Nike Women's Half Marathon DC Training - 4.27.14
I'm running a half marathon. I've never run more than 3.5 miles or walked more than 7 miles at a time before, but I feel a void now that field hockey is pretty much out of my life. Plus, I decided I need something to focus on that lets me completely control the outcome. My goal is to finally become a runner for the sake of running, not to support some other sport, and I work best when I have a deadline to work towards. I know that I probably should've started with a 10K or something else shorter first (and I'm looking for one to do in March to prepare), and signing up for this was a total spur-of-the-moment decision that ended up coming to fruition. It sounded like fun, but I never guessed I'd get selected out of the huge lottery, whoops. So, I'm purely focusing on endurance, not speed. For this race the maximum is a 15 minute mile. Obviously it would be ideal to be faster than that so I don't have to run for as long since the distance is fixed but length of time isn't. I want to complete 13.1 miles without any injuries (this is the key for me!) whether it's running the whole thing or a combination of running/walking... I'll work on improving my pace in my next race. Sooooo here we go!
My Nike profile
Week 1:
Getting back into the swing of things after injuring my knee 2 weeks ago by starting out too quickly/using calf sleeves for the first time (and I've literally never had a knee problem in my life, it's always shins/ankles grrrr) really doing my best to keep my milage low and not push it, even when I feel like I could run farther/longer. I have many more weeks to go.
I'm getting myself to get my ass up and to the gym by not allowing myself to get coffee until I work out first, and also I'm listening to Harry Potter audiobooks on the treadmill and ONLY on the treadmill, which gets me to use it so I can keep listening. I'm also putting the treadmill on an incline of 1.0 so that it more closely replicates running outside without the belt pulling me along. Obviously a belt vs. concrete is a much different experience, but I'm doing my best to make the switch easy once it gets warmer out. I'm making sure I ice and roll out my shins EVERY DAY, no excuses.
Sunday 1/12 - weights
Monday 1/13 - yoga
Tuesday 1/14 - 1.0 mile, 12:14/mile; weights - 12,186 lbs., 299 reps
Wednesday 1/15 - 1.0 mile, 12:26/mile; weights - 6,565 lbs., 184 reps
Thursday 1/16 - yoga
Friday 1/17 - 1.5 miles, 12:21/mile, 18:33 total
Saturday 1/18 - rest
Sunday 1/19 - yoga; weights - 7,530 lbs., 102 reps
Week 2:
My knee started hurting again on Monday from the second I stepped on the treadmill. I tried to run through it but it didn't dissipate. Since my real training schedule (through Nike) is starting on February 3rd, I'm taking this time to strengthen my quads and hips to support my knees and prevent this in the future. My mom asked a physical therapist at work for some exercises that help runner's knee, so I'm going to try those out, too. And on the plus side, no shin splints yet!
Monday 1/20 - 1.25 miles, 12:34/mile, 15:44 total
Tuesday 1/21 - rested my knee, it was still hurting while walking, not just running
Wednesday 1/22 - weights - 14,030 lbs., 301 reps
Thursday 1/23 - rest
Friday 1/24 - rest and started PT exercises
Saturday 1/25 - weights - 14,125 lbs., 301 reps
Sunday 1/26 - rest
My gym is super technologically-advanced and it tracks all your workouts... weights, cardio, and I can even manually add in my yoga classes. Here's the weight lifting I've done so far:
Week 3:
It's kind of boring not running! I feel like I'm not doing enough because you're not supposed to lift 2 days in a row so I have to take a break every other day. And, yoga is always on Mondays and Thursdays so I have to work around that. I've been doing my PT every day and I'm really hoping my knee is strong enough to start running again next week.
Monday 1/27 - yoga
Tuesday 1/28 - rest
Wednesday 1/29 - weights - 12,790 lbs., 262 reps
Thursday 1/30 - yoga
Friday 1/31 - weights - 13,465 lbs., 262 reps
Saturday 2/1 - rest
Sunday 2/2 - rest
Week 4:
This week marks the start of Nike's training plan. I'm not planning on following it exactly because I think that even the beginner plan would be overdoing it. I definitely don't need a stress fracture or something, and I think I can still be in shape and be able to finish 13 miles without running 5 times or 25-35 miles a week. I'd also like to continue going to yoga twice a week as I have been since last May, but we'll see if I feel the need to switch that to weights or some other form of cross straining. My whole plan is in iCal and I'm going to stick to it!
THANK GOD my knee was okay during my first run in 2 weeks. I've been doing the hip abduction machine and rolling out my IT band before and after I run, which definitely helps. I'm still babying it a bit because towards the end of the run it isn't at 100%, so I'm doing my best to start out slow this time and really give myself a chance to build up distance and strength.
http://instagram.com/p/kAR1BlMPH4/
Rosacea is the BEST. Cute, right?
Monday 2/3 - yoga was cancelled for the snow and the gym closed early, too, so... involuntary rest
Tuesday 2/4 - 1.0 mile, 12:09/mile
Wednesday 2/5 - weights - 15,250 lbs., 304 reps
Thursday 2/6 - yoga
Friday 2/7 - 1.25 miles, 12:39/mile - fartleks
Saturday 2/8 - rest
Sunday 2/9 - 2.0 miles, 11:57/mile, 23:58 total
Week 5:
I ended last week with a bit of pain in my knee while running, but not so bad that I had to stop. But, during my first run this week, I'm happy to say I had no pain! I'm still starting out slow, but hopefully now it's finally strong enough to handle the increase in mileage.
http://instagram.com/p/kSk35lsPAc/
On Friday, right on schedule (2 weeks in) my shins started hurting. Like to the point where I really wanted to stop, but I made it the planned 2 miles. It's super frustrating that all the slow builds and stretching and weights and foam rolling and orthotics and everything I've been doing to combat this haven't really helped. I asked the trainer at the gym that I worked with what else I could do and he recommended stretching out my calves before I run, not just after. So I'll try that next time, as well as going at a slower pace (I keep going faster and faster because I want to get the fixed distance over with quickly!) I'll also try using the calf sleeves again, I stopped using them because that was the only new thing and I thought maybe it affected my knee back in December. I'm just really hoping this is something I can run through and it'll eventually dissipate, like my knee has gotten better and better.
On Sunday, I ran with my calf sleeves, which eliminated my shin pain, but made my knee pain come back, as I expected. So, I guess I'm going to have to pick which one bothers me more, shins or knee, and resign myself to training with one of them bothering me til April. The 3 miles scared me, I've only run that far once before, so I took it really slow. I stopped to walk twice and had some energy left at the end so I sprinted the last quarter mile. 2 weeks down with Nike's training plan and I haven't missed a day yet!
Monday 2/10 - yoga
Tuesday 2/11 - 2.0 miles, 11:49/mile, 23:49 total
Wednesday 2/12 - weights - 13,965 lbs., 267 reps
Thursday 2/13 - yoga + a few reps of weights, just legs
Friday 2/14 - 2.0 miles, 12:09/mile, 24:26 total
Saturday 2/15 - rest
Sunday 2/16 - 3.0 miles, 13:34/mile, 40:42 total
Week 6:
I can't believe I'm 6 weeks in already! This is where things get serious since I'll run 3.5 miles on Sunday, which is the most I've ever run at a time, once, when the weather was perfect outside. But, that included hills and concrete and I've had weeks to prepare this time.
On Tuesday, I was only supposed to run 1.5 miles but I felt great and ended up running 2. I did start out much slower than the past week or so because I planned to follow Nike's instructions of starting out slow and increasing your speed as you go. The last mile felt so great I ran a quarter at a 11 minute pace, then lowered down to 13, then 10, then 13 to cool down. This method REALLY worked for me, I'm looking forward to trying it again, and hopefully soon I can do 9/12 then 8/11. But I really do need to stop making myself go faster just to get it over with because it just kills my endurance. This was also the first time I seriously did a warmup/cool down on the treadmill, which also affected my mile times. But anyway, still under the required 15 minutes and I have over 2 months to improve my pace.
Sunday was interesting. It was about 52 degrees and sunny and I was really excited to run outside. I drove to the high school in the town over to use their track because it's newer/bouncier, but it was still snowed over. Decided to try my high school, maybe the sun hits it differently or they got a bit less snow to begin with, who knows, but same problem. At that point I was just like whatever, ready to get going before it cooled down again, so I ran around the neighborhood next to the school because it's a bit flatter than mine. My knee started hurting from the beginning and my shin started to feel splinter-y about a mile in and I had to stop to massage it, but that lessened as I kept going, thank god. The treadmill seems to be training me well, I ran faster than my long run last weekend, even when having to sidestep huge puddles and carefully navigate piles of snow from sidewalk to sidewalk, and having to deal with some elevation differences. (Also, maybe the treadmill is underestimating the distance I'm running because I constantly have to recalibrate and err on the side of running too much.)
The race itself is pretty flat, so I'm trying to train the same way for right now, but I know that incorporating some hills will only make the race easier. Three weeks in and I can't believe I ran for nearly 45 minutes! I totally felt like I was dying and considered stopping before my goal because of my knee, but it felt so awesome to finish. I hope it gets easier... 63 days to go.
http://instagram.com/p/kxe2OFsPP3/
Monday 2/17 - weights - 12,925 lbs., 235 reps
Tuesday 2/18 - 2.0 miles, 12:57/mile, 25:58 total
Wednesday 2/19 - rest. had planned on weights, but I stood/walked for 4+ hours for a promo job, which upset my knee. icing/stretching instead... listening to my body and all that.
Thursday 2/20 - rest. day 2 of the temp job, my knee still isn't happy.
Friday 2/21 - 2.5 miles, 12:43/mile, 31:50 total
Saturday 2/22 - rest
Sunday 2/23 - 3.5 miles, 12:35/mile, 44:13 total
Week 7:
I bought a strap that's supposed to prevent your IT band from rubbing on your knee and lessen the pain, and I wore it for the first time on Wednesday. It seemed to help! My knee lasted about a mile before it started hurting, as opposed to right at the beginning like it has been. By the time I reached the end my knee was hurting, but not as badly as in the past. The best part, when I got off the treadmill, which is usually when I struggle to walk, especially up/down stairs, there was ZERO pain. So at least it's preventing this pain from impacting my regular life. I'm still doing the leg weight training every single time I go to the gym and hoping to just get rid of this injury altogether.
I was scheduled for a shorter run on Friday so I tried a fartlek again, and I was much more successful than the last time. My knee felt great the whole time, but my right shin was bothering me. Next time I think i'm going to wear a calf sleeve on just the right leg.
Monday 2/24 - yoga
Tuesday 2/25 - rest - ended up spending all day studying for the GRE, which is in a week, plus I'm still a bit creaky from Sunday's run on concrete
Wednesday 2/26 - 4.2 miles, 13:04/mile, 55:34 total (goal was 4 miles, but the treadmill and Nike+ were off by half a mile by the end so I met in the middle)
Thursday 2/27 - yoga
Friday 2/28 - 2.5 miles, 12:44/mile, 31:58 total - fartleks
Saturday 3/1 - rest - GRE studying
Sunday 3/2 - rest - GRE studying
Here's my stats for February, so ironic that I ran 26.2 miles (and also kind of sad it took me a month to do what some people do in a couple of hours, haha)
Week 8:
Tuesday was bad. It was my first run since Friday because of the GRE studying (I actually went straight from the testing center to the gym to try to get back on track as soon as possible) and I think that small break affected the progress I've made, unfortunately. From the second I stepped on the treadmill my right shin was on fire, with the left one hurting too, but not as badly. I had to stop to stretch out my calves and rub out my shins because I really wanted to run through it and was hoping it would go away... but it became too much to bear and I only lasted 1.3 miles instead of the 5 I was scheduled for. I'll try again tomorrow.
Wednesday was so much better. My right shin was still bothering me when I started, but right at the 2:25 mile mark, the pain suddenly went away and I felt great. I may have even been able to run for longer than 5 miles but the bottoms of my knees/tops of my shins started to feel a bit clunky so I figured I should stop while I was ahead. And, I'm super proud of keeping the same pace as I have in my last few shorter runs... hopefully as my distance increases my pace will continue stay the same. (I really hope it does because I can't afford to be much slower than I am right now haha.) I wonder how much faster I'd be if I didn't have to run through knee and shin pain. I haven't had a completely pain free run in weeks, specifically my knee has been hurting every time, but not so badly I have to stop. It would be awesome for my body to be at 100%, which I know is very rare, but I can dream!
Friday was a lot harder than Wednesday, unfortunately. I think it's because I started out fine from the start, with no shin pain and only minor knee pain, so I didn't have that awesome switch at the halfway point. I need to figure out how to get faster... I'm still going too slow and I'm worried about being able to keep the 15 minute mile pace for the entire race and be able to finish. I'm staying consistent at least, but I wish I could start improving. I think I'm going to try taking my inhaler before I run next.
Sunday I forgot to take my inhaler before I started, I remembered like a tenth of a mile in, whoops. I took it reaaaallly slow because I'm tired of stopping to walk, but I ended up running a minute slower per mile than usual, so maybe the walk/run isn't so bad because when I stop to walk, stop isn't really describing it well... I'm still walking at a 4 mph pace. I ran the whole thing through, though! I guess now that I've proven to myself that I can do it I can try increasing my speed. Now that my legs are pretty much cooperating, shins/ankles/knee are all basically okay with some minor aches, the focus is totally on my lungs. I got my knee and shins into gear so now I need to improve my breathing.
Monday 3/3 - yoga
Tuesday 3/4 - 1.32 miles, 12:46/mile, 16:50 total
Wednesday 3/5 - 5.15 miles, 12:47/mile, 1:05:46 total
Thursday 3/6 - weights - 14,360 lbs.
Friday 3/7 - 5.6 miles, 12:46/mile, 1:11:41 total
Saturday 3/8 - rest
Sunday 3/9 - 6.21 miles (10k), 13:41/mile, 1:25:01 total
Week 9:
I ran outside on Tuesday because it was 65 degrees! LOVE IT. I wasn't sure whether I could use the school track during the school day or would be better off waiting til school was over... and of course I made the wrong decision. I went at 3pm and had to spend the first 2 miles dodging the girls and boys track teams before I got bored of that, my feet were super wet from switching from the track to the grass. Plus, a quarter of the track was still under 3-4" of snow. Fortunately none of the coaches bothered me because I made a point to stay out of their way. Now I know I'll need to go earlier in the day and cross fingers I can find someplace to park and that there aren't any gym classes out there.
Anyway, so after I got bored of the track I branched out into the neighborhood I ran in last time it was warm out, the soccer/field hockey fields (SO MUCH GOOSE SHIT) and circled the school. I ran with a water bottle for the first time which fortunately didn't seem to affect anything, but also forgot to use my inhaler again. My pace definitely dropped when I went off the track and had to focus on my footing, from 11-ish miles to 13-ish miles, so I'll have to pay attention to that the next time to see if that was caused by the change of terrain or the fact that I was nearing the end. Two variables, you know. But, I was able to sprint the last quarter mile on the track, so I can afford to up my pace a bit. I shouldn't have that much energy at the end! I also took 2 Clif chews before running and 1 during, which I really didn't like. It's hard to chew while you're trying to breathe and run at the same time, haha. So I'm going to try a gel the next time, still trying to figure out what I like. But, I only had to stop to walk once, even though I was dealing with track, grass, concrete, and snow. Obviously its a lot easier to pace yourself on a treadmill, now I hope it's warm enough out in the coming weeks for me to really get in some runs outside and get that under control. I can feel myself getting better... 2 miles is nothing now! So excited to be seeing improvements.
http://instagram.com/p/lapAbCsPBt/
Thursday: I seem to have left my IT band strap at the track, I thought I remembered tossing it in my bag on the way out of the car with my long sleeve shirt (I was also juggling 2 coffee cups and 2 water bottles) but it's nowhere to be found :( No chance it'll still be at the track with 45mph wind gusts today. I think I left it next to the fence when I put it down to hop it. I ordered another one right away so it comes quickly, worst comes to worst I'll have 2 and not have to replace the first one so quickly, haha. So, I tried running with just my thigh taped with athletic tape, which was okay, but not ideal. It doesn't stretch and the tape started coming off after 2 miles. I DID remember my inhaler today, I can't tell if it made a difference because I was having shin problems. I tried some fartleks again for about 1.5 miles (2 minutes at 6mph, 2 minutes at 4.5mph) but my shin was just not having it, it was all I could do just to finish. And the struggle continues...
Saturday I was starting to get sick... my throat was hurting but it wasn't affecting my breathing yet so I decided to get one more run in before it really took over. The usual happened, after the half hour wall my shins stopped hurting and I was okay, but at 6.75 my knee started to REALLY hurt and I had to stop at 7 miles instead of the planned 7.5. It was also reallyyyyy windy out, which made it feel colder than the 56 degrees it was. I'm getting used to the fact that covering this many miles simply takes time, no matter how quickly I go, I know I have to devote over an hour to running. I've never run for that long without stopping before, and I only stopped to walk once to stretch out my shins around the 20 minute mark. Pretty good!
Monday 3/10 - weights - 13,665 lbs. (yoga was cancelled)
Tuesday 3/11 - 5.0 miles, 12:41/mile, 1:03:30 total
Wednesday 3/12 - well... I probably walked about 2 miles, that counts. I was in the city all day.
Thursday 3/13 - 3.11 miles (5k), 12:21/mile, 38:25 total - fartleks
Friday 3/14 - rest
Saturday 3/15 - 7.0 miles, 12:47/mile, 1:29:35 total
Sunday 3/16 - sick
Week 10:
This is the halfway point! 6 more weeks of Nike's training plan (out of 12) and under 2.5 months til the race. At the end of this week I have my first race ever, a 10k on Roosevelt Island. I'm hoping I get over this cough/cold thing in time to do my best and hopefully beat my previous 10k pace. This is the first time I've gotten sick all fall/winter, which is a record itself for me, but hopefully this is it til the end of April. I don't want to go back too quickly and lengthen the time my throat is hurting, but I also don't want to be a baby and use being sick as an excuse. I'll see how I feel, I guess.
Getting kind of frustrated that my pace isn't improving even after so many weeks of training. I guess I can't base it off of Thursday's run, I was still kind of sick. I tried lengthening my stride a bit, which didn't seem to make much of a difference, but I'm going to try to continue to do that.
The race was GREAT. It was on Roosevelt Island, which is this super narrow island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, so it's always pretty windy there since it's on the water. The route was about 2 big loops around. The adrenaline definitely makes a difference, I ran much faster than I have the past few months, even while battling wind, cold, still being a bit sick, and uneven sidewalks. I was definitely feeling hyped up for the first 2 miles, which I ran in 10:39 and 10:42, respectively. That's about 2 minutes faster than I've been averaging! Then the pack separated and I got slower, but still stayed pretty consistent; the last 4 miles were between 11:26-11:34/mile. The last mile in particular was tough, not even because I was tired, but because I was running directly into 15-20mph winds! I had enough energy to sprint the last quarter mile or so, not sure if that means I really could push myself even harder, or I'll always have the energy to do that. Everything really did go as well as it could've: zero shin pain, minor knee pain, I didn't have to go to the bathroom, didn't get a cramp, didn't feel nauseous, didn't get hungry, wasn't too warm or too cold (I wore shorts and a long sleeve shirt), didn't trip and fall... overall, it was a great experience. I'm probably spoiled now since nothing disastrous, or even uncomfortable happened. I also found it much easier to push myself when I was surrounded by other people. The race itself was very well organized, the other runners were very courteous, and I'd love to do it again, or another race with NYCRuns. It's scary to think that in a month I'll have to run more than double this length, but this went much better than expected, so I'm crossing my fingers (and putting in the miles!) so that the half works out that way, too.
http://instagram.com/p/l19DWmsPGn/
http://instagram.com/p/l2Zo1LMPBZ/
Here's my results page.
Monday 3/17 - sick
Tuesday 3/18 - sick
Wednesday 3/19 - sick
Thursday 3/20 - 4.0 miles, 12:53/mile, 51:37 total
Friday 3/21 - rest
Saturday 3/22 - Spring Fling 10K on Roosevelt Island - 6.21 miles (10k), 11:16/mile, 1:09:51 total
Sunday 3/23 - rest
Week 11:
I have a bit more than a month to go and I feel like I'm really fighting to squish in my long runs because of the weather! It's SNOWING tonight into tomorrow and hasn't been above 50 much. Last weekend's long run was supposed to be 9 miles, but because of the 10k race I had to push it to Tuesday/Wednesday, but that's when the snow is hitting. Running on a treadmill is tough after I experienced the high of running during the race surrounded by other people, so I refuse to do my long runs indoors. So, I may end up running 9 miles on Friday and 10.5 on Sunday just to get back on track. The week after that is peak week! Sooooo excited for the taper, haha.
I decided it would be smarter to just merge the 2 long runs into 1 and consider the 10k last week's long run. So, I ran 10 miles on Friday and it was great. Definitely challenging, but I didn't stop the whole time. I've been trying to figure out a relatively flat route that's 4+ miles long with sidewalks. I started at the track, ran through Beacon Hill and all the way down West Shore Road to the Roslyn duck pond, then turned around and ended at the track, which is good cause I can add more distance if necessary. The hill as West Shore Road becomes Beacon Hill was a gigantic pain in the ass... it was the 8th mile and you're going uphill for almost a mile. But, it's great practice since the race itself has a hill at mile 12. It made me want to die (I dropped down to about a 14 min/mile pace) but I did it, and never stopped to walk! It was a bit cold/windy/drizzly, but nothing I couldn't handle. And, my shins were GREAT and my knee was manageable. This run really helped me to realize that I CAN do 13 miles... it's only 3 miles more than I did! But, it hurt... not really sore, but the usual creaky-ness I tend to get. My knees and ankles were really feeling it the next day and the day after, to the point where I had to cut my run on Sunday a bit short (was supposed to do 4 miles.) But by Monday I was fine.
http://instagram.com/p/mGhuBwsPEj/
Monday 3/24 - yoga
Tuesday 3/25 - 4.1 miles, 12:33/mile, 51:37 total
Wednesday 3/26 - elliptical - 1.92 miles, 12:42/mile, 24:27 total
Thursday 3/27 - yoga
Friday 3/28 - 10.0 miles, 12:43/mile, 2:07:15 total
Saturday 3/29 - rest
Sunday 3/30 - 3.5 miles, 12:40/mile, 44:20 total
Here's my stats for March, 2 more runs than last month, and that includes a gap in the middle when I was sick, for 62.84 miles total.
Week 12:
Tuesday... I have no idea how/why, but for some reason I'm faster outside than on a treadmill. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Less friction on a treadmill, no dealing with the elements, etc.? Whatever, I'll take it, the race isn't on a treadmill!
On Wednesday, I ran 2 days in a row for the first time since beginning training because I'm still trying to work around the weather. Thursday I'm super busy, Friday it's going to rain, and Saturday is the warmest day of the week so that'll be the long run. I did intervals for the first time, which went well. I cheated a bit and didn't really do a warmup mile, I did a full-out mile because I've been really curious to see where my mile pace is now. I did a 9 minute mile, which is :40 seconds off of my fastest mile I ever did during senior year of high school. And, if I compare to where I was a few months ago, I was averaging a 12+ minute mile, although it was on a treadmill. Not sure how much the treadmill vs. the track affects things, but still pretty awesome to see the progress either way.
This week's long run didn't go as well as last week's. I made a bit more of an effort to move faster on the downhills to "bank time" for the uphills, which paid off pace-wise, but not really running-wise. I just wasn't as comfortable this time, even though the weather was better (sunny, warmer) but dry... only 20% humidity. I had an on and off stomach ache the entire time... need to figure out how I'm eating incorrectly, because all I ate before I ran was a bialy. The worst thing, though, was that I was a total baby and walked up the hill instead of running. I guess I need to decide whether I'd feel better about the race if I finished as quickly as possible or ran the entire thing because in some cases I walk faster than I can run, which was the case with this hill. My knees were really hurting by the end, in addition to my IT band and back, so I didn't make it the full 12.5 miles I had planned. I also think I'm still a bit sick, I guess I should get an antibiotic at this point because when I finished I coughed up stuff like there was no tomorrow. So I listened to my body and decided to stop, but I should still be happy with running ELEVEN MILES!
http://instagram.com/p/mgJKB0MPDB/
Monday 3/31 - yoga
Tuesday 4/1 - 5.0 miles, 11:03/mile, 55:17 total
Wednesday 4/2 - 1.0 miles, 9:03/mile; track intervals: 4x200m, 2x400m, 1x800m
Thursday 4/3 - yoga
Friday 4/4 - rest
Saturday 4/5 - rest (did some walking in the city, if that counts)
Sunday 4/6 - 11.0 miles, 12:16/mile, 2:15:03 total
Week 13:
Typing out "week 13" is pretty crazy, I can't believe I've been doing this (and sticking with it) for over 3 months. It's pretty awesome how much I've improved in such a short length of time. And I'm up to the 4th Harry Potter audiobook! Just under 3 weeks to go til the race!
Thursday I was supposed to do intervals, so I started with a mile on the track and beat last week's time WITH 20mph winds! But then a gym class came outside and the teacher was eyeing me, plus there was a home meet after that, so I stopped for the day. My allergies had kicked in the day before anyway and my nose was literally dripping.
I'm definitely getting stronger when it comes to weight lifting because the amount I'm lifting per rep has increased pretty much across the board, but I haven't really noticed a difference with tone, etc. I guess I'll keep up the weight training after the race.
The long run was the usual, nothing out of the ordinary other than that it was finally warm AND sunny out, almost a bit too hot! I felt sluggish and slower than last week and ran out of water, too, but ended up finishing at the same exact pace as before. I guess I need to stop stressing about it and just go with the flow a bit more because my pacing isn't causing any massive problems. The course I set for myself was very challenging with that massive hill and I expect the race itself to be easier, so I'm happy I was able to push myself to complete this route 3 times.
http://instagram.com/p/mtKM3NMPGC/
And with that, I declare peak week(s) OVER! Time to taper yayyyyy!!!
Monday 4/7 - yoga
Tuesday 4/8 - 4.0 miles, 10:59/mile, 43:58 total
Wednesday 4/9 - weights - 14,050 lbs.
Thursday 4/10 - 1.0 mile, 8:35/mile
Friday 4/11 - weights - 14,522 lbs.
Saturday 4/12 - 10.75 miles, 12:15/mile, 2:11:57 total
Sunday 4/13 - rest
Week 14:
I ran on the treadmill for the first time since the end of March on Wednesday. I figured out that part of my shin issue with the treadmill is the incline, I lowered it to neutral (I usually keep it at 1.0 to better simulate running on solid ground) and I felt much better. I figure a less painful run is more important than having an incline. I was also able to stay at 5.0 mph for the entire run, it definitely felt easier than just a few weeks ago.
I also checked on my body fat percentage again on Wednesday... I first had it measured the first week of January, and it was 25.3%. I was getting kind of frustrated that I haven't lost much weight even though I'm working out 6 days a week (and I know a lot of that is my diet, which I'm working on) but it seems to have made a difference... I've converted a bunch of that weight from fat into muscle. In about 3.5 months I got my body fat percentage to drop to 21.9%. Hopefully it'll keep improving from here.
I ran a new route on Saturday, which was challenging, a lot of gradual sloping hills that really wear you down. I also started out too fast again, I need to make sure during the race to stay very conscious of starting out slower than I think I need to. I ran at pretty much the same pace as the 10k race a month ago, with the first 2 miles around 10:30 and the last 4 around 11:30. I think that's encouraging though, I had so much adrenaline during the race that I ran so much faster than I had in the past, so next week I could be even FASTER since I'm able to be at that pace on a normal run. Also, a few miles don't have sidewalks and extremely narrow shoulders so I felt like I had to be very "on alert" in case the people driving the cars weren't. If I do this route again, I could add more distance by starting further down Main Street (past Louie's) and also spend more time running around Manorhaven, which was quiet, flat, and had sidewalks.
I CANNOT believe that I only have 2 more runs til the race! It feels like it was JUST January!
Monday 4/14 - 3.2 miles, 11:03/mile, 35:36 total
Tuesday 4/15 - weights - 14,857 lbs.
Wednesday 4/16 - 4.0 miles, 11:55/mile, 47:48 total
Thursday 4/17 - rest, had a headache all day
Friday 4/18 - rest... did laundry/put sheets on my bed, which IS a workout
Saturday 4/19 - 6.5 miles, 11:13/mile, 1:13:01 total
Sunday 4/20 - rest
Week 15:
RACE WEEK IS FINALLY HERE!
I started too quickly again on Wednesday, I have to run a lot slower than I think I need to at the beginning. It was cold and windy out, not ideal. I leave for DC on Thursday!
Monday 4/21 - yoga
Tuesday 4/22 - rest, walked a lot in the city
Wednesday 4/23 - 4.13 miles, 10:54/mile, 45:06 total
Thursday 4/24 - rest, traveled
Friday 4/25 - 3.05 miles, 11:09/mile, 34:00 total; strides
Saturday 4/26 - rest
Sunday 4/27 - 13.4 miles, 10:24/mile, 2:19:28 total (officially, not including my pauses/extra distance around curves in the course: 13.1 miles, 10:54/mile, 2:22:38 total)
Sunday: 4 months of preparation finally came together and I had a very successful race. So, let's start at the beginning...
I arrived in DC on Thursday a bit behind schedule, so I wasn't able to get to the Georgetown Nike store in time to participate in their group run. But I did get Z-Burger for dinner :D But, it worked out for the best because I've been trying to avoid running 2 days in a row and probably shouldn't have started now. Instead I ran with Becka on Friday morning on her usual 3 mile loop in Columbia Heights. It was good practice because I'm not terribly accustomed to running in the morning. We ran at a good pace together, shame we can't do it more often. I was very conscious of starting out slowly as practice for Sunday... and managed to at least be a bit slower at the start that before, but still faster than the 2nd and 3rd miles. I guess there's only so much I can do to pace myself when I'm not out of breath. I've taken for granted running in relatively deserted areas that aren't on city streets, pausing at red lights was annoying and messed up my pacing because it gave me time to take a breath, which doesn't happen in reality. But I'm taking this too seriously.
After that we went on a tour of the East Wing of the White House, and I met some other runners who recognized me from my WE RUN DC nails! This continued throughout the weekend, a lot of runners were wearing either turquoise or Tiffany blue nails, it was funny. I really liked the camaraderie created around the city by the 15,000 of us, and I didn't come across a single rude person. Then I got Chipotle chicken tacos for lunch and started hydrating with water instead of soda. Then I took an Uber to Georgetown which was super convenient, the ride was free since it was my first one. I'm glad I took Nike up on this offer... I didn't want to walk too much from the closest Metro stop (in the post-race survey, I recommended that Nike run shuttles from the closest metro stops to Georgetown) AND I was able to skip the line and walk right in to packet pickup. It literally took 5 minutes, which was awesome. Then I got my ONE iced coffee of the weekend while I walked around Georgetown, then went right back to drinking water.
http://instagram.com/p/nLbcT1sPAj/
Before heading into the Expotique, of course I took a photo with the WE RUN letters.
http://instagram.com/p/nOY2ucsPIN/
The Expotique was smaller than I was expecting, but still cool. Every single Nike employee/volunteer I came across was friendly, and I really liked that they had people posted in front of every possible thing you could want to take a photo in front of, ideal for me, who was there alone without friends to take photos. When you walked in with your packet, the tracker on your bib recognized that you passed over the threshold into the tent, and your name appeared on the screen, which was cool.
http://instagram.com/p/nOaMRyMPKo/
Working around the tent, first they had Nike product mannequins and lots of shoes, and even treadmills so you could get your gait analyzed. The Nike+ area scanned my ID and gave me green werundc elastics to correspond with the green Nike+ level. There was a DJ booth, huge lit-up map of the route, and brand assets everywhere, which I really enjoyed because I looooove the branding of this race.
http://instagram.com/p/nObrgYMPNE/
They had areas where you could sample Nuun flavors (for my own future reference, I liked the tropical flavor) and Luna bars, as well as a braid bar... I got a fishtail braid, which I've now learned looks dumb with my little teeny bit of hair, so never again, haha. Then I walked up to the Nike store, passed by Baked and Wired on the way and DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING (mostly cause there was a long line, let's be honest here) and found my name on the big wall.
http://instagram.com/p/nOkkuwMPLb/
http://instagram.com/p/nOoVy4sPAw/
http://instagram.com/p/nOZdBtsPJb/
Nike Georgetown was all decked out, and they had a ton of sizes of everything left so I was able to exchange my too-small tank no problem.
Then I met Salone to go to the movies and had a turkey sandwich for dinner. On Saturday I started my carb-loading, I had biscuits and johnny cakes with water, and NO COFFEE! Then I checked into the hotel with this huge king bed all to myself :D Ordered in pasta for dinner, watched some TV and laid out everything for the next morning, and went to sleep around 10PM.
http://instagram.com/p/nPQDb3MPJB/
http://instagram.com/p/nRePsXMPGn/
Race morning I woke up at 5:15AM and immediately ate come cereal so it would have time to digest and not make me sick. My clothes were all set out, I took an Advil Cold & Sinus, 2 Advil, and a Claritin, put aquaphor on my toes, and headed for the metro around 5:45AM. I wanted to leave myself enough time just in case trains were only running every 15 minutes that early, but I ended up getting right onto a train. It was good, I wasn't in a rush and had lots of time to eat a Honey Stinger waffle and deal with my inhaler and everything before checking my bag. I wanted to wait as long as possible because I was chilly and wanted to keep my extra clothing on as long as I could. I headed to my corral around 6:40AM and downed a mocha Clif shot (with caffeine) while warming up, and trying to stay warm. I was right at the front of my pace group and got to start right at the starting line in the 3rd wave. I was SO pumped up to get going, I was jumping up and down trying to keep myself loose/warm and just ready to go!
Here I am in my corral, before the race started. I look pretty awake for 7AM!
http://instagram.com/p/nSia3nMPJL/
http://instagram.com/p/nSku7FMPLF/
The app estimated I'd finish right around 2:30, which was my goal.
Walking towards the starting line for the 3rd wave:
Finally, 13:02 after the gun time, I began! I was really really conscious of starting out slow, slower than I thought I needed to, especially since I'd never run 13 miles before and wanted to conserve my energy for the end. But of course, since I had the extra adrenaline, I wasn't sure if I actually WAS going slower because during races I go over a minute faster per mile. Looking at my splits (which are somewhat inaccurate because my phone died at mile 12) my first few miles were faster, but not insanely so. The first mile was around the Capitol and the mall, and there was this awesome group of female drummers. Then we went into a tunnel, where there was this African music group playing and it echoed really loudly throughout the whole tunnel, which was really cool. The WE RUN sign was in there too, glowing! They also put the huge wall that everyone signed at the Expotique in the tunnel. At this point, some people started walking, which I'd been warned beforehand would happen, but still kind of surprising based on the corral I was in. The most annoying thing was that the walkers didn't follow general runner courtesy, which is to allow runners to use the insides of curves and for walkers to move to the outside. I had to dodge people until the field spread apart a bit, which I guess is just part of running a race.
Around mile 3 or 4, once I settled in, I was near the 2:20 pacer and stayed with her until around mile 12... I lost her in the tunnel. I didn't stop for anything until about mile 5, when I took this photo across the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
http://instagram.com/p/nTfXJJsPAv/
Then around mile 6 I took some Clif bloks and ate all 3, and also some Nuun because I was sweating a lot, it had definitely warmed up and I was really glad I didn't run with a long sleeve shirt. Based on my splits, I got a bit faster during miles 5-6-7, I think that's around when the field started to split and it wasn't as busy, so I didn't have to dodge as many walkers. But then I slowed down... I'd been aware that Hains Point is super boring, but boy was it. At least there were school bands scattered along the route to break up the monotony, and they liked to hold out their hands for high fives, which was cute. The best part was that since this is a park, there were public restrooms! Around mile 9, my stomach was hurting so I decided to stop to pee just in an attempt to up my comfort level. I'd pretty much decided beforehand I wouldn't stop to use the restroom during the race... I'd trained without ever stopping and didn't want to wait for 15 minutes on line for a portapotty. Fortunately I ran into the men's room and there was no line, so I was in and out in under a minute... even though I barely had to pee anyway, oh well. Also there was no toilet paper, so that was fun.
Mile 10 was where it started to get tough. My IT band started hurting, my knees started doing their rubbing/grinding thing, and my stomach still wasn't happy, but I knew I was so close to finishing that I had to push through. Things got better around mile 11 when I finished with Hains Point and got back onto the mall. Just before the tunnel was the chocolate mile! I grabbed some to eat later because I definitely wasn't going to do that while I was running. Then I went back into the tunnel... almost there! and stopped for the 2nd photo of the race, which was a mistake. The second I tried to snap a photo, my phone died. It had 40% battery! I was annoyed I'd have to run the rest of the race with no Harry Potter to listen to, but most pissed that my Nike+ app wouldn't be able to accurately record my run!
Here's the photo that killed my phone (couldn't even get another one without a person in the way):
But, it was okay... there were huge crowds with their great signs and enough to keep me entertained towards the end. I was so excited for the end that I started sprinting a touch too early, probably a quarter mile out when I should've waited a bit longer, I definitely started to get a bit winded. But, crossing the finish line was the most amazing feeling.
My official chip time is 2:22:39, which averages out to a 10:53/mile for the 13.1 distance. However, based on my Nike app, I actually ran 13.45 miles, even thought I tried to take every curve around the inside, and I also paused the app for the 2 photo opps and the 1 bathroom break. So, my actual time is 2:19:28... for a 13.45 distance, that averages out to a 10:22/mile pace, which I'm super proud of. The adrenaline and excitement of a race really does make a HUGE difference. My long runs at home were around a 12:15/mile pace, which of course includes some non-ideal weather, much larger hills than the race route had, and crooked sidewalks, branches to dodge, etc. This course had almost no hills, there were 1 or 2 that were so negligible, I had to think about it to recall them. But even still, shaving almost 2 minutes per mile off my pace is crazy!
Hopefully I'll be able to add some photos of me during the race soon... none of my friends were able to come watch so no one could take photos of me, so I have to rely on the professional photographers. It's been 2 weeks and there are still no photos assigned to my bib # even though I specifically posed at each photo opportunity. There should even be photos of me at the starting line, if anything, since I was right at the front of my wave! At this point, since tagging photos based on bib # is failing, I hope they just post all the photos so we can go through them to find ourselves. Super frustrating that Nike of all companies can't seem to get this figured out.
http://instagram.com/p/nTCs8QsPEB/
I placed about halfway through my age group and halfway through the full field of ~14,500 finishers:
The finisher's chute was quick and well-organized. First we were all handed FILLED water bottles, chocolate milk, and paper bags to fill with all the stuff we were given. Then we waited for our Tiffany necklaces! Fortunately a couple of people agreed to take photos and then text them to me since I still had no phone (but also meant I couldn't check the photos to make sure my eyes were open, as you can see below.) Then we got heat sheets, which really came in handy later because I got SUPER cold hours after the race.
http://instagram.com/p/nTC55hMPEg/
I absolutely love the necklace, I've been wearing it every day, it makes me happy every time I look at it :)
http://instagram.com/p/nTDAWvMPE2/
http://instagram.com/p/nTx8NVsPDz/
Then I exited the finisher's chute and went straight to pick up my bag so I could plug in my phone. Then I went to the finisher's tent, which had Neutrogena wipes... a godsend. I packed my own to use, but love that Nike thought of this. There were also mirrors and hairspray and stuff, but I didn't bother with that. There were a bunch of backdrops that you could pose in front of, but it was super busy and I didn't want to bother more people to take my photo (to do next time: run with friends!) and also I wanted to get on the finisher's apparel line. They also had yoga mats, foam rollers, and trainers stretching people out, which I would've loved to do, but there was a line for that, too (in the survey I wrote that they needed to make this area much larger.)
The line for finisher's clothing was the worst part of the whole finisher's village. Waiting on line for half an hour after running a half marathon isn't so great, but at least it wasn't in vain... they didn't run out of my size in the shirt I wanted, and I was able to return the leaky water bottle I'd bought at the Expotique. Then I stopped by the medical tent to get an ice pack and headed for Metro Center. At this point, about an hour after finishing, my stomachache got worse and I made my first trip to the bathroom. I'm still trying to figure out what caused this; I definitely may have been hungry, but I drank the entire chocolate milk while waiting on line and wanted to save room for brunch! This was my first race of this length so I wasn't sure how my body would react, but I think that in the future I need to make sure that I get some food in me the second I finish. I'm still weary of eating too much while running and having all that slosh around, but maybe I need to be eating more than 3 gels during the entire race, which amounts to 100 calories. Also, I need to get something with electrolytes into me ASAP after the race because of the amount I sweat. Who knows, this could just be my reaction to races because I did have a bit of a stomach problem after the 10k as well... a lot of people react to intense exercise with nausea. I'll have to keep experimenting to figure out what works for me.
Overall, I consider this a success. I finished 8 minutes faster than my goal and averaged a 10:22/mile pace! I wasn't terribly sore afterwards, I didn't even feel the need to get a massage when I got home. My knees took a bit to recover (I'm writing this 2 weeks later) but I'm ready to prep for another race once I find one to aim towards!
Here's my stats for April. Some of it is because of my 1 mile times, but I can't believe how much faster my average pace has gotten!
From here, since I'm not sticking to a strict training plan and writing so much about my runs, I'm going to move back to using dailymile as my fitness log. My profile is here.
I'm going to keep running, especially because I don't want to lose the fitness I've gained, and of course, continuing to lose weight would be great. I'd like to get better from here and not backtrack. My shin splints seem to be under control and I NEVER want them to come back. I've only run once since the race because my knees are still a bit sore, but it's nice to not have a strict schedule to be tied to. Obviously it was successful because it got me off my ass, but it's also great to be able to run as much as I want that day without feeling like I MUST run 6 miles and feeling like I didn't accomplish the day's goal if I didn't hit that milestone.
Right now, I'm not sure if I'll run another half marathon... while the race itself was absolutely incredible, the training was tough, lonely, and time consuming. I know that the next time around would probably be a bit easier, especially since I already know I can do it. But, I honestly have no idea how I'd be able to do this intense of a training plan while I have a job; some days I'd have to set aside 4 hours between stretching, the run itself, driving there, showering, etc. If I do train again, I'd definitely want to do some of the weekly runs with a running group. I'd also need to find some better running routes in this area. Although these routes did prepare me well because they had more hills, wind and other adverse weather than I actually had to deal with on race day, I'd dread doing the long runs not because they were difficult, but because being "on" for 2 hours and having to pay attention to cars while running on narrow shoulders with no sidewalks, low tree branches, roots and weeds, potholes, etc. was draining. But who knows, my thoughts now could completely change in a month and I'll be ready to do it again.
My Nike profile
Week 1:
Getting back into the swing of things after injuring my knee 2 weeks ago by starting out too quickly/using calf sleeves for the first time (and I've literally never had a knee problem in my life, it's always shins/ankles grrrr) really doing my best to keep my milage low and not push it, even when I feel like I could run farther/longer. I have many more weeks to go.
I'm getting myself to get my ass up and to the gym by not allowing myself to get coffee until I work out first, and also I'm listening to Harry Potter audiobooks on the treadmill and ONLY on the treadmill, which gets me to use it so I can keep listening. I'm also putting the treadmill on an incline of 1.0 so that it more closely replicates running outside without the belt pulling me along. Obviously a belt vs. concrete is a much different experience, but I'm doing my best to make the switch easy once it gets warmer out. I'm making sure I ice and roll out my shins EVERY DAY, no excuses.
Sunday 1/12 - weights
Monday 1/13 - yoga
Tuesday 1/14 - 1.0 mile, 12:14/mile; weights - 12,186 lbs., 299 reps
Wednesday 1/15 - 1.0 mile, 12:26/mile; weights - 6,565 lbs., 184 reps
Thursday 1/16 - yoga
Friday 1/17 - 1.5 miles, 12:21/mile, 18:33 total
Saturday 1/18 - rest
Sunday 1/19 - yoga; weights - 7,530 lbs., 102 reps
Week 2:
My knee started hurting again on Monday from the second I stepped on the treadmill. I tried to run through it but it didn't dissipate. Since my real training schedule (through Nike) is starting on February 3rd, I'm taking this time to strengthen my quads and hips to support my knees and prevent this in the future. My mom asked a physical therapist at work for some exercises that help runner's knee, so I'm going to try those out, too. And on the plus side, no shin splints yet!
Monday 1/20 - 1.25 miles, 12:34/mile, 15:44 total
Tuesday 1/21 - rested my knee, it was still hurting while walking, not just running
Wednesday 1/22 - weights - 14,030 lbs., 301 reps
Thursday 1/23 - rest
Friday 1/24 - rest and started PT exercises
Saturday 1/25 - weights - 14,125 lbs., 301 reps
Sunday 1/26 - rest
My gym is super technologically-advanced and it tracks all your workouts... weights, cardio, and I can even manually add in my yoga classes. Here's the weight lifting I've done so far:
Week 3:
It's kind of boring not running! I feel like I'm not doing enough because you're not supposed to lift 2 days in a row so I have to take a break every other day. And, yoga is always on Mondays and Thursdays so I have to work around that. I've been doing my PT every day and I'm really hoping my knee is strong enough to start running again next week.
Monday 1/27 - yoga
Tuesday 1/28 - rest
Wednesday 1/29 - weights - 12,790 lbs., 262 reps
Thursday 1/30 - yoga
Friday 1/31 - weights - 13,465 lbs., 262 reps
Saturday 2/1 - rest
Sunday 2/2 - rest
Week 4:
This week marks the start of Nike's training plan. I'm not planning on following it exactly because I think that even the beginner plan would be overdoing it. I definitely don't need a stress fracture or something, and I think I can still be in shape and be able to finish 13 miles without running 5 times or 25-35 miles a week. I'd also like to continue going to yoga twice a week as I have been since last May, but we'll see if I feel the need to switch that to weights or some other form of cross straining. My whole plan is in iCal and I'm going to stick to it!
THANK GOD my knee was okay during my first run in 2 weeks. I've been doing the hip abduction machine and rolling out my IT band before and after I run, which definitely helps. I'm still babying it a bit because towards the end of the run it isn't at 100%, so I'm doing my best to start out slow this time and really give myself a chance to build up distance and strength.
http://instagram.com/p/kAR1BlMPH4/
Rosacea is the BEST. Cute, right?
Monday 2/3 - yoga was cancelled for the snow and the gym closed early, too, so... involuntary rest
Tuesday 2/4 - 1.0 mile, 12:09/mile
Wednesday 2/5 - weights - 15,250 lbs., 304 reps
Thursday 2/6 - yoga
Friday 2/7 - 1.25 miles, 12:39/mile - fartleks
Saturday 2/8 - rest
Sunday 2/9 - 2.0 miles, 11:57/mile, 23:58 total
Week 5:
I ended last week with a bit of pain in my knee while running, but not so bad that I had to stop. But, during my first run this week, I'm happy to say I had no pain! I'm still starting out slow, but hopefully now it's finally strong enough to handle the increase in mileage.
http://instagram.com/p/kSk35lsPAc/
On Friday, right on schedule (2 weeks in) my shins started hurting. Like to the point where I really wanted to stop, but I made it the planned 2 miles. It's super frustrating that all the slow builds and stretching and weights and foam rolling and orthotics and everything I've been doing to combat this haven't really helped. I asked the trainer at the gym that I worked with what else I could do and he recommended stretching out my calves before I run, not just after. So I'll try that next time, as well as going at a slower pace (I keep going faster and faster because I want to get the fixed distance over with quickly!) I'll also try using the calf sleeves again, I stopped using them because that was the only new thing and I thought maybe it affected my knee back in December. I'm just really hoping this is something I can run through and it'll eventually dissipate, like my knee has gotten better and better.
On Sunday, I ran with my calf sleeves, which eliminated my shin pain, but made my knee pain come back, as I expected. So, I guess I'm going to have to pick which one bothers me more, shins or knee, and resign myself to training with one of them bothering me til April. The 3 miles scared me, I've only run that far once before, so I took it really slow. I stopped to walk twice and had some energy left at the end so I sprinted the last quarter mile. 2 weeks down with Nike's training plan and I haven't missed a day yet!
Monday 2/10 - yoga
Tuesday 2/11 - 2.0 miles, 11:49/mile, 23:49 total
Wednesday 2/12 - weights - 13,965 lbs., 267 reps
Thursday 2/13 - yoga + a few reps of weights, just legs
Friday 2/14 - 2.0 miles, 12:09/mile, 24:26 total
Saturday 2/15 - rest
Sunday 2/16 - 3.0 miles, 13:34/mile, 40:42 total
Week 6:
I can't believe I'm 6 weeks in already! This is where things get serious since I'll run 3.5 miles on Sunday, which is the most I've ever run at a time, once, when the weather was perfect outside. But, that included hills and concrete and I've had weeks to prepare this time.
On Tuesday, I was only supposed to run 1.5 miles but I felt great and ended up running 2. I did start out much slower than the past week or so because I planned to follow Nike's instructions of starting out slow and increasing your speed as you go. The last mile felt so great I ran a quarter at a 11 minute pace, then lowered down to 13, then 10, then 13 to cool down. This method REALLY worked for me, I'm looking forward to trying it again, and hopefully soon I can do 9/12 then 8/11. But I really do need to stop making myself go faster just to get it over with because it just kills my endurance. This was also the first time I seriously did a warmup/cool down on the treadmill, which also affected my mile times. But anyway, still under the required 15 minutes and I have over 2 months to improve my pace.
Sunday was interesting. It was about 52 degrees and sunny and I was really excited to run outside. I drove to the high school in the town over to use their track because it's newer/bouncier, but it was still snowed over. Decided to try my high school, maybe the sun hits it differently or they got a bit less snow to begin with, who knows, but same problem. At that point I was just like whatever, ready to get going before it cooled down again, so I ran around the neighborhood next to the school because it's a bit flatter than mine. My knee started hurting from the beginning and my shin started to feel splinter-y about a mile in and I had to stop to massage it, but that lessened as I kept going, thank god. The treadmill seems to be training me well, I ran faster than my long run last weekend, even when having to sidestep huge puddles and carefully navigate piles of snow from sidewalk to sidewalk, and having to deal with some elevation differences. (Also, maybe the treadmill is underestimating the distance I'm running because I constantly have to recalibrate and err on the side of running too much.)
The race itself is pretty flat, so I'm trying to train the same way for right now, but I know that incorporating some hills will only make the race easier. Three weeks in and I can't believe I ran for nearly 45 minutes! I totally felt like I was dying and considered stopping before my goal because of my knee, but it felt so awesome to finish. I hope it gets easier... 63 days to go.
http://instagram.com/p/kxe2OFsPP3/
Monday 2/17 - weights - 12,925 lbs., 235 reps
Tuesday 2/18 - 2.0 miles, 12:57/mile, 25:58 total
Wednesday 2/19 - rest. had planned on weights, but I stood/walked for 4+ hours for a promo job, which upset my knee. icing/stretching instead... listening to my body and all that.
Thursday 2/20 - rest. day 2 of the temp job, my knee still isn't happy.
Friday 2/21 - 2.5 miles, 12:43/mile, 31:50 total
Saturday 2/22 - rest
Sunday 2/23 - 3.5 miles, 12:35/mile, 44:13 total
Week 7:
I bought a strap that's supposed to prevent your IT band from rubbing on your knee and lessen the pain, and I wore it for the first time on Wednesday. It seemed to help! My knee lasted about a mile before it started hurting, as opposed to right at the beginning like it has been. By the time I reached the end my knee was hurting, but not as badly as in the past. The best part, when I got off the treadmill, which is usually when I struggle to walk, especially up/down stairs, there was ZERO pain. So at least it's preventing this pain from impacting my regular life. I'm still doing the leg weight training every single time I go to the gym and hoping to just get rid of this injury altogether.
I was scheduled for a shorter run on Friday so I tried a fartlek again, and I was much more successful than the last time. My knee felt great the whole time, but my right shin was bothering me. Next time I think i'm going to wear a calf sleeve on just the right leg.
Monday 2/24 - yoga
Tuesday 2/25 - rest - ended up spending all day studying for the GRE, which is in a week, plus I'm still a bit creaky from Sunday's run on concrete
Wednesday 2/26 - 4.2 miles, 13:04/mile, 55:34 total (goal was 4 miles, but the treadmill and Nike+ were off by half a mile by the end so I met in the middle)
Thursday 2/27 - yoga
Friday 2/28 - 2.5 miles, 12:44/mile, 31:58 total - fartleks
Saturday 3/1 - rest - GRE studying
Sunday 3/2 - rest - GRE studying
Here's my stats for February, so ironic that I ran 26.2 miles (and also kind of sad it took me a month to do what some people do in a couple of hours, haha)
Week 8:
Tuesday was bad. It was my first run since Friday because of the GRE studying (I actually went straight from the testing center to the gym to try to get back on track as soon as possible) and I think that small break affected the progress I've made, unfortunately. From the second I stepped on the treadmill my right shin was on fire, with the left one hurting too, but not as badly. I had to stop to stretch out my calves and rub out my shins because I really wanted to run through it and was hoping it would go away... but it became too much to bear and I only lasted 1.3 miles instead of the 5 I was scheduled for. I'll try again tomorrow.
Wednesday was so much better. My right shin was still bothering me when I started, but right at the 2:25 mile mark, the pain suddenly went away and I felt great. I may have even been able to run for longer than 5 miles but the bottoms of my knees/tops of my shins started to feel a bit clunky so I figured I should stop while I was ahead. And, I'm super proud of keeping the same pace as I have in my last few shorter runs... hopefully as my distance increases my pace will continue stay the same. (I really hope it does because I can't afford to be much slower than I am right now haha.) I wonder how much faster I'd be if I didn't have to run through knee and shin pain. I haven't had a completely pain free run in weeks, specifically my knee has been hurting every time, but not so badly I have to stop. It would be awesome for my body to be at 100%, which I know is very rare, but I can dream!
Friday was a lot harder than Wednesday, unfortunately. I think it's because I started out fine from the start, with no shin pain and only minor knee pain, so I didn't have that awesome switch at the halfway point. I need to figure out how to get faster... I'm still going too slow and I'm worried about being able to keep the 15 minute mile pace for the entire race and be able to finish. I'm staying consistent at least, but I wish I could start improving. I think I'm going to try taking my inhaler before I run next.
Sunday I forgot to take my inhaler before I started, I remembered like a tenth of a mile in, whoops. I took it reaaaallly slow because I'm tired of stopping to walk, but I ended up running a minute slower per mile than usual, so maybe the walk/run isn't so bad because when I stop to walk, stop isn't really describing it well... I'm still walking at a 4 mph pace. I ran the whole thing through, though! I guess now that I've proven to myself that I can do it I can try increasing my speed. Now that my legs are pretty much cooperating, shins/ankles/knee are all basically okay with some minor aches, the focus is totally on my lungs. I got my knee and shins into gear so now I need to improve my breathing.
Monday 3/3 - yoga
Tuesday 3/4 - 1.32 miles, 12:46/mile, 16:50 total
Wednesday 3/5 - 5.15 miles, 12:47/mile, 1:05:46 total
Thursday 3/6 - weights - 14,360 lbs.
Friday 3/7 - 5.6 miles, 12:46/mile, 1:11:41 total
Saturday 3/8 - rest
Sunday 3/9 - 6.21 miles (10k), 13:41/mile, 1:25:01 total
Week 9:
I ran outside on Tuesday because it was 65 degrees! LOVE IT. I wasn't sure whether I could use the school track during the school day or would be better off waiting til school was over... and of course I made the wrong decision. I went at 3pm and had to spend the first 2 miles dodging the girls and boys track teams before I got bored of that, my feet were super wet from switching from the track to the grass. Plus, a quarter of the track was still under 3-4" of snow. Fortunately none of the coaches bothered me because I made a point to stay out of their way. Now I know I'll need to go earlier in the day and cross fingers I can find someplace to park and that there aren't any gym classes out there.
Anyway, so after I got bored of the track I branched out into the neighborhood I ran in last time it was warm out, the soccer/field hockey fields (SO MUCH GOOSE SHIT) and circled the school. I ran with a water bottle for the first time which fortunately didn't seem to affect anything, but also forgot to use my inhaler again. My pace definitely dropped when I went off the track and had to focus on my footing, from 11-ish miles to 13-ish miles, so I'll have to pay attention to that the next time to see if that was caused by the change of terrain or the fact that I was nearing the end. Two variables, you know. But, I was able to sprint the last quarter mile on the track, so I can afford to up my pace a bit. I shouldn't have that much energy at the end! I also took 2 Clif chews before running and 1 during, which I really didn't like. It's hard to chew while you're trying to breathe and run at the same time, haha. So I'm going to try a gel the next time, still trying to figure out what I like. But, I only had to stop to walk once, even though I was dealing with track, grass, concrete, and snow. Obviously its a lot easier to pace yourself on a treadmill, now I hope it's warm enough out in the coming weeks for me to really get in some runs outside and get that under control. I can feel myself getting better... 2 miles is nothing now! So excited to be seeing improvements.
http://instagram.com/p/lapAbCsPBt/
Thursday: I seem to have left my IT band strap at the track, I thought I remembered tossing it in my bag on the way out of the car with my long sleeve shirt (I was also juggling 2 coffee cups and 2 water bottles) but it's nowhere to be found :( No chance it'll still be at the track with 45mph wind gusts today. I think I left it next to the fence when I put it down to hop it. I ordered another one right away so it comes quickly, worst comes to worst I'll have 2 and not have to replace the first one so quickly, haha. So, I tried running with just my thigh taped with athletic tape, which was okay, but not ideal. It doesn't stretch and the tape started coming off after 2 miles. I DID remember my inhaler today, I can't tell if it made a difference because I was having shin problems. I tried some fartleks again for about 1.5 miles (2 minutes at 6mph, 2 minutes at 4.5mph) but my shin was just not having it, it was all I could do just to finish. And the struggle continues...
Saturday I was starting to get sick... my throat was hurting but it wasn't affecting my breathing yet so I decided to get one more run in before it really took over. The usual happened, after the half hour wall my shins stopped hurting and I was okay, but at 6.75 my knee started to REALLY hurt and I had to stop at 7 miles instead of the planned 7.5. It was also reallyyyyy windy out, which made it feel colder than the 56 degrees it was. I'm getting used to the fact that covering this many miles simply takes time, no matter how quickly I go, I know I have to devote over an hour to running. I've never run for that long without stopping before, and I only stopped to walk once to stretch out my shins around the 20 minute mark. Pretty good!
Monday 3/10 - weights - 13,665 lbs. (yoga was cancelled)
Tuesday 3/11 - 5.0 miles, 12:41/mile, 1:03:30 total
Wednesday 3/12 - well... I probably walked about 2 miles, that counts. I was in the city all day.
Thursday 3/13 - 3.11 miles (5k), 12:21/mile, 38:25 total - fartleks
Friday 3/14 - rest
Saturday 3/15 - 7.0 miles, 12:47/mile, 1:29:35 total
Sunday 3/16 - sick
Week 10:
This is the halfway point! 6 more weeks of Nike's training plan (out of 12) and under 2.5 months til the race. At the end of this week I have my first race ever, a 10k on Roosevelt Island. I'm hoping I get over this cough/cold thing in time to do my best and hopefully beat my previous 10k pace. This is the first time I've gotten sick all fall/winter, which is a record itself for me, but hopefully this is it til the end of April. I don't want to go back too quickly and lengthen the time my throat is hurting, but I also don't want to be a baby and use being sick as an excuse. I'll see how I feel, I guess.
Getting kind of frustrated that my pace isn't improving even after so many weeks of training. I guess I can't base it off of Thursday's run, I was still kind of sick. I tried lengthening my stride a bit, which didn't seem to make much of a difference, but I'm going to try to continue to do that.
The race was GREAT. It was on Roosevelt Island, which is this super narrow island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, so it's always pretty windy there since it's on the water. The route was about 2 big loops around. The adrenaline definitely makes a difference, I ran much faster than I have the past few months, even while battling wind, cold, still being a bit sick, and uneven sidewalks. I was definitely feeling hyped up for the first 2 miles, which I ran in 10:39 and 10:42, respectively. That's about 2 minutes faster than I've been averaging! Then the pack separated and I got slower, but still stayed pretty consistent; the last 4 miles were between 11:26-11:34/mile. The last mile in particular was tough, not even because I was tired, but because I was running directly into 15-20mph winds! I had enough energy to sprint the last quarter mile or so, not sure if that means I really could push myself even harder, or I'll always have the energy to do that. Everything really did go as well as it could've: zero shin pain, minor knee pain, I didn't have to go to the bathroom, didn't get a cramp, didn't feel nauseous, didn't get hungry, wasn't too warm or too cold (I wore shorts and a long sleeve shirt), didn't trip and fall... overall, it was a great experience. I'm probably spoiled now since nothing disastrous, or even uncomfortable happened. I also found it much easier to push myself when I was surrounded by other people. The race itself was very well organized, the other runners were very courteous, and I'd love to do it again, or another race with NYCRuns. It's scary to think that in a month I'll have to run more than double this length, but this went much better than expected, so I'm crossing my fingers (and putting in the miles!) so that the half works out that way, too.
http://instagram.com/p/l19DWmsPGn/
http://instagram.com/p/l2Zo1LMPBZ/
Here's my results page.
Monday 3/17 - sick
Tuesday 3/18 - sick
Wednesday 3/19 - sick
Thursday 3/20 - 4.0 miles, 12:53/mile, 51:37 total
Friday 3/21 - rest
Saturday 3/22 - Spring Fling 10K on Roosevelt Island - 6.21 miles (10k), 11:16/mile, 1:09:51 total
Sunday 3/23 - rest
Week 11:
I have a bit more than a month to go and I feel like I'm really fighting to squish in my long runs because of the weather! It's SNOWING tonight into tomorrow and hasn't been above 50 much. Last weekend's long run was supposed to be 9 miles, but because of the 10k race I had to push it to Tuesday/Wednesday, but that's when the snow is hitting. Running on a treadmill is tough after I experienced the high of running during the race surrounded by other people, so I refuse to do my long runs indoors. So, I may end up running 9 miles on Friday and 10.5 on Sunday just to get back on track. The week after that is peak week! Sooooo excited for the taper, haha.
I decided it would be smarter to just merge the 2 long runs into 1 and consider the 10k last week's long run. So, I ran 10 miles on Friday and it was great. Definitely challenging, but I didn't stop the whole time. I've been trying to figure out a relatively flat route that's 4+ miles long with sidewalks. I started at the track, ran through Beacon Hill and all the way down West Shore Road to the Roslyn duck pond, then turned around and ended at the track, which is good cause I can add more distance if necessary. The hill as West Shore Road becomes Beacon Hill was a gigantic pain in the ass... it was the 8th mile and you're going uphill for almost a mile. But, it's great practice since the race itself has a hill at mile 12. It made me want to die (I dropped down to about a 14 min/mile pace) but I did it, and never stopped to walk! It was a bit cold/windy/drizzly, but nothing I couldn't handle. And, my shins were GREAT and my knee was manageable. This run really helped me to realize that I CAN do 13 miles... it's only 3 miles more than I did! But, it hurt... not really sore, but the usual creaky-ness I tend to get. My knees and ankles were really feeling it the next day and the day after, to the point where I had to cut my run on Sunday a bit short (was supposed to do 4 miles.) But by Monday I was fine.
http://instagram.com/p/mGhuBwsPEj/
Monday 3/24 - yoga
Tuesday 3/25 - 4.1 miles, 12:33/mile, 51:37 total
Wednesday 3/26 - elliptical - 1.92 miles, 12:42/mile, 24:27 total
Thursday 3/27 - yoga
Friday 3/28 - 10.0 miles, 12:43/mile, 2:07:15 total
Saturday 3/29 - rest
Sunday 3/30 - 3.5 miles, 12:40/mile, 44:20 total
Here's my stats for March, 2 more runs than last month, and that includes a gap in the middle when I was sick, for 62.84 miles total.
Week 12:
Tuesday... I have no idea how/why, but for some reason I'm faster outside than on a treadmill. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Less friction on a treadmill, no dealing with the elements, etc.? Whatever, I'll take it, the race isn't on a treadmill!
On Wednesday, I ran 2 days in a row for the first time since beginning training because I'm still trying to work around the weather. Thursday I'm super busy, Friday it's going to rain, and Saturday is the warmest day of the week so that'll be the long run. I did intervals for the first time, which went well. I cheated a bit and didn't really do a warmup mile, I did a full-out mile because I've been really curious to see where my mile pace is now. I did a 9 minute mile, which is :40 seconds off of my fastest mile I ever did during senior year of high school. And, if I compare to where I was a few months ago, I was averaging a 12+ minute mile, although it was on a treadmill. Not sure how much the treadmill vs. the track affects things, but still pretty awesome to see the progress either way.
This week's long run didn't go as well as last week's. I made a bit more of an effort to move faster on the downhills to "bank time" for the uphills, which paid off pace-wise, but not really running-wise. I just wasn't as comfortable this time, even though the weather was better (sunny, warmer) but dry... only 20% humidity. I had an on and off stomach ache the entire time... need to figure out how I'm eating incorrectly, because all I ate before I ran was a bialy. The worst thing, though, was that I was a total baby and walked up the hill instead of running. I guess I need to decide whether I'd feel better about the race if I finished as quickly as possible or ran the entire thing because in some cases I walk faster than I can run, which was the case with this hill. My knees were really hurting by the end, in addition to my IT band and back, so I didn't make it the full 12.5 miles I had planned. I also think I'm still a bit sick, I guess I should get an antibiotic at this point because when I finished I coughed up stuff like there was no tomorrow. So I listened to my body and decided to stop, but I should still be happy with running ELEVEN MILES!
http://instagram.com/p/mgJKB0MPDB/
Monday 3/31 - yoga
Tuesday 4/1 - 5.0 miles, 11:03/mile, 55:17 total
Wednesday 4/2 - 1.0 miles, 9:03/mile; track intervals: 4x200m, 2x400m, 1x800m
Thursday 4/3 - yoga
Friday 4/4 - rest
Saturday 4/5 - rest (did some walking in the city, if that counts)
Sunday 4/6 - 11.0 miles, 12:16/mile, 2:15:03 total
Week 13:
Typing out "week 13" is pretty crazy, I can't believe I've been doing this (and sticking with it) for over 3 months. It's pretty awesome how much I've improved in such a short length of time. And I'm up to the 4th Harry Potter audiobook! Just under 3 weeks to go til the race!
Thursday I was supposed to do intervals, so I started with a mile on the track and beat last week's time WITH 20mph winds! But then a gym class came outside and the teacher was eyeing me, plus there was a home meet after that, so I stopped for the day. My allergies had kicked in the day before anyway and my nose was literally dripping.
I'm definitely getting stronger when it comes to weight lifting because the amount I'm lifting per rep has increased pretty much across the board, but I haven't really noticed a difference with tone, etc. I guess I'll keep up the weight training after the race.
The long run was the usual, nothing out of the ordinary other than that it was finally warm AND sunny out, almost a bit too hot! I felt sluggish and slower than last week and ran out of water, too, but ended up finishing at the same exact pace as before. I guess I need to stop stressing about it and just go with the flow a bit more because my pacing isn't causing any massive problems. The course I set for myself was very challenging with that massive hill and I expect the race itself to be easier, so I'm happy I was able to push myself to complete this route 3 times.
http://instagram.com/p/mtKM3NMPGC/
And with that, I declare peak week(s) OVER! Time to taper yayyyyy!!!
Monday 4/7 - yoga
Tuesday 4/8 - 4.0 miles, 10:59/mile, 43:58 total
Wednesday 4/9 - weights - 14,050 lbs.
Thursday 4/10 - 1.0 mile, 8:35/mile
Friday 4/11 - weights - 14,522 lbs.
Saturday 4/12 - 10.75 miles, 12:15/mile, 2:11:57 total
Sunday 4/13 - rest
Week 14:
I ran on the treadmill for the first time since the end of March on Wednesday. I figured out that part of my shin issue with the treadmill is the incline, I lowered it to neutral (I usually keep it at 1.0 to better simulate running on solid ground) and I felt much better. I figure a less painful run is more important than having an incline. I was also able to stay at 5.0 mph for the entire run, it definitely felt easier than just a few weeks ago.
I also checked on my body fat percentage again on Wednesday... I first had it measured the first week of January, and it was 25.3%. I was getting kind of frustrated that I haven't lost much weight even though I'm working out 6 days a week (and I know a lot of that is my diet, which I'm working on) but it seems to have made a difference... I've converted a bunch of that weight from fat into muscle. In about 3.5 months I got my body fat percentage to drop to 21.9%. Hopefully it'll keep improving from here.
I ran a new route on Saturday, which was challenging, a lot of gradual sloping hills that really wear you down. I also started out too fast again, I need to make sure during the race to stay very conscious of starting out slower than I think I need to. I ran at pretty much the same pace as the 10k race a month ago, with the first 2 miles around 10:30 and the last 4 around 11:30. I think that's encouraging though, I had so much adrenaline during the race that I ran so much faster than I had in the past, so next week I could be even FASTER since I'm able to be at that pace on a normal run. Also, a few miles don't have sidewalks and extremely narrow shoulders so I felt like I had to be very "on alert" in case the people driving the cars weren't. If I do this route again, I could add more distance by starting further down Main Street (past Louie's) and also spend more time running around Manorhaven, which was quiet, flat, and had sidewalks.
I CANNOT believe that I only have 2 more runs til the race! It feels like it was JUST January!
Monday 4/14 - 3.2 miles, 11:03/mile, 35:36 total
Tuesday 4/15 - weights - 14,857 lbs.
Wednesday 4/16 - 4.0 miles, 11:55/mile, 47:48 total
Thursday 4/17 - rest, had a headache all day
Friday 4/18 - rest... did laundry/put sheets on my bed, which IS a workout
Saturday 4/19 - 6.5 miles, 11:13/mile, 1:13:01 total
Sunday 4/20 - rest
Week 15:
RACE WEEK IS FINALLY HERE!
I started too quickly again on Wednesday, I have to run a lot slower than I think I need to at the beginning. It was cold and windy out, not ideal. I leave for DC on Thursday!
Monday 4/21 - yoga
Tuesday 4/22 - rest, walked a lot in the city
Wednesday 4/23 - 4.13 miles, 10:54/mile, 45:06 total
Thursday 4/24 - rest, traveled
Friday 4/25 - 3.05 miles, 11:09/mile, 34:00 total; strides
Saturday 4/26 - rest
Sunday 4/27 - 13.4 miles, 10:24/mile, 2:19:28 total (officially, not including my pauses/extra distance around curves in the course: 13.1 miles, 10:54/mile, 2:22:38 total)
Sunday: 4 months of preparation finally came together and I had a very successful race. So, let's start at the beginning...
I arrived in DC on Thursday a bit behind schedule, so I wasn't able to get to the Georgetown Nike store in time to participate in their group run. But I did get Z-Burger for dinner :D But, it worked out for the best because I've been trying to avoid running 2 days in a row and probably shouldn't have started now. Instead I ran with Becka on Friday morning on her usual 3 mile loop in Columbia Heights. It was good practice because I'm not terribly accustomed to running in the morning. We ran at a good pace together, shame we can't do it more often. I was very conscious of starting out slowly as practice for Sunday... and managed to at least be a bit slower at the start that before, but still faster than the 2nd and 3rd miles. I guess there's only so much I can do to pace myself when I'm not out of breath. I've taken for granted running in relatively deserted areas that aren't on city streets, pausing at red lights was annoying and messed up my pacing because it gave me time to take a breath, which doesn't happen in reality. But I'm taking this too seriously.
After that we went on a tour of the East Wing of the White House, and I met some other runners who recognized me from my WE RUN DC nails! This continued throughout the weekend, a lot of runners were wearing either turquoise or Tiffany blue nails, it was funny. I really liked the camaraderie created around the city by the 15,000 of us, and I didn't come across a single rude person. Then I got Chipotle chicken tacos for lunch and started hydrating with water instead of soda. Then I took an Uber to Georgetown which was super convenient, the ride was free since it was my first one. I'm glad I took Nike up on this offer... I didn't want to walk too much from the closest Metro stop (in the post-race survey, I recommended that Nike run shuttles from the closest metro stops to Georgetown) AND I was able to skip the line and walk right in to packet pickup. It literally took 5 minutes, which was awesome. Then I got my ONE iced coffee of the weekend while I walked around Georgetown, then went right back to drinking water.
http://instagram.com/p/nLbcT1sPAj/
Before heading into the Expotique, of course I took a photo with the WE RUN letters.
http://instagram.com/p/nOY2ucsPIN/
The Expotique was smaller than I was expecting, but still cool. Every single Nike employee/volunteer I came across was friendly, and I really liked that they had people posted in front of every possible thing you could want to take a photo in front of, ideal for me, who was there alone without friends to take photos. When you walked in with your packet, the tracker on your bib recognized that you passed over the threshold into the tent, and your name appeared on the screen, which was cool.
http://instagram.com/p/nOaMRyMPKo/
Working around the tent, first they had Nike product mannequins and lots of shoes, and even treadmills so you could get your gait analyzed. The Nike+ area scanned my ID and gave me green werundc elastics to correspond with the green Nike+ level. There was a DJ booth, huge lit-up map of the route, and brand assets everywhere, which I really enjoyed because I looooove the branding of this race.
http://instagram.com/p/nObrgYMPNE/
They had areas where you could sample Nuun flavors (for my own future reference, I liked the tropical flavor) and Luna bars, as well as a braid bar... I got a fishtail braid, which I've now learned looks dumb with my little teeny bit of hair, so never again, haha. Then I walked up to the Nike store, passed by Baked and Wired on the way and DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING (mostly cause there was a long line, let's be honest here) and found my name on the big wall.
http://instagram.com/p/nOkkuwMPLb/
http://instagram.com/p/nOoVy4sPAw/
http://instagram.com/p/nOZdBtsPJb/
Nike Georgetown was all decked out, and they had a ton of sizes of everything left so I was able to exchange my too-small tank no problem.
Then I met Salone to go to the movies and had a turkey sandwich for dinner. On Saturday I started my carb-loading, I had biscuits and johnny cakes with water, and NO COFFEE! Then I checked into the hotel with this huge king bed all to myself :D Ordered in pasta for dinner, watched some TV and laid out everything for the next morning, and went to sleep around 10PM.
http://instagram.com/p/nPQDb3MPJB/
http://instagram.com/p/nRePsXMPGn/
Race morning I woke up at 5:15AM and immediately ate come cereal so it would have time to digest and not make me sick. My clothes were all set out, I took an Advil Cold & Sinus, 2 Advil, and a Claritin, put aquaphor on my toes, and headed for the metro around 5:45AM. I wanted to leave myself enough time just in case trains were only running every 15 minutes that early, but I ended up getting right onto a train. It was good, I wasn't in a rush and had lots of time to eat a Honey Stinger waffle and deal with my inhaler and everything before checking my bag. I wanted to wait as long as possible because I was chilly and wanted to keep my extra clothing on as long as I could. I headed to my corral around 6:40AM and downed a mocha Clif shot (with caffeine) while warming up, and trying to stay warm. I was right at the front of my pace group and got to start right at the starting line in the 3rd wave. I was SO pumped up to get going, I was jumping up and down trying to keep myself loose/warm and just ready to go!
Here I am in my corral, before the race started. I look pretty awake for 7AM!
http://instagram.com/p/nSia3nMPJL/
http://instagram.com/p/nSku7FMPLF/
The app estimated I'd finish right around 2:30, which was my goal.
Walking towards the starting line for the 3rd wave:
Finally, 13:02 after the gun time, I began! I was really really conscious of starting out slow, slower than I thought I needed to, especially since I'd never run 13 miles before and wanted to conserve my energy for the end. But of course, since I had the extra adrenaline, I wasn't sure if I actually WAS going slower because during races I go over a minute faster per mile. Looking at my splits (which are somewhat inaccurate because my phone died at mile 12) my first few miles were faster, but not insanely so. The first mile was around the Capitol and the mall, and there was this awesome group of female drummers. Then we went into a tunnel, where there was this African music group playing and it echoed really loudly throughout the whole tunnel, which was really cool. The WE RUN sign was in there too, glowing! They also put the huge wall that everyone signed at the Expotique in the tunnel. At this point, some people started walking, which I'd been warned beforehand would happen, but still kind of surprising based on the corral I was in. The most annoying thing was that the walkers didn't follow general runner courtesy, which is to allow runners to use the insides of curves and for walkers to move to the outside. I had to dodge people until the field spread apart a bit, which I guess is just part of running a race.
Around mile 3 or 4, once I settled in, I was near the 2:20 pacer and stayed with her until around mile 12... I lost her in the tunnel. I didn't stop for anything until about mile 5, when I took this photo across the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
http://instagram.com/p/nTfXJJsPAv/
Then around mile 6 I took some Clif bloks and ate all 3, and also some Nuun because I was sweating a lot, it had definitely warmed up and I was really glad I didn't run with a long sleeve shirt. Based on my splits, I got a bit faster during miles 5-6-7, I think that's around when the field started to split and it wasn't as busy, so I didn't have to dodge as many walkers. But then I slowed down... I'd been aware that Hains Point is super boring, but boy was it. At least there were school bands scattered along the route to break up the monotony, and they liked to hold out their hands for high fives, which was cute. The best part was that since this is a park, there were public restrooms! Around mile 9, my stomach was hurting so I decided to stop to pee just in an attempt to up my comfort level. I'd pretty much decided beforehand I wouldn't stop to use the restroom during the race... I'd trained without ever stopping and didn't want to wait for 15 minutes on line for a portapotty. Fortunately I ran into the men's room and there was no line, so I was in and out in under a minute... even though I barely had to pee anyway, oh well. Also there was no toilet paper, so that was fun.
Mile 10 was where it started to get tough. My IT band started hurting, my knees started doing their rubbing/grinding thing, and my stomach still wasn't happy, but I knew I was so close to finishing that I had to push through. Things got better around mile 11 when I finished with Hains Point and got back onto the mall. Just before the tunnel was the chocolate mile! I grabbed some to eat later because I definitely wasn't going to do that while I was running. Then I went back into the tunnel... almost there! and stopped for the 2nd photo of the race, which was a mistake. The second I tried to snap a photo, my phone died. It had 40% battery! I was annoyed I'd have to run the rest of the race with no Harry Potter to listen to, but most pissed that my Nike+ app wouldn't be able to accurately record my run!
Here's the photo that killed my phone (couldn't even get another one without a person in the way):
But, it was okay... there were huge crowds with their great signs and enough to keep me entertained towards the end. I was so excited for the end that I started sprinting a touch too early, probably a quarter mile out when I should've waited a bit longer, I definitely started to get a bit winded. But, crossing the finish line was the most amazing feeling.
My official chip time is 2:22:39, which averages out to a 10:53/mile for the 13.1 distance. However, based on my Nike app, I actually ran 13.45 miles, even thought I tried to take every curve around the inside, and I also paused the app for the 2 photo opps and the 1 bathroom break. So, my actual time is 2:19:28... for a 13.45 distance, that averages out to a 10:22/mile pace, which I'm super proud of. The adrenaline and excitement of a race really does make a HUGE difference. My long runs at home were around a 12:15/mile pace, which of course includes some non-ideal weather, much larger hills than the race route had, and crooked sidewalks, branches to dodge, etc. This course had almost no hills, there were 1 or 2 that were so negligible, I had to think about it to recall them. But even still, shaving almost 2 minutes per mile off my pace is crazy!
Hopefully I'll be able to add some photos of me during the race soon... none of my friends were able to come watch so no one could take photos of me, so I have to rely on the professional photographers. It's been 2 weeks and there are still no photos assigned to my bib # even though I specifically posed at each photo opportunity. There should even be photos of me at the starting line, if anything, since I was right at the front of my wave! At this point, since tagging photos based on bib # is failing, I hope they just post all the photos so we can go through them to find ourselves. Super frustrating that Nike of all companies can't seem to get this figured out.
http://instagram.com/p/nTCs8QsPEB/
I placed about halfway through my age group and halfway through the full field of ~14,500 finishers:
The finisher's chute was quick and well-organized. First we were all handed FILLED water bottles, chocolate milk, and paper bags to fill with all the stuff we were given. Then we waited for our Tiffany necklaces! Fortunately a couple of people agreed to take photos and then text them to me since I still had no phone (but also meant I couldn't check the photos to make sure my eyes were open, as you can see below.) Then we got heat sheets, which really came in handy later because I got SUPER cold hours after the race.
http://instagram.com/p/nTC55hMPEg/
I absolutely love the necklace, I've been wearing it every day, it makes me happy every time I look at it :)
http://instagram.com/p/nTDAWvMPE2/
http://instagram.com/p/nTx8NVsPDz/
Then I exited the finisher's chute and went straight to pick up my bag so I could plug in my phone. Then I went to the finisher's tent, which had Neutrogena wipes... a godsend. I packed my own to use, but love that Nike thought of this. There were also mirrors and hairspray and stuff, but I didn't bother with that. There were a bunch of backdrops that you could pose in front of, but it was super busy and I didn't want to bother more people to take my photo (to do next time: run with friends!) and also I wanted to get on the finisher's apparel line. They also had yoga mats, foam rollers, and trainers stretching people out, which I would've loved to do, but there was a line for that, too (in the survey I wrote that they needed to make this area much larger.)
The line for finisher's clothing was the worst part of the whole finisher's village. Waiting on line for half an hour after running a half marathon isn't so great, but at least it wasn't in vain... they didn't run out of my size in the shirt I wanted, and I was able to return the leaky water bottle I'd bought at the Expotique. Then I stopped by the medical tent to get an ice pack and headed for Metro Center. At this point, about an hour after finishing, my stomachache got worse and I made my first trip to the bathroom. I'm still trying to figure out what caused this; I definitely may have been hungry, but I drank the entire chocolate milk while waiting on line and wanted to save room for brunch! This was my first race of this length so I wasn't sure how my body would react, but I think that in the future I need to make sure that I get some food in me the second I finish. I'm still weary of eating too much while running and having all that slosh around, but maybe I need to be eating more than 3 gels during the entire race, which amounts to 100 calories. Also, I need to get something with electrolytes into me ASAP after the race because of the amount I sweat. Who knows, this could just be my reaction to races because I did have a bit of a stomach problem after the 10k as well... a lot of people react to intense exercise with nausea. I'll have to keep experimenting to figure out what works for me.
Overall, I consider this a success. I finished 8 minutes faster than my goal and averaged a 10:22/mile pace! I wasn't terribly sore afterwards, I didn't even feel the need to get a massage when I got home. My knees took a bit to recover (I'm writing this 2 weeks later) but I'm ready to prep for another race once I find one to aim towards!
Here's my stats for April. Some of it is because of my 1 mile times, but I can't believe how much faster my average pace has gotten!
From here, since I'm not sticking to a strict training plan and writing so much about my runs, I'm going to move back to using dailymile as my fitness log. My profile is here.
I'm going to keep running, especially because I don't want to lose the fitness I've gained, and of course, continuing to lose weight would be great. I'd like to get better from here and not backtrack. My shin splints seem to be under control and I NEVER want them to come back. I've only run once since the race because my knees are still a bit sore, but it's nice to not have a strict schedule to be tied to. Obviously it was successful because it got me off my ass, but it's also great to be able to run as much as I want that day without feeling like I MUST run 6 miles and feeling like I didn't accomplish the day's goal if I didn't hit that milestone.
Right now, I'm not sure if I'll run another half marathon... while the race itself was absolutely incredible, the training was tough, lonely, and time consuming. I know that the next time around would probably be a bit easier, especially since I already know I can do it. But, I honestly have no idea how I'd be able to do this intense of a training plan while I have a job; some days I'd have to set aside 4 hours between stretching, the run itself, driving there, showering, etc. If I do train again, I'd definitely want to do some of the weekly runs with a running group. I'd also need to find some better running routes in this area. Although these routes did prepare me well because they had more hills, wind and other adverse weather than I actually had to deal with on race day, I'd dread doing the long runs not because they were difficult, but because being "on" for 2 hours and having to pay attention to cars while running on narrow shoulders with no sidewalks, low tree branches, roots and weeds, potholes, etc. was draining. But who knows, my thoughts now could completely change in a month and I'll be ready to do it again.