Vacation

I have been on vacation for the last 7 days, and so far it has been very bad and very good for my running. The bad part is that I didn't have a chance to do my 12 mile run last weekend or this week because we've been busy running around all over the Pacific NW. The good part is that the weather is perfect and my running times have been great! 4-mile run Sunday at 9:56/mile, 3-mile run Wednesday at 11:10/mile (it was around 85*, hottest day of the week), 3-mile run Friday at 9:49/mile. My average is usually 11-11:40/mile in Hampton so I was very pleased. Tomorrow I am going to try to get a long run in but since the race is 1 week away I'm going to keep it to 7-8 miles. I feel bad about not getting in my 12 miler, but a lot of training programs only have runners go up to 10 or 11 miles for the longest run so I should be ok.

We went to REI and they had a HUGE selection of gels so I am trying an Apple Cinnamon Hammer Gel tomorrow. I also got a few more Gu's. They have a much better selection than the Dicks and the running store by us.

My eating has been atrocious but I curbed it after 4 days of all-out junk fests so I think I should only gain about 2 lbs. But with 2 half marathons in the next 3 weeks I will lose it pretty quickly hopefully!

T-minus 3 weeks and counting

This morning was my second-to-last long run of training, 11 miles. Up until now I have been using the non-recommended method of running as long as I could before taking a walk break, even though everything I've read has said to take breaks early and often, before you need them. With only 2 long runs left I figured I should try a new strategy today, since I haven't always been feeling the best during/after my long runs.

My new plan is to take 1/4 mile walk breaks at 3 of the water stops at the half-marathon, at 3.2, 6.7, and 9.6 miles. Each running segment will be 2.65-3.25 miles, totally manageable. Today to make it easier to remember during the run, I took walk breaks at 3.5, 7.25, and 9.5 miles. It went much better, I felt much stronger, and I recovered much faster than previous long runs. I felt fine afterward when I usually feel like laying on the couch for a few hours. So I think this is a good strategy to go with. Overall my average pace was not much slower than normal (12:06/mile, also had to stop to tie my shoe once) and my total race time would be around 2:38 if I do the same pace on race day. I hope to go a little faster, I was purposely going slower since it was just a training run. The good thing is I was able to maintain miles between 11:30-12 min the whole time, when I usually slow down a lot at the end.

After the run I showered and had breakfast and we headed down to the Outer Banks for a few hours. We had Dare Devils Pizza and got some homemade ice cream at Scoops. I also got some fudge for later tonight, yum! I can't remember the last time I ate this much, my body is just using up everything I put in it.

Next weekend is 12 miles but I'm not sure where we will do it since we will be in Oregon. I can't believe the race is so close now. Only 3 weeks to go!

Burn out

Sigh. Lately I've been feeling like running is more of a chore than a choice. I think it can mostly be attributed to having to get up at 5:30, and the hot, humid weather. I've been keeping up with my training schedule perfectly, but I find myself longing for the days when I won't have to plan everything around running. I miss having free weekends, sleeping in on Saturdays, not worrying about how what I eat will affect my running, not being hungry all the time, and having normal-looking toes and toenails. I am looking forward to being done with my half-marathon, so I can go back to running when I want, how long I want, how fast I want, and how often I want. As of tomorrow I will be 18 weeks through training, 4 to go. This is the critical time, only a few long runs left then it's into my taper and then it's race day! I think it will be good to take some time off from racing after that, find a good spring race to focus on, and take it from there.

Double Digits

First 10-miler today! The weather was great, around 70 and partly cloudy. Hubby has been having a problem with his hip so he ran the first 2/3rds of it with me and I ran the rest solo. I walked for 1/4 mile during mile 9 but other than that I ran the rest. I was sooo tempted to walk a second time but I knew I would regret not giving it my all. We beat our previous 8k and 10k times (56:44 and 1:11.25, previously 57:57 and 1:15.01) and my total time was 1:59.04/11:54 min pace. Not bad! Much better than my 8-mile and 9-mile runs. Next weekend is only 8 miles so that should go fine.

Afterwards I kind of felt like I was going to pass out. I made it through the door and had to sit down right away, I had no energy left at all. Hubby made me get up and walk around to cool down and let my heart rate slow down gradually. I started guzzling water and powerade and hubby cut me up an apple. After a few minutes I felt better but I was still pretty drained for awhile. I should probably start eating breakfast before my long runs, I am just used to getting up during the week and going straight out for my short runs. I had two Gu's during the run but it wasn't quite enough to balance out the 1,100 calories I burned :)

I also technically hit my 3rd goal weight after the run, but of course I am not counting this as my real weight. It's still fun to see the number on the scale though :) I keep lowering my final goal weight, when I started I wasn't sure how low I could go since I haven't been this low since I was in elementary school. So far I've been hitting all my goals luckily. We are going on vacation in 3 weeks so hopefully I'll be close to my (new) final goal by then so I don't have to diet during vacation.

Running is so much more fun when its not 85 degrees out!

This morning I got up to do my usual 4-mile run and when I checked my phone it was only 70 degrees out! I decided I could do a slow 4-miler any time, so I should take advantage of the weather and do a fast 5K.

Mile 1: 10:02
Mile 2: 9:58
Mile 3: 10:28
.01: 0:48.
Total time 31:16, average pace 10:06. Beat my old 5K time (33:42) by almost 2 1/2 minutes!

It felt good to actually feel like I was running and not just jogging/running in slow-motion. It was so much cooler too, I didn't feel like I was in a sauna the whole time. I am definitely looking forward to the fall and cooler running temps. I told hubby, next summer I am not training for a half-marathon, long runs in the heat take all the fun out of running. I can do a spring/late spring race, and a late fall race, but nothing from June-September. At least not while we are living in the south. I'm jealous of all my friends that get to run in Oregon, it was perfect running weather last time I was there. That is one advantage of the climate that everyone seems to complain about!

It ain't pretty

Today hubby and I had what I call an "ugly" run. A 9-miler was on deck, and despite the current heat wave we set out at 6am, both dreading it. It was already about 83 and fairly muggy when we started. We went to the golf course since it has a 3-mile loop and we could stop back at the car between loops to refuel and rehydrate. Even hubby, who never sweats when we go at my pace, was sweating. I hate walking before I really need to, but we knew with the heat and humidity we would have to be careful. After about 5 miles I got really mad at the weather and just wanted to be done. There were bugs flying everywhere (tons of gnats, dragonflies and giant moths in this region) and they kept hitting us in the face and buzzing by our ears. I was completely soaked in sweat, luckily I brought a towel so I could dry off before getting in the car. We were SO GLAD to be done and not have it hanging over our head all weekend. Next week will be 10 miles but I don't even want to think about that right now!

Have you seen my running mojo?

I don't know where it went. My two 4-mile runs this week were awful. My pace wasn't horrible but it wasn't great - 11:38 on Tuesday and 11:29 today - but I just felt terrible. I had no energy, my legs were fatigued (which never happens), I felt nauseas, I started to get stomach cramps (which also never happens). It was a struggle just to finish. It's frustrating because I've had three great running weeks with no problems, not even on my long runs. It doesn't give me a lot of confidence going into my 9-miler this weekend. Hubby says not to worry and everyone has bad days, but I haven't had a bad run in almost a month. It was 78* and pretty humid both mornings, but that's how its been for the last 2 months and I've been fine. Hopefully I find my mojo again cause I don't know how many more runs like this I can take!