Athens Half-Marathon Recap

(And recapping last week is kinda worthless: Ran Wednesday and Saturday, strength-trained & walked on Thursday.) 

Athens is done, and I can't really complain too much about the way things went. I had a sore throat going into the race, but the illness mostly held off until Monday/Tuesday of this week so no complaints.  Let's back up... Saturday morning started bright and early with a 3-mile shakeout run. The training group had 12 miles, so Aaron and I met them to start them off. I didn't feel great, but it was okay. Then we ran a few errands and got on the road around 1:30 or 2.

First stop: Weasel Boy Brewing.  This is a new tradition, and I love it! Aaron and I worked with Lori many, many years ago, so we have quite the affinity to the place. Our whole crew met there, so that was fun. We had a beer or two, ate some pizza and growlers to go and then headed to Athens -- just to miss packet pickup.

 No big deal as we're staying in the host hotel and there was also packet pickup on race day morning. We did our annual Chinese meal (although it's probably no longer the choice as one guy had issues with it two years in a row) and got to bed early. I didn't sleep that well Saturday night, but that's to be expected. I'm never that comfortable in hotel bed. We got up at 6am, got dressed, ate, got our packets, etc. We were ready to head to the start and got there in plenty of time to hit the restrooms beforehand. Perfect.

Going into the race, I wasn't feeling very confident. I had abandoned any hopes of PRing, so I just decided to take it easy. I ran the first half at a pretty easy pace. My breathing was good, my heart rate seemed good. At the turnaround, I picked up the pace some, but not as much as I wanted. I ran pretty steady for the second half, so that's good. First half was around a 10-minute pace, the second half around 9:40. My watch says 9:37, and my official pace was 9:42. Given my fitness level and the fact that I'm sick, I can't really complain. I did what I set out to do: Run the race like a long run with negative splits and feeling good.  But man, I didn't feel well afterward. My right hamstring was a disaster. My cold came on full-force (along with a hangover from our victory lap in Athens). I'm turning the corner now, though.

Kinda embarrassing to be running while that dude's walking.
Or maybe it's the other way around. 

Aquariums at The Pub with a much smaller crew this year.

Next up is the Salt Fork 10 Miler and the Cleveland Half Marathon. Judging from Athens, I am not expecting anything great (especially since getting to trails seems to be pretty tricky for me). I'm still not 100% that I'm even running Cleveland, and I'm tempted to ditch Salt Fork (but that's mostly because I'm scared of how poorly I'm going to do). 

I took yesterday Monday and Tuesday off from running. I would have run Tuesday except I was laid up on the couch all day. (It was bad.) Running Wednesday, maybe something Thursday, maybe not (might have post-work plans) and then figure out the weekend. I'm keeping this week very loose since I'm sick and "recovering" from Sunday. I use quotes because it was more a long run than a race effort; however, my right hamstring was a disaster. I'm hoping a lot of that worsened by dehydration from the victory lap Sunday afternoon/evening. We'll see as I run this week, right?

Five Thing Friday

I started this post a couple of days ago and never finished it. With that in mind, I’m using a crutch to finish and post -- and also delete a lot of my rambling (but not all!).

Thing 1: The Athens Half Marathon is Sunday. It’s looking like rain, I have a sore throat and I’m not as trained as I would like. All that actually makes me feel calm about the race. It’s really just for fun. No real PR in sight, but I hope to run a strong race. I plan to start around PR pace (9:20) and go from there. Hold on or get faster -- it’ll all be fine. Hopefully I won’t fade, but if I do, it’ll be okay too.

Thing 2: I started reading Ready to Run after a running seminar at Crossfit Independence earlier this week. I set up the seminar for the training group, and it was originally going to be an intro workout. It evolved into a running seminar, so I’m still interested in doing an intro workout. In any case, the book is about running for life, being a well-rounded athlete and not skimping on maintenance (i.e., mobility and strength are not optional). (Also, next week, I’m planning to join this box on a group run, so expect an update on that.)

Thing 3: The seminar also got me thinking about why I run, where I am with running and where I want to go. I am at the point that I can run slowly for a long time, and that’s an accomplishment. My easy paces used to be difficult for me, and I’m actually seeing miles that start with an 8 on a more regular basis. That’s encouraging -- and getting faster is what I want, but I also want to run forever (meaning, when I’m old, not necessarily ultrarunning). I want to be the “old lady” who finishes surprisingly fast. But I’m not doing the things I need to do to make that happen (and... we’re back to Ready to Run).

Thing 4: I need to update my iPod Nano for Sunday, but I don’t know if I should bother. If it’s raining, I won’t bring it. But embarrassingly enough, I want to purchase “Shake It Off” and maybe “Blank Space” (along with “Uptown Funk,” which I have absolutely no shame over). I like a mix of stuff, and I feel like those along with my standards -- “Bernadette” and “Like a Prayer,” for example -- would be fun. I should have time tonight to look at this. Maybe I’ll look at podcasts or books on tape, but typically the volume is so low that I wouldn’t be able to hear/follow those very well.

Thing 5: I am STILL tired from last weekend, and I’m hoping that’s all this sore throat is. I often get sick when I don’t get enough sleep. If I can get my ass to bed early tonight, hopefully that’ll help. The problem is that whenever I go to bed early, I invariably wake up confused. Sometimes I start getting ready for bed (again), like trying to take out my contacts, wash my face and brush my teeth.

And that’s it! I’m off to finish up my day and then enjoy the weekend. I have the training group tomorrow morning, a few errands afterward (including Panera for cinnamon crunch bagel for Sunday’s breakfast) and then we’re on our way. First stop: Weasel Boy for a beer and a growler. Then we’ll head to Athens. Have a great one!

Weekly Recap

Aaron's brother got married this weekend, so I am exhausted after driving back from St. Louis yesterday. It was a quick trip -- we left Thursday morning and came back Sunday. That's okay -- a short week of training: 22+ miles, no cross-training unless you count all of the dancing on Saturday night.

And given how sore I am -- those heels, man! -- it kinda was crosstraining.

Monday: 5 miles, 47:24 (9:27 pace), Saucony Triumphs
After work, I ended up running 5 miles at a pretty decent clip, finishing up with an 8:38 mile. I ran in the Triumphs for the first time, and they felt pretty good.

Tuesday: off
This was supposed to be a gym day, but I couldn't take my outdated phone any longer. New phone procured, gym skipped. (It always takes so long.)

Wednesday: 7.13 miles, 1:11:02 (9:58 pace), Saucony RunShield Kinvaras
I ran 2.5 with the training group, continued out for another half-mile and then ran back by myself, trying to run "at pace." Those 3 miles were 9:03, 9:02 and 8:47. I have no idea how I could run 13 miles like that. Then I finished up with someone in the group for 7+ miles on a Wednesday. Not bad.

Thursday: off - traveling to St. Louis

Friday: 7.25 miles, 1:13:51 (10:10 pace), Saucony Kinvara 6
The first run in my new Kinvaras! I think I prefer the fit of the 5 better, but I think the 6 will be more successful. Anyhow, I was pretty sluggish, under-fueld and maybe a little overheated. We ran in Forest Park, which is a fantastic resource.

Saturday: 3 miles, 27:08 (9:02 pace), Saucony Kinvara 6
Just a quick solo jaunt before the wedding. I ended up running more quickly than I expected. Guess fueling up with two cold chicken tenders and an iced latte wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Sunday: off - traveling home

This upcoming week is all about rest and hydration, I guess. Athens is Sunday, and right now, that seems daunting. I am also bummed that I can't really sleep in until the 26th.

Preparing for Athens

Athens is coming up very quickly -- less than 2 weeks! -- and I do not have any grand plans of coming in under 2 hours. I know I can cover the distance, and coming in under 2:10 shouldn't be an issue. Aaron thinks I should still go for 2, but I don't know.

I tried last year and fell apart pretty badly, coming in around 2:03. I keep thinking I was in better shape last year, but a little examination of Garmin Connect doesn't show that definitively. I do know that last year, I had better long runs. I do know that this year, I haven't done a run over 6 or 8 miles at 10-minute pace or faster. My last decent long run was a 10-miler at 9:57 -- that was November, about a month after the marathon. I've been doing all of my long runs with training group so I have plenty of time on my feet, just nothing quick.

In any case, I don't know where I am. I have visions of doing 8 miles on Friday and trying to hit 9-minute miles for the middle 6 of that run. We'll see. We'll be running in St. Louis, so it's always trickier to plan workouts like that. Easy runs just fit in better.

But ultimately it doesn't matter. There's nothing I can do, training-wise, to make the race go better, so I should focus on what I can control: sleep, diet/hydration and foam-rolling.

I'll really hit the hydration next week, although generally I'm pretty good with that anyhow. I've tried going dry before, and I don't think it helped at all. I am limiting the amount I drink (although the wedding in St. Louis will be tricky) -- no need to drink more than one or two at a time. I will try to eat better, get all of my nutrients and vitamins.

But what I need to do is make sure I'm well-rested. I'm not tapering this week -- travel will do that well enough -- but I will try to sleep more and better. This week is just the lead-up, next week is the real deal in prep.

Spring Schedule

I haven't done many races since October's marathon (hmmm, where's that recap?). I did the Bernie Shuffle right after (untimed fun run), the Home Run for the Homeless (I think I PRed, but barely) and the Shamrock 15k a couple of weeks ago (about 35 seconds slower than last year, which is disappointing, but expected).

But spring is filling up, and I possess a disturbing lack of preparation.

First up is Athens Half Marathon on April 19. I had all of these visions of finally going under 2 hours, but now I'm not sure I can even PR (2:03). I'm just going to go out at 9-minute miles and try to hold on. (That didn't work well last year when I was in better shape, so I'm not sure why it will work this year.)

Next is the worst idea ever: Salt Fork Spring Challenge on Saturday, May 9, which 10.4 miles of trails. Real trails. I am not prepared, and that's in 6 weeks or so. There isn't a whole lot I can do with less than 6 weeks, but I'll do another post on that.

The week after Salt Fork is the Cleveland Half Marathon on Sunday, May 17. I do not intend this to be a goal race at all. I'm just going to wing it. I will likely still be very tired from Salt Fork, and the week between will be spent recovering. I will probably run with someone from the group, and I'll figure that out depending on how I feel.

I don't know that I will get a spring 5k in, but perhaps. I can't see how I could PR. Aaron's working the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, which is when we usually do the Marietta 5k.

So spring is set!

A more proper Athens recap

I really should recap the Athens half-marathon better, but now I'm a week and a half away from it, so it's hard to say what I remember!

The runners

Friday night before the race: The intent was to go to bed early and gets lots of sleep. I skipped a VERY GOOD show on Friday night with that intention. I didn't get to bed early.

Saturday: I got up early to head out with the training groups. I was running late and pretty much started the 5k run as soon as I arrived. I didn't get a chance to talk to any of the half-marathoners. We ran 2.5 miles, I think, and it was fine. Then Aaron and I got a late breakfast - should have eaten more! - and headed home to shower and pack for Athens.

Satruday afternoon & evening: We drove to Athens, but on our way, we stopped at Weasel Boy Brewing in Zanesville for a pint (well, two half-pints for me) and a growler fill. Did not eat anything. Then we headed to Athens. We arrived shortly before packet pickup was done. Picked up packets and made plans for dinner: Chinese! That seems to be our pre-race dinner of choice. Salty carbs for the win (the cilantro chicken at China Panda is really good, btw). After dinner, we stopped at the Jackie O's production facility for a single beer. Then it was off to bed.

Slept like shit. Of course.

Race day: We got up early, met our crew and headed over to the starting line. Everything was good. I dressed in shorts, a tank and my Nike Flyknit Lunar 2s. It was a little concerning how I WASN'T cold at the start.

It was gonna get warmer.

Miles 1-8 were pretty much on sub-2 pace. And then I slowed down tremendously. I guess I was hot. I fueled twice and took water/Gatorade along the course. I felt okay, just couldn't get my legs to turn over.

I still PRed with a 2:03:46, so that's good. I am still disappointed that I couldn't hold the pace.

Oh well, post-race, much fun was had bar-hopping Athens. Some new spots and some old spots, starting obviously with Jackie O's - beer and pizza is clearly my favorite way to recover from running! And no trip to Athens is completed without an aquarium from The Pub.

A PR, but no sub-2

I finished Athens in 2:03:46, which is a PR, but it's way off my sub-2 goal. I was on pace through mile 8 or so, but then I just couldn't do it. I'm not even sure what happened. Aaron and I were running together, and I know he was struggling too. At the turnaround, we lost these two women we were running with. One was doing the full marathon, and I'm not sure what happened to the other.

She didn't get her sub-2 either. 

It was just wasn't my day.

About that time

I am totally failing with this blogging thing, but that's okay. I restarted it more in anticipation of marathon training, and since that hasn't started yet, I'm okay.

So Athens is Sunday. Earlier this winter, it became clear, I thought, that a sub-2 wasn't possible. Now, I go back and forth. I don't really feel that confident since I haven't run that fast very much. I can't imagine that a 9:09 pace for 13+ miles is realistic.

HOWEVER. I should be in shape to PR this race. My PR is 2:07:something, and I should be able to come in under 2:05.

But I'm going to try for the sub-2. I have no idea how I'm going to start out that fast and then hold on, but if I don't try, then I'll never know.

What's the worst thing that will happen? I crash and burn? Oh well - what's that really going to mean? I'll feel bad about myself, but I'll get over it.

I cut the mileage last week and this week. I'm at 19 miles right now:

Monday: 4 easy in the rain w/ the HM group
Tuesday: 5 (1 easy, 1 "fast" at 7:54, 1 easy, 2 w/ 5k group)
Wednesday: 5 easy w/ the HM group
Thursday: 5 quickly (but still slower than sub-2 pace) w/ CP
Friday: off

Saturday will be 3 easy with the 5k group, and Sunday is THE RACE. Wish me luck!

Also, note that I skipped pilates on Tuesday. After Sunday's 5-mile trail run, I came home and was immediately sick with a cold and/or allergies. Monday, I felt iffy, but still did the group run in the rain. Tuesday morning, I woke up super-early, sweating, so I skipped pilates and slept for another hour or so. I felt much better after that, and I now think I'm healthy.

Anyhow, I"m just prepping myself for the race - resting, eating carbs and hydrating. Hopefully I'll report back with good news.

Recappin'

A quick recap of last week *and* last month.

Last week was my highest-mileage week ever. Yes, I said that last week. At 41.25 miles, that's pretty killer.

Last month was my highest-mileage month EVER. Big time ever as in 169.21 miles. And six other workouts (four pilates, two strength). A winning month, I must say, even if it wasn't particularly speedy. (Oh and only three complete rest days; two of them were last week.)

That's my downfall - running a lot, but the speed workouts are not quite as plentiful.

Last week:

Monday: rest
Tuesday: pilates + 6 miles + 3 miles + 1.42 miles
Wednesday: 5.57 miles (inc hill)
Thursday: rest
Friday: 4.75 miles easy
Saturday: 6.18 miles easy
Sunday: 13.1 miles

I'm starting a two-week taper because March was so full of the running. Roughly 30 miles this week and 20 miles next week. I don't have a clear plan, but something like that.

Maybe I should have a plan.

Monday: 4 miles easy
Tuesday pilates + 3 miles easy + NoBo (not sure if anything will be done here)
Wednesday: 5 miles easy
Thursday: rest or 5-mile tempo run + strength
Friday: rest or 5-mile tempo run + strength
Saturday: 7-8 miles easy
Sunday: 4-5 miles easy + strength

Plus lots and lots of stretching and foam-rolling. I need these leggies to recover. Athens is soon!

Mile Repeat Fail

Up and early this morning for pilates (I should really try not to be so tense), so I thought I'd do a speed workout afterward. I programmed my watch last night and planned to do three mile-repeats under 8:45 pace. That didn't work.

1. I was tired, and I was cold. 
2. After 1 mile, I was still cold, but I started on the first mile repeat anyway. It clocked in around 8:50. 
3. My 3-minute rest didn't appear (clearly I screwed up something when I programmed my watch) so the watch was yelling at me to speed up when I was trying to recover.
4. I gave up on the workout and figured I was tired and covering 6 miles is better than nothing. 

So I ended up with 6.23 miles at a 9:57 pace, which is fine. It isn't the workout planned. I'll try again Thursday night, I think. Tonight is our 5k group's halfway celebration and tomorrow is a hill run for the half-marathon group.

I'm trying not to think about how I couldn't hold pace this morning. I know I'm tired, and I was underfueled for the workout too. I know this. It'll be fine.

(Failed workouts really frighten me when I think about marathon training. I was talking to my boss who is going to help me with my marathon plan, and one of the workouts kind of scared me. And multiple 20-milers scared me too, but I think mentally I need to cover that distance more than once. Yes, the ultimate goal is just to finish my first marathon, but I really don't want to run for 5 hours.)

Weekly Recap

Another week, almost another 38 miles. Training is going okay (at 124 miles for March!). Some of my runs are actually purposeful! I am feeling confident that I can PR in Athens next month, although sub-2 still seems a bit out of reach. We'll see.

Monday: 2-mile treadmill walk (after Sunday's 15k, I needed a break)
Tuesday: pilates + 3 miles easy with CP, 1.5-mile run with No Boundaries 5k group
Wednesday: 4.5-mile run (pub run!) with 3 miles around 9, the rest going out to pick  up people from the half-marathon group
Thursday: 5 miles easy with Aaron and Katy
Friday: solo strength session + 4.5 miles easy on the treadmill at the gym
Saturday: 7+ miles with NoBo and the HM group
Sunday: 10 miles with the last 3 at race pace (all 3 under 8:50 so a little faster than race pace actually)

Let's talk a bit about this morning's run. A coworker and sincerely good runner told CP that she should do her long run with 7 miles easy and 3 at goal pace. So I figured I'd do it too. Last night, I probably drank too much (I won't list it out, but just know I should have had one fewer beer) so I wasn't feeling too confident, particularly about dropping the pace for the last 3 miles. We met this morning at the Towpath in Peninsula. A couple of people were only in it for a short run, so it was just me, CP and Aaron for the second half of the run. So we ran south 2.5 miles and back and then north for 2.5 and back.

Aaron and CP were a bit ahead of me on the second half, but they stopped to regroup before doing the 3 fast miles. I just picked  up the pace, and it wasn't easy. But also, not debilitating. I clocked in at 8:50, 8:47 and 8:49, I think, so I'm happy with that. Whether I can do it for 13.1 miles is a whole 'nother story.

I figure this upcoming week will be similar. Obviously Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are group runs where it's hard to plan. Tuesday mornings, actually, are easy to plan - pilates at 6:30 a.m. followed by a short, easy run. I'm hoping to do 13 next Sunday, and I'll probably do another run where I finish faster. I think that's good practice. And then I'll probably back off the mileage a bit to taper for Athens. I'm hoping well-rested legs will help me do well. God knows, they're tired right now.

Eek!

Yesterday, I did the unthinkable: I signed up for a marathon, specifically the Niagara Falls International Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 26. I just might restart this blog to document that whole debacle.

I am attempting to recruit others, and one person has actually signed up for the full. There is also a half-marathon so I am hoping a large contingent from Northeast Ohio will join me. I even booked my room for Saturday night. The other person who signed up has a place somewhat nearby, and we will spend time before and after the race there. That part should be fun, at least.

Obviously I have plenty of time before real training starts, so I will consider myself in base-building until the beginning of July, I guess. (And by "base-building," I kind of mean just keeping up with what I've been doing.) That will give me a 16-week training plan for the marathon.

In other news, Athens Half-Marathon is very soon (3ish weeks), and I am somewhat confident I can PR. A sub-2 doesn't seem extremely likely, but I think I'm going to go for it. I did a hilly 15k last weekend (9.3 miles), and it was at PR pace. I haven't been following a specific plan, but I have been running a decent amount. We'll see.

Recap: Athens Half-Marathon

Sunday was a pretty fantastic day, I have to say. I spent the extra cash and stayed within walking distance to the start. GREAT decision. We left the hotel room about 7:15 or 7:20 for the 8am start, so we had plenty of time to pee, eat a snack and warm up before the CANON went off. Never heard that before. It was like "Oh, guess we're starting now." I don't even remember hearing the National Anthem, which is pretty typical for these races.

Aaron had a plan to go sub-2, so he took off ahead of me. I started my watch late, so I just looked at it for my mile splits and tried to keep it at 10-minute miles. Seriously, I felt good-good-good for the first, I don't know, 10 miles of the race -- and my splits show where it got tough... and where I realized that and actually manned-up a little.

(Funny thing: I started my watch late and ended up with exactly 13.1 miles!)

My official time ended up being 2:11:05, which is almost exactly a 10-minute pace. That was the goal. Sub-2:10 this fall, though!

Aaron totally kicked ass and finished in 1:56:22 with every mile under 9. That's an 8:52 pace.

The race starts in Uptown Athens at the corner of Union and Court, if you're familiar with Athens. You take off down Union (going the wrong way) and make your way to the bike path that goes along the river, toward Nelsonville. The course is an out-and-back, both for the half-marathon and full marathon. I've decided I love out-and-backs -- that's what my long runs are so I'm used to it. Plus, you get to see the leaders, which I love -- it's great to see how they look like they're working hard, but it's also effortless. Very cool.

Plus I get to see Aaron and usually exchange a high-five, so that's fun.

There were enough aid stations. Most of them had Gatorade and water, but there were a couple with just water. No Gus or anything like that. (You should bring your own anyhow.)

After the turnaround, you continue on the bike path toward campus and finish on the track. It was a little weird because you do 1.5 laps on the track, but it was well-organized and easy to understand. It was a bit of a bummer to pass by the finish line -- and see the finish time! -- and know you have another 400 meters before you're done. The track would be a great place for spectators -- lots of cheering.

And I managed to pass people on the track, so that's great. I know that I could have run harder throughout the race, but I felt solid around 10 minutes per mile and felt like I could finish strong at that pace. So it's a PR in the books and good motivation for a stronger HM next time.

It's an easy course, and it wasn't too crowded. 621 half-marathoners and 204 marathoners. Aaron was #227 (15/27 in his age group and I was #409 (31/57 in my age group). For prime partying afterward, I recommend staying at the OU Inn -- walking around after the race definitely helps with recovery -- but it didn't seem that parking was an issue since you can park Uptown (most of Uptown is still open since the race is primarily on the bike path) and at the Convo. Probably at the football stadium too.

I don't have too many pictures from Sunday night, but there's this one:

And this is probably what Aaron's vision was like too.

Towpath 5-Miler

I ran the Towpath 5-Miler again this year. It's the first race of the Towpath Trilogy, and there's also a half-marathon that day. Since I'm doing a half next Sunday (oh gosh, am I really prepared to PR?!), the 5-miler was my choice.

I was really apprehensive about doing it, though. I was afraid a poor performance was going to destroy my confidence and put me in a bad space before Athens. And it didn't help that I ran 10 miles on Saturday *and* I had a friend's surprise 40th birthday party on Saturday night. But a bunch of my friends were doing it, so I figured what the hell.

We managed to leave the party at a reasonable hour without overindulging too much, so that was a good start. When the alarm went off at 5:30 on Sunday, it wasn't too difficult to get up and moving - especially since it was WARM outside (mid50s, I think). I only ate half of a bagel, so I ended up having some of Aaron's Honey Stinger chews beforehand (gross, btw - it's a texture thing).

I didn't run the race that smartly. I didn't really have a strategy - just try to stick around mid 9s and hope for the best.

Mile 1 was about 9:30, and I think mile 2 was as well. I slowed down for 3 and 4, but I killed it for mile 5 - under 9 minutes. My overall pace was 9:26, and I took a minute off my time compared to last year. I finished in 47:12. Not too bad (unless you compare my time to Aaron's, which was 41:xx).

So I'm not sure where this places my mindset for Athens. The online calculators indicate a PR (but not as much of a PR as I really want). I just have to keep telling myself that, at this point, there's not really anything I can do, training-wise, to change the outcome. I'll go through a whole overview about my training and my plan at a later date. Let's just say that my plan was too aggressive, and instead of scaling back, I just let myself keep falling short. I probably should have reevaluated earlier.

Anyhow, last week's workouts:
Monday: strength + 6-mile interval run
Tuesday: yoga
Wednesday: 5-mile progression run
Thursday: strength + 4-mile hill run
Friday: off
Saturday: 10-mile long run
Sunday: 5-mile race

30 miles for the week plus two strength sessions and yoga. Not too bad. The only run I skipped was doing anything post-yoga. I was tired so it made since to give myself a break.

This week:
Monday: strength + 3-mile easy run (maybe?)
Tuesday: yoga + 3-mile easy run (if I don't run Monday)
Wednesday: strength + 5-mile progression run
Thursday: yoga + 3-mile easy run
Friday: off
Saturday: off
Sunday: race (eek!)

The Athens HM

With Saturday's endurance challenge over, it's time to shift focus to the Athens half-marathon in less than two weeks! To put it simply, I do not feel ready. My training plan was too aggressive, and while I didn't completely shelve it, it has ended up making me feel less-than-positive about my abilities. I probably should have adjusted better.

I can't believe I'm to Week 14 of the plan, though! I'll recap the entire plan later. For now, this is peak week. The plan calls for 36 miles, including a long run of 14 miles. My long run won't be 14 (I'll just do 10 with the group), and my midweek runs won't be as long.

Day	The Plan	My Plan
Monday	Dist: 6 Mi @11:04	Strength + 6 miles, easy, w/ 30-second sprints every 5 minutes
Tuesday	Dist: 5 Mi @11:04	Yoga + 2-3 miles easy
Wednesday	6 Mi, inc Warm; 3x1600 in 8:55 w/800 jogs; Cool	Strength + 5 miles w/ the group
Thursday	Dist: 5 Mi @11:04	4-6 miles, effort depends on Wed's run
Friday	Off	Strength
Saturday	Dist: 14 Mi @11:04	10 miles with the group
Sunday	Off	5-mile race
Total	36 miles	32-35 miles

Then next week, I'll taper. I'm already starting to look at the weather forecast. This week is looking awesome - hope it'll be similar for the race.

Hard Work

I feel like last week wasn't the kickass starter week that it should have been, largely because I didn't do the prescribed long run and because I failed at the tempo run. If it isn't clear, I really want to PR the Athens half-marathon. Badly. But that's going to take work, like tonight's planned speed work:

1 mile - warmup
1 mile - 9:25
.5 mile - recovery
1 mile - 9:25
.5 mile - recovery
1 mile - 9:25
1 mile - cooldown

I find that daunting. That's between 6.7 and 6.6 miles per hour on the treadmill, which is where I will be attempting this workout. I just don't think that I am capable of this.

I am also not capable of predicting my time on a 4-mile trail race in snow and ice. Yesterday's prediction run turned out better than I'd predicted, but definitely not a speedy 4 miles. I predicted 50:xx and ended up with 46:25 -- always better for my psyche to run faster. It was really nice out, actually -- low- to mid-30s and clear -- so I wasn't cold or uncomfortable. I had a little left leg pain (I wanted to say hamstring, but I don't really know what's causing the pain), but it wasn't bad and it was temporary.

In the meantime, welcome to what I've been listening to nonstop since yesterday:

I know this isn't the original, but after much research (um, yesterday), I think Buckley's version is the best. KD Lang's comes in second. 

First tempo run: FAIL

The first true workout of my Athens Half-Marathon plan was a fail. It was supposed to breakdown like this:

• 1-mile warmup
• 4-mile tempo at 10:08 pace
• 1-mile cooldown

The reality? Like this:

• 1-mile warmup
• 2.5-mile tempo at 10:16 pace
• 1.5-mile intervals (1 minute at 8:34 pace, 2 minutes at 12:00 pace)
• 1-mile cooldown

Not my finest hourish of running. Yesterday, my left hamstring bugged me all day, and I wasn't feeling quite right after work, kinda like I was getting sick (again). I assumed the hamstring was because I was sitting all day -- which may have been part of it -- but then I remembered that I tweaked it Wednesday night as well. It didn't bother me at all while I was off work last week.

In any case, my first week of the plan isn't quite right. I won't have a long run either because I have a 4.1-mile prediction run on Sunday. Going to the gym tonight (Aaron's getting his assessment), and I'll just do an easy run on the treadmill, followed by some strength-training. Nothing crazy. Saturday will be a rest day. And a sleeping in day -- so looking forward to that!

Athens Half-Marathon

The Athens half-marathon is in 15 weeks, and I really, really want to PR that race. I'm loosely following a Runner's World Smart Coach plan around the Cleveland half-marathon group plan and hoping for the best. My plan is to hit the mileage, speedwork and long run components, which should do me just fine.

I hope my body can hold up. This plan is a little aggressive and paired with the other plan, I am likely to end up with higher mileage than prescribed. I made a Google spreadsheet for the plan, and I also have DailyMile, GarminConnect and my other Google spreadsheet workout log. That's kind of ridiculous -- way too much recording of the same shit. Not sure what's going to change there though. And I definitely want to track my actual program to the plan's prescribed program. I think that'll help me for my future HMs.

The plan is interesting. I plugged in my current HM time (2:15), current mileage (21-26 miles/week) and effort level (hard). The mileage seems great -- gradually increasing and peaking at 36 in week 14 (the race is week 15). The predicted pace for the race is 2:04:28, which is a 9:30 average. That's A LOT faster than what I've done. What's most interesting is that the vast majority of the runs are slow (11+ pace, although they slowly speed up over the course of the 15 weeks, starting at 11:40 and ending at 11:07). The long run is slow, too, of course, and they're LONG. Unlike beginner plans, they don't start out at 4 or 6; this starts out at 10. There's also one speedwork or tempo run per week. Every three weeks, I think, there's a built-in cutback week with a drop in mileage accomplished through no long run; there's also no speedwork during the cutback week.

I feel like I need to give it a shot as best I can. There's research behind those slower paces, and god knows what I'm doing now isn't helping me all that much on race day. Theoretically I should be in pretty good cardiovascular shape by the end of this.

The plan started last night and should have been a tempo run. [insert excuses] But it was cold and sometimes icy, and I was wearing my (super-heavy) Vasques because I didn't know how slippery it would be. (Sidenote: The Vasques are 12.3 ounces; my regular Brooks PureFlows are 7.5, and my PureGrits are 7.6. That's a big difference!) Anyhow, the run turned into a 4.5-mile easy run, followed by beer and wings. Tonight, I'll do my tempo run on the treadmill.

I'm feeling optimistic about this plan, but I'll feel better when I actually match it up with the Cleveland plan. I just hope that I can manage the higher mileage and cross-training. I really believe that I feel better and have less pain when I'm doing yoga. I'm hoping for one yoga and one strength-training per week, but we know how that typically goes.

But if it's important, you make time; if it's not, you make excuses.