St. Luke’s Half Marathon Training: Week Three

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Hilly Long Run on Sunday

Hilly Long Run on Sunday

Monday, March 3 – IronStrength

– 3×15 jump squats and 3×10 rotary planks (on each arm)
– 3 sets rows from plank (x10), pushups (x10), situps with weights (x10)
– 3 sets plyometric lunges (x10), alternating sides of hamstring reach (x5 front, side, and rear) in between
– 3 sets mountain climbers (x10), legs down (x10)
– 4 sets of deadlift high pulls (x5), biceps curls on single leg (x5), overhead press on other leg (x5)
– planks (60 secs; side, down, side) x2
– Ring of Fire squats/lunges (10, 8, 6, 4, 2)

Tuesday, March 4 – 6 miles, easy

I went for an easy run during lunch thinking it might be a little warmer running midday but it was still a brisk 18 degrees out. I think I might still be battling a little cold because my run was mostly a mucus-filled mess. Oh well!

Plan: 6 miles, easy (9:18/mile)
Actual: 6 miles in 52:40 at 8:46/mile
Splits:
(1) 8:59 (2) 8:33 (3) 8:47 (4) 8:53 (5) 8:41 (6) 8:46

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3
Conditions: 18 degrees, kinda (barely) sunny

Wednesday, March 5 – 6 miles, easy

I had to split my run up today because when I went out during lunch I wasn’t feel too great. I had to do 6 miles easy so I ended up doing 4 miles at lunch and 2 miles after work on the treadmill.

Plan: 6 miles, easy (9:18/mile)
Actual:
-Run 1: 4.1 miles at 8:41/mile – (1) 8:33 (2) 8:45 (3) 8:44 (4) 8:44
-Run 2: 2 miles on the treadmill – (1) 9:13 (2) 8:41

Shoes: Asics Gel Flux
Conditions: 32 degrees, overcast (lunch run)

Thursday, March 6 – 60 minutes, Vinyasa Yoga

I had a long day at work and opted out of my post-work 800 repeats and opted in for an hour long yoga class with Adam. It was totally the right decision.

Friday, March 7 – 6 miles with 6×800

This was a pretty tough workout but it felt really good to stride it out for some repeats. I did it on the treadmill which wasn’t the best since the gym was really warm but it helped me maintain the paces. Instead of shooting for a specific time I decided to give myself a range between 7:35-7:47/mile which I was able to maintain.

Plan: 6 miles with 6×800 repeats with 400 recovery in between
Actual: 6 miles with 6×800 (paces between 7:35-7:47/mile) and 400 recovery

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3
Conditions: Indoors, treadmill

Saturday, March 8 – 5 miles, easy

Today I ran with the local running store’s group run. It was really nice out which felt great but my legs were noticeably tired from yesterdays repeats.

Plan: 5 miles, easy (9:18/mile)

Actual: 5 miles in 43:00 at 8:48/mile

Sunday, March 9 – 11 miles, LSD

I’m not sure what my paces were for the last part of this hilly long run but they were probably on the slower side. I always forget how hilly this route is but I guess it doesn’t hurt to challenge myself a little more. I felt pretty good, although I still had difficulty breathing through my nose due to a cold/runny nose. The sun felt incredible!

Plan: 11 miles, long slow distance (9:18/mile)
Actual: 11 miles, no idea what my pace was but I think the total time was around 1:42 so I almost hit my long run pace dead on!

Shoes: Asics Gel Flux
Conditions: 37 degrees, sunny, but felt like I was running into a headwind almost the entire time.

Weekly Mileage Total: 34 miles

See all training recaps here.

{Monday Motivation} Running Through Daylight Savings Time

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Yesterday, I started my long run around noon. Oops! It was Daylight Savings Time and I just felt like sleeping in. Plus it was Sunday Runday, so I had all day to get my run done, right? ;-) Plus, I really needed to make sure I was well caffeinated to get my 11 miles done. Happy it’s-almost-spring to everyone!

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: Pinterest)

St. Luke’s Half Marathon Training: Week Two

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(source: Pinterest)

(source: Pinterest)

Last week was a really solid one for training and I am very happy to report I ran all FIVE days on my schedule and every run was pretty much 100 percent pain-free. I think my foot is finally really healing up. It’s definitely been a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things training-wise. I need to remember to fuel up properly (i.e. eat enough) and to get enough sleep. I also need to get used to doing more speed workouts. I had two workouts during week two of training and I don’t think (at least from what I can recall) I’ve ever done that before. It’s tough!

Monday, February 24 – IronStrength

– 3×15 jump squats and 3×10 rotary planks (on each arm)
– 3 sets rows from plank (x10), pushups (x10), situps with weights (x10)
– 3 sets plyometric lunges (x10), alternating sides of hamstring reach (x5 front, side, and rear) in between
– 3 sets mountain climbers (x10), legs down (x10)
– 4 sets of deadlift high pulls (x5), biceps curls on single leg (x5), overhead press on other leg (x5)
– planks (60 secs; side, down, side) x2
– Ring of Fire squats/lunges (10, 8, 6, 4, 2)

Tuesday, February 25 – 5.2 miles, easy

I ran with the group run out of my local running store tonight. My plan originally called for 6 miles with 4 miles at HMP (8:00/mile) but I was feeling really tired and run down all day today so I decided to switch it with my easy run day that was supposed to be Wednesday. It was also really cold out and my breathing was all messed up because I felt like I was sucking in frozen air the whole time. Not the best run.

Plan: 6 miles with 4 miles at HMP
Actual: Swapped with Wednesday’s 5 miles, easy

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3
Conditions: 26 degrees, real feel 20, wind

Wednesday, February 26 – 6 miles with 4 miles at HMP (8:00/mile)

This was my second real workout of my sub-1:45 program and to be quite honest it was a little tough. The plan called for 6 miles with 4 miles at half marathon pace and I think it mostly felt tough because I ran on the treadmill. It was pretty stuffy at my gym and I just felt like I was struggling. But I got the workout done and I guess that’s what matters.

Plan: 6 miles with 4 miles at HMP (8:00/mile)
Actual: 6 miles in 50 minute (8:20/mile)
Splits:
1-mile warmup at 9:00/mile
HMP: (1) 8:13/mile (2) 8:06/mile (3) 8:00/mile (4) 7:57/mile
1-mile cooldown at 9:00/mile

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3
Conditions: Treadmill, warm inside

Thursday, February 27 – 7 miles with 3×1-mile at 7:21/mile

This was my first ever attempt at running mile repeats and let me tell you, they are NOT easy. My coworker Megan helped to pace me for them which really helped. I knew my goal split of 7:21/mile was a little aggressive for me right now so in my head I was really shooting for anything under 8:00/mile which is my goal race pace.

Plan: 7 miles with 3×1-mile repeats and 800-m recovery in between
Actual:
1-mile warmup at 8:50/mile
Repeats:
(1) 7:16/mile – went out way too hard on this first one
(2) 7:50/mile
(3) 7:50/mile
800-m recovery jog in between each repeat
1.5-mile cool down

I noticed my pace really fluctuated during each mile. I would settle in to the appropriate pace at the beginning and during the second quarter start to slow, really slow the third quarter, and then sprint for the last 400m. I’ll have to really focus on maintaining an even pace the next time I try, even if it means going a bit slower.

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3
Conditions: 27 degrees, feels like 18 degrees, wind gusts up to 35mph

Friday, February 28 – REST

Saturday, March 1 – 5 miles, easy

My plan called for an easy 5-mile shakeout before tomorrow’s long run. I felt pretty good but it was dreadfully cold. It’s March, where’s Spring?

Plan: 5 miles, easy (9:18/mile)
Actual: 5 miles in 44:00 at 8:48/mile

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3
Conditions: 13 degrees with wind

Sunday, March 2 – 10 miles, LSD

I was really not looking forward to this run when I got up because it was so overcast and gloomy outside. I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped out my front door and realized it really wasn’t that cold out. I felt pretty good during this run but I’ve been battling a pesky cold lately so I could have felt better. My paces were all over the place though because I took a pretty hilly route for a little extra challenge, but felt good enough to go for a fast finish at the end.

Plan: 10 miles, LSD at 9:18/mile
Actual: 10 miles in 1:31:21 at 9:08/mile
Splits:
(1) 9:34 (2) 9:08 (3) 9:04 (4) 9:10 (5) 9:27 (6) 9:10 (7) 8:56 (8) 9:36 (9) 8:53 (10) 8:24

Shoes: Asics Gel Flux
Conditions: 32 degrees, overcast

Weekly Mileage Total: 33 miles

See all training recaps here.

{Monday Motivation} Love the Run

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Ok, sometimes running does suck. Especially this winter. I went out for an easy 5-miler on Saturday and it felt like the hardest run of my life. It was 13 degrees out and breathing in the frigid air was less than enjoyable. But I got it done because that’s what we do as runners. Yes, I could have bailed on the run. Yes, I could have gone on the gym and ran the 5 miles while watching endless amounts of Kardashian episodes. But instead I sucked it up and went out for my sucky, freezing run. And you know what, I felt phenomenally better when I got back inside. So when I saw this graphic from Run Pretty Far on Pinterest this morning, I thought it was perfect for today. Here’s hoping for warmer, happier, and less suckier runs this week!

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: Pinterest)

St. Luke’s Half Marathon Training: Week One

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Mirage3I don’t usually say this, but I felt blessed this week. Blessed to have begun training for my goal of running a sub-1:45 half marathon. Blessed to feel like my foot is finally starting to heel. Blessed to have had some extremely beautiful weather this past weekend after the horrible winter we’ve been having. And most importantly, blessed to have a boyfriend who’s willing to go to yoga class with me (I swear, it was his idea!). Seriously though, week one went better than I could have expected. My foot is heeling up (knock on wood) and I was able to get in at least one of my workouts. This week I hope to run all five running days and be able to finish my workouts without any foot pain.

Monday, February 17 – IronStrength for 40 minutes

– 3×15 jump squats and 3×10 rotary planks (on each arm)
– 3 sets rows from plank (x10), pushups (x10), situps with weights (x10)
– 3 sets plyometric lunges (x10), alternating sides of hamstring reach (x5 front, side, and rear) in between
– 3 sets mountain climbers (x10), legs down (x10)
– 4 sets of deadlift high pulls (x5), biceps curls on single leg (x5), overhead press on other leg (x5)
– planks (60 secs; side, down, side) x2
– Ring of Fire squats/lunges (10, 8, 6, 4, 2)

Tuesday, February 18- 5.2 miles with 3 miles up-tempo

This was my first official run of training for the St. Luke’s Half Marathon in April. I’m trying to break 1:45 so my race pace will be roughly 8:00/mile. Since I’ve been having some foot issues, I decided to (mostly) forgo my first workout of training which was a HMP run. Instead I opted for 5 miles with 3 up-tempo miles, so not race pace, not tempo, just a little quicker than easy. Foot felt pretty good for most of the run.

Plan: 5 miles with 3 miles at half marathon pace (8:00/mile)
Actual: 5 miles with 3 miles up-tempo (8:32/mile)
– 1-mile warmup @ 9:13/mile
– 3 miles @ 8:32/mile
– 1 mile cool down @ 9:13/mile

Conditions: Indoors on the treadmill at the Energy Center; warm
Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3 (second run in them)

Wednesday, February 19- 10-mile easy spin

Today my training plan had me on tap to run 5 miles, easy, but since my foot is still not 100 percent, I figured I’d opt out of the run and do some riding instead. Foot felt great and I got my heart rate up, which is really the point of easy mileage (and recovery!).

Plan: 5 miles, easy
Actual: 10-mile easy spin

Conditions: Indoors at the EC

Thursday, February 20- Yoga, 60 minutes

Went to my first yoga class at my new gym with my boyfriend (it was his first class ever!). The class was really gentle but it felt good to dedicate some time to stretching out.

Friday, February 21- 5 miles with 3 miles at HMP (8:00/mile)

This was my first workout of the half training and it felt pretty good but still hard (which it should). I ran it on the treadmill because I wanted to make sure I maintained the right pace for the HMP miles.

Plan: 5 miles with 3 miles at half marathon pace (8:00/mile)
Actual: 5.08 miles in 43:40 with 3 miles at 8:00/mile
– Warm-up for 1-mile at 9:13/mile
– 3 miles at 8:00/mile
– Cool down at 9:00/mile

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3
Conditions: indoors, hot

Saturday, February 22- 5 miles, easy

Went on an easy run with the local running store. Foot was feeling a little achy this morning but I was able to get the run done.

Plan: 5 miles, easy
Actual: 5.3 miles (Garmin didn’t acquire in time but was running around 8:30s)

Shoes: Saucony Mirage 3
Conditions: BEAUTIFUL! Sunny, mid-30s but felt even warmer

Sunday, February 23- 8 miles, long slow distance

First long run of this training cycle, and my first long run in a very long time (like a month), went really well! At first I didn’t feel so good and my foot was bothering me a bit but once I got into my groove I felt great.

Plan: 8 miles, easy (9:18/mile)
Actual: 8.01 miles in 1:10:45 (8:52/mile)
Splits: (1) 9:27 (2) 8:59 (3) 8:56 (4) 8:52 (5) 9:00 (6) 8:50 (7) 8:42 (8) 8:22

Shoes: Asics Gel Flux
Conditions: around 35 degrees with some wind

Week one mileage total: 34 miles

See all weekly training recaps here.

{Monday Motivation} Terrifying and Amazing

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Last week my foot was finally feeling good enough to do my first workout of training for the St. Luke’s Half Marathon in April. My plan called for 5 miles with 3 miles at half marathon pace (8:00/mile). While the workout felt hard, I found myself thinking, if all goes to according to plan, in 10 weeks, I will be able to run this fast-for-me pace for 13.1 miles. That’s terrifying and absolutely amazing at the same time. Setting a big goal for yourself, whatever it may be, should be a little mix of terrifying and amazing. If it’s not, dream a little bigger! Happy running this week!

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: Pinterest)

{Monday Motivation} I Need to Run

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This was totally me this weekend. After the snow caused me to miss my yoga class and I was on self-inflicted rest from running, I couldn’t stand being away from cardio for much longer and I signed up for a gym. I took an entire week off from running last week (I don’t know if I’ve ever done that) and ran my first run (after the week off) on Friday on the treadmill. Running on the reliably flat surface helped with my foot and I actually felt pretty good. My plan was to run Friday, yoga Saturday, and run again on Sunday. But best laid plans have a habit of being ruined this winter and that’s what happened this weekend. So, I caved and registered for a gym. I know I’m not the only runner to be relinquishing themselves to the treadmill this winter but I’d much rather run inside than risk further injury. From here on out until the first flowers bloom this spring, you can find me at the St. Luke’s Human Performance Center (a pretty sweet gym made even sweeter by the discount I got on registration thanks to my boyfriend!).

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: Pinterest)

On Being a Stubborn Runner

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Today I was editing one of my columnists for Runner’s World and she was writing about a recent flair up of plantar that she noticed last week. She hasn’t run since Wednesday and “instead of pining over lost miles, I turned my attention towards yoga this week.”

I’ve been dealing with a mystery-foot-pain since a run two Saturday’s ago. Since the pain occurred I’ve taken it easy, but I’ve only swapped one of my running days for spin, and maintained my 30-ish mile weeks. Stupid.

I was contemplating going to spin today instead of going for an easy lunch run. Spin would give me the cardio-pumping heartbeat I was craving, but was much less impact than running on icy roads outside. But when the lunch run email went out this morning, I figured, “Why not? I mean, I ran 5 miles last night and felt fine, I should be good to go today too.”

I was wrong. A mile into our run I felt the pain flaring up again on the bottom outside of my left foot. It was clearly compensating my stride so, at the encouragement of my lunch run mates, I turned back.

As I ran (very, very slowly) back to the office, I kept hearing Krsitin’s words in my head. Why didn’t I listen to my gut and opt for spin instead? Why didn’t I give myself a rest day when I woke up this morning and felt the pain again? Why haven’t I seen a doctor in the two weeks since the pain first presented itself?

Answer: I’m stubborn.

I’m stubborn because I hate putting up zeros in my training log. I hate looking back at my log from last year and seeing higher mileage than I’ve been logging lately. I get small panic attacks when I think about how training starts in a little over a week for my big goal race. I worry that days off from running will come at the cost of my fitness. A small part of me worries that not running will cause me to gain weight. An even smaller part of me worries that time off from running will make me forget why I love running.

I know all of this is stupid but sometimes it just feels better to write it down and own up to it. When I read articles (on the website and in the pages of the magazine at which I am employed) and writers ask seasoned elites- what’s one thing you wish you knew about running when you started?- they almost ALWAYS say they wish they took proper recovery time. Or, they wish they recognized the benefit of taking easy days, easy. Or, that putting up a zero for one day might mean being able to put down a PR down the road.

I’ve read all of this. It’s engrained in my memory. But why is it so hard for me to follow? It’s time for me to cut the BS, stop being stupid, and start being smart.

(End rant.)

{Monday Motivation} Don’t Be Afraid

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Last week I dealt with my first running injury in a long time- plantar fasciitis. It’s still nagging me but I’m taking good care of it and was able to run with it over the weekend. I still have my sights set on running a sub-1:45 half marathon this spring, I just might have to nurse my foot a little more than expected. Happy running this week!

Don't be afraid

Ouch (!) My Foot Hurts

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Funny, because my Mom had plantar fasciitis.

Funny, because my Mom had plantar fasciitis.

“Ouch! My foot hurts.”

That’s what I said as I came to a hobbling stop about 3 miles into our out-and-back run on Saturday. The run was going pretty smoothly for the first three miles, despite having to run nearly a minute and a half slower than my normal pace due to snow. But when we got halfway through the run I felt a searing pain shoot through my foot.

At first I shook it off, stretched it on a curb, and continued to run for about two tenths of a mile, but it was clear I couldn’t keep running. I waited it out inside nearby while my boyfriend ran back to my apartment to get the car and come pick me up.

I spent most of my waiting time beating myself up for not sucking it up and running the three miles back. I, like many other stubborn runners, pride myself on my tolerance for pain. I can usually deal with aches and soreness but this pain in my foot was unlike any I’d felt before. (Side note: Don’t ever run through pain. It’s really bad for you and my colleagues at RW would agree.)

I spent the rest of the day and most of Sunday hobbling around, unable to put too much pressure on it. After doing some yoga, stretching out on Sunday, and continuing to foam roll both my calf muscles and my foot, it’s started to feel better on Monday and Tuesday.

So, on Tuesday I decided to join in on the group run out of our local running store, the Emmaus Run Inn. It was an easy 4 miles at roughly 8:30/pace. At the beginning of the run I could definitely feel the pain but it wasn’t the same shooting pain I felt on Saturday. My stride was definitely compensated and I felt my opposite leg working harder. But I was able to finish the run and felt pretty fine.

That is until I woke up yesterday morning and the pain was back, but still not as painful as Saturday or Sunday. I opted out of my run on Wednesday and hopped on a spin bike (for the first time). I figured cycling would be a much lower impact way to get my cardio in and I was right – plus, no foot pain!

For now I’m going to continue to take it easy, stretch, and ice my foot. I’m thinking it’s plantar fasciitis but I still can’t be sure. Hopefully I’ll have better news to report soon!

Have you ever dealt with plantar fasciitis or foot pain? What did you do to rehab it?