Monthly Archives: March 2013

Things I Love About Being a Runner (That Have Nothing To Do With Running)

We’ve heard/read/talked about all the 1,000,001 reasons why running is the best. Endorphins! Runners high! Strong legs! Low BMR!

And while all these things are indeed fantastic, recently I’ve been noticing that there are a lot of things about being a runner that I love…that don’t have anything to do with the actual act of running.

Naturally, my favorite parts of the sport revolve around the actual run itself—the feeling I get during an effortless long run, the satisfaction of a hard speed workout, and the joy of crossing a finish line.

There are, however, “bonuses”—if you will—to being a runner. And I’m not even talking about increased pasta allowance or toned legs. There are wonderful little things that you might not even realize…

Here are some of the things I’ve realized I love about being a runner that are simply fun free-bees that come with the sport, all existential ponderings aside.

Decreased care for sodium intake

Bring on the salt! As someone who is at least mostly aware of all the “do not eat too much of _____” mantras that are preached, I’m always happy that I don’t even bat an eye at the thought that there’s too much salt in something. I’m a very salty sweater, and I can actually feel the difference for the better when I’ve consciously increased the salt in/on my food.

Sure, there are other reasons why you might need to stray away from excess sodium, like if you’re predisposed to high blood pressure, but I say if you’re a runner and you’re in the clear heart-wise, shake it on!

Assistance in commuting

McDreamy had a thing for ferry boats…which is why this photo is applicable. I’m also re-watching Grey’s, therefore it is two-fold applicable. BOOM.

At least once a week, often times more, I need to run to get to various forms of transportation on time. It’s a bad habit, and I don’t intend on it happening, but— because I’m a runner— I can get away with it.

I take the ferry to and from work, which is about a half mile away from my office building. Needless to say, figuring out my timing is crucial. Also, missing a ferry isn’t like missing a bus or a subway during rush hour when there’s typically another one coming right away. No, if you miss the ferry, you have to just sit at the dock for half an hour and wait for the next one. And yes, I know this from experience.

But, BUT! I have avoided this happening numerous times because of my running capabilities.

Exhibit A: The other day, I was bombarded by a chatty group of coworkers while trying to leave the building…delaying my perfectly-timed-out walk commute to the ferry. Needless to say, I was pushing it…and when I realized on my walk I had approximately 1 minute to get to the ferry and too much distance to cover, there was only one option.

Full on sprint. Computer bag, purse, ballet flats and all. But thanks to being a runner, not only was it not impossible to do, but I also made it in the nick of time.

Call it speed work. Running isn’t just for exercise, folks.

Fending off illness

This might be just me, and I apologize if it is and I’m just gloating, but being a runner has done wondrous things for my immune system. I hardly ever get sick, or even a cold for that matter, and if I do it seems to be gone within a day or two. I can’t remember the last time I had a fever, or anything worse than a sore throat. I think running has a lot to do with this…and it furthers the notion that exercise is really one of the best medicines.

I can also guarantee I will wake up tomorrow with pneumonia after writing that. Knock on wood, etc. etc.

Convenience

Running is about 100x more convenient than other exercise. It doesn’t have business hours, it doesn’t close for holidays, it doesn’t require you to pay a membership fee. It’s really just all-around a great thing to have in your fitness repertoire.

Before I was a runner and I’d go on vacation, I knew I wouldn’t have access to a gym so I’d stress out and just condemn myself to a sweat-less couple of days. Running was too difficult an option at that time because I never regularly did it.

But now that I’m a runner, not only do I have the option to exercise on vacation, on holidays, etc…but I love to run in new places. It’s one of my favorite ways to see a new place, and I love the notion that no matter where you go, running is always an option.

Yoga feels so much better

Seriously. If you’ve ever done pigeon pose after a heavy mileage week, you know what I’m talking about.

I do like yoga, and I kind of have spurts of going, but one thing’s for sure that my incentive to go is directly related to my current running patterns. The more running, the higher the chance I’ll be craving some warriors and forward-folds.

Disclosure time: My desire to go to yoga doesn’t actually have to do with the stretching/flexibility benefits.

Yes, those things are nice, but I really want to go because it feels so stupid good after my muscles have been shortened and pounded by the pavement. Put my in pigeon while marathon training, and I’ll be giddy and drooling like Drew Brees in those Nyquil commercials.

….

Those are just some of the various bonuses to being a runner. I love that the benefits of this sport seem to be endless…both on and off the road.

Now I want to know: What are your favorite parts about being a runner that have nothing to do with running? Nothing about “mind-clearing” and “sole-cleansing”…let’s get specific here.

Happy Friday!

Eugene Marathon Training Week #7

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Last week was peak week ya’ll.

56 miles on tap. 22 mile long run.

All kinds of big numbers that make me question my sanity and sends my injury-paranoia into overdrive.

Every 50+ mileage week I’ve ever done while marathon training has led to minor injuries. Once a major injury. I also haven’t had an injury-less spring in three years. Needless to say, I have been ridiculously in-tune and overly-wary of how my body has been feeling and how the runs have been going.

So how did this past week fare?

Things are looking/feeling/going great!

Here’s the deets:

M: 7 miles with 7×100 meter pickups, after work

T: 10 miles, no watch

W: Maximum Sculpt class + 1 hour swim

T: 12 miles w/ 7 ” fast” miles

F: 5 miles easy + Maximum Sculpt class

S: 22 miles

S: 1 hour swim

Total= 56 miles

And tack on way too many push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks every night, too. That’s right… PSJJ is still going. We hate it.

A couple of things about those runs/workouts up there:

Thursday’s run didn’t go exactly as it should have.

The truth? I gave myself a little bit of an out.

On the docket was 12 miles with 7 miles @hmgp. When I read that description on my training schedule on Sunday night beforehand, I was already scared. It was like I somehow knew that I wouldn’t be up for it, and—surprise—when the day came, I definitely wasn’t. And while ordinarily I would write this off as a missed-workout and a loss of mental strength, I’m actually glad that I decided to approach this run differently.

After last weekend’s faster-than-planned half marathon plus 7 miles, my body was a little toast. Not overworked, just in need of a little more recovery than a regular training week. I decided to “do what I could” on the run instead. Go fast when I could, hold back if I needed to, essentially—let my legs dictate the run. And wouldn’t you know it, the results weren’t too shabby:

Let’s play, “Find the steep uphill mile of this fun.” Go!

Perhaps I should have just done the workout and not let the voice of doubt get the best of me. But I’m actually happy I took the route I chose instead. There’s a difference between not giving into fear and recognizing when you actually should hold back, and it’s that fine line that defines the difference between constructive and destructive training.

Onto my favorite training run of the week: the big kahuna.

I’ve only ever done 22 miles in marathon training once before, and it was in my first training cycle. I don’t completely think that it’s physically necessary, but mentally…it’s huge. For me, getting within 4 miles of the full marathon distance does a lot for my confidence, and in distance running… confidence can at times be more important than actual endurance.

That said, there was really only one thing I wanted out of Saturday’s 22 miler: confidence. I had gained a great deal of excitement and encouragement last week from the race, but now was the time to really go long. No stopping, no breaks in the middle, just running. And running. And running.

I decided to tackle this monster on the Burke-Gilman trail for a change of scenery and also for some company. Sure enough, there were runners/bikers/walkers galore…and it felt like the place to be on a Saturday morning.

No sugar coating— this sucker took a long time. But truthfully, it felt like it went by relatively fast. I enjoyed essentially every mile of this run, and with the exception of a couple lonely/tough miles around 15-16, I felt great the whole time. I should note that it was also so m-f cold at the beginning that anyone would rather be running than standing still…meaning the first 5-ish miles were spent thawing out and regaining control of my fingers.

Once the end was in sight and I knew I wasn’t going to blow up, I decided to go for a strong finish. A strong finish in a regular training run (at the tail end of a high-mileage week) would be optimal for the whole “confidence” goal…and I’m really happy with the end results.

8 minutes per mile flat average pace. Last mile in 7:30. I like it.

A little fast, I’ll admit. But my recovery this training cycle has been so much better than it’s ever been. I woke up on Sunday without any soreness (11 hours of sleep probably helped 🙂 ) and I essentially have zero lingering fatigue.

I decided to swim on Sunday to shake out my legs, after debating if I should take a rest day or not, which felt fantastic. I still maintain that swimming has actual magical powers.

The universe disagreed with this decision though…and it made me pay the price. I woke up yesterday after a horrible night’s sleep with a cloudy head and sore throat…allergy season, you devil. I always forget that the spring is the worst allergy-wise for me, and apparently running through the woods for 3 hours doesn’t really help them stay put.

Alas, unplanned but welcomed rest day yesterday. This week is a partial step-back week with a “shorter” long run, and otherwise— we’re heading into the homestretch, folks. Just two weeks until the three week taper starts. Crazy.

I’ve really been loving this training cycle…and as much as I’d like it to continue, I’m getting really anxious for the grand finale. My focus on my BQ goal hasn’t wavered a bit, and if anything… I’m hungrier for it now than I’ve ever been.

I think it’s possible. I think it’s going to take a little more work and a little bit of race day luck. I’m a big believer in never doubting the unexpected—both for better or for worse. But I’m also a big believer in race day magic.

We’ll see. All I can do now is continue to run well, run safe, and keep my eye on the prize.

Happy Tuesday!

How was your weekend?

St. Paddy’s Run Half-Marathon Race Recap

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As I briefly mentioned at the end of my post last week, I—along with the rest of the green-and-beer loving Americans of the running world—ran a St. Paddy’s Day race this weekend. I didn’t spend a lot of time prefacing this week with a blog post full of goals and nerves, because this wasn’t really an A-race for me. In fact, I wasn’t even looking at it so much as a race as a training run; a training run in which I would wear a bib and get to practice running in the race atmosphere.

My main goal was to stay at marathon goal pace (7:55-ish) for the entire race. I also wanted this pace to feel do-able—comfortable enough to cruise in, but quick enough to feel like effort. If this was accomplished, I was going to be happy.

The other goal I had going into this race was to really practice and hone-in my race brain. This included not going out too fast, conserving energy, ideally negative-splitting, and generally getting a good “race-day” feel.

One condition I had to accomplish before toeing the start line was to do a 7-mile “warm up” beforehand, in order to get my prescribed 20 miles in for the day. I was probably most nervous for this part. I knew on fresh legs, 7:55 miles wouldn’t be a problem. But after 7 miles and a questionable night of sleep beforehand, I felt a little less in control. Not to mention the fact that only two days before, I had an intense speed workout that pretty much kicked my confidence and butt to the curb.

Nevertheless, 5 am rang in on Saturday—and out I went for a slow 7 miles. I didn’t wear headphones (saved the jams for the actual race), and I focused on staying slow and in control. Before I knew it, an hour had passed, and I was back home changing clothes and scarfing down a banana and Picky Bar. 15 minutes later, and BF and I were on the road to Tacoma.

After a quick packet pick-up and finding the best race-day parking spot EVER, we leisurely rolled up to the start line, along with several other green-and-shamrock clad runners. I even managed to spot a few friends who were running—which is always fun. (Tacoma is the home of my alma mater—Logger for life!)

I kid you not…this is where we parked. High fives all around.

The gun went off right on time—and off we went!

The better part of the first mile was largely downhill, which kind of screwed up my “start slow” plan…but I wasn’t worried. A little padding time would help with the hilly section I knew would come up. I planned to settle into 7:55 in the second mile and cruise from there.

There was a lot of leap-frogging going on during the first few miles. I had a private chuckle to myself whenever I’d pass someone and they’d immediately sprint back ahead of me. I didn’t let it egg me on…and if anything, it was a good reminder of what happens when you waste too much energy early. “Even pacing…stick to your plan,” is what I kept telling myself.

After the first three miles, the course started along a long, flat stretch of waterfront that I have always loved running on. The last time I ran this route was during the Tacoma Marathon, so I was happy to reestablish a better relationship with the terrain.

I felt fantastic. 7:55 felt very in control and comfortable—and luckily at this point we had thinned out to the point where I didn’t have girls anxiously gunning to run by me. I knew I was probably the 20th woman or so, and while this little fact added a competitive glimmer to my brain, I didn’t let it take over my plan.

I kept cruising, enjoying the scenery and being in a race. I knew that miles 6-7-8 were going to be hillier, so I prepped myself to bust through those.

As the hillier, neighborhood miles approached, it started to rain. Not the worst thing in the world—a lot of the time rain feels nice in the middle of the race—but I did have a chafing concern.

And here’s where I potentially TMI, but it happens: My legs were already a little raw from how sweaty my Thursday workout was, and despite my better attempts at BodyGlide and bandaids…I knew that they’d be no match for wet shorts. No matter. If my biggest complaint was mild inner-thigh stinging, then I was doing good.

The hillier miles were a little tough, but really nothing too bad. I actually enjoyed the change of pace/terrain, and it was fun to bolt on the downhills. Around Mile 8, I took a couple Sport Beans and got a big surge of energy. I was excited to head back on the flat waterfront again and finish this thing.

I should also state at this point that I’d been consistently running down a couple girls for the first 9 miles. My technique would be to find a runner whose pace I liked and stick right behind them. This really helped simulate a good race feel, and I made sure (at least until mile 9ish) that they were within my goal-pace-range.

That’s when I came across green bow girl. This chick had—frankly—the prettiest stride I’ve ever seen (is that weird to say?), and she was holding an incredibly steady pace up ahead of me, and I decided she would be the next target. Once I caught her, I felt great and assumed we were right within my right time frame.

The 7:35 on my watch said otherwise.

But, at this point—I knew my primarily goal would be accomplished, so I decided to have a little fun at the end.

So, green bow and I ran stride-for stride, me right behind her. I could tell she was into it though—so it turned into more of a joint effort than a caddy girl-race. The rain had let up at this point and it was time for a gut-out to the finish. I still didn’t feel like I was all-out though, which was incredibly encouraging. I was really pumped at the fact that a 7:40 pace after 17 miles of running for the day felt good.

With about 2 miles to go, an interesting twist in the plot developed: the half-marathon runners merged with both the 5k AND the 10k. The two races had started after the half, and although the runners of the two races were already done…the walkers were not.

So, despite the better efforts of the race officials to keep the lanes designated to walkers and runners, the last two miles was a weave-fest of the half-marathon runners and the 5 and 10k walkers. It was a bit frustrating, but I suppose it also kept things interesting. My iPod had also died at this point so it was fun to chime into the mid-race chatter.

I had passed green bow at this point, along with a few other girls. I knew they were hot on my trail, and in the final mile I decided to not let any of them pass me. It helped that we were all dodging people, so none of us could really see the others through the crowds.

With less than a half mile left, it was time to bust some booty. The only other thing I wanted to accomplish for the day was a strong finish, which I was set and ready for. That is…up until I remembered/realized that the finish was straight up a marginally steep hill. If the hill didn’t crush my sprinting-finish effort, then the corresponding people-dodging definitely did. It wasn’t pretty.

Check out the end there…NOT COOL.

But before I knew it, I crested the last ascent where we were siphoned off into a separate “half-marathoners” section (better late than never…I guess). I ran the last hundred yards or so to the finish line, tried my best to smile, and clicked my watch to stop.

1:40:47, 12th woman overall

My second fastest half-marathon time, a negative split, and on the tail end of a hard week and a 7-mile warm up.

I was pretty excited, to say the least. Good work Tacoma, you redeemed yourself.

I got my medal, a water bottle, and quickly got back to the finish line so I could see BF finish. I managed to see Lauren accomplish a huge half PR with a smile on her face which was just great, and before I knew it—there was BF, pulling in an awesome 1:54. Once again, I was marveled by his natural athleticism—he didn’t train for this race and had taken the entire week off beforehand. Seriously dude?

It was at this point that I saw the chafing damage on my leg. I was so distracted with race euphoria that I hadn’t realized just how much multiple patches of skin were stinging. Let’s just say there was blood on both my legs and my shorts…and the spot under my right arm that always gets trashed was nice a raw.

MARGINALLY GRAPHIC IMAGE AHEAD

So pretty. Again, let’s blame the Samoas.

But things were still too exciting to care. We went to check out official times at the results booth, where I discovered that I’d won my age group! This has never really happened before, so it was quite the icing on the cake. I even got a blue ribbon!

I love my ribbon! It's so pretty! It also says Bud Light on it...so, thanks for that too? Also booty-booty-booty photobomb behind me.

I love my ribbon! It’s so pretty! It also says Bud Light on it…so, thanks for that too? Also I spy a green booty-booty-booty photo-bomb behind me.

This was a good day. It was a fun race, a strong run, and exactly the confidence builder I needed going into this second part of training.

While the AG placing definitely feels good and adds a layer of encouragement, it’s really the feeling of strength I felt the whole time that made this race for me.

We finished off the morning the only way there is to after lots of miles and sweat:

fork added for scale purposes..so much pancake, so much glorious pancake.

And that photo pretty much summarizes the rest of the day. Lots of food and rest was essentially all I could muster, but it was all with a smile on my face.

I’m feeling good about Eugene right now, and I don’t think I’ve really vocalized that feeling yet. I know there are bound to be a few more kinks to work out and per usual—bad runs will happen. But if Saturday is any indication, I think my training is headed in the right direction, and I’m getting more excited for my next 26.2 endeavor.

Eugene Marathon Training Week #6

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And just like that, we’re halfway through this training cycle already. Just crazy. I hadn’t really realized how fast approaching race day really is until Sarah posted a “42 days left” countdown yesterday. Yipes.

But! This weekend was a big confidence builder, which makes me more excited than nervous about the dwindling time frame.

So with that, here’s how week #6 shook out:

M: 12 miles- no watch, blissful + lifting

T: 5 miles + spin

W: 5 miles + Maximum Sculpt

T: 10 miles with 5 x 1,000 meters @ 5kp

F: REST

S: 20 miles total. 7 miles in ~61 minutes, then 13.1 miles at St. Paddy’s Day Run Half Marathon in 1:40.

S: Spin + 30 min stair-stepper + lifting

Total= 52 miles

Monday’s run was the kind of run you always want to have. Perfect temperatures, perfect setting, and the feeling like your floating. I didn’t wear a watch but I did see the time I started and the time I ended—essentially dead on 8 minute miles, all of which felt great.

I already wrote about the horror of Thursday’s workout, which made me slightly nervous for not only 20 miles on Saturday, but trying to maintain marathon goal-pace for 13.1 of those miles. Luckily (thanks to the Irish?) the outcome of Saturday’s running was exactly what I’d hoped for—if not better. But that’s a post for tomorrow 🙂

I think what I’m most pleased about is how my body has been feeling so far. I’ve had a few paranoia-fueled aches and pains, but overall I feel great. Nothing lingering, nothing worrisome (here’s where we all knock on wood in unison…ready, go), and generally I just feel strong. Now that this weekend is behind me, I can come out and say that for the past two years I have been unable to run on St. Paddy’s weekend because of injury. Not this year! I’m hoping this healthy trend continues through race day, as I really would like to have a fondness for spring racing.

Generally, I’m just feeling really excited. I’ve had some hard, not-so-awesome runs and workouts, but I’m trying to be of the mindset that it’s the tough ones that are going to be the most helpful tools come race day. Learning how to push through and trek on isn’t as easy as learning to play it safe, but it certainly has a better pay-off in the end. I know for a fact that running a BQ time on April 28 isn’t going to be easy or necessarily all enjoyable, so I’d rather practice the painful feelings now than let them scare me away come race day.

That’s all for now folks. Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend! It felt like the spring race season really kicked off these past two days, and from what I’ve seen so far—there were some huge milestones reached and PRs achieved. So fun to see!

Did you race this weekend? Did you spectate this weekend? Did you drink green beer this weekend?

The Hardest Workout I’ve Ever Done and a Race Weekend

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Something crazy is happening, I’m posting three times in one week! This would have been a little light for old-school “I’m a new blogger and need to establish content!” RBR, but for this currently lackluster, unmotivated, very busy person who’s taken over, three times is a big win.

I still love running. I still love writing about running, I still love blogs and bloggers. I just want to live my off-internet life a little more right now.

Which brings me to the topics of today’s post—both of which (excuse my horrid play on words here) are both very topical.

Topic number 1: Today’s workout.

I’ve gotten away a bit from posting the details about all my runs and workouts because…hey-o, that’s boring. The weekly recaps work much nicer for that. However, some workouts jolt your system to the point that you can’t help but gab about it to other running kin.

On the schedule: 10 miles with 5 x 1000 meters @ 5k pace

I have been scared of this workout ever since I wrote it on my training schedule. You see, I decided to do something stupid late last year and get a new 5k PR, which consequentially lowered my “5k pace” approximately 15 seconds. (I know, I know…I am happy with my 5k time and I’m just being a brat right now). I normally correlate 5k effort with a 7-minute mile for my current fitness. I can handle that. I can wrap my brain around that. But a 6:47 pace? That shit cray.

I have just recently become accustomed to being comfortable in the 7s. I’ve had to be very deliberate in not letting a 7:xx on the clock scare me back into my 8:xx comfort zone. It’s mostly been working—which is good. However, it does not, in any way, further prepare me to face anything with a 6 in front of it.

To this day, I’m still a little shocked by my 5k time. I’m proud of it, but I’m honestly unsure as to if I could do it again. BUT, it is what it is…so when a workout calls for 5k pace, that’s what I’ll stick with.

Back to business. I decided to do this run on the treadmill (cue ominous, threatening music) simply because it was going to be a hell of a lot simpler to watch my splits/time on a self-regulated machine than on my own outdoor route and shoddy Garmin stalking. It wasn’t the treadmill that scared me though…it was the distance. I have never, ever, ever, ever run this far on a treadmill, mainly because I love being outside, but also because the thing that goes hand-in-hand with treadmills (other than boredom) is HEAT. Gyms aren’t ventilated like a 45 degree breeze keeping you cool throughout the run. No, a treadmill run is an unforgiving, unwavering torture mechanism in which your temperature just keeps going up and up along with the distance ticking slowly upward on the dial.

But, convenience won, and off I went on my speedwork endeavor. And by “off I went” what I mean to say is…I very unhappily got out of bed, blindly put on clothing, somehow drove to the gym, and just managed to fully wake up after the first warm-up mile. It wasn’t a pretty morning, folks.

As for the workout? Well, I kind of hated how right I was to be afraid of it. Because this sucker kicked me right in the pants and left me sweaty and beet-red crying on the ground next to the treadmill. <—find the exaggerated part of that sentence.

Here’s how it went. I did a .38 mile recovery between each 1000 meter interval, making each interval an exact mile:

3 mile warm up in 8:20s: Happiness! Easy! Bring on the sprinting!

1st 1000 meter @ 8.9 mph: Um, yea. Okay then. 4 more of those?

2nd 1000 meter @ 8.9 mph: Hey! Still super hard! How the effing f did I do a 5k this fast?

3rd 1000 meter @ 8.9 mph: HATE. HATE. Have I ever quit a workout? Okay, I’ll just step off for a few seconds..

(I’m not proud of that one…it was only maybe 5 seconds, but still…not cool Broker)

4th 1000 meter @ 8.7 mph: If you’re going to jump off, you can lower the speed a little bit. It needs to be do-able. Okay…this is a little better. Still hate life.

5th 1000 meter @ 8.7 mph: This is it…the end. You can finish the workout or you can stew all day about not getting it done. HOW IS THIS ONLY .1 miles through???

2 mile cool down in 8:30s: This run is “never ever ever ever” going to end. I love Taylor Swift.

All said and done, I’m glad I finished the prescribed workout.

I’m not, however, happy with

a) briefly stepping off the treadmill while I was supposed to be interval-ing

b) turning down the speed for the last two 1000s

I realize that using a PR 5k pace may have been overambitious—maybe I was in better speed shape back then? But it still stung a little to feel so wiped by that pace. However, this was a VO2 max workout, which translates into 90% of max effort…which I definitely feel I was at.

It also could have been the longer distance that was spread throughout the run, the fact that this is my 4th day of running in a row, or the fact that I was in a very hot gym. Or it was an off day. Or the Girl Scout cookies have stolen my 5k pace. Yea, that’s it…let’s blame the samoas!

At any rate, this workout was no joke, and it really changed up the medium-long runs and recovery runs that I’ve been so merrily skipping between during the weekdays.

I really do like speedwork, and as difficult as it is, between the wheezing and the “Oh please do not puke” thoughts, I always tell myself that there is progress being made. I try and remember to embrace the discomfort and that it’s only temporary. You know, just to reflect on what every single sports quote of all time tells us.

…

Topic number 2: This weekend.

Surprise! I’m racing this weekend. Well, not racing-racing, but I will be doing a tune-up race of sorts at the St. Paddy’s Day Run Half-Marathon in Tacoma. Is “racing-racing” the runner’s equivalent of “like-like” instead of just “like” in middle school?

It works out rather perfectly. I’m supposed to run 20 miles for my long run that day, with 12 of those miles at marathon goal pace. Meaning, I will plan to run the half at the exact pace I’m hoping to run in Eugene. Bonus! I get to wake up hours before the race to run 7 additional miles. That part won’t be awesome, and running MGP for 13 miles afterward won’t be especially awesome either, but it’s going to be a great test to see where I am. I feel like I’ve gotten pretty lucky in the last two halfs I’ve run, so I hope that luck hasn’t quite run out. I mostly care about running a very even-tempo’ed pace the entire time. I’m going to be very happy with even 7:55 splits and a quality race “practice.”

This will be the first time I use a race as a part of a long run, which isn’t exactly ideal, but I like to think I’m killing two birds with one stone. The race environment in general is good practice—IMHO—and I plan on using it as a reference point.

Plus, I have a bad running taste in my mouth from Tacoma, so I’m hoping I can redeem myself a little bit.

Best part? BF’s running the half too! Post-race St. Paddy’s beers for all! Not like that wasn’t going to happen anyway…

So there you have it. A very long-winded post detailing how I almost threw up on the treadmill and how I’m running a St. Patrick’s Day race this weekend. I’m such an original running blogger, sometimes I amaze myself.

Happy Thursday!

Don’t Worry, Be Maui

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In case you haven’t yet heard, last week BF and I jetted off to beautiful Maui. It was all kinds of perfection—relaxing, fun, rejuvenating, essentially all the things you want out of a vacation. While there were a few select activities we did, most of our days consisted of lounging in the sand, swimming in the ocean, drinking lots of fancy drinks, repeat. So, there isn’t a whole ton to report…which is why I figured pictures would paint a better picture (and be more enjoyable):

We were both up at 7 am no problem the first day, and I think we were unrolling our beach towels by 9. Don’t waste that sunshine!

BF proving his inflexibility. Also, he’s owned that swimsuit since EIGHTH GRADE. Isn’t that impressive?

This is where I tell you there’s no filter on this photo. But for real there isn’t. Also, I’ve owned this swimsuit for one whole week. We balance each other out?

Our first day, we rented snorkel gear and managed to hit two different beaches, one of which was full of sea turtles!!! It was so exciting.

Fun fact: You can in fact get horribly sunburned before 10 am even if you’re skin is under the water. It took until that first night to discover that the bottom of my back was not only red, but verging on purple-ish. Such a rookie move. But if my biggest complaint is, “Ohhh noo I got sunburned in Hawaii,” then I really have no complaints. And yes, mom, I wore sunscreen the whole trip.

Mango and passion fruit and strawberry sugary syrup, oh my!

Obviously, food was a big theme of our trip. We were on a quest to try as many fish tacos as possible, and we somehow managed to have ice cream/gelato/shave ice every. single. night. It was the best. I’ve also decided that gelato > ice cream > froyo. Yea, I SAID IT blog world. Give me my full fat, real cream goodness.

The second day, we hiked down to the “blowhole” which is a naturally occuring geiser in which the waves push through a small opening in the rocks and shoot up super high—just like a whale blowhole. It was super cool, as was the hike down/around the area. Unfortunately, those pictures are on Mr. “I’ll totally upload these photos right away” ‘s camera…so they remain a mystery.

The rest of our days were littered with various activities, including a trip to the farmer’s market, running, walking on the beach, trips to Lahaina, and finding as much fresh pineapple as possible. Otherwise, this was pretty much our lives…

I spy mai tai.

Wearing shorts over my sunburned bum. At least they’re Rogas.

We (I) probably ate the total of 3 whole pineapples while in Maui. MORE PLEASE.

Our hotel was in great proximity to good beaches and the main part of Lahaina, which is the real hub of Maui. We went there almost every day and it was so easy to find new things to see, eat, and explore.

Banyan Tree! Have you seen this tree? It’s the coolest. I also swear I wasn’t trying to flash everybody.

Okay I think we’ve had enough Banyan tree pictures.

Second night I believe. Pre-Cheeseburger in Paradise meal. I think my skin was emanating a lot of heat at this point,

Second night, pre-Cheeseburger in Paradise meal. I think my skin was emanating a lot of heat at this point,

I managed also to work my way through two books while we were there, helping in the my book-a-month resolution. I finished the Night Circus and Gone Girl, both of which I loved and recommend. Gone Girl, especially, is an excellent beach read.

On our last night, we went to a luau—just to solidify our Hawaiian tourist status. Unfortunately, the luau wasn’t exceptionally fun. It was rainy and windy (the only rain we had the whole time—of course) and it wasn’t very well organized. (Tip: Go for the Old Lahaina Luau, not the Drums of the Pacific—if you’re ever there.) Oh well, we still ate our body weight in food in order to get our money’s worth. And there was an open bar…wait, why was I complaining again?

Such good food. I’ll give you one guess as to if there was another plate.

Cheesin’ hard. Can’t help it…it’s the Maui effect.

And some more randoms, just so I can reminisce a bit longer…To recap: We layed on the beach a lot. We ate a lot of frozen desserts. We got a lot of sun. We drank a lot of tropical beverages at any and all hours of the day. We swam with huge turtles.

This was a near-perfect trip. BF and I had such a great time…and I think it’s safe to say that Maui hasn’t seen the last of us. There’s something so relaxing about the Hawaiian atmosphere and culture…no rushing, no stressing, just let it be. The mai tais help too. I can definitely say that I haven’t been this relaxed during a vacation in a very long time.

But now…it’s back to business. I’m in week one of two peak training weeks, and I’ve got some of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done coming up shortly. Never a dull moment.

Happy Wednesday!

Have you ever been to Hawaii? Maui? Do you prefer to spend vacations doing lots of things, or doing lots of nothing?

Eugene Marathon Training Week #5

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I’m baaaaack!

I almost didn’t come back—somewhere between the noon mai tais and the 80 degree weather, I tried to contrive some way of prolonging my stay indefinitely. Fake a horrible swimmer’s ear condition to the point that I could never again get on a pressurized plane? Become an overnight hula-dancing sensation so they practically beg me to stay and perform in nightly luaus?

I gave it my best effort, but all good things must come to an end. I’ll do a whole Hawaii post shortly (pictures included), but for now I’ll just say that Maui is seriously the best. Mr. BF and I had a magical time.

Last week was a cutback week which was perfect timing with our trip. I did still run a bit, and here’s a look at how training shook out:

M: spin + 30-ish min stair-stepper

T: 12 miles pre-plane flight

W: REST

T: 9 miles w/ 4 @ hmgp (5 outside with BF, 4 @ 7:30 pace on treadmill)

F: 6 miles easy

S: 14 miles, (10 outside, 4 on treadmill, overall ~8:10 pace)

S: REST

Total= 41 miles

Two rest days up there people, I’m patting myself on the back.

Saturday’s long run was no joke. It was HARD. Running in Hawaii is beautiful, however it is also incredibly sweaty and difficult. I was only able to force out 10 miles before I had to call it quits on the humidity and head indoors to finish it off. Not the most ideal way to long run, but I’m glad I got it done. Here’s a look at how running in Hawaii always ended up:

So pretty.

But who doesn’t love a good soaker sweat, right?

Time to get back to real life for now. Sad faces all over. Have a nice Tuesday!

Eugene Marathon Training Week #4

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Monthly Archives: March 2013

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