The Training Plan

Sorry I'm a little (aka a lot!) delayed in getting all of these posts up, but we've had a bit of an internet outage problem at home.

Now for the training plan. For starters, I'm a planner. Having a plan I can easily follow is crucial to me. I like to have a copy of my plan in my purse at all times and I'll even write down how many miles I need to run each day in my planner so there is no way I forget. Yes, this probably designates me as a control freak, but I like that satisfied feeling I get when I cross out or check off my completed runs. Also, I can be a little groggy when I get up at 5:30am and it's nice to be able to double check how far I need to run quickly. It's a pretty lousy feeling to think you are supposed to 4 miles and when you come back realize you were supposed to run 6. I don't like to feel lousy, so I do a double check before going to bed or right when I get up.

Last year I used Hal Higdon's intermediate 1 marathon training plan, which can be found here. It was a great plan that I really enjoyed. It was straightforward and a good amount of mileage each week. The only thing I found missing was the speedwork that I used to do while training for my half marathons. I realize I probably could have looked at the advanced plans and added them in, but since I didn't really know what I was doing I stuck to the plan like glue.

This year I thought I would look around at different plans since last year I basically picked my plan because it was the first one that came up on my google search and seemed reputable. The plan was great, but this year I wanted to look around a bit more to see what else was out there. Since I still don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to training, I asked some of my running buddies for their suggestions for good plans and Team Hope for the Warriors had some as well for me to peruse. After looking around and comparing plans I decided to go with 18 week intermediate plan by Team Hope for the Warriors. It is pretty similar to a lot of the other plans, but I liked the speedwork component of this plan. The plan is here (for some reason I couldn't get it to load below), and I am looking forward to using it for training. I am sure I will modify it slightly as I go, depending on how my body feels and because things inevitably come up, but we will see how it goes!

To Stretch or Not To Stretch

It really isn't a question...but it is probably my least favorite part of running. I hate stretching. I'm not sure where my aversion came from, but I do not like it one bit. I'm sure part of it is because I'm not flexible (but that's why you stretch...) but I also get bored. It really is silly that out of all of the parts of running this is the one I dislike the most, especially because it is arguably the easiest.

I consider it a good day if I stretch for 5 minutes after my run and hold a stretch for 10 seconds once a week. Sad, I know. However, I do realize the value of stretching and having non-tight muscles so my goal during training is to stretch at a minimum 4 times a week for at least 10 minutes (and no I'm not counting foam roller usage as stretch time). It's not the most ambitious goal, but I know I will struggle to keep it so start small and then as training progresses I will try stretching more frequently and for longer. Let's see how it goes!

The "Long" Run

Well today's run wasn't what I would qualify as long. It was supposed to be an easy 5 mile run, but I got lost and ended up running only 4.7. Oh well what can you do? I realize to some 5 miles sounds like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things it's less than 1/5 of a marathon. Right now the thought of running what I ran yesterday about 6 more times is pretty daunting, but that's why you have training and ideally a plan that maps out all of your runs anywhere from 18-12 weeks before your marathon (More on my plan later this week).

This was my first longish run in Old Town so I used it as an opportunity to figure out where my running routes for my different runs will be since clearly I can't use the same ones I did last year. I'm definitely going to miss my 6 mile loops from the house to the Washington Monument or my long runs that took me from the Mall, to Arlington, to the C&O Canal and to Rock Creek Park, but change is good. I've already found my shorter run loops (3 miles) down to the waterfront and back and I'm working on finding some good 6+ mile loops, although I think I have some scoped out. When I was training last year, I actually ran on part of a trail that comes out to Alexandria, so I think for some of my longer runs I will run on that back into DC (I think it's the Mt. Vernon trail, but don't quote me). I can also take the Mt Vernon trail out to Mt. Vernon itself, which I'm looking forward to. The race where I injured myself before the marathon last year actually started from Mt. Vernon so it will be nice to run some of that course again, especially since I will be running that same race this year.

One of the things I'm most excited about, is the fact that my arch nemesis, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, is only 2.5 miles away. That bridge (and the race it was a part of) was the reason I couldn't run last year's marathon. My IT band and knee started aching when I got up to the top of the bridge and instead of being smart and saying it's not worth hurting myself to finish the race, I kept going because I knew I was close to my half marathon PR (I ended up being something like 30 seconds off). It was a major PLD (poor life decision), but I'm competitive and stubborn and I paid the price for my PLD. Some people think I'm crazy for running this race again so close to the marathon, but to me I see it as a benchmark that my body will be ready to handle the marathon. I'm also going to train smarter this year so that my body can handle this race and the marathon, and if it can't then maybe it's a sign.. .but right now my mindset is optimistic. I'm also not going to be stupid this year when I run the race and instead of running it as a race, I'm going to run it as a long run (even though that's what I intended to do last year...).

But back to my run yesterday...I actually ran up to the WW bridge, with the intent of running a little bit of it, but ended up getting lost and didn't make it to the base of the bridge. Instead I ended up underneath it, but next to a very lovely park/garden area. Next time, I'll do a better job of remembering the directions on the Map My Run route. Map My Run is a great tool if you want to plot out your mileage online before or after a run, or even a walk or bike ride. Still, it was a nice run with some unexpected little hills, some new scenery and BEST OF ALL, I finally got to see the Old Town Farmer's market, which looks and smells phenomenal. Tons of vendors (and surprisingly customers) were out at 6am with loads of fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and so much more. Next time I'm either going to plan my run so that it finishes there, or run back down there as soon as I'm done with my run because it all looks delicious. I'm already looking forward to next Saturday!

My Running Partner

Everyone meet Hoot, my adorable 8 mo old English setter who has recently become my new running partner. It's a symbiotic relationship (yea I'm a nerd). I have a pacer and something to keep me occupied while I run and Hoot gets some exercise and gets to check out the neighborhood. All in all it's a pretty good deal for the both of us. That's not to say that it hasn't been without it's challenges... I quickly learned that I couldn't use our black extendable leash for runs because I got tired of pressing down the lock button, but when I permanently locked it I couldn't quickly adjust the length of the least. Maybe my thumbs just aren't dexterous enough, but I struggled shortening the leash when we had to pass another runner or wait at a light. Instead, I took Hoot's short orange leash and that's made things easier on the both of us (although I still get jerked occasionally when he spots a bird). We also had to work on running together to avoid the awkward hopping on one foot because Hoot decided to stop and smell something. It still happens on occasion, but for the most part I just have to say "let's go" or cluck at him like I used to do my horses and it keeps him moving forward.


Of course there are times when that doesn't work because he has to go to the bathroom, or he spots a bird or just absolutely needs to smell that plant and you just have to go with it. I've also learned that we do better running in the morning. Hoot's not as big of a morning person as I am (notice the yawn) and it makes him a little bit more manageable on our runs ie not sprinting for 3 miles straight. How sad is it that even when he's not fully awake he is still faster than me? When we run and I start lagging behind he has this habit of looking back at me just to make sure I'm still there. It's just his way of saying "Hey lady let's move it!"


The morning runs have another added perk because Hoot always goes home and takes a nap afterwards, whether we've run a mile or 3. This is great on work days when we have to put him in his kennel while the BF and I are working. Of course none of this happens before he gets his favorite post run treat, an ice cube. I tried to take a picture of that this morning, but he just gets too excited and it turned out to be a big blur of white and black fur!


I haven't taken him on any runs longer than 3 miles yet, but in the next month or so I'll bring him along for some of my 4-6 miles runs. I have no doubt in my mind that he has better endurance than me and will have no problem on those longer runs. Plus for him it's good practice for hunting season when he will be up in mountains searching for pheasants all day long (setters are excellent bird dogs).

Here's the little guy after this morning's run, getting ready to go back to bed (apologies for the poor picture quality, it was with my iPhone).

Father's Day

So clearly I'm tardy in posting this, but since Father's Day was this past weekend, I thought I would give a shout out to the man who first got me interested in running, my Dad. Growing up, my Dad used to tell me how he used to be the fastest runner in Elmo, Tx and how in high school his track coach used to make them run half marathons after school (I never believed him...). Growing up he always encouraged me in my running, being chosen to represent my first grade class in the 50 yard dash (I got the chicken pocks and couldn't compete, and yes I'm still bitter), running for the West U elementary track team in the second grade(?) and ultimately running cross country and track in high school. He was also the one who would take me to the running store and help me pick out the coolest spikes, running shoes, and clothes (and we still go check things out when I go back to Houston). I was never the fastest runner and I never ran a half marathon until college, but that was ok.

My father has always been my biggest fan and is always extremely vocal in his support. I once had to ban him from my basketball games for a bit because of how "vocal" he was...He also taught me how to be competitive and give it my all. He didn't believe in "babying" or the "you're a girl" mentality and let's just say that I learned some basketball lessons the hard way and I got beat in our foot races around the neighborhood. No, it didn't matter that I was 7 or 10 or 16, it was competition. My dad still maintains this mentality to this day. Even though he hasn't "run" in 10 years, he still managed to smoke me in a 5k we ran in Chicago last June and he came in second in his division. The back story is that even though he hasn't run in 10 years he bikes about 40 miles every weekend and is in great shape for his age. In my defense (or to soothe my bruised ego) I was coming off of a knee injury (which is why I switched from the half marathon I was supposed to run to the 5k) so I wasn't in peak condition, but that didn't mean he was going to take it easy on me. Let's just say it was pretty embarrassing to get beat by a guy twice my age and even more so since it was my Dad. Not to add insult to injury, but I also got pooped on by a sea gull right after we finished, so clearly it wasn't my day!

I actually still have his bib from that race up at my office as a reminder of how I got schooled, which is a GREAT way to motivate myself to go run or workout whenever I'm feeling lazy. Not that I'm competitive or anything, but looking forward to that 5k rematch Dad! Hope everyone had a great Father's day and got to celebrate all the wonderful reasons why fathers are great.

Rebel Race

This past weekend I spent two days of muddy bliss up in Frederick, MD with some of the most fabulous ladies ever, my bookclub. For those of you who haven't heard of it, Rebel Race is basically an 5k/15k obstacles race that involves lots of mud (and good times). We camped out for the weekend (yes that means there were no showers for two days...) and ran the Saturday 10am heat, which was an awesome life decision considering how hot and humid it got later on in the day. Not to mention the obstacles started to experience some wear and tear during the later heats. Throughout the course there were hay bales to get over, mud pits to crawl through, walls and ropes to climb over and the team's personal favorite(not!), the manure run. We still aren't sure if we were actually running in horse, cow and goat shennangians or if they just put it along side the trails to scare us...maybe it's best not to know. As you can see from the pictures below we had a great time and I would definitely suggest this race for those of you looking to challenge yourself and have some fun.

When Life Gets in the Way

When I was asking one of my friends about which marathon training plan she used to train for her marathons, she gave me a number of great resources to check out but most importantly she reminded me of the hardest part of training and that is getting out there and getting the miles under your belt. Well this week she was definitely right. After Monday life got in the way and I just couldn't find the motivation to get in the miles before or after work. Work was hectic and I was jet lagged from California so I wasn't getting a lot of sleep and constantly felt like I was running on empty. I wasn't proud about my lack of commitment to my running, but I guess it is best that it happened before my real regimen begins. I got back on track Saturday, but I am definitely feeling guilty about the days I took off. Sometimes life just gets in the way, but one of my goals from now on is to never miss a training run. We will see how that goes!

Everyday I'm Shuffling

That was more or less the theme of my California weekend. All of the running I had envisioned didn't end up happening, but I definitely got my exercise in. Between walks along Venice Beach (if you want to see an "interesting" crowd this is the place to do it) and dancing the night away I definitely burned some calories. The "Running Man" counts as running right? (Try not to be too jealous of my moves!)

Now that I am back in DC it's back to actual running and thankfully it's much cooler than last week!

Californiiiaaaa

Here I coooomeee (sorry I couldn't help myself). This past weekend I headed across the country to LA for the wedding of one of the happiest couples I know. When I think of California I think sunshine, warm weather and lounging by the beach. I checked the weather and it said low 70s/high 60s, perfect. Well clearly I forgot exactly what those temps felt like because all I packed was dresses and was cold most of the time.

On the plus side, the cool temps meant perfect running weather. Friday morning I threw on my running clothes and headed out for a quick run along the Marina and off to find a CVS to pick up a few things I had forgotten to pack. Did I mention that I woke up at 5:30am because my body clock was off? Lucky for me there was a nice running path set off of the road for the first (the CVS was about 2 miles away). Street running in LA was an interesting experience...normally I don't have bus drivers rocking out next to me while waiting for a light and in DC people don't look at me like I have three heads for running on the sidewalk. I guess I missed the memo about where the "cool kids run."

Now I had every intention of running back after picking up a few small things at CVS when I got sidetracked. I was like an insect to a light when across the parking lot I saw...

Jamba Juice. My love for Jamba Juice goes back to my high school days. We used to go to Jamba Juice after school and cross country races and my friend Lise and I even used it as a motivator to run 3 miles on Sundays. I love their smoothies, especially mango a go go. I couldn't remember the last time I had JJ so as soon as I saw it I knew I had to go. I was a little too chilly to enjoy a smoothie so I grabbed a cup of coffee and some of their oatmeal (not the same as a smoothie I know) and walked back to the hotel. It was great and all I can say is that I wish JJ would open up a location in DC.

Hot Hot Hot

So remember how I said that I was going to start waking up early to run? Well it didn't happen yesterday. I set my alarm for 5:30 but could not drag myself out of bed for the life of me. Usually I'm a morning person so getting up early isn't a problem, but yesterday it just didn't happen.

Instead I had to do my run in the evening which meant dealing with the 97 degree weather. Let me tell you it was hot! And I don't just mean hot as in "oh I'm sweating and this is gross" but more like "oh my goodness I think I could cook an egg on my arm and I'm pretty positive steam is coming off my legs." It was miserable. I tried to wait until 6:30 when I thought it had cooled off a bit, but even that didn't help. Now I'm from Houston so I know hot and I prefer being hot to cold any day, but yesterday was too hot even for me. I remember running this winter and thinking about how great it would be to train in the summer when you don't have to deal with freezing fingers and snotcicles (tmi?). Clearly I had forgotten all the joys of summer running including sweating so much that it looks like you couldn't make it to the bathroom or having your face turn the color of a tomato.

From now on I'm running in the morning or once the sun has gone down because I'm done feeling like an egg in frying pan. Lucky for me I'm headed out to Cali for the next four days and will take advantage of running in their lovely 70 degree weather! Fingers crossed that it drops back into the 80s by the time I get back.

Why?

Last year when I decided to run a marathon a lot of people asked "why?"To be honest I never planned on running a marathon and I definitely didn't plan on running one when I first started training for my first half marathon three years ago. I have never really been a runner and certainly not a distance runner. I did cross country in high school, but it wasn't something I was great at or overly enjoyed. Even when training for a half marathon I never had a desire to run farther than 13.1. In fact, I pretty distinctly remember in one race at mile 12 saying to myself "I will never run a marathon" and "I can't believe the end of this race would only be the halfway mark...those marathoners are crazy."

So why a marathon and why now? To put it simply, I got the marathon itch. I enjoy training for half marathons, but once I had run two (I have only run 3 so far) I was feeling the need to push myself. I'm a competitive person and after having enough people ask me "Well you've done a half when are you going to do a marathon?" I grew tired of saying "no way Jose!" and decided to take on the challenge. Unfortunately my first attempt failed due to an IT band injury and I had to defer until this year. I loved training last year (crazy I know!). I gave up a lot of Friday nights with friends in order to train, but I loved getting up at 5:30 on a Saturday to go run 12-18 miles and watching the sun rise over the monuments. It's hard to beat the feeling of knowing that you ran a half marathon or more before most people even get out of bed.

This year I am really looking forward to training, but more importantly I am looking forward to actually being able to run the race. To motivate myself a little more I'm running the race for charity and raising funds for a nonprofit called Hope for the Warriors. Hope for the Warriors is an amazing organization started back in 2006 by a group of military wives to support wounded US service members and their families. Choosing a charity was difficult as there are so many great organizations you can run for, but ultimately I decided on Hope for the Warriors. If you are interested in learning more about the organization and the multitude of programs it runs you can click on the link above. Their mission also touches home for me as my boyfriend is in the Army and works with wounded soldiers on a regular basis. Hearing about the road to recovery that many of these wounded soldiers face is enough to break your heart and I feel honored to be able to be a part of this team and raise money for a truly worthwhile cause. Over the course of the next four months I have pledged to raise $1000 for Hope for the Warriors and I would ask you to consider making a donation on my behalf here.

Why this blog? As some of you may know I have been slightly challenged in the motivation department recently and I thought this would be a great way to keep track of my training and motivate me to go out and get the miles I need under my belt. More importantly it's fun and I get to share my experiences training with those who are interested. I promise that this time around I will take pictures of the pretty sunrises I see along the way!

So it begins

Day1 of my pre-marathon training training aka getting back into running regularly before the real training begins in July. As some of you know, I trained for the Marine Corp Marathon last year but didn't really start training until July. I personally think that was part of the reason my IT band decided to scream "enough" and give out on me (more on that later). This year I am hoping to avoid the same mistakes by taking a couple of weeks to get into a regular running, stretching and lifting routine before the real training begins.

Last night I decided to take it easy and head out on a three mile run after work and wow have I forgotten a)how hot it is and 2) how hard it can be running in 90 degree weather. Usually I like to run in the morning, but yesterday I just couldn't pull myself out of bed at 5:30 to get it done. However, after coming back drenched after 3 miles I think I might be a little bit more motivated to get up before the sun is out! Oh the joys of training in the summer...