Write like I run

I am so dedicated to my running (except for the continuing battle to get those long runs in) but I seldom do any writing anymore, much less blogging. But that is all going to change. I just signed up for NaNoWriMo, and I am going to write even more than I run in the month of November! I like that it doesn't matter if it's crap. No pressure there.

So, I ended up skipping the trail marathon because we got a new puppy that weekend instead. And then I ended up skipping the trail ultra marathon because I just never got adequate training in and the finish time was too tight for me. But I am registered for the Indy Monumental Marathon next Saturday and Chickamauga Battlefield on Nov. 8, so I am finally going to become a Marathon Maniac.

Races I have done in the past few months included a July 4th 10k, a woman's only 10k, a half-marathon in Oxford, OH and another one in Dayton. Oh, I forgot, I did also run Oklahoma City Memorial in late April. Can't believe I didn't blog about. Oh yes I can, because I run more than I write! But that is going to change this month. My longest run going into this marathon will be 16, which I did last weekend. That's enough for me to know I can finish.

Trail Shoes

What are you supposed to do about the mud on your trail shoes? I mean, are you supposed to clean them off some in between runs or just let them be? My shoes have less than 40 miles on them but you sure wouldn't be able to tell from looking! It seems silly, but I am thinking that maybe you are supposed to brush the mud off them. I have heard that the mud can affect the performance of the Gore-tex. And we wouldn't want that! Especially if I have to wade through any little creeks. Hmmm, maybe I will try that after they dry out. Also, right now it doesn't look like there is much mud on the shoe laces, but I tell you, when I have to tie them it definitely is not like tying a regular pair of running shoes. Laces are very... stiff.

Hardware

At "Run for the American Dream" on Saturday morning, I was third woman overall in the 10k race. Don't be too impressed. As you might imagine given how fat and slow I am, this is a teeny weeny little race. There were just 24 runners in the 10k. I was 3 of 11 women, 2 of 5 in my age group (not even the fastest woman in my age group!) and 10 of 24 overall. If you think my trophy is ridiculous, you should have seen the huge, honking trophy you got for first place. I wasn't that far behind the first 2 women, at least. I was just 40 secs behind second place and less than a minute behind first. If I had wanted to bust a gut, I could have taken them. I did have the lead for the first two miles.

Heart Mini-Marathon

Ran the Heart Mini-Marathon 15k race in downtown Cincinnati this morning. Finish time of 1:25:41, my fastest time in the past few years. So even though it wasn't very fast, it was good for me. Fastest time since before my knee surgery, even, so gotta be happy with that.

It's always a tough race and I struggled in the last few miles. But at least we had good weather for a change---overcast and not too much wind. It's a really tough, hilly course with no shade and can be really miserable if it's a warm day with sunshine, or if it's cold with high winds. So with starting temps in the low 40s this was just about perfect. There was a little bit of drizzle by the time I got to the last couple of miles but that didn't bother me, in fact it felt pretty good.

I was hoping to crack the top 25 in my age group but ended up 35 of 149 women 45-49. Oh well, still better than the last few years so that's something. Got some small blisters on my feet from the Brooks Trance shoes, which confirms I can't wear them in my upcoming marathons.

Found some great deals at the expo yesterday, and picked up two pairs of shoes at $40 each: Brooks Adrenalines and Adidas Supernova Controls. I've run in both of these shoes successfully in the past so I know they will be just fine. They're not the latest models but I don't care, I know they work and $40 a pair is a deal. And I may need them now that I have to face the fact that I cannot run farther than 6 miles in the Brooks Trances.

Effect of emotional turmoil on running

The running has been going well, except that dog shows have gotten in the wy of the long runs, as usual. But otherwise, been feeling pretty good and keeping my mileage up, including some longer mid-week outings.

But this week it is all going to shit because am feeling myself affected by big emotional at my dog training club.

Funny how any turmoil in my life and in my head immediately takes its toll when I am out on the roads. All my runs this week have been slow and painful. Today I could barely get mysef out of bed. Have a headache, chills, but don't think I am coming down with anything. Just feel crappy.

It's pretty warm today outside but I think I am going to hit the treadmill anyway. Am not prepared for these upcoming marathons at all. But otoh, the marathons were scheduled partly to help me prepare for the real goal race in May. So perhaps it will all work out somehow. I have to show up on those race mornings with my mind clear of stress. Physically rested and emotionally sanguine, and I can get it done.

This weekend I'm running in the Cincinnati Heart Mini-Marathon, a 15-k race, with the Sooze. We're going down to the expo on Saturday to pick up our packets together. Hope that cheers me up some.

Consistency is key

Haven't been bogging consistently, but my running has been going quite well. I've gotten my average miles per week up above 24, which is better than it's been in recent years. I've been getting the weekly 10 - 12 mile long runs in. And today, I actually did a little speed session on the treadmill, 4 x 1/2 mile at 8:00 pace. I know that's not so fast but it's fast for me. That's the Yasso 800 pace I would need to predict a sub-4:00 marathon. I'm gonna try to get up to 10 x 1/2 mile at that pace, even though I really don't see it likely that any of my upcoming marathons are going to be that fast for me.

I'm registered for two marathons in April, to use as training runs for my May goal race, and also to achieve another little goal---becoming eligible for the Marathon Maniac club. I can get in the club by running two races, two weeks apart. The first will the Glass City Marathon in Toledo, OH on April 13, and the second will be the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on April 27. I already have my hotel reservations, and a frequent flyer ticket to OKC, so I am good to go!

The one area where my training is not going so well is on the trail running. I got some new trail running shoes---just another pair of Adrenaline trail shoes---but I'm just having a tough time getting out there. It is so much more time consuming than road running, and the weather has been crappy most of the time. I also wish I had a slightly more interesting route than my little 2 mile loop. 2 x 2 miles I can get my head around, but more than that is tough to get up for, especially when you know it is going to take about 24 minutes for each loop.

Do chest pains make you run faster?

I've been having funny chest pains and weird feelings on my left side for weeks now. I know I should probably go to the doctor, but just haven't made the time. Also, feel like my heart is racing fairly regularly. So if I fall over dead, and somebody who knows me reads this, yeah I was a dumbass, I could have done something about it but I didn't bother.

Anyway, the funny thing is that my recent training runs have been faster than usual, without trying, even with the chest pains. So maybe my heart is beating faster and that makes me able to run faster? With less effort? I know, it doesn't make any sense.

Did a 5 mile race on Jan. 1. Here's a link to my race report on my Yahoo group list: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/RUNNERS-TRIATHLETES/message/1357
And here's a link to a story about the race in my local newspaper:
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801020323

Pretty good time, only really bad thing was that the creepy guy was there. But fortunately I didn't notice him. I only know he was there because I found his name afterwards in the race results.

Training is going well. 10 miler last weekend, faster than I've run that route (my "3 Loops" route) in years. Trail run yesterday, fastest so far on those trails. Four miler around the park today, pretty good pace. The weather has been unseasonably warm the past couple of days and I have been taking advantage of it because it'll be back to the treadmill soon enough.

A Good Run to Start the Year

Been busy with the stupid holidays. But have managed to keep up with my training anyway. Did a tough workout last Friday that consisted of treadmill-spinning-treadmill, which I haven't tried before. I was supposed to do a 6 miler but I was feeling kinda sore and it wasn't that nice out. So I did 1.5 miles on the treadmill, using the speed interval program on level 6 (this is pretty easy, I usually do it on level 7 and that isn't really very fast either), then I did the 59 minute spin bike video (warmup, paceline, hill climb, rolling hills, and flat road), and then finally back on the treadmill for the last 1.5 miles of the speed interval program.

The bike part felt harder than usual and my heart rate actually got up higher on the bike than it did while running. I think I used harder resistance than I normally do (since I was so warmed up from the jog on the treadmill) so that could be why.

The other hard workout I did in the past week was a long run that combined a 1 mile treadmill warmup, my 3 miler around the park, and 6 miles on the trails. The warmup took me 20 minutes (I take it up very slowly), but I had a PR for the year (maybe for several years) on the 3 miler, and then the trails were---the trails. The outside running (9 miles) took a total of 1:55, because the trail part was so slow. I read somewhere that you need to multiply your normal time by 1.4 to figure out how slow you will be on the trails. That seems about right.

Today I started the year with the Frostbite Five Mile race in Ft. Thomas, KY. My goal was just to go under 45 minutes, and I finished in about 43:55, so I am pretty pleased. But also pretty wiped out right now. It was very cold this morning: about 30 degrees when I got there but the temps were dropping and there was a lot of wind. We had snow flurries during the race and you had to watch out for the icy patches. I had some knee pain before the race that concerned me but it was fine while I was running. Overall, I'm pleased with a solid effort to start the year.

The other big news is I've decided on some marathons for 2008. I'm registered for the Glass City Marathon in Toledo on April 13, and the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on April 27. Those two, 14 days apart, will qualify me for the Marathon Maniacs club. Then on May 18, I have my real "goal" race of the spring, the Twisted Ankle trail marathon in Alpharetta, GA. After I make it through that one, I'll be focusing on my training for the Stone Steps 50k in October.