The Downside to Blogging

Anonymous Commentator:

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I am no exception. Neither are you. That's why what Jesus did for us is so critical. I hope you know and understand that Jesus died for your sins and mine.

In the last year, for the first time in my life, I am treating my body like a temple as commanded in scripture. I am careful what I put into it--mostly natural, whole foods as close to God created them as I can find. I have worked to make it strong. God didn't intend us to sit on the couch and eat Cheetos and Hostess cakes. We are meant to lift heavy things, to get from place to place on foot, to squat, to jump. I LOVE using my body in this way. I try to encourage others through this forum and one way to do that is to show my results from eating and exercising and truly treating my body like a temple.

It took a lot of courage for me to even post them (me, a 40-year old mother of three), and now you have shamed me into taking them down. I wasn't posting them to say, "Hey, I'm a hot momma. Look how pretty I am!". I was just trying to show how running, strength training, and eating (mostly) right can help you drop fat and build muscle.

Top Five Reasons I Should Have a Good Iron Mom Half-Marathon Next Week

1. I've been in half-marathon training for almost 6 months. I originally started training for the (terrible) Tom King starting in early December. I've done TONS of double-digit runs. Before Tom King, I think I'd done 3 or 4. I'm at 9 now, including two 16-milers. When you're used to struggling through 14-16 milers, 13.1 isn't so bad.

2. I feel strong from doing Crossfit. It has added a whole new intensity to my strength training. While CF alone isn't enough to guarantee a great half marathon time (some would disagree), CF plus 25-30 miles a week should.

3. I've been hitting all the high points of training a person is "supposed" to hit: intervals, tempo runs, hill work, long runs and I've had a one-mile time trial PR recently. Hopefully, it's a snowball effect.

4. I've been eating clean for the most part and I'm at my goal race weight. Can't hurt. :-)

5. I have no major expectations/delusions. This is KEY. I am going to go out conservatively and see what kind of day I'm having. I'll know by mile 4. At that point, I have 3 choices: slow down and just relax and enjoy the day; pick up the pace; or just maintain. I am NOT making the same mistake as last time when the McMillan Running Calculator said I should be able to run a half at a 9:40 pace. A 10-minute pace is more my ability level, at least to start.

I'm feeling strong these days, but not FAST. Strong is good though. I just want to have fun this time. If I finish strong (and not beaten down like last time), I think I'll be happy.

A New Kind of Training

I have been reading recently about splitting long runs in marathon training. Since, in my opinion, the WORST part of marathoning is the 20 mile runs, I thought it sounded like a plan. My interpretation of the plan is to run 2-4 miles on Friday night, then get up on Saturday morning and run no more than 16..... a bunch of times. There was a recent article in Runner's World about the Hanson Brooks Training group and how they never go over 16 in training. They start their long 16-mile training runs on tired legs. And on the facebook page for Marathon Nation, there was an article posted about training runs over 3 hours doing more harm than good. Since my marathon pace is about an 11-minute mile, I can do exactly 16 right at 3 hours.

Last week, I ran 16 miles without a walk break. I did stop for one potty stop and to empty rocks out of my shoes (6 miles were on a trail), but I never said, "Hey, I need to walk a minute or two." My body just did it. It amazed me. The whole run averaged an 11:00/minute pace. This week, I did my 4 miles on Friday night and felt extremely tired during those miles. (That did not bode well for today's run.) But I got my 16 miles in . It was hard. I suffered. After about 12, I hit a major wall. I had not gel'd until about the 70-minute mark--far too long without carbohydrates. I never quite caught up after that. At the 13-mile point, I started walking frequently. Miles 14 and 15 were in survival mode. My legs were just done. After mile 15, I had to drive to my daughter's soccer game 15 minutes across town. I got there with about 14 minutes to spare, so I got in that last mile--mile 16. I felt good in that mile after the brief rest while driving (and the chocolate milk) and averaged a much quicker pace with only one walk break. I got in a total of 20 miles within a 15-hour time period. Theoretically, that should be the same as about an 18-miler, training wise.

So, with two 16-milers under my belt, I'm feeling OK about the marathon. Some of the excitement has worn off, in all honesty. The long runs are just plain hard. They are not fun after about 13. I always used to say anything after 14 is just not fun. Now, I think it's more like 12 or 13. They take so much out of your body. My hamstring is finally healed, and I want to be cautious about re-injuring it. And the long runs make it hurt.

I'm much more excited about these 3 upcoming races than the marathon:

May 7: Iron Mom Half Marathon in Paducah, KY
May 14: The Adairville Strawberry Festival 5K in my home town (also my 4-year old's first one mile fun run afterwards)
May 21: The Scenic City TRAIL Half Marathon in Chattanooga, TN

I just decided to do the trail one. I've been doing about 6 miles on the trail lately and LOVING it. I still don't have trail shoes though.

I am really enjoying running again, but I still love a good Crossfit workout. I do about 1.5 Crossfit workouts a week-- one whole one and a short mini-one after or just before a run. I love doing hand release push ups and pull ups and sit ups and squats and lunges and wall ball throws and burpees! I'm so glad I discovered there is more out there than running. I think there's room for both.

How I Found My Mojo

After the wheels came off in my last half marathon, I went into a running funk for a few days. Then at some point that week, I got a crazy idea. If I can’t run FAST, I’ll just run FAR. I decided I wanted to have a running adventure. A friend of mine was thinking the same thing, and we found ourselves booking a room in a tiny little town in West Virginia for the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon on June 11. It is a no-pressure deal. It’s hot, extremely hilly, and partially unpaved, including running over a swinging bridge at one point--- meaning I hold no illusions of getting a PR. A race without pressure is my kind of race right now.

So, the Saturday after the Terrible Tom King, instead of taking a recovery week from the half, I ran a 10-miler and it turned out to be at a faster pace than the half! That’s when the mojo started to come back. The following week I had an ok 12—not great, but not terrible. I was hurting a little at the end because it was sort of hilly. The next week I had some good speed work including a new one-mile time trial PR at an 8:12 mile. (I still think I can hit 8 in the next few months.) I did a couple of hard Crossfit workouts, too, and ran 28 miles in all. My 14.5 miler went just fine. I didn’t break any speed records, but I finished and recovery was quick. By the next day, I felt really good. I had a drop down week with a few short runs and some great 800’s.

I love running again.

Do Over?

I think I need a do over. I've been pouting about that crappy race all week. (No pun intended.) On Saturday after the half, I was just angry at my body. I felt like it really let me down. I put some really nasty food into it Saturday night as punishment. How did I used to regularly eat fried catfish, fried hush puppies, and all the trimmings? No wonder I was fluffy. On Sunday, I had the most decadent pizza I could find--from our local New York Pizza Depot. The little orange pepperonis dotting the top were shining with grease. And I didn't blot! Then..... and this is BIG.... I didn't do any sort of exercise whatsoever for three days. I was mad at running, mad at myself, and mad at exercise in general. I did finally stop eating bad though! Strangely what lifted me out of the funk was a really hard Crossfit workout on Wednesday morning. The endorphins I'm accustomed to were back and I felt whole and hopeful again---like my old self.

I think I have found a couple of "do over" options. I just want to prove to myself that I can still run 13 miles under a 10-minute per mile pace. I KNOW I can. I am still going to be running long with my Country Music Half Marathon training group, so in 3 weeks, on the 11-mile training run, I can just run a little faster than usual and get in 2 afterwards and see what kind of pace I can manage. The place we are running is very similar to the Tom King course. It would be awesome if it was 9:59 pace or better. If I can't manage it, I just can't manage it. Then, in May there is this new event in nearby Paducah, Kentucky. It is called the Iron Mom Half-marathon. I have wanted to do it since hearing the title and seeing the super-cool race shirt. (I'm totally doing it for the shirt.)




I'd love to get the sub 10-minute mile thing out of the way so I could just go into the Iron Mom with no expectations and actually have fun.

See, that's the biggest problem with last Saturday. That's what was missing. The fun. And if there's no fun in it, what's the frickin' point of running 13 miles??? I mean, isn't it possible to run a strong race and still have some fun in it?

It was totally my fault. Here's what should have happened when I ran in the conditions I was given:

Wake up race morning. Notice stomach is not feeling well. Adjust time goal by 10-15 seconds per mile, putting it at 9:50 pace per mile. Get to race start. Start running. Notice by mile two it's much hotter than expected. Adjust race pace by another 10-15 seconds per mile. That would put me at a 10:05 ish pace. Let go of PR expectations. Decide to just run and have fun. Don't beat myself up over the slower miles. Make friends. Smile at people. Thank the volunteers. Act silly for the cameras on the course.


I still would have had the stomach problems, but I wouldn't have let them throw me for such a loop.

You know what they say about hindsight.....


And that's why I call this (Mis)Adventures in Running, folks!

A Pretty Good 10K---Unfortunately It Was a Half Marathon

Today did not go as expected, unfortunately. My half-marathon time was 2:15:43, a 10:22 pace--slower than my last two times on the course.

I can trace the first sign of an impending poor performance to my lunch on Friday--a Wendy's cheeseburger and baked potato. The potato tasted awful, and after eating them both, I started having stomach issues. This was a bad choice to start with, but my four-year-old was having a play date and I needed something quick and cheap to feed us! Still not feeling great, I then went to Olive Garden for dinner and overate--2.5 breadsticks, salad (what was I thinking?) and spaghetti with meat sauce.

Going to bed with little gas bubbles popping in my stomach, I was still stupidly optimistic about running a PR today. I got up this morning with no appetite and had a couple of bathroom issues that I will not go into detail about. I forced down breakfast, but it seemed to stick around instead of emptying out of my stomach. Right before the race, I choked down 1/2 of a Gu, and again, it seemed to just sit in a lump.

Miles one and two were right on pace at about 9:36 and 9:37 (goal was 9:30-9:45 pace) but it was HOT. It was about 60 degrees at the start. We had been training in 16-40 degrees. Heat is not my friend!

In mile 3, I took a swig of Gatorade at the water stop and it burned like acid in my stomach. For miles 3-5, I dealt with that burning sensation. I was also getting progressively slower by 1 or 2 seconds per mile. At mile 4, I was still roughly within my goal pace of sub 9:45, but it was a big stuggle to stay there. I gel'd on schedule at mile 5, but it was tough to get down. Finally in mile 6, I lost my running buddy. I was just feeling so nauseous and sick and my legs felt dead. I think that in reality, the gel was maybe sitting in my stomach and the carbs weren't getting to where I needed them---my leg muscles! From miles 6 on, I was WAY OFF pace, to the point that mile 7, I was at a 10:20 pace and all hopes of PRing went out the window. It was nearly 70 degrees at this point. Normally, that's ok running weather, but after training in COLD all winter, it did not help the way I was feeling. Around mile 8, I started looking for a Port o John or some bushes because the sensation in my stomach had dropped lower into my intestinal area. I was panicked. There wasn't anywhere to "go," but soon the immediate need passed for a little while.

At this point, I felt like I was running on fumes, no energy in my legs at all. It was difficult to run under a 10:30 pace. My last training run had been a 10:18 pace! I stayed away from the Gatorade, sticking with water the rest of the race. I tried another 1/2 gel around mile 10. I started taking 20 second walk breaks every half mile. They helped a little.

Finally, after 2 hours and 15 minutes of misery, I finished. I don't think I want to do that race again! The last time I ran this race, it poured rain and was only about 40 degrees, and THAT was better than today. I am so, so disappointed. Besides the heat and the stomach problems, I think I simply didn't do enough 5-6-7 mile mid-week runs. As much as I enjoy those speedy 2 to 3 milers, they aren't all that helpful for races over 10K. I need to be doing speedy 6 and 7 milers!

There is a half-marathon in a neat city about 2.5 hours away in 3 weeks---Lynchburg, TN, home of the Jack Daniels Whisky Distillery. I'm thinking about running that one to just try to have a better experience. It is hilly--- mile 4 to 5 is completely up hill, but maybe if I go into it with no expectations, just to enjoy the day, I will feel better.

Be Conservative or Just Go For It??

When you are racing, do you carefully formulate a race plan---knowing what pace you should be at for each mile, making sure you don't go out too hard and have plenty of energy to finish or do you just GO FOR IT and run hard, leaving nothing in the tank by the end?

I tend to err on the side of being conservative. Or maybe I don't "err" at all, I just know what I'm capable of and do it. After one ugly half marathon a couple of years ago when I went out way too fast and died a slow death in miles 8 to 13 as well as one last year, where just miles one and two were too fast and ruined the rest of the race, I tend to be a little on the careful side. And I'm a type-A planner.

I have a half marathon in one week! I suppose I'm ready. I did a 10-miler, an 11-miler and a 13.1 miler in training. My mid-week runs weren't long, but often included a speed element, so maybe quality over quantity will work for me. I think I maxed out at 20 miles per week. I'm really curious to how this low-key approach to training will work.

I *think* I can PR in this race if all goes well. It might be a small PR or it could be a big PR. It depends on how much I run the pace I know I can maintain and how much I just GO. FOR. IT. If I have a bad day and don't PR, I think I'm going to be really disappointed.

I think by mile 4 in a half marathon, you know what kind of day it is going to be---a good day or a bad day. If you run crazy in miles 1-4, you might think it is a good day, but by mile 8, you think differently.

More than anything, I'm curious and excited to how this race (my 9th half marathon in 3 years!) will go. Can I break 2:08? Can I break 2:06? Or will it be more like my average half-marathons around 2:14-2:15?

I'm struggling with a bit of a tight IT Band and lateral hamstring, but I'm seeing a chiropractor for that. This is week 3 of treatment, and I think I'm only going for 4 weeks total. I know what it really needs is rest, but I'm employed coaching a group of runners for the next 6 weeks for the Country Music Half Marathon. I guess I'll rest after our last training run on April 23! I'm not planning on actually running the race on April 30. I've never liked the course. But I say that every year and wind up running it anyway! It's tough to not be a part of such a large race only 45 minutes from my house.

But, more immediately, I think I'll enjoy the flat Tom King Classic with only about 1500 runners instead of 30,000! But I'm not running it for fun. I'm a woman on a mission! I want a half-marathon PR! Sure, I could have fun while doing it, but we all know going for a PR is fairly serious business. It is a mindset that colors the day. In some races, you are just there to be a part of the festivities or to see a new city or a beautiful park. And some races you are there to see what you are made of, to push your body to the limit, and to ask yourself, "Do I have it today?"