Towards the end of training, training report

Big mileage weeks are starting to seem like the norm (Sarah, don't go thinking you can add more miles to next week :) and that's a good thing since there is one more before the taper begins. My routine has been - get up way before the crack of dawn, run 12-14 miles (depending on the day) and go to work. That just happens twice a week. Other days we just run an easy 7 or 8 unless there is a pace or track workout. I'm feeling like I'm in the sweet spot of the training where it seems pretty easy and I'm feeling in pretty good shape. I wish this lasted longer. Pretty soon we will start our taper and feel like out of shape slackers.

On Saturday I celebrated my 36th birthday with a 20 mile pace run with Sarah in Golden Gate Park (a new workout that Sarah made up I think. You do 3 miles easy, 3 miles pace three times with a 2 mile cool down).  She said to think of it as a 3 course meal and had a goal to run each pace segment faster than the last. I stayed slightly faster than my zone most of the time and felt pretty good - the last few pace miles I really felt like I was working, but it strangely made my legs feel good. Go figure. It was a nice birthday run. After, I hopped on a plane to NYC, where I am writing this.

This week is a lower mileage week before we ramp it up next week one more time.

Two other big developments!

I got an iphone and now I can easily take pics from the road!

I got a running skirt! I guess I can't make fun of them anymore!

40 plus weeks

Heading up to this week I've felt pretty strong during the long runs but I think the miles are catching up with me a bit. This week my legs felt pretty heavy and I was a little concerned going into the 18 miles because I wasn't feeling good. We ran in Alameda and started out slow. At the end we had planned a 2 1/2 mile pace run to end fast and to test out or marathon pace. It was cloudy and really quiet when I started the pace part and I got my second wind and finished faster than my goal. We're doing a lot of long runs this training go around and I know they will be hard, but worth it. But I'll still whine about it sometimes :)

Sun, oh sweet sun

Sorry east coasters (and skin), but I have some sunburn and it feels good!

Running to Saulsalito was beautiful and sunny today. We parked at Sports Basement and ran over the Golden Gate Bridge past Saulsalito - it's downhill or flat most of the way there and the back is a climb, but the views are worth it. We kept a pretty good pace even up hill as bikers were whizzing by.

Sunday Lazing About

I really wanted to have a relaxing Sunday, and I can say that I got what I wished for. Yesterday I work up early and went running at the Iron Horse Trail with Sarah. She gave me a run for my money, literally. If I had money in my pockets, it would have flown out :) Her long run pace is almost 2 minutes faster than mine and I did my best to keep up. It was almost better than my 1/2 marathon PR when we got to the 13.1 mile marker (according to my Garmin). We are running the Kaiser Half next weekend so I am hoping that I am well trained for a good PR.

Tomorrow is a 10 miler but the rest of the week is fairly mellow so we can taper a bit. I know after the half the training is going to ramp up, so I am going to enjoy this week as best as I can.

In the groove

At the end of last week, I seem to have hit my stride again (literally). The hill workout, tempo and then the Saturday long run went very well (always love running in Alameda) - my legs have lost their early training sludge and seem to know what it is they should be doing. I'm blaming the following things for this:

a.) I have a kick ass running buddy who motivates me (Sarah!) and a very supportive fiance (Dan) who puts up with my crazy running schemes.

b.) I have other things going on that make running seem like a stress less joy!

c.) I am eating eating pasta again

d.) I am getting in better shape?

I know I'll have weeks when I'll reread this in disbelief, but for now, I'm just enjoying it.

That leads me to this week. I ran 8 miles in the rain today, down Lake Street, down to Baker Beach, up the hill to Golden Gate Bridge, down to Chrissy Field and back up Presidio. It's a loop I've done on the weekends but always added more by going over the Bridge. This time I did the loop without the bridge and added about another half mile or so when I could. It's very hilly in the middle and at the end but I like the terrain changes. Since it was raining, I had to be extra careful of cars and of slipping - I noticed that people really can't see you even if they are stopped at a stop sign and you've already been crossing. I almost got run over twice. After that I was extra careful.

Anyway, the rest of the week is pretty similar to last week (switch out the tempo for a steady state) except for a 17 miler this weekend. I think we'll hit 40 miles this week!

The Great Highway

Along Ocean Beach in San Francisco is a sometimes windy, foggy, sandy, soggy road that is called the Great Highway. Many marathons, races and training runs hit this road because it's flat, scenic and has a great paved trail along it. It's not very long, but it adds a few miles to a run through the Golden Gate Park. Sarah and I have a love hate relationship with this trail. I think we love it because it's a no brainer - you don't have to worry about traffic or hills. But we hate it because it can be cold and very boring. It's hard to avoid it though because San Francisco is notorious for a lack for flat roads to run.

You can get an idea that this area is historic by looking at the crumbling promenade even before you hike up the hill to the Cliff House and Sutro Baths. The historic Playland Amusement Park used to draw people here, but now surfers and people walking their dogs are typically who you see along the beach and in the water. But when it's really warm out it can get crowded with people who are flying kites, sun bathing and otherwise looking for a typical California beach experience.

So this takes me to yesterday's run - down Arguello Blvd through the Golden Gate Park (a mild down hill) and along the Great Highway for a bit and then back home.

The 13 mile run wasn't bad, even with the rain that was of course at its worse along the Great Highway. My toes got a cold soaking in a few puddles but the rain never really got bad until I was back home. Today, I'm going to tempt the rain again and head out for my last run of the week, an hour run down Presidio.

Windy Post Thanksgiving Long Run

November in San Francisco can be warm, rainy, cold, windy, foggy or all of the above. Mostly it's about 65 and sunny and that's pretty much what it was yesterday, except for the wind. I ran against it on my way to Marin over the Golden Gate Bridge, and it carried me back to San Francisco, almost lifting me off my feet at times. Tres gusty! That was the fun part. Then I ran the rest of the 13 miles, getting the mileage wrong and running an extra .5. I think anything over about 11 miles hurts. Or at least that's how I feel right now because it's the longest I've run in 4 months. In January when I start my marathon training again, I'm sure I'll be wishing for a Saturday with only 13 miles to run!!

It was really nice though and made me relax for the rest of the day, since I didn't have much energy for anything else.

Power running

Becky, my BFF/Matron of Honor/wedding cake designer flew out from Philly last week to see me. After a busy week at work, we had a busy weekend getting some planning done. She even played around with cake design, since she has so sweetly offered to make my wedding cake. I decided to drag her along on my long run on Saturday, thinking she could bike beside me. I run much slower than she bikes, and she had to go on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was pretty fun and the weather was great.

Congrats to Sarah!

My running buddy Sarah ran the NYC Marathon in 4:07 yesterday. She did this after having run the SF marathon only 3 months ago!! She is a rock star.

I had some of my own victories last week, having gotten back into a running routine. I ran 4 times last week and ended with a 8 mile run through Golden Gate Park yesterday that was really nice. I ran with my ipod for the first time in awhile and I think that really helped my pace.

Happy November!

Intervention Successful! I have quit the couch (for now)

Not that I've been a complete sloth - I have been running a few times a week and doing the 30 day shred a bit but I could see myself slipping into the couch more and more. Yesterday, Sarah staged an intervention. I think she was afraid she's lost her running buddy. She's got the NYC Marathon next week so she's maintained her running hardcore like while I've taken a bit of a break. So, over pizza and gelato, she created a plan to get me in shape for our marathon training which starts on Jan 2nd. I will be back to running 4 days a week and I'm hoping to keep doing the dvd to help with abs and arm stuff.

The intervention worked and I ran 9 miles today from my house down lake street to Baker Beach, halfway over the Golden Gate Bride and back through the Presidio. It was warm, sunny and great. Glad to be back, hope I don't fall off the wagon.

Back with a bang!

Saturday morning at 5am I woke up with a bang - the loudest thunder I have ever heard caused me to wake up gasping for air with my heart pounding. Dan went out of the bedroom to see what it was because he said maybe it was a gun going off. Probably not the safest thing to do but very brave. He came back and said it was thunder and it was raining, very strange for September in San Francisco. The lightening storm continued as Sarah started her 19 mile run and I joined her at mile 12 so I could run 7 miles. It was hailing, rainy, foggy and humid. I staggered along still trying to get back into running shape. After our run, we saw that PG&E had closed off my street. I asked them what happened and they pointed me to the corner. The lightening hit a transformer and jumped to the two cars next to it and melted the fronts of both and set them on fire. Crazy.

This week has been slightly more uneventful. Dan and I did a 5 mile run to Mountain Lake on Monday and today I hope to do a hill workout after work. Friday is a tempo run and Sunday is 10 miles. Next week I will get back into 5 runs a week until I do a slight taper for the US Half Marathon on Nov 1st. I don't really have a time goal for that race, I just want to stay in shape and hopefully maintain it over the holidays because on Jan 1st I am going to start really getting in shape for the May 2 Avenue of the Giants Marathon and then for my wedding on July 3rd :)

12 Mile run along the Crystal Springs/Sawyer Camp Trail

It felt a little like vacation today on our 12 mile run on the Crystal Springs/Sawyer Camp Trail, the second to last weekend run before the San Francisco Marathon. We experienced beautiful views of the Crystal Springs Watershed, fog covering green hills, and deer crossing the trail. The paved 6 mile trail ends at the San Andreas Trail for a 12 mile out and back route. Bikers, groups of runners and walkers made the trail a little bit crowded, but it was nice to go somewhere we hadn't run before. Between mile 5 and 6 it's a pretty "nice" uphill (if started on the south side) with a nice downhill after we turned around. All in all, it was a very nice mellow run. Next week is mellow as well with an 8 mile run on Saturday. I am going to try and encourage myself to rest, hydrate, stretch and think positive thoughts over the next two weeks so I can do my best to do my best on July 26th. As cheesy as it sounds, I think all of that could only help. Cheese is good.

Philly for the last long run before SF Marathon

Oh vacation, you are such a buzz kill to my marathon training plan. Every time! Too much fun, too much drinking, not enough sleep, no set schedule - you think I would learn by now not to have a vacation in the middle of training for a marathon, or marathon training in the middle of a vacation! Ok, I will stop my rant. Just wanted to set the tone of my "boo hoo is me" mood post vacation.

Over the ten days traveling I managed to only skip two runs, which was great. The only problem was planning my last 20 mile pace run. The intention was to run for 12 miles and then 7 miles at marathon pace, followed by 1 mile of cool down. I was thinking I could do this in Watertown NY where my brother lives. He had to work the day after we got there so I thought I could run then. He was able to get the morning off last minute so of course I wanted to spend time with him instead. This caused me to plan the run on Saturday when we'd be in Philadelphia. Friday night we stayed at a hotel and went out for dinner and drinks with family. I went to bed at midnight after carbo loading on beer and pizza. I woke up at 6am and started running at 6:30. It was already hot and I didn't have coffee or toast like I normally do. Instead I ran past a 7-11 and bought some Smart Water (has electrolytes!) and string cheese. I ran along Penn's Landing, down to the Art Museum, along Kelly Drive, to Manayunk and back.


There was a rowing race going on so it started to get crowded on the path along boathouse row and slightly beyond. I did the 12 miles without a problem and managed to get a mile or so in at pace before it got really hot and my legs got really tired. I opted to just finish the run at long run pace. At the time, it seemed like my only option. I also didn't plan it right, and got back to the hotel at 17.5 miles instead of 20. Now I feel like I failed myself in some way. I am hoping this didn't mess up my training and I can still get a really good finishing time on marathon day.

I did an easy run on Sunday and today and have a few quality runs scheduled for this week. I am going to try and do the best I can.

ps. the next few weeks should be filled with sleep, good eating, lots of water drinking, and more rest.

20 Mile Fun Run

Today's 20 miler included 12 miles of long race pace, 6 1/2 miles of marathon pace, and Sarah's most dramatic fall of the training! I think she was trying to out do my fall two weeks ago, as she skidded and scraped her hands, chin, legs and chest. It was a scary fall. We found a hardware store with a nice worker who let us use the bathroom to nurse wounds. Then we were off to "enjoy" the next 12 miles.

Here's a map of our route (more or less):


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During the last 6 miles when we aimed for marathon pace, I stayed within my pace range for most of the miles. Mile 3 I took a gel and walked for about 30 seconds so that messed up that mile's pace, and then the next one I think I was just tired. The last two were pretty good and reminded me how hard marathons are at the end and you have to just push, push, push and find strength somewhere.

Pace Yourself

Ah, a long training week is over. What a fun week. Yesterday capped it off with a 18 1/2 run in beautiful Tiburon.

I'm trying to think back to past marathon training weeks to see if this was indeed the hardest week ever. I think it may have been. Although last summer we ran from Stinson Beach to the top of Mt Tam and back, I think yesterday's workout is a rival for toughest run. We did our "pace run," starting out with a 12 mile long run pace segment, followed by 5 1/2 miles of "marathon pace." I've been a little confused as to what I should shoot for - two weeks ago all of my marathon pace miles were under or close to 10:00 miles. If I am training for a 4:30 marathon, my pace would average 10:19. So this time, I opted for sticking closer to that time, it helped that my legs felt way more tired this go around. My range was 9:58 - 10:26, 9:58 was my last mile. That was sort of my goal - to make the last mile the fastest. I started out slower so I think that really helped me end strong, even though I had a few miles out of the goal range. Next Saturday we have another one of these runs - I plan on trying very hard to keep it between 10 - 10:15 for each mile, again making the last the fastest. It's hard to maintain a good pace at the end of a marathon, so I'm hoping these runs will help me get to my goal this time.

On a wonderful side note, after the run, I celebrated my one year anniversary with my boyfriend Dan. He ran the Sacramento Marathon with me last year, staying with me every mile. He is the best.

Tiburon makes me run faster

Yesterday was our first "pace run" - this is where we run for 12 miles at a easy pace, and follow it with several miles of our marathon goal pace. We started by doing 4 miles at goal pace with 3 more in store for the coming weeks. We choose a flat route which Sarah researched online - a 17 miles adventure in Tiburon. Most of the route is flat, with a paved bike trail and a sandy running trail on both sides. I couldn't believe how amazing the views are, even on an otherwise dreary foggy day.

The first part of the run went by pretty fast. We tried a new type of gel named Octane which I think gave our legs a burst of energy, and took off for the 4 miles. It went well - I started out a bit to fast and that ended up being the best mile. The third one was good and the last one was the slowest. I also stopped for a few seconds on those two miles to catch my breath and have some water. All in all it went well and I am almost excited for the next three. almost.

Monday is a 80 minute run. I am going to continue speeding up the medium runs to maintain a consistently faster pace.

I love the running

The end of the second week of training has arrived! Sarah mentioned a few days ago that this is the first marathon we've really trained for. At first I thought, that can't be right - we've run many marathons, and one an ultra! We should be pros by now. But now I know what she means - except for training for half marathons, we've done little more than the bare minimum in the past. The first few marathons, I just wanted to make sure I finished. Then I would have a time in my mind, but not really any new strategy to get there. This time is different. We have a game plan! I upped my training during the first week way more than the 10% that you are supposed to. I went from 3 to 4 days of running a week (3 days at little more than 30 min easy ish runs) to 5 days with hills, speed workouts and three runs at more than 5 miles each. That's a lot for me. I'm saying this to justify all of the whining that I plan on doing :) Of course, I am doing this to myself. Oh well. I love the running.

Friday I got new shoes! My shins felt better and I ran 5 miles. Saturday Sarah and I ran 15 miles in Alameda (Bay Farm Island) and today I went for a swim just to see how my legs are doing. I am tired, but I think week three will be great.

A Hill-arious run

Sorry for such a cheesy title but I could not resist. Well I could resist but that wouldn't have been as fun.

I was in charge of designing our 13.5 mile run today from my house. We ran from my house up to Presidio, down Lake Street, up a huge hill, through the golf course, down to Mountain Lake, up Clement street, way way up, down past the cliff house, through Golden Gate Park and back to my house. Sarah was laughing on the way back thinking of the saying "When I was a kid I had to walk to school up hill both ways." That was our run today, an "up hill both ways" loop (an elevation gain of 3,110 ft). I don't think she'll put me in charge of our routes anymore.

It was fun though, very humid for San Francisco and raining to boot.


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Running is such sweet sorrow

Ah the aftermath of a good run. I am longing for a bath, a nap, lots of food and a beer but I will do none of those things. I am catching up on the show Survivor. When I was watching it last week all I could think of was how much I'd miss running if I was on that show. I imagined running in circles because they probably keep you in a very small area. I'd be so weak from not eating a thing, I'd pass out and be sent home on day 3. I wouldn't have an ipod or my new Garmin that I'm so in love with. Oh the humanity! Those really are the comforts in life.

Today Sarah and I ran 12 miles from Sports Basement in the Presidio, over the Golden Gate Bridge, down to Fisherman's Wharf and back. Then I bought a Garmin so I could torture myself during my training and stick with a faster pace. I am excited for Monday's Run.