Fundraising Updates and More Race Plans

Two Saturdays ago, thanks in part to a generous anonymous donation and thanks in part to finding $20.00 in the middle of the trail with no one to claim it (there was a woman up ahead, but when my running buddy and I asked her if it was hers she said that it wasn't), I hit my fundraising target for Seattle. I am so incredibly in awe of the generosity of family, friends, blog readers, and colleagues for their donations. I've been amazed by how many people have become part of my team and how so many of them are from different chapters and compartments of my life. You are all fabulous people!

Over the course of this training cycle, I've had an opportunity to share quite a few miles with one of this season's Alaska Team mentors, Christy. Christy lost her son Bryant to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and will be running the Chicago Marathon in October in memory of him. She has been doing TNT as a means of fundraising to establish a grant in his honor. After much thought and indecision and more thought, I have decided to continue working to fundraise for TNT through the next fundraising and training cycle so that I can join Christy and other members of the Washington/Alaska Chapter in Chicago on October 9th. I know I have been asking many of you for money for Seattle, but if you wanted to contribute to my fundraising efforts and hadn't gotten around to it, I would be incredibly grateful if you sponsored me for the Chicago Marathon. No amount is too large or too small. Click here for my Chicago fundraising page.

I'm also really stoked about doing Chicago because one of my best friends from university days got in through the lottery. Also as longtime readers may recall, it was a race I was training for back in 2011. I had logged quite a few miles on my training plan before I had to make the tough decision to DNS due to a hip injury. While I'm a little nervous about training while being in Europe for part of the summer (more on that soon), I am so excited about doing this marathon! It's been on my bucket list for a long time, and I hope TNT can help me get to the starting line healthy, happy, and running for a purpose!

Is there a race or event that you really want to do?

Decisions, Distance, and Perspective

After a couple of shorter runs this week and another trip to the chiro, I have weighed my options and decided not to toe the line at the Chicago Marathon this year. It was a hard decision to make and some tears have been involved, but, when I was feeling that dull ache in my hip at mile 1.5 of a 3 mile run with my dear friend Suzie this morning, I knew that it was the right decision for me right now.

I am still going to run a 10 mile race in the Twin Cities next weekend. I have plans to meet up with Lisa, and I'm really excited to get to meet her in person after reading her blog and exchanging comments and emails for many months. This race will also be my first women's only event, which I think will make it really special. I am going to take it easy and will run/walk it if I need to.  After that, I am going to take some time off from running and let this injury heal. Cycling, thankfully, doesn't hurt and doesn't seem to be aggravating the issue, so I will continue to bike to campus, strength train, do yoga, and try to force myself to get into the pool at my local Y for some aqua jogging and perhaps attempt to swim a lap (I am not a strong swimmer at all). There is a 10K in October that I'm registered for, and if I'm feeling healthy by then I will run it. If I don't, I won't.

In the past twelve months, I have run two 5Ks, a 10K, five half-marathons, and one full marathon. I am grateful that my body let me do all of that. I am optimistic that it will let me run plenty more in the future. That sub 5 hour marathon (and faster) is out there for me, and I will get there. It just won't be in Chicago on October 9th. The important thing is that I get this IT band issue under control so that I'm not sidelined for long.

Thanks so much to everyone who has left comments and sent emails in support as I've struggled with this injury and with coming to terms with what it meant for my fall marathon plans! I really appreciate the runners in my life, both in my local running community and out here on the internets.

The Uncertainty of Injury

Compared to many other problems in the world, a running-related injury is not so bad. It's a frustration and an inconvenience, but I am aware of my position of privilege when I complain about my IT band's decision to flare up.

Four weeks ago, I experienced a hip cramp around mile 11.5 of a planned 16 mile run. I tried to walk it out, shake it out, stretch it out. After some brief relief after each time I stopped to stretch, my right hip would cramp again. I decided to cut the run short and ended it at just over 14 miles. I took an ice bath and followed my normal long run recovery routine and ran fine during my shorter runs over the course of the week that followed. The Saturday on my 18 mile long run, my hip started cramping around mile 14 or 15. It was the same hip and I had the same issue.  I pushed through with a couple of walk breaks and completed the 18 miles. At that point I decided that switching to a pair of Brooks shoes (I had only worn them on the two long runs that I had cramps on) might be to blame and I ran only in my Saucony Kinvaras during the following week. I had ordered a new pair of Saucony Ride 4s, but they hadn't arrived yet so I ran my long run in my Kinvaras last Saturday. By mile 12 I could feel my hip tensing.  By mile 14 it was cramping and shooting pain down the outside of my right leg into my knee and ankle. Since I had run an out and back route, I tried to run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute, and walk up the hills to get back to my car. I felt some pain and tightness on Sunday through Thursday.

My running coach encouraged me to check out the services of a local chiropractor, and several members of my running group expressed shock that I had never been to one before. I made an appointment and went in this past Wednesday. The chiropractor that I saw gave me an examination and declared that my right leg was slightly shorter than my left and that my IT band was tight and inflamed in the hip and upper leg area. He gave me an adjustment, did some ART (active release technique - essentially he held me while I stretched so that the stretch was much deeper than I could get on my own), and applied some kinesio tape. He told me that I should see some improvement before long and that I should take it easy and follow my coach's advice about mileage, and I made a follow up appointment with him for this coming Wednesday.

On Friday I went for a short run.  It had been 6 days since my last run, and I kept it slow and short. I only did 2 miles. My hip did not cramp, but it felt constantly on the verge between tightness and pain.  Saturday I had 14-15 miles on my training schedule, but I could tell that was out of the question.  Yesterday I went for a brisk walk and then did some strength training and stretching at the gym. I felt a little tight before and during the walk, but I had a sort of dull ache in my hip all day after it.

This morning it feels just on the other side of that dull edge, so, rather than run, I'm going to go to the gym to spend about an hour on the exercise bike.

Right now getting to the start line in Chicago is up in the air for me. It's frustrating, but I'm trying to remain optimistic.  I figure I need to get one more solid 18-20 mile long run in sometime in the next two weeks in order to feel confident about my ability to finish the marathon.  This may mean having to sit out the 10 mile race I planned to do in just under two weeks.

For those of you who have suffered from IT band issues, how long did you find that you needed to take off from running before you could run without pain? For those of you who have experienced an injury during the last six weeks of a training cycle, were you able to run your marathon? How did you make it happen? Lots of other cardio and foam rolling?

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 9

As I type this up, I'm drinking coffee in my pjs (yay!) and sitting on an ice pack (boo!).  After a third long run in a row with severe hip cramps in the final miles, I have to face the fact that I am injured. The upcoming week is something of a step back week and then I have one more week of intense training before the taper begins. I am optimistic that I can still get to the starting line in Chi-town, but I'm going to have to be smart over the next few weeks.

Week 9 wasn't what I wanted, but it's behind me now.

Monday - scheduled 5 miles easy. Actual 5 miles easy. I met up with my running group for 5 miles at 5:15 am. I kept it nice and easy and enjoyed starting my week with fellow runners.

Tuesday - scheduled  3 miles at 5K pace. Actual 0 miles and no exercise of any sort except walking to and from the parking lot to my office. I was so tired by the end of the day on Monday that I didn't think I could start Tuesday at 4:30 and be functional all day. I was on campus from 7:30 am until almost 7:30 pm so no running happened in the evening either.

Wednesday - scheduled 6 miles easy. Actual 5 miles including 4 x 800 speed intervals. My running buddy was under the weather so I decided to just hop on the treadmill and do some speedwork since I'd missed doing any the day before.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual 0 miles - active rest. I went to the gym and did 30 minutes of strength training and 20 minutes on the elliptical, followed by some stretching.

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 0 miles. I debated going for a run, but I decided to take a rest day instead and take care of some tasks I had been putting off for a while.

Saturday - scheduled 19 miles LSD. Actual 18 miles LSD. I met up with a couple of people from my running group at 5:15. They were doing 18 miles so I decided I would just do that with them, since it was an out and back route and I had run really well having company for my long run the previous week.  This run was tough. It was humid, and we got caught in a thunderstorm, but it was still going pretty well until around mile 12 for me. Then I started having the same issue with my hip. At mile 14 I told my friends to go on ahead and switched to a 3:1 and then later a 2:1 run/walk ratio just to finish the 18 miles.  I followed it up with a banana and an ice bath.  

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest. M. and I took Bailey for a walk and then I did some yoga before icing my hip.

Up next for Week 10

Monday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. (My actual schedule calls for 5 miles, but I think an extra rest day is in order after 3 long runs in a row of hip problems.)

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.

Wednesday - scheduled 5 miles easy. (My actual schedule calls for 7, but I'm going to play it safe and do 5 if my hip is pain free.)

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

Friday - scheduled 5 miles easy.

Saturday - scheduled 14 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

I'm planning to try to see a chiropractor for the very first time as soon as possible about this hip issue.  Several runners in my group have suggested that I might need an adjustment or kinesic taping. Have any of you ever been to a back cracker? What has been your experience?

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 8

I was a little bit nervous about how training would go this week because it was the first week of classes, and I'm adjusting to a new routine and also still trying to safeguard a few hours for myself each week for research and writing no matter what else is going on.  It wasn't a perfect week in terms of training, but it was a good week, overall, and I got all but one work out in.

Week 8 is in the books:

Monday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 4 miles nice and easy around my 'hood. I had hoped to get up early and run with my group, but, since I was still awake at 11pm on Sunday night, I didn't think I could get up at 4:30am and make it through the first day back to teaching, etc.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. I met up with my girl Suzie for some lifting and ellipticalling at the Y.  It was delightful.

Wednesday - scheduled 6 miles easy. Actual 6 miles easy with my friend Jana, who blogs over at Running-Vegetarian.  It was hot and humid, so we were glad when it was done, but it was great to have company for six sweaty miles.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Although my arms were still tender from lifting on Tuesday for the first time in two weeks, I met up again with S. for 30 min. of weights and 30 min. of cardio. I did the elliptical again.

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 0 miles. I had a morning meeting and I wanted to get some hours of research in before a delightful annual doctor's apt. in the afternoon.  I definitely did not feel up for running afterwards.

Saturday - scheduled 18 miles LSD. Actual 18 miles. I had company for all but the first mile and the last mile, and this run definitely boosted my confidence in spite of having hip cramps again in the final four miles.  They weren't as bad as last Saturday, but they were still problematic and definitely slowed my last couple of miles down by about 90 seconds/mile. I think that the running shoes I'm wearing (Brooks Ghost 4s) might be the culprit.  This is a new problem, and it has happened only on the two long runs that I've worn these shoes....  But let's focus on the positive.  This was probably my fastest average pace for a LDS over 13.1 miles ever at 10:41min/mile.  At 13.1 miles I was only 2 minutes off my half-marathon PR (and almost 10 minutes under my finishing time at Urban Wildlands a couple of weeks ago), and it was a beautiful run - starting with a starry sky and a sunrise and ending with chit chat and donuts with running friends.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest. Actual 45 minutes of yoga. I wanted to stretch that hip out before I iced it.

Up next for Week 9:

Monday - scheduled 5 miles easy.

Tuesday - scheduled  3 miles at 5K pace.

Wednesday - scheduled 6 miles easy.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy.

Saturday - scheduled 19 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 7

This week I had a little bit of a freak out about my upcoming marathon. It wasn't related to training or to anxiety about race day performance. Frankly, it was about money. As an academic, I'm expected to go to and present at conferences, but they are expensive. Between air fare and hotel alone, I spent over $900 on my trip to Seattle. I'm going to two other conferences this year, so this one was entirely out of my own pocket. In these days of austerity and budget cuts, I am doubtful that I will receive adequate funds to cover both of the other two conferences either, but the show must go on. M. and I had a talk, and we decided since we are staying home over the winter holidays this year that Chicago is still a go. Sadly, the show will include no more fabulous boots or other unnecessary purchases for a while. We also realized this week that the marathon is the day after Yom Kippur, but M. claims he will be fine to fast that Saturday in Chi-town. He is pretty bad-ass.

Anyhoo, here's how this past week of training went.

Monday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual 0 miles on foot but 5-6 miles on bike. I pedaled my way into campus and back.

Tuesday - scheduled 4 miles fast. Actual 2.6 miles with one timed mile trial. I ran my fastest mile recorded to date in 8:11.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 4 miles easy.  I met up with Jana who was tapering for a half-marathon this past weekend so we kept the pace gentle and chatted our way through the miles.

Thursday - scheduled 6 miles easy. Actual 5.1 miles progressive.  I didn't initially intend to run this as a progressive run, but at the mile 3 mark I realized that was how it was unfolding so I decided to go with it and pick up the speed a little bit more for the last two miles.

Friday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual 0 miles and took a rest day.  This was a tiring week.

Saturday - scheduled 16 miles LSD. Actual 14.5 miles. This run was going really well until about 11.5 miles in and then I started getting a serious cramp in my hip. At first it was bearable, but after another mile or so, I started feeling some pain in my knee so I decided to finish it a bit early.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

Coming up for Week 8:

Monday - 4 miles easy.

Tuesday - 0 miles - active rest.

Wednesday - 6 miles easy.

Thursday - 0 miles - active rest.

Friday - 4 miles easy.

Saturday - 18 miles LSD.

Sunday - 0 miles - rest.

How do you feel about the costs associated with traveling to races? Do you tend to stick to just local events because of budgetary reasons?

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 6

This past week of marathon training was about being prepared for things not to go as planned. Conferences are great for presenting research, connecting with old friends over drinks, and meeting new ones, but they aren't really conducive to getting in lots of miles or quality training. So I was pretty happy that I only missed one planned mile this week.

Week 6

Monday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 4.35 miles at an easy pace with my group. It was good to keep it nice and easy and sort of resettle in after a half-marathon experience that was a bit bruising in both body and spirit.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual bike commute. I live about 3 miles from campus office, so I rode my bike to and fro.

Wednesday - scheduled 15 miles LSD. Actual 15.13 miles. I ran just over 10 on my own and then a new running friend Jana of Running Vegetarian joined me for my final 5. It was great to have the company in those last few miles.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - rest. Actual walked a fair amount around downtown Seattle, including hiking up and down the hill to my hotel four times.

Friday - scheduled 4-6 miles easy. Actual 3 miles on the treadmill in the hotel fitness center. I wanted to make an 8:30 am panel, and I knew that if I went out for my run it would take me longer than just a quick run on the 'mill.

Saturday - scheduled 0 miles - rest. Actual rest.

Sunday - scheduled 4-6 miles easy. Actual 4 miles down the hill from my hotel and along the water to Olympic Sculpture Park and back. During one stretch I had to play frogger and weave my way in and out of the foot traffic coming off of this cruise ship.

Coming up next for Week 7:

Monday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.

Tuesday - scheduled 4 miles fast.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles easy.

Thursday - scheduled 6 miles easy.

Friday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.

Saturday - scheduled 16 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 5 and Seattle Recommendations Please!

This past week was a race week so I did a bit of a mini-taper in terms of my overall training.

Monday - scheduled 6 miles w/ 5 at half-marathon goal pace. Actual 6 miles with 5 at just a tad faster than half-marathon goal pace.  This was a great run for being on the treadmill.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual 0 miles. I headed to the gym for 30 minutes of lifting and 30 minutes on the elliptical machine.

Wednesday - scheduled 5 miles easy. Actual 4 miles easy.  I kept the pace nice and slow and just tried to think of this run as shaking out my legs.

Thursday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 3.1 miles easy. I realized as I headed out the door to run 4-5 miles that if I did 3.1 I would have run a half-marathon during the week leading up to my half-marathon. Being a sucker or cheesy metaphors and imaginary music montages, how could I not do this.

Friday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

Saturday - scheduled Urban Wildlands Half-Marathon. Actual 13.21 miles according to my Garmin, 13.1 according to official race results in 2:25:35.  As I posted in my race report below, this wasn't the race I hoped it would be, but that's ok. I still finished faster than I did at all three of my 2010 half-marathons, and faster races and PRs are out there in my future.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest. Actual 0 miles.  I slept in, devoured a husband-made brunch, talked to a friend in LA on the phone and did some reading for one of the courses I'll be teaching. Nothing onerous or strenuous in any way.

Up next for Week 6:

Monday - scheduled 4 miles easy.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.

Wednesday - scheduled 15 miles LSD.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

Friday - scheduled 4-6 miles easy.

Saturday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

Sunday - scheduled 4-6 miles easy.

This upcoming week is a little bit fuzzy in terms of my training schedule because in a few days I am heading to a conference in Seattle. That means I'm going to plan to do my long run on Wednesday before I head out of town on Thursday and will have to try to fit in some training in Seattle. While I will be presenting research on Saturday and going to a few panels the other days, I would also like to enjoy my time in Seattle. I've never been there, and I'm also craving a little bit of R&R (running and relaxation) before the imminent start of the semester. I'll be staying in a downtown hotel, and would love your suggestions for running routes (4-6 miles would be good), things to do (free or inexpensive are best), and places to eat or have a couple of drinks. Where is the best place for brunch downtown? Besides Pike Market, where should I plan on spending some time? So if you live in Seattle or have spent time there, please leave me some suggestions in the comments or shoot me an email!

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 4

This week's training wasn't perfect, but I did log some quality miles and get some good time on my feet. I'm looking forward to trying for a PR at my half-marathon at the end of the week (more to come on this soon) and getting into some higher mileages in the next few weeks.

Week 4

Monday - schedule 6 miles progressive. Actual 6 miles, but not progressive.  It was during this run that I realized that I really do have to have a cup of coffee before my runs - especially when I am hitting the pavement at 5:15 am.  My brain and body were weirdly out of sync.  Whenever I would tell myself to speed up, I would speed up way too much.  My pace was erratic hitting 8s and 12s that had nothing to do with the inclines/declines throughout the run.  That said, this run awarded me one of the most spectacular running views I have had in a while: cresting a hill with mist rising off the river, a crescent moon in the dark blue early morning sky, and people in my running group up ahead along the path.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual 3 miles easy after my weight work out.  I just didn't feel like doing the elliptical or stair climber.

Wednesday - scheduled 4.5 miles tempo.  Actual 4.2 miles tempo.  I hadn't done a tempo run in a while, and it had kind of slipped my mind that they could be challenging.  I pressed through and finished the run and followed up with some yoga.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual 0 miles. I had planned to move my Friday run to Thursday and actually got up at 4:30 am to make a 5:15 run with my group.  When I woke up, though, I had a sinus headache and a bit of swelling on the left side of my face, so I opted to go back to bed.

Friday - scheduled 5 miles easy. Actual 0 miles.

Saturday - scheduled 12 miles LSD. Actual 11 miles.  My period arrived late Friday night with the delightful symptoms that accompany it.  I had planned to do 13.25 miles because there wasn't a good 12 mile route where the group was running, but I decided to downgrade to 11.25 since I wasn't feeling all that great. On the positive side, there were over 30 people at the group run on Saturday, so there were a couple of women running just my pace and I had company the entire time. The miles just fly by as we chatted about our training, the races we had done, the ones we wanted to do, blogs that we like, and so on.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles. Actual 0 miles.

Coming up for Week 5

Monday - scheduled 6 miles with 5 at goal half-marathon pace.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.

Wednesday - scheduled 5 miles easy.

Thursday - 4 miles easy.

Friday - scheduled 0 miles.

Saturday - URBAN WILDLAND HALF-MARATHON.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles.

Is anyone else running Chicago?  If you are running a fall marathon or half-marathon, I would love to know which one you have on your schedule and why you chose it!

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 3

Like many runners throughout the US, I've been dealing with hot and humid weather conditions for my runs this past week. While it may not be the Texas hot of my youth, it's been pretty miserable, and I just keep having to tell myself that this will pay off in the fall and when it's 80F and 80% humidity at 5:15 am that running an 11 minute mile is more like running a 10-10:30 minute mile under more favorable conditions. If you haven't yet, check out Frayed Lace's excellent post breaking down how heat and humidity can effect running performance.

Week 3

Monday - scheduled 6 miles progressive. Actual 5 miles progressive. I met up with my running group and some were doing 8 miles, some 6 miles, and some 5 miles. Because it was so miserably hot and humid, I decided to only do 5 miles and start slowly but run progressively.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. I headed to Y with a friend for 30 minutes of weights and 25 minutes of the elliptical machine.

Wednesday - scheduled 3 miles - hill work. Actual 4 miles on the treadmill including a mile warm up and cool down and 4x400 hill intervals.  I followed my run up with some yoga.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. I had originally intended to go to the Y and lift, but I didn't plan. I did, however, get in some Carrie Bradshaw style cardio as I carried shopping bags around for several hours.

Friday - scheduled 5 miles easy. Actual 5 miles "easy".  It was hot and humid, so even though I was trying to keep the pace nice and slow, I was still expending more effort than I wanted to be to maintain it.

Saturday - scheduled 12 miles LSD. Actual 10 miles LSD.  I met my running group at 5:30 am for its weekly long run.  People were doing a variety of distances and we were cautioned to run smart on another really humid morning. I had originally hoped to do 12 miles with a few of them at half-marathon race pace, but due to the humid conditions, I decided to scale back to 10 miles and to just run easy. Even so, this was not a good run for me, and I was burping up GU from mile 7 to 9. I just tried to stay positive and concentrate on finishing the miles.  

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.  Actual 0 miles.

Up next for Week 4

Monday - scheduled 6 miles progressive.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.

Wednesday - scheduled 4.5 miles - tempo run.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.

Friday - scheduled 5 miles easy.

Saturday - scheduled 12 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest.

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 2

This week didn't go exactly according to plan because my running group was meeting on Thursday for the long run and I ran a local 5K on Saturday.  It was a cut back week anyway, so the I wasn't too far off my mileage mark, though.  I had 19 miles on the schedule and ran 16.57 miles.


Week 2 

Monday - scheduled 4 miles easy.  Actual 4 miles progressive.  I met my group at the Y.  Most of them were doing 5 miles, but I decided to stick with my schedule and only do 4.  I ran the first two with a really nice woman and then she continued on and I turned back.

Tuesday - Time Trial - 1 mile.  Actual 2 miles.  I walked for a few minutes and then jogged a half mile to warm up.  Then I ran an 8:28 mile and cooled down with another half mile of jogging and then a few minutes of walking.  There were thunderstorms so I did this on my treadmill.  I think on fresh legs and outside I would have been a bit faster.  Still, I haven't tried to run a mile as fast as I could for time in recent memory, so I'll take it.  Followed it up with some yoga. 

Wednesday - scheduled 3 miles - hill work. Actual 0 miles. Because I knew I would be doing my long run the next day I decided to make Wednesday an active rest day and did 30 minutes of lifting and 25 minutes on the elliptical machine.  

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest.  Actual 7.45 miles @10:58/mile average pace.  I met the group at the local Y at 5am for my long run of the week.  I was wishing I had a head lamp because I couldn't see much for the first mile or so, but then it started to get light.  I got absolutely drenched in a downpour that started during the last mile or so, but it was kind of exhilarating.  I did put some mental strategies to use during this run because I was kind of struggling the first couple of miles.  It might have been a combination of running in the dark and running on my own but I was feeling some negativity.  The good thing was that I caught it early and was able to refocus on positive things and putting "I will" thoughts to work.

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy.  Actual rest day.

Saturday - scheduled 7 miles. Actual local 5k.  I met up with my friend AP to run this one.  We both had a goal of breaking 30 minutes and we both achieved it.  It was challenging because it was already pretty warm out and the humidity was around 80% and there were a couple of decent inclines to tackle.  We did it, though!  I finished in 29:26 and got a nice, new, shiny PR of 41 seconds!  

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles. Actual 0 miles.  I had been planning on doing the 4 easy miles from Friday here, but I was having some stomach issues and decided to just take the originally scheduled rest day. 

Up next for week 3 (I am slightly tweaking my program to more closely match my running group's on the days that I run with them):

Monday - scheduled 6 miles progressive

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest

Wednesday - scheduled 3 miles - hill work

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest

Friday - scheduled 5 miles easy

Saturday - scheduled 12 miles LSD

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles - rest

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 1

The first week of marathon training went well. I had 21 miles on the schedule and ended up running 23.6 miles. The extra miles were the result of an 8K race and my first meet-up with a local running group. Everyone I met in the group was really nice! Even though the group heads out super early and none of the runners this past week were really running at my pace, I'm going to try to do almost all of my Saturday long runs with them and one other day a week. Who knows? Maybe they'll spur me to become a faster runner.

Week 1

Monday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual - 5 miles. I ran a local fourth of July 8K. I got some bad information off the unofficial event website and thought the race started at 8am. It started at 7:30. I barely had time to pick up and pin on my bib and line up before the race started. This event wasn't my best of racing experiences, but all in all it wasn't a bad way to kick off a holiday.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles. Actual - 0 miles.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles - hillwork. Actual - 4 miles with hill repeats.  This was the first time I've ever truly done hill repeats and it was tough.  As I made my way home, I was fantasizing about a glass of water.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual - weights and stairclimber.  I did a weights circuit around the gym hitting lower body, upper body, and core, followed by 30 minutes on the stairmaster.

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual - 4 miles easy.  I started a bit later than I should have considering the heat.  I probably could have taken it even easier and still been producing buckets of sweat.

Saturday - scheduled 9 miles.  Actual 10.6 miles @11:46min/mile average pace.  I met up with a local running group at 5:30am.  Most of them had 11 miles planned so I figured that I would just start out with them and walk the last mile as a cool down.  Although no one was really running my pace, it was nice to start out with people and to see someone from the group always just a little ways up ahead of me.  After the run it was great to stand around chatting for a bit.  It was less great to see a man, who was apparently high and who had apparently broken his leg, pummel a street sign repeatedly and then try to hop and crawl around the block.  Several of the runners in the group approached him from a distance to see if he needed help and he screamed obscenities at them.  One of the runners popped into the gas station to call 911.  It was one of the strangest and most disturbing things I've seen in this burg.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles. Actual 0 miles.

Up next for Week 2

Monday - scheduled 4 miles easy

Tuesday - Time Trial - 1 mile 

Wednesday - scheduled 3 miles - hill work

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy

Saturday - scheduled 7 miles

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles

Also, friends, I'm back on Twitter, so if you tweet, do me a solid and follow me there.