CIM Race Week

My overall goal for CIM is to run a strong and consistent race. In order to do that, I need to reign in my speed in the early part of the race so I can avoid the marathon death march at the end of the race. Pacing is not my strong point (and why I've hired a coach for 2017). My plan is to tuck in with the 3:53 (~8:53/mi) pace group leaders and let them do the thinking for at least the first half, if not more. I don't want to run faster than 8:35 (unless it is the last couple miles-- and if that's the case, at the end of the marathon, it will be an early Christmas miracle). I want to stay in the 8:45-9:00/mi pace range for 90% of the race. 

• 'A' Goal -->Finish 3:50 or faster
• 'B' Goal -->PR (sub 3:52:14)
• 'C' Goal -->Finish strong and have fun

I feel as if I will still be chasing my 'A' goal next year--never felt fully recovered from St. George 26.2--and that's okay. Part of me is hoping for race magic to kick in and for miracles to happen. The realist in me knows I already drank from that well for St. George, but as the great Kara Goucher says, Always believe.

In addition to the race, I'm super excited that Oiselle Volée will have large presence. Twenty-seven of us are racing and a bunch more will be at mile 22 for cowbell corner. There will be other team activities, such as shakeout runs, Friday night dinner and post-race brunch. 

{week 6} No more outs

I realized last week that I am capable of running a marathon fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon (less than 3 hours 55 minutes). The only thing that will prevent me from succeeding is myself. My mind and to a lesser extent my body. 

When the going gets tough, I give up way too easy. I don't stop, I'm not a quitter. Actually I am a quitter. Just because I finish doesn't mean I didn't quit. I give myself permission to back off. I have many examples of this during many races. 

This quote from Run, Selfie, Repeat could not have come at a better time:

No more. I need to stop giving myself outs. I need to stop committing half way to a goal and then hoping it just magically happens. From this point forward, the positive self talk is happening in full force. It doesn't matter whether I realistically think I can or cannot run a BQ, I need to start believing that it's possible. I'm doing the work, I'm going 100%, why wouldn't it be possible? I'm sabotaging myself when I say that it's not going to happen so I'm making the decision not to play that game anymore.

While working on my mental stamina and the tricky little games my mind plays, I also have to be cognizant that I'm an injury-prone runner now.  To meet my goal I am going to  have to make sacrifices to ensure that I do all the non-running essentials to keep me fit: Rest, sleep, proper nutrition, yoga/stretching, pilates, physical therapy, ART/massage.

This week is the first recovery week in my training plan. I'm switching plans next week to McMillan's 12-Week Marathon Training plan. I just finished reading his You (Only Faster) book and I have determined I am a Combo-speedster, which explains why I rock track/interval workouts but tempo runs burn me out. The point of the book is that you need to tailor training plans to fit YOU. I built a  great endurance base with Advanced Marathoning and look forward to marathon-specific training over the next 10 weeks (plus 2 taper weeks).

I'm headed to Oiselle Volée Bird Camp in Aptos, CA at the end of this week. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with friends and meeting new (to me) teammates.

Week 6 (12 weeks until CIM)

Monday, September 5: Rest day
Tuesday, September 6: 8 miles with 10x100m sprints at end, general aerobic run with speed
Wednesday, September 7: 5 miles, recovery run
Thursday, September 8: Rest day (travel to Northern CA for Bird Camp)
Friday, September 9: 12 miles, long run (Bird Camp)
Saturday, September 10: Love to Move 5k race plus warm-up jog
Sunday, September 11: 8 miles, general aerobic

{week 6} Five for Friday

In the spirit of posting at least SOMETHING, I bring you the Friday Five. 

ONE. I will be racing my first true 1/2 marathon (running 1/2 the LA Marathon does not count) of 2016 toeing the line for the OC 1/2 Marathon in exactly ONE month from today. It's also been a year since I raced 13.1 miles. Not nervous yet. 

TWO. I just registered to enter the lottery for the St. George Marathon (October 1, 2016). I will find out if I am lucky enough to race on May 18. The race is capped at 7800 runners. Crossing my fingers! If I do make the cut, I will have to start my training plan on May 30 (Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger).

THREE. I am racing the Carlsbad 5000 this Sunday with some of my fellow Oiselle Volée teammates. I <3 racing 5ks. This is my third since coming back from injury. I plan to beat my most recent time of 24:39 and hope to PR (or come close to my previous fitness) with a time less than 22:44. I'm racing for BEER! Pizza Port is the sponsor and they have crafted two custom beers just for the race. AND each race entry gets TWO FREE beers. 

 FOUR. I missed a step walking down the stairs at home a couple days ago and I bruised or sprained or something to right inner heel. I skipped my planned easy run today and may skip my long run tomorrow. It bums me to miss runs but at least I know I've been working my training plan and getting fitter. I am able to do things (run tempo!) I wasn't able to do so well before last year's injury and I've regained most of my running endurance (although I have not yet run more than 15 miles). 

FIVE. NUUN has finally updated their athletes page. There are a lot of badass nuun athletes out there. I'm on there too. You can see my profile HERE. I use nuun everyday to #stayhydrated. I also use plus for nuun for hard workouts (speed, tempo or long). It has a bit of carbs to give some much need energy. Use it in combination with either nuun active or nuun energy. I find it gives me a needed boost. 

That's all for this week. Looking forward to some fast racing on Sunday! (By the way, I just realized I missed my blogoversary on March 19! I've been blogging (as Perpetually Rungry) for a year! Happy Miles!)

OMG! It's here already!

Today's the day! I'm excited to start my first training cycle of 2016. I'm training for the OC 1/2 Marathon. I'm using McMillan Running training plan that is included as a perk to Strava Premium members. 

• My 'A' Goal: run < 1:45
• My 'B' Goal: run <1:47:48
• My 'C' Goal: run <1:49:19

I may be a bit ambitious with my time goals because I am still working on getting back into running shape after my injury. But I'm #womanup2016 and I'm feeling strong. 

Last week I ran the first half of the LA Marathon (purposely DNF'd the full) to determine my baseline fitness. I ran it in 1:56:40. This is without training for a half-marathon and with lots of walking. I walked every waterstop, even some un-official ones. I couldn't tell the difference after awhile and honestly, looked forward to the break. I also walked the steep hills. This tells me that my speed is there, but my running endurance is not. 

My last-ditch 'D' goal for the race then is to re-gain my running endurance. 

Courage: 2016

CONNECT 2016: Run with others!

In a change from previous years, I've been slow and deliberate in deciding my run goals for this year. In part because I just returned from a long vacation abroad and had to re-acclimate myself to work, routine and the timezone. 

I've also taken my time because of my end of the year, season-ending injury and my desire to come back strong yet remain injury-free. 

I needed to balance my desire to not let fear stop me from achieving or seeking #WomanUp2016 type goals vs. being smart about my return to running and what my body is capable of {at this moment}. 

Courage. It's my word for the year. The word that will guide me, that will push me. Courage to challenge myself, to grow, to be uncomfortable. It's the word that will drive me to achieve my goals and it is also the word that will help me ask for help when I need it. It's the word that allows me to step back, reassess and know that achieving my goals is a journey and it's the path I take that's important not the outcome. {especially important for me and my history of injury}.

2016 Goals

• Connect with other runners: Last year I spent too much time running alone. Not only do I enjoy running with others, I also learn a lot and it helps me be a stronger runner. 

Group run with the Runegades:
I could hang!

There are two local running groups: The Lopers and The Runegades. I've participated in the past with the Lopers. They're the group that helped me train for my first marathon in 2010-2011. The Lopers are an inclusive bunch with lots of different pace groups. I've participated off/on through out the years and they host group runs on Sundays and speed training on Tuesdays. 

The Runegades are a speedier bunch. I've known about them for awhile, but didn't join because of my fear that I wouldn't be able to hang. I finally joined at the end of last year, but because of my injury didn't run with them until this past weekend. They host group runs on Saturdays. They also have mid-week runs/speed training on Tuesdays, Wednesdays (track), Thursdays. 

I've also partnered up with my friend and fellow Oiselle Volee teammate, Dani for the 6-week #runlovechallenge. We're both participating in a weight-lifting/strength-training workshop on Monday mornings. And as of this morning, we now run together prior to the class to warm-up. 

Goal: Participate in at least one group run a week. 

• Develop a routine (make it a habit) for essential non-running activities for running: This includes core work, keeping up with my physical therapy/glute strengthening exercises, pilates/yoga, strength-training, sleep and stretching. This also includes setting aside plenty of time to rest and recover.

• Run a sub-4 hour marathon: My goal race is the 2016 California International Marathon on December 4th. I pretty much have the whole year and I am going to take this time to develop a strong base. I deferred the 2015 race due to injury and I don't want that to happen this year. Marathon-specific training will start in August and until then, I will focus on getting stronger.

• Run a sub-1:45 half-marathon: My primary goal is the sub-4:00 marathon but I will also attempt this goal this year at a half-marathon (actually, at multiple half-marathons) not yet determined.

That's all my run goals. I debated adding a mileage goal. Last year I attempted to run 2,015 miles in 2015 and ended 300 miles short. I thought about joining the 2016 challenge. I thought about making a goal to run at least one more mile than I did last year. I came to the conclusion that for me, I need to focus on quality miles and not quantity. If I end up running more than last year, hoorah! 

the path taken: reflections on 2015

Trail running between Grasmere and Ambleside:
The Lake District, Cumbria, England December 2015

I've been mulling over my 2016 goals, as people are wont to do this time of year, and I have ideas and notions on what I want to achieve. Before I put pen to paper, I want to reflect on the year that was--which is somewhat strange for me. Usually, I just charge forward with the new year and new goals. I think it's because on first glance it looked like I failed big time and did not achieve any of my 2015 run goals:

• Run 2,015 miles in 2015
• Run a sub-1:45 half-marathon
• Run a sub-4:00 marathon

Reviewing my stats for the year, has helped me reframe my failures into progress: *I always feel a bit weird writing lists like this because it feels a bit like boasting and showing off, but really listing things like this pulled me out of bit of depressive funk because of my injury*

• In 2015, I ran 1,712 miles. In 2014, I ran 1,102 miles. Over 600 miles more!
• I ran my first full marathon since I broke my kneecap in 2012. It took me over 2 years to finally register and run a race this distance. I'm still not comfortable with it, but I did it!
• I set personal records in all race distances I attempted:

• 1/2 Marathon: 1:47:38 (Surf City, Feb 2015) 

• Marathon: 4:24:09 (LA Marathon, March 2015) 

• 5K: 22:44 (PossAbilities, April 2015)  

• Not only did I PR in a 5K, I won it! First place, overall female. And as a prize, won some cash--enough for a new pair of running shoes, a marathon race registration and a couple of GUs.
• I learned I have weak glutes, especially my right side (the side with the broken kneecap). But because of this, I am working with a kick-ass physical therapist who has been challenging me and torturing me with exercises that will only make me stronger and more well-rounded.
• I met a lot of strong, awesome Oiselle Volée teammates throughout the year for group runs, Ragnar Wasatch Back, cowbell corners and of course, brunch. Oh, and even a NFL fantasy football league (ha ha). 
• I was selected to be an ambassador for Nuun and joined the team.
• In December, Paul and I were able to travel to England for most of the month where I was able to enjoy some breath-taking, gorgeous and pain-free running (I tried to run or walk at least 3 miles everyday while there, never running more than 2 days in row).

For 2016, I will still have some goals related to distance and time (#womanup2016). I also want to run more with others and participate in more group runs. To that end, I'll become active with my two local run groups again and participate in the #runlovechallenge with my friend, Dani. We've already decided to run together Monday mornings before strength training. I'll also make sure to continue my PT work, yoga/pilates, stretch and sleep. 

Right now these are all nebulous ideas floating around my head and I'm still a bit jet-lagged from my trip, but I'll formalize them soon.