This last week flew by! I've been enjoying some R & R post-marathon - no running for a week or two. I feel pretty back to normal now. October and November have been pretty crazy for a lot of reasons. For one, my mom has been in town helping with a bunch of projects around the house, which resulted in things being pretty topsy turvy around the house. The end result is nice - a pretty little powder room from the disaster of a half bath in the basement, finally baseboard and base shoe all around, the stairs down to the basement are nicely finished and now have a hand rail, and pretty new interior doors throughout. There was lots of organizing as well. Now that my mom has flown off to her next destination, things are a little quieter.
So, I'm just now getting around to doing a race recap. The 20th anniversary Philadelphia Marathon was my third full marathon. I have mixed feelings about the outcome. My plan was to start with the 4:45 Clif Team pace group, which I did. The race got off to a good start, I stuck to the plan of fueling with my Tailwind Nutrition drink I was carrying in four 8 oz bottles on a waist belt, and hung with the pace group. The pacer was aiming for 10:30 miles, and walk through the water stops. This felt slightly challenging, but was doable...for the first 30k. At that point, I started to drop back. My neck and shoulders were tense and sore, and I couldn't seem to relax, and my hip flexors and IT band were also hurting. I tried to convince myself I could hang in there with the group, but it just wasn't happening. My splits went downhill pretty fast after the 30k mark. At this point I gave up on a 4:45, but was still hoping to break 5:00. I was doing some walking, but still a good amount of running through Manayunk and up until the last few miles. I definitely struggled at the end. There were a few bright moments, with the crowd cheering in Manayunk. One of the best pick-me-ups was when a fellow tapped me on the shoulder around mile 23, I think, and said he'd been following me for a while and it was keeping him on track. I told him I was struggling myself, but I was happy to hear I was helping him out in some way. It definitely kept me going for a bit!
My finish time was 5:01:35, not quite what I was aiming for. However, compared to 5:24:32, it was still a big improvement over last year. A few things that I think went "wrong" or I could improve on:
1. My lower back had been bothering me the week leading up to the race. Maybe the tension there led to the early onset of neck/shoulder pain and the hip flexor/IT band issues. I did not have nearly as much discomfort during my 18 or 20 mile training runs, and this set in around the halfway mark if I recall correctly. I did some stretching during the week, but maybe a good massage or some serious foam rolling would have helped release some of that tension and set me up for a better race.
2. I did drink all 32 oz of the Tailwind Nutrition drink, and had about 1/2 a citrus Clif shot (all I felt I could stomach at the time). Late in the race I mostly just wanted water, but all told I only took in about 450 calories - around 111g carbs. For a 5:00:00 run, with 30-60 g of carbs recommended/hour, or 150-300 g carbs total, that was on the low side. It was also warming up late in the race (around 60 degrees!), which was lovely, but also contributed to dehydration I'm sure. I'm not great at hydrating in general, so I suspect I was somewhat dehydrated going in, and certainly didn't improve during the race. I probably need to work on both my endurance to improve my ability to burn fat for fuel while running, as well as refining my fueling and hyrdation during a race. In general, I feel like I've done pretty well in training with a beverage for fuel since it seems like a big hit of sugar all at once from a gel is too much for my stomach, and I can meter it out better with a drink. I've tried the Clif Bloks in the past and liked them pretty well, but I'm not great at remembering to take them as often as I should, and now with my current mouth bling (i.e. braces, yes, at almost 30), gummies are a problem. I think fueling and hydration might turn into a separate blog post or several.
3. There's a fine line between challenging oneself and overreaching. The 4:45 goal was definitely a stretch. My 18 mile training run was strong and I completed it at around an 11:00/mi pace. My 20 miler was not quite so good. I had a little niggle of doubt that I could pull it off. Maybe if I had been more confident it would've helped. Maybe if I had started out a bit slower, I would have had some gas left in the tank for the finish and could've potentially finished in under 5 hours, if not the 4:45 I was shooting for. Maybe one or two more 20 mile training runs would help me feel more prepared (and perhaps build endurance as noted above). Lots of maybes.
I have to give a shout-out to Team Philly for the great support and coaching throughout the season, particularly the weekend long runs.
Did you run long recently? What have you found does or doesn't work for you in training and fueling?
Monday, November 25, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Eek, I'm turning 30 soon
It's not really a secret: I'm turning 30 in February. In honor of this milestone, I decided to do something that some people might consider crazy. I might even admit it's mildly crazy, and maybe slightly scary - which is why I think it needs to happen. What am I talking about? "30 for 30" - that is, my goal is to run 30 races in 2014 to mark each of my 30 years. Not necessarily original, but it seems appropriate.
It doesn't count if someone else runs a race for me, but there is something you can help me with. To up the ante and make this worthwhile, I want to raise $3000 for Girls on the Run Philadelphia. I have the pleasure of serving on the board and coaching at one of our school sites this season, and really love what Girls on the Run stands for and what we're trying to do. If you'd like to learn more, please visit my fundraising page.
I have some ideas for how people might want to link donations to race completion, for instance. So to enable that, I'm going to commit to race reports here on this blog. You can also check up on my progress on athlinks.com I hope you'll follow along and cheer me on either in person or electronically. Even better, come run a race (or 10) with me!
Have you ever done something crazy or scary to celebrate a birthday?
It doesn't count if someone else runs a race for me, but there is something you can help me with. To up the ante and make this worthwhile, I want to raise $3000 for Girls on the Run Philadelphia. I have the pleasure of serving on the board and coaching at one of our school sites this season, and really love what Girls on the Run stands for and what we're trying to do. If you'd like to learn more, please visit my fundraising page.
I have some ideas for how people might want to link donations to race completion, for instance. So to enable that, I'm going to commit to race reports here on this blog. You can also check up on my progress on athlinks.com I hope you'll follow along and cheer me on either in person or electronically. Even better, come run a race (or 10) with me!
Have you ever done something crazy or scary to celebrate a birthday?
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Inspiration for your Tuesday
I guess I am on an inspirational kick. Maybe I just need all the inspirational wisdom I can get right now. Regardless, I've been enjoying this blog, and this is an excellent post that I think applies to EVERYTHING in life, so check it out: http://jamesclear.com/good-
This is Pinky, trusty sidekick #2, after a 14 mile run:
Even so, I think she would've been up for longer. Perhaps this spring we'll get a chance to test the theory.
Also, I am about to run my third marathon this weekend. You would think by now I would be past any anxieties, but I never fail to get butterflies leading up to a race. It does not seem to matter that I'm not racing for a place on the podium, just for fun and to hopefully beat my time from last year. If you're out and about in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, please cheer for all of us runners. We'll be very grateful for the support!
This is Pinky, trusty sidekick #2, after a 14 mile run:
Even so, I think she would've been up for longer. Perhaps this spring we'll get a chance to test the theory.
Also, I am about to run my third marathon this weekend. You would think by now I would be past any anxieties, but I never fail to get butterflies leading up to a race. It does not seem to matter that I'm not racing for a place on the podium, just for fun and to hopefully beat my time from last year. If you're out and about in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, please cheer for all of us runners. We'll be very grateful for the support!
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Times, they are a-changin'
I have been a lousy blogger. I decided it was time to change things up, and my new goal is at least one blog post a week. The topics might be random, depending on what is currently inspiring (or irking) me.
Let me introduce my Trusty Sidekicks:
Loki and Pinky are my faithful running buddies, kale stem disposals, and floor cleaners. For good measure, here is a picture of them being cute and cuddly.
My goals for this blog are to talk about running, about awesome vegan food (recipes, reviews), and interesting things related to the environment. Yes, this is a broad range, but I think I can tie them together a little bit. ;)
I know I don't have many (any?) readers, but if you're out there - what would you like to read about? Do you want vegan recipes that will satisfy a marathoner? Training and race updates, or advice I come across? Book reviews? More cute pictures of my dogs? Environmental news? Do tell!
Let me introduce my Trusty Sidekicks:
 |
| Loki and Pinky, on the lookout |
My goals for this blog are to talk about running, about awesome vegan food (recipes, reviews), and interesting things related to the environment. Yes, this is a broad range, but I think I can tie them together a little bit. ;)
I know I don't have many (any?) readers, but if you're out there - what would you like to read about? Do you want vegan recipes that will satisfy a marathoner? Training and race updates, or advice I come across? Book reviews? More cute pictures of my dogs? Environmental news? Do tell!
Monday, November 21, 2011
I am a marathoner!
I officially finished my first full marathon yesterday. The first half was fun, then it started to feel like work. And then my running partner for the race and I fell apart at mile 20. We "ran" that mile in about 15 minutes (according to my Garmin splits). Ouch! But we pulled it together and improved our pace ever so slightly for the last few miles. They were slow, but we did cross the finish line! Official chip time was 5:42:05. Though my main goal was just to finish and not get hurt, I was hoping for a 5:30 finish time. I'm not sure yet if I'll do another, but I suspect I will want to take another shot at it next year and get a better time. :)
I had a plain bagel for breakfast with some blueberry preserves (from a local farm - delicious!). I can't stomach too much before a race, so that was about the most I could handle. I lost count of how many gels I had during the race, but it felt like a million. Probably around 10, though. Sometimes I feel gross after a long run, from all those gels, but I recovered enough to start eating shortly after the finish line. I got a bag of pretzels and water going through the chute, and then headed to the Four Seasons hotel for the Runner's World Challenge Post-Race Reception. My wonderful group of friends met me at the finish line and accompanied me to the reception.
After a great tandem massage (two people doing a gentle massage and stretch, legs/feet only) I got some more snacks. They had smoothies - though they were using yogurt, they made one up for me with just fruit and juice - peanut butter banana sandwiches, some other dairy items and some dried fruit and nut mix. I stuck with my smoothie and some of the fruit and nut mix, along with a cup of green tea. Once I got through that (though I shared most of the fruit and nut mix), we all headed out to lunch. We settled on Chinese, since there is generally something for me to eat and close by. I got buddhist vegetables with tofu and brown rice, which was quite yummy. After lunch I headed home to get cleaned up and put my feet up for a bit.
For dinner I steamed and then sauteed some kale with a little cider and maple syrup, heated up some leftover root veggies I had cooked in the crock pot the day before for dinner, and cooked up a veggie burger to have on a whole wheat bun. Oh yeah, I baked up a few waffle fries I unearthed for the freezer, because I was really jonesing for some fries. haha Not the healthiest, but delicious!
Dinner hit the spot, but I still wanted dessert. So I melted up a 1/2 square of unsweetened baking chocolate with some vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (maybe 1 tablespoon?), and 1-2 T of unsweetened coconut milk, in the microwave. Sliced up a banana, and bingo - delicious dessert.
I am still working on re-hydrating, which I'm not very good at. Pretty sore and stiff, but that should get better in a few days. Overall, it really was a great race experience. I think I learned some lessons, so maybe if I do it again I can improve. But, as I was told, once you've done one, you're a marathoner for life!
I can't say I have been very productive today, but I have been plotting what comes next, and looking back over my training. Since July I have run 454 miles! I know that doesn't sound like much to hardcore runners, but it's pretty exciting for me. This is definitely the longest stretch that I have run regularly, and obviously the most weekly mileage I have ever put in. Though I definitely plan to rest for this week and ease back into running to give my body time to recover, I don't want to lose my momentum. I'm afraid, based on my history, that I will revert to a couch potato now that my big goal is done and winter is approaching. So I have been collecting gear to keep my nice and warm, and hopefully motivated to run even in the cooler weather. I definitely want to focus more on strength training as well, but I think I will sign up for a 5K or two over the winter so I don't completely stop running.
Do you have winter running plans? Know of any fun winter races in the Philly area?
P.S. In the winter spirit, Vegan Heartland is hosting a giveaway with So Delicious. I always loved egg nog, so I am a sucker for a good vegan 'nog. I'm excited to try the new So Delicious flavors! Check out the giveaway!
I had a plain bagel for breakfast with some blueberry preserves (from a local farm - delicious!). I can't stomach too much before a race, so that was about the most I could handle. I lost count of how many gels I had during the race, but it felt like a million. Probably around 10, though. Sometimes I feel gross after a long run, from all those gels, but I recovered enough to start eating shortly after the finish line. I got a bag of pretzels and water going through the chute, and then headed to the Four Seasons hotel for the Runner's World Challenge Post-Race Reception. My wonderful group of friends met me at the finish line and accompanied me to the reception.
After a great tandem massage (two people doing a gentle massage and stretch, legs/feet only) I got some more snacks. They had smoothies - though they were using yogurt, they made one up for me with just fruit and juice - peanut butter banana sandwiches, some other dairy items and some dried fruit and nut mix. I stuck with my smoothie and some of the fruit and nut mix, along with a cup of green tea. Once I got through that (though I shared most of the fruit and nut mix), we all headed out to lunch. We settled on Chinese, since there is generally something for me to eat and close by. I got buddhist vegetables with tofu and brown rice, which was quite yummy. After lunch I headed home to get cleaned up and put my feet up for a bit.
For dinner I steamed and then sauteed some kale with a little cider and maple syrup, heated up some leftover root veggies I had cooked in the crock pot the day before for dinner, and cooked up a veggie burger to have on a whole wheat bun. Oh yeah, I baked up a few waffle fries I unearthed for the freezer, because I was really jonesing for some fries. haha Not the healthiest, but delicious!
Dinner hit the spot, but I still wanted dessert. So I melted up a 1/2 square of unsweetened baking chocolate with some vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (maybe 1 tablespoon?), and 1-2 T of unsweetened coconut milk, in the microwave. Sliced up a banana, and bingo - delicious dessert.
I am still working on re-hydrating, which I'm not very good at. Pretty sore and stiff, but that should get better in a few days. Overall, it really was a great race experience. I think I learned some lessons, so maybe if I do it again I can improve. But, as I was told, once you've done one, you're a marathoner for life!
I can't say I have been very productive today, but I have been plotting what comes next, and looking back over my training. Since July I have run 454 miles! I know that doesn't sound like much to hardcore runners, but it's pretty exciting for me. This is definitely the longest stretch that I have run regularly, and obviously the most weekly mileage I have ever put in. Though I definitely plan to rest for this week and ease back into running to give my body time to recover, I don't want to lose my momentum. I'm afraid, based on my history, that I will revert to a couch potato now that my big goal is done and winter is approaching. So I have been collecting gear to keep my nice and warm, and hopefully motivated to run even in the cooler weather. I definitely want to focus more on strength training as well, but I think I will sign up for a 5K or two over the winter so I don't completely stop running.
Do you have winter running plans? Know of any fun winter races in the Philly area?
P.S. In the winter spirit, Vegan Heartland is hosting a giveaway with So Delicious. I always loved egg nog, so I am a sucker for a good vegan 'nog. I'm excited to try the new So Delicious flavors! Check out the giveaway!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Tapering!
I am very excited: marathon day is only16 days away, which is hard to believe. And I am officially at the "tapering" stage of training. That is, running less and resting up to toe the line healthy and energetic on race day. Running has taken up a huge chunk of my time the last several weeks, so I am looking forward to catching up on some things during these "found" hours. Also, I'm tired, so the rest part sounds great. My last 20 mile run was last weekend (in the most horrendous weather, I was afraid my fingers were going to get frostbite, and I am pretty sure I was at the beginning stages of hypothermia by the time it was done), and this weekend's "long run" is only 13 miles.
With race day coming up quickly, the topic of carb-loading has been on my mind. Of course, that sort of sounds like every day for me. ;) Regardless, I don't think I have a solid plan for what I will eat the day or two leading up, and the morning of the race. So I have been thinking about that.
Also, I have been trying to figure out what's next. It feels like everything I have been striving for culminates in this day, Nov. 20. For awhile "after" has been a very vague thought, I have been so focused on being ready for this one event. But now I think I need to start working on a plan for "after" so I don't revert to couch potato status. I've worked way too hard to lose all my running fitness, and I don't want to completely backslide. I need a new goal to keep me on target after the marathon.
I've also been adding things to a "bucket list". It's pretty fun to come across these grand ideas that would be awesome to do "someday" and have a list to put them on. I tend to forget things, so this will help me remember all those really cool things that I would like to do. I am trying to figure out how to share the "bucket list" widget on here, so keep an eye out.
Related to the carb-loading topic, I'm thinking pasta with swiss chard for dinner. Both because I have a long run tomorrow, and I really like pasta. And the swiss chard from our garden was looking a little wilted from the cold weather, so DH picked most of it for us yesterday and there is a bunch in the fridge. If I come up with something awesome I will be sure to share it.
With race day coming up quickly, the topic of carb-loading has been on my mind. Of course, that sort of sounds like every day for me. ;) Regardless, I don't think I have a solid plan for what I will eat the day or two leading up, and the morning of the race. So I have been thinking about that.
Also, I have been trying to figure out what's next. It feels like everything I have been striving for culminates in this day, Nov. 20. For awhile "after" has been a very vague thought, I have been so focused on being ready for this one event. But now I think I need to start working on a plan for "after" so I don't revert to couch potato status. I've worked way too hard to lose all my running fitness, and I don't want to completely backslide. I need a new goal to keep me on target after the marathon.
I've also been adding things to a "bucket list". It's pretty fun to come across these grand ideas that would be awesome to do "someday" and have a list to put them on. I tend to forget things, so this will help me remember all those really cool things that I would like to do. I am trying to figure out how to share the "bucket list" widget on here, so keep an eye out.
Related to the carb-loading topic, I'm thinking pasta with swiss chard for dinner. Both because I have a long run tomorrow, and I really like pasta. And the swiss chard from our garden was looking a little wilted from the cold weather, so DH picked most of it for us yesterday and there is a bunch in the fridge. If I come up with something awesome I will be sure to share it.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
18 miles down, 20 is next! And a chocolate smoothie
My 18 miler today went well, with lots of Clif shots (4) and some electrolyte/carb beverage. The company helped a lot, also. :) I did have a teensy bit of tummy upset,so I don't know if I'll be repeating my pre-run smoothie before a run again, but it was tasty! Here's what I put in:
Chocolate Protein Smoothie
1 c. almond milk
1 scoop vegan chocolate protein powder (I used the Clean program stuff, but use your favorite)
2 bananas
1 T. milled chia seeds
chocolate Amazing Grass GREENSuperFood (or use the version w/protein and skip the protein powder)
ice
Blend it all together, using more or less ice, to taste!
I also had 1/2 cinnamon raisin sprouted english muffin prior to my run. I think I need to do more muffin, less smoothie next time. I also found some yummy raspberry fig newtons at the co-op tonight. I am thinking of carrying a few of those with me next long run and trying those in place of 1 or 2 of the gels. The calories and carbs work out to be very similar for 2 fig newtons. I have heard of people doing this successfully, so I may give it a shot. Next weekend is my first of two 20 mile training runs before race day!
Chocolate Protein Smoothie
1 c. almond milk
1 scoop vegan chocolate protein powder (I used the Clean program stuff, but use your favorite)
2 bananas
1 T. milled chia seeds
chocolate Amazing Grass GREENSuperFood (or use the version w/protein and skip the protein powder)
ice
Blend it all together, using more or less ice, to taste!
I also had 1/2 cinnamon raisin sprouted english muffin prior to my run. I think I need to do more muffin, less smoothie next time. I also found some yummy raspberry fig newtons at the co-op tonight. I am thinking of carrying a few of those with me next long run and trying those in place of 1 or 2 of the gels. The calories and carbs work out to be very similar for 2 fig newtons. I have heard of people doing this successfully, so I may give it a shot. Next weekend is my first of two 20 mile training runs before race day!
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