Chicago 3:48

BRAVE. 

I am brave. 

Brave enough to pursue a big scary goal.

Brave enough to share it with the world. 

I will not let fear destroy my dream. 

I will not let comfort destroy my possibility. 

Chicago Marathon, here I come. 

Training starts May 1st. 

Surprise! I'm enjoying my running break

Training for and running three marathons in 6 months had me on the edge of burnout earlier this year. Early on, in my build up for the Los Angeles marathon, I decided I wasn't going to race it. Instead, I paced a friend to her first marathon finish. After I made that decision, I also decided I was going to take an extended break from running. 

In the past, I only took breaks from running because of injury. This is the first time I've taken a planned break. I thought it would be difficult to NOT run. I thought my resolve would break and I would sneak in some easy runs. 

I'm pleasantly surprised and happy to report that I am thoroughly enjoying my time-off from running. I'm using the time to get back in the habit of all my pre-hab activities that I got out of habit of doing as I felt more and more tired from marathon training. I'm taking cycling classes 3-4 times a week. I'm back in physical therapy to continue to build hip/glute strength and get back in the routine of doing my PT homework 3 times a week. I ordered the Iron Strength DVDs from Runner's World and have been doing those 2-3 times a week. I'm back to doing my plyo, core and strength videos from Beachbody's 21-Day Fix Extreme. I'm taking more walks with my husband and dog. And just this morning, I've started my heavy weight-lifting routine again. 

Our finish line festival picture was included 

in the email sent to ALL Carlsbad 5000 finishers!

Okay, I did just race Carlsbad 5000 this past Sunday. I did a lot better than I thought I would after not running for two weeks (official time=24:43). My first mile was too fast for my current fitness (7:34/mi), but I was able to dial back the pace and run the next 2 miles even pace (8:05/mi, 8:06/mi) and then kick the final 0.1 to the finish (7:05/mi). Between miles 2-3 I started to feel sick because of the coffee I drank and an empty stomach, but I pushed through and didn't give up! (This is BIG for me! My pacing and mental toughness have improved significantly since I started working with my coach). 

I'm back on my running break, which continues until Boston Marathon day (April 17). And I'm very excited to start building my base for the Chicago Marathon on May 1st!

2017 Los Angeles Marathon in pictures

Goal: Get Dani to the Finish Line. I've never paced anyone,
let alone for a full marathon. Yikes.

Oiselle Volee GTG at Expo. Jess, to the right of Cardboard Kara helped me sneak
Dani into Corral C so we would have a bit more room to move at the start.

Pre-race Dinner: Veggie Burger, Fries and Beer
have never let me down. I didn't do anything differently. ;)

My name! On a sign! Dani had a lot of superfans
on the course! (I'm importing my own superfans for Chicago--who wants to come?)

We had a ton of fun! High-fiving kids and attempting to hit
every Power-Up sign (I love those things)

Beer me! I pre-arranged with Carolyn, SoCal Volee leader to have
cold beer at the Oiselle Cheer location (btw miles 23-24).
Best idea ever.

Powering to the finish

She finished! With a smile on her face!

How long until BRUNCH?

They found us! Finish line chaos.

Brunch at WeHo Bistro

No Regrets: LA Marathon Training Week 10 Recap

This past Sunday, I PR'd my 10k race and that's only part and a very minor part of the story. I accomplished much more with the race than going faster. I raced strong, followed my race strategy and I was able to keep my mind in the game until I crossed the finish line. It was the first race I didn't mentally give up before it finished.

The annual Run through Redlands has 3 race distances: 5k, 10k and 1/2 marathon. I've raced the 1/2 marathon several times and for the last few years, I raced the 5k. It's fun, it hurts, it's over quick. I avoided the 10k because it scared me. As Dodie, one of my Oiselle Volee teammates stated when asked which distance is preferable: 5k--twice as hard, but half the time. 

Prior to Sunday, I have only raced two 10ks. I asked Coach Becki about which race distance and her advice was to choose the distance that most excites me. One of the reasons 10k's frighten me is because 10k race pace is hard and hurts like a 5k, but lasts longer. This particular 10k scared me a bit because there is a big hill in the middle. Also, all 3 RTR distances start with a slight incline and finish with a loooong slight incline on Olive Street. 

RTR 10k with big hill in middle

Becki told me to make the effort progressive. To run strong and don't give up. That she has no doubt that I can run a great time even with the hill in there. During the hill portion she told me to remind myself over and over, No Regrets and be willing to work hard and think about having good form and decent turnover even though it hurts. No Regrets became my mantra during the race. I braced myself for the hurt, laced up my shoes and had a great race. 

Using GAP on Strava, great steady effort
slightly faster towards end

Instead of thinking, this sucks/hurts/is hard and I want to quit or why the hell am I doing this? I acknowledged the hurt and didn't worry about pace during the hill portion. I had this weird tunnel vision during the race where I only focused on the present. I broke the race down in chunks: the first 2.5 miles, the long hill (2.5 to 3.7 miles), the steep downhill (3.7 to 5 miles), the last mile. It helped knowing the course (I ran the course twice in training) and it helped that my husband met me at mile 5 and paced me to the end. 

Week 10

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 30 minute easy run

Wednesday: 45 minute easy run (drills, 4xstrides) + weight-lifting (upper body and core)

Thursday: 5 miles with 6 x 1min@ 8:00/mi

Friday: 30 minutes Tabata (burpees, yay!)

Saturday: 10 minute shake out with 4 light strides

Sunday: 3.5 mile warm-up jog to start, 6.2 miles race, 1.3 miles cool-down jog to car

Week 10 miles: 26.9 miles

2017 miles: 268 miles

See the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC HERE.

Los Angeles Marathon Training: Weeks 8 & 9

Week 8: February 13-19

Monday: On schedule was cycle class and weight-lifting. In reality, I slept in because I had the day off work and then ran 4 miles for beer and friends (4.5 miles)
Tuesday: 6 miles easy run, plus 4x100m strides and drills (6.5 miles)
Wednesday: 1/2 mile jog to gym, 1 hour cycle class, & weight-lifting (squats, deadlifts, box jumps)
Thursday: This week's workout was a build on the workout from Week 6. 10 mins warm up, 6,5,4,3,2,1 mins hard with 2 mins easy between, 10 mins cooldown. The goal is pick-up speed as the interval time goes down. I spent the night at my in-law's because I had to drop off Nani for his surgery early. Instead of running this workout on the track, I ran around their neighborhood.
It felt harder than the last time I did this workout, Coach Becki says "You had another great workout! It may have felt harder because you were KILLING it! You were running 20-30 seconds per mile faster and it was 6 mins longer! That shows some great progress!" (6.2 miles)

• 6 minutes at 8:18/mi
• 5 minutes at 8:25/mi
• 4 minutes at 7:59/mi
• 3 minutes at 8:15/mi
• 2 minutes at 7:28/mi
• 1 minute at 6:42/mi

Friday: 30 minute Tabata class using balance beams and kettle bells.
Saturday: 5 miles easy run
Sunday: Plan was to do an 18-mile progression, with the first 6 miles easy,

then 2 miles at 9:50-10:00/mi; 6 miles at 9:30-9:40/mi; 2 miles at 9:20-9:30; one mile with 30 seconds stride/1 minute easy; 1 mile cool-down.
Sunday was a Oiselle Volée LA Marathon Flight Club get together and I ended up starting out fast and my nutrition was off, so I called it a day at 16 miles. By the time I got home, I wanted to run the two miles (pretty much only to hit 40 miles for the week) and was set to do so until I asked Becki what she thought and she said nope. 

Week 8 Miles: 39 miles
2017 Miles: 195.5 miles

Week 9: February 20-26

Monday: Another day off work and a complete rest day for me.
Tuesday: 7 miles easy, drills & 4x strides (7.6 miles)
Wednesday: 1-hour cycle class and weight-lifting (shoulder press, chest press, single leg dead lifts)

Thursday: 10-15 minutes warm-up, 5x1mile with increasing pace (start at 8:50 and increase pace by 5 seconds-8:50, 8:45, 8:40, 8:35, 8:30 with 400 meter jog in-between; 10 minute cool-down. My goal was to try to stay within pace for the first few and then kill the one. This was a long work-out and as Dani pointed out, it was 25 laps around the track. I liked this work-out. It was hard, but I always had that 400m recovery jog to push me forward. (9.2 miles)

1. 8:45/mi
2. 8:41/mi
3. 8:36/mi
4. 8:24/mi
5. 8:07/mi

Friday: 40 minutes easy run + drills (4.3 miles)
Saturday: 45-50 minutes easy run (5.0 miles)
Sunday:  My plan called for a 17 mile progression type run, but it was another Oiselle Volée LA Marathon Flight Club get together. The Los Angeles Volée leader, arranged a supported (w/ aid stations) 20 mile run along the coast from Marina Del Ray to Manhattan Beach and back. Instead of my planned 17 mile run, I ran 20 miles with the 18-mile progression from the week before.
This time, I did everything "right" and it was the easiest 20 miler I have ever run. I truly enjoyed it.

Nutrition: about 90 minutes before starting, I ate a sweet potato with almond butter and 1/2 banana. I drank plenty of water before and during the run. And I had a gel every 30 minutes or so. This worked for me.

Pace: I programmed the run into my Garmin with pace alerts to keep me from going too fast. I also made sure I ran my own paces, which meant I ran alone a lot. It was okay though because we would all meet up at the aid stations. 

6 miles easy (goal: 8:59-10:17, which is my long run pace)-->9:15/mi
2 miles at 9:50-10:00/mi-->9:34/mi
6 miles at 9:30-9:40/mi-->9:25/mi
2 miles at 9:20-9:30/mi-->9:12/mi
1 mile with alternating 30 second stride, 1 minute easy jog. Guessing how many intervals would fit in a mile, I programmed my watch with 8 intervals. It turns out that 6 was enough to hit a mile, but I did all eight (1.3 miles total). These were hard on tired legs and unlike stand alone workouts, I didn't try to go faster towards the end. My legs were beat.

1. 6:53/mi
2. 7:03/mi
3. 7:03/mi
4. 6:31/mi
5. 6:24/mi
6. 7:04/mi
7. 6:59/mi
8. 7:05/mi

2.7 miles cool-down (9:40/mi). These were hard miles. Up until my interval mile, I was feeling great. Although these miles were hard, it wasn't a struggle fest like last week's long run. Overall I felt great and confident after this run. 

Three weeks until the Los Angeles Marathon!

Week 9 Miles: 46.2 miles
2017 Miles: 241 miles

See the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC HERE.

LA Marathon Training Recap: Week 7

A little late...work and life have been a bit crazy. We found out my baby Nani has a torn/injured CCL (similar to human's ACL) and needed surgery.

Week 7 (February 6-12)

Monday: 1-hour cycle class and physical therapy exercises

Tuesday: 7 miles easy run with 4 x 100 meter strides/drills

Wednesday: 1/2 mile jog to gym; 1 hour cycle class; weight-lifting: squats, dead lifts, box jumps

Thursday: OMG. This was an alternating pace tempo run. This was a tough run. I was freaking out about it because...TEMPO. I'm still learning how to run a good tempo and this workout was a 5 mile tempo run in which the pace changed at each mile. I programmed my Garmin with the workout to not have to worry about remembering the paces, etc. 

Warm-up: 2 miles warm-up

1 mile @ 9:15/mi (Did it in 9:13/mi...okay, I can do this, this was a relatively easy mile.

1 mile @ 8:15/mi (8:14/mi...nailed it, but THANK YOU next mile is slower)

1 mile @ 8:55/mi (8:45/mi...that was uh, okay...how many more miles do I have?)

1 mile @ 8:25/mi (8:25/mi...YAY! almost done)

1 mile @ 8:15/mi (8:14/mi...In my delirium of embracing the uncomfortableness, I still thought I had another mile of the tempo left during this one...which made this mile hurt like hell and sucky. I was completely surprised when my watch beeped at me and told it was time to cool-down. It was the best present EVER. Okay, not really...but at that moment, I could have cried for joy.

1 mile cool-down

Friday: 30 minute easy run; Pilates; TRX class in the morning. In the evening, I taught a 1-hour cycle class

Saturday: 5.5 miles easy run on treadmill because of rain

Sunday: 15 mile long run. Dani, Nate (and baby Simon!) and I decided to run the Run Through Redlands 10k route twice to help me decide whether to race the 5k (my favorite distance) or the 10k (my nemesis distance). 

I don't know how to properly race 10k's (I've only run 2 and ran them in more of a 1/2 marathon pace instead of properly racing them). Instead of doing what I always do (race the 5k) and with the goal of becoming an overall stronger runner this year, I'm changing things up...But, the Run Through Redlands 10k has this horrible loooong steep hill in the middle. Actually, most of the course is slightly uphill. 

The first time we ran the course, I thought the hill was a nice challenge. Hard, but doable. The second time we ran the course, I thought Oh, hell NO. No way am I racing the 10k. 

Week 7 miles: 40.5 miles

2017 miles: 156.5 miles

Overall, it was a GREAT training week. I finally hit 40 miles, which is my comfort base level mileage and I rocked my key workout. 

Oh, and I registered for the 10k Race!!

LA Marathon Training Recap, Week 6

In retrospect, last week's DNF was the right move and it was also the turning point in my recovery and moving forward. It took about 2 months, but I finally feel recovered from CIM.  Also, I made a decision about the LA Marathon. I  was never planning on racing it--too close to CIM--but I do/did think I would be able to set a course PR. Instead, I've decided to pace my running partner and friend, Dani, to her first marathon

The Rose Bowl loop (5k) is fun!

finish. It took me a while to come to this decision because I wanted the course PR and I also wanted to start in one of the seeded corrals (instead of the general mass/chaos). I remembered my first marathon--Los Angeles--and how I ran it by myself and I had no friends or family to cheer me--I don't want anyone to experience that. I threw off my selfish desires and told Dani I would pace her. 

• Monday: Barre Class + physical therapy exercises
• Tuesday: 6 miles, easy + 4x100m strides and drills
• Wednesday: Cycle class + weight-lifting (squats, deadlifts, box jumps)

  

  Running track in the dark

• Thursday: Track Thursday! The local high school track has been closed a lot lately due to rain, but it was open this week. It was a fun work out. (5.1 miles total)

10 minute warm-up, 5 minutes at marathon pace (8:45/mi),1 min easy pace; 4 minutes at marathon pace (8:44/mi),1 min easy pace; 3 minutes at half-marathon pace (8:20/mi), 1 min easy pace; 2 minutes at 10k pace (7:50/mi), 1 min easy pace; 1 minute at 5k pace (7:15/mi), 1 min easy; 10 minute cool-down

                                

I told Coach Becki that I loved this workout and she said she's glad I like it because it is one of her staples in half-marathon/marathon build ups. 

• Friday: Tabata (burpees), Pilates, TRX class
• Saturday: 45-50 minutes easy run (5.4 miles). Started with Redlands Runegades for part of their route.



In front of the "Father of the Bride" house

• Sunday: Long Run. Another Oiselle Volée LA Marathon training Flight Club run. This time in Pasadena. (13.8 miles)

I'm feeling good and had a solid week of training. I have my eyes and heart set on Chicago Marathon and will be using the Los Angeles Marathon as another step towards that goal. 

Week 6 Miles: 30.3 miles

2017 Miles: 116 miles

See the training link up on Eat Pray Run DC HERE.