Week 9 of the training plan

First, to report on Saturday's run... we did a 3 mile Azalea District run with time goals. Our original intent was to run negative splits of 12:00, 11:30, and 11:00. That might have been a little ambitious for the temperature and humidity (heat index in the high 90s, humidity about 60%). We ended up hitting 12:25, 12:05, 12:10 which still makes for great consistency for splits on a continuous run.

Technically, this was the longest continuous run we've done together in possibly years (although it only exceeds previous continuous runs by about 1/4 mile). I grumbled a bit, but we made it through. I didn't have any complaints with my hips, ankles, or tummy. I had a bit of tenderness in my right shin, which required some icing.

That run puts another week in the books, so a notch on the thermometer.

Monday's run was actually really rewarding. In 30 minutes, we covered about 2.55 miles for a pace of 11:34. With temps/heat index of 85/89 and humidity of 60%, I was pretty happy with that. Again, no major physical complaints with the exception of my right shin.

For the rest of this week, we've got:

Wednesday - 30 min run (we'll either do a generic jog or hill work)
Saturday - 9.5 mile run (a new "longer than ever)

In the meantime, here's a neat article on "structural v. metabolic changes" and injury. Basically, the thesis is that new runners often find themselves in a position where their aerobic conditioning far exceeds the conditioning of their muscles and joints. If they push themselves past their physical conditioning, they are vulnerable to injury.
http://runnersconnect.net/running-injury-prevention/why-runners-get-hurt/

Also, I am totally IN LOVE with this Anytime Black Forest Blizzard recipe from September's issue of Runner's World. Any combination of cherries and chocolate will win me over.

Monday's run, another adventure

For this run, I don't have much to say beyond what I wrote on my Dailymile account:

"Well, we made it at really great pace (10:42)... but just before the 2 mile pace, we got caught in a HUGE lightning storm. We got totally soaked, and had to stumble home early. I could not see anything because of the rain on my glasses. Matt had to hold on to my arm to get me home (I ended up taking off my glasses because I could see better without them. I have 20/200 vision)

To make matters worse, running up College St I became suddenly aware of impending intestinal DOOM coupled with sudden weakness. Second run in a row this happened. Got home, dealt with crisis, took a shower, passed out. Experienced lots of sickness/issues the next day. Apparently, I got a bug from my husband. Still dealing with it, and probably have to delay today's run.

But, at least we had a good pace and no real joint issues! (Just a little nagging in my hip)"

So, there's that. Also, the temperature was in the low 80s so it was really nice. That humidity is something else, though. It feels like breathing pea soup. We did some mild speedwork until the Impending Intestinal Doom hit, at which point I abruptly stopped running.

This week's training plan:
Monday - 30 minute run  24 minute run
Wednesday - 30 minute run 36 minute run (to make up for Monday's lost time)
Saturday - 6.5 miles (Plan to run/walk 85 ish minutes, approximately 6.5 miles worth of 13:00 pace. Run 10 minutes, walk 3 minutes)

Redemption: A Joyful Run (Part II)

(Did you miss PART I?)

Monday's run went well... really, really well. Not only was it comparatively cool, which allowed us to run at a consistent pace of 10:49 (yeehaw!), but I maintained a great attitude throughout.

We made it a fartlek run (Swedish term for "speed play", or interval training), which you can learn more about from Coach Jeff Galloway here. Matt and I took turns on the cross streets picking a distant landmark to run to at a quicker pace. Running fast is one of my weaknesses, so I've really got to work on it. Fortunately, fartlek runs are AWESOME and FUN for me. On top of training my body to run fast and allowing me to run in child-like glee, fartlek workouts foster great camaraderie.

Matt likes them because he can break out of the slow pace we normally run; he also enjoys challenging me to defy my own expectations. We had a lot of fun, and Matt frequently expressed how proud he was of my performance. I won't lie, I felt pretty dang good.

We finished really strong, and managed to get home before 10:00pm. I'm still feeling the excitement today, but I'm also feeling a bit of tenderness in my shins (from Saturday) and hip connectors. Hopefully, I can stretch and work out the tightness before Wednesday's run.

The plan for this week (week 2) :

Monday: 30 min run (speed work, Azalea district)
Wednesday: 30 min run (I don't know what we'll do here... a regular run?)
Saturday: 4 mile run (East Texas Striders' Half-Marathon clinic, which is scheduled for a 3 mile run unless I can find someone else to run the last mile with me)

Forgot to log Wednesday!

The training plan for Wednesday had us listed at 25 minutes. We ended up running 30 minutes because Monday's 30 minute run got cut short to 25. It was an ok run. As I mentioned on Daily Mile, I somehow managed to get out the door without changing into my sports bra (my excuse: I had just woken up from a nap). It was pretty miserable. Some women can run comfortably without a sports bra. I am not one of them. I could have stopped, but figured I would lose this run altogether if I went home.

The consequences of not wearing a sports bra were pretty significant. Aside from the pain you might expect, it restricted my breathing and threw my whole posture out of whack. I got pretty grumpy towards my husband as a result, which is very lame and unfair. I'm working on it.  I had some problems on this run with allergies, but my breathing was pretty steady and returned to normal really quickly. I also had some discomfort in my ankles, but my other joints handled the run just fine. 

I definitely got pretty mopey at the end of the run. We weren't going fast enough, we hadn't run far enough, everything was bad, I wasn't made to run, I'd never be a "good" runner, blah blah blah. Matt tried to point out that 5 months ago I would not have been able to run for 30 minutes. He also tried to point out that 5 years ago, I couldn't (and wouldn't) run at all.

Seven years ago, I looked like this

Now, I look more like this

So I should be pretty grateful. I did not respond very well to Matt at first. The good news is that we DID make it all the way to 30 minutes; I've also managed to stay injury free this whole time, which is an awesome awesome accomplishment.

I've been thinking about run/walk ratios for the long run on Saturday (key part of Jeff Galloway's half marathon training plan for new and injury prone runners). This week is 3 miles, which I think I can do with no problem. He recommends a ratio of 3:00-1:00 (run/walk) for the 10 min/mi pace, or 2:00-1:00 for the 12 min/mi pace which I'm more likely to maintain for a whole 13k race. I feel really silly doing that on a "long run" of 3 miles.

I feel like I might be setting myself up for failure if I try to power through all the long runs by running continuously. I might start with the run/walk next week (long run of 4 miles) or the week after (long run of 5 miles). I want to push myself, but I don't want to injure myself or set unrealistic goals.

Anyway, I've got all of today to figure it out. Until next time... keep on truckin', friends.

Ewwww, it's hot.

Monday afternoon, we ran on the UT Tyler trails right after work. It was 96F, heat index of 102. Which was clearly horrible.

According to this week's schedule, we were supposed to run for 30 minutes. Well, between the heat index, the rigorous nature of the trails, and my sadistic hormones, I made it just over 25 minutes. (Hormone issues: I have some kind of recurring ovarian issue which seems to be nothing serious, as doctors can't detect anything. They believe it might be recurring cysts or fibroids, which I basically just have to "deal with". It's usually fine, but sometimes when my hormones and my running schedule line up JUST wrong, I experience a sudden sharp pain which makes me stop running).

I stopped for a quick walk break to allow my side pain to subside, but the heat had drained me so much that I couldn't start back up.

A part of me feels disappointed because it's the first time since I started up this training program that I haven't completed a goal. On the other hand, I have absolute confidence that I ran as hard as I could for as long as I could on Monday.

We definitely made the decision that the trails are probably out for the rest of this training season. Last summer saw 80+ days over 100F, so this summer is likely to heat up pretty quick.

We're probably going to transition to evening running along the official Tyler Half course near our house.

Half Marathon training: Launch!

Today will mark the first run of the half marathon training schedule from Jeff Galloway. If you're new to the blog, I'm in the process of training for the Tyler Rose Half Marathon. 


I took a break last week to give my body time to recover from the Dallas anime convention (A-kon). I'm glad I made that decision, although I felt pretty restless last week on the days I normally ran.

Today's temperatures are projected at 96F, so we're probably going to wait until well into the evening to do our run. I managed to find a pdf of the Half Marathon course, which starts and ends near my neighborhood. I figure it's not a bad time to start familiarizing myself with the trail.

Here's a run down of this week's running schedule (comparing the original from Jeff Galloway with our modification, to accommodate my karate classes):

Original:

Week	Monday	Tuesday TT	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	off	30 min run	off	25 min run	easy walk	off	3 miles

Modified:

Week	Monday TT	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	30 min run	off	25 min run	off	easy walk	3 miles	off

The "TT" is an optional pace run. I'm not going to worry about that at this point. Today's run, then, is 30 minutes. With my handy map, I'll be able to get a rough estimate of how far we got and how quickly we were going.

I've had some sporadic issues with my joints last week and this one (it's a chronic issue that is exacerbated once a month). I'm expecting a bit of discomfort on today's run, but hopefully no outright pain.

Wish me luck, then!

Week long hiatus

Well, you've probably noticed that I've been awful silent this week. I decided to take the week off before transitioning to the half marathon schedule, as a kind of reset for my body.

Last week's runs (three days in a row) wore me down pretty good. I followed that up by attending a 3 day nerdy convention in Dallas, which involved walking the mile to and from the convention center multiple times a day and climbing lots of flights of stairs. Saturday night of the convention, I started experiencing a really scary knee pain. It seems to be mostly fine now. I've got quite a bit of overall fatigue which may be a product of something icky I picked up at the convention.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying some rest and trying to stretch a lot. I've had to sacrifice the $10 I would've "earned" this week, but I feel like I made the right decision. Next week jumps into the Jeff Galloway Half Marathon training program. Wish me luck!


P.S. Some pictures of me from the convention. I told you it was nerdy.

 

Looking at the week ahead

Training plan for this week, from Week 7 of the Cool Running Couch to 5k plan:

• Monday - Jog 25 minutes (trails at UT Tyler)
• Wednesday - Jog 25 minutes (trails at UT Tyler)
• Saturday - Jog 25 minutes (Azalea District OR Rose Rudman Park)

I'm slightly nervous for today's (Monday) run. I'm just finishing up a course of Prednisone which the doctor prescribed me last week, but I'm still having some issues with my lungs while resting. It just feels weird and tight, like I can't get a full breath. I've never had a history of asthma and I don't have any new environmental factors (that I'm aware of), so I can only assume it's a residual effect of the stupid bronchitis. The doctor said it would last for a while, but shouldn't impede my running.

Forecast today is high 80s (ugh). We'll be hitting the trails after work, so it'll be a loooooong 25 minutes.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday run and confronting the mental block

I've decided to make a regular habit of running on the cross-country nature trails at UT Tyler during the week and sticking to my neighborhood on weekends. I work at UT Tyler in the archives, so this makes it easy to get in a quick run before I get home (and get all nappy).

I love trail running because it lets me feel like a wild woman, bounding over sticks and stones as I dodge overhead branches. The atmosphere is beautiful (also, cooler temperatures) and I feel much more mentally engaged. Trail running is not *easier* than road running by any means; it requires significantly more effort to cover the same mileage, and my body has to constantly readjust to the demands of the trail.

I'm hoping that the elevated effort will pay off on Saturday when my husband and I return to the road. We'll be ramping up from 10/3/10 to straight 22min run.

Wednesday's run was very successful (you can see my log on Daily Mile).  I'm pretty nervous about jumping up to 22 continuous minutes. The biggest obstacle I expect to face on Saturday will be mental - convincing myself that I CAN do it, even if I haven't run that long continuously in months (since the last time I injured my groin). I know training my brain will be critical for success in the Tyler Half Marathon.

In order to reward my brain, I am going to set up some "prizes" for myself over the course of the training. These prizes will be set up on a monthly basis, contingent upon successful completion of my training schedule. So, watch for a wishlist later this week.


(PS)
I have to confess to my sometimes readers that I fell behind this week on cross-training. I skipped my Tuesday karate class. Very lame. It was beginning to storm around the time I was supposed to leave, and I got really panicky at the idea of driving in the rain. So, I stayed home, had a mild panic attack, and took a nap. Did I go work out later? No. Even more lame. Anyway, I have a chance to make up for that tonight. Just thought I should share, to stay accountable.

Plan for May 13-19, 2012

In the wake of the Komen Tyler 5k, I am segueing back into the Cool Running Couch to 5k plan, at week 6.
The half marathon training (using a plan from Jeff Galloway's website) will commence the first week of June. The Couch to 5k program will help condition me and build up some base mileage.

I am using this opportunity to slow down a bit and allow my joints to recover from the brick streets and exertion of the race.  For me, that's an excuse to run on trails! :D We've got some great cross-country trails on campus at UT Tyler (where I work and go to school). I love trail running, because it reminds me of playing in the woods as a kid. As a bonus, it works different muscles and gives me a break from the hard impact of road running.

This week's plan:

Monday, trails - Jog 10 min, walk 3 min, jog 10 min  

Wednesday, trails - Jog 10 min, walk 3 min, jog 10 min

Saturday, neighborhood/park - Jog 22 minutes (no walk breaks)

Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a martial arts class right after work, which doesn't leave much time for targeted cross training... so we'll count those as "rest" days. That means I have the option on Friday and Sunday for this month to work in some strength training.  I'll have to do some research to see what kind of classes are available.

The Plan

Well, it’s time to commit… to a training program! Yay. I have 21 weeks until the race, so I set out looking for something which started out at an attainable base mileage (8-10) and progressed gradually (12+ weeks). Because I’m kind of injury prone, I wanted a training schedule which allowed for plenty of rest time and cross training. I am running for completion, not time, so I wanted to find a schedule which would prepare me without overwhelming me. For the month of May, I will be finishing up the last few weeks of coolrunning.com’s “Couch to 5k” program. I’ll be starting the half marathon training in June. Here are the training schedules I evaluated, in descending order of preference:

• http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/half_marathon.html

19 weeks (17 leading up to race, 2 after). Base of 8.5 miles plus “easy walk” of indeterminate length. Three rest days and an easy walk incorporated weekly. Runs during the week are about 3 miles each with a long run every other weekend. Longest run is 14 miles, tapers down to 5.
• http://www.fitsugar.com/half-marathon-training-schedule-beginners-2845222
12 weeks. Base of 9.5 miles, escalates up to 25, tapers to 14.5 before the race. Rest days vary, 2-3 (with or without cross training). Long run varies from 3-12 miles, tapers down to 5. Every week ends with an easy run.

• http://running.about.com/od/halfmarathonracetraining/a/runwalkhalfmarathon.htm

12 weeks. Base of 9.5 miles, escalates up to 23, tapers to 10.5 before the race. Includes 2 days for rest, one for cross training. Long runs are 3-12 miles, tapers down to 5. Week ends with recovery walk (2-3 miles).

• http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html

10 weeks. Base 13 miles, escalates up to 26, tapers to 22. 3 rest days per week. Long run from 4-12 miles, tapers to 8.

• http://www.halfmarathons.net/training_tips_schedule_beginner_runners.html

12 weeks. Base of 16 miles base, escalates up to 29, tapers down to 22. Two rest days. Long run varies from 4-12, tapers to 6.

 

So the final contestants are: Jeff Galloway and Fit Sugar. The upside of Jeff Galloway’s plan is that it perfectly fits my timeline (I will have 17 weeks from the conclusion of the Couch to 5k program till the race); the downside is that it can be really confusing with its long runs every other week. Another plus for the Galloway plan is that it allows for the most rest time and cross training, which will help keep me from getting even though I might intellectually prefer a more rigorous schedule. The schedule also incorporates Galloway’s “Magic Mile” (a pacing technique).

I appreciate Jeff Galloway’s contributions to Runner’s World, and I know he’s guided a lot of beginning/slow/injury prone runners to success. With that in mind, the winner is Jeff Galloway! (Yaaaay)

Feel free to leave me a comment about your experiences training for a half. I’d love the encouragement!