Category Archives: Training

Training for the 2012 Philadelphia Marathon!

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It’s true folks, I’m beginning to train for the 2012 Philadelphia Marathon!! I think it’s also true that I’ve officially become obsessed with running. But on Monday, my cousin, who has been training for the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon with me, e-mailed me about training for the Philly Marathon. At first, I thought she was crazy because we’ve yet to run our first half-marathon and now we’re going to start training for a FULL marathon! What?! But then I was intrigued and I started to look into it. We have 15-weeks until race day and after looking at a bunch of training plans, many of them range from 14-18 weeks. Also, since we’ve already been training for the half marathon, our long run mileage is up to 12-miles. Not too shabby. I also found out that the Philly Marathon is a perfect starter marathon because of the flat terrain. So, after very little coaxing from my cousin, we made the decision to start training.

I realize this is overly ambitious but I’m up for the challenge. I think training for the half marathon has already taught me so much about my body and how to train for long distances. I know I need to stick to the training plan because I tend to get overly excited and run more days than I’m supposed to. Oops. This time around I will only run on run days and actually rest on rest days to avoid injury.

I also really, really want to focus on my nutrition because after last night’s long run I realized I’m not eating enough for the amount of calories I’m burning. I eat super healthy but need to add more protein and carbs to my diet. I also am starting to explore the mysterious world of protein shakes, something I always thought was for gym juiceheads. But apparently, tons of runners have post-run protein shakes to build up muscle, so I will too!

I am still mulling through some training plans but have found a pretty good one from the Runner’s World Smart Coach. Since I’ve already done my long run this week I’m going to focus on strengthening and maybe a short run this weekend. I’m pretty excited about this not only because it’s a huge deal but I’ve come so far since I started running in March! The support I’ve received from family, friends and especially my wonderful readers and fellow fitness bloggers, has really made me realize I can do this. Thank you for your support and here goes nothing! 26.2 miles of nothing!

Week 9: Half-marathon training update

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I’ve never appreciated these beauties more than after my runs!

First off I want to apologize for the tardiness of this post! I was on a mini vacation this weekend and work has been crazy busy since I’ve been back so I didn’t get to post about last week’s training. If you read any of my posts last week you know I tweaked my knee during a race on July 28 so last week was kind of a dud training-wise.

I knew I had hurt my knee the minute I started feeling the pain. While I’m still not completely sure what I hurt, it felt like an IT band syndrome flare up. So, in an effort to avoid hurting myself even more I decided to take a break from training for a few days and focus on strengthening and cross training.

Most of my week consisted of cross-training, yoga and strengthening exercises. However, after resting for a few days I decided to try an easy run with my knee on Tuesday. Bad, BAD idea. I wasn’t two minutes into the run when I felt the sharp pain in the outer side of my right knee. I stopped after only a mile, feeling defeated, upset and  kind of concerned. I abandoned the run and turned to some strengthening exercises instead.

I took another few days off, making sure to ice my knee every day and stretch a lot. I focused on doing yoga for runners from Lululemon and other strengthening exercises. On Friday, I decided to try running again because I thought my knee was feeling a little better. I was on vacation in Maine and decided to take a 3-mile run along the beach, staying on the sidewalk. My knee was still sore but I was able to make it through the run, stopping halfway to stretch. I knew this was a good sign and that my knee was starting to heal.

After my run I did some yoga outside which was really good because I was able to stretch out my IT band. Saturday, after watching the women’s Olympic marathon, I was motivated to get out on the road again. I decided to do a longer, easy run that circled a 5.5-mile loop on the road, a gravel trail and a natural trail. This was really great on my knee because incorporating the trails lessoned the impact on my knee.

I felt really great on this run, especially towards the end when I really got my stride back and felt like I was just coasting. I wrote about it in another post but I think this injury has helped me to appreciate the gift of running. Having to take a few days off killed me but once I got back on the road I was able to cherish every stride. I also am lucky to be able to go running in beautiful places and I was able to enjoy my surroundings and really take it all in. I think sometimes us runners take our gift for granted. But having to be out of running commission for a little bit I was able to really appreciate every step I took. And I’m sooo happy to be back on the road! Happy running!

Monday Motivation: just finish it

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We all know that training can be hard and there are times when we may think, I just want to rest! But it’s important to remember why we set goals for ourselves- to challenge our body and our minds. While the Olympics are so inspirational and make me feel like I can get out there and run a marathon in 2:23:07 (which I most DEFINITELY cannot), I also know I will never be at that level. But i can find comfort in knowing I am challenging myself and I can get to my own level of achievement, whatever that may be. I liked this saying in the pin below because while we may not turn out to be Olympians, we are still achieving more than those who never start. Happy running this week!

“Dead last finish is greater than did not finish, which trumps did not start.”

(via Pinterest)

Back on track: 3-mile run after knee injury

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Post-run yoga outside after my 3-miles

Last weekend I tweaked my knee during a race and it was extremely painful. I’m still not 100 percent sure what I did but it feels like an IT band irritation. In an effort to not hurt it even more I decided to forgo my 12-mile run last weekend and do some real resting.

It was absolutely killing me not running. I saw other runners out on the road and I just wanted to get up and go. But I knew if I started up I could risk hurting myself even more so I really rested.

Today was my first day back on the road and I decided to do a 3-mile run along the beach (on the road not the sand). I woke up, had some coffee and a few glasses of water. I went outside and it was really humid and already 85 degrees at 8:30 a.m. but I went ahead and did my stretches and headed out.

Starting out my knee felt fine and I was just so happy to be back running. About 1-mile into the run I started to feel the pain in my knee, but it wasn’t so strong that I felt like I needed to stop. So I kept going. Around mile 2 my knee was really starting to bother me so I decided to stop and do a few stretches. After stretching I started my final mile and my knee felt the best it has it days. I don’t know if it was the stretching that helped or my adrenalin kicked or what but I felt great!

Overall, I thought the run went really well! I was so happy to get back on the road even though I was only out for five days but it felt great. After the run I did some outdoor yoga and other stretches to make sure my knee was going to be OK. Moral of the story? When you’re hurt, rest. Don’t overdo it because you could get even more injured. I’m hoping to get out running again tomorrow and try to do a longer run along the coast.

I hope everyone else is having good runs this week. Happy running!

Compression sleeves, what’s the deal?

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  1. Totally loving my awesome new compression sleeves! #fitfluential
    jessmilcetich
    Thu, Jan 05 2012 16:00:00
  2. FitHappyGirl
    Thoughts on compression sleeves for running? #runchat
    Hannah McGoldrick
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 15:37:01
  3. bessharrington
    @FitHappyGirl I love my @zensah compression socks!
    Bess Be Fit
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 15:37:54
  4. redrunningshoe
    @FitHappyGirl I loooove compression sleeves. I use them when I race. I’m a big fan of the Compressport stuff. #runchat
    Phaedra Kennedy
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 15:38:45
  5. jamiegusrang
    @FitHappyGirl Have been thinking about this lately. My dad swears by CEP, but felt too tight for me. Curious about other brands. #runchat
    Jamie Gusrang
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 15:48:40
  6. redrunningshoe
    @jamiegusrang @FitHappyGirl You should try Compressport sleeves. I love mine. #runchat
    Phaedra Kennedy
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 15:50:32
  7. enduroTwerd
    @FitHappyGirl love them! Run all my races in them. @CEPCOMPRESSION
    Meghan
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 15:52:29
  8. bessharrington
    @FitHappyGirl @Zensah really relieves shin and calf pain that I’m susceptible to…also I feel it helps with leg fatigue!
    Bess Be Fit
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 16:47:12
  9. enduroTwerd
    @FitHappyGirl @cepcompression I tend to crap from exertion in my races. This keeps the cramps away.
    Meghan
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 17:33:50
  10. redrunningshoe
    @FitHappyGirl They are a very tight knit fabric vs a spandex type fabric. They don’t constrict my calves, they fit like a comfy 2nd skin
    Phaedra Kennedy
    Sun, Jul 29 2012 17:48:41

Week 8: Half-marathon update

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via Pinterest

This was quite a crazy training week. It involved only three days of running unfortunately, one race and a whole bunch of yoga and strength training.

Monday was technically a rest day so I decided to do my typical rest day routine of recovery yoga and core exercises. It was uneventful but a good workout. Tuesday I planned to run a tempo run after work but I ended up having to stay at work much later than usual and consequentially got stuck in traffic so I decided to nix the run because I was exhausted. Instead, I came home and did some core exercises and rest up for the next day.

Wednesday was my day and to be honest I went hard with my training. I went to the gym after work with my sister and did my first ever pick-up run which was pretty intense. I wrote a post about it earlier in the week that you can check out if you’re interested in trying out a pick-up run, but basically this is what I did:

3-mile run with one interval each of 60s, 120s, 120s, 60s, 45s, 30s and 15s

I really enjoyed the pick-up run because it pushed me to test myself and my speed. I was able to keep up an intensity level of ‘8’ during each interval. After running, I did a whole bunch of strengthening exercises with my sister, including some lifting. As a runner, it’s just as important to build muscle as it is to work on speed and mileage. Muscles will help your body respond to runs and support your joints.

Thursday I woke up early and did a 3-mile run that included some hill workouts. It went really well but after the run, my right knee was bothering me a little. I did some post-run stretches which seemed to ease the pain.

I took a break on Friday with some power strength yoga and core exercises, which was perfect because it was a long week at work so it felt great to relax and sweat it out at the same time. I also had to gear up for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics!

Post Color Run color madness!

Saturday I had to wake up super early to get ready to run the New England Color Run in Amesbury, MA (post to follow). In short, the race was tons of fun! I ran it with a group of friends and we were doused in color. We came away with some great photos and memories. Unfortunately, I also came away with a pretty significant knee strain on my right knee. I’m hoping it’s just a strain and nothing serious but it’s pretty painful right now.

Due to the knee strain I decided to make the smart decision to skip my 12-mile run I was supposed to do today. I still have two months until the Smuttynose Half Marathon and risking injuring myself even more is not worth it right now. I was bummed though because I’ve been looking forward to this run all week. After icing my knee all morning I went to the gym and did some cross training (3 miles on the elliptical in 25 minutes) and then a ton of strengthening exercises for my arms and core.

In this week of training what I’ve come away with is, it’s so important to listen to your body and if you have a strain or pain it’s better to take it easy rather than pushing your limits and your luck. Fingers crossed my knee will be better by tomorrow and I can get back on track! (No pun intended!)

Happy running!

Pick Up Runs: Increase speed over long distances

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Throughout my training for the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon in September, I’ve been doing various interval workouts and tempo runs to increase my the speed of my mile times. I’ve written about tempo runs in previous posts and explained some of my interval training but the one speedwork run I didn’t mention was the pick up run.

Admittedly, my training has been calling for me to work in pick-up runs throughout the last seven weeks but instead of doing them I did longer runs or other kinds of speedwork. I didn’t do them because I wasn’t really sure what they were and I was already doing two kinds of speedwork training so I thought, why add another? Turns out, they are the best way to increase speed over longer distances. Last night however I did my first pick-up run on the treadmill and it was pretty hard but it felt great after!

Similar to an interval run, a pick up run helps to increase your body’s tolerance to lactic acid buildup without cooling down completely in between intervals. Through this practice, your body will become better able to run at higher speeds without getting tired. The difference between a pick up run and a regular interval run is the total distance of the run and the amount of time spent at the interval speed.

How do you tackle a pick up run you may ask? Well, to begin, start with an easy warm-up running at a comfortable jog. Once you’re warmed up, pick up your speed to a “controlled sprint.” This is another difference between an interval or tempo run and a pick up run. With a tempo run you want to run the intervals at a “comfortably hard” pace, not a sprint. With a pick up run you want to run at a “controlled sprint” during the intervals. What’s a controlled sprint, you’re now asking? A controlled sprint means you’re running at a very hard pace, an “8” or “9” intensity level, but not dying basically.

After you run the interval for the designated amount of time you want to slow your pace down to a comfortable jog, but do not stop running. With an interval run you can get away with walking in between intervals but with a pick up run you want to keep running. Another great thing about pick up runs is you can take as much time as you need in between intervals. This is important because during each interval you have to stay at the “controlled sprint” pace, so resting in between is crucial.

Here’s are some examples of pick up runs to test out:

  • A 4-mile run with 1 set of 60s, 120s, 120s, 60s, 45s, 30s, 15s sprints. (Translation: A 4-mile run with 1 set of 60 second sprints, then slow to a jog to rest for however long you need, then 1 set of 120 second sprints, then slow to a jog, etc.)
  • 10 sets of 60s sprints with 90s jog in between sets, 2-mile cool down run
  • 1-mile warm-up with 6 sets of 90s sprints and 120s of jogging in between sets, 1-mile cool down

As always, stretch after! If you have any questions or comments, write them in the comment section below!

Week 7: Half-marathon update

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This was week was definitely a redeeming week after my rough long run last Saturday. Although I only ran three days this week (I really wish I could have run more) but according to my training that’s all I was supposed to do.

I started off the week on Monday with a tempo run at my local track. It was a risky move since the sun was boiling down on the track raising the temperatures above 90 degrees, but besides sweating my butt off it was a good run. I ran 400-meter intervals for 2.14 miles. my average pace was 9:21 per mile and my fastest pace was 6:57 per mile. Considering the heat I thought this was pretty good!

On Tuesday I woke up early to do some power yoga before getting ready for work. It was just one of the Lululemon YouTube videos but it was definitely good for some strengthening. I couldn’t run after work unfortunately because I had to cover a meeting that went until 10 p.m. But work has to come first.

Wednesday I braved a torrential downpour to meet my cousin, who is also running the half-marathon with me, at the gym. She had to do her tempo run for the week and I decided to do a quick 2-mile run. After my run we moved over to the conditioning area and did some weight-lifting, ab work and of course stretches.

On Thursday, my training program called for more yoga so I did another strengthening class. It was great and I can tell it’s been helping my breathing while I run. I gave myself a 100 percent rest day on Friday because my long run on Saturday was definitely going to be intense.

So here it was, my long run- 12 miles. I have to admit I was really excited because I knew my training thus far has prepared me for this run and I was ready. I had never run 12 miles before and the route was going to be hilly but I couldn’t wait to tackle it. I woke up at 7:30 a.m. to get ready before the run. I had a cup of coffee and a bunch of water and headed out. My cousin and I mapped out the run on Map My Run so we knew the route would work out to 12 miles.

The run was absolutely beautiful! I wish I had a camera to capture the breathtaking views we had along the ocean, through the harbor and by the lighthouse in York, Maine. It was awe-inspiring. These amazing views also helped me to keep going along the run, especially when my legs began to feel heavy around mile 8. I also may have experienced some dehydration especially at mile 7 when I really started to feel thirsty. My cousin never drinks water along runs but I really need it. We still had about a mile to go before we would reach a water fountain so I just pushed myself to that point.

Once we got water and I stretched out my legs a bit, I felt great and ready to go. We only lost a few minutes for our stop but this was good because the hardest part of the run was still ahead of us. During the last 4 miles, we had ascents of 165 feet and descents of 195 feet. This was hard on my quads and my knees but I made it through. However, my cousin got about 5 minutes ahead of me which started to get me down a bit but I reminded myself that this was for me and the only competition should be against myself.

After the hills the last two miles were an absolute breeze! I was definitely in the zone because I ran these last two miles faster than any of the other miles. In fact, when I got home I realized I ran a negative split! I was excited about this because I had never run a negative split and this is going to be really good for my half-marathon.

In the end I ran the 12 miles in 2:00 flat (minus a few minutes for water and stretching). This was very exciting because my goal is 2:30:00 for the full half-marathon so I think I’m in pretty good shape! I still have just over two months to go until the race but now I can focus on increasing mileage and speed. I learned a lot this week though. I need to fix my hydration situation and I need to focus on my own goals and not be intimidated by other faster runners around me. Remember, a training run is not a race! Happy running!

Water debate for long runs: hydration belt v. handheld water bottle

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  1. FitHappyGirl
    Hydration belt or no hydration belt? How do you stay hydrated on long runs? #runchat
    Hannah McGoldrick
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 14:43:06
  2. oiselle
    “Hydration belt or no hydration belt? How do you stay hydrated on long runs? #runchat” @FitHappyGirl
    oiselle
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:00:26
  3. ashleychandra_
    @oiselle @FitHappyGirl Water belt for the win! Makes you look hardcore (YES!) and feel hydrated at the same time! #winning
    Ashley Chandra
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:04:35
  4. ultimatestamina
    @oiselle @FitHappyGirl I use a small hand-held to stay hydrated on longer runs #runchat
    Cristin Van Driel
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:09:55
  5. rfaura
    @oiselle @FitHappyGirl I must use the larger Amphipod in the Florida heat and humidity!
    Regina Faura
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:18:51
  6. bleung
    @oiselle @FitHappyGirl Hydration vest with Nuun in my water! I don’t like the belt but haven’t tried hand water bottle yet!
    Becky Leung
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:22:05
  7. bleung
    @FitHappyGirl I love it! I get the lemon lime flavor. Sometimes I overhydrate and forget Nuun, I end up w/muscle cramps! Nuun prevents that!
    Becky Leung
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:28:03
  8. LaraJCoffee
    @oiselle @fithappygirl hydration belt.
    Lara Coffee
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:32:05
  9. SarahChan
    @bleung @oiselle @fithappygirl def Nathan hydration vest with Nuun. Worked for my half on Sunday. Also big fan of handheld for short runs!
    Sarah Chan
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:50:47
  10. azrunparents
    @oiselle @fithappygirl I used to use a belt but now prefer a small hand held.
    Allison DeLancey
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 15:52:10
  11. enduroTwerd
    @oiselle @fithappygirl no hydration belt! Handheld or water fountains or stashed water bottles.
    Meghan
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 16:11:41
  12. mrshallberg
    @oiselle @FitHappyGirl love amphipod handheld – but don’t go more than 13miles, I’d think a belt would be in order for longer runs #runchat
    Andrea Hallberg
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 16:17:11
  13. RoadBunner
    @oiselle @FitHappyGirl Nathan handheld 99% of the time.
    RoadBunner
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 17:39:42
  14. TriCoachDawn
    @oiselle @FitHappyGirl Belt for anything longer than 10 miles. Will carry a bottle for 1-2 hours or if it’s hot. #stayhydrated
    Dawn Dolobowsky
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 17:57:51
  15. SolanaLeigh
    @oiselle @fithappygirl if its over 16 km I wear my belt, or I base my route around water stations on the Vancouver seawall!
    Solana Klassen
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 18:51:46
  16. SolanaLeigh
    @oiselle @fithappygirl shorter runs I run with a handheld, I have both amphipod and Nathan bottles, both are great!!
    Solana Klassen
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 18:52:53
  17. paulettezf
    Water bottle with hand strap or public fountains, don’t like anything on my waist. RT @ap10k: @oiselle @FitHappyGirl #runchat
    Paulette F.
    Tue, Jul 17 2012 21:00:12
  18. oiselle
    @FitHappyGirl Handheld may be the way to go, lots of positive feedback. We like it!
    oiselle
    Wed, Jul 18 2012 08:58:08
  19. azrunparents
    @FitHappyGirl handheld feels like it is weighing me down a little less. I didn’t like the way the water bounced around on the belt.
    Allison DeLancey
    Wed, Jul 18 2012 09:08:29

Week 6: Half-marathon update

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It’s a lifestyle. Train like there’s no finish line. (via Pinterest)

Another week has flown by in training and for the most part it was pretty great. I say for the most part because my long run was definitely not my best but I’ll get to that later. Week six started on Monday and according to my training program it was a rest day so I decided to do some strength training for my core and arms. I did a 25-minute ab workout On Demand that kicked my butt! I couldn’t believe it because I consider myself to have pretty strong abs but I was sore for at least three days (but I kinda liked it). I also did some arm exercises which I’m hoping to post soon.

Tuesday I went to the gym to do a quick 4-mile run and more strength-training. I was so excited to have my sister come along as my gym buddy! She has always been an athlete but said I’ve inspired her to workout more which I was really happy about. After my run (and her cycling) we did some floor exercises to strengthen our quads and some more arm and ab workouts.

Wednesday I went into Boston to a track near Fenway to do an interval workout with my cousin. We ran nearly two miles to the track and then did 4×400-meter sprints with a cool down run. It was a pretty great run besides the heat which was a killer. I am definitely noticing a difference in my mile times because of the tempo runs. If you haven’t started doing them I’d really suggest you start because you’ll notice a HUGE difference in your times. Check out a post I wrote a awhile back about how to run a tempo run with variations if you need some tips!

Beautiful view of Boston from the track!

I woke up early on Thursday morning to do a quick 3 miles run at 6:30 a.m. and it went pretty well. I ran it in 24:51 which was a good time for me and I felt great. My average pace was 8:34 per mile which is a great pace for the half-marathon if I can maintain it for 13.1 miles.

Friday was a rest day so I decided to wake up early still and do a power yoga session on Lululemon’s YouTube channel. It felt great to do the stretches and hold the poses after running the three days before. I have also found yoga to be helpful in my breathing while running.

Saturday I woke up at 7:30 a.m. to go for my long run for the week. According to my training program I only had to run 8 miles, which, compared to last week, felt like it would be nothing. However, the temperature at 8:15 a.m. was already in the low 80s and so humid so I was relegated to doing my run on the treadmill at the gym. Basically, everything that could go wrong went wrong. My headphones got tangled in my necklace causing me to stop to get it all untangled. My knee didn’t feel great the whole time so I took it easy. Most of all I just didn’t feel good at all, my stomach was acting up and it was just terrible. I made it to 8 miles which is all that matters but I was pretty disappointed with the run.

Sunday was another rest day but I decided to do a recovery yoga session on Lululemon’s YouTube channel. This was really good because my legs were still pretty tight from the day before. Also, all week I’ve stuck to my Plank A Day Challenge which has been great!

Although my long run for this week didn’t go as planned I think the rest of my week went pretty well. I’ve been lucky to not have any hiccups in my training so far (knock on wood) so one bad run isn’t a big deal. I’ve decided to fuel my disappointment in that run to getting better this week and I’m taking that energy to prepare myself for a 12-mile run on Saturday. I hope everyone else’s training is going well so far. Keep me updated and run happy!