Damn Strep Throat

I s'pose it's Murphy's law that when you've got a week where you could really really use some Tuesday yoga therapy, you're going to have a streppy kid. Thank God for antibiotics and thank God we got to the clinic early. If all goes as planned he'll be on the bus tomorrow.

Week One--Training for Minneapolis Half Marathon

Wk	Dat	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
1	3/22 3/28	Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:29	Rest / XT	Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:54; Cool	Rest / XT	Rest / XT	Long Run Dist: 6 mi @10:29	Rest

This is what the 'smartcoach' at Runners World prescribed for me this week. The following is what I actually did.

Monday: I had a session with the fabulous Tiffany. Weights, etc. I gave up doing any cardio to let Elise sleep in. I did run both Saturday and Sunday, so it seemed reasonable to ditch.

Tuesday: Yoga with the fabulous Lisa.

Wednesday: Five miles, just as I was told. Felt good, though my heart rate was pretty high. Running too fast, dehydration, tired muscles? Who knows. Doesn't matter... I got it done and felt good.

Thursday: Hour long cycle class, 'all-out effort' with lots of sweat. Is there anything more therapeutic?

Friday: Two laps around Lake Harriet. I was shooting for 10min/mile pace and came in a little under (54:51 total... I ran right next to the water and didn't take the extra little jogs the trail sometimes leads you on... may have cut my 6 a wee bit short).

Today's a rest day. Not sure what tomorrow will bring.

New Sneaks

I'm really really not a shopper, for a whole host of reasons I will not go into right now. I do, however, get really excited about new running shoes. I got a pair yesterday. Steered away from my formerly beloved Asics to Mizuno. Can't wait to put six miles on 'em tomorrow.

The Current Plan-- take it with a grain of salt

Cut and pasted directly from Runnersworld.com. This is for the Minneapolis half on June 6. I can't necessarily say I'm going to follow it exactly, but the long runs are set in stone. The un-viewable Sundays are rest/cross-train days.

Here's your individualized training program:

Your current race time is: 2:00:00 for a Half-Marathon Your distance training goal is: Half-Marathon You currently train: 11 - 15 miles/week How hard you want to train: Moderate Your long-run day: Saturday Your training program Starts: Monday, 3/22/2010 and Ends: Sunday, 6/6/2010 Length of your training schedule: 11 weeks REVISE YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM

Wk Dat Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat Sun Total 1 3/22 3/28 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:29 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:54; Cool Rest / XT Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 6 mi @10:29 Rest / XT 13 miles 2 3/29 4/4 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:29 Rest / XT Speedwork Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 2x1600 in 8:24 w/800 jogs; Cool Rest / XT Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 6 mi @10:29 Rest / XT 13 miles 3 4/5 4/11 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:29 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:54; Cool Rest / XT Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 7 mi @10:29 Rest / XT 14 miles 4 4/12 4/18 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:29 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 6 mi, inc Warm; 4 mi @ 8:59; Cool Rest / XT Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 7 mi @10:29 Rest / XT 15 miles 5 4/19 4/25 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:23 Rest / XT Speedwork Dist: 7 mi, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 8:19 w/800 jogs; Cool Rest / XT Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 8 mi @10:23 Rest / XT 17 miles 6 4/26 5/2 Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:23 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:23 Rest / XT Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 4 mi @10:23 Rest / XT 12 miles 7 5/3 5/9 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:23 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 6 mi, inc Warm; 4 mi @ 8:54; Cool Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:23 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 8 mi @10:23 Rest / XT 18 miles 8 5/10 5/16 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:23 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 7 mi, inc Warm; 5 mi @ 8:59; Cool Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:23 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 9 mi @10:23 Rest / XT 20 miles 9 5/17 5/23 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:17 Rest / XT Speedwork Dist: 8 mi, inc Warm; 4x1600 in 8:14 w/800 jogs; Cool Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:17 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 9 mi @10:17 Rest / XT 21 miles 10 5/24 5/30 Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:17 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 7 mi, inc Warm; 5 mi @ 8:54; Cool Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:17 Rest / XT Long Run Dist: 10 mi @10:17 Rest / XT 21 miles 11 5/31 6/6 Rest / XT Easy Run Dist: 2 mi @10:29 Rest / XT Tempo Run Dist: 5 mi, inc Warm; 3 mi @ 8:54; Cool Rest / XT Rest / XT Race Day Dist: Half-Marathon @8:58 Time: 1:57:35 20 miles

Who Doesn't Love a PR?

I set a personal record today. Only because I've never run a 7k before, but I'll totally take it. I finished in 39:31, that's something like 9:05/mile. Not too zippy, but I felt good.

Looking forward to a slightly more normal week at home this week...

Reasons Why I’m Running Scared Include, But Are Not Limited To...

(Originally posted on 3/16/2010 on a now defunct blog)

1. Duh. It’s 26.2 miles.

2. Last spring I suffered a stress fracture in my left tibia, denying me of one of my favorite things in the whole world: outdoor running in the Minnesota summer. I did as I was told, and after about 12 weeks I was back in the game, just in time to run the Twin Cities 10 Mile.

So, post- stress fracture, I ran the TC 10 Mile. Not my greatest race by any stretch of the imagination. I didn’t feel super prepared, as the injury had kept me from logging the kind of miles I would have liked. But, I finished and felt good. A few weeks later, I completed the Team Ortho Monster Dash half marathon. Let’s just say that was a rough day. I felt like crap and my running showed it. But… I finished and life was good, and I had zero pain in my leg.

Since that time, I have generally felt good; though I am a complete mental case about this stinking leg. I have not had any pain while running, but I’m thinking about it ALL THE DAMN TIME when I run. The mental process tends to go something like this: What was that? Does my leg hurt? Did I feel something? Is that a twinge in my leg? No. The leg is fine. But, what if it’s not? What if I get hurt again? Summer’s around the corner. Am I going to be hurt again? I don’t want to be hurt again. And on and on and on. If I could just shut my stupid mind off, I would be fine.

3. I fear that I will run the slowest marathon ever recorded in human history. This is completely irrational, but rationality has never really been my forte. Prior to the injury, I ran a handful of half marathons, and enjoyed a personal best every time I ran one (a perk of starting running later in life). I’m not a natural born runner, but hard work had put me in the category of being almost respectable in terms of pace. I’m not sure I’ll ever get back there. Not that it should matter, but, you know…

For the record, I did actually run yesterday (in case you think all I did was sit around and blog). I have no idea how far we went. We ran nearly 60 minutes, and I stayed mostly in my zone 2, so probably under six miles. BUT… it was in western Kansas wind. And, I'm setting out to go again. WHOOSH...

The Journey Kinda Sorta Begins

On Wednesday, March 10, I made the last step in the long process of losing my mind and signed up for the 2010 Twin Cities Marathon. I am, in a word, terrified.

In at least some sense of the word, I'm a runner. I'm not a great runner by any stretch of the imagination, but after quitting my job five years ago to be a stay at home mom of two small children, it quickly became my primary means of maintaining my sanity... my 'me time.' However, the farthest distance I've ever run is the half-marathon. I ran my first one in Omaha, NE in September 2007. Since then, I've completed something like five other half-marathons; always thinking about taking the next step and tackling the full 26.2 miles.

Why exactly I've chosen this exact point in time to take this next step is not something I can answer easily. But, here I am. In an effort to curb my fear, I've decided to blog. I'm not officially 'in training' yet, as the big day is six + months away. But, I dropped a hundred bucks for the entry fee. I am committed. And scared.