I haven't updated my running blog in over 2 weeks and there's a few reasons for that. As I suspected, things were pretty busy once we returned from spring break. There's not much time for blogging when you have a state exam to prepare for and you enter some of the most grueling weeks of marathon training. My marathon training has been going pretty well still, but I just haven't been able to find the words to write lately. In light of recent events, there were no words that really seemed appropriate to write. I was not sure what to say or how to say it even, but nothing felt quite right. I've thought a lot about what I have wanted to say and I want the focus of today's post to be what motivates me to run and how running can make the world a better place.
Although it may seem hard to believe at times, I truly believe that there is more good in the world than evil. However, I do not think that we always see enough of the good in the world. I know a lot of wonderful people, but no one is perfect and we do not all always show the good in ourselves even. I know that I am far from perfect, but I think that we should all try harder to become more compassionate and caring people. I think that we could and should strive to share more of this good with the world. I think that people who are not runners really need to understand how running is just one way that you can share the good with the world.
Although some people may disagree with me, I truly believe that running is the purest sport of all. I think that road races are a perfect example of that. Over the past few years, I have run in over 50 road races. I have run 5K races, 10K races, half marathons and many other distance races. I cannot think of a single race that I have entered that has not put at least part of the entry money towards a good cause. One of my favorite races that I participate in every year is a 5K/10K family walk/run for Roswell Park Cancer Institute. One of the main reasons why I run this race is because my family has a personal connection to this amazing place. It's incredible to see people of all ages and abilities, including cancer patients, walking or running to support such an amazing place.
When you see people who have suffered so much in their own lives, it makes you grateful for everything that you have in your own life. It also makes you extremely grateful to be able to have the ability to be able to run and be in such great health. I run for all of those who cannot run, especially those people who would love to run. When people ask me what motivates me to run, I can think of people in my life who inspire me to run. Some of these people are unable to run and that makes me extremely thankful to be a runner. I'm sure that all of my runner friends could think of a person or people or a cause that motivates them to run. I honestly cannot think of just one person or cause that motivates me to run because there are so many inspiring people in my own life.
I am thankful for all of the people in my life who motivate me to run and I am thankful for having the physical ability to run. The physical aspect of running is extremely important, but I think that the mental part of running is so much more important. Your attitude can easily make or break a run. It's amazing what a good run can do for your own attitude no matter what is going on in your own life or how stressed out you are. If you have never run a road race before, then you probably don't quite understand the runner's high. When you cross the finish line of a race, there is just as much
excitement and energy for the winner as there is for the last place
finisher. This is one of the best feelings in the world and it makes all of the blood, sweat and tears all worth it in the end.
When your feet hit the pavement for the first step of a run, you are often focused on the finish line. I think that so many of us spend too much time focusing on the finish line and not enough time focusing on the journey there. I think that the same can be said about our own lives. We do not take enough time to appreciate the little things in life or to reach out to one another. A small act of kindness can go a long way and runners display acts of kindness all of the time. You always hear of very heroic acts from runners, but even the little things are what make runners so unique. I cannot think of any other sport where all of the other competitors will wave to you, smile at you or cheer you on. These may seem like very little things to you, but to someone they may mean the world. It only takes one person to change the world, but we could all work together to make this world a better place.
There's so much more that I could say about running and what motivates me to run, but I think that this sums up my thoughts about running pretty well. I challenge each of you now to help me share more of the good in the world. There is an incredible bond between runners, but I think that all people could also use an incredible bond to make this world a better place. There's no reason why you cannot do one small random act of kindness everyday to help us get to where we should be. As I continue my last month of marathon training, I am going to make it my mission to show more of the good in myself. Marathon training has been tough at times, but this experience has given me the opportunity to really remember what motivated me to begin running in the first place. As I finish up this post, here is a recap of what the past 2 1/2 weeks of marathon training have looked like:
Week 24
4/9/13 - 4 miles in 38:39 (9:40 min/mi pace)
4/10/13 - 9 miles in 1:27:17 (9:42 min/mi pace)
4/11/13 - 5 miles in 49:20 (9:52 min/mi pace)
4/14/13 - 19 miles in 3:11:11 (10:03 min/mi pace)
Week 25
4/16/13 - 4 miles in 38:58 (9:44 min/mi pace)
4/17/13 - 9 miles in 1:29:27 (9:56 min/pace)
4/20/13 - 16 miles in 2:42:48 (10:10 min/mi pace)
Week 26
4/23/13 - 10 miles in 1:32:29 (9:15 min/mi pace)
4/24/13 - 5 miles in 48:20 (9:40 min/mi pace)
419 miles complete in 66:46:15 and only 31 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Spring Break
If we are talking about just running, then week 23 was pretty uneventful. However, it was spring break and I was home in Buffalo so the entire week was pretty eventful. I love being home and being able to spend time with my wonderful family and closest friends. I was worried about how my training would go in Buffalo this week, but I only ended up skipping one short run. After a hectic and fun few days at home, I decided that my body needed to take Tuesday off from running instead of getting my 4 miler in. I do not make it home for an extended period of time very often so I had plenty of things that I wanted to do this week. The best part of the entire break was celebrating Dyngus Day with all of the other crazy Polish people in Buffalo. I think that all of the polka dancing that I did certainly counts for cross training for this week.
Although I kept pretty busy all week, I was able to fit in the rest of my training without any problems. I knew that I could have easily skipped any of my other runs, but I'm trying to take this training pretty seriously. I was worried that being home would cause me to stray from my schedule. However, I think that spring break actually worked in my favor. It is amazing how much easier running is when you are well-rested and get enough sleep the night before any of your runs. The hardest run of the week was probably my 8 miler, but I think that the snow and the cold weather was what slowed me down. I was happy that the temperatures started warming up by the time that I needed to do a 5 miler on Thursday.
I think that being able to run in shorts and a t-shirt today was probably the reason why my long run was the best run of the week. I am grateful that Hal Higdon gave me a taper week after that 16 miler last weekend and before attempting a new long run next weekend. I knew that today's long run would be easier than last week and I set out for my run with a very positive attitude. I love being able to run through the streets that I grew up on and see so many familiar places or faces during a run. I also love being able to run through new streets that I am not used to typically running on. I was amazed at how easy 13 miles felt today and I felt great throughout the entire run. My body is also beginning to recover much more quickly from long runs and it does not even feel like my 13 mile run was actually today.
I would say that week 23 was another successful week of training and I am hoping that week 24 is just as successful. I am looking at an 18 or 19 mile long run next weekend so that will be a new first for me. My furthest distance up to this point has only been 16 miles so I am excited to attempt a new distance. I do not think that next week will be too difficult if I can continue to stick to my training schedule and prepare my body properly. There is less than 2 months left to prepare for the Buffalo Marathon and I am still feeling pretty optimistic and confident in my ability to be able to do this. It is amazing how far I have come as a runner and how easy so many of my runs are these days. I am excited to see what the next few weeks of training have in store as I push it a little further each week. Buffalo better watch out because it won't be long until I conquer 26.2!
Week 23
4/3/13 - 8 miles in 1:25:57 (10:44 min/mi pace)
4/4/13 - 5 miles in 50:23 (10:05 min/mi pace)
4/6/13 - 13 miles in 2:09:26 (9:57 min/mi pace)
338 miles complete in 53:27:46 and only 49 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Although I kept pretty busy all week, I was able to fit in the rest of my training without any problems. I knew that I could have easily skipped any of my other runs, but I'm trying to take this training pretty seriously. I was worried that being home would cause me to stray from my schedule. However, I think that spring break actually worked in my favor. It is amazing how much easier running is when you are well-rested and get enough sleep the night before any of your runs. The hardest run of the week was probably my 8 miler, but I think that the snow and the cold weather was what slowed me down. I was happy that the temperatures started warming up by the time that I needed to do a 5 miler on Thursday.
I think that being able to run in shorts and a t-shirt today was probably the reason why my long run was the best run of the week. I am grateful that Hal Higdon gave me a taper week after that 16 miler last weekend and before attempting a new long run next weekend. I knew that today's long run would be easier than last week and I set out for my run with a very positive attitude. I love being able to run through the streets that I grew up on and see so many familiar places or faces during a run. I also love being able to run through new streets that I am not used to typically running on. I was amazed at how easy 13 miles felt today and I felt great throughout the entire run. My body is also beginning to recover much more quickly from long runs and it does not even feel like my 13 mile run was actually today.
I would say that week 23 was another successful week of training and I am hoping that week 24 is just as successful. I am looking at an 18 or 19 mile long run next weekend so that will be a new first for me. My furthest distance up to this point has only been 16 miles so I am excited to attempt a new distance. I do not think that next week will be too difficult if I can continue to stick to my training schedule and prepare my body properly. There is less than 2 months left to prepare for the Buffalo Marathon and I am still feeling pretty optimistic and confident in my ability to be able to do this. It is amazing how far I have come as a runner and how easy so many of my runs are these days. I am excited to see what the next few weeks of training have in store as I push it a little further each week. Buffalo better watch out because it won't be long until I conquer 26.2!
Week 23
4/3/13 - 8 miles in 1:25:57 (10:44 min/mi pace)
4/4/13 - 5 miles in 50:23 (10:05 min/mi pace)
4/6/13 - 13 miles in 2:09:26 (9:57 min/mi pace)
338 miles complete in 53:27:46 and only 49 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
You Know You're Training for a Marathon When.....
You Know You're Training for a Marathon When.....
1.) You buy more than one pair of running shoes in a year.
2.) You plan to wear closed-toe shoes indefinitely.
3.) Most of your laundry pile consists of running clothes.
4.) You can no longer fit all of your running clothes in your dresser.
5.) 13.1 miles becomes a training run.
6.) You care more about comfort during a long run than fashion.
7.) You frequently find a small amount of blood in at least one article of clothing after a long run.
8.) You constantly have blisters on your feet.
9.) Your boots no longer zip up over your calves.
10.) Most of your fluid intake consists of water and gatorade.
11.) Gu has become a new food group on your own food pyramid.
12.) You plan your weekends around your long run.
13.) You make running plans with friends instead of going to happy hour.
14.) Your neighbors start asking you how many miles you ran each weekend.
15.) You see the same people twice during a run.
16.) A 3 mile run can suck one day and a 7 mile run can feel great the next day.
17.) You start a run with gloves and a headband on and end in shorts and a t-shirt.
18.) A beautiful day improves/increases your speed.
19.) 6 or 8 miles are now considered short runs.
20.) You can calculate your mile splits faster than your phone can.
21.) You get multiple emails a week from MapMyRun.
22.) You only buy running clothes or running accessories whenever you go shopping.
23.) A good night's sleep can make or break your run the next day.
24.) You have many obstacles thrown your way during training.
25.) You can take 3 weeks off from running and return to training like nothing ever happened.
26.) You can now run more miles than it would take you to drive to work.
27.) Double digit runs are a normal part of your weekend.
28.) You start a run in snow and end the run in 50 degree weather.
29.) Walkers and other runners begin to recognize you when you're out for a run.
30.) You are tempted to run or feel restless on days off.
I think that this list will definitely continue to grow over the next few weeks and there are probably tons of things that I forgot to add to the list. I will end there for now and talk about this week. Week 22 has been my best week of marathon training yet! I was a little disappointed after the Syracuse Half Marathon because the race was a bit of a struggle for me and it did not go quite as I expected. However, I have quickly learned over the past few months that marathon training never goes quite as well as you planned. This was the first week in quite awhile that I actually completed all of my short runs during the week and stuck to my actual schedule. There have been plenty of weeks where I have skipped a short run or changed the mileage on at least one of my short runs. I decided that I should try to stick as close to my marathon training schedule as possible this week. My 3 miler on Tuesday was a little rough because it was just two days after Syracuse and it was my first run in my new kicks. I went into Wednesday's run expecting to have to shorten my 7 miler, but it actually felt great and I completed the entire run. I was really tempted to skip my 4 miler on Thursday because it was the beginning of spring break and I had a 3 1/2 hour drive ahead of me. However, I decided to run before I drove home since it would be dark by the time that I got home. I had one of my fastest runs in weeks because I was so excited to head home and start my spring break.
I ended week 22 of training with a 16 miler. After my race last weekend, I knew that I needed to prepare my body much better for my long run. I did everything that I was supposed to yesterday. I drank a lot of water, ate my carbs, had plenty of downtime and got a decent amount of sleep. I woke up this morning feeling good and ready to run. I was also excited for this run because I was going to be able to run 16 miles through the streets I grew up on. The change of scenery made a huge difference in my run and I really enjoyed running from one end of town to the other and back. I was also sporting my brand new Mizuno Wave Elixir 8's and a new Nathan Trail Mix 4 hydration belt. I filled up three of my bottles with water and one with gatorade. I grabbed my hydration belt, 3 packets of Gu and my headphones and I was on my way out for my 16 miler. The gorgeous weather today also made the run much more enjoyable. I was surprised at how much easier this run felt than my run last weekend. I felt really good for the entire run and nothing hurt when I was done running. I am extremely happy with how today's run went and I actually feel like I'm going to be able to run a marathon in two months! Here's a glance at what week 22 looked like:
Week 22
3/26/13 - 3 miles in 28:41 (9:34 min/mi pace)
3/27/13 - 7 miles in 1:10:11 (10:01 min/mi pace)
3/28/13 - 4 miles in 35:31 (8:53 min/mi pace)
3/30/13 - 16 miles in 2:41:20 (10:05 min/mi pace)
312 miles complete in 49:02:00 and only 56 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
1.) You buy more than one pair of running shoes in a year.
2.) You plan to wear closed-toe shoes indefinitely.
3.) Most of your laundry pile consists of running clothes.
4.) You can no longer fit all of your running clothes in your dresser.
5.) 13.1 miles becomes a training run.
6.) You care more about comfort during a long run than fashion.
7.) You frequently find a small amount of blood in at least one article of clothing after a long run.
8.) You constantly have blisters on your feet.
9.) Your boots no longer zip up over your calves.
10.) Most of your fluid intake consists of water and gatorade.
11.) Gu has become a new food group on your own food pyramid.
12.) You plan your weekends around your long run.
13.) You make running plans with friends instead of going to happy hour.
14.) Your neighbors start asking you how many miles you ran each weekend.
15.) You see the same people twice during a run.
16.) A 3 mile run can suck one day and a 7 mile run can feel great the next day.
17.) You start a run with gloves and a headband on and end in shorts and a t-shirt.
18.) A beautiful day improves/increases your speed.
19.) 6 or 8 miles are now considered short runs.
20.) You can calculate your mile splits faster than your phone can.
21.) You get multiple emails a week from MapMyRun.
22.) You only buy running clothes or running accessories whenever you go shopping.
23.) A good night's sleep can make or break your run the next day.
24.) You have many obstacles thrown your way during training.
25.) You can take 3 weeks off from running and return to training like nothing ever happened.
26.) You can now run more miles than it would take you to drive to work.
27.) Double digit runs are a normal part of your weekend.
28.) You start a run in snow and end the run in 50 degree weather.
29.) Walkers and other runners begin to recognize you when you're out for a run.
30.) You are tempted to run or feel restless on days off.
I think that this list will definitely continue to grow over the next few weeks and there are probably tons of things that I forgot to add to the list. I will end there for now and talk about this week. Week 22 has been my best week of marathon training yet! I was a little disappointed after the Syracuse Half Marathon because the race was a bit of a struggle for me and it did not go quite as I expected. However, I have quickly learned over the past few months that marathon training never goes quite as well as you planned. This was the first week in quite awhile that I actually completed all of my short runs during the week and stuck to my actual schedule. There have been plenty of weeks where I have skipped a short run or changed the mileage on at least one of my short runs. I decided that I should try to stick as close to my marathon training schedule as possible this week. My 3 miler on Tuesday was a little rough because it was just two days after Syracuse and it was my first run in my new kicks. I went into Wednesday's run expecting to have to shorten my 7 miler, but it actually felt great and I completed the entire run. I was really tempted to skip my 4 miler on Thursday because it was the beginning of spring break and I had a 3 1/2 hour drive ahead of me. However, I decided to run before I drove home since it would be dark by the time that I got home. I had one of my fastest runs in weeks because I was so excited to head home and start my spring break.
I ended week 22 of training with a 16 miler. After my race last weekend, I knew that I needed to prepare my body much better for my long run. I did everything that I was supposed to yesterday. I drank a lot of water, ate my carbs, had plenty of downtime and got a decent amount of sleep. I woke up this morning feeling good and ready to run. I was also excited for this run because I was going to be able to run 16 miles through the streets I grew up on. The change of scenery made a huge difference in my run and I really enjoyed running from one end of town to the other and back. I was also sporting my brand new Mizuno Wave Elixir 8's and a new Nathan Trail Mix 4 hydration belt. I filled up three of my bottles with water and one with gatorade. I grabbed my hydration belt, 3 packets of Gu and my headphones and I was on my way out for my 16 miler. The gorgeous weather today also made the run much more enjoyable. I was surprised at how much easier this run felt than my run last weekend. I felt really good for the entire run and nothing hurt when I was done running. I am extremely happy with how today's run went and I actually feel like I'm going to be able to run a marathon in two months! Here's a glance at what week 22 looked like:
Week 22
3/26/13 - 3 miles in 28:41 (9:34 min/mi pace)
3/27/13 - 7 miles in 1:10:11 (10:01 min/mi pace)
3/28/13 - 4 miles in 35:31 (8:53 min/mi pace)
3/30/13 - 16 miles in 2:41:20 (10:05 min/mi pace)
312 miles complete in 49:02:00 and only 56 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Monday, March 25, 2013
The Syracuse Half Marathon
I decided to keep my mileage pretty low this past week because I planned on ending week 21 with the Syracuse Half Marathon. I did set a personal record for my half marathon time, but I was not entirely happy with how my race went. I kept changing my mind all week about what I was expecting out of this run. I had a goal of aiming for a 2:10 finish earlier in the week, but by Sunday morning I decided that I was just going to let the Syracuse Half be a regular training run. However, the runner's high from the race day excitement quickly changed my expectations once the race began. I had the 2:10 goal in mind still, but I just couldn't push it out yesterday. Even though I set a personal record yesterday, I was both happy and unhappy with my race performance and here are the reasons why:
Reasons Why I Was Unhappy With My Half Marathon Race
1.) If you are a teacher, then you understand how busy and long the month of March can be. I have had some sort of club or activity after school 3-4 days a week for the past couple of months. When I registered for the Syracuse Half, I did not think that this would be an issue because my training was still going well. However, a student council dance and the mathalon competition both fell on this weekend. This weekend consisted of a student council dance Friday night, an hour drive to mathalon on Saturday morning, all Saturday morning at the competition, an hour drive back from the competition, an almost 2 hour drive up to Syracuse after and spending Saturday night with my parents.
2.) In addition to very little downtime, I did not get much sleep over the weekend. By the time that 6am arrived Sunday morning, my body told me that I should never pack so much into a race weekend. I was very tired Sunday morning, but your body quickly forgets the tired feeling once you start running.
3.) I followed the rules and did not bring an iPod to listen to for the race. There was an email that was put out saying no headphones allowed and I did not dare to bring any seeing as I almost got kicked out of a race for that once. However, most people ignored the rules, listened to headphones anyways and no one got disqualified for it. I did have my iPhone in my pocket, but I did not have my headphones. I wish that I had brought them with me because I always listen to music when I am running alone and it helps me to run faster.
4.) There was a lot of uphill running during the first couple of miles of the race. Now this should have been easy for me because I have done a lot of training in hilly areas since there are plenty of hills around here. The inclines in the race were more like speed bumps, but were very much unexpected. I had no idea of the course ahead of time so I went in with the mindset of running an extremely flat course. The inclines slowed down my pace a little bit.
5.) My Mizuno Wave Elixir 7's are extremely worn out and are ready to be retired. By the time that I realized how worn out my kicks were, it was too late to break in a new pair before the race. So I ran my last race in my Mizuno's and I was definitely sore by the time that I got to the finish. I could feel my ankles rolling in during parts of the race, which can easily be corrected by a new pair of kicks.
6.) Chaffing ..... I do not need to get into the details on that one!
7.) I could not find a pace that I was comfortable with for most of the race. I had a very slow start and I never made up for the time that I lost at the beginning of the race. I was glad that I had such a slow start, but I expected to pick up the pace enough at the end to reach my end goal. I know that my splits were probably all over the place, but I could never quite get to the pace that I wanted.
8.) I hit a wall around mile 11 and was not sure that I was going to make it. I was worn out and my body was tired from the extremely long weekend. I had run 15 miles the week before so this should have been no problem for me. However, I did not give my body enough rest before the race so this was expected. I wanted to just stop and walk, but I knew that it was not going to be an option. It's funny how 11 miles seems pretty easy and the last 2 miles just drag on.
9.) When I saw the finish line, I felt like I was 5 miles away and was never going to reach the finish. That half mile, or less, felt like the longest half mile of my life and I was not sure that it was ever going to end. I did not have enough energy left in me to kick it out in the end and sprint to the finish like I normally do.
10.) I was aiming for a 2:10 finish, but was only able to push out a 2:14:50 finish. I had run a 2:08 half marathon in a training run 2 weeks ago so I thought that a 2:10 was a reasonable goal. Even though I still had a PR yesterday, I was just a little bit disappointed in not reaching my goal.
Reasons Why I Was Happy With My Half Marathon Race
1.) I had a concussion less than 2 months ago and have only been back into running for about a month. I was not sure that I would be able to get back to where I needed to be in my training. I have successfully returned to where I needed to be and the half marathon was a perfect check point for me in my training.
2.) I sign up for most races and run them alone so I was extremely excited to see some familiar faces this weekend. I arrived at the Oncenter around 7:30 and saw Lauren, who I went to college with. We got talking for quite awhile before the race began and we saw Molly, who also went to college with us, when we headed out to the start line. Molly is also training for the Buffalo Marathon and her blog is the one that inspired me to begin my own running blog.
3.) I started the race with Molly and her friend Steph and we were in the back of the pack. There had to be less than 10 runners behind us at that point and none of us realized that there were so many hardcore runners there. Molly is definitely the most excited runner that I have ever met and that helped pep us all up. We parted ways shortly before mile one and I sped up to a quicker pace.
4.) Since I started in the back of the pack, I was able to pass many people during the run. I like to start out races a bit slower so that I can pass people during a race. I also like to slowly increase my speed during a race and that helps me to save my energy for the end of the race. All of the hill training that I have done also helped me to pass many people and made me feel pretty good about my race.
5.) I had the most delicious Raspberry Chocolate Gu around mile 6 or 7. I was extremely happy that there were Gu Packets or Gu Brew drinks at several of the water stops. I just began using Gu a couple of weeks ago during long runs and that little energy boost during a run sure does help.
6.) I was unfamiliar with the course ahead of time so it made the race go by much more quickly. I was surprised at how quickly each mile went by and I was extremely happy to have a change of scenery.
7.) Although I thought the 30 degree weather was going to suck to run in, I think that the colder weather helped quicken my pace a bit. It began to warmup while we were running and once the sun came out it was a pretty good temperature for a race.
8.) I always really enjoy the camaraderie of other runners on race day. Runners are some of the nicest people that you will ever meet and they can be so encouraging during a race. It's so great to have other people cheering you on and seeing so many people stick around the finish line after they are done running.
9.) My favorite part of any race is always the finish line. I love hearing my name announced as I come across the finish line and then having a brand new medal placed around my neck. The great thing about running a half marathon is that everyone gets a medal. I am now the proud owner of 5 half marathon medals because 13.1 miles is a pretty big deal.
10.) This was my 5th official half marathon that I have ever run and it was my fastest one yet. I have set a personal record in every half marathon that I have ever run in and yesterday was no different. I finished the Syracuse Half Marathon in 2:14:50, which is a personal best by more than 2 minutes.
There are 9 weeks of training left for the Buffalo Marathon and I am ready for whatever these next 2 months may have in store. I know that this is not going to be easy at all because I will be running further than I have ever run before every week over the next several weeks. I am a little nervous because I have many trips home planned over the next couple of months. It will be a little difficult to get a double digit run in when travel weekends are already so short to begin with. I will need to be a little creative with my training, but I cannot let myself skip or shorten any of the long runs. On the plus side, I am looking forward to having a few long runs through the streets that I grew up on. These runs will not only be a nice change in scenery, but they will also be much flatter than what I have been training in. The Buffalo Marathon is relatively flat for the most part so it will be good to get some good runs in on flatter land. I am also excited to ditch my Mizuno Wave Elixir 7's and begin running in my brand new Mizuno Wave Elixir 8's. I bought my new Mizuno's at Fleet Feet this weekend as a gift to myself for my mathalon team's 3rd place finish and my PR in the Syracuse Half. I did buy the sneakers on Saturday, but I knew that I would get a PR on Sunday. My old Mizuno's were really worn out and leaving me feeling sore after every long run. I am excited to break in my new kicks and to run my longest runs yet. Here's a glance at what week 21 was like as I head into some of the toughest weeks of training yet:
Week 21
3/19/13 - 3.2 miles in 31:14 (9:46 min/mi pace)
3/20/13 - 5 miles in 47:35 (9:31 min/mi pace)
3/24/13 - SYRACUSE HALF MARATHON - 13.1 miles in 2:14:50 (10:18 min/mi pace)
282 miles complete in 44:06:17 and only 61 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Reasons Why I Was Unhappy With My Half Marathon Race
1.) If you are a teacher, then you understand how busy and long the month of March can be. I have had some sort of club or activity after school 3-4 days a week for the past couple of months. When I registered for the Syracuse Half, I did not think that this would be an issue because my training was still going well. However, a student council dance and the mathalon competition both fell on this weekend. This weekend consisted of a student council dance Friday night, an hour drive to mathalon on Saturday morning, all Saturday morning at the competition, an hour drive back from the competition, an almost 2 hour drive up to Syracuse after and spending Saturday night with my parents.
2.) In addition to very little downtime, I did not get much sleep over the weekend. By the time that 6am arrived Sunday morning, my body told me that I should never pack so much into a race weekend. I was very tired Sunday morning, but your body quickly forgets the tired feeling once you start running.
3.) I followed the rules and did not bring an iPod to listen to for the race. There was an email that was put out saying no headphones allowed and I did not dare to bring any seeing as I almost got kicked out of a race for that once. However, most people ignored the rules, listened to headphones anyways and no one got disqualified for it. I did have my iPhone in my pocket, but I did not have my headphones. I wish that I had brought them with me because I always listen to music when I am running alone and it helps me to run faster.
4.) There was a lot of uphill running during the first couple of miles of the race. Now this should have been easy for me because I have done a lot of training in hilly areas since there are plenty of hills around here. The inclines in the race were more like speed bumps, but were very much unexpected. I had no idea of the course ahead of time so I went in with the mindset of running an extremely flat course. The inclines slowed down my pace a little bit.
5.) My Mizuno Wave Elixir 7's are extremely worn out and are ready to be retired. By the time that I realized how worn out my kicks were, it was too late to break in a new pair before the race. So I ran my last race in my Mizuno's and I was definitely sore by the time that I got to the finish. I could feel my ankles rolling in during parts of the race, which can easily be corrected by a new pair of kicks.
6.) Chaffing ..... I do not need to get into the details on that one!
7.) I could not find a pace that I was comfortable with for most of the race. I had a very slow start and I never made up for the time that I lost at the beginning of the race. I was glad that I had such a slow start, but I expected to pick up the pace enough at the end to reach my end goal. I know that my splits were probably all over the place, but I could never quite get to the pace that I wanted.
8.) I hit a wall around mile 11 and was not sure that I was going to make it. I was worn out and my body was tired from the extremely long weekend. I had run 15 miles the week before so this should have been no problem for me. However, I did not give my body enough rest before the race so this was expected. I wanted to just stop and walk, but I knew that it was not going to be an option. It's funny how 11 miles seems pretty easy and the last 2 miles just drag on.
9.) When I saw the finish line, I felt like I was 5 miles away and was never going to reach the finish. That half mile, or less, felt like the longest half mile of my life and I was not sure that it was ever going to end. I did not have enough energy left in me to kick it out in the end and sprint to the finish like I normally do.
10.) I was aiming for a 2:10 finish, but was only able to push out a 2:14:50 finish. I had run a 2:08 half marathon in a training run 2 weeks ago so I thought that a 2:10 was a reasonable goal. Even though I still had a PR yesterday, I was just a little bit disappointed in not reaching my goal.
Reasons Why I Was Happy With My Half Marathon Race
1.) I had a concussion less than 2 months ago and have only been back into running for about a month. I was not sure that I would be able to get back to where I needed to be in my training. I have successfully returned to where I needed to be and the half marathon was a perfect check point for me in my training.
2.) I sign up for most races and run them alone so I was extremely excited to see some familiar faces this weekend. I arrived at the Oncenter around 7:30 and saw Lauren, who I went to college with. We got talking for quite awhile before the race began and we saw Molly, who also went to college with us, when we headed out to the start line. Molly is also training for the Buffalo Marathon and her blog is the one that inspired me to begin my own running blog.
3.) I started the race with Molly and her friend Steph and we were in the back of the pack. There had to be less than 10 runners behind us at that point and none of us realized that there were so many hardcore runners there. Molly is definitely the most excited runner that I have ever met and that helped pep us all up. We parted ways shortly before mile one and I sped up to a quicker pace.
4.) Since I started in the back of the pack, I was able to pass many people during the run. I like to start out races a bit slower so that I can pass people during a race. I also like to slowly increase my speed during a race and that helps me to save my energy for the end of the race. All of the hill training that I have done also helped me to pass many people and made me feel pretty good about my race.
5.) I had the most delicious Raspberry Chocolate Gu around mile 6 or 7. I was extremely happy that there were Gu Packets or Gu Brew drinks at several of the water stops. I just began using Gu a couple of weeks ago during long runs and that little energy boost during a run sure does help.
6.) I was unfamiliar with the course ahead of time so it made the race go by much more quickly. I was surprised at how quickly each mile went by and I was extremely happy to have a change of scenery.
7.) Although I thought the 30 degree weather was going to suck to run in, I think that the colder weather helped quicken my pace a bit. It began to warmup while we were running and once the sun came out it was a pretty good temperature for a race.
8.) I always really enjoy the camaraderie of other runners on race day. Runners are some of the nicest people that you will ever meet and they can be so encouraging during a race. It's so great to have other people cheering you on and seeing so many people stick around the finish line after they are done running.
9.) My favorite part of any race is always the finish line. I love hearing my name announced as I come across the finish line and then having a brand new medal placed around my neck. The great thing about running a half marathon is that everyone gets a medal. I am now the proud owner of 5 half marathon medals because 13.1 miles is a pretty big deal.
10.) This was my 5th official half marathon that I have ever run and it was my fastest one yet. I have set a personal record in every half marathon that I have ever run in and yesterday was no different. I finished the Syracuse Half Marathon in 2:14:50, which is a personal best by more than 2 minutes.
There are 9 weeks of training left for the Buffalo Marathon and I am ready for whatever these next 2 months may have in store. I know that this is not going to be easy at all because I will be running further than I have ever run before every week over the next several weeks. I am a little nervous because I have many trips home planned over the next couple of months. It will be a little difficult to get a double digit run in when travel weekends are already so short to begin with. I will need to be a little creative with my training, but I cannot let myself skip or shorten any of the long runs. On the plus side, I am looking forward to having a few long runs through the streets that I grew up on. These runs will not only be a nice change in scenery, but they will also be much flatter than what I have been training in. The Buffalo Marathon is relatively flat for the most part so it will be good to get some good runs in on flatter land. I am also excited to ditch my Mizuno Wave Elixir 7's and begin running in my brand new Mizuno Wave Elixir 8's. I bought my new Mizuno's at Fleet Feet this weekend as a gift to myself for my mathalon team's 3rd place finish and my PR in the Syracuse Half. I did buy the sneakers on Saturday, but I knew that I would get a PR on Sunday. My old Mizuno's were really worn out and leaving me feeling sore after every long run. I am excited to break in my new kicks and to run my longest runs yet. Here's a glance at what week 21 was like as I head into some of the toughest weeks of training yet:
Week 21
3/19/13 - 3.2 miles in 31:14 (9:46 min/mi pace)
3/20/13 - 5 miles in 47:35 (9:31 min/mi pace)
3/24/13 - SYRACUSE HALF MARATHON - 13.1 miles in 2:14:50 (10:18 min/mi pace)
282 miles complete in 44:06:17 and only 61 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Little Victories
The thing that I love most about marathon training right now would be all of the little victories. I am at a point in my training right now where I am beginning to run farther than I've ever run before. If my training continues to go as planned, then each week will be a new little victory for me for the next several weeks. I headed into this morning's run with some mixed feelings about my current training. This was another week where I only had time to do two of my three scheduled short runs. The short run that I skipped this week was supposed to be 7 miles, but I figured that I would still be in good shape for my long run today. I did everything that I was supposed to do in order to get ready for today. I ate a lot of carbs and drank a lot of water and Gatorade yesterday. I let Friday and Saturday be rest days so that my legs would be good to go for my long run. I was supposed to run 15 miles next weekend, but next weekend I am running the Syracuse Half Marathon so I decided to get my 15 miler in today. I went to bed early last night, but just like the night before any race I had trouble falling asleep. I always get really nervous the night before a race because I am thinking about things like whether or not I did my training correctly, if I am going to set a personal record or if I am really ready for the race. Just thinking about my long run this morning felt like I was preparing for a race. I have never run more than 13.1 miles before and this morning my goal was to complete 15 miles.
I woke up this morning with mixed feelings about how today's run was going to go. I was not happy to see that the temperature was only 15 degrees when I woke up this morning. I know that part of the reason why I had such a successful 13.1 mile run last week was due to the beautiful weather. I was not happy to be wearing gloves and a headband instead of shorts and a t-shirt. After bundling up, I grabbed two water bottles and two packets of Gu for the run and a bottle of Gatorade and a granola bar for after the run. I was physically ready for my run this morning, but I was not sure that I was mentally prepared for the 15 miles. My usual running partners were sick so I knew that most of my run would probably end up being run alone. Luckily, Sandy and Annette both joined me for part of my long run so that made the 15 miles go much more quickly. My body felt really good for the entire run and my legs maintained a pretty consistent pace for the entire run. I also tried Gu for the first time ever today and refueling during a long run really made a huge difference. I figured that I needed to start trying some sort of supplement during long runs before the actual race. While I felt really good physically, there were many times that I wanted to quit during this run. When I say that I wanted to quit during this run, I mean that I kept getting bored during the run. I really do not enjoy running when I can see my breath or my hair freezes so needless to say there were not many other runners out. I think that beautiful temperatures and seeing plenty of other runners really helps motivate you during any kind of run. I know that the crowd will carry me through race day, but today's run just got so boring with so few people around.
I quickly kicked my bad attitude and thought about what a huge accomplishment today was going to be for me. I do not know many people who can say that they have ever run 15 miles before. There was a point in time several years ago where I struggled to run just 1 mile. If I look back over the past 4 years as a runner, I have had several little victories. I have completed many 5K's so then I moved onto completing 10K's. Before I knew it, I had completed not just one half marathon, but four half marathons. I am now 20 weeks into my marathon training plan, which is something that I never expected myself to achieve as a runner. I finished my 15 mile run in 2:33:57, which is a 10:15 min/mi pace. I was extremely happy with my time because I plan to run about a 10:30 min/mi pace for the Buffalo Marathon. When I finished today's run, I felt really good physically and I was extremely proud of myself for what I was able to accomplish today. 15 miles is the farthest that I have ever run before and that incredible 15 mile run is my first little victory in marathon training. I am feeling extremely confident about my running now and I am excited to keep having little victories over the next several weeks. I felt so good about my run today that I came home and finally registered for the Buffalo Marathon. I have been training for 20 weeks now, but today I finally convinced myself that I was ready to register for the race. Looking forward, I plan to keep the mileage pretty low for week 21 because I will be running the Syracuse Half Marathon next weekend. I now have 10 weeks left to finish preparing for the Buffalo Marathon. And here's a look at how week 20 went:
Week 20
3/12/13 - 3 miles in 28:03 (9:21 min/mi pace)
3/13/13 - 4 miles in 41:07 (10:17 min/mi pace)
3/17/13 - 15 miles in 2:33:57 (10:15 min/mi pace)
260.7 miles complete in 40:32:38 and only 69 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
I woke up this morning with mixed feelings about how today's run was going to go. I was not happy to see that the temperature was only 15 degrees when I woke up this morning. I know that part of the reason why I had such a successful 13.1 mile run last week was due to the beautiful weather. I was not happy to be wearing gloves and a headband instead of shorts and a t-shirt. After bundling up, I grabbed two water bottles and two packets of Gu for the run and a bottle of Gatorade and a granola bar for after the run. I was physically ready for my run this morning, but I was not sure that I was mentally prepared for the 15 miles. My usual running partners were sick so I knew that most of my run would probably end up being run alone. Luckily, Sandy and Annette both joined me for part of my long run so that made the 15 miles go much more quickly. My body felt really good for the entire run and my legs maintained a pretty consistent pace for the entire run. I also tried Gu for the first time ever today and refueling during a long run really made a huge difference. I figured that I needed to start trying some sort of supplement during long runs before the actual race. While I felt really good physically, there were many times that I wanted to quit during this run. When I say that I wanted to quit during this run, I mean that I kept getting bored during the run. I really do not enjoy running when I can see my breath or my hair freezes so needless to say there were not many other runners out. I think that beautiful temperatures and seeing plenty of other runners really helps motivate you during any kind of run. I know that the crowd will carry me through race day, but today's run just got so boring with so few people around.
I quickly kicked my bad attitude and thought about what a huge accomplishment today was going to be for me. I do not know many people who can say that they have ever run 15 miles before. There was a point in time several years ago where I struggled to run just 1 mile. If I look back over the past 4 years as a runner, I have had several little victories. I have completed many 5K's so then I moved onto completing 10K's. Before I knew it, I had completed not just one half marathon, but four half marathons. I am now 20 weeks into my marathon training plan, which is something that I never expected myself to achieve as a runner. I finished my 15 mile run in 2:33:57, which is a 10:15 min/mi pace. I was extremely happy with my time because I plan to run about a 10:30 min/mi pace for the Buffalo Marathon. When I finished today's run, I felt really good physically and I was extremely proud of myself for what I was able to accomplish today. 15 miles is the farthest that I have ever run before and that incredible 15 mile run is my first little victory in marathon training. I am feeling extremely confident about my running now and I am excited to keep having little victories over the next several weeks. I felt so good about my run today that I came home and finally registered for the Buffalo Marathon. I have been training for 20 weeks now, but today I finally convinced myself that I was ready to register for the race. Looking forward, I plan to keep the mileage pretty low for week 21 because I will be running the Syracuse Half Marathon next weekend. I now have 10 weeks left to finish preparing for the Buffalo Marathon. And here's a look at how week 20 went:
Week 20
3/12/13 - 3 miles in 28:03 (9:21 min/mi pace)
3/13/13 - 4 miles in 41:07 (10:17 min/mi pace)
3/17/13 - 15 miles in 2:33:57 (10:15 min/mi pace)
260.7 miles complete in 40:32:38 and only 69 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The Mile Two Slump
Another week of training is complete and now there are only 11 weeks left to get ready for Buffalo. I almost stuck to my actual training plan this week, but sometimes teaching just gets in the way of marathon training. The only thing that I missed this week was one of my 3 mile runs. I did not even feel slightly guilty about skipping a 3 miler because the longer runs are way more important. I know that missing a shorter run here or there will not affect my training too much, especially because I have such a solid base built already. I know that the long runs are the most important part of training right now so I headed out for a run this morning with the goal of 12 miles in mind. I am really supposed to be at 13 miles this week, but I had only run 10 miles last week so I figured that I should not push it too much. I met up with some coworkers this morning who are training for the Bridge Run half marathon and only needed to run 7 miles this morning. We all trained together for the Bridge Run last spring and were averaging a pace of somewhere between 10:30-11:00 minute miles. This morning we ran 7 miles in 1:10:05, which is a 10:01 min/mi pace. It's amazing how far we have all come as runners over the past year. Since I am the only person crazy enough to be training for a marathon right now, I continued the rest of the run by myself. It was wonderful to have people to run the first 7 miles with and it made the time go by much more quickly. By the time that I got to 12 miles, I was feeling really good so I decided that 1 more mile was possible. I am not only right back to where I need to be in my marathon training, but I also shaved 9 minutes off of my fastest half marathon time this morning. I would definitely say that this was a pretty solid week of marathon training and the times below definitely show how much my pace has improved.
Week 19
3/5/13 - 3.1 miles in 28:42 (9:15 min/mi pace)
3/8/13 - 6 miles in 59:07 (9:51 min/mi pace)
3/10/13 - 13.1 miles in 2:08:08 (9:47 min/mi pace)
One of the things that we talked about during our run this morning was how much better a long run feels than a short run. I like to refer to this problem as the mile two slump. Some of my worst runs have been a 2 or 3 mile run. I don't know how other runners are, but I find it incredibly difficult to find and maintain a pace that I am comfortable with until I am about 3 or 4 miles into a run. I have had so many runs where I was ready to quit around mile 2 and the beginner runner version of myself would have quit. I usually feel so sluggish and unhappy with my pace around mile two and wonder to myself how much longer will it be until I am done with my run. It is amazing how much better I feel after I go a couple more miles and really get into my own running groove. I really dislike mile two and I think that there are so many different possible reasons for this. Sometimes I go out way too hard and fast and use up all of my energy on that first mile or two. Sometimes I go out way too slow in an effort to pace myself and I can never quite get my pace as fast as I want. When I was a beginner runner, I was extremely guilty of starting out way too fast all of the time and then I could never maintain my starting pace. Now that I am a more experienced runner, I usually start out a run pretty slow. I love starting races in the back of the pack and starting out with a slow pace. If I start out slow, then I have the energy to increase my speed slowly throughout my run until I get to the pace that I want. One of the best things about this strategy is the fact that I get to pass so many runners who go out way too hard or too fast. I have been using the MapMy Run app on my iPhone whenever I go out for a run and it really helps me to pace myself. I usually have the voice feedback turned on for every 0.5 miles so I can keep being reminded of my pace and seeing if I need to adjust my speed at all. This morning I decided to turn off the voice feedback because I did not want to hear my progress 26 times this morning. I actually maintained a pretty consistent pace throughout my run this morning. I think that my body is finally to the point now that I can pace myself pretty well without being reminded of my own pace every half mile. I was looking at some of my splits from the past few runs and my pace for mile two is usually way off from my pace for the rest of my run. I am beginning to become even more confident in my ability to run a marathon in a couple months and I refuse to let the mile two slump get in my way.
238.7 miles complete in 36:49:31 and only 76 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Week 19
3/5/13 - 3.1 miles in 28:42 (9:15 min/mi pace)
3/8/13 - 6 miles in 59:07 (9:51 min/mi pace)
3/10/13 - 13.1 miles in 2:08:08 (9:47 min/mi pace)
One of the things that we talked about during our run this morning was how much better a long run feels than a short run. I like to refer to this problem as the mile two slump. Some of my worst runs have been a 2 or 3 mile run. I don't know how other runners are, but I find it incredibly difficult to find and maintain a pace that I am comfortable with until I am about 3 or 4 miles into a run. I have had so many runs where I was ready to quit around mile 2 and the beginner runner version of myself would have quit. I usually feel so sluggish and unhappy with my pace around mile two and wonder to myself how much longer will it be until I am done with my run. It is amazing how much better I feel after I go a couple more miles and really get into my own running groove. I really dislike mile two and I think that there are so many different possible reasons for this. Sometimes I go out way too hard and fast and use up all of my energy on that first mile or two. Sometimes I go out way too slow in an effort to pace myself and I can never quite get my pace as fast as I want. When I was a beginner runner, I was extremely guilty of starting out way too fast all of the time and then I could never maintain my starting pace. Now that I am a more experienced runner, I usually start out a run pretty slow. I love starting races in the back of the pack and starting out with a slow pace. If I start out slow, then I have the energy to increase my speed slowly throughout my run until I get to the pace that I want. One of the best things about this strategy is the fact that I get to pass so many runners who go out way too hard or too fast. I have been using the MapMy Run app on my iPhone whenever I go out for a run and it really helps me to pace myself. I usually have the voice feedback turned on for every 0.5 miles so I can keep being reminded of my pace and seeing if I need to adjust my speed at all. This morning I decided to turn off the voice feedback because I did not want to hear my progress 26 times this morning. I actually maintained a pretty consistent pace throughout my run this morning. I think that my body is finally to the point now that I can pace myself pretty well without being reminded of my own pace every half mile. I was looking at some of my splits from the past few runs and my pace for mile two is usually way off from my pace for the rest of my run. I am beginning to become even more confident in my ability to run a marathon in a couple months and I refuse to let the mile two slump get in my way.
238.7 miles complete in 36:49:31 and only 76 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
My Running Bucket List
I know many people that have bucket lists and I even have a few things that I would consider to be on my own personal bucket list. I have been thinking a lot lately about how far I have come as a runner over the past few years and I have come up with my own running bucket list. I never would have imagined myself being able to run a half marathon, let alone 4, or even be training for a full marathon. I am beginning to believe that the possibilities in running are endless. I am not saying that I could go out and run a 50 mile race, but there are many running events that I could do now that I never would have been able to complete just a few years ago. I have many things on my running bucket list that I have already completed and I have many more events on my running bucket list that I will actually get a chance to do this year. Now here is my running bucket list in no particular order or importance:
My Running Bucket List
1.) Run a 5K
-I have completed 16 official 5K's already.
2.) Come in first place in a race
-I came in 1st place in my age group for my first 5K ever.
3.) Run in the infamous Boilermaker 15K
-I ran in my first Boilermaker last year and am running the Boilermaker again this year.
4.) Run a half marathon
-I have now ran 4 half marathons and will be running 2 more this spring.
5.) Run in the Color Run 5K
-I will be running the Color Run in Buffalo in August.
6.) Run a full marathon
-I am currently training for the Buffalo Marathon at the end of May.
7.) Run a mud run
-I am running the Dirty Girl Mud Run in Buffalo in September.
8.) Relay a full marathon
-I ran the first leg of the Rochester Marathon during my senior year of college.
9.) Run a Tough Mudder
-This one will have to wait until a year that I have less running events already scheduled and will require a different type of training.
10.) Run in the oldest road race in America ..... The Buffalo Turkey Trot 8K
-I ran my 5th Turkey Trot this past fall and will continue to do so every Thanksgiving morning.
11.) Run a road race in all 50 states
-This one may take awhile to actually pull off, but I'd like to start working on this one soon.
12.) Complete a duathlon
-I am not a very good swimmer so a duathlon would be perfect for me if I actually started biking more and this will have to wait until after I am off of my long distance running kick.
13.) Enter a road race with each member of my family
-I have ran in a few 5K's that my mom walked in, but I would love to have each member of my family be a part of at least one race with me.
14.) Run in a cross country race
-I ran in the McQuaid Invite my senior year of college and I am proud to say that I came in last place.
15.) Compete in a triathalon
-This is the event that will be toughest for me because I am not a good swimmer, but this is another even that I would like to work up to once I am off of my long distance running kick.
16.) Run a race in my hometown
-I have run in the 4th of July 10K through the streets that I grew up on 3 times now and hope to have many more years to come in this race.
17.) Run at least one road race a month for an entire year
-I have come close a few times, but I have yet to tackle this one.
18.) Run the Corporate Challenge with my coworkers
-If there is a Corporate Challenge here this year, then I plan to get a group of coworkers together for this.
19.) Finish a half marathon somewhere exciting
-I ran the 50 Yard Finish Half Marathon last summer and finished the race on the 50 yard line of the Ralph Wilson Stadium.
20.) Stay tuned for more!
-I am sure that this list will continue to grow over time and include more races.
My bucket list came out of another week of successful marathon training since I had plenty of miles and time to think about it. I am back and feeling better than ever! I was able to follow my weekday running schedule with no problems at all. Each of my runs were much quicker than I expected and definitely a lot faster than my marathon pace. I guess a hiatus in my running this month really did not ruin the base that I have spent months building. I was scheduled for a 12 mile long run this weekend, but decided to only run 10 miles since I only ran 8 miles last weekend. My long runs should be back on track within another week or two. I had some coworkers join me for 6 of the 10 miles this morning since they are getting ready for the Bridge Run half marathon in May. I will be running the Bridge Run as well, but that is only a few weeks before the Buffalo Marathon. I still have not brought myself to register for the Buffalo Marathon yet. I think that I just need a couple more really good long runs before I can convince myself that I am ready to register for it. I know that I could easily run a half marathon right now, but I still need some convincing on the whole marathon thing. I still have over 2 1/2 months left so I think that this will begin to seem like more of a reality pretty soon. Here's a glance at how week 18 finished off:
Week 18 (Continued)
2/28/13 - 3.05 miles in 27:04 (8:53 min/mi pace)
3/1/13 - 10 miles in 1:42:00 (10:12 min/mi pace)
216.5 miles complete in 33:13:34 and only 83 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
My Running Bucket List
1.) Run a 5K
-I have completed 16 official 5K's already.
2.) Come in first place in a race
-I came in 1st place in my age group for my first 5K ever.
3.) Run in the infamous Boilermaker 15K
-I ran in my first Boilermaker last year and am running the Boilermaker again this year.
4.) Run a half marathon
-I have now ran 4 half marathons and will be running 2 more this spring.
5.) Run in the Color Run 5K
-I will be running the Color Run in Buffalo in August.
6.) Run a full marathon
-I am currently training for the Buffalo Marathon at the end of May.
7.) Run a mud run
-I am running the Dirty Girl Mud Run in Buffalo in September.
8.) Relay a full marathon
-I ran the first leg of the Rochester Marathon during my senior year of college.
9.) Run a Tough Mudder
-This one will have to wait until a year that I have less running events already scheduled and will require a different type of training.
10.) Run in the oldest road race in America ..... The Buffalo Turkey Trot 8K
-I ran my 5th Turkey Trot this past fall and will continue to do so every Thanksgiving morning.
11.) Run a road race in all 50 states
-This one may take awhile to actually pull off, but I'd like to start working on this one soon.
12.) Complete a duathlon
-I am not a very good swimmer so a duathlon would be perfect for me if I actually started biking more and this will have to wait until after I am off of my long distance running kick.
13.) Enter a road race with each member of my family
-I have ran in a few 5K's that my mom walked in, but I would love to have each member of my family be a part of at least one race with me.
14.) Run in a cross country race
-I ran in the McQuaid Invite my senior year of college and I am proud to say that I came in last place.
15.) Compete in a triathalon
-This is the event that will be toughest for me because I am not a good swimmer, but this is another even that I would like to work up to once I am off of my long distance running kick.
16.) Run a race in my hometown
-I have run in the 4th of July 10K through the streets that I grew up on 3 times now and hope to have many more years to come in this race.
17.) Run at least one road race a month for an entire year
-I have come close a few times, but I have yet to tackle this one.
18.) Run the Corporate Challenge with my coworkers
-If there is a Corporate Challenge here this year, then I plan to get a group of coworkers together for this.
19.) Finish a half marathon somewhere exciting
-I ran the 50 Yard Finish Half Marathon last summer and finished the race on the 50 yard line of the Ralph Wilson Stadium.
20.) Stay tuned for more!
-I am sure that this list will continue to grow over time and include more races.
My bucket list came out of another week of successful marathon training since I had plenty of miles and time to think about it. I am back and feeling better than ever! I was able to follow my weekday running schedule with no problems at all. Each of my runs were much quicker than I expected and definitely a lot faster than my marathon pace. I guess a hiatus in my running this month really did not ruin the base that I have spent months building. I was scheduled for a 12 mile long run this weekend, but decided to only run 10 miles since I only ran 8 miles last weekend. My long runs should be back on track within another week or two. I had some coworkers join me for 6 of the 10 miles this morning since they are getting ready for the Bridge Run half marathon in May. I will be running the Bridge Run as well, but that is only a few weeks before the Buffalo Marathon. I still have not brought myself to register for the Buffalo Marathon yet. I think that I just need a couple more really good long runs before I can convince myself that I am ready to register for it. I know that I could easily run a half marathon right now, but I still need some convincing on the whole marathon thing. I still have over 2 1/2 months left so I think that this will begin to seem like more of a reality pretty soon. Here's a glance at how week 18 finished off:
Week 18 (Continued)
2/28/13 - 3.05 miles in 27:04 (8:53 min/mi pace)
3/1/13 - 10 miles in 1:42:00 (10:12 min/mi pace)
216.5 miles complete in 33:13:34 and only 83 days until conquering 26.2 miles!
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