The last long run on the plan

Today was the last long run on the plan.  It was eleven miles with the last three at goal pace.  Due to morning thunderstorms we did not run until 4 p.m.  There was rain all weekend with potential for flooding.  The Meramec River was up and predicted to be over the trail head later tonight.  We ran through some puddles over the trail but had a fairly dry run.  The sun even tried to come out a couple times.  The run felt comfortable.  I am counting on Kathy to rein me in during the race.  She is much better at pacing than me.  I am counting on her marathon experience to pull me through.

Only one week until the race!  As we finished the last long run I was sad that the training is coming to an end.  Running a marathon is more about the training and preparation than showing up one day to run a race.  It has been fun to have a friend to share the experience with.

I am going to make sure to get plenty of sleep this week so I am well rested for the race.

Race day forecast:  Low 43, High 67 and sunny.

Single Digits

I have been counting down to the marathon for four months.  Today the countdown is down to single digits:

8 - Only 8 days until the Marathon
7 - Days in a week that I think about running.  Even if it is a rest day I am still thinking about      running.
6 - Number of hours it takes to drive to Cincinnati (unless Kathy speeds which she has been known to do)
5 - Number of different pairs of shoes I have used in training:  Ghost which I retired, New Ghost, Glycerin, Cascadia, Ghost GTX - All Brooks
4 - Only 4 more training runs on the schedule
3 - Bruised toenails
2 - Strong legs
1 - One week and one day until the race.

Since Kathy mentioned the St. George Marathon I can't get it off my mind.  It looks like a fantastic race for a fast time.  There are no flying pigs but the scenery is beautiful.

Today is a rest day which is good because it has been raining all day.

Three First Place Finishes

This evening was the Wildwood Arbor Day Be Brave 5K race.  Kathy and I had registered as a training run.  This was a good fast tempo workout.  Jim got home from his hiking trip last night.  He decided at the last minute to sign up even though he had blisters and had not been running.  It rained much of the day but it stopped long enough for us to have a dry race.  Jeff and Sully were our cheerleaders.  It was a nice cool evening.  All three of us came in first in our age groups.

Kathy came up with an idea for us to run the St. George Marathon.  I looked it up and it is one of the top races for qualifying for Boston.  It is also listed as one of the best destination marathons.  I am already excited because I have had so much fun training for the Flying pig; however, I am going to see how I feel after Cincinnati before making my decision.  It is only 5 months and 8 days away.

The Brain

Today I went to Paducah for a quilt show.  It was a long but fun day.  I did not run but I did lots of walking.  I was talking to a woman on the bus who has studied the brain.  She said the brain has no fat cells (this is a good thing or many people's head would explode).  The brain has to get it's nourishment from somewhere else.  You need to eat to feed the brain.  The brain is also 73% water.   It is very important to keep hydrated.  We must eat and drink to keep the brain in good condition.

Knots

I moved tomorrow's 4 mile slow run to today because I will not have time to do it tomorrow.  I looked at the weather forecast and decided to run before work because there was a chance of thunderstorms most of the day.  My legs were tired from yesterday's ladder workout but I kept it slow.  A run is a great way to start a day.

When I finished my run I really had to go to the bathroom.  The drawstring in my running shorts ended up in a  knot and I could not get my short down over my hips.  I was about to get the scissors to cut the drawstring, but I got it untied just in time.  Note to self:  Tie a bow.

Current weather forecast for Cincinnati on race day:  Low 54, High 72, mostly sunny with 20% change of rain.

Seeing Things

When I run on the trails sometimes I see things.  A stick can look a lot like a snake from a distance.  I see a lot of snakelike forms but when I get closer I realize it's a stick.  Occasionally I see a real snake but they don't look much like sticks.  A curled up leaf with a long stem from a distance can look like a dead mouse.  Today I saw what I thought was a rock but when I got closer it was a big toad.  I see things when I run or my imagination see things.

Today's workout was ladders.  It was 2 times 1600, 800, 400 with a quarter mile recovery between each interval.  It was a good workout.

Rocks are Flying

I have been very focused on the marathon plan and training.  Today I realized that I am less than 5 weeks from the senior Olympics.  Most of my senior Olympics events are running so I will be trained.  However, I did sign up for shot put.  I need to lift some weights and practice my technique.  Since I do not own a shot put, I practice in my yard with a rock that is about the right weight.

Today was a rest day.  I worked on arm strength and shot put technique.

Long Run Sunday

Today was a 15 mile long run with miles 12-14 at race pace.  It was a beautiful day with the temperature in the 50s when we started.  The run felt great and the three miles at race pace felt comfortable.  I think we will be ready.

Since both our husbands are out of town, Kathy invited me over for dinner.  I learned long ago never to pass up a free meal.  Kathy made us delicious spaghetti so we can start our carb loading.  Then we took 3 of her dogs for a walk.  Her dogs are a good source of comic relief.  When we got back to her house we played ping pong.  Ping pong is the only sport which requires eye-hand coordination that I can sort of play.  I hadn't picked up a ping pong paddle in years, but it came back to me.  It was great fun.

The marathon is two weeks from today.  When I looked at the two week weather forecast for Cincinnati, race day shows low of 54 high of 77 with morning showers.  They don't know what the weather will be tomorrow, so I don't rely much on a two week forecast.  We will run regardless of the weather and it will be fantastic.

Open Day

Today was an open day on the schedule.  I did some shopping.  I ran into a man I used to work with.  I told him that I was training for a marathon.  Then I told him that Jim joins me for short runs.  I told him that he doesn't do the long runs.  I mentioned that I was going to run 15 miles tomorrow.  He said, "I'm sure you won't find anyone to join you for that distance."  I said, "Of course, I do.  I have a friend that will run the marathon too and we do long runs together."  He was astonished that there was another person that would want to run 15 or 20 miles.  I'm looking forward to the long run tomorrow.

Rainy Day

Getting a run in on a rainy day takes timing.  Since today was a work day and a rainy day my choices for running were lunch and after work.  When I looked at the forecast it looked like lunch was my best bet.  I dressed for a run and went outside and it was drizzling.  I came back inside but then decided to go run since there was no lightening.  It did clear up so I got in a dry run.

Today's workout was a 4 mile recovery run with hills.  I ran the subdivision which is pretty hilly.  I ran easy but felt stronger as I ran.  Each mile was faster than the previous mile.

I was watching the Cardinal baseball game and they were talking about pitchers with a dead arm.  When a pitcher has a dead arm their velocity drops.  It is usually due to being tired.  The last couple days I have felt like I have dead legs.  I have pushed through my workouts but I have felt tired.  I think the taper the next couple weeks will do me good and I will be strong and ready for the race.

Seventeen again

The number seventeen keeps coming up.  It is now only 17 days until the Flying Pig Marathon!  Today I went to the trail to do my run.  Kathy was finishing her run as I was starting mine.  I was so happy to see her running and looking strong.

Today's workout was a warm up then 4 tempo miles then a cool down.  My legs were tired but I pushed through.  I think it was a good workout even though I was tired throughout.

Procrastination

One of the race series Jim and I have enjoyed is the Alpine Shop Trail Run series.  I meant to sign up but didn't get around to it.  Now it is full, sold out, no room.  Procrastination does not pay off.

I have not procrastinated when it comes to my training schedule.  I have kept on task.  Today was a rest day.  I have gotten away from doing my planks and push ups.  I changed that today and am back to regular planks (which I really don't enjoy.)  I know they are good for me.

Muddy Shoes

I usually wear my running shoes about 300 miles then they become walking, shopping, yard shoes.  When they get close to 300 miles they become my mud shoes.  They still have some runs in them but I don't care if they get muddy.  Today I put on my mud shoes and ran 8.2 miles on trails.  I kept the pace slow and easy.  There was some mud but not too much.

There were a lot of bikers out today.  On the single track trails I usually step off the trail when a bike comes because I don't want to be run over.  Many of the mountain bikers are crazy and think they own the trails.  Today I passed at least 10 mountain bikers.  One stopped and pulled over so I could pass.  The one polite biker happened to be the only women biker I saw today.  I have encountered polite male bikers but in general the women are more sensible.

I am worried about my slug sister, running buddy.  She is dealing with some pains and trying to get better so she can run again.  It's not as fun without my slug sister.  Even if we don't do every run together it's fun to have someone to train with.

Boston Marathon

Today was the Boston Marathon.  Since I was working I didn't get to watch but I did get the news later.  Kenyans won which is not a surprise.  But an American man came in 2nd and American woman came in 3rd.  This is a strong statement for US distance running.  The speed at which these elite runners complete a marathon is baffling.  I could not run one mile at the pace that they maintain for 26.2 .   Most inspiring is Kathleen Switzer who was the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon back in 1967.  She registered with her initials because they did not accept women.  She ran again today at age 70.  In 1967 she ran for women.  People did not think women could or should run that distance.  Today she ran for older runners.  Many people don't think running is good for seniors.  She is proving them wrong.

Today was an easy 4 mile recovery day.  After a day off I am always ready to get back to training.

A day without running shoes

I wear running shoes to run.  I also wear running shoes to walk, hike, shop, do yard work, and walk around the house.  Running shoes are the most comfortable footwear I own.  Today was a rare day where I did not wear running shoes at all.  It was an open day on the training schedule.  It is also Easter.  We went to visit Jim's parents.  When we got home I took a walk.  I wore my Chacos all day.  Chacos are the most comfortable sandals in the world.  Tomorrow - back to running shoes.

Tired but stylish

Today was a 20 mile long run.  I felt good until the last 2.5 miles.   My legs felt okay.  My breathing was fine.  However, the heat was starting to get to me.  It was 84 degrees when we finished.  This was the warmest weather that I have run in  since last fall.  Kathy saved the day by having cold Gaterade in the car at the halfway point and at the end.  The last couple miles were tough.  It was especially tough because Kathy was having SI joint issues and wisely decided to cut her run to 18 miles; therefore,  I was by myself at the end.   I thought that a 20 mile run would make me mentally tough.  It made me tired but I pushed through.  When I finished I thought that I was much, much slower than the last 20 mile run but I was only 4 minutes slower over the 20 miles.  I  was happy with that considering the heat.

The last 7 days were the highest mileage 7 days of my life.  With the half marathon on Sunday 13.1, Tuesday 5 Mile, Wednesday 8 miles, Thursday 8 miles, Saturday 20 miles;  this was 54.1 miles in a  7 day period.  No wonder I am tired.

Kathy saved my life.  She spotted a tick on the back of my leg.  I was able to remove the tick before it transferred some deadly tick disease.

When I got home from the run I quickly showered and got ready to go to my brother's for an early Easter celebration.  There were an assortment of siblings, nieces, nephews and relatives there.  I glanced at my 24 year old niece's feet and saw blue toenails.  I was going to ask her is she had taken up running but realized that it was nail polish.  She had blue toenails on purpose.  I have 3 purple-blue toenails.  I am right in style.

Looking Ahead

It's only 23 days until the marathon.  I have reviewed the training plan for the last few weeks.  In January when Kathy gave me the plan I was overwhelmed.  I had only run one marathon and my plan was a long run on weekend and a couple runs during the week.  The plan looked difficult.  But taking it one day at a time was  not problem.  Just like taking the marathon one mile at a time will be no problem.  I have enjoyed following the plan and having a slug sister to share it with.  I am realizing that in 24 days I will not have a plan.  I think I will miss it.

Today was a rest day.  I rested.

Tempo Run

Today was originally 3 miles at 5k pace.  Since we are recovering from the half marathon it was changed to a 3 mile tempo run.  After a three mile warm up I ran the three tempo miles in 8:57, 8:58, 8:47, then did a two mile cool down.  My legs were a little tired but felt good.  I have enjoyed the variety of runs in the training plan.

Many days when I am running after work I see a woman about my age on a bike.  Yesterday when I got to my car she was turning around and we stopped and talked.  She is a runner but prefers to run in the mornings and bike in the afternoons.  She also ran the Go St Louis half marathon on Sunday.  (She is really fast.)  She paid for the shuttle from  Union Station to the start.  She said the shuttles were overbooked and she ended up walking to the race start.  We were smart to stay downtown and not deal with race morning logistics.

Taking it Easy

When I looked at this week's schedule, I saw 40 miles of running.  Today had an 8 mile medium-long run.  Tomorrow is 8 miles with one mile repeats at 5K pace.  In order to save my legs for tomorrow's work out I decided I need to keep today at an easy pace.  I did the 8 miles at a walk/run like we will do in the marathon.  Average pace was 10:36.  I think tomorrow will be a mental work out for me.  5K pace is hard.

I am now over 400 training miles.

Jim rode his bike while I was running.  He rode home and had dinner ready when I got home.  He had wine poured.  When I sat down I somehow jostled the wine glass and it splashed on my arm.  Not wanting to waste wine I licked it off my arm.  Lesson learned:  wine does not taste good with sweat.  Yuck.

Easy Run

Conversation with Jim:

Me:  I am going for an easy 5 mile run.  Do you want to go?
Jim:  There is nothing easy about running 5 miles.
Me:  It's five miles at an easy pace.
Jim:  I guess I'll go.

Jim led the way on the five mile easy run.  I love running on the trails and seeing all the wildflowers.  Feeling good after the half marathon.

The day after

I have never felt this good the day after a half marathon.  I could have easily gone for a run today but at this point I know the importance of rest and recovery.  Jim and I took a walk after dinner and I did some stretching.  The next two weeks are high mileage weeks.  I feel strong and ready.  I just need to keep healthy the next month.

I noticed at the race that men will step off the course to pee whether there is a port-a-pottie or not.  There was an underpass in Illinois a couple of miles into the race where there were at least a half dozen men peeing.

Go St Louis Half Marathon

Today was the Go St. Louis Half Marathon.  We spent the night at the Marriott Downtown which made our morning less stressful.  We arose about 5 am and had bagel with peanut butter and walked to the race start.  It was about 60 degrees with a cloud cover.  The course ran over the bridge into Illinois then back into Missouri.  I felt good and enjoyed the entire race.  We did not walk the first mile and a half and ran at a pretty good pace throughout.  My last mile was my fastest at 8:30.  I think all the hill training I did helped greatly.  This is the best I have ever felt after a half marathon.

I am super proud of my Slug Sister Kathy.  She did not feel 100 percent and still had an amazing performance.  She was awesome.

This was a training run.  Lessons learned for the marathon:

When you enter a port-a-pottie check to see if there is toilet paper before dumping a load.
Start slow and take walk breaks.  Save the speed for the end if you still feel good.
Seriously - don't start too fast.
Have fun.

Half Marathon Eve

Tomorrow is the half marathon.  I went for a short walk with Jim this morning.  Today is a rest day.

Later we will go to the Expo and pick up our packets then head downtown.  This is good practice for the marathon.

I have been hydrating today because tomorrow will be warm.  This means I have been peeing also.  I always get nervous before a race.  Between being nervous and excited my head is spinning.

Easy Three Miles

Today there was an easy three mile run on the schedule.  I considered skipping it and going for a walk instead but after sitting at my desk working all day I felt like running.  It was a nice easy run.  I feel strong and ready for the half marathon on Sunday.

A month or so ago I started making a list of all the things I need to take to Cincinnati for the marathon.  As I think of things I add them to the list.  I have not traveled for many races so I need to be prepared.  My list has necessities like shoes, socks and sports bra.  This weekend the half marathon is good practice because we are going to spend Saturday night downtown.  This will make Sunday morning less stressful because we won't have to drive and park.  It will also be a fun girls night.  I have friends who go an girls cruises and excursions.  I may be weird but I am more excited to have a girls race weekend than I would be to go on a girls cruise.  (I would prefer to have Jim on a cruise with me.)

Mushroom Hunters

This time of year I see adults wandering through the woods.  It is the time of year to hunt morel mushrooms.  They will be off trail hunting for their treasures.  It is like an Easter egg hunt for adults.  They will often act like they are just out for a hike because they don't want anyone to know where they find mushrooms or someone might come and take them all.  I stay on the trails and run.

Today I ran an easy 5 miles at lunch.  Jim went with me.  He asked me what was on the schedule and I told him 4 to 6 miles easy.  At exactly 2 miles he stopped to turn around.  I asked what he was doing and he said we've been 2 miles, it's halfway.  I said it was 4 to 6 miles. and He said we were halfway to 4.  He was a trouper and ran another half mile to make it a total of 5.  Since I have a half marathon on Sunday it is best that I took it easy.

Port-a-Pottie Prayer

Port-A-Pottie Prayer

When out for a nice daily trot
I need a Johnny-On-The-Spot
I see one and I run, I dash
I sit and pray, Oh please don't splash.

We all know how important restrooms are to runners.  Enough said.

Today was a rest day.  I considered moving up tomorrow's run but thunderstorms kept me inside.

Yasso 800s

Today's workout was Yasso 800s.  I was excited about this workout because it is a classic marathon workout.  The elite runners do Yasso 800s.  I am doing the same workout as the professionals.  It makes me feel like a real runner instead of a 61 year old office worker who runs sometimes.  I ran 6 repeats between 4:01 and 4:08 with the last one being the fastest.  The original workout had 8 repeats but it was cut back to 6 because of the half marathon this weekend.  I feel I could have done two more.

Jim went with me today.  He ran his own version of 800s.  He ran two repeats with a warm up and cool down.  He did great.

Thunderstorns

I was considering moving tomorrow's run up to today; however, due to thunderstorms I ended up doing stretch and strength in the house.  I will run in rain but not in lightning.

Today I signed up for the Wildwood Be Brave Arbor Day 5K.  Wildwood always does a good job with their races and I like the cause.  This race is April 28.  It is 9 days before the marathon.  It will be a good speed workout.

Baseball

Today is the first Cardinal game of the season.  I hope they score a lot of runs.  To score a run they only need to run 360 feet.  The outfielders usually run around a bit.  In a whole baseball game they don't run a far distance.  I like watching baseball.  These are professionals whose job is to stay healthy and play games.  They have professional trainers and medical staff to keep them healthy.  It always amazes me that many of these professionals who should be in tip top shape get injured.  These injuries include common things like plantar fasciitis, hamstring pulls, ankle strains, etc.  Our Marathon training  plan is devised so there are rest days and easy days between hard work outs to keep us healthy.  I need to stick to the plan to keep healthy.  Today was a rest day.  Jim and I took a walk on the trail early this morning.  I rested as planned.

One week until the Go St. Louis Half Marathon.  I feel strong with my training.  I am going to make it a point this week to get plenty sleep, hydrate and eat well this week.

A little too fast (I miss my Slug Sister)

Kathy is my training teammate, my slug sister, my coach companion, my pig pal.  She is also a magnificent mother.  This week she drove out East to help her daughter and son-in-law move from Virginia to Pennsylvania.  I had a weekend filled with family obligations that left this morning the only time for a long run.  It was also the first long run in a while by myself.  I had overnight house guests.  Is it rude to leave them?  I let them sleep and I got up early and quietly got of the house before they got up.  I put in my 15 miles and when came home Jim had made them pancakes and sausage and cleaned up the kitchen.

My run was a little too fast.  I know these long training runs are supposed to be slow.  Here is a review of my run:

Mile 1 -  11:07 pace - pretty good maybe a little fast.
Mile 2.5 - I realized I had been forgetting to walk.  Going too fast.  This is why I need my slug sister.  She keeps track of the walk/run.
Mile 3 - Temperature was in the low 40s when I started.  I was dressed for cool weather.  Took off my ear warmer.
Mile 4 - Took off my gloves.
Mile 4.5 - Put my gloves back on.
Mile 5 .5 - Took my gloves off again.
Mile 6 - Put my gloves back on.
Mile 7-12 - Cruising along enjoying the day.
The last three miles were supposed to be at race pace.  I was trying to hit ten minute miles.  My last 3 miles were:  9:56, 9:57; 9:51.  I finished feeling strong and fresh.  I felt I could have run further and faster.  Final was 15 miles at average 10:26 pace.

I decided to Park at Sherman Beach and run to Rockwood Reservation.  This meant that I did not go back to the car mid run.  I decided to put a bigger water bottle in my hip belt.  The water bottle was one that I had used on my bike.  It was okay for a bike where it is upright in the bottle holder.  In the horizontal position in  my belt it dripped water on my butt they entire run.  This is why it is important to audition gear and clothing before race day.  This water bottle flunked big time.