Hello New Shoes

I'm no Imelda Marcos, but I do love me a good pair of new shoes. As I mentioned earlier it was time for new shoes. Not that I don't love New Balance shoes, but this particular style just wasn't made for the kind of training I needed to do in them.

Before going to look at shoes in person I did some online research to see what kinds of shoes were out there. Last year I trained in the Pearl Izumi Synchrofuel. The shoes were great and I never got a single blister, but they were a little too firm in the heel. I also like to change things up and see if maybe there is a better shoe out there for me. So after reading the Runner's World 2011 Summer Shoe guide to get some ideas, I headed down to Pacer's in Old Town Alexandria and wow were they helpful. I walked right in and was immediately helped. I told them what I was training for and what I had trained in before and in 5 minutes they brought me three different shoes to start off with. I also got some more information about the Synchrofuels that I didn't know, such as their lack of seams is why I didn't get any blisters.

Anywho, I tried on three different shoes, one made by Brooks, one by Saucony and one by New Balance. Some people need to try out a bunch of different shoes and jog a bit in them before they make a decision. I am not one of those people. After taking a walk to the door and doing a bit of jogging in place I knew which shoe was for me. Ultimately I went with the Brooks Ravenna 2, which also had the added bonus of having bright blue laces (my favorite color). The shoes felt extremely comfortable and light and I loved the way they felt when I ran. I've done some runs in them and I am in love. Below is a quick pic I snapped of the shoes before a run, but the poor lighting doesn't do them justice (although aren't the blue laces soo pretty!) I will try to snap some more later on that capture their awesomeness.

Running Partner Out of Commission

It's going to be a lonely couple of weeks without my favorite bird dog running with me. Hoot had to go to the vet on Friday to get a couple of things snipped and it turns out he's not allowed to run for the next two weeks! However, he's enjoying his downtime eating puppy pops (think ice cream for dogs) and rocking his cool new clothes. Personally I think with the green bandages and purple tank top he looks like he belongs in a Richard Simmon's workout video...

And no, he's not embarrassed about the tank top. It definitely beats the awkward cone collar that he would otherwise have to wear to keep him from licking his stitches. In fact I'm pretty sure the other dogs on the block are a little jealous of his style...

Long Run Fail

Not just fail, epic fail. I admit I was a little nervous about this week's long run as I haven't run 10 miles since 2010, but I was looking forward to the challenge. Saturday night I was like a kid before the first day of school. I laid out my new running shoes (more on those later), spread out my GU Gels so I could have my pick of what flavor I wanted pre run and during, and laid out my shorts and water belt. I set my alarm for 5:30 and it was off to sleep.

Well wouldn't you know at about 5:20am I was jolted out of my sleep by loud booms of thunder and flashes of lightening. Soon that was followed by a torrential downpour that lasted at least until 6:15am when I decided to go back to bed because I assumed it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. I'm not hardcore enough to run in a thunderstorm, especially on a trail I don't know. Needless to say I was bummed missing my run, but figured it was ok because I would try to tackle it Monday morning. Oh and for those of you wondering, no, I didn't try running 10 miles at 9am with 95% humidity when the rain had stopped.

Attempt number 2: 5:30 Monday morning rolls around earlier than I want, but I get up and get dressed and notice that I wasn't really feeling great. I tried to walk it off and keep getting ready in hopes that it was just a little morning sluggishness, but my stomach wasn't 100% and I was feeling ridiculously warm (like I had run 3 miles warm). My handy dandy thermometer happened to be close by so to convince myself that it was just morning sluggishness I took my temp for grins. Turns out I had a 100 degree temp...not what I was hoping for. Once again I was thwarted in my efforts to tackle the long run and went back to bed (I ended up sleeping most of Monday, so I guess I was a little sick). Luckily by Monday night my temperature was back down to normal so at least I was ready to tackle week two of training.

The long run situation was certainly not expected nor ideal, but sometimes these shenanigans happen. Hopefully that's my only setback with my training (although I know I won't be doing my 11 mile run in Mexico this weekend), but you have to deal with these things as they come.

Week One of Training

So week one is well underway and so far so good. I already modified the plan a little because I took Monday as a rest day after overdoing it on weights on Sunday. Tuesday's run was a little slow because I was still stiff from weights and it was a little warmer since I ran after work (I know, I know I said I would never do that again...). Wednesday my legs were tired, but I ran with Hoot and he was definitely not feeling sluggish again. I did my Tuesday-Thursday runs with the Hootster because Friday he was going in to get snipped (if you catch my drift) and I knew I would be out a running partner for at least a week or so. I might have been feeling sluggish, but he couldn't be more excited to be out running. Today is my cross training day so looking forward to doing some yoga and cycling.

The only real downside to the week thus far are my shoes. I'm not running long distances but my shoes are tearing up my feet ie blisters the size of quarters. No bueno. Looks like I will have to look into some new shoes because the thought of running 10 miles in my current ones terrifies me.

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!