Turtles Can Run

First week of training is done.  Fast runs did not go as planned, I was winded and my heart rate was higher than normal all week.  Last year I would have been worried about this but I’ve been running long enough now to know that this sometimes happens.  Sometimes our bodies need a little rest and can not do what we want them to.  I find that every couple of months this happens to me, it usually occurs in the weeks following a big race or during the later part of my cycle.  Coach Jenny on Runnerworld.com wrote a good article describing the effects of a woman’s cycle on running.  After reading this I stopped freaking out when I couldn’t run as fast, was more winded and my heart rate was going crazy  during PMS.  Now I just try to come as close to my goals as I can reassured by the knowledge that next week will be better.  I am looking forward to next weeks training, I am hoping for much speedier times on my intervals and the tempo run.  I will be opting for the bike ride on Monday instead of the 3 mile run, my left ITB (it was the right one before) starting hurting after Saturday’s run so I am hoping a non running day with lots of stretching and rolling will help.

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I was originally planning on running the Zooma Austin Half Marathon this year but found out about the Angie’s Half Crazy! Half marathon and decided to do that instead.  One of my twitter and Daily Mile pals recommended it and I thought it would be fun to run it and spend the weekend in Houston with the family.  The course is a loop and really flat so I am going to try for a PR which means running something close to a 1:40 half marathon which seems kind of crazy to me.  I have a hard time thinking I can run that fast but I did run a 1:43:32 at the 3M so I should be able to run something close to my goal with smart training and if the weather isn’t crazy hot.   I chose to go with the Hal Higdon  advanced  half marathon training program for training, I tweaked it a bit to allow for 2 non running days if I choose and went with mileage instead of time for the long runs because that works better for me.  Here it is:

I will be started my training tomorrow.  I may add in a 5K or 10K in the schedule if anything catches my fancy.  After this race I plan on taking it easy the rest of the spring and the beginning of summer then I will start training for my fall marathon.  I am hoping by then I will be able to run a 3:40 and qualify for Boston.

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A couple of weeks after I ran the Rock and Roll San Antonio marathon my right ITB has been tight and painful.  The knee pain has made me walk home a couple of times from a run or cut a run short.  I keep thinking I have moved past it and then it comes back.  There are a few things that I have found that help relieve the pain,keep it and little looser and allow me to keep running.

First thing is the foam roller.  Using this before and after a run help the tightness from setting it too soon during the run and helps the pain afterwards.  Yoga, especially the pigeon pose and the winshield wiper.  When I do yoga 2 or 3 times a week the ITB pain/tightness is greatly decreased.  The Pro-Tec Iliotibial Band Compression Wrap has also helped me get through longer runs with less discomfort.  Usually the pain and tightness sets in around mile 3 or 4 but when I wear the strap and have been foam rolling I can get through 10-14 miles.  Some other things that help are avoiding hills (downhill really irritates it), replacing my shoes, keeping most runs short and running on even surfaces.

It was no surprise to me that after 3M race last weekend both my ITBs were painful because the race has a lot of downhill.  I was actually surprised that I made it through the race with just a little tightness and not much slowing down.  So this past week I have taken an easy rest week with just three runs 6-7 miles each and lots of rolling and stretching.  I am hoping to be back in business next week to start training for my next half marathon.

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Since I wrote about my Nike Free yesterday, I thought I would write about the shoe I run in the rest of the time today Brooks Women’s Launch Running Shoe. After I started running in the Nike Free once or twice a week I really started to hate running in my old Asics 2140.  They felt heavy, stiff and the heel just felt wrong.  So I searched, asked around and found these babies.  It was love at first run They are  lightweight neutral shoe with a nice flexible out-sole and great cushioning.  Recommended for fast running (tempos, intervals and racing) but I have found that I love to do any kind of run in them.    I have used them on long training runs  (up to 26 miles),  a marathon, half marathon and speed work.  I love them so much I am on my second pair .

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In an effort to gain the benefits of barefoot running without actually running barefoot or running in my vibrams (which I love but still haven’t managed to run more than 4 mile in) I bought a pair of Nike Wmns Free 5.0 V4 354751-301.  I really love this shoe.  They are light and comfortable. They force me to shorten my stride and increase my cadence, which makes me run faster with less effort.  I also strike my forefoot instead of heel striking.  I like using them on some races, track workouts and regular training runs.  My limit in them is about 10 miles though, anymore than that and I really start feeling it in my legs and feet.   I don’t run in them everyday but I do run in them once or twice a week and think they have improved my running form which has in turn increased my speed.  I would recommend this shoe for anyone who want to try a minimalist running shoe.  Side notes:  They are also very comfortable for walking in and can be worn without sock (if you like to run without socks on).

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I started this blog one year ago the day before I ran the 3M half marathon. It was an amazing experience, I loved it and after I completed it I really felt like a runner and knew I wanted to do a full in the fall.  This year once again I ran the 3M.  I was a lot less nervous and really did not have any real goal (I was thinking a 1:45 would be nice) but my real go was to just go out and have fun.  This really worked out well for me, not having any pressure to make a certain time goal allowed me to just run by feel and since I felt great I also managed a good run.  The race started almost an hour late because it was really windy and barricades were getting knocked down along the course.  The late start really ended up being good for me because the sun was up and it was a little warmer, perfect running weather.  The wind didn’t affect me as much as I thought it would, it felt like it was at my back for most of the race which is nice.  My first 5 miles were my best, I slowed down by about 30 seconds/mile after that because my ITB tightened up a little bit.  It wasn’t bad though, not  enough to make me walk or run turtle pace.  I finished in 1:43:32 which is a big PR for me..my former PR for a half marathon was 1:56:39 (last April at the Zooma half marathon).  I was really thrilled with my finish time but more importantly I really enjoyed myself and finished with a big smile on my face.   I plan on running more races with the goal of just having fun because this was truly one of my most enjoyable race experiences.

Garmin Data from today’s race:

http://connect.garmin.com/splits/23228604

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I headed out for my weekend long run on Saturday thinking I would maybe run 18 miles or 20 if I felt good and my ITB was giving me too much trouble.  It was cold out when I started (mid 30s) and this made my knee feel stiff so I started out slow and was doubtful about how long I would be able to run.  As the run progressed, my body warmed up and felt really good.  I sped up a little but not to much.  I just listened to my body and enjoyed being outside and running.  The sun started shining and I felt like I could run forever.  At mile 13 I started contemplating a 22 mile run since I felt so great and then I thought if I’m going to run 22 I may as well run 26.2.  I thought it would be pretty cool to run my own marathon just for fun, just because I wanted to and just because I can.  No time goals and no pressure. It really gave me a lot of time to think about 2009 and all the great things that running brought to my life.  I also spent some time thinking about 2010 and what I would like to do this coming year.  The conclusion I came up with was that I would like to do more runs like I did that day.  Spontaneous runs with no real goal in mind other than go out and enjoy the feeling running brings me.  I was tired but very happy at the end of the run, I’m looking forward to another great year of running.

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I kicked off last year with the 3M half marathon.  It was amazing! I met my sub 2 hour goal and I was ready to tackle the next challenge.  Over the course of the year I PRed in the 5k, 5 mile and half marathon distance.  I even placed for my age group in two of my races, something I never thought I would/could do.  In November I faced my biggest challenge the marathon.  It was tough but I am so glad I did it.  One of the best moments of my life was crossing that finish line.  I met my sub 4 hour goal and it felt great.

Running also allowed me to meet and make some great friends both online and in person.  Through this blog, twitter and dailymile I’ve found others who share my passion and love of running and enjoy talking about it as much as I do.  The online community has inspired me to do things and try for things I never thought I could accomplish.  My new local running friends have kept me company during some of the many miles I ran this year and have helped me run faster and longer. My husband and children have supported me and even participated in some races and runs with me.  I am so thankful for them!

As far as my weight loss, I managed to keep all the weight I lost off and even lost a little more.  It really is as simple as eating less and healthier food and exercising regularly.

I’m really looking forward to 2010.  Of course I will be doing a lot of running but I don’t have a race schedule yet.  My goals for next year are to keep healthy and fit, keep loving and having fun running,  get faster in all distances, maybe enough to qualify for Boston..so that I can prove Turtles Can Run Boston .

Thanks for a great year! Happy New Year!! Keep Running!!

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The whole turtle family ran this..first time the four of us have run in a race together.  Comfortably chilly, Holiday music blasting out the speakers, light display, hot chocolate and cookies at the finish line=perfection.    It was great to run a race that was not timed, no pressure to PR but just go out and have fun with my family.  Very nice event,  I look forward to doing it every year for as long as we live down here in Austin.

Here we are ready to run

Yum Yum! After race treats!

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Ten months ago when I started this blog one of my goals was to run a marathon and today I can say “I did it, I ran a marathon!”

Going into marathon training I had two main goals:  finish in under four hours and not to get injured.  I used the Smartcoach from Runner’s World to get a plan. and I stuck to it most of the time.  I ran most of my runs faster than it recommended and sometimes I ran a little more distance.

I won’t bore you with all the training details.  If you want to see a log of my runs you can check out my profile on Dailymile ( a great site to log your workouts, plus a great community of athletes to give and get motivation from).  I do want to mention that as the months went by I got faster and when it came close to marathon time I knew that if the weather was perfect (mid 40′s at the start and still in the low 50′s by the end with low humidity) and I didn’t get injured along the way I should be able to run a 3:40-3:50 marathon.  But of course the chances of it being a perfect day were very low.  The weather in central Texas is very unpredictable this time of year.I had been watching the forecast for 2 weeks and it did not look like I was going to get my ideal weather.  Race day was supposed to warm ( mid 60s at the start and close to 80 by the finish), those temperatures don’t seem to bad until you hear that the humidity at the start was 98% and it stayed pretty close to that the whole race.  I will just tell you up front that I do not do well with humidity.  Everytime I have tried to do a tempo run or speedwork in humid conditions it has been a big fat failure ( high heart rate, hard time breathing and slow leg).  Knowing the weather I should have decided Saturday  to just stick with my goal of 4 hours but I had already told my friend I was going to try to pace for 3:40 and I stuck with that plan.

Race morning.  I ate my mini bagel, banana and orange juice.  Geared up in my summer weather running outfit of just a sports bra and short compression shorts.  Sneakers of choice: Brooks Launch.  Caught up with the shuttle and met up with my friends and we were on our way.

I lined up in corral 4 with my friend and we were off.  The plan was to try to stick with the 3:40 pacer.

At the 5K mark:  right on pace .  I felt fine at this point, I felt like I could keep this pace for a long time ( I was wrong).

At the 10K mark: right on pace. I felt like I was in a good groove at this point.  The pace didn’t feel easy but it wasn’t that hard either.

My cheering squad

At the 15K point my pace slipped a little but I still really close to the 3:40 group.  The heat was really getting to me and my chest was starting to feel tight and  hurt a bit.  I knew that my heart rate was too high for too long, I’ve experienced this before. I knew I was going to have to slow and do what I could on my own, maybe try to speed back up when I felt better.

At the halfway point I was only 23 seconds behind what I needed for a 3:40 but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to pick the pace back up,  the temperature was only getting hotter so body wasn’t going to be able to push to hard without me collapsing along the way.  I had to make a decision and I decided to just try to make it under 4.  In order to do this I had to settle into turtle pace and stay there no matter how much it hurt. So I did.

The rest of the race. I ran the rest of the rest at a slow but steady pace 10- 10:30 min/mile.  This may sound easy but all the effort I put into the first half of the race really burnt me out so I really had to work hard not to slip into the 11s. If I wasn’t alone or if I had brought my Ipod I think I probably could have run a bit  faster.  But that was not the case, all I had with me were the pain and my thoughts.   I kept talking to myself telling myself to keep going and I did.  The last 8 miles really hurt.  Every step I took was a big effort but I just kept chugging along. And when I came to the hill at  mile 26 I knew it was almost over so I tried to pick up the pace a little and I am glad I did because I got to the finish like with only 9 seconds to spare. My finish time was 3:59:51.

All done!

Fueling during the race.  I stopped at every aid station for cytomax or water and had gu every 5 miles.  I felt that worked fine.

What I learned.

Running a marathon hurts, it really does.  It hurt more than I thought it would.  This quote came to mind: “The marathon can humble you”- Bill Rodgers. It certainly humbled me.  I cried at the end and felt like crying from mile 24 on.

Reset goals for inclement weather.  I have read this a million times and yet I still went for my ideal weather goal on a horribly humid day.  Big mistake.

Run your own race.  I was planning on running with my friend, so I didn’t have a good back up plan.  Like bringing music to help motivate me/keep me on pace/distract me if I ended up alone.

Do more of my training runs alone.  This may seem like a weird one.  I love running with my friends but I learned that I do need to practice running well on my own and getting into the right stride on my own.  I will still run with friends just not every run.

During the last few miles of the marathon I said to myself, “I’m never doing this again”.  But after having a couple of days to mull it over I know I I will.  Maybe someday my blog’s name will change to Turtles Can Run Boston.  That is my next big goal.  I know it may take a few tries but I’m going to do  it.

I wanted to give a big thank you to my husband and my kids.  They have been super supportive through my training and were there with bigs signs and loud cheers on race day. I also want to thank all of the ladies I run with, you’ve helped me run faster and further than I thought I could.  Last but now least I want to thank all of my friends who read my blog, that I tweet with on twitter and that I interact with on Daily Mile.  You all offer me constant motivation and inspiration.

Results

Video of me finishing . Bib Number 8149

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