Training Follies

Experts would never advise taking my training approach for the Big Spring Marathon:

1. Don't really psychologically commit to training for the marathon until 8 weeks prior.
2. Don't get any massages.
3. Don't EVER do an ice-bath.
4. Consistently get too little sleep.
5. Couple training for a marathon with trying to get pregnant.
6. Gain 5 lbs of icecream, cupcakes, bread, peanut butter and jelly.
7. Have a lot of other stressful life issues plus increased work schedule.
8. Use two weeks of a snow storm as an excuse to do barely any speedwork.
9. Don't do any core work (despite promising yourself that you would do abs 3x/week).
10. Routinely find excuses to cut speed workouts short.

Despite all of my bad behavior training-wise, things seem to be going really well. I had an awesome week with my highest mileage EVER, which I was really pleased with. My legs were a little tapped out during the speed workouts because of the race last weekend, but I really can't complain.

Weekly Mileage
3/21/2010: 6.5 miles, BodyFlow
3/22/2010: 2.5 miles WU, 4 x 1200 (4:35 (coach made us go slow), 4:24, 4:21, 4:14), 4 miles CD (10.5 miles total) // 30 minutes yoga, 2 mile walk
3/23/2010: 12 miles am // 4 miles pm
3/24/2010: 11 miles am // 3 miles pm
3/25/2010: 3 miles WU, 3 miles (6:26, 6:16, 6:15), 4 miles CD
3/26/2010: 10 miles
3/27/2010: 22 miles (ave. 7:25 w/ last 7 miles at 6:25-6:35)
Total Mileage: 89 miles

Three weeks til Big Spring Marathon! Eeee!

Question: I felt like I was chomping at the bit the entire long run, wanting to go faster, but the guys I was running with kept yelling at me to go slower. Should I have gone faster? I don't know whether I should be doing my long runs at a faster pace.

No Excuses

Going into this race, I was a little nervous because I had no excuses. No fall-back explanation for why I didn't run well. I'd been getting great sleep, feeling awesome at the track, eating well, gorgeous weather, etc. My hope was to beat my previous 1/2 marathon PR 1:23:34. I knew that I was in better shape than I was then, but the PR course was pretty much all down-hill and today's race WAS NOT.

I managed to beat my PR: 1:21:57, a 6:16 pace. I started out WAY too fast...finished the 10K in 37:42 (6:04 pace)...which is now my 10K PR...as I haven't run a 10K in years and don't have any times on record. I haven't even run that fast in my tempo workouts! What the heck?! I was tied with the 5th place girl (one of my team-mates who was uber-supportive:>) until mile 10 when I just couldn't keep up any more. Starting out too fast was NOT a wise race strategy. The sad thing is that I was really trying to keep it under control.

My coach emailed me and said that a 1:22 1/2 marathon is predictive of a 2:53 marathon...if I can keep up the good training and don't get knocked up. Running the half today made me really wish that I get knocked up in the next four weeks...a marathon is *so* freaking long!

All in all, the highlight of my day was that I had FRIENDS at the race! People to warm up with! People to gab about the race with after it was over! I didn't have this a year ago this time and it made me so happy!

And, a little shout out to MCM Mama: you rock for being a volunteer and getting up that early! It was great to see you!

I Heart the Mini-Taper

I've been doing a mini-taper for my 1/2 marathon this weekend and, man, it's been great. I think I'll do this with any future marathons. It's a nice little mental and physical break from training. After the race this weekend, I only have two more weeks of big mileage and then it's taper time for Big Spring Marathon! I've had great track workouts the past two weeks, so I'm hoping that bodes well. And, man, what a difference SLEEP and PROTEIN seems to be making in my running!

My goal for the half is 1:21-1:26. I'm not sure what pace I'll be able to keep. It's supposed to be a tough course. It makes me nervous just putting a time goal out there!

Last Week's Mileage
3/8/2010: 6 miles, Body Flow
3/9/2010: 2 miles WU, 8 x 800 (3:05 (coach made us go slow), 2:51, 2:50, 2:50, 2:51, 2:49, 2:51, 2:52), 1.25 miles CD (9 miles)
3/10/2010: 11 miles am // 4 miles pm
3/11/2010: 11 miles am // 30 min yoga PM
3/12/2010: 3 miles WU, 4 miles in 25:09 (6:17 pace), 4 miles CD
3/13/2010: 12.3 miles
3/14/2010: 10.2 miles
Total Mileage: 74.5 miles

Estimated Week's Mileage
3/14/2010: 7 miles, Body Flow
3/15/2010: 1.5 miles WU, 1600 (5:45), 800 (2:43), 800 (2:48--coach told me to slow down), 400 (1:17), 400 (1:18), 1 mile CD (6 miles)
3/16/2010: 8.5 miles
3/17/2010: 6.5 miles
3/18/2010: OFF
3/19/2010: 1 mile WU, 13.1 miles, 2 miles CD
3/20/2010: 11 miles
Total Mileage: 55 miles

How Not to Raise an Obnoxious Child

After spending some time today with some other people's children, including one particularly awful child, I'm wondering how not to raise an obnoxious child.

Of course, some children just like to test limits and do potentially dangerous things. There's nothing wrong with that...to a point. I don't want to raise an automaton that does whatever I say. But, I'd like to raise a child that is considerate of others and doesn't steamroll other people. How does one do this?

There was an incident today when Nugget was holding a fly swatter and another child approached him and wanted to play with it. I tried to give the fly swatter to the boy and Nugget threw a royal fit. I was at loss what to do about the situation. I explained to the other child that Nugget was having a hard time sharing and we would have to find another toy for him to play with.

Does anyone have any books on parenting they recommend??

Running Stats:
3/1/2010: 5.75 miles @ 9:30* // Bodyflow pm
3/2/2010: 2.5 miles WU, 1200 (4:23) 600 jog, 800 (2:50) 400 jog, 400 (1:20) 200 jog; 1200 (4:21) 600 jog; 1200 (4:21) 600 jog, 800 (2:49) 400 jog, 400 (1:19); 3 mile CD (10 miles)
3/3/2010: 11.2 miles am // 4 miles pm
3/4/2010: 11.2 miles am // 20 minutes yoga pm
3/5/2010: 3 miles WU, 5 miles in 32:08 (6:25 pace), 3 miles CD
3/6/2010: 10.2 miles
3/7/2010: 20.5 miles in 2:29:40 (7:18 pace)
Total Mileage: 84 miles

I'm feeling pretty great despite high mileage, which makes me happy. I think the increased protein is definitely doing the trick! I had a great long run today, finishing out in 6:50 pace for the last few miles. I have a 1/2 marathon in two weeks and am going to attempt to "run through" with a minimal taper, which I've learned in the past does NOT result in my best running, but my goal race is Big Spring Marathon (as it doesn't look like I'm going to get pregnant before then). Got another official negative test result despite perfect timing and two targets. Sigh.

Protein Convert!

Since my post on Sunday, I've been actively trying to eat more protein. I even stocked up a bunch of different types of meat that I haven't eaten in MONTHS: pork tenderloin, beef bottom round for pot roast, ground turkey for turkey stroganoff, etc., as well as some greek yogurt (that stuff can have 20g of protein in one serving!). In thinking about my pre-protein diet, I estimate that I was eating 40-60g of protein each day. Here's my new revised diet:

Sunday, February 28, 2010
Exercise: 22 miles!

Pre-run
3 pancakes w/ syrup (6g)
Banana (1g)
1-2 spoonfuls of PB (6g)

During run
GU Chomps

Lunch
turkey sandwich w/ hummus & cheese(31g)
fig newton
grapefruit

Snack
Cottage cheese double (14g)

Dinner
2.5 corn bread muffins (2g)
1 bowl turkey chilli (20g)
salad w/ goat cheese (3g)

Snack
grapefruit
nantucket trail mix (2g)
soymilk (7g)
berries
yogurt (16g)
honey

Total Protein: 106g!

Monday, March 1, 2010
Run 5.75 miles, 1 hour yoga class

Breakfast
Banana (1g)
Oatmeal (6g)
2TBSPN Walnut (4g)
Berries
Honey

Lunch
Apple
Fig Newton
Turkey sandwich w/ hummus & cheese (31g)

Snack
greek yogurt w/ honey (16g)
apple
oatmeal (6g)

Dinner
turkey chilli (20g)
salad w/ goat cheese (3g)

Snack
1 pc dark chocolate
2-3 spoons of PB & jelly (8g)
Banana (1g)
soymilk (8g)
chocolate syrup
Total: 103g

Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Exercise: Track workout, total 10 miles

Pre-workout:
Peanut Butter (8g)
Banana (1g)

Post-workout:
Greek yogurt (16g)
Berries
Honey
Wheatgerm

Lunch:
Apple
Turkey sandwich w/ hummus & cheese (31g)
Fig Newton

Snack:
Apple
Greek yogurt (16g)
Honey

Dinner:
Pork Tenderloin (19g)
Orzo w/ Goat Cheese (6g ??)
Asparagus in EVOO

Snack:
2-3 handfuls chocolate chips
1 big spoon of peach jelly (am I the only one that does this?)
Total: 97g

Can I tell you, I feel a HUGE difference? I'm not sure if this was just dumb luck, but I had my first AWESOME track workout in WEEKS on Tuesday. Not sure if it was the protein or Michelle's positive thinking influence:>, but I ran:
1200 (4:23), 800 (2:50), 400 (1:20) AND 1200 (4:21), 800 (2:49), 400 (1:19)

I almost did another set, but didn't want to overdo it after my 22 mile run on Sunday.

Racing Weight

In attepts to figure out why I've been feeling so flat, I've been reading a lot about fueling for long distance training. My coach has been telling me, "make sure you're eating right," which I always assume to mean eating enough calories which has never been a problem for me. But, I've been thinking about it more lately and wondering whether I've been getting enough protein in my diet. Plus, I've probably gained about 5 or so pounds (guessing based on how my clothes feel, haven't been brave enough to get on the scale). I've been attributing the weight gain to the fertility meds (we're now on our second round). D@mn drugs make me starving. Plus, I've been subconsciously thinking that eating more might help me get pregnant, but after reading this blog post about a runner that got pregnant with a BMI of 18.3 and running 60-80 MPW, I'm reconsidering. My ideal BMI is an 18.5-18.6 (i.e. the weight I like to be). I got pregnant last time with a BMI around 19.9.

Also, I've been reading "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald (is EVERYONE reading this book now??) and found the following excerpt to be very interesting:

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences sought to identify nutritional correlatios with menstrual irregularity in runners, with a special focus on vitamin E. Ten runners with menstrual irregularity and 10 runners with normal menstrual cycles submitted three-day dietary recalls. Analysis of these data revealed that women with menstrual irregularity consumed significantly less fat than the others. Both groups consumed inadequate amounts of vitamin E, but blood analysis revealed that the women with menstrual irregularity had low levels of vitamin E, while vitamin E levels in the others were normal. The authors of the study wrote, "Our results indicate that irregular menstrual function in athletes on a low-fat diet is associaed wth low concentrations of circulating [vitamin E], rending the red blood cells more susceptible to haemolysis in connction with physical activity.

Now, I know that this is a small sample size and not generalizable, but I wonder if there might be some truth to it. For the next seven weeks until Boston (eeeee!), I'm going to focus on eating more protein. I don't think I have a problem with consuming enough fat (hello, Mr. Peanut Butter, please stop calling my name). I'm going track (and report to you all) what I eat for 3 days to see how much I'm eating and the protein/carb/fat breakdown.

Weekly Mileage for the Past Two Weeks:

Monday, February 15, 2010: 6 miles
Tuesday, February 16, 2010: 8 miles ~1400 x 2, ~700 x 2
Wednesday, February 17, 2010: 11 miles
Thursday, February 18, 2010: 9 miles am // 30 min yoga PM
Friday, February 19, 2010: 2.5 miles WU, 5 miles @ 6:30 pace, 2.5 miles CD // 30 min yoga PM
Saturday, February 20, 2010: 10 miles
Sunday, February 21, 2010: 18 miles in 2:08:56 (7:09 min/mile pace)
Total: 72 miles

Monday, February 22, 2010: 6 miles
Tuesday, February 23, 2010: 9 miles am // 30 min yoga pm, 2 mile walk (hammie bugging me so I skipped the speed workout)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010: 12 miles am // 3 miles pm
Thursday, February 25, 2010: 10 miles am // 20 min Jillian's Shred workout (hard!! I'm out of shape!)
Friday, February 26, 2010: 3 mles WU, 5 miles @ 6:37 w/ 50 MPH winds!, 2 miles CD (felt DEAD:<)
Saturday, February 27, 2010: 10 miles am // 30 min yoga pm
Sunday, Feburary 28, 2010: 22 miles in 2:46:50 (8:02 min/mile pace) (whoops, only meant to run 20! my garmin died:<)
Total Mileage: 82 miles

Nine Weeks? FREAK OUT!

I guess I was really hoping that I would just get pregnant and wouldn't have to run the full Big Spring Marathon. Since it appears that isn't going to happen, I really need to focus on the training! I skipped an 18 mile long run last week hoping that it might help with the BFP...and because I was feeling tired...and now I find myself with only 9 more weeks to go. So, as MCM Mama would say...I put on my big girl panties and did my first 20 mile run yesterday...by myself...on the slippery streets...in the blustery winds...all within a 3 mile radius of my house. Needless to say, I ran up and down and down and up a lot of the same streets.

I was nervous going into the run that I wouldn't be able to keep the pace, but I did pretty well. Overall, my pace was 8:05, which I'll take given that many of the roads were still covered in ice and I frequently had to walk. I got in a few miles at 6:30 pace, so I'm feeling more confident. I still can't believe that the race is 9 weeks away!

Weekly Mileage:
Monday, February 8, 2010: 4 mile walk, 45 minutes yoga
Tuesday, February 9, 2010: 4 mile walk, 30 minutes yoga
Wednesday, February 10, 2010: 11 mile run
Thursday, February 11, 2010: 11 mile run
Friday, February 12, 2010: 9 mile run, 30 minutes yoga
Saturday, February 13, 2010: 10 mile run
Sunday, February 14, 2010: 20 mile run @ 8:05 pace, 4 miles @ 6:30 pace
Total Mileage: 61 miles