Tag Archives: Marathon training

Marine Corps Marathon Training Week Six

Posted on by

5

I mean, basically.

I mean, basically.

Last week I came to a crossroads with my training. I was concerned about my pacing on my runs because I was running much faster than the prescribed pace. I wasn’t sure if I should adjust my goals for Marine Corps and maybe set a more aggressive time goal, or if I should scale back and stick with the plan of breaking-4:15. While I haven’t really decided yet on a more aggressive goal, I have readjusted my paces to accomodate my more comfortable, faster running. I know I still need to take it down a notch with my “easy” runs but I’ve decided to run my marathon pace runs at 9:05/9:10-mile instead of 9:44/mile. So far so good!

Monday: Rest/XT day

  • 50 minutes of Vinyasa flow yoga

Tuesday: 6 miles, hill workout

The schedule called for a hill workout today so I decided to run up 10th Street at work and my roommate joined me. I haven’t done this workout in a few months so I was fully expecting it to be pretty rough. While the 1-mile hill ascent was pretty rough and very slow I was surprised that it didn’t feel completely impossible.

I did this workout almost once a week when I was training for Big Sur and it definitely helps to build speed, strength, and improve form. While Marine Corps isn’t even close to being as hilly as Big Sur I think it will help to build more speed.

Plan: 6 miles, hills
Actual: 6 miles in 56:14 at 9:22/mile pace
Splits:
(1) 8:54/mile warm up
(2) 9:59/mile hill ascent 500 ft elevation gain
(3) 9:22/mile more hill
(4) 9:19/mile
(5) 9:04/mile
(6) 9:36/mile cool down on the trail

Shoes: Asics Gel Flux

Wednesday: 4 miles, easy

It was insanely gorgeous out today: 70 degrees, sunny, and zero humidity. I was supposed to run an easy 4-miler but I was feeling so good that I made it into a progression run instead.

Plan: 4 miles, easy (10:32/mile)
Actual: 4 miles, progression, in 33:35 at 8:23/mile
Splits:
(1) 8:53/mile (2) 8:24/mile (3) 8:21/mile (4) 7:57/mile

Shoes: Asics Gel Kayano 19
Conditions: 70 degrees, zero humidity, sunny

Strength Training- 1 hour

Arms:

3×12 reps of rotating overhead presses (10lb weights)
3×12 reps of rows
3×12 reps of tricep extensions
3 sets of 21s- this is a workout my cousin showed me where you do 7 forearm raises, 7 bicep curls, and 7 overhead presses, with no rest in between

2×20 sec of isometric chin-ups

Abs:

2×45 seconds of:
Bicycles
Planks
Side Planks
Bridges
Supine planks

50 crunches

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 6 miles, with 2 miles at marathon pace (9:05/mile)

After going back and forth about what my goal marathon pace should be I decided to try out a new pace on today’s MP run. Last week I ran this same run with my two MP miles at 8:45/mile which is completely unrealistic because I won’t be able to hold up that pace for 26.2 miles. This week I tried for 9:05/mile and felt great but it’s still significantly faster than my plan’s goal MP of 9:44/mile.

Plan: 6 miles with 2 at MP (9:44/mile)
Actual: 6 miles with 2 at new MP (9:05/mile)
Splits:
Mile 1 and 2- warmup at 9:31/mile pace
Mile 3 and 4- MP at 9:05/mile
Mile 5 and 6- cool down at 9:31/mile

Shoes: NEW Asics Gel Kayano 19

Saturday: 4 miles, pre-long run shakeout

Running in the Poconos is tough! Went for a very easy early morning shakeout with my roommate. The route we took was extremely hilly and hard but it was very quiet and relaxing.

Sunday: 18 miles, long slow distance

This run was a bit tougher than I thought it was going to be. I think it was mostly because of my lack of sleep this weekend and I forgot to take my allergy meds before the run. Then, halfway through the run it started to downpour which really sucked at first but once I got going it wasn’t too bad. My roommate ran the first half with me for her training and I have to admit I was pretty jealous she got to finish at 9 miles. Overall it wasn’t a terrible run but I was zonked at the end.

Plan: 18 miles, long slow distance (10:32-11:00/mile pace)
Actual: 18 miles in 2:52:27 at 9:34/mile pace
Splits:
(1) 9:27 (2) 9:30 (3) 9:22 (4) 9:17 (5) 9:30 (6) 9:43 (7) 9:45 (8) 9:47 (9) 9:44 (10) 9:43 (11) 9:26 (12) 9:31 (13) 9:17 (14) 9:31 (15) 9:59 (16) 9:50 (17) 9:44 (18) 9:22

Shoes: New Asics Gel Kayano 19
Conditions: 64, humid, rain – Ran on a gravel rail trail

Weekly mileage total: 38 miles

See all training recaps here.

On Running Faster than Marathon Pace

Posted on by

33

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: Pinterest)

I have a confession to make. A run confession. I think I’m selling myself short with my training for Marine Corps.

Let me explain. In the year and a half that I’ve been running, I’ve never once set a time goal for a race, and I’ve especially never set a time goal for a marathon. I mean with a marathon, there are 26.2 miles of opportunities to make a mistake that could completely sabotage any time goal you had at the starting line. Not only that, there are 16 to 18 weeks of training to make mistakes that could prevent you from even getting to that starting line. So yes, the marathon is an intimidating distance and honestly, setting a time goal has me freaking out a bit. Ok, a lot.

I ran my first marathon at Big Sur this past April, just over a year after I ran my first mile. I ran a very conservative (i.e. slow) 4:33. I went out very slow because I knew the hills that were ahead of me were going to be tough but thanks to my by-the-book training I was more than prepared for Highway 1’s hardest inclines.

When it came time to pick a training plan for the Marine Corps Marathon I wanted to set a time goal. I knew I would be able to beat my Big Sur time but I wasn’t sure by how much. Based on some advice from coworkers, I thought breaking 4:15 would be reasonable- that’s a 9:44/mile marathon pace.

I’m five weeks into the training plan and have been running all of my training runs much faster than the prescribed pace. I know this is generally a major no-no in marathon training but it isn’t feeling hard. When my plan tells me to run 4 miles easy at 10:34/mile pace and I go out and run 4 miles at 8:45/mile pace and it feels easy I don’t think I should have to scale it back.

According to my training plan I should be running my long runs at 10:40-12:10/mile pace, which to me feels more than painfully slow. I tend to average between 9:20-9:30/mile pace for long runs and that feels good.

So what does this mean? Do I need to readjust my race goals? Should I stick to following the paces on my plan? Or should I stick to my faster paces that feel comfortable and hope I don’t hit the wall on race day?

The reason I didn’t set a harder goal in the first place is because I was scared. I considered setting a goal of breaking or going just over 4 hours but then I came to the realization that would be a 33-minute PR, which is huge. I’m very new to marathoning and I still consider myself a beginner runner, but when I look down at the paces on my Garmin I realize, I am getting better. I’m getting faster.

I’ve decided to continue with this plan by following the mileage and most of the workouts but going with the paces that feel comfortable to me. If that means I’m running my easy runs at 8:45/mile instead of 10:32/mile so be it.

As far as any new time goals, I may just keep that one to myself for now!

What do you think I should do? Re-adjust my time goal or stick to this one and see what happens race day?

Marine Corps Marathon Training Week Five

Posted on by

8

LVRR 5K 2This was another busy week of training but it went well. I went back to boot camp on Monday night for strength training- I hadn’t been in a few weeks due to scheduling conflicts- but it felt good to be back. The only problem is the session left me with dead legs for practically the whole week. It didn’t help that I had a high mileage week last week too and decided to run a 5K Wednesday night but my legs were thankful for the full rest day on Thursday

Monday: XT

Vinyasa flow yoga class- 45 minutes

  • Was able to do a full backbend. Yay!

Boot camp- 40 minutes

  • Did four circuits of no repeat exercises

Tuesday: 4 miles, easy

My legs were absolute DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) city after yesterday’s double strength training workout. I went on the run with my roommate who was also really sore from yesterday’s workout too so we decided to take it super easy. Then, the route we took had us go straight through Musikfest (a week-long outdoor music festival in Bethlehem) and there were so many people we had to dodge for about 1.5 miles. But it was good, we needed to take it easy.

Plan: 4 miles, easy
Actual: 4 miles in 37:40 at 9:25/mile pace
Splits:
(1) 9:42/mile
(2) 9:24/mile
(3) 9:00/mile
(4) 9:24/mile

Shoes: Asics Gel Kayano 19
Conditions: 70 degrees, overcast

Wednesday: Double run day, 6 miles total

Run 1- 3 miles easy

Went for my first run of the day at lunch. I had 6 miles total on the schedule today but I wanted to run the free 5K in the parkway at night so I decided to split up my miles. My legs were still pretty tired from Monday’s strength training (pathetic, I know) so I may have to re-think doing a double strength training day going forward.

Plan: 3 miles, easy
Actual: 3 miles in 24:48 at 8:16/mile (kind of too fast)
Splits:
(1) 8:58/mile
(2) 8:10/mile
(3) 7:40/mile

Shoes: Asics GT-1000 2 (not loving these)

Run 2- 3.1 miles at the Lehigh Valley Road Runners Summer Series 5K

I ran the Lehigh Valley Road Runners free 5K in the Parkway and felt really good. I went to this with the intention of not racing AT ALL and trying to just jog it, maybe 9:20/mile pace. Well, that didn’t happen. I ended up going faster than intended but definitely still not racing. I had more in the tank for sure at the end but I had a lot of fun. Just a fun little Wednesday night race!

Plan: 3 miles, super easy
Actual: 3.1 miles in 26:04 at 8:24/mile pace
Splits:
(1) 8:22/mile
(2) 8:24/mile
(3) 8:34/mile

Shoes: Saucony Fastwitch 6

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 6 miles with 2 miles at Marathon Pace

I was really happy with the results of my first marathon pace run. I was supposed to do 6 miles with 2 miles at marathon pace, which for the break-4:15 plan is 9:44/mile. Well, my paces lately have been much faster than the paces my plan has been calling for so I decided to make some adjustments.

Plan: 6 miles with 2 miles at marathon pace (9:44/mile)
Actual: 6 miles with 2.4 miles at “marathon pace” (8:41/mile)
Splits:
20 min warmup at 9:13/mile pace, roughly 2.06 miles
20 min at marathon pace, 8:41/mile, roughly 2.40 miles
15 min cool down at 9:13/mile pace, roughly 1.6 miles

Shoes: Asics Gel Kayano 19
Conditions: indoors, I did this workout on the treadmill so I would have better control over my paces.

Saturday: 4 miles, easy

I was helping to cover Worlds for Runner’s World all morning so I didn’t get out to do my run until the early evening. I felt pretty good but it was extremely hot out. The sun was strong but it wasn’t as humid as it has been.

Plan: 4 miles, easy
Actual: 4 miles in 35:01 at 8:45/mile pace
Splits:
(1) 9:18/mile
(2) 8:35/mile
(3) 8:50/mile
(4) 8:17/mile

Shoes: Asics Gel Kayano 19

Sunday: 16 miles, long slow distance

Today’s long run was a lesson in pacing. I did the first 10 miles of my long run with a group training for our Runner’s World Half. I felt pretty good but was very tired because we started early. We did the run on a rail trail and I was running with one of my coworkers who set a much faster pace than I’m used to for long runs and it showed toward the end of my run where my pace slowed drastically. I was kind of disappointed in myself during this run. I’m usually much better at holding a steady pace so maybe I’m better off doing long runs solo. After doing 10 with the group I added on with four of my coworkers to get the 16. I was completely cooked at the end.

Plan: 16 miles, long slow distance (10:40-11:30/mile pace according to my plan)
Actual: 15.6 miles in 2:25:37 at 9:20/mile pace
Splits:
(1) 8:55 (2) 8:47 (3) 9:03 (4) 8:58 (5) 9:22 (6) 9:22 (7) 9:28 (8) 9:16 (9) 9:31 (10) 9:46 (11) 9:48 (12) 10:03 (13) 9:06 (14) 9:28 (15) 9:31 (16) 5:11 (for 0.60)

Shoes: Asics Gel Kayano 19

Weekly mileage: 36 miles

See all training recaps here.

Marine Corps Marathon Training Week 2

Posted on by

9

(Source: Pinterest)

(Source: Pinterest)

This week of training can be defined by two words: heat wave. But I’m not going to complain too much about it here because I’m honestly tired of talking about the weather. It is what it is and everyone is dealing with it, it’s just a little bit harder on us crazy marathoners because we voluntarily run and strain ourselves in this weather so we really can’t complain about it. But a hard summer makes for a strong fall, right? Anyway, besides the heat, this was a pretty solid week of training.

Monday- Cross-training at Bootcamp.

45 minutes of strength training. We did five circuits of no-repeat exercises.

Tuesday- 5 miles, easy

I did not want to wake up early for this run but I’m so glad I did. It wasn’t too hot when I left my apartment and the forecast for later on in the day would be 95-97 degrees and humid. It was pretty humid out which made breathing hard but overall it was a good run.

Plan: 5 miles, easy at 10:40/mile pace
Actual: 5 miles in 43:05 at 8:37/mile pace
Splits:
(1) 9:15/mile
(2) 8:30/mile
(3) 8:29/mile
(4) 8:41/mile
(5) 8:09/mile

Shoe: Asics Gel Kayano 19

Wednesday- Speedwork – 3.5 miles total

My training plan called for 3 miles easy today but I really wanted to do speedwork. I waited until after work to head to the track and it wasn’t as bad temperature-wise as I was expecting. I felt surprisingly great and my times on these intervals were all faster than when I did this same workout three weeks ago in 15 degree cooler weather.

Plan: 3 miles, easy (10:40/mile pace)
Actual: 3.5 miles
1-mile warmup at 8:50/mile pace
8x400m-
(1) 1:42.0
(2) 1:39.8
(3) 1:37.7
(4) 1:36.9
(5) 1:38.0
(6) 1:36.1
(7) 1:36.5
(8) 1:32.4
0.5-mile cool down

Shoe: Saucony Fastwitch 6

Thursday- Rest Day

Did Lululemon’s Yoga for Runners

Friday- 5 miles, easy

It was really tough out there this morning. It was only 75 degrees but it was also 88 percent humidity. I had a really difficult time breathing during the entire run. At 4.3 miles I had to stop because I had a pretty bad cramp in my diaphragm and an old man driving by offered me water. That act of kindness pushed me forward to finish the run strong. My pacing was kind of all over the place during this run but oh well.

Plan: 5 miles, easy (10:40/mile pace)
Actual: 5 miles, easy (8:49/mile pace)
Splits:
(1) 9:32/mile
(2) 8:37/mile
(3) 8:50/mile
(4) 8:55/mile
(5) 8:14/mile

Conditions: 75 degrees, 88 percent humidity, air quality alert
Shoe: Asice GT-1000 2 (testing for RW)

Saturday- 3 miles, easy

It was another hot one out there this morning. I slept in a little so I didn’t get out until 10ish. It wasn’t as humid as yesterday but it was still pretty muggy. I was really overheated at 2.77 miles so I decided to finish with 100m strides so it would be over faster.

Plan: 3 miles, easy (10:40/mile)
Actual: 3 miles (with 2x100m strides) in 25:52.1 (8:37/mile pace)
Splits:
(1) 9:00/mile
(2) 8:50/mile
(3) 8:00/mile

Conditions: 82 degrees with 69% humidity
Shoes: Nike Vomero 8 (testing for RW)

Core- 20 minutes of two rounds of the Standard Core Routine

Sunday- 12 miles, long slow distance

I left my apartment early to get my long run in before the humidity and heat got the best of the day. My paces were more or less even which was really good. My legs felt great but even though it was a lot cooler this morning than it has been, the humidity was killing me and I had a hard time cooling my head down. I’m going to have to work on that. Maybe wear a hat with ice cubes? I also almost ran out of water so I’m going to have to keep that in mind on my longer long runs.

Plan: 12 miles, at LSD pace (10:40-12:10/mile according to my training plan)
Actual: 12 miles, in 1:51:32 (9:17/mile pace)
Splits:
(1) 9:38/mile (2) 9:00/mile (3) 9:16/mile (4) 9:22/mile (5) 9:22/mile (6) 9:26/mile (7) 9:21/mile (8) 9:22/mile (9) 9:33/mile (all hills) (10) 9:17/mile (11) 9:11/mile (12) 8:43/mile

Total mileage: 29 miles

See all weekly training recaps here.

Marine Corps Marathon Training Week 1

Posted on by

5

From the Lehigh Valley Summer Series 5K this week.

From the Lehigh Valley Summer Series 5K this week.

This week was a solid week of training. It was low mileage to kick off training but I felt pretty great on all of my runs. I truly believe the first week of any training program is telling of how the rest of the cycle will be. There’s always room for tweaking and improvements in the following months but you learn a lot in that first week. I learned I’m going to have trouble with the paces given on my training plan, not because they’re too fast, but because they are much slower than my comfortable running pace. I’m going to make some changes with this plan along the way and it’s only the beginning so we’ll see how this training plan goes.

Monday– Cross-training at Bootcamp

45 minutes of strengthening exercises. We did four circuits of no repeat exercises.

Tuesday- 5 miles, easy

Went for a pre-work run with my roommate. We wanted to take it easy, especially since we both went to boot camp last night. My legs felt surprisingly good, although breathing and sweating were an issue. Ahh, summer training.

Plan- 5 miles at easy pace (10:40/mile)
Actual- 5 miles in 43:40 (8:44/mile)
Mile Splits-
(1) 9:18/mile
(2) 8:48/mile
(3) 8:50/mile
(4) 8:48/mile
(5) 8:04/mile

Shoes: Asics Gel Flux

Wednesday- Lehigh Valley Parkway 5K

I was by no means racing this 5K. It’s a fun, free 5K put on in the Parkway the first Wednesday of each month and this was the only one I was going to be able to make this summer. It was a lot of fun, but it was extremely hot (86 degrees at the start) and incredibly humid. I was dripping by the end. I felt good though!

Planned: 3 miles easy (10:40/mile pace according to my training plan)
Actual: 3.14 miles in 27:34 (8:46/mile pace)
Splits:
(1) 9:01/mile
(2) 8:27/mile (got a little excited here and had to pull in the reins)
(3) 9:03/mile

Shoe: Saucony Fastwitch 6

Thursday- FULL rest day

I was going to go to gentle flow yoga after work to stretch out a bit but it was cancelled.

Friday– 5 miles, easy

This was the first lunch run I’ve been able to do in awhile since it wasn’t 90 degrees or more. It was really relaxing and enjoyable, a nice break in the day.

Plan: 5 miles, easy (11:45/mile pace according to my training plan)
Actual: 5 miles in 44:13 at 8:50/mile average pace
Splits:
(1) 8:55/mile
(2) 8:43/mile
(3) 8:52/mile
(4) 8:58/mile
(5) 8:45/mile

Shoe: Asics Gel Flux

Saturday– 3 miles, easy

Took a short run along the canal with my roommate and her friend. It was a really good run. Again, my training plan had me running 3 miles at easy pace (10:40/mile) but I ran considerably faster and it felt easy.

Plan: 3 miles, easy at 10:40/mile
Actual: 3 miles in 26:12 at 8:44/mile pace
Splits:
(1) 9:04/mile
(2) 8:40/mile
(3) 8:27/mile

Shoes: Asics Gel Flux

Sunday– 10 mile long run

This was the first long run of Marine Corps training and it went pretty well. I left my apartment at 10 a.m. which was probably wayyy too late to head out for a summer long run but heat training is always good. I did my 10 miles and finished with 4x100m strides.

Plan: 10 miles, long slow distance at 10:40-11:45/mile pace (according to my plan)
Actual: 10.2 miles, LSD with 4x100m strides in 1:31:50 (9:00/mile pace)
Splits:
(1) 9:28
(2) 8:47
(3) 8:56
(4) 9:12
(5) 9:21
(6) 9:22
(7) 9:02
(8) 9:35
(9) 9:02
(10) 9:00

Shoes: Asics Gel Flux

Total mileage: 26 miles

See all weekly training recaps here.

The Sweat-Fest that is Summer Marathon Training

Posted on by

3

Sweat literally dripping down my back.

Sweat literally dripping down my back.

The average temperature this week in Pennsylvania has been a warm 86 degrees. That doesn’t factor in the humidity levels, and we still have three more days to go. I know I won’t be the first runner to ever complain about the weather (or not complain about the weather) but it’s kind of what we do.

Why does it matter this week more than last week? Well, it’s the first week of Marine Corps Marathon training, so the weather this week is a bit of an indicator as to how my training is going to go the rest of the summer. Training hasn’t been too bad so far by any means, but I can already tell training for a fall marathon is much different than training for a spring marathon. In one word, training in the summer is an absolute sweat-fest.

First off, I have to wake up early to do my runs and I rather not. When I was training for Big Sur I would do my long runs as late as 11 a.m. sometimes because that’s when it would get a little warmer out. That will not be the case this summer.

I’m probably also going to be a little slower because the heat and humidity (and direct beaming sunlight) can take it’s toll during a run. I may even have to stop a few times on long runs to get some reprieve, but that’s ok. That’s what training is for.

On the other hand, maybe I’ll really like summer marathon training. I’ll get my runs done earlier and have more time for doing other things during the weekend. Maybe I’ll also get a sweat tan when I’m out there running for hours on end? Either way, this summer training is going to be a learning experience. I’ll figure out if I like training in the summer or if I prefer running like a popsicle in the winter. For now, I’ll keep up with the early wake-ups, the extreme sunscreen application, and never-ending sweating until October 27 (hopefully it’ll be cooler by then!).

Keep up with my training on the day-to-day by following me on Twitter@FitHappyGirl.

When Should You Get a Running Coach?

Posted on by

8

(source: Pinterest)

(source: Pinterest)

I’ve been mulling over the idea of getting a running coach for a few weeks now. I’ve seen progress in my running over the past year but I know that’s due in part to my inexperience- every race is a PR or close to it. So I thought I’d ask, to improve, should I get a coach?
  1. FitHappyGirl

    Hannah McGoldrick@FitHappyGirl
    To get a running coach or not get a running coach, that is the question. Thoughts?

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 14:23:57

  2. Tons of people were pro-coach…
  3. LAMhookem

    leticia ana@LAMhookem
    @FitHappyGirl Get one. Improvements and accountability :)

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 14:26:31

  4. FitChickNYC

    FitChickinTheCity@FitChickNYC
    @FitHappyGirl well, I of course say get one!

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 14:36:26

  5. MulcahyShannon

    Shannon @MulcahyShannon
    @FitHappyGirl get one! I love having one and have improved tremendously. Ex 2:03 half from oct 12 to 1:49 this April

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 15:13:58

  6. megrunnergirl

    Megan Hetzel@megrunnergirl
    @FitHappyGirl YES YES YES

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 17:12:33

  7. fashionablemile

    Holly@fashionablemile
    @megrunnergirl @fithappygirl agree, YES! Money well spent. :)

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 17:34:48

  8. Some people said it depends on your goals and finding the right coach (but were mainly pro-coach)…
  9. LVrunsNYC

    Lora@LVrunsNYC
    @FitHappyGirl So important to find one who’s the right fit, philosophically and personality-wise. Otherwise you lose a lot of benefits, imo.

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 14:28:42

  10. LVrunsNYC

    Lora@LVrunsNYC
    @FitHappyGirl But great to have someone monitor your performance, give advice, and adjust personalized training as you progress!

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 14:29:32

  11. BrianRunCoach

    Brian Martin@BrianRunCoach
    @FitHappyGirl Absolutely, but a running coach should help you as much with what not to do as pushing the envelope at the right time.

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 14:32:15

  12. Abby_NYC

    Abby@Abby_NYC
    @FitHappyGirl If you haven’t met your goals on your own, try a coach. Make sure he/she works FOR YOU. Then take a leap.

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 15:01:44

  13. erinstrout

    Erin Strout@erinstrout
    @FitHappyGirl If you have the right coach you’ll love running even more!

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 17:12:10

  14. elleroos

    Michelle Roos@elleroos
    @FitHappyGirl i hired @SpeedySasquatch for speed work! so mainly on my own but needed guidance for certain aspect! #justathought

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 17:19:02

  15. Then there was this…
  16. RVAgreenrev

    Preach@RVAgreenrev
    @FitHappyGirl can’t you just get your boss to be your running coach? @runnersworld @BartYasso

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 15:52:58

  17. BartYasso

    Bart Yasso@BartYasso
    @FitHappyGirl I want Hannah to be my coach @RVAgreenrev @runnersworld

    Wed, Jun 19 2013 06:42:48

  18. FitHappyGirl

    Hannah McGoldrick@FitHappyGirl
    @BartYasso Ha! That’d be the day! @RVAgreenrev @runnersworld

    Wed, Jun 19 2013 06:50:22

  19. And you can count on Jason to be the odd man out (just kidding!)…
  20. JaseFace1

    Jason@JaseFace1
    @FitHappyGirl nah.

    Tue, Jun 18 2013 16:58:12

Luckily I work at Runner’s World so I have plenty of resources here but it might be good to have an objective person (who I don’t work with every day) as a coach instead. I’m nervous it might be too closing to the start of MCM training to get a coach now but maybe not. I’m also wondering about in-person coaching vs. online. I know plenty of people have had success with online coaching but the main reason I want a coach is to have someone push me, especially when I tend to sell myself short. I’m going to keep doing some research into it and see what I come up with.

Tell me, have you hired a running coach? Was it in-person or online and did you see improvements?

Big Sur Will Be My Victory Lap, But Not My Finish Line

Posted on by

18

Big Sur“This is your victory lap.”

A coworker said this to me last week as I began my minor-freak out that yes, this Sunday my Brooks will toe the starting line of my first full marathon on the opposite coast at the Big Sur International Marathon.

This past year has been an incredible journey and training for Big Sur has been no different. I’ve had flawless training, nailed my paces, conquered some pretty significant hills and followed my training plan to a T. So, why am I still so anxious for Sunday?

I think race anxiety is 100 percent normal. To me, what makes it such a confusing emotion is, although I’m nervous to run 26.2 miles, I’m also really excited for the entire experience. Other friends and coworkers have reminded me, “you only have a first marathon once, so enjoy it.”

That’s what I plan to do. I plan to take it all in. I’m going to have the most beautiful views to keep me company along Highway 1 and I don’t want to miss any of them. Also, the pressure of a target time is completely off because the good news about racing a new, longer distance is no matter what, it’s a PR!

But for some reason, as excited and nervous as I am for Big Sur, another emotion has recently surfaced that I wasn’t prepared for- sadness. For the past year, I’ve considered myself a beginner. I started running in March 2012 and have built up from there. Running (and finishing) Big Sur this weekend feels almost like I’m closing my beginner’s chapter of my running story. Some people might not like to admit this but I like to call myself a beginner. I like that I can relate to new runners and help them just as some of my other runner friends have helped me. And sometimes, calling myself a beginner gives me a sense of security so when I tell people I have a new PR, I can follow up with, it’s good for me because I’m a beginner.

Finishing Big Sur will officially mean I’m no longer a beginner runner. But it won’t change my status as a new runner and it won’t mean I’m done learning new things about running- believe me, I have a lot more to learn. I’ve learned a lot through this training cycle and I will continue to learn more as I recover in the following weeks and start up a new training cycle, whenever and for whatever that may be.

As I make my way up the coast of California, on the breathtakingly beautiful Highway 1, I vow to take it all in, listen to the runners around me, see every view, laugh at every unique mile marker, listen to the piano man and the taiko drummers and just enjoy it because it will be my first full marathon, but most certainly not my last. Big Sur will be my victory lap but not my finish line.

When I began training for Big Sur back in January I bought myself an Erica Sara “Say It Do It” bracelet with the words, “She believed she could,” engraved on one side of the medallion. The words are from a quote, “She believed she could, so she did.” As I cross the finish line at Big Sur on Sunday, probably with tears in my eyes, I’ll be able to complete the quote- “so she did.”

Big Sur Marathon Training- Week 12 and 13

Posted on by

5

Running this bridge in less than one week! (Source: Big Sur Facebook Page)

Running this bridge in less than one week! (Source: Big Sur Facebook Page)

I’ve been in full taper mode and with last week being so busy for work with the Boston Marathon, and then the bombings, and then the follow-up, I haven’t had time to write up my workouts from the past two weeks. Also, because we were very busy traveling, I missed one of my runs which really bummed me out. But, I was assured by my coworkers that it wasn’t a big deal and I am more than ready for Big Sur this weekend. It may be the taper crazies talking, but I really hope they’re right!

Week 11- April 8 – April 14

Monday: Stretch and foam roll

Tuesday: 5.32 miles in 44:19 at 8:19/mile pace

It was a very, very hot lunch run today. Full sun and 80 degrees the whole time. Apparently, that makes me run faster? My Garmin died before my run so I used the Runmeter app on my phone. According to my splits, I ran pretty fast but I felt like it was such a slow slog the entire time. I’m not sure if these splits are accurate but here they are:

Mile 1 – 6:28/mile (I’m not kidding, that’s what it says)
Mile 2 – 8:40/mile
Mile 3 – 8:53/mile
Mile 4 – 8:50/mile
Mile 5 – 8:38/mile
Mile 6 – 8:25/mile (for 0.32 miles)

I also did Oiselle’s dirty dozen core workout.

Wednesday: 5.32 miles in 44:36 at 8:23/mile pace.

This run was just not working for me. It was so hot when I went out for my lunch run I just didn’t feel good the entire time. I was supposed to run 6 miles but I didn’t have it in me to complete the run, I needed water asap. I think I’m just not used to the heat yet and thankfully it’s not going to stay this hot for too much longer.

Thursday: 8 miles in 1:13:00 at 9:06/mile pace.

I ran this morning before heading home to Massachusetts for the Boston Marathon. It was SUPER humid out due to the storm last night but it was a bit cooler than the past few days so that was a nice break. However, because it was so humid out I felt like it was a little bit harder to breather. I felt pretty good the whole time and just wanted to take it easy. My splits:

Mile 1 – 9:32/mile
Mile 2 – 8:58/mile
Mile 3 – 8:55/mile
Mile 4 – 9:09/mile
Mile 5 – 9:13/mile
Mile 6 – 9:04/mile
Mile 7 – 9:00/mile
Mile 8 – 9:06/mile

Friday: REST

Saturday: I was too busy with work to get my long run in so that didn’t happen. Womp womp.

Sunday: B.A.A. 5K

2-mile warm-up: Meghan and I did a quick warmup run before today’s B.A.A. Boston Marathon 5K. Ran around and did some strides.

3.1 miles in 25:23 at 8:11/mile pace. This morning I ran the B.A.A. Boston Marathon 5K and set a 2-minute PR! I had kind of high hopes for this race because I knew it was going to be a fast, flat course. It was super crowded which made it kind of hard to maneuver around people but overall it was a great race!

Week 12- April 15 – April 21

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 5.5 miles in 51:00 at 9:16/mile pace. #runforboston

Wednesday: 6.5 miles in 59:00 at 9:06/mile pace.

Thursday: Detox flow yoga and Oiselle dirty dozen

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 10 miles, long, slow distance in 1:30:43 at 9:04/mile pace. It’s bittersweet but this was my last long run of Big Sur training. I can’t believe I’m running a marathon in a week!!

Sunday: 3.32-mile recovery run in 28:55 at 8:45/mile pace. Easy shakeout run today around the neighborhood. I wanted to do 4 miles but I had some blisters in the making that were killing me.

See all training recaps here.

Tips and Tricks for Surviving the Taper Madness

Posted on by

4

With my peak mileage weeks behind me, my final really long, long run done, I am heading into my taper and although I’m (honestly) welcoming it with open arms, I’m hearing the taper is not all it’s cracked up to be.

I’ve been logging my highest mileage weeks ever throughout this training cycle, which makes sense since it’s my first full marathon, so the prospect of lesser mileage totals seems appealing to me right now. But, hey now, stop right there, my coworkers say, the taper is the hardest part of marathon training.

Why is this, you ask? Well, while you’re training for a marathon you get used to always having a very long run on the weekends. You get used to logging double workouts to hit your midweek mileage goals. And, you get used to spending most of your time running. Then the taper comes and all of a sudden you have some free time and you don’t know what to do with it. Some people start to doubt their training and others just enter into the taper crazies.

Upon hearing all of this, I thought I’d seek out some advice to avoid taper madness and hopefully make it out alive- and more importantly, make it to the starting line at Big Sur confident in all of the training I’ve put in during the last few months. Here’s what I found:

So moral of the story? Find a way to distract yourself from the fact that you’re not running as much as you’re used to. Whether that means catching up with friends, reading a good book or straight up sleeping through the taper, try to get your mind off the fact that everything you’ve been doing for the last few months is about to culminate in one goal race. I’ve told many people before to trust in their training once the training cycle starts to wind down and race day slowly approaches but now, it’s my turn to trust in my training. And the extra naps don’t sound too bad either!

Do you have any tips for surviving the taper? If so, mention them in the comments section below!