In my Marine Corps Marathon recap I mentioned I’d be doing a post on what I thought went wrong. After playing it over in my head a million times since Sunday though, I have decided against it. Thinking of every little possible thing I could have done differently or done better, and continuing to beat myself up for it, won’t change my finish time from Sunday.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to just forget about it and not learn anything from it. There is always something to be learned from every race – good or bad. It just means that I don’t see the need to dissect every factor that could have impacted my race.
Instead I’m choosing to focus on things I can do moving forward to help me hit my goals in future races.
Stick to a strength training plan all the way through my training cycle.
Do my best to get enough sleep on a daily basis to help keep my immune system strong and fighting off colds.
Don’t change too many things up too close to race day.
Get more training runs in at or faster than goal pace.
Conversely, make sure I have enough easy runs that really are easy runs.
Find new shoes and make sure they work for me.
It all seems pretty simple. Now, time to put it into action!
Hopefully, this will be my smile at the end of my next race – not just at mile 1.5!
What big lessons have you learned from racing that have helped you get better?
If you’ve seen my recent posts, you know that I’ve been embracing a no-impact, running only at physical therapy as part of form drills approach for the last two weeks of marathon training.
After a couple days on the elliptical I needed something more. Don’t get me wrong, I think the elliptical is great for general fitness or people trying to lose weight with a nice low-impact exercise, but it just doesn’t give me the same cardio workout as running does. Enter water running.
Aqua Jog Belt
My coach suggested getting to a pool for some water running so I could still get that same cardio workout without the impact of running outside or on the treadmill. The past few days I’ve gotten in my runs in in the water at Washington & Lee pool nearby my apartment.
The W&L pool actually has a “jogging well” (it’s the area by the stairs that can’t really be used as a full lap lane) and a whole bunch of aqua jog belts so I didn’t even have to bring my own from home. Yes, I own an aqua jog belt. I just can’t help myself from finding ways to look ridiculous in workout situations!
I absolutely love water running as a workout and am feeling a little bit better about not getting my regularly scheduled outdoor runs in the past few days. I might even add this in more regularly after the marathon too as a way to get extra mileage in without beating up my legs. I will definitely have to invest in a waterproof music player if I do that though!
Have you ever tried water running? How do you like it?
Last week started and finished strong with a great long run and a new 8k PR. I had a few extra recovery days then planned during the week, but all in all felt really good about all of the workouts I got in. Less than two weeks till marathon day!
Here’s the day-by-day breakdown:
Monday: After missing out on my long run over the weekend I put in a great, confidence-boosting 20-miler on the treadmill.
Tuesday: Strength workout – main focus on upper body and core.
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: Unplanned rest day – turned my early alarm off even though I had plans after work.
Friday: I went back to the treadmill for hill repeats. After a mile warm-up I did 6 hill repeats between 3.0 and 4.0 inclines starting at an 8-minute pace and working my way down to a 7:30 pace before cooling down for a mile and wrapping up with a core workout.
Saturday: After 10 easy minutes on the treadmill I put in 30 minutes on the elliptical and a quick core workout followed by lots of stretching so I’d be good to go on Sunday morning.
Sunday: Race day! I crushed my 8k PR with a 38:03 finish at the Acumen Race for a Cause 8k. Full recap coming tomorrow!
Ah, so I’m a day late with my usual recap. After a weekend out of town and pushing my long run till yesterday after work, there wasn’t much time for blogging! Last week felt good and strong. After a couple of tough weeks, it was just the confidence boost I needed going into taper time. Here’s the day-by-day breakdown:
Monday: I put in five easy miles along the Mt. Vernon Trail after work.
Tuesday: Despite the government shutdown and closing of National Parks, there were no barriers blocking the Mt. Vernon trail and plenty of other bikers and runners there, so I took my speed workout to the trail for the day. After a mile warm-up, I did eight half-mile repeats with 1-minute rests in between followed by a mile cool-down.
Wednesday: Another easy 5-miler along Mt. Vernon after work. I felt stiff and slow, but when looking at my watch at the end actually ran about 20 seconds per mile faster than Monday.
Thursday: Strength workout.
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: 6.55 miles around Hoboken with the NYC skyline in the background!! I woke up a bit earlier than expected this morning so thought I might go long, but immediately realized that wasn’t going to happen. I’ve run in Hoboken a handful of times, but only really have one main route that I take. I was able to scoot through there once, but they were setting up for an obstacle course race, so multiple loops through there weren’t going to happen. Running the main streets was too frustrating for me with the constant stops, so I decided it would not be a very good long run to end on before taper mode and headed back towards my brother’s place after mile five. While the view is spectacular one things that drives me crazy about running in Hoboken is constantly having to be on the lookout for dog poop everywhere. After dodging it for the first 6.25 miles I managed to step in some in the last few blocks home. Pick that sh** up people!!
Sunday: Rest Day. After a super fun night out at my good friend’s wedding and a drive back to D.C., I just wasn’t feeling like running at all, so the long run was put off for one more day.
Yikes, one month – this was the first thing I saw on my Facebook newsfeed this morning causing simultaneous excitement and full-on panic!
The Takeaways
Nathan Pack My main takeaway and the first thing I blurted out when I saw Ian at the finish line was, “I need my water pack for longer races!” I wear a Nathan Hydration Vest when I train and have also worn it during my last three marathons. They are the only three of the nine I’ve run under four hours and have been under four by a big chunk of time. Granted, I was better trained for those races also, but I do think the vest makes a big difference.
Unlike some of my older camelbacks, this vest is so light my neck and shoulders aren’t a bit sore even after running 26.2 with it on. Well, at least not any more sore than running 26.2 normally causes. It doesn’t bounce or move around at all and feels as if it’s barely there. I’ve learned to do the whole pinch the water cup thing and drink on the run, but I don’t like doing it and I don’t like depending on water stops. I’m much better at getting water down in frequent small sips then gulping down a cup every few miles at an aid station.
There were a lot of points along the half where I wished I could just have a sip of water meaning that each time I got to an aid station I gulped down too much water knowing I wouldn’t have another chance for a couple miles leaving that uncomfortable sloshing feeling in my stomach. I also didn’t memorize where the aid stations were so it ended up being 10 or 15 minutes after taking my Honey Stinger bites before I had any water. The pack also has an easy access pocket on the front strap to hold all of my gummies.
I know a lot of people think the added weight slows you down in races, but it just works for me and has proven so in the past, so I’d like to stick with it. That said, a week after reaching this conclusion I saw talk on Twitter about MCM banning camelbacks this year. It appears to be a new security measure because of the Boston bombings. It’s buried on their website, so I’m not sure how serious they are about this. I have a tough time seeing how this could be a real security threat, but I also don’t want to cause any issues, so now I’m at a loss for what to do.
Garmin I debated before the half whether or not to wear a watch or just go by feel. I was all set to go without, but let my coach convince me to just wear a regular stopwatch. He’s not a fan of Garmins, which I understand, but for me I feel that I would have been better keeping the Garmin on or going completely without. The in-between just meant I was doing more math in my head along the course to determine my pace and kept me from just running on effort. Since I plan to run with a pace group at MCM, I’m not too worried about having to look at my watch much anyways, but will go with the Garmin so I can have a record of the race.
Eat a Bigger Breakfast I don’t think I had enough fuel in me for the half. Part of it was that I forgot the Honey Stinger waffle I packed to eat once we got into D.C., but I’m also getting up much earlier for races than I used to. I used to cut it pretty close so a bigger breakfast wasn’t always smart or just wasn’t necessary because I wasn’t going to have 2 hours to get hungry during. More calories on marathon morning will definitely be important, especially since I’ll be going twice the distance. Bonking in a goal race because I didn’t eat enough beforehand seems silly!
Start Slow, Finish Fast, Start Slow, Finish Fast, Start Slow, Finish Fast I figure if I say this enough times I’ll follow through with it. This year’s Cherry Blossom race was one of the first times that I was able to actually follow through on this plan and boy did it feel good to fly through those last few miles. The beginning of a marathon should feel easy, so I’m going to do my best to stick with the pace group rather than jump out too fast leaving me exhausted later in the race.
Have you learned any big lessons on race day that you used to get better in your next big race??
After a slower than I hoped for half marathon last weekend I was rearing and ready to go for a great week of training, but it turned into anything but that. I’m sure I could come up with a more eloquent way to write this, but when it comes down to it, last week just sucked! I felt like I was coming down with a cold last Sunday so I gave myself an extra day off after the half to try to stave it off. Unfortunately I just kept feeling worse as the week went on and spent most of the weekend in bed missing out on two key workouts I had planned. I’m hoping to rebound this week with a strong one culminating in the Clarendon Day Double 5k and 10k on Saturday!
Monday: Rest Day.
Tuesday: Mile repeats on the treadmill averaging 7:19 followed by a strength workout.
Wednesday: Core workout.
Thursday: Progressively faster 5-miler along the Mt. Vernon Trail – best I felt all week.
Friday: I was back on the treadmill Friday night running simulated hill repeats – one of my go-to workouts while training for Cherry Blossom. I followed this up with a core workout and instantly started feeling sicker as the night went on.
Saturday: Despite falling asleep super early on Friday night I slept right through my alarm and didn’t wake up until nearly 11. You’d think I’d feel better after 12 hours of sleep, but no such luck. The closest thing I got to a workout on Saturday came from all the coughing I did. I woke up on Sunday feeling like I’d been in a boxing match.
Sunday: Feeling bad that I missed my key workout on Saturday I decided to give it another go Sunday morning. The plan was 20 minutes at tempo, 10 minutes easy and another 15 at tempo. My tempo pace right now is 7:10 per mile. I decided to go to the track for this so I could stop and grab my water if another coughing fit started. After a half mile warm up followed by a bunch of dynamic stretches I was ready to give it a go. I made it a mile that took 7:30 minutes before giving up. I was breathing like I’d just finished a 5k and felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. Not cool. Hoping to redeem myself next week and shake this stupid cold!
The weather has finally turned here, or so it seems. I know I shouldn’t rule out a late-September heat wave in D.C., but it does seem that fall is officially here. Part of me loves this and part of me hates this. I hate that I have less daylight hours to run in and that it means winter is around the corner. Winter really isn’t too bad here, but thanks to 22 years of growing up in Syracuse, I still get a feeling of dread when winter is coming.
On the plus side, fall weather is my FAVORITE! I can wear my hoodies and longsleeves with thumbholes again – or at least actually wear them outside of an air conditioned room again! While I don’t mind running when it’s hot out, there’s no denying that I’m ready for a break from the hot, humid and gross runs of this summer.
Lots of things help get me through the hottest and most humid runs of summer like chugging water and nuun all day long, standing in front of the open freezer door when I get home or carrying a water pack or bottle along the way. I added a new tool to my arsenal this summer though when I bought the mio mesh tank from Oiselle. Coinciding perfectly with my move to an apartment with in-unit laundry, you might say I wore this tank A LOT this summer.
Oiselle Mio Mesh Tank
It’s amazingly light-weight. It’s like you’re running in just a sports bra, except that you’re not. I’ve never been a run-in-just-a-sports-bra-girl (no problem with those that do though), so for me this is sheer perfection. I didn’t have a single chafing issue while wearing it – a major win while summer running in prep for a marathon. It also looks great too – substance & style – even after the longest of hot, sweaty runs when I’m certainly not looking so great!
It made summer running so much better and while it’s certainly not cool enough to pack it away in my closet just yet, I’m sure during the coldest days of winter (big time cold weather wimp here) I’ll be yearning for the hot, humid days I can bust this tank back out!
On Saturday I ran the Navy Air Force half marathon in D.C. and the conditions could not have been more perfect. After temps in the 90s mid-week, a cold front came through giving us all a reprieve and a starting line temperature in the mid-50s. I went into the race fairly optimistic about my chances as I’ve been training hard and running much longer distances on my Saturday long runs than the 13.1 I’d have to run on race day.
Before I get to the race, I’ll start with the expo. Packet pick-up was available Thursday and Friday, and I was a bit worried I’d run into long lines and crowds going after work on Friday near the end of the expo, but that ended up not being the case at all. Other than waiting in 5-10 minutes of traffic to get into the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, it was a breeze. I had my bib in no time, wandered around the expo floor for a few minutes and grabbed my shirt on the way out. It was very well organized and a decent expo for a smaller race.
Ready to go!
Saturday morning I was up at 5, and Ian and I were in the car by 6. It’s amazing how easy it is to drive into D.C. at 6 a.m. on a weekend morning – we were parked in the Reagan Building parking garage by 6:15 and walking to the start line. Thanks to all the water I drank in the past few days and probably my nerves I ended up making a few bathroom trips then got in a full warm-up before heading toward the starting chute. I handed my jacket off to Ian as I made my way to the line and he headed toward the first mile marker to snap some pictures and cheer me on when I came running by.
A great rendition of the National Anthem led to the 7:15 start for the Wounded Warriors and other wheel chair athletes. So inspiring, and holy, they are fast!
At 7:25 it was time for the rest of us to go. The start and the course were very familiar to the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler except that there were a lot less people so you could actually stand comfortably at the start line. That also mean less crowd support, but those that were out there were very encouraging. I was able to start fairly close to the front so I didn’t have to do any weaving during the early miles. I really love this course and have run and raced on it so much now I feel like I could do it with my eyes closed – except then I’d miss the great scenery and D.C. monuments!
Speedsters
Last week I mentioned I was thinking about running without my watch and got a lot of great feedback, so I was all set to give it a go, but ended up wearing a regular stop watch (no garmin) at the strong suggestion of my coach. I kind of regret doing this and wish I’d just gone no watch at all or garmin. I was still very aware of my pace by looking at the watch keeping me from going just by feel and it really just meant I had to do more math in my head along the way. Oh well, lesson learned and I’m sure there’ll be another opportunity to truly go watchless.
My coach gave me a goal time of 1:41:36 or a 7:45 pace, which I thought would be very doable. I did my best to not go out too hard and hit mile one along Independence Avenue just 10 seconds ahead of pace. I waved to Ian and kept on going toward mile 2 feeling very comfortable and trying to slow down just a touch to get myself at that 7:45 pace. Well, unless I easily ran the fastest mile of my life mile marker two on the Memorial Bridge was very incorrect as I hit in in 12:35, haha. After that I didn’t take much stock in the mile makers although they could have all been correct the rest of the way for all I know – it just didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in them.
I loved the stretch up toward Rock Creek from miles 3-5 although the slight uphill slowed me a bit, but I hoped to regain it on the downhill back towards Hains Point. At mile 7, I was still averaging about an 8-minute mile, so I’m not really sure how I slowed as much as I did. It was definitely between miles 7-11 though as my breathing felt fine, but my legs felt a bit sluggish. It was nothing like the Nike half though where I let myself get so tied up in my goal time that I was absolutely miserable. I was still having fun out there and really enjoying the run on such a perfect D.C. morning.
Mile 8 was the last time I looked at my watch until I stopped it at the finish. I saw Ian again about 8.5 in just before getting to Hains Point. It’s always great to have support along the course and brought a huge smile to my face. I know everyone hates running Hains Point, but I was actually looking forward to this mostly flat, final stretch of the race, especially since it wasn’t super windy there for once.
I got a second wind around mile 11 and started moving quicker again and passing a lot of other runners. Ian who is getting pretty good at navigating a race course was waiting for me at the 13-mile mark before my final push to the finish. I crossed the line and gratefully accepted a water bottle and my finisher’s coin before making my way out of the chute and stretching a bit before heading back to the car.
I was almost surprised to see 1:50:11 as my final time, which put me in 584th place out of nearly 2,500 runners. I didn’t feel at all miserable like I did during the Nike Half, yet this time was even slower. I wasn’t unhappy and I really enjoyed the race and had fun running it, but my time does concern me a bit. The 8:25 pace is slower than I ran my last marathon and definitely slower than what I need to run Marine Corps in to get my Boston Qualifier.
Still, I have six weeks left of training and learned some valuable lessons and key takeaways from this race that I’ll detail more in a later post, so I’m counting this as a positive experience. While a PR would have been awesome, it just wasn’t in the cards on Saturday. With the goal race of my season still a month and a half away though, that’s okay. Time to move forward and keep working!
How did your weekend runs and races go?
Congrats to one of my favorite run bloggers, Maureen of Running on Cabernet, for absolutely crushing her sub 2:10 goal at RNR Philly!!
This week was fairly light as I spent Monday traveling and didn’t want to go too hard with my half marathon on Saturday. Here’s the day by day breakdown. To be honest I ended the week feeling a bit down with a less than stellar time for my half, but I’m going to keep pushing forward so I can get after that BQ at Marine Corps Marathon in six weeks!
Monday: Travel Day.
Tuesday: I hit the track for 7X1000 meters with a 1 minute rest between each repeat. This was the first week back at my tempo pace as opposed to my faster interval pace with a longer recovery, so even with the shorter rest period I felt pretty good. This was the bright spot of my week for sure. Splits (Goal: 4:38 each) Actual: 4:33. 4:31, 4:35, 4:35, 4:34, 4:34, 4:33.
Wednesday: I got up before dawn and hit the dreadmill for the long run I didn’t fit in over the weekend. With the half coming up at the end of the week I didn’t want to go too far, so I got 13.5 in before calling it a morning and getting ready for work.
Thursday: Core workout.
Friday: Rest day.
Saturday: Race day. Despite my time not being where I feel like it should at this stage of my training, I really did enjoy this race and it was a perfect day to run in D.C. Full recap coming soon – time was 1:50:11.
On Tuesday, the coolest thing happened – I got to interview Bart Yasso, Runner’s World’s Chief Running Officer. I was so excited that I immediately called my fiancé, parents and brother to tell them about it. Call me a runnerd. I don’t care, I’m still too excited!
Bart Yasso has one of the coolest jobs on the planet and he knows it. It’s so refreshing to talk to someone who truly loves what he does and appreciates it. We talked training tips, Yasso 800s, race strategy and race experiences. I was so impressed by how genuinely nice he was and that he took the time to thoughtfully and thoroughly answer all of my questions. He had some great advice and some cool race experiences, and I’m so excited to share them with all of you.
Training – Going for that BQ or ultimate PR Bart outlined 3 key workouts for successful marathon training. “The cornerstone of everything is the long run,” he said. It’s all about proper pacing on your long run too as he sees many runners do them too quickly and leave their race out on their training runs. During the long run you should focus on building endurance and not worry about speed. He highly encourages runners he coaches to try to negative split their long runs – finish faster than they started.
For example, a runner doing a 20 miler with a marathon goal time of 3:30 should run the first 10 miles at roughly a 9:30 pace then start working up to a 9-minute pace and wrap up with 3-4 miles at or close to marathon goal pace.
The next key workout is a hill/speed session to work on increasing turnover and leg speed. He recommends hill repeats earlier in the program and speed workout later. For hill workouts, mixing it up can lead to more success than just powering up the same hill repeatedly. Try running 4 shorter hill repeats, 4 longer ones and 4 shorter ones again. This lets you work on faster turnover on the short hills and strength on the longer hills.
The final key piece is the tempo or marathon pace run. You need to teach your body to run the pace you want to run in the race. Start with a 10-15 minute warm-up, work your way up to 8-10 miles at marathon pace and wrap up with a 10-15 minute cool down.
In between these key workouts you’ll have your easy recovery runs and cross training that make up the rest of your training. Another common thread among runners who have achieved marathon success is that they’ve been able to run injury free for a couple year period. It’s so important to listen to your body as most injuries he sees are basic overuse ones. (Been there.)
Yasso 800s I had to ask Bart about this famous workout named after him as I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. He says he gets that a lot and hears from runners that they use his name in vain quite often! For those not familiar with this workout, you do 10X800 and the time you can run your repeats in should correlate to your marathon finish time – i.e. if you run your repeats in 3:20 each you should be able to run a 3 hour and 20 minute marathon.
Bart says he found this correlation decades ago looking at his training log, but maintains that he’s never said it works for anyone but himself and it certainly isn’t based on any kind of science. Amby Burfoot, however, thinks it works for everyone and wrote about in Runner’s World years ago making the workout famous.
Race Day Strategy There’s no doubt that the latter portion of any distance race is more mental than physical, Bart says. During the early part of a race you need to be smart and run a proper pace then in the latter part of the race you need push yourself to run faster than you thought you could. While you should have a plan and think about what pace you can sustain, Bart says, don’t kill yourself with a set time – let the race play out and come to you.
His runners that have had the best success also run negative splits. When you’re running faster and passing people at everyone at the end of a race it’s the best feeling in the world and consequently when you feel like you’re on a death march getting passed by everyone it’s the worst feeling in the world, he says. Having been in both these positions in races, I couldn’t agree more.
Bart shared a great story about a 10k run, 50 mile bike, 10k run race he did years ago where he took the lead on the bike. The final 10k was an out and back and he ran as fast as he could swearing he could hear footsteps closing in on him. After the turnaround he realized he was a good 3-minutes ahead of everyone and went on to win the race. If he’d turned around he would’ve slowed down, but instead he “ran scared” and convinced himself to keep pushing faster than he thought he was capable resulting in a big win.
The Journey Bart has been lucky enough to race all over the world on every continent. As someone who has “only” run 9 marathons and would have a tough time picking a favorite, I really put him on the spot by asking his top races. He said that it has changed over the years as his running changes and that’s what makes it fun. It’s all about the people and the experiences along the way. He says the races he remembers the most are the ones he has connections with, so running the Rome Marathon where he was able to stop at several spots and chat with his Mom who came along on the trip holds a special place in his heart. He also calls running the Comrades Marathon an ultimate running experience. As a long-time fan of Nelson Mandela he said the race is what brought him to South Africa, but experiencing the country and history of it made it such a special journey.
Seriously, this man has such a cool life!
Runwell’s Perspire to Inspire Video Contest Bart also chatted with me about Runwell’s Perspire to Inspire video contest in support National Recovery Month. Bart was very candid about his struggles in his youth with drugs and alcohol, which he talks more about in his book, My Life on the Run. “Running saved my life,” he said. He thinks he’s lucky to have found running so young and is willing to share his story in hopes that it can help people to not choose that lifestyle or show people who have fallen down that path that there is a way out.
The Runwell contest is very cool. You enter by submitting a short video describing how you’ve personally helped to inspire others to lead a healthy life. It’s a powerful message and I can’t wait to hear people’s stories. The winner who will be determined by the vote of an online community brings home a pretty cool prize too that includes a slew of things plus free race registration and airfare to a race of their choosing. Check it out and submit your story!
heart & sole 