Random Thoughts

Here's a quick post consisting of the hodge-podge of thoughts currently rushing through my head. Enjoy.

• Happy Easter! I enjoyed a quiet weekend celebrating the holiday. Saturday consisted of running, shopping and watching The Ten Commandments - fun fact: my dad once met Yul Brynner in a restaurant. Today was a great day visiting with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousin. And lots and lots of dogs. We attended a wonderful Mass followed by lunch at Cheesecake Factory ... stuffed (but still able to make a hefty dent in my Easter basket candy haul.)
• Anxiously anticipating noon on Wednesday April 27th - waiting for the announcement to see if I make it into the ING New York City Marathon! The race might not be until November but Opening Day activities start taking place this week. Fingers crossed!

• I was able to get in a quick 8 mile run yesterday between the rain showers that have plagued us for the past week. Sorry team, the forecast doesn't look too great for the upcoming week either. It was a good final "long" run before next weekend's race. Taking is easy with tapering.
• Getting very excited (and a little bit anxious and nervous) for Sunday! At this time next week I will have finished my fourth 26.2 race after I complete Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon on May 1st. Hoping for less rain than last year ...

• Upon finishing the marathon I have two goals: buy new running shoes and register for my next race. The event has been selected but suggestions on shoes are still greatly welcomed. Post-run on Saturday I was still experiencing pretty bad blisters on the inner arches of my feet. I have purchased some heavy-duty waterproof bandages to wear next weekend, but desperately need new kicks once the race is over.

praying these will help

• Yesterday I purchased yurbuds earphones. I have yet to test it out but I am excited to give them a try - my current Nike pair have been giving me trouble lately and will not stay in my ears. yurbuds were advertised at the National Marathon a few weeks ago in DC so I thought I would get a pair and see how they work!

• Current to-do checklist: survive work week - pack travel bag for next weekend - charge iPod and update playlists - confirm oil change appointment - pick up eyeglasses - finish preparing and mail birthday gift for my LA bestie - finish preparing and wrap anniversary gift for Mom + Dad - make a dent in this month's book club selection - print race confirmation documents - etc.
• Despite the fact that I spent over an hour and $60 grocery shopping yesterday, I had a minor freak-out this evening when I realized that I had ZERO sports drinks left in my refrigerator. This resulted in an urgent trip and the following results were produced (in addition to a jar of pasta sauce as I plan on carb loading for most of this week)

breathing a deep SIGH of relief

• And last my last random thought - a lot of people have been dying recently. Sure, people die every day but it seems like over the past week I have heard of more and more people passing away than I would normally know about. Thankfully I have not personally lost any of my loved ones, but my heart and prayers goes out to all those in mourning. Spring is meant to be a season of rebirth and renewal and I hate to think that there are others out there suffering with grief and loss. Know that you are not alone - Heaven has a few new angels to welcome home.

Stay strong. Run on.

congrats are in order ...

Congratulations to all of the finishers during this past weekend's big races!

There were marathoners abound across the globe - Way to go to all of the finishers in the UK at Sunday's London Marathon - And super kudos to everyone who qualified and completed the infamous Boston Marathon on Monday! You all have accomplished greatness with your running!  You did it!

But just in case you start thinking too highly of yourself ... did you complete your first marathon this weekend, and then run an additional 99 miles back to your home? No? Well this man did.

Sam Robson - runner extraordinaire

Check out this article from Yahoo! that chronicles his amazing story!

Not only did Sam finish his first marathon and then trek home - he did it all in the name of raising awareness for an extremely worthy cause: Sam has suffered from epilepsy for many years and wanted to fundraise with his running.

Sam Robson #forthewin #inspirational

(wo)man in the MiR(ror)

Want to make a change (to your workout routine?) Introducing ... the MiR (!)

The MiR brand manufactures professional-grade weight training materials - and they are best known for their weighted vests. We all know the significant importance of incorporating weight training into our workout routines and I decided to purchase this little guy a few months ago to add some variety to my schedule. I LOVE it and will continue singing the praises of weighted training!

The vest I selected is a 20 lb Pro Weighted Vest. I purchased my unit from Amazon during one of their weekly specials and got it for a steal - it was under $50 plus shipping (and the shipping can get expensive when you consider how heavy the package is to be mailed.) It arrived in a deceivingly small box but weighed a lot [~20+ lbs.]

It definitely took a little while to get used to the weighted vest. I leave it around my place and when I go to pick it up out of the closet I always give a grunt as I try to heave the thing up - I sometimes feel like I can barely lift it! 20 lbs is A LOT! But now I can put it on and run for miles like it is no problem ...

For me one of the most difficult parts is physically getting the vest ON and OFF. The unit I purchased does not have adjustable straps on the shoulders but rather just a hole for your head. So I have to hold it up in the air, fling it over my back where it always lands with a THUD and then wiggle my little head in before allowing it to rest comfortably on my shoulders. I strap myself in tightly but still allow plenty of room for my chest to expand and contract as my breathing patterns change throughout my run.

not a bullet-proof vest ...

I can not cover extremely long distances while wearing the vest (usually just worn during my 4 mile loop) and it certainly slows down my overall pace - but what it IS doing is aiding in strengthening my muscles and training my body to overcome adversity: so that way when I reach race day and approach the starting line without wearing the vest, my body is able to easily adjust and is more than prepared to take on the run under much easier conditions. Training with the vest has definitely increased my overall strength, stamina and speed.

One thing that is great about MiR is their vests give you the ability to easily change the overall weight. The units are comprised of small pockets that each hold a 0.75 lb weight. You can simply add or remove these weights to increase or decrease the total weight of the vest.

The only minor issue I have encountered with my MiR is a bit of chaffing. When I originally first began wearing the vest I noticed I would have a large bruise directly on both of my hips bones following my workout. After a few few painful times of this occurring I discovered an ingenious solution and simply removed the weights that were hitting my hip bones - viola! - pain free and bruise free. The other place that still chafes at times is on my collarbone. My collarbone protrudes a little bit and the way in which the vest lays on my front causes the neckline to rub against it. It has gotten better over time as I have adjusted to getting the vest fitting more correctly with each workout - but every now and then I will end up with a few small red marks on my collarbone after a run. (For those considering purchasing a weighted vest I suggest you select a unit where the shoulders unstrap to form separate front and back pieces. This will allow for (1) a more comfortable way to get the vest on and off, and (2) easy adjustment to reduce chaffing resulting from an ill fitting unit.)

Here's a scan of the brochure I received with my MiR weighted vest - Be sure to check out their website for more information! Use the promo code "JOINMIR10" to receive $10 off for each weighted vest and $15 off orders of $250 or more.

There are lots of companies that manufacture weighted training materials - so do some research and find out if adding a piece to your workout routine will be beneficial. Make that change ...

I'm starting with the man in the mirror.
I'm asking him to change his ways.
And no message could have been any clearer.
If you want to make the world a better place,
Take a look at yourself and then make a change.
-Michael Jackson

Sunday Run-day

~20 miles. check.

I knew it had to be done. I had marked 22 miles on my calendar (wishful thinking!) planned for 20 and finished at just over 19. Not too shabby for an early morning activity!

I didn't stay up too late Saturday night and was able to start off early Sunday morning. It was a little foggy and overcast to begin but soon cleared up and turned into a hot sunny day. I decided to given the Trail another go - this time with much more preparation on my part. I only got lost a few times but was never too worried. It was SUCH a beautiful day and there were tons of people out and about. It always makes me so excited and happy to see others enjoying the weather and exercising!

I trekked from my home to where I thought a connector would meet up with the trail. Either I misread the map online or that part of the trail was underwater (the trail runs right next to the river and we are currently at a fairly high flood level) so I was a little lost and confused right from the beginning. But no fear - I simply made a loop back towards my place and started out on the path I usually take until I was able to meet up with the trail further North.

I had mapped out my run beforehand and knew the general direction I was headed but didn't really know what to expect along the way. I love to use mapmyrun.com and highly recommend it. I personally prefer the classic site to the newer version but it's user's choice. Because the trail has so many twists and turns it was a little bit difficult to track exactly how far the final distance officially clocked in at but it was definitely between 19 and 20 miles. (There was also my little slip-up loop at the beginning that I had not planned for ahead of time.) I also use the Nike+ system which confirmed my distance but I know my unit is not correctly calibrated ... so I always take those results with a grain of salt.

As I kept on running, I was lucky to experience lots of new sights on the trail (as I hadn't officially made it onto the actual trail on my last attempt.) The things and places I saw along the route were really cool. I headed through Downtown like I always do and went by many of the sights I chronicled in my previous post (ex: past the ship and tall buildings.) Then I made it to the official trail head and kept close to the river for many miles, past the University and finally North of the city. I ran past multiple parks and through the Wetlands area. I even saw a box turtle (reminds me of the summers growing up where we would find loads of these reptiles in our back woods after the rains ... and reminds me of how my little dog was nicknamed the "turtler" because these creatures drive her mad as she incessantly barks at them.)

About 7 miles in I heard my phone ring. I usually don't run with my cell but it is definitely safer to have one on you at all times - just in case. (The main reason I don't like to run with my phone is because I once killed a cell phone while running with it due to sweat seeping into the unit. Fail.) But I also like to keep my phone nearby when anyone in my family is traveling and Daddy is over in Geneva this week. But when I saw it was Sanj I knew she would understand that you don't take calls during a run and decided to call her back when I got home. (Plus I knew the reason she was calling ... BIG super secret surprise !!! Yay !!!)

One thing to note about me - and many other runners I hope. I do not run straight for 20 miles. I know very few "real" people who can do this. I walk. A lot. And I am proud of it. It is so important to listen to your body. It is also important to know when your mind is being lazy and trying to pull tricks on you. There were numerous times when I caught myself thinking "Oh that bench looks so comfortable. Just sit down and rest for a minute." But I forced myself to keep going and kept my feet moving. Even if that meant walking - which I did a lot. Around mile 15 I saw a co-worker and attempted to greet him with a "Hi!" but could barely grunt out any sort of greeting. Just kept on trekking.

I finished in around 4 hours and 12 minutes coming in with an overall pace of 12:12. Not too bad. And I was very pleased (insert irony here) to actually be able to find hills on my run. I live in a completely flat city now and never have the opportunity to train on hills. So the few I encountered on Sunday were welcomed (but certainly still tough.)

[Warning: Here comes my griping and complaining. Pictures accompany.]

As I finally made it back to my place and hobbled / limped to my door I grabbed some water and collapsed. One aspect where I failed to plan ahead was with keeping hydrated and refueling during my run. I was very mad at myself because it is so vital to keep your body running strongly during your workout. I always carry cash with me (cab fare in case of emergency or injury) but was unable to find any place along the route to buy a bottle of water. Better luck / better planning next time.

Upon entering my home I knew I had to tackle my feet. I run in Nikes and have loved their performance. But this last pair I purchased in late October is still giving me trouble - I think it has to do with the inserts so I switched them out with another set from an older pair - hopefully this slight change will make a big improvement. (Let you know after I test it out next weekend ...) I always get the worst blisters on my inner arches. (This Sunday I had formed blisters that rubbed and popped during my run only to form further blisters under the old ones. Gross. And very painful.) So I took my American Red Cross First Aid training and put it to good use (I worked for ARC for many years even serving as a course instructor teaching others) and fixed my feet up in no time.

blister disasters

on the road to recovery

What concerned me more perhaps were my hands and hips. On extra long runs I have noticed that my hands and fingers will often swell to many times their normal size. I believe it happens especially when I am not well hydrated. (I first noticed this occurring in November during my race in Malibu.) I think it is a combination of lack of water and excessive heat. (It was over 80 degrees! Yes!) But my hands went back down to their normal size after I cooled down and recovered. 

 my swollen hands post-workout ... 

please ignore the pen marks on my wrist : i keep notes there of landmarks / mile markers

after recovery : no more fat hands !!!

But ever since Sunday my hips have been killing me in a way that I have never encountered before. I have been taking it slow over the past few days and while I am working towards recovery this pain still makes me nervous.

But perhaps the WORST of all of my ailments (final complaint here) is the sunburn. I am extremely fair-skinned. I wear SPF on my face every single day. But with it being so foggy and overcast in the morning I did not think to lather on any additional sun block. And I paid for it in the form of a bright pink streak down my right arm, an additional streak on my left arm accompanied by a farmer's tan line where my iPod arm band hits, and the piece de resistance - a very clearly defined red "V" on my neck from wearing an open-neck shirt. Let's just say I was wearing long sleeves and a scarf to the office on Monday. (Pale kid tip: keep aloe vera with lidocaine in the refrigerator at all times. Super soothing and it does wonders to aid in your skin's recovery.)

More than anything the run gave me peace of mind that I will not kill myself in Cincinnati on May 1. I can survive.

Please keep my friend in your thoughts and prayers. He shared some sad news today that absolutely broke my heart. Remember that everything happens for a reason and you never know where this crazy journey called life will take you.
God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow or sun without rain.
But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way.

Run Around Town

I have lived in my town for over a year and a half ... and I just discovered the city's local running trail! I think Mother Nature read the rant on my previous post and delivered GORGEOUS weather the rest of the week. I hopped in my car and ventured out towards the trail head immediately following work.

I give the experience an overall B+. The trail was wonderful but there were some many errors on my part that lessened the enjoyment of the run. Starting out ... I got lost en route to the park. Like previously mentioned I have lived in my city for quite some time now - and I still rely on my GPS like my life depends on it. (I regularly get lost driving to work ...) So I stopped at a gas station and did a quick search for directions on my Blackberry. A few minutes later I was there! (The park is actually only about 5 minutes away from my home and I still managed to get lost ... stupid one-way streets!)

But my failure to plan regarding directions cascaded into general failure to plan the run. I was overdressed for the occasion - while it had snowed only days earlier I was now sweating in long sleeves and shorts. It was almost as if my body had forgotten how to run in warm weather. And I desperately needed sunglasses which I totally forgot. In the excitement to get started in exploring a new place I totally forgot to stretch and my knees were crying only minutes into the run. I got lost multiple times as I was rather unsure about the direction of the trail. I ran right past a sign marking a No Outlet area. And the bugs ... oh the bugs. I forgot that bugs like gnats love warm weather and thrive near water. The trail is planned along the banks of a local river and let's just say I swallowed more than a couple of those little suckers. (And one large guy in particular even ended up in my eye! Yikes!)

But what I lacked in preparation was made up for in the beauty and enjoyment of taking in the scenes. I truly live in a beautiful city - and I was able to experience it from different views I had never explored before. It was a gorgeous day and I had no expectations. I was free to wander and see the sights as I pleased. It wasn't too hard of a training run because I spent much of the time snapping pictures on my phone. But it was definitely a cool new place to experience! I love that even though I live in a very urban setting downtown I can easily catch this quick escape into nature.

snapping shots of the city skyline

ship in the city / downtown harbor

spring has sprung

daffodils in bloom

obsessed with clouds and the skies : lovely

i do not follow directions ...

city from afar

i reached the end of the line ... dead end

intrigued by these crazy spikes

this BIG guy ended up in my eye ... ouch (!) 

down by the river waters

hey girl hey

sunset ... love love love 

66 degrees !!!

back in the city

city center 

beautiful.

Adding the trail to my list of regular favorite running spots. Details on today's ~20 miler to come ... after many hours of recovery.

Under the Weather

I've been feeling under the weather lately - not to mention the weather has not been cooperating with me! There is some sort of cold/flu/illness that has been going around both my home and workplace and unfortunately it looks like I might have caught it. There is the sore throat, icky cough and temperature swings - not to mention my general state of zombie-like tiredness from traveling for the past three weeks. And I've heard that I have loss of appetite and possibly vomiting to look forward to - oh joy. Some people will claim that exercising while sick can help to "sweat it out" of you. Illness doesn't send me running anywhere ... except straight for my bed.

I am also a general cold-weather-hater and winter has yet to leave. We've had recent bouts of snow (not too much accumulation but enough to make it unbearably chilly) and rainstorms of torrential downpour conditions. And for a girl who hates staying indoors, needless to say the nasty weather and being under the weather have kept me slacking on my training. I hope to be feeling better soon and greeted with sunny skies and warm weather.

snow greeting me after work : doesn't mother nature know it's april?

And to add insult to injury (or injury to more injury ...) I made the unwise choice to trek around on my travels last weekend in killer heels - killer because they look fabulous but have killed my feet. Blisters are abundant - the price of beauty.

love me /or/ hate me

Heading down the road to recovery - Praying for sunshine and smiles for miles.

Timing is Everything

With a new Half PR behind me, it's time to start looking towards my next upcoming race - Cincinnati's Flying Pig Marathon! Last year's Pig was my first 26.2 mile run. (And what an experience it was! I'll have to dedicate an entire post to that story!) I have just under a month left before the big day and I think it is time to begin planning my pacing.

I've never been one to enter into a race with a particular finish time in mind. Usually my goals are to simply run as fast as possible with the hopes to potentially set a new PR while keeping in mind that I don't want to crawl across the finish line. And since I am perpetually always preparing for that next race, I also need to be able to recover quickly and get back out there to keep training. But I have recently come across some great pieces that have started to educate me about how I can be smarter when it comes to planning the pace timing of my runs.

I definitely have to give a big THANKS to Meggie for both of the following links. Meggie is a friend of my cousin, and although we have never met, I have become an avid follower of her running blog. She recently posted both of these links and I think they are very helpful to those of us trying to determine the right pace for race day.

The first strategy is called Yasso 800's.  Never heard of Bart Yasso? He is an amazing runner with absolutely fascinating stories, and I was fortunate to meet Bart and hear him speak a few weeks ago. Shortly after his lecture, I found the post about his 800's theory. The training involves running timed intervals and can help runners gauge a predictable finish time. Here's how it works:

Determine a desired finish time for your marathon. For example, if your aim is to run a 4 hour marathon (a little too ambitious for this girl!) you train by running a series of 800 meters (1/2 mile) each in 4:00 minutes. Between each of the 800 meters, recover by jogging for the same time it took you to run the 800 meters. So in this example, try to run 1/2 mile in 4 minutes, then jog slowly for 4 minutes. Then you repeat. The concept is to begin the 800's early in your training, perhaps repeating the run-series 4 times. Eventually your aim is to be able to repeat the series 10 times at your given goal pace. So if you are able to build up to completing 10 Yasso 800's at 4 minutes each, you can complete a marathon in 4 hours. Here's a Runner's World article that gives further detail to Bart's timing training. Personally I have not yet been able to complete the Yasso 800's challenge, and I am probably a little bit closer to my race date than would be ideal to begin training in this manner, but I still find this method extremely helpful and thought-provoking. I think it makes great sense and plan on completing a few of these workouts (maybe not quite getting up to 10 repeats) before the Pig..

The second tool is the MARCO strategy. It is an online calculator that helps to target a realistic finish time and ideal pace by mile to help you finish the race and set a new PR. The calculation requires that you complete a 10K or half marathon approximately 6 weeks before your marathon. Ideally your time should be recorded under race or competition conditions. (Remember that on race day you have to deal with things like crowds that you may not have encountered during your daily training runs.) You enter your completion time and maximum heart rate (the calculation for figuring this out is given on the web-site) and then your racing pace is calculated for you. It's as simple as that!

Here's the MARCO Strategy defined from the web-site and an example calculation.

"Start slowly, pass later, and you will be rewarded with your best finish time."

A wide-spread competition strategy of many hobby runners is: "I would rather run a little faster at the beginning, so that I have a little extra time later on. This puts me on the safe side and my target finish time is practically guaranteed." But this simple strategy hardly ever works. Instead, it is better to use the MARCO strategy and to begin your marathon with "controlled ease" in the first few kilometers or miles, because a slow start and budgeting your own resources are important for achieving your target finish time or your personal record.

The MARCO strategy takes the following into consideration:

• Your personal performance level
• Your fat and carbohydrate metabolism
• Your aerobic heart frequency range
• Your energy deposits

Used correctly, MARCO strategy will ensure that you do not suffer any setbacks over the entire course of the marathon. For most runners, this is an unachievable dream, because many have long ago accepted that the last kilometers (or miles) are always extremely difficult. This is puzzling, because a marathon without setbacks is a fast marathon.

Here's the Example Calculation: 

[I input a half-marathon finish of 02:00:00 for a person at 30 years of age.]

It really breaks it down for you mile-by-mile in simple terms with helpful tips!

So there you have it. Hopefully these will spark some thought into adding new spice in your pacing strategy. As with anything in life, these ideas should be taken with a grain of salt - apply your own theory and logic to challenge the above concepts. Determine what works FOR YOU! 

Here's to hoping for a perfectly timed race in the very near future!

Now. This is my time. And I'm going to make this moment mine.

I shouldn't have wasted those days.

I'll take what you give me. Please know that I'm learning.

I've looked in the mirror. My world's getting clearer.

So wait for me this time.

- Time, Chantal Kreviazuk

One of my all-time favorite songs. Ever. Too slow for a running play list, but an absolutely amazing message.