SLC Half Marathon Training: Week 2

This past week was pretty busy. Unfortunately, it is the midterm grading season. I was able to work in some fun, though, this past week as it was Mark's birthday. I made him a layer cake during the week and took him out to dinner Saturday night.

Monday - scheduled cross training. Actual 3 mile run at an easy pace that averaged out to 11:52 min/mile. I threw in some walking as my legs were pretty tired from Saturday's increase in mileage and Sunday's snow shoeing fun.

Tuesday - scheduled rest. Actual rest.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles. Actual 3.5 miles at an average pace of 10:59 min/mile. My goal for this run was to throw in a few faster intervals and run at a pace that averaged out to faster than an eleven minute mile.

Thursday - scheduled cross training. Actual cross training. I did 20 minutes of weight lifting followed by 20 minutes on the elliptical machine.

Friday - scheduled 4 miles. Actual rest. I'm not sure running on Fridays is going to work for me during this training cycle. I have to leave for campus too early to get my miles in first thing in the morning, and I'm not really into the short turn around time before my long run on Saturdays. I think I may be dropping these Friday runs for the rest of this cycle and trying to replace them with a walk or a cross-training session.

Saturday - scheduled 7.5 miles LSD. Actual 7.5 miles. It was hard to get into the groove during this run, but I finished it. My average pace was an 11:28 min/mile.

Sunday - scheduled 3 miles recovery. Actual rest. I was feeling pretty rough around the edges in the morning, and we had plans with friends during the middle of the day and afternoon. I needed to get some grading done after that, so a run just didn't happen yesterday.

In other news, I registered for a local half-marathon in May. I haven't fully established where I will be in terms of my conditioning for the SLC Half -- especially since it will be at altitude. Right now my tentative plan is to use it as a fun training run for a more concerted effort at the local half a month later.

Total scheduled miles: 18.5.
Actual miles: 14.
Cross-training workouts: 1.

Do you adjust your training when you realize something isn't optimal for the realities of your schedule? What is your favorite way to cross train?

SLC Half Marathon Training: Week 1

My first week of "official" half marathon training for Salt Lake is in the books. It was a week that was more social than usual for us, so I didn't meet my mileage goal, but I feel pretty satisfied with the general picture of the week.

Monday - scheduled cross training. Actual cross training. I did 20 minutes of weights and 20 minutes on the elliptical machine.

Tuesday - scheduled rest. Actual rest.

Wednesday - scheduled 3.5 miles. Actual 3.5 miles at an average pace of 11:08. While this is (and I am still moving at) a slow pace, I did throw in a few faster intervals as a way to start slowly reintegrating some speed work.

Thursday - scheduled cross training. Actual short walk. I hadn't managed to get as much done as I needed to the day before because a girlfriend and I went out for an early dinner and then to see the Indigo Girls so I ended up using my gym time to prep my Friday class.

Friday - scheduled 3.5 miles. Actual rest. I had planned to run in the evening after I got home from campus, but some friends asked if we wanted to go see The Lego Movie. Since we opted to do that, I decided to bail on the run.

Saturday - scheduled 6 miles. Actual 6 miles at an average pace of 11:23. This was my longest run since last June, and, while I got really hungry at the end, it went well. It was a much-needed boost of confidence going into this training cycle.

Sunday - scheduled 3 miles recovery.  Actual 2.5 miles of snowshoeing with my spouse and a couple of our friends. It was such a beautiful day that I'm really glad that we got out for a couple of hours and enjoyed the day.

Total scheduled miles: 16.
Actual miles: 10 running and 3.5 walking and snowshoeing.
Cross training workouts: 1.

How was your week? What's the most recent concert that you've attended? Have you ever gone snowshoeing?

The Plan for SLC

So…. February kind of got out from under me there. Since February is generally a crappy month for me, I won't complain about it already being more than half over. My biggest news is that I got a much needed hair cut -- it had been over six months -- and worked out my half marathon training schedule.

I will note that I didn't get around to picking a half marathon plan as early as I probably should have. However, I did run 5 miles on Sunday, so I'm more or less on track to move forward. Also it's kind of pathetic, but I'm pretty sure that was my longest run since I ran a 6 miler with the delightful Joanna last June when I was in St. Louis. That is all about to change, though. Here's the plan:

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed - Speed	Thurs	Fri	Sat - LSD	Sun - Recovery
1	Cross train	Rest	3.5 miles	Cross train	3.5 miles	6 miles	3 miles
2	Cross train	Rest	4 miles	Cross train	4 miles	7.5 miles	3 miles
3	Cross train	Rest	4 miles	Cross train	4 miles	9 miles	3 miles
4	Rest	Cross	3 miles	3 miles	Cross	7 miles	Rest
5	Cross train	Rest	4 miles	Cross train	5 miles	9.5 miles	3 miles
6	Cross train	Rest	4 miles	Cross train	5 miles	11 miles	3 miles
7	Cross train	Rest	4 miles	Cross train	6 miles	12 miles	3 miles
8	Cross train	Rest	4 miles	Cross train	4 miles	9 miles	3 miles
9	Cross train	Rest	3 miles	Cross train	Rest	Race Day	2 miles

When coming up with my training schedule, I had to take into account the fact that I have a 12 hour day on Tuesdays this semester so that needs to be my rest day. I'll probably sometimes go to a yin yoga class with my friend Caro on Wednesday evenings as it's a nice way to stretch, slow down, and breathe midway through the week. During Week 4 I may trade one of my scheduled runs for a hike or a beach bike ride, as I'll be in Maui then. (I cannot wait!)

Are you training for any spring races? How long do you go between haircuts? 

Spring Half-Marathon Plans: SLC Half-Marathon

snuggling with my new niece

I got back to my mountain fortress early yesterday morning after a great conference and a hellish day of travel from the east coast, which could have admittedly been much, much worse due to the Polar Vortex's mayhem-causing powers. I had a wonderful time in the lower 48 visiting family in Louisiana, which was wonderful and relaxing, and attending a conference in D.C., which was wonderful and exhausting. I was hoping to see more of D.C. and visit some museums and monuments while I was there, but I was so busy with meetings, presentations, and meet-ups with friends and colleagues that I saw nothing but the conference hotels.

Unfortunately, due to illness and travel, I have yet to go for a run in 2014, but I'm planning to do an easy run/walk a little bit later today to get back on track (hopefully without provoking a coughing attack). This first wog of the year will begin (again) operation rebuild the base for me, because I have registered for a half-marathon in April. Due to a serendipitous confluence of events, it looks like I will be able to combine a trip to give an invited lecture at a university in Utah with running the SLC half-marathon on April 19th. I'm really looking forward to both opportunities!

In a couple of weeks, when I have a few runs back under my belt and it's a little closer to the event itself, I'll pick a training plan for the race. Are you running any spring races? What do you do in the pre-training-schedule-periods of your running year? How's the start to your new year been? I hope my Midwestern friends and readers are all safe and warm!

Race Report: BMO Vancouver Half-Marathon

Yesterday I ran a half-marathon, and it was one of those lessons in respecting distance, respecting hills, and respecting the need for rest. The BMO Vancouver Half-Marathon race course was beautiful, but I was so exhausted and running was such a struggle for me that hardly any of the stunning scenery seemed to register with me and much of the race is a blur.

Friday afternoon Mark picked me up from campus and we headed to the airport. We hopped on a plane to Seattle (the 3+ hour flight passed quickly as I spent most of it grading final exams) and then a puddle jumper over to Vancouver. Fortunately, all our flights were on time and we didn't have to wait too long for transit; unfortunately, we still didn't arrive at our hotel until after 1:30am, and I didn't sleep very well that night. Saturday we did some walking around, met the lovely Materfamilias and her partner for lunch (more on that later), picked up my bib, did a bit of exploring and window shopping, and had dinner at a sports bar so that Mark could watch playoff hockey. I thought it only fair that I watch the Leafs game with him since he was getting up early and coming down to the race start with me. Saturday night I slept fitfully again, and I was feeling groggy and crampy and was suffering from some indigestion when the alarm went off a little after 5:00 am. I downed a cup of coffee, a couple of glasses of water, and some oatmeal, dressed, and we headed out the door just after 6:00 to catch public transit to the race start. I looked for Amber as I made my way to my corral, but I didn't see her. (I was able to meet up with her for a post-race drink later in the day, though!) I lined up just a bit behind the 2:20 pacers and then waited. The race started at 7:00, but I think it was close to 7:20 before my corral began to cross the starting line.

Before the race started my stomach was really bothering me, and I had a feeling that this race was not going to be a good one for me, but I wanted to put myself in a position in the first couple of miles to try to have a strong race if my insides calmed down. Unfortunately, I was never able to settle into a groove and felt miserably and embarrassingly tired by 3 miles into this race. I kept thinking that it was a mercy that I had decided to downgrade to the half because there was no way I could have finished a full marathon yesterday. I was struggling. My chest hurt, I had menstrual cramps, my stomach felt off (though luckily I never actually got sick), the downhills were killing my quads, and in the final few miles my right hip was starting to cramp in the way that led to injury a couple of years ago. Even so, I was hoping to pull off something in the 2:26-2:27 range. I think it might have been doable, but I had to stop to use a porta-john around mile 8 and lost a couple of minutes there and another minute or so to stop at a water fountain in Stanley Park, as 4 of the last 5 water stops didn't have water or cups by the time I got to them (not cool, race organizers, not cool). By the time I rounded the last corner, I had nothing left to give and was just urging myself not to walk through the finish line. My official time was 2:30:18.

Between this race experience (which I could see easily could have been wonderful if I had been more rested coming into this) and the one I had at the Capital City Half last May, I have decided that it's just really stupid for me to schedule a race right at the end of the academic year. Last year I thought I was so exhausted at the Capital City half from oral surgery a couple of weeks before, and I'm sure that was part of it, but I think it was also the burn out and fatigue that accompanies the end of the academic year for me. I seriously underestimated how physically, mentally, and emotionally tired I would be for this race. I feel bad that I was hardly able to concentrate on the lovely scenery, the awesome spectators, and the numerous bands and entertainers. Yesterday was one of those days when it was all I could do to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I don't want to be a total whinger, though. I finished a half marathon, and it wasn't even my slowest one. Also I got a nice little vacation with my spouse in a beautiful city. Have you ever felt like you were too tired to enjoy a beautiful race course? Is there a time of year that you have discovered to not be conducive to strong race performances?

An Unplanned Break

I hadn't intended to go almost two weeks without posting here, but in the days immediately following the terrible bombings in Boston and the devastating fertilizer plant fire in Texas. Most of last week I felt like anything I might write here might seem too trite and cliche for some, too self-indulgent for others, and maybe even too political for a few. I'm still trying to process all of it. I'm still angry and still sad.

By the time I felt like I might be ready to write again at all in this little space of mine, I had become inundated with work. It's the end of the semester, and I'm feeling the fatigue that comes at the end of the academic year. Between committees and grading and trying to get a manuscript off my desk and out to a journal before the end of the term, I've had little free time lately and what time I've had lately I haven't wanted to spend looking at a computer. I hosted a departmental/honors society event at my home so part of my typical bit of weekend downtime was used to clean my house both before and after the event. As this week started, I found myself still wading through my students' papers and through paperwork for several other service tasks. However, I did finally get that article sent out, after taking advantage of a grey and snowy day to power through some of the lingering revisions I had been putting off tackling and a final read through for copyediting and proofreading.

Ducks on a pond near my house

Although I wasn't blogging about it, I did also get some running done since I last posted. While I'm not quite where I hoped to be with my training, I had a solid 12 mile long run this past weekend and an 800 repeat session last week that gave me a bit of a confidence boost. I'm starting to feel both excited and nervous about the upcoming Vancouver Half Marathon. I head into taper mode in just a couple of days.

Progress Toward Goals: March in Review

March has been a pretty eventful month for me, as I went to San Diego for a few days to run my eleventh half-marathon at the beginning of the month, hosted a mini writing retreat over part of spring break, celebrated my birthday, and had a pretty busy second half of the month on campus between classes and some service tasks. I am very happy to say that I felt much better emotionally than I did in February. Thanks in part to Spring Break and to some fun activities -- I caught up with an old friend in San Diego, Mark and I went to a fun Seder for the second night of Passover, and we went tubing for the first time -- I was able to feel a bit of that often-elusive life-work-training balance thing.

At the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Diego's Balboa Park

Tubing Adventure!

Also in most areas I made some progress toward my goals. As far as my fitness and health goals are concerned, I did pretty well. Although I was still pretty lax with eating while in San Diego and not journaling during the first half of the month, I knew that a day of reckoning was coming as I struggled to get into one of my pairs of pants toward the end of spring break. The day after my birthday I joined Weight Watchers Online and have successfully journaled each day since then. My yoga has dropped off horribly this month, as I used up my class pass last month and since my yoga studio was closing at the end of the month (tear) I did not renew it. However, I'm planning to check out another studio soon for a class with some lady friends. In terms of running, I logged 64.2 miles in March, and, as I mentioned in my race report, while San Diego was not my fastest half it was 8 minutes faster than any of the half-marathons that I ran in 2012. I feel good about that.

Happily, this month even with travel and some of the general malaise that often makes itself known at this time during the academic year, I met my writing goal of at least 3 pages each week. Last week I sent a rough draft of an article manuscript to a couple of friends for some feedback, and I'm hoping to incorporate their suggestions and kick it out the door by the end of this next month. My Italian lessons did drop off a bit this month, but I still made some progress there.

In terms of my personal goals, my progress was something of a mixed bag. I really fell of the wagon with 365, though, and will be looking to recommit to this in April. I think part of it was that I opted not to take my DSLR with me to San Diego and when I returned I didn't really feel inspired to take pictures of snirt and then more snow on a systematic basis. I'm pressing reset, though, and I'll be better this next month. I did do some good reading in March and finished two novels, started two others, and read a memoir. I finished Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, which I would rank as one of the best books I've read in the past few years, and Shirley Jackson's classic and creepy The Haunting of Hill House. I bought A Thousand Days in Venice on the cheap for my kindle back in December, and wasn't paying close enough attention so I didn't notice it was a memoir and not a novel. I wasn't impressed with it, which is too bad as Lord knows I love Venice and eating. The prose was just not to my taste -- though I was pretty happy that I got almost all of the Italian passages without her translations. March was an expensive month due to my trip to San Diego and then we bought our tickets for Vancouver, and I have to admit that I went over budget this month. I blame DSW for sending me a birthday coupon. The damage: $170. I bought two pairs of shoes, and I also bought a pair of navy polka dot jeggings.

I hope those readers who celebrate the holiday have had a wonderful Easter! Did the Easter Bunny visit your house? If you could learn any language, which would it be and why?

The Plan for the Vancouver Half

I'm just under seven weeks away from the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon. I feel really good about my decision to switch to the half, especially as it will help me more fully enjoy the trip to Vancouver as a break at the end of the semester and as some time with Mark before I hit the road for some substantial research trips this summer.

Looking forward to being back in NYC!

This is my plan for the next few weeks:

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	30 m walk +/ yoga	3 mi	Rest	4 mi	3 mi	30 m walk +/ yoga	10 mi LSD
2	30 m walk +/ yoga	4 mi	Rest	4 mi	3 mi	30 m walk +/ yoga	12 mi LSD
3	30 m walk +/ yoga	4 mi	Rest	5 mi	3 mi	30 m walk +/ yoga	13 mi LSD
4	30 m walk +/ yoga	5 mi	Rest	4 mi	3 mi	30 m walk +/ yoga	12 mi LSD
5	30 m walk +/ yoga	5 mi	Rest	5 mi	3 mi	30 m walk +/ yoga	15 mi LSD
6	30 m walk +/ yoga	4 mi	Rest	4 mi	3 mi	30 m walk +/ yoga	9 mi LSD
7	30 m walk +/ yoga	3 mi	Rest	3 mi	Rest	Rest	Vancouver Half- Marathon

Again, I plan to work in speedwork on Thursdays and to hopefully run outside at least once a week if possible. Right now it's particularly treacherous as we've been having daily melting and refreezing so a lot of surfaces are slicker than glass right now, so I'm erring on the side of caution. I'd prefer to avoid breaking a leg or bruising my ass if possible.

In other, semi-related news I have decided to quit using the online journaling system I was (not actually recently) using and to join a friend of mine in her quest to lose some weight with Weight Watchers Online. I joined it on Monday. I had been considering doing this for a few weeks in spite of my feelings about the antifeminist tendencies of dieting and the dieting industry. And to be honest I don't really care about the number on the scale -- although it is higher than it has been in years, even higher than right after I'd finished my dissertation -- so much, but I am really bummed that I have found that I can't fit into most of my pants and some of my skirts right now or at least not comfortably. I'd like to remedy that. I'd also like to feel a little lighter on my feet while I'm running as I think that might help me to speed back up to my PR times from 2009.

Without asking you to become the food police, readers, what are your thoughts on keeping myself accountable with the program here?

This and That, Odds and Ends

I have decided to "downgrade" to the half marathon at Vancouver. While I felt like I had a pretty strong half in San Diego, I just didn't (and don't) feel physically or emotionally ready or in a state of near-readiness for a full marathon in less than 2 months and with the pace of the semester that didn't (and doesn't) seem likely to change. Instead I'll be targeting a sub 2:20 half marathon, which may be something of a challenge for me due to the hills. I've taken something of a reverse taper this week, but will be back with a new plan for the upcoming weeks soon.

I'm also excited that my spouse will be coming with me to Vancouver, and we'll get to spend some time playing tourist, too!

Since we are currently on Spring Break, I hosted a two day mini writing retreat. It was great for a couple of reasons: my house is a lot cleaner than it was earlier in the week and I have made substantial progress on an article manuscript. I'm hopeful that I'll have a complete draft by the end of next week and then can spend some time polishing. I aim to have it sent out to a journal before the end of the first week of April.

My birthday is coming up on Sunday, and I really want to buy myself a pair of adorable open toed booties. Then I look outside at the snow that is likely to be on the ground for another few weeks and think about the mud that is to follow. Living in Alaska is an amazing adventure -- just not for my fabulous shoe collection.... I'm ready for it to be spring, but until then I'll go tubing. Also I'll go back to San Diego here and there in my mind....

Earlier this week I received the happy news that my sister is pregnant with her second child. I'm thrilled that I'll be an auntie again in the fall!

What's new with you?

Race Report: San Diego Half Marathon

On Sunday I ran the San Diego Half Marathon. After a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee, I donned my running gear, pinned on my bib, and walked the few blocks from my hotel down to the start of the race in the Gas Lamp District. It was a beautiful sunny day and in spite of the time changes (hour difference from Alaska and the beginning of daylight savings time) I felt pretty well rested. My only real concern going into the race - aside from whether or not it would feel a bit warm after running in mostly teens and 20s over the past few weeks - was the fact that wearing flats around the city the previous couple of days had given me a minor case of shin splints.

Miles 1-3
I was in corral 9, and I wondered if it would be a lengthy delay between the start of the race and when those of us in the later corrals would finally get across the start line. However, the race organization was excellent and each wave started less than 2 minutes apart. Before too long my corral was off and I was on my way. I had hoped to line up with the 2:25 pace group, but there was only a 2:20 pace group in my particular corral, so I let them get up ahead of me a bit but worked to keep them in sight and to find a pace that seemed a tad challenging but maintainable. The miles clicked by in 10:18, 10:23, and 10:31.

Miles 3-7
Much of the first half of the race was really quite beautiful with views of the harbor and city. I loved running with thousands of other people and seeing the ocean and palm trees. I might have stopped to take photos, but I had a feeling that I could surpass my goals, so I wanted to focus on running instead of stopping and starting to snap shots. Then there were a few less scenic patches, like the airport, where the exhaust from the rental car buses did not make for the most pleasant running conditions. I was feeling pretty good. At around mile 6 I took a GU at a water stop and just as I was tearing into it I spotted my friend from grad school, who had come with her 2 year old son to cheer me out on the course. I got high fives from them, walked for about a minute to let the GU settle and was off again. My splits were 10:21, 10:31, 10:43, and 11:09.

Miles 7-10
The GU and support out on the course gave me some energy, but I was starting to need to pee. The next couple of miles were some of my slower ones as I did stop to use a biffy and then there was the one serious hill out on the course. This hill was long and one that had the potential to crush the soul and shred the calves. I opted to walk up the steeper parts of it and run the flatter portions of it. It was also not as scenic as somewhere around here we also passed a glass recycling center. I finished these miles in 10:31, 12:10, and 12:42.

Miles 10-13.1
After I crested the hill, I had my second GU at the next water stop and felt reenergized. I looked at my watch and realized that the sub 2:20 that I thought I might be able to pull out a couple of miles before was probably out of reach, but I was going to be damned if I didn't achieve my goal of finishing in 2:25 or less. I told myself to pick the pace back up. The last mile or so of the course was down hill and I let that do some of the work for me. My splits were 11:00, 10:18, 9:23, and 2:11 (my cuts and weaving around other runners had added about .20 to my total distance). My official race time was 2:22:07.

Reflections
In general, I am really pleased with my performance at this half marathon. I'm still working back to PR-level speed, but I did run this half 8 minutes faster than my fastest half marathon in 2012. And that gives me a fair bit of confidence moving forward. I know that working more consistently on speed work helped me in my final miles of the race. I know the downhill was a big part of it, but pulling out 9:23 and 8:28 paces at the end of a half marathon is definitely a marked improvement for me. This race and this trip was good for me mentally and emotionally. I would definitely consider doing this one again, as it was incredibly well-organized, the volunteers were great, and the atmosphere and scenery were truly excellent.

It was also really great to reconnect with my friend. She very generously had me out to her home for dinner twice. We spent some time doing a bit of hiking out at Point Loma, had a girls' night out that ended with post-drinks visit to Extraordinary Desserts in Little Italy, and spent part of Saturday afternoon out with her son exploring at Balboa Park.

Vancouver Marathon Training: Week 7 and San Diego Half Marathon Goals

This past week was another doozy. Between grading midterms, attending an all-day diversity workshop, celebrating Mark's birthday, and Fur Rondy, running slipped down on my list of priorities. I have to admit that I'm considering switching from the full to the half in Vancouver, as the demands of higher mileage don't seem to be meshing well with other things (read: work) right now. But I'm putting off making the call at least until after I get back from San Diego. At any rate here's how last week went.

Monday - scheduled rest. Actual rest.

Tuesday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 3.25 hills in my hood. My pace averaged out to 11:18. I probably should have sucked it up and got in the extra .75 mile, but I forgot it was garbage day when I headed out so I had to alter my route a bit as I went.

Wednesday - scheduled rest. Actual rest.

Thursday - scheduled 4 miles speed work. Actual 4 miles. I did 4 x 800 repeats with jogging recoveries. The pacer per mile averaged out to 9:47, and the good news was that I felt consistently strong through the last repeat.

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 20 minute walk. I spent all day at a professional development workshop and then took Mark out for a belated birthday dinner in the evening at Kinley's. Their blueberry lavender creme brulee is where it is at. That is all.

Saturday - scheduled yoga. Actual some walking around and the shortest race of my life. (See the Running of the Reindeer Race Report below.)

Sunday - scheduled 15 miles LSD. Going into this run I felt like I wanted a bit more of a taper for my upcoming half than 15 miles the Sunday before would give me so I decided to run 10 miles instead. My average pace worked out to 11:19 min/miles.

Total scheduled miles: 27
Actual miles: 17.35
Cross training workouts: 0

So what are my goals for Sunday's race in San Diego? My biggest concern is that the heat will have an impact on my performance, but there hasn't really been anything I can do about that here in Alaska. I will really only be able to get in one acclimating run before the race, but I'm hopeful that I can still have a solid performance. My goals are pretty simple:

A) Have fun! Enjoy running on a non-icy or non-treadmill surface and with lots of other enthusiastic runners!

B) Finish in 2:25 or under. Last year I ran three of my four slowest half marathons (all over 2:30), but I know that I have improvement in terms of speed in me still. This is my chance to establish a benchmark for future half marathons.

Wish me luck, dear readers!

Things That are New(s)

Since I last posted there have been several new developments around these parts. For one thing, we are seriously considering adopting a second dog. A woman who goes to the same climbing gym as a woman who works at our doggy daycare is having to give up her dog as she is moving out of state. We're still trying to work out a time to meet the dog, who is currently being fostered, introduce her to Bailey, and make sure that we are all compatible, but I'm hopeful that by the end of the month we may have a canine addition to our family.

Another new thing is that I got a long overdue haircut. Scissors had not touched the hairs on my head since May and part of me was trying to keep long hair for a while longer, so I was initially just planning on getting a trim. However, I was bothered many times by my hair on our trip to Louisiana. It kept getting pulled by my backpack, and it was attracting static electricity like you would not believe. I decided to check out an Aveda Concepts Salon here, and I loved the atmosphere and my new stylist. I had her give me an asymmetrical graduated bob, and I immediately felt more like myself.

Late last week I started to feel a little bit anxious about the start of a new term. It's now just one week away, so I spent much of this weekend working on my syllabi and doing some preliminary course prep. Bailey was not much help. She absolutely refused to read about early modern blood transfusion experiments on animals, quickly tired of reading about radicals in the English Civil War, and took a nap to protest that I did not assign any readings about learned pigs.

Finally, I have picked out and registered for a spring half marathon. I will be running the San Diego Half Marathon on March 10th! I'm hoping for a strong performance that will give me confidence going into the second half of my training for the Vancouver Marathon, and I'm definitely looking forward to a few days in southern California as a break from winter in Anchorage.

What's new with you? Do you have any spring races planned?

Race Report: Anchorage Running Club Zombie Half Marathon

Yesterday morning I got up at the luxurious hour of 7:30, had a cup of coffee, drank some water, ate some toast, got dressed, drank another cup of coffee, put on some zombie make up, glued on a flesh wound, peed about 15 times, and then headed down to the starting point of the ARC Zombie Half Marathon at Goose Lake. I picked up my bib, lined up to pee again, and spent a few minutes freezing while chatting with another runner. Before too long we were directed to line up in an open field where it was even colder. Thankfully, soon it was 10:00; they directed us to start; and we were off and running.

Will race for brains....

Lining up to start

Miles 1-4
The course followed the Chester Creek Trail from Goose Lake Park to the Westchester Lagoon and then followed the Coastal Trail to Kincaid Park. It was initially hard to get into a rhythm and find a steady pace. I probably started out a tad too fast, running the first couple of miles at around a 10:30 average pace. I was feeling pretty good apart from a little bit of lung discomfort from the cold air and a bit of a runny nose. Within a couple of miles, I was warmed up, so I took off my gloves and partially unzipped my running jacket. When I hit the first aid station at mile 4, I had hoped to use the biffies, but there was a long line for the two port-a-potties so I decided I could hold it and just drank a bit of gatorade. I walked for a minute to let the drink settle before I was off again.

Miles 4-8
The next couple of miles were really beautiful and provided some stunning views. However, they were also the coldest and windiest of the race as parts of the trail were not as sheltered. Running into the freezing wind was decidedly unpleasant. I put my gloves back on and trundled onward. Between miles 6 and 8 there were quite a few inclines, and my left calf was feeling tight and on the verge of cramping, so I walked up most of the hills. At the aid station at mile 8, there was no line for the biffies so I relieved my bladder and then spent another minute or so taking a GU and washing it down before I got started again.

Beautiful views along the coastal trail

Miles 8-13.1
I think because I was trying to adjust my gait to prevent my left calf from camping, by mile 10 my right calf was feeling tight and on the edge of a cramp and my right hip flexor was starting to hurt a bit, too. I walked a minute here and there up inclines, but I kept just chanting to myself to run one mile at a time, to keep moving forward, and to beat 2:30. This strategy was working pretty well. I was hurting, but it was manageable. Then around mile 12.3 the beastly hill into Kincaid Park began. I decided that I would walk up most of it and run the flatter sections of it. Frankly, this was a pretty good idea because doing this I managed to pass a hardcore woman who was steadily running up that whole damn thing. It was a bit demoralizing to need to walk at 12.94 of a half-marathon, but I felt like my right foot and calf might fall off if I didn't. I sucked it up and ran the last .1 up the incline. I finished in 2:30:07.

So ready to be done with the damn hill

Reflections
I was very glad to be done, as my entire right leg was aching and throbbing. In general, I was pretty pleased with my performance. Even though I was a little bit off my goal and this was not anywhere close to a PR, this was my best performance at a half in 2012. There were very few spectators at any point, including the finish. However, the course was beautiful and the atmosphere among the runners was festive and fun. The first part of the race was relatively easy with just a few rolling hills. The second half was definitely a challenge with all of those inclines. Because it was such a cold day (temps were in the 30s and it snowed later in the day) I wasn't all that thirsty during the race itself. I wish, though, that they had provided water at the start and had one more aid station on the course. Nonetheless, it was a fun event, and, if I don't run Chicago next fall, I look forward to running this race again next year and beating my time.

How do you feel about running a race in a costume or makeup? What are your feelings about races that end with a hill?

Halloween Half Marathon Training Week 7

It was exciting to follow my friends and blogging buddies through FB, twitter, and their blogs this weekend as so many of them were racing either the Chicago Marathon or the Twin Cities Medtronic Marathon. I loved feeling so inspired by them as I did my last long run of this training cycle yesterday, and I'll be seeking to carry their positive mojo into my own race week. Here's how my penultimate week of half-marathon training went down:

Monday - scheduled yoga. Actual yoga. I did a short 20 minute practice at home. I had considered going to a class at my studio, but M. decided that he needed the car because he simply had to have the iPhone 5....

Tuesday - scheduled 4 miles hills. Actual 3.5 miles with some incline work. My legs still felt pretty tired from the 10K last weekend, but I at least got in a run.

Wednesday - scheduled 5 miles easy. Actual 3.5 miles easy. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon grading papers from my survey class, so I was feeling pretty zapped by the time I hopped on the treadmill.

Thursday - scheduled 3 miles easy. Actual rest. I had something of a headache the entire day.

Friday - scheduled rest. Actual rest. I had hoped to make up the miles that I missed on Thursday, but my day was full and we had plans to meet up with friends for dinner and drinks in the evening that I didn't want to postpone or cancel.

Saturday - scheduled 11 miles LSD. Actual 20 push-ups and 20 squats. I overslept after having a few beers while out with new friends on Friday night, and my need to worship at the altar of the football gods meant that I wasn't going to go out for these miles later in the day.

Sunday - scheduled yoga. Actual 10 miles LSD. I felt solid on this run and it left me hopeful that, if there's no snow or ice, that I can run my fastest half of the year next Saturday.

Total scheduled miles: 23
Actual miles: 17 miles
Cross training workouts: 1

Up next for race week:

Monday - scheduled rest.

Tuesday - scheduled yoga.

Wednesday - scheduled 3.5 miles easy.

Thursday - scheduled 3.5 miles easy.

Friday - scheduled rest.

Saturday - Zombie Half-Marathon.

Sunday - scheduled 2 miles recovery.

In other training news, I've registered for the Vancouver Marathon (first race in a foreign country! woot!) on May 5th! Although it's still seven months away, I'm excited about the prospect of visiting Vancouver for the first time and running my third marathon.

Where's the most exotic location you've raced? Have you raced internationally?

Race Report: Run For Beans 10K

This week's regular training Monday post schedule has been interrupted to bring you a race report. On Saturday I ran the Run For Beans 10K. I went into this local race with modest goals; they were to run the entire race without walking and to beat my most recent 10K time (1:04:27). I figured that beating this time would help to give me some confidence, as that 10K time was what I posted last fall in Mankato when I was in better cardiovascular shape than I am now but ran conservatively due to an ITB injury.

When I got up on Saturday morning, I almost just turned around and went back to bed. Followers of my 365 blog might guess that the reason for this was that it was snowing. I was a little bit concerned about the trails being slick and uncertain about going forward because I haven't run in wintry conditions  since last February. I ultimately decided, though, that I really wanted to do the race. M. dropped me off at the race location headquarters, and I picked up my bib, drank a little coffee, chatted with a couple of other runners, and snapped a couple of pictures with my phone.

Before long, it was time to head down to the trail and race. The start was a bit chaotic and it was hard to hear the announcement to start and for a little bit I wasn't sure if I had started with the other 10K runners or with the 5K. Fortunately, I started at the right time. The snow flurries had more or less stopped and the ground was warm enough that the trail was clear with the exception of some puddles and some slippery muck on the bridges. My plan was to try to maintain about a 10:00/mile for the first 3 miles and then evaluate. I hoped that I might be able to negative split, but I didn't quite get there. The course was an out and back on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which I've run on a couple of times. It was absolutely beautiful with all of the colorful foliage and the occasional vistas of the estuaries that were especially nice as the sky started to clear up. I wish I had photos, but I didn't want to stop running in order to take them. There were a few gradual hills, but only one at the end that was really annoying.

View from the Coastal Trail at a Different Spot on a Different Day

I settled more or less into a groove, where I felt like I was pushing myself but not so hard that I wouldn't be able to maintain the effort. I passed a number of people and got passed by some others. I felt strong and in the zone for almost the entire race. I ran the entire time. I allowed myself to take in the views and appreciate running my first local race here on a somewhat bizarre but beautiful September morning. Near the finish, I heard Bailey barking behind me and realized that M. and Bailey were running up behind me. M. tried to pass me so that he could get to the finish ahead of me to take pictures, but then a hill happened and he gave up on that plan. After I crested the last (and only incredibly annoying) hill, I tried to turn the speed on and finish strong, and I did pass another runner right at the finish. My chip time was 1:03:02 -- almost 90 seconds faster than my last 10K and only about 20 seconds over my 10K PR! According to my Garmin, my splits for 6.3 miles were: 9:49, 10:02, 10:01, 10:16, 10:07, 10:02, and 2:47.

M. and Bailey met back up with me at the finish. I went back into the local restaurant where registration had been held to pick up my jacket and my swag and grabbed a couple of pastries for later. The hard effort had made me feel like food might not be a good idea right away, so I didn't take advantage of the wider spread of foodstuffs. About an hour later, though, I was ravenous and ate a multi-course lunch.

Accomplishing my race goals for this local 10K gave me something good to say here -so huzzah for that! - and the race was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to the Zombie half-marathon that's on the same trail here in a couple of weeks.

My plan for this next week is:

Monday - scheduled yoga.

Tuesday - scheduled 4 miles hills.

Wednesday - scheduled 5 miles easy

Thursday - scheduled 3 miles easy.

Friday - scheduled rest.

Saturday - scheduled 11 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled yoga.

What are your thoughts on racing in ice and snow? How do you feel about 10Ks?

Halloween Half Marathon Training Week 5 and Changing Plans

Confession: I have decided to bag the half-marathon I was planning to run in Ohio at the end of next month. Earlier this week some of the insanity of my plan to leave an academic conference for part of a day in order to run a half-marathon 90 miles away started to sink in and make me reconsider the situation. There were a number of factors that I had glossed over when I concocted this plan in the summer. For one thing, I didn't anticipate the hassle or the cost of getting to the conference. I will have very long days of flying on either side of the conference and a four hour time change will also be involved. Another issue is the added cost of car rental and parking when I'm already spending a lot of money (almost $1800) to participate in this conference. There are some other professional reasons, as well, that played into my final decision making process. So I'm not running the half-marathon for which I have been training.

However, I do still plan on running a 10K here next weekend and - unless we already have wintry weather conditions - the trail half-marathon here in the middle of next month. So that means the half-marathon that I had intended to use as a training run has become my only 13.1 of the season and that just three more weeks will be left in this training cycle.

This past week was relatively solid and has given me confidence that I will be able to complete the trail half in 3 weeks and possibly even post my fastest half-marathon time of the year.

Monday - scheduled 3.5 miles hills. Actual 3.5 miles hills. I hopped on the treadmill and gutted this one out. My thighs were burning the entire time.

Tuesday - scheduled yoga. Actual yoga. I went to a 90 minute open vinyasa class. We did a lot of warriors and lunging poses.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual rest. It was day one of what a friend euphemistically refers to as the "lady holiday" and I felt pretty blah.

Thursday - scheduled yoga. Actual rest. We were a little bit late getting home in the evening and my month of unlimited yoga had expired, so I ended up taking the evening off from working out.

Friday - scheduled rest. Actual 3.5 miles with hills but at an easy pace. It was such a beautiful morning that I had to get out and run. Conditions were perfect and I just enjoyed being out there. (I stole this picture snapped at the beginning of my run from my 365 Blog.)

Saturday - scheduled 11 miles LSD. Actual 2.5 miles with hills but at an easy pace. I struggled on this run because the wind picked up right before I went out, and I was feeling emotionally turbulent as well as I was working through coming to terms with my decision not to run the half in Ohio.

Sunday - scheduled 3 miles recovery. Actual 11 miles LSD. The amazing sports psychologist I was working with before my injury last year won the Omaha Marathon on Sunday morning and another friend was running a half-marathon in the DFW area. Whenever things got tough, I thought of them and kept putting one foot in front of the other. My average pace was just over an 11 min/mile.

Total scheduled miles: 21.5
Actual miles: 20.5
Cross training workouts: 1

Because I'm running a 10K on Saturday, I'm deviating from my original training schedule a fair amount this week. Here's my plan for Week 6:

Monday - scheduled 3 miles recovery.

Tuesday - scheduled yoga.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles 800s.

Thursday - scheduled yoga (short home practice).

Friday - scheduled rest.

Saturday - scheduled 10K race.

Sunday - scheduled 3 miles recovery.

Have you ever made a decision that you thought made sense only later to realize it was really pretty foolish? Are you training for any fall races? How's it going?

Halloween Half Marathon Training Week 4

This past week has not been a particularly strong one in terms of training, as meetings, a bit of a cold during the week, and another crazy storm that took down another one of our trees this weekend have presented some additional challenges to getting in workouts.  

Monday - scheduled 4 miles tempo. Actual 4 miles with an easy mile to warm up, two miles at my estimated 10K pace, and an easy final mile. My average pace was 10:23, which is still a lot slower than I would like, but this was my first tempo run in a while.

Tuesday - scheduled rest. Actual rest.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual rest. On Wednesday I had a headache and sinus pressure that got worse as the day went on. Instead of running in the afternoon, I took a decongestant and a nap.

Thursday - scheduled yoga. Actual rest. When I woke up my throat was sore and I was just feeling crummy so I took another easy day.

Friday - 3 miles easy. Actual rest. I was starting to feel a bit better but I had some scheduling conflicts that meant the only time that I could have run was in the evening. However, M. and I had planned on going out to dinner and a movie. Since we hadn't been on an actual date since the wedding we attended over two months ago, I decided to prioritize that over running.

Saturday - scheduled 8 miles LSD. Actual 6.5 miles LSD. My legs were fresh so that was good, but my lungs tired out pretty easily. I was happy with getting past the 10K mark after such a lackluster week of running.

Sunday - scheduled yoga. Actual 3 miles easy. We were still under a wind advisory so, rather than getting on the road for a yoga class, I hopped on my treadmill for a short recovery run.

Total scheduled miles: 19
Actual miles: 13.5
Cross training workouts: 0

Up next for Week 5:

Monday - scheduled 3.5 miles hills.

Tuesday - scheduled yoga.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles easy.

Thursday - scheduled yoga.

Friday - scheduled rest.

Saturday - scheduled 11 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled 3 miles recovery.

After such a crummy week of training, I felt like I needed a little bit of a boost in motivation so I signed up for a local 10K here in a couple of weeks. It will be my first 10K in almost a year.  I'm excited to see how it goes and to get a sense of what my actual 10K pace is right now. I'm also really looking forward to getting back on my mat this week.

A happy and sweet new year to all my Jewish and Jew-ish readers! Happy Monday to everyone else!

Halloween Half Marathon Training Week 3

I'm happy to report that another week of training is in the books, and, in spite of weather insanity, it was actually a pretty good week. It involved my first run in the double digits since May and plenty of good cross-training.

Monday - scheduled 3 miles hills. Actual 80 minute hike with M. and Bailey. We wanted to spend some time together out of the house and even though it was a little drizzly we decided to go explore a trail that's not too far from our neighborhood.

Tuesday - scheduled yoga. Actual yoga. I went to a 90 minute Vinyasa class at my local studio. With the wind starting to whip and howl, we spent a lot of time doing grounding poses that really activated our legs.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual 3.8 miles easy. After our power came back on, I took advantage of it by hopping on the treadmill.

Thursday - scheduled yoga. Actual rest -- unless you count spending about 30 minutes picking up twigs and small branches and mowing the front lawn. The fact that it wasn't raining meant that I really needed to take advantage of the opportunity to mow what was starting to become a savannah.

Friday - scheduled rest. Actual 10 miles LSD. I had a weird day of working while waiting so at the end of it I decided to just try to get my long run out of the way. It wasn't a great run but it wasn't a bad run either.

Saturday - scheduled 10 miles LSD. Actual yoga. Since I had done my long run the day before, I had free time Saturday morning to go to my studio for a 90 minute Hatha class.

Sunday - scheduled 3 miles recovery. Actual 2.5 miles with some hills at an easy pace with my new bear bell courtesy of the amazing Kyria. This was a fabulous run on a stunningly gorgeous day. The sky was blue and the air was crisp. I felt like I could have gone forever, but I needed to get back to do some cleaning around the house and food prep as we had a couple of friends over to watch football in the afternoon.

Total scheduled miles: 20
Actual miles: 16.3
Cross training workouts: 3

Up next for Week 4:

Monday - scheduled 4 miles tempo.

Tuesday - scheduled rest. (Originally my plan called for yoga here, but I'm taking the opportunity to meet with a new potential friend for a drink instead.)

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles easy.

Thursday - scheduled yoga. (Originally my plan called for rest here, but I'm hoping to swap here.)

Friday - 3 miles easy.

Saturday - scheduled 8 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled yoga.

So I also need to start thinking about how I'm going to Zombify myself for the trail half that I'm running for training in just a few short weeks. I'm kind of thinking Sean of the Dead-ing it with black pants, a white shirt with some red splatters and a red tie since a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies get-up might not be ideal for running. Any thoughts?

Halloween Half-Marathon Training Week 2

Well, such as it was, another week of half-marathon training is in the books. This past week involved the compounded insanity of the first week of classes and the arrival of our furniture and goods, so I had to make some changes as I went along.

Monday - scheduled 3 miles - 800s. Actual rest. It was the first day of classes, and I ended up having to run the additional errand of getting a faculty ID made, as I lost my first one within 48 hours of getting it. (Don't ever become absent minded like I apparently have.) By the time I was done with that it was mid-afternoon, so I opted to have lunch and write instead.

Tuesday - scheduled rest. Actual 3 miles - 800s. The 800s weren't particularly fast, but I reunited with my just-delivered treadmill almost as soon as I got home from campus that day.  It also gave me a chance to relieve some of the stress that was the result of a naughty doggy. Bailey got anxious and destructive when we shut her up in the bedroom earlier that day in an effort to keep her out from under the feet of the movers.

The joys of home and anxious dog ownership combined.....

Wednesday - scheduled 3.5 miles easy. Actual rest. Like the previous week, I had planned to go to a group run in the evening, but unpacking some boxes seemed more important.

Thursday - scheduled yoga. Actual rest. My stomach was feeling off, so I skipped class and did a little bit of unpacking.

Friday - scheduled 3 miles easy. Actual 3 miles easy. After two days of inactivity, I felt really ready to get in a run.

Saturday - scheduled 8.5 miles LSD. Actual yoga. The weather totally sucked, but the forecast showed that Sunday would be a nicer day, so I opted to go to a 90 minute Hatha Yoga class. It was fantastic! We did lots of opening poses, and I knew my legs wouldn't feel fresh the next day but that it would be good physical and mental practice for running when tired.

Sunday - scheduled yoga. Actual 8.5 miles LSD. Due to some continued stomach problems, I opted to do this run on the treadmill. It wasn't the fastest or most interesting run, but I finished it.

Total scheduled miles: 18
Actual miles: 14.5
Cross training workouts: 1

Up next for Week 3:

Monday - scheduled 3 miles hills.

Tuesday - scheduled yoga.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles easy.

Thursday - scheduled yoga.

Friday - scheduled rest

Saturday - scheduled 10 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled 3 miles recovery.

This week brings the return of the double-digit long run. I'm a little bit nervous for it, but I have a route planned out and, as a reward, I intend to spend the rest of the day next Saturday watching college football on the couch.

Halloween Half-Marathon Training Week 1

Week one of half-marathon training got off to a bit of a mixed start. Because it was the week before the start of classes and I had various meetings to attend, my real routine hasn't quite been established yet. Here's how it went down.

Monday - scheduled 3 miles easy. Actual 3 miles at an easy pace with some rolling hills. It was nice to get in a run on my first day back at home and feel like I was getting off on the right foot.

Tuesday - scheduled yoga. Actual yoga. I went to a 90 minute Open Vinyasa class at a local studio, and I really enjoyed it. It challenged me, but, as it was my fourth yoga class in just over two weeks, I was able to walk pretty normally the next day.

Wednesday - scheduled 3.5 miles easy. Actual rest. I had planned to meet up with a local running group in the evening, but cramps and car sharing schedules conspired to prevent this work out from happening.

Thursday - scheduled rest. Actual rest. I thought about trying to make up Wednesday's missed miles, but I had a ton of errands to run all over town and still wasn't feeling that great so I took the rest day.

Friday - scheduled 3 miles easy. Actual 3 miles at an easy pace with some rolling hills and progressive splits. At first, my body didn't respond well to running in the afternoon. The first mile was pretty much sucktastic, but I just kept slogging away and it thankfully got easier as I went along.

Saturday - scheduled 7 miles LSD. Actual 7 miles LSD. I explored the coastal trail, which made for a stunningly beautiful run with views of mountains, downtown Anchorage, and the estuary. I saw quite a few other runners out, as well as some walkers and cyclists.

Sunday - scheduled yoga. Actual 90 minute Hatha Yoga class. We did a lot of really simple poses, but I felt like I was working hard the whole time.

Up next for Week 2:

Monday - scheduled 3 miles - 800s.

Tuesday - scheduled rest. (My original plan called for yoga, but our things are scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday so I plan to spend the evening unpacking as much as possible after I get home from campus.)

Wednesday - scheduled 3.5 miles easy.

Thursday - scheduled yoga. (I'm swapping Tuesday and Thursday this week.)

Friday - scheduled 3 miles easy.

Saturday - scheduled 8 miles LSD.

Sunday - scheduled yoga.

I have to admit that I'm still a bit in awe of Alaska. When I'm running here, I feel like I'm constantly on the lookout for bears and moose, and it's been hard to get into the zone because I'm afraid to let my guard down and end up getting mauled or trampled. Some of my new friends and colleagues have said that this will pass and others have said that after decades they are still scanning for bears with something akin to paranoia. I'm hoping that if I find some people to run with some of the time I will feel a little bit less anxious. I'm also on the market for bells and bear pepper spray.