having fun.

Why take such a test?

My heart rate during the test.

The test provides information that will help you tailor your training. Most critical are the heart rate zones. Using the standard "percentage of max" does not work for every athlete because every body is unique in its oxygen consumption. I've been training with a heart rate monitor since I took this test in 2009, and it's really helped guide my training paces. When it's super hot outside, the heart rate is higher, so I go slower. I'm also more in tune with my body. I can tell when I'm having an off day if my heart rate is abnormally high for the paces I am running. Or if my heart rate is telling me that I need to go much slower than on other days.

The test also provides information that can help with your nutrition plan and lets you know if you need to focus more on speed or endurance.

My results
I have to say, I left the testing location feeling discouraged. Three years ago, this guy told me that I was among the 10% of runners who are more built for endurance than speed, and that I would do better at marathons and half marathons. And I guess back then it was true. My half marathon PR at the time was 1:44:04, but I still had never broken 49:00 in the 10K or 23:00 in the 5K. Yesterday, I learned that the reverse is now true. I am currently in much better shape for short races than long ones. I have a high lactate threshold and I've increased my VO2 max. But my treadmill pace for "easy" was actually slower.

However. . . back in 2009, I did the majority of my runs on a treadmill so I was more comfortable on the treadmill. Last night, my feet hurt right off the bat, and my calves and hips were killing me by the end. In fact, it was my legs hurting me that was the limiting factor and that made me stop the test. So, I really can't compare a treadmill time from 2009 to now, when I do 100% of my running outdoors. But still- it was discouraging that my easy pace was 20 seconds per mile slower on the treadmill than it was three years ago.

Interestingly, Greg's results have also gone in the opposite direction. Back in 2009, he was better trained for speed, and now apparently he's much better trained for endurance. Far better than I am. We always thought that I was the endurance queen and he was the king of speed, but according to this test, the roles are now reversed. His easy pace is faster than mine. I hope he'll still do long runs with me!

The results do make sense. Greg hasn't PRed at a short distance in over a year, but is killing the long distances. I haven't PRed at a half marathon or marathon in over a year, but I'm doing well with shorter stuff.  The guy said that Greg didn't leave anything on the course with his 1:13 Cherry Blossom time. He said that my 1:15 time was soft, and I should have beat Greg. Ha!  This confirms what we've always known--  Greg can really redline it, and I am a wimp at pushing. :-)

It's great that I've increased my VO2 max because that's mainly a factor of genetics, and it decreases as you age. It's one of the hardest elements to change/control.  But hey, I'm three years older, the VO2 max is 3 points higher!

Of course, my heart rate zones have changed. This isn't really a reflection of fitness, but more of age and other physiological factors. Before the test, I actually predicted that the top of my Zone 2 (the "easy zone") was now 162 as opposed to the previous 165. Every time my heart rate gets above 162, I notice I am working harder. 162 and below is easy street, but it used to feel that way at 165 and below. Confirmation that I am in tune with what feels easy vs. slightly harder than easy. Long runs will now be in the range of a 150-162 heart rate.

Fat Burning
Finally, I learned that my body is not effective at burning fat as fuel. In fact, in 2009, my body was burning twice as much fat as it does now for the same paces. This might explain my recent weight gain over the past 4 months. This makes sense because in 2009 I would never eat anything before my long runs. For the past year, I have been having a bagel with peanut butter before each long run, and my body has been using that as fuel instead of fat. I think going forward I will rely on last night's dinner for my fuel, unless the run is 16+ miles, and I will eat a smaller bagel with less peanut butter. And be sure to eat it at least two hours in advance. Eating within 2 hours of a long run causes your insulin levels to rise, and so your body uses that glucose as fuel-- not the fat. It's important for the body to use fat because it's a better, more readily available source of energy than glucose-- especially in a marathon.

Training Volume/Mileage
In 2009, I was coming off a long training cycle averaging about 50 miles per week, peaking at about 60. Since my stress fractures in January of 2011, I have been keeping my weekly mileage in the 30's and 40's. My training for Shamrock averaged in the low 40's. I thought this was okay because I was supplementing with swimming and pool running. Also, I ran Shamrock in 2008 on low mileage and it was a great race for me. However, these results indicate that I probably need to pump up the volume, so to speak. More volume means my body will be better able to burn fat as fuel.

The test administrator also suggested longer tempos. My coach prefers 3-4 mile tempo runs and I can't remember the last time I went beyond 4 miles. They've gotten super fast, but  yesterday I learned that I would get more benefit out of 5-6 mile tempos at a slower pace (still staying within my LT heart rate zone).

So now what?
I gave these results to my coach and I am going to see what he recommends. I am also meeting with a sports physiologist to go through these results in more detail and see what ideas she has on nutrition and specific training must-haves. I have six months until my next marathon attempt, so that should be plenty of time to get  my endurance back to where it needs to be. It's exciting in a way because now I know I have a lot of room to improve.

I'm also working with a sports psychologist on the performance anxiety issue. Even those this test was helpful, it does not explain why I am exhausted at mile 8 of a marathon, but I have no problems with long runs.

Best Bagels in Northern VA: Bagel Buddies

As a runner, I take my carb intake very seriously. But long before I ever laced up my running shoes, I've loved bagels. They've always topped my list of favorite foods.

So where is my favorite place to get bagels? Bagel Buddies in Fairfax. And you can win a free dozen bagels from there by following the instructions at the end of this blog post!

Their bagels are always, always fresh. To me, a good bagel is one that you can eat without having to toast it or put anything on it. You can simply enjoy the texture and the doughy inside. I prefer to eat my bagels by breaking off pieces rather than cutting them-- because I think that cutting them ruins the "chunky of dough" sensation that I love. Not to give the impression that these bagels are undercooked-- they are just nice and soft on the inside. Firm on the outside. Most other bagels are the same consistency inside and out and it's like eating a piece of thick bread. No thank you!

I'm a bagel snob. I refuse to eat a bagel that isn't fresh or that is too firm. When Panera is my only option for a bagel, I use their microwaves to make the bagels warm and chewy instead of hard. Because I love bagels so much, I've tried nearly bagel shop in Northern Virginia, but nothing comes close to Bagel Buddies. Even when I lived in Tyson's Corner, I would sometimes make special trips out to the Fair Lakes area, just to get some of these yummy bagels. I've been a loyal Bagel Buddies customer for over 10 years.

These bagels are so good that I actually brought them to New York city for the NYC marathon. I didn't want to risk there not being bagels in NY as good as these. Ironic, because NYC is bagel central, and Bagel Buddies has a NYC theme to it.

They offer a huge selection of bagels and homemade cream cheeses. They even have a fantastic selection of light cream cheese, where most bagel shops only give you the option of plain light or veggie light.

As for bagel flavors, they offer all the standards, but they also feature a bagel of the month where you can try flavors like carrot cake, strawberry, pumpkin and others. Offered every day are unique flavors such as Cinnamon Sugar, Peanut Butter, French Toast and Orange Cranberry. My personal favorite is the honey 7 grain. It's so wholesome and flavorful! Topped with Wild Berry Lite cream cheese, and you have the perfect breakfast or snack!

I also like going there for lunch because their sandwich selection is huge. They serve both hot and cold bagel sandwiches, and if you are trying to watch your carb intake, you can get a wrap.

The owners are super nice. I've actually known one of the owners since college and was so excited when she bought the bakery a few years ago. She graciously lets me fill up my water bottle and use the bathroom on long runs, as my route often goes by the shop.

Bagel Giveaway Contest
I've never given anything away on my blog before, so I hope this goes well. You can win a dozen free bagels from Bagel Buddies by doing the following things. Please leave one comment for each of these things you do, and that will be one entry for each:

Like Bagel Buddies on Facebook: Link to FB Page
Repost this contest on Facebook.
Follow Bagel Buddies on Twitter: @BagelBuddies
Tweet this contest on Twitter.

Be sure to mention that Bagel Buddies is located in Fairfax, Virginia.

I will announce the winner on Wednesday, May 23. The winner will be chosen at random.

Disclaimer: Bagel Buddies did not pay me to write this blog. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. 

A Run Around The Corner

Greg and I have lived in our house for just over two years. For the past two years, we have noticed a 5K race very close to our house. While we were out for a normal weekend run, we would see hundreds of people in a 5K, running on part of our route. This year we decided we would join in on the fun.

I'm pretty sure this Angel Kisses 5K is the closest race to our house, with the start line about 2.5 miles away. About 35 minutes before the start, we left from our front door and did a warmup run to the start. It was just so cool to be able to run to the race! No worries about parking or traffic or anything. Easy as cake!

This race benefits cancer research and is in its 9th year. It's a very family-oriented race so a huge swarm of kids lined up at the very front. Normally this bugs me, but in a small family-oriented 5K, you just have to expect it. Plus, they go out really fast anyway, so you don't have to start weaving around them until about half a mile in, at which point they are pretty spread out.

I decided to do a few things differently with this race. The first was to not look at my Garmin at all. I tried this approach on New Year's eve and it did not work for me. I wound up going out way too fast on an uphill and was just trying to hold on the rest of the race. I got my slowest 5K time in years. I was a bit worried this would happen again (especially since this race starts on a huge uphill), but I wanted to work on just "feeling" the race and not having a watch dictate what I do. Also, knowing that I wouldn't be able to look at the Garmin at all, I wasn't worried about what the next lap pace would be because I wouldn't see it.

Also different was the use of my iPod. I haven't raced with music in about three years, so I decided to experiment with it. This goes along with my whole "feel the race" approach. I decided I would let the music carry me and I would get into a rhythm with it. The only problem I have with headphones is my own vanity. All varieties of earbuds and behind-the-ear headphones fall off of me, so I must wear the old school over-the-head ones. I have a super skinny pair, but still, it's not the most athletic looking thing. I decided I just needed to get over myself and wear them anyway.

In terms of a goal time, I didn't have one. It was on the warmer side, and I knew how hilly the course was. 100% hills! My primary goal was to run really strong, feel the race, and hopefully win an age group award.

Mile 1: 6:58
This was too fast, but not so much that it killed my race. The race starts on a long, steep uphill. All the kids were just gunning up the hill and I was trying to hold back, but without the Garmin, I didn't know if I needed to hold back even more. After the uphill was, of course, a downhill.

Mile 2: 7:17

Not the most flattering, but hey- I'm pushing it hard!

More hills! There is no part of this course that is flat. The hills are long and steep in some places. I'm pretty sure this is the hilliest 5K I've ever run. I'm glad I wasn't looking at the Garmin because a 7:17 pace would have discouraged me. Even though I knew the course was hilly and it was warm, I would have let that number get into my head. Instead, I was free of it.

During this mile, I was side-by-side with a girl who was about 11. I enjoyed running with her, but kids don't really understand racing etiquette. Periodically, she would try to get ahead of me, and run right in front of my path. I had to dodge her multiple times. She'd get right in my way, I'd have to go around her. I'd be slightly ahead, and then she'd come up and cut me off again. I don't think she was trying to be rude, but maybe she thought that's what people did in races. It is a competitive thing, after all.

Mile 3: 7:18
This was so hard. I knew my effort level was at my max because I was constantly letting out my screaming sounds. In the Crystal Run 5K in April, I didn't let out many screams, and that's how I know that I wasn't giving it everything I had. In this run, I was just sighing and screaming and grunting throughout the entire last mile. I passed the 11-year old for good, but then came across a girl who looked to be around 12. I passed her on the final uphill, thinking I was in the clear, but then she passed me again, and I sped up. I did not want this girl to beat me!

Once we got to the top of the hill, the last 0.3 miles were all downhill, and that's when I just let it rip. I accelerated down to the 6:30's and ended up beating her by about 10 seconds.

Last 0.14: 6:10 pace
I really like the downhill finish to this race and the fact that you can see the finish line balloons from a ways off. I gave a really strong final kick to finish in 22:24. 


Although my time is nearly a minute slower than my PR, I was very happy with this race. My effort level exceeded what I did at Crystal City, and if I had pushed this hard back then, I would have been much closer to my PR. When I crossed the finish line, it took me over a full minute to be able to talk to anyone.

I was 5th place out of 220 women. I also won my age group (ages 30-39).

Afterwards, there was an awards ceremony and a ton of door prizes were also given away. I won a $20 Gift Certificate to VA Runner and also got a medal that said "1st place female, 30-39".  Greg placed second in his age group and won a $15 Gift Certificate to VA Runner! This was his first age group award ever! Greg also won a $25 Gift Certificate to a local restaurant as a door prize!

I also have to mention that the 4th place female was only 10 years old. That kid was on fire! She had actually come all the way from Maryland to run this one. She killed all the boys her age, too. The fastest boy in her age group was a 9-year-old at 23:49.

Loot in hand, Greg and I ran back home. We plan on making this race a yearly tradition.