Week 15

Leif Erickson Trail, Portland, Oregon

My weekday runs were great this week but my long run REALLY sucked.  More on that below...  in the meantime, here's the week:

Monday - 5 @ 10:21
Tuesday - 5 @ 9:31
Wednesday - 5 @ 10:04
Thursday - 8 @ 10:07
Friday - rest
Saturday - 11 @ 10-ish (my Garmin wasn't working properly so I ended up just turning it off)
Sunday - rest

As I typed that, I realized that I actually had a fairly tough week.  I was tired and felt slow all week.  The high mileage is definitely getting to me - the step-back week went more or less unnoticed by my legs when I find that it usually make me feel more bouncy and energetic. 

I ran solo on Thursday and did the Sellwood to Hawthorne bridge loop.  The stretch on the Eastside is always a slog and it was especially so on this day.  Add to that, a sudden and fierce urge to pee and it turned into a tense race to the bathrooms under the Hawthorne.  I honestly wasn't sure I was going to make it and the raging river beside me didn't help but, alas, I managed not to pee my pants!!  After that, the rest of the run was uneventful...  and I even got back to the office to a text from a friend who saw me out running AND told me that I have a cute ass:). 

Saturday's planned group run was the Leif Erickson trail.  This trail is always a challenge for me in my Fingers because it is just way too rocky.  I went to bed early and woke up to a text from our fearless leader that she was too sick to make the run.  This also meant that Faith didn't have a ride to the run and I woke up too late to give her a ride.  I was reassured, though, that other peeps were going so I decided to tough it out rather than running a route in my own neighborhood.  We arrived at the trailhead to find that only one other person made it!!  And, he ran with Ty so I ended up running solo - again.  Which is normally not a big deal for me but I really could have used the distraction of pleasant conversation. 

We were supposed to run 12 miles but I met up with Ty at 5.5 and he convinced me that the extra mile wasn't worth it and I should just turn around rather than risking injury or getting more discouraged.  The only nice thing I have to say about this run is that I was really ready to burn off some frustration when we hit the asphalt with only half mile to go.  I hit it hard and even kept the speed up when we hit the trail again at the very end - I felt like I was skimming the rocks.  The lesson here is that I will not be running that trail again.

My feet were still pretty sore and beat up this morning but I'm sure that I'll be fine to make all my workouts this week.  In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have run there at all.  The mud and partially decomposed leaves made it even more dangerous because it wasn't always easy to see the rocks.  I even had to stop a couple of times to regroup and focus on relaxing my feet so that they hits wouldn't hurt quite so badly.  I'm very thankful that this Saturday's long run will be on the Waterfront which should make for a hill and rock free run - woohoo!! 

wOop WoOp

Another 18-miler in the bag yesterday!

We ran mostly on the marathon course, covering from mile 7 to 26. It was good for me to re-run the hilly section around the halfway point and see that it really isn't so bad - in my memory it was SOO hilly, but in reality there are only three hills. That are pretty large. But totally managable.

Our coach said that from there it's a gradual climb for about 9 miles. At first this sounded tough, but running it yesterday was a breeze. After that, it's all downhill from mile 20 to the end, which I think is going to make for a great finish.

And did I already mention that the first mile and the last mile are the same? Kind of a unique situation for a race, but I think it will be good, because there's a hill right in the middle of it. I'm planning on using some mental trickery to run the last mile first and vice-versa, to make that final mile feel easier. These things start to make sense after four hours of running, ya know?

Also, the finish line is right in front of this:

Epic.

I hope y'alls 20-miler (or 22?) went well on Saturday! I know I'm feeling strong, and excited to tackle this beast.

WOoP!

One Month!!!!!

Only ONE MONTH 'til Austin!!!  I can't believe it's so close when for so long it seemed like forever away.  Just a week and a half left of the serious training and then it's taper time.  I'm so proud of all of us - we've really worked hard to get to this point and I hope we all have a spectacular race day experience.  To be followed by a movie, beer, guac and chips, some BBQ grub and a honky tonk!!! 

turning to alcohol with enthusiasm

Oh, hey everybody. It's been awhile since I've posted anything on here, but don't worry, I've been keeping up with my training runs and getting psyched for Austin.

Today I wanted to share another interesting article from the NY Times about the link between alcohol and exercise. Two of my favorite things! This quote cracks me up:

"...the exercising animals turned to alcohol with significantly more enthusiasm than the sedentary..."

Apparently, researchers have found that people who drink heavily also tend to exercise heavily, and vice-versa. Hmm, sounds familiar.

photo credit: faith's facebook pictures

Week 13

I feel like I put together a really solid week with 43 total miles:

Monday - 5 @ 9:33
Tuesday - 5 @ 10:07
Wednesday - 8 @ 10:05
Thursday - 5 @ 9:21
Friday - rest
Saturday - 20 @ 10:41
Sunday - rest

I've been getting SO close to my weight goal of 125.  I'm 126 or 127 most days lately with what is becoming the very occasional 129.  I realized on Saturday that my water belt is now too big and I need to get a new one because the overlap sticks out - which is super irritating.  But, overall, a great sign! 

I just need to put together a few more solid weeks and, before I know it, I'll be at the start line in Austin!!!!! 

Terwilliger Backwards

There's a chance that I'm biased but I'm beginning to think that Portland might be the best place in the world to run.  Our run started off a little late due to a pick-up snafu that I won't go into.  We ended up starting only 20 minutes late and, since it was around 51 degrees, the extra waiting time wasn't a big deal.  If anything, it made me stretch more than normal and probably helped since we immediately started going uphill.  

We met at the Terwilliger Fred Meyer to run distances ranging from 9 to 20 miles.  We started by running Terwilliger, up past the Chart House and then down to Duniway park where we did a partial lap on the track before heading down to the Waterfront.  The 9 milers turned around before we made it all the way to the Waterfront and then it was just the two of us.  We made a quick pit stop under the Morrison Bridge and then continued past the Steel Bridge for four miles along Naito Parkway...  just us and the semis barreling past!  It started sprinkling some around the turn around point but it wasn't too bad.  We cruised back and were at Duniway Park again before we knew it...  but then the big uphill and the heavier rain started.  

I think we were both a little anxious about how tough it was going to be to have that kind of uphill at the end of a 20 miler.  I must say, though, that we both exceeded our expectations so that was a very pleasant surprise.  As we finally only had one more mile, I felt that drive to hurry up kick in and I somehow managed to make that my fastest mile of the day at 9:54.  It is always nice to finish a tough, long run feeling as though you kicked it's ass.  

Overall, we finished in 3:33:34 for an overall pace of 10:41.  This is right where we should be at this point and I'm incredibly optimistic that I can rock Austin in under 4:30. 

Friday Nights

It is Friday night, I'm home relaxing on the couch after eating a big bowl of pasta instead of being out on the town.  While I realize that this must sound like a huge sacrifice to most, I do not feel like I'm missing out on anything.  Rather, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's 20 miler.  It'll be my fourth run of 20 miles or more...  although two of those were actual marathons.  I'm at the place where I know I can do it but I still get butterflies thinking about it. 

Tomorrow, I'll get up early to make a mug of tea and a bowl of oatmeal.  I'll enjoy those in bed as I slowly wake up.  Then it'll be time to get dressed and prepare my supplies - water belt with two pods of water and three Honey Stingers, Garmin, iPod.  Then it is a short drive to our meeting place to be followed by FOUR HOURS of running.  Sheesh!  The last three miles will be pretty hilly and I'll be pretty tired by then so it could end up being a pretty tough run.  

Once it is over, I'll come home, shower and eat.  I'll put on sweats, drink a bunch of water and put my feet up.  I might even take a nap.  But, more than anything, I'll enjoy basking in the accomplishment of another long run in the bank.  Those miles will serve me well in Austin and beyond as my body learns to adapt.  For some it might sound like a sacrifice but for me it's another opportunity to grow and rediscover how amazing I can be.