Viva Las Vegas

Running 5 in 9, what a way to make yourself get going.  Running 5 (half marathons) in 9 (weeks), seems like such a crazy idea.  Finished the half in Vegas in 3:16.23.  Not a PR but quite the accomplishment.  I've never ran 13.1 miles on popsicles for legs.  It was sooo cold this morning.  It took 45 minutes from the initial start until my wave crossed the start line.  So that was 45 minutes of some slow moving.  Brr....


Vegas put on quite the show with the inaugural Rock N'Roll Marathon.  Lots of fireworks, showgirls, siberian tigers, and skydivers.  And that was just at the start line!  Lots of folks in various costumes and a nice crowd of people to keep my slow self company.  Many spectators along the course from those who traveled to runners, to those who probably just left a bar and had a little too much to drink and stumbled outside realizing it was daylight!  Hopefully next year they fix the water stations so they run more smoothly for us slow folks.  Not surprisingly the one aide station run by the folks in military uniform was the smoothest one.  Next stop, maybe Phoenix in 6 weeks?  I'll see how the recovery goes.

34 Degrees in Vegas??

I thought Vegas was supposed to be hot.  It is in the middle of the desert.  But no, it is slated to be 34 degrees at the start line.  Good thing for expos.  I picked up a hat and some gloves for super cheap.  I don't even know where my winter gear is at home because I haven't had the opportunity to use it.  I never thought I would travel to Vegas and be cold.  I'm off to see The Lion King tonight (front row seats!), so hopefully I can channel the warmth of the African grasslands tomorrow at 6am.   I'm definitely not looking forward to feeling the chill of the morning report!

Sweet Journey

Did my final long run before Vegas.  10 miles today along the trail.  Walked the first two miles to see how my leg would hold up (it felt fine!) and then started 5 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking for the remaining 8 miles.  Made sure to keep the pace light and easy throughout.  I felt great!!  The weather was just right.  Saw lots of wildlife, including a coyote.  It was just a nice, easy, long training run.  I finished in 2 hours 38 minutes which I find astonishing as I did a 10 mile race in late September in 2 hours and 43 minutes.   The human body is such an amazing machine that so readily adapts to stress and becomes stronger.  I would never have believed when I began training,  somewhat consistently, back in August that I would still be on my feet and enjoying the journey.    The fact that I'm making progress just makes the journey that much sweeter.  

Staying Healthy

I love vacation.  It's so nice to sleep in.  Even though the weather has been beautiful, I've been confined to the gym for the last several days.  My brilliant idea of doing races on three consecutive weekends then followed by an 8 mile run has caught up with me.  I'm fighting off shin splints and plantar fasciitis that's acting up.  That means lots of ice, wrapping up my shin during the day, sleeping with a splint, and lots and lots of stretching.  So far, so good at keeping the injury at bay.  It had given me a chance to focus on weights at the gym and doing more low impact cardio.  I can't believe how weak my upper body is.  I will definitely be sore tomorrow!!  Perhaps, I'll be sore enough that it will reduce my reps of heavy turkey fork lifting.   A girl can hope!    I have a 10 mile run scheduled this weekend as the final preparation before Vegas.  Not sure if that will happen.  Just striving to stay healthy and enjoy vacation while it lasts.

Time to Relax

What a wonderful feeling to sleep in late and then head out at whatever time I want for a run.  My week of vacation has officially begun.  I headed to the trail for an 8 mile run late this morning.  Nothing too intense as I could feel the effort of the 5K in my legs.  I just need to ensure that my base is maintained for Vegas.   

  I love running along the trail.  It's always so peaceful and great to see a variety of wildlife.  There was a beautiful egret only three feet off the side of the trail standing there so stoically.  What a sight!   The map picture doesn't do the trail justice but is a cool feature of the Garmin Forerunner.   I will be such a treat to have the entire week off to run along the trail on a weekday.

Another Race, Another PR (for this decade)

Third weekend in a row with a race!  Today's event was a 5K Turkey Trot.  The weather was foggy, cold, and damp.  Luckily no rain.   It was a crowded race which is not exactly my favorite.  Lots of defensive running and elbows early on and then weaving in and out of runners and walkers throughout the course.  My race plan was to run 4:30 and walk 1:00 with a goal of beating my 5K time earlier this year of 42:42.  I did it!  Finished with a time of 41:30.4.  Next goal < 40:00 and that will bring me closer to beaing a 5K time posted in 2000 of 39:34. The shocking thing is that I was significantly lighter in 2000 than I am now.  So to only be 2:00 minutes away from that time gives me great hope for my running future. 

Next Stop, Las Vegas

Surprisingly, I'm not too sore after back to back half marathons in record time.  I think putting my feet into ice buckets following the race was very helpful.  Also, increasing my vitamin "I" (Ibuprofen) hasn't hurt my recovery either.   I need to remain on the progress train, so I located my next half marathon.  Drum roll please..... the inaugural Rock N' Roll in Las Vegas.  I did the original RNR marathon in San Diego ten years ago and it was a lot of fun.  Nothing like live music to keep you motivated.  That combined with the spectacle of running along the strip should be lots of  fun.  I found a cheap flight on Southwest so it will be a fun weekend.  I don't think I'll be ready to break 3 hours by then but with a race on the calendar, it will definitely keep my motivated for the next three weeks.  I can't wait!

4th Half Marathon in 6 Weeks

Completed my fourth half marathon in the last six weeks.  Maybe doing another half only six days after my last one wasn't the best idea but these races are currently on top of my stress management strategies.  The meditative aspect of endurance sports has always been a place where I have found peace.  So my plan was to walk the first 2.5 miles and then drop my walk/run intervals down to 3 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking for the remainder of the race.  With that game plan and a couple bathroom stops, I finished in 3:17.33!! Just 5 minutes slower than the week before.  WOW!!!  The body is such an amazing, adaptable gift.  I never would have thought when I began training back in August that before Thanksgiving I would have run 4 half marathons.  That is something to be thankful for.


Today's course was a much needed respite from the previous week.  Nice trail run along the river.  No cars, not too crowded, and with an ultramarathon and marathon also occurring along the course there was a steady stream of runners passing me to offer inspiration.  Hard to believe that so many of them were running three times the distance!  One day...


Now I need to find my next half marathon.  My goal for now is to stay healthy and finish under 3 hours.  After that, I can tackle my previous PR.  Here's my updated results...

Found 14:33 Today During a Half Marathon

Did another half marathon and to my complete amazement it was 14 minutes and 33 seconds faster than the one I did at the beginning of October.  Hard to believe that I completed the distance in 3:12.50!  That was with walking the first mile and slowing down considerably the last 2 miles as my feet began to hurt.  It's tough to run on country roads.  The crown on the road is terrible and lots of patches on the roadway or places that need to be patched!  It makes for a bumpy ride!  Which after 11 miles, my feet were screaming ENOUGH!  So even with that I managed to I find 14 minutes and 33 seconds!  Since my average pace per mile was 14:43, that means I gained about a mile!  Now I need to find my next race, preferably on a smoother surface!

Cardio Theater

It's been about 4 months since I stepped foot in my local gym until tonight.  Cardio Theater is my new favorite thing.  It allows you to plug your headphones into whatever cardio equipment and then channel surf between various TVs, adjust the volume, and even mute during commercials! 

This is quite the discovery as I have become quite the TV junkie the last few years while I've been busy making no progress.   It was especially hard to leave home to go to the gym during the 7th inning of Game 5.  I had already been sitting on the couch in my workout clothes for 2 innings and figured it was time to go.   Only to be rewarded by the discovery of Cardio Theater.  My original workout plans called for only 30 minutes on the ellipitical but the Phillies had won before time was out so I switched over to the Saints/Falcons game without breaking stride.  With only about 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter, I'd figured no problem...finish the workout, finish the game.  A number of challenges and injury time outs later, with the Saints remaining undefeated, I had been going strong on the ellipitical for 1 hour 10 minutes, burning 700 calories.  You can't do that on the couch at home!  I'm already thinking about what's on TV tomorrow because I think I'll enjoy it on my new cardio theater at the gym.

2 miles. Gone.

Did an 8 mile training run this morning with a fair amount of hills in preparation for an upcoming half marathon.  Here's the results.

8 miles in 2009 = 2 hours 5 minutes
10 miles in 2000 = 2 hours 4 minutes

2 miles gone in 9 years.  All the extra pounds I have aren't helping get those 2 miles back.   While running today, I roughly figured that each extra pound is worth 30 seconds.  So, if I were to lose the recommended 2 lbs/week, I could gain 1 minute every week.  I need a longer run to figure out how many weeks it would take to get back the 2 miles lost.  Something to think about during the half marathon next weekend.

The last 10 years

Who knew you could look up 10 year old race results only to confirm that you really haven't made much progress?!?

Look at these results.  I'm 40 minutes slower in 10 years at the half-marathon distance.  That's 3 minutes/mile slower and I wasn't fast to begin with! 

2009

• Half-Marathon 3:27:23, 3:42:14
• 10 Miler 2:43:47
• 5K 42:42

2008

• 5K 55:57

 2006

• Half-Marathon 3:25:15

 2005

• 5K 50:19

 2000

• Marathon 5:58:32 and 5:51:33
• 10 Miler 2:08:43 and 2:04:11
• 5K 39:34

 1999

• Half-Marathon 2:47:11
• Marathon 5:54:31
• 5K  49:05