In preparation for this mornings 20-miler Joe took me to see Jersey Boys last night. It was an amazing show but we were out until almost midnight and I was scheduled to meet Tami and Felice at 7:30 this morning. Oh and 7:30 was really 6:30 because we had to change the clocks back. Needless to say when my alarm went off this morning all I wanted to do was turn it off and go back to sleep but I got up and I am so glad I did.
Today's run was awesome! Tami planned a loop for us near Dyken Pond which was super hilly. It was a 10 mile loop that we had to do twice. The first 5 miles were basically all uphill but the 2nd 5 miles were basically downhill so that helped.
In the first mile or two I had trouble catching my breathe again on the hills but eventually I found my pace and felt better. The first loop flew by, especially when we got to mile 5 and were able to cruise a little on some of the downhills. We were all feeling good but tired when we got back to the cars to refill our water and start our 2nd loop.
The second loop started out HARD. The first mile or two of hills was killing me, my breathing was all wacky again and I had to walk a little. I told Tami and Felice to keep going but luckily each time I caught my breathe I was able to catch right back up with them so I didn't really lose anytime. After I got through that the miles started flying again and we were around mile 15 where we started hitting some downhill stretches again. It was so nice. Finally we were at mile 18 and I was amazed at how good I felt. I felt like 2 more miles was nothing. And then we were at 20 and I still felt great! I felt like I had a few more miles in me if I had to. We finished out the run at 20.35 miles with a 9:58 pace.
Tami and Felice were so great to run with. Pace-wise it's a good match for us all. We had so much fun chatting along the way. They are such positive people and really make it fun.
This was an extremely hard run on mountain roads. If I can run a route like this and feel strong, I feel confident I can take on the New Jersey course. 3:59:59 here I come.
Showing posts with label long runs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label long runs. Show all posts
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
I'm Back!
After a week of not feeling so hot I was so psyched to be feeling better on Friday and looking forward to my long run on Sunday. Well I forgot that one member of our household still hadn't been hit by the bug...Yup! Friday night just after I put her down Mia started puking and puking and puking. Of course Joe was away so I was on my own to tend to her, clean up the messes and continuously wash everything. I think by Saturday morning every pillow, blanket, sheet, and towel in our house had been washed. Luckily she was feeling better by Saturday afternoon so I didn't have to cancel my plans to meet the girls for my 18 miler Sunday morning.
My friend Tami had planned a route out by where she lives for a group of us to run. Tami lives on a mountain and told us it would be a hilly run but I had no idea what I was in for. This was one of those cases where ignorance is bliss. If I had known going into it what these hills were like I don't think it would have helped me.
We started the run on a pretty steep uphill. Tami kept assuring us that this was the worst hill of the run, and we would be coming up on a nice downhill soon. It was so long!!! I could not catch my breath, I think because it was the beginning of the run and I hadn't gotten into a steady pace yet. I was getting nervous. I kept thinking about last weeks 17 miler and how I feel apart near the end after a good start. If this is how I was starting out, how would I last 18 miles. Tami was right though, once we got over that hill there was a nice downhill and I started to fall into a rhythm. The rest of the run was pretty hilly- big freakin' hill but none were as bad or as long as that one. We all chatted away and before we knew it we were finished with the first 11 mile loop. We refilled our water and headed out for the final 7 mile loop. This loop was not as challenging hill-wise but by this point we were all starting to get a little tired so there were a few hills in there that felt like they could have been comparable to the first one even though they weren't.
We all finished strong at 2:58 with a 9:54 pace! My training plan had me running my 18 miler at a 9:52 pace which is slower than my marathon goal pace. I'm really happy that I was able to complete this particular run so close to what the plan called for because no where in the plan does it say to run your 18 miler on a freakin' mountain! I felt really tired and tight after the run but I came home and stretched and used my foam roller. My legs felt much better after that. I took my scheduled rest day yesterday which I definitely needed because I was still very tired but my muscles felt pretty good. Tonight I was able to run 5 miles on the treadmill with no problem at all.
After what happened at the end of my 17 miler this 18 miler was a huge confidence booster. If I can run strong and steady on hills like that I can run my marathon goal pace on a flat course like New Jersey!
My friend Tami had planned a route out by where she lives for a group of us to run. Tami lives on a mountain and told us it would be a hilly run but I had no idea what I was in for. This was one of those cases where ignorance is bliss. If I had known going into it what these hills were like I don't think it would have helped me.
We started the run on a pretty steep uphill. Tami kept assuring us that this was the worst hill of the run, and we would be coming up on a nice downhill soon. It was so long!!! I could not catch my breath, I think because it was the beginning of the run and I hadn't gotten into a steady pace yet. I was getting nervous. I kept thinking about last weeks 17 miler and how I feel apart near the end after a good start. If this is how I was starting out, how would I last 18 miles. Tami was right though, once we got over that hill there was a nice downhill and I started to fall into a rhythm. The rest of the run was pretty hilly- big freakin' hill but none were as bad or as long as that one. We all chatted away and before we knew it we were finished with the first 11 mile loop. We refilled our water and headed out for the final 7 mile loop. This loop was not as challenging hill-wise but by this point we were all starting to get a little tired so there were a few hills in there that felt like they could have been comparable to the first one even though they weren't.
We all finished strong at 2:58 with a 9:54 pace! My training plan had me running my 18 miler at a 9:52 pace which is slower than my marathon goal pace. I'm really happy that I was able to complete this particular run so close to what the plan called for because no where in the plan does it say to run your 18 miler on a freakin' mountain! I felt really tired and tight after the run but I came home and stretched and used my foam roller. My legs felt much better after that. I took my scheduled rest day yesterday which I definitely needed because I was still very tired but my muscles felt pretty good. Tonight I was able to run 5 miles on the treadmill with no problem at all.
After what happened at the end of my 17 miler this 18 miler was a huge confidence booster. If I can run strong and steady on hills like that I can run my marathon goal pace on a flat course like New Jersey!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Windy Windy Windy!
I had been looking forward to today's long run- 17 miles- all week for a few reasons. I was excited to run with my friend, Felice, again because we seem to run a good pace together and the miles fly by. I was also looking forward to running longer since my race last week was so spot on pace-wise, I wanted to see how I would hold up over 17 miles. And even though they were predicting slightly colder weather and some snow showers this weekend I thought it would still be better than our last long run weather-wise.
Backtrack to Thursday- after good runs all week, my Thursday run sucked. My legs felt tired and I never got into a groove. Even though my pace was right where I wanted it to be I just felt blah. I decided Friday needed to be a rest day since I had the long run planned for today.
Friday, the weather forecasters start talking about 50-60 mph wind gusts for late Friday night into Saturday! WTF?!!! It's like the weather gods wanted to test our toughness. All night I laid in bed listening to the wind gusts hoping they would die down by morning...
This morning, I met Felice at the bike path we ran on last time. It was chilly but not quite as bad as I thought it would be. As we started out, I realized I had too many layers on. The wind gusts were strong but again not as bad as I expected. On our way out we passed three running friends that were finishing up their run. My legs felt pretty heavy and it took a while to get into a groove but before I knew it we had our first 6 mile leg done and were back at the cars. We made a quick stop and shed some layers and took back off. The next leg we did was 8 miles, my legs were still heavy but we seemed to get into a groove and were running a steady pace. After that leg, we did another quick stop at the cars for more water. I think that stop, while it was quick, may have been my downfall. About a mile into our last leg, my hamstrings which were tight throughout the run seized up. I told Felice to go on ahead because I needed to walk, plus Felice needed to go a little further since she was doing 18. My last 2 miles were basically run a little, walk a little.
All in all I finished the run at a 9:58 pace, which is right about where my training plan says I should be for my long runs. I would have liked to have been faster, and of course I wish my legs felt better. I was frustrated, but I knew it was better this was happening now, than during the marathon. Plus I have plenty of long runs ahead of me before marathon day. Two lousy miles of an otherwise decent long run are not going to keep my from hitting my goal on marathon day.
After the run, I had a massage scheduled, thanks to my awesome mother in law who gave me some gift certificates for Christmas and was also watching Mia for me today. The massage was exactly what my tight legs needed. While my legs are still sore, they feel a lot looser. What a nice way to recover from a long run!
I guess this run taught me a few things. I need to spend even more time stretching my hamstrings and foam rolling. I also need to try to get to more yoga classes. I notice that the weeks I take yoga my legs are much looser on my long runs. I've also been slacking a little on my distance in my midweek runs. I need to up my miles slightly during the week which means more early morning runs. Oh and that Felice and I are totally badass running in such crappy conditions:)
Well, another long run in the training plan is in the books so that means its time to enjoy the weekend!
Backtrack to Thursday- after good runs all week, my Thursday run sucked. My legs felt tired and I never got into a groove. Even though my pace was right where I wanted it to be I just felt blah. I decided Friday needed to be a rest day since I had the long run planned for today.
Friday, the weather forecasters start talking about 50-60 mph wind gusts for late Friday night into Saturday! WTF?!!! It's like the weather gods wanted to test our toughness. All night I laid in bed listening to the wind gusts hoping they would die down by morning...
This morning, I met Felice at the bike path we ran on last time. It was chilly but not quite as bad as I thought it would be. As we started out, I realized I had too many layers on. The wind gusts were strong but again not as bad as I expected. On our way out we passed three running friends that were finishing up their run. My legs felt pretty heavy and it took a while to get into a groove but before I knew it we had our first 6 mile leg done and were back at the cars. We made a quick stop and shed some layers and took back off. The next leg we did was 8 miles, my legs were still heavy but we seemed to get into a groove and were running a steady pace. After that leg, we did another quick stop at the cars for more water. I think that stop, while it was quick, may have been my downfall. About a mile into our last leg, my hamstrings which were tight throughout the run seized up. I told Felice to go on ahead because I needed to walk, plus Felice needed to go a little further since she was doing 18. My last 2 miles were basically run a little, walk a little.
All in all I finished the run at a 9:58 pace, which is right about where my training plan says I should be for my long runs. I would have liked to have been faster, and of course I wish my legs felt better. I was frustrated, but I knew it was better this was happening now, than during the marathon. Plus I have plenty of long runs ahead of me before marathon day. Two lousy miles of an otherwise decent long run are not going to keep my from hitting my goal on marathon day.
After the run, I had a massage scheduled, thanks to my awesome mother in law who gave me some gift certificates for Christmas and was also watching Mia for me today. The massage was exactly what my tight legs needed. While my legs are still sore, they feel a lot looser. What a nice way to recover from a long run!
I guess this run taught me a few things. I need to spend even more time stretching my hamstrings and foam rolling. I also need to try to get to more yoga classes. I notice that the weeks I take yoga my legs are much looser on my long runs. I've also been slacking a little on my distance in my midweek runs. I need to up my miles slightly during the week which means more early morning runs. Oh and that Felice and I are totally badass running in such crappy conditions:)
Well, another long run in the training plan is in the books so that means its time to enjoy the weekend!
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