Ode to Beer

How have I never heard of this study before?!!! Yesterday, a friend told me about this study done at the University of Granada a few years back, that concluded, amazingly, that:

DRINKING BEER AFTER RUNNING IS GOOD FOR YOU

You heard me right.
No wonder we all love the Helvetia Half, and other races that have a beer garden at the finish line!

I read that many coaches: "recommend barley drinks to professional sportsmen after exercise." That's us! Professional sportswomen.

These researchers noted that athletes were better hydrated after a pint of beer than a pint of water. I totally see (and love!) their point. In my own experience, I have found that I reach a limit of how much water I can drink after a long run... I will drink and drink and still have a dehydration headache. They also point out that the bubbles help quench your thirst, while the carbohydrates can replace lost calories. It just gets better and better, doesn't it!

Another point I would make on behalf of beer that they did not address in the study is the effect of alcohol on your pain receptors. After a long hard run, sometimes you just need a barley drink to take the pain away!

Week 6

We are now one third completed with our training!!  Way to go, ladies:).  I'm feeling pretty good still, very strong.  Today, however, my jaw hurts, my knee hurts, my throat hurts and I have a headache.  Which I'm taking as a clear message that I need a true rest day so I'm not going to bootcamp tomorrow...

Monday - 3 @ 10:05 (solo)
Tuesday - rest
Wednesday - 5 @ 10:50
Thursday - 6 @ 13:33 (Tryon), bootcamp
Friday - 3 @ 10:00 (treadmill), pilates, hot tub, sauna
Saturday - 9 @ 10:13
Sunday - rest

I am pretty aware of my weight.  When I was training for Portland, I just kept packing on the pounds...  I started around 130 and peaked at 140.  When I was around 130, I was already at my heaviest ever so hitting 140 when I was running that much was pretty devastating.  I vowed that I would lose the weight but by being smart and doing it more through exercising than dieting.  My diet is already on the healthy side so I didn't want to deprive myself of calories too much - running takes fuel!

As I trained for Eugene, I started shedding some of those pounds and I've continued ever since.  These days, I'm often swinging between 129 and 132.  On Thanksgiving, I weighed in at 128!!!  I haven't been that low in my 30's...  or at least not that I can recall.  Both yesterday and today, I came in at 129 - that feels like a major victory after all the holiday eating I've done:).  It is such a happy and empowering feeling to have my weight back under control.  It has been hard work but I basically have lost 10-ish pounds over a year so I know that I did it in a smart and sustainable way.  

I really feel like I'll be my fastest if I can get just get down to 125 but stay strong.  It might take me another 6 months but that's totally fine.  A runner friend of mine once told me that he considers each pound to be worth 3 seconds a mile...  by that calculation, shaving off 10 pounds would shave off 30 seconds a mile...  which can really add up over the course of a long race!!  Obviously, this equation would have diminishing returns if you got carried away with it but it feels about right to me!  

Week 5

Another week completed!!  I'm still feeling good but I've just hit 30 this week so I'll know more about how I'm really doing in two weeks when I start exceeding the 30 mile weekly mark.  According to Hal, that's typically the cusp for injuries to rear their ugly heads.

Monday - 3 @ 10:22
Tuesday - 5 @ 10:04 (solo)
Wednesday - 4 @ 9:54 (solo), bootcamp
Thursday - 6 @ 10:09 (solo), bootcamp
Friday - rest
Saturday - 12 @ 10:03 (with group for first 4.5, solo thereafter)
Sunday - bootcamp

I'm starting to wonder if my goal of 4:30 (10:18 pace) is too slow or if I'm running my workouts too fast.  I'd be interested in opinions on that.  For reference, I ran my last 10k at 8:22 pace - which the McMillan calculator converts into a 4:05 marathon.  I think that's quite aggressive but perhaps there's a middle ground?

Goals

I've been thinking a lot lately about my running goals.  Every run could be considered attaining a small goal.  When I plan to run an event, I find a training plan, put it on my calendar and then do all the runs.  I rarely miss a run or even cut it short.  I view it as a commitment and I tend to honor my commitments.  It can be overwhelming, though, to view the training plan as a whole so I find myself focusing on one run or maybe a week of runs at a time.  I rarely know what the plan holds beyond that because it is enough to focus on.  Therefore, throughout the four month process, I feel like I'm constantly achieving goals and that is a really good, motivating feeling.  

Sometimes, though, it is hard not to think beyond the next race.  Where am I going?  What is the goal for 2011?  What is the 5 year goal?  What is the goal that might not be attainable?  The goal that would really require buckling down and pushing myself to limits?  What would that look like?  Can I make the sacrifices to get there?


With running, it is always a building process.  Very few people can not train and successfully complete a marathon.  It takes weeks (months, really) of planning and slowly building up the mileage.  So, when planning out a multi-year plan, you should start small and build.  I already have two marathons under my belt and I'm currently training for my third.  Theoretically, I have a good base to build on - my body has a good level of endurance and I know I have the psychological fortitude to spend hours training and push my body.  I am lucky to have a spouse who also values running and supports me in my endeavors.  


I'm obviously starting 2011 with the Austin Marathon.  I'm toying with trying to squeeze in another marathon shortly thereafter - maybe Eugene again in May.  But the big event for 2011 will be applying for the McKenzie River 50k!  There's a lottery for only 150 spots so there's certainly no guarantee that I'll get in but I'm already thinking that I should start developing a training plan and getting my mind ready to tackle the distance.  I'm hoping to end the year with the Columbia Gorge Marathon in October which should be a breeze after McKenzie.  But all my goals for 2011 are focusing on distance and increasing my endurance. 


I think that 2012 will be a year that I focus on speed.  I'm not a fast runner which leaves a LOT of room for improvement.  I'm about an hour off of my age 35 BQ time and I have no idea what or how long it could take to shave that hour off.  I have three tiers of goals for Austin and I feel like this will be a good indicator of what I can shave off.  Goal C is 4:30, goal B is 4:20 and goal A is 4:15.  Depending on where I finish, I will fine tune my future race goals.  Hopefully, though, 2012 will be a year where I can start building enough improvements and speed to BQ sometime before 2015 - this is a huge goal and feels very unattainable right now so I'm making it very long term to allow myself plenty of time to build towards it.  It might not ever be possible but I think I'd like to give it a try...  because you never know what you can achieve until you give it a go!! 

Need More Sleep!

It is Week 5 of training and I'm tired!  I am friends with Hal Higdon on facebook and one of his tips of the day this week talked about needing more sleep when marathon training.  The calculation he used is that you need one additional minute per night for each mile you run that week.  So, this week, I ran 30 miles which would equate to needing an additional half hour of sleep a night.  I believe this.  I'm definitely tired earlier in the evenings.  As my mileage climbs, I am going to start making an effort to get to bed earlier and get more rest/sleep.  I know that it will help my running and not doing it will increase my risk of injury so, really, it is the obvious thing to do. 

Good weather

Sunday morning, 6:30 am: it's 70 degrees. Holy what!

Crazy Abs and Christmas Vacation

Look out Oregon!!! Booking my flight home at this very moment and I'm psyched to run on some familiar ground while I'm home for the holidays. Anyone want to do a long run with me in Portland on Sunday, January 2nd? (C'mon, we're all taking the 1st off, right?) Mark your calendars! I can almost feel the cold raindrops now.

Also, I have been meaning to put up a post about this crazy abs routine that the coaches at Texas Running Company put together. It takes about thirty minutes (thirty EXCRUCIATING minutes) to complete. They recommend doing it once a week after an easy run. Enjoy the burn!

Crazy Abs:

1. Plank - hold plank position for 30 seconds, work up to 60 seconds.

2. Pushups - 5 of the lower half, 5 of the top half, then 5 full, work up to 10 of each

3. Bicycle - first, do just one leg at a time, the other leg bent, 30 seconds each leg. Then, do 30 seconds with both legs, then 30 seconds in reverse direction.

4. Dying yet? Too bad! There's a lot more to go.

5. Count down - lying on your back with legs straight up in the air, slowly lower to 6" off the ground and back up to a count of 10. Do this 5 to 10 times. Advanced: do ten scissor kicks when you reach the bottom.

6. Bridges - lie on your back with knees bent, feet as close to your hips as possible. Cross arms over chest, perform 10 bridge-lifts with both feet on ground, then lift right leg, perform 10 bridge-lifts, lift left leg, perform 10 bridge-lifts.

7. Side plank - First hold side plank for 30 seconds. Then lie down on your side with your head in your hand, do 10 leg-lifts with top leg. Flip over and repeat all on other side

8. Plank leg lifts - hold plank position for 30 seconds, then lift each leg and hold for 15 seconds each

9. "Straight as a Broom" - lie face down with your arms extended overhead. lift hips, legs, knees, and arms so that just your forehead, chest, and toes are on the ground. Hold for 30 seconds, rest, and hold for another 30 seconds

10. Standing running mans - this is on the list and I have no idea what to do based on this description:

"Start standing on left leg, with right leg raised up as if in exaggerated running form (toes touching knee)
• Right arm is pulled all the way back and left arm is all the way up (as in exaggerated running form)
• Touch right arm down to ground in front of leg – repeat x10
• Switch legs (stand on right leg with left leg raised, left arm back and right arm forward) Touch left arm down to ground – repeat x10"

I'd love to see what everyone's interpretation of these movements looks like!
It might look something like this:


11. Backs against the wall - Start with feet 3 to 4 inches away from the wall, and press lower back against the wall to activate core. Lengthen through back and neck, tucking your chin, and hold for 30 seconds, using your core to press back against the wall (rather than your legs). Rest, move feet an inch closer to the wall, repeat.

Whew!
Did you follow along at home? If so, congratulations, you are guaranteed to have crazy sore abs tomorrow. Keep it up and you'll graduate to crazy abs in no time!



(Crazy abs modeled here by my Portland running hero Kara Goucher)

The Edge

Today in bootcamp, I felt my body getting close to the edge.  The edge is where improvements are made but it can also be the point of injury if I'm not careful.  I'm thankful that tomorrow is a rest day and next week is a step-back week.  I like working hard and pushing myself but I need to keep an eye on the overall goal so that I can get to Austin healthy and ready to race.  I have some lofty goals both for this upcoming race and for the next couple of years too.  I'll save those for a future post but I'm glad that I was able to hear my body loud and clear tonight. 

Need Advice

I love changing up my workout routine and I love Groupons.  Today's Groupon is for 5 weeks at the Riverplace Athletic Club for $50.  Normally, that would be a no brainer for me...  BUT, this Groupon has be started by 1/15/2011.  SO, I'd basically have to start using in in early December.  My concern is that it might be too much with the marathon training.  On the other hand, weight training two days a week combined with a couple of yoga classes a week might be just the right thing.  The last two times I was marathon training, I only did the running during training but I've been so loving having Warrior Camp and now bootcamp on top of the running...  I don't want to drop to just running and lose the improvements that I've been making or be sad that I don't have more variety.  

So, what do you think???

Week 4

Another good week.  I'm looking forward to building up some more during Week 5 before a step-back for Week 6.  I feel like I'm making good progress...  running 5 days a week feels amazing.  And, I'm getting mentally prepared for 26.2.  

Monday - 3 at 10:41
Tuesday - 6 at 10:29, bootcamp
Wednesday - 3 at 10:54, bootcamp
Thursday - 6 at 9:56
Friday - rest
Saturday - 11 at 11:14
Sunday - bootcamp

Although the overall week was good, yesterday's run was a train wreck for me.  The route we did started at OMSI and took us to the top of Mount Tabor and then through Laurelhurst Park before ending back at OMSI.  I was having really bad cramps and felt incredibly fatigued the entire run.  Luckily, Faith and Krista were incredibly understanding and allowed me to hang back and be cranky the whole run:).  The good news is that I had a horrible run during training and not on race day.  Bad runs help us to remember what a great run feels like and teach us how to dig deep.  It is not a bad lesson to know that I can get through any run as long as I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  

Lover, lover

When Faith and I do a tempo run, we have a no talking rule.  This means that I run with my music but Faith never runs with music.  With that in mind, I send this to her so she can have this playing in her cute little noggin ALL DAY!!! 

Lover, lover

Superstar!

Superstar! The last time I posted, I had just returned from a vacation in which I totally bagged every run for the first week of our training. And then proceeded to jump into Intermediate Marathon training. I was a little bit nervous at first about the sudden increase in running. Now, four weeks in, I am very proud of myself for sticking to the schedule so far, getting all of the runs in, and running a strong 9 miles last weekend and 10 miles on Sunday!

For last week's 9-miler, we ran through an extremely hilly neighborhood for the first several miles, before finishing up on the mellow trail that wraps around Town Lake. I have to go back and take pictures of these hills - they were so extreme! The views of downtown Austin from up there were amazing though. Jess and Faith - we'll have to drive that road when you are in town!



Town Lake Trail

This Sunday, we ran 10 miles, and again the route was more challenging than my usual flat-and-easy long runs. We ran up Shoal Creek Trail, which ranges from paved to rocky to literally hopping across the creek on boulders. Fun running trail! We ran three miles up, stretched and drank water, and ran three miles back down to the Town Lake trail to finish up the last four miles.


Shoal Creek Trail - the stream crossing section

As a newcomer to Austin, having a coach (Mike from the Texas Running Company) has been so helpful. He picks out the routes for our long runs, which is helping me learn about good places to run in Austin. Also, he picks more challenging routes for the long runs than I would normally choose for myself. And to top it all off, he drives around to various points in the run with water and gu and high fives to encourage us. Superstar!

Happy week four gang!

Week 3

Week 3 was a good week.  I love the break of a step-back week but then I also look forward to the fact that this week is some more good, hard work.  I've started reading Hal Higdon's Marathon again...  and I bought another running book over the weekend.  Partly to remind myself of keeping good habits and partly because I find reading about running to be really motivating.  Here's the recap:

M - rest
T - 5 @ 9:50 (solo), bootcamp
W - 3 @ 9:59 (solo), bootcamp
T - 5 @ 9:16 (solo)
F - 3 @ 11:02
S - 6 @ 10:38
S - bootcamp

Tempo Run

Other than some minor tummy troubles, I had a really good tempo run today:

Mile 1 - 9:34
Mile 2 - 9:18
Mile 3 - 9:22 (not including first trot stop)
Mile 4 - 9:15 (not including final trot stop)
Mile 5 - 8:49

Overall - 9:16

I'm not sure why my tummy acted up.  I had my standard breakfast of greek yogurt, granola and raspberries followed by my standard lunch of a half sandwich with deli chicken, dill havarti, cucumber and avocado on whole wheat.  For dinner, last night, I had a chicken burrito from Chipotle so maybe that was the problem?  I haven't had a beer since Saturday night but I have been feeling underhydrated for the last couple of weeks so maybe that just finally caught up with me?  Who know, who cares...  I'll take a 9:16 any day!! 

P.S.  Faith, I really hope you get to feeling better SOON!
P.P.S.  Jody, I'm going to go back and add paces now. 

Camp Whore

Another day, another camp!!  I'm a camp whore!  I just can't turn down a groupon if it is related to getting a good workout.  Tonight, Ty and I went to our first in a month unlimited at Bootcamp RDFT.  It was different than classes at ADAPT in that ADAPT attracts more men and more serious athletes.  That said, it was still a great workout - just more oriented to women and, perhaps, weight loss than strength and power.  I definitely got a great core workout.  Basically, there were five areas and we rotated through each area is groups of 7 or 8 (I think it was an unusually full class).  We then took a quick water break before breaking out again into four groups and rotating again through each area.  We did a quick warm-up and cool down too and the hour absolutely flew by!!

Tomorrow, we are taking the intro class so it'll be interesting to see how that compares to the standard class.  We are going to aim for 4 classes a week - Tuesday will be Bootcamp, Wednesday will be Intro Bootcamp, Saturday will be TRX and Sunday will be Bootcamp again.  We are having to make some exceptions to work around our work schedules but that's the basic plan for November - YAY!!  

I didn't do my three mile run yesterday so I'm planning to make that up on Friday but I did do five today and it felt amazing.  Faith was home sick (I hope you're feeling better!!) so I was solo with my tunes. 

Week 2

Week 2 was an exhausting week for me but more because of my extras than because of the running.  Here's my recap:

M - 3 miles at 10:26, Warrior Camp
T - 5 miles at 10:32, Warrior Camp
W - 3 miles at 11:13, Warrior Camp
T - 5 miles at 10:54, Warrior Camp
F - rest
S - 9 at 10:47 miles with group
S - rest

This is a step-back week...  something that I always look forward to!!