WEEK 5

Mon., Aug. 10: 10 miles (counted in last week’s totals)

Tue., Aug. 11: Rest

Wed., Aug. 12: 4 miles and Taekwondo class

Thur., Aug. 13: 6 miles

Fri., Aug. 14: Taekwondo class

Sat., Aug 15: Rest

Sun., Aug. 16: 12 miles

Total weekly mileage: 22 miles

WEEK 6

Mon., Aug. 17: Taekwondo class

Tue., Aug. 18: 5 miles

Wed., Aug. 19: 6 miles

Thur., Aug. 20: 4 miles

Fri., Aug. 21: Taekwondo class

Sat., Aug. 22: Rest

Sun., Aug. 23: 10 miles

Total weekly mileage: 25 miles

So our 12-mile long run was BRUTAL, with a capital “B.” Todd struggled too, so it wasn’t even just me whining this time (I swear). We didn’t start early enough (the story of our lives), and it just so happened to be a disgustingly humid, BRIGHTLY SUNNY day.

Our pace was pretty slow (for us), we kept having to stop to walk and guzzle Powerade/water, and at one point I was so desperate to get out of the sun that we spent a mile or two just running up and down a local strip mall…since it had an overhang, it felt *slightly* cooler under there.

We must’ve looked like complete buffoons to all the casual shoppers, but, hey…you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

12 HUMID miles done…in my favorite new skirt.

After our hard effort, we rewarded ourselves with our favorite post-long run treats. Which somehow makes the pain go away, even temporarily.

In these steamy summer months, our other go-to recovery ritual? Lounging around by the pool allllllll afternoon, doing ABSOLUTELY. NOTHING. While I’m very, VERY anxious for the arrival of cooler temperatures, I am definitely going to miss the pool.

Week 6′s long run of 10 miles, on the other hand, went swimmingly (no pun intended). Of course, it had a whole lot to do with the weather — a bit cooler in the mid-70′s to low-80′s, but with clouds and a slight breeze — but I am also LOVING the scale-back week right now.

We’re using New York City Marathon’s plan (for the “conservative” runner, of course, haha) and it calls for a scale-back week of 10 miles every other week. Neither of us has ever done that before in any of our previous training plans, but because our long runs never seem to go as well as we hope — and the thought of attempting another round of back-to-back 16-, 18-, and 20-mile runs pretty much makes me want to fling myself off the Verrazano Bridge — I figured it was worth a try.

And I gotta say, I’m loving it. I’m sure it gives my body (and poor, poor legs) a little extra recovery time, but for me, I feel like I SO need the mental break. I love knowing that after a tough, agonizing long run, that the following week I’ll “only” have to put in a 10-miler.

10 miles (not to be confused with jazz hands…)

Sure, the weekly mileage is a bit higher on the scale-back weeks, but I’ve definitely reached the point where the 5- and 6-mile weekly runs aren’t killing me quite as much as they did when I first started my training back in July. That’s progress, right?

Does your training plan have scale-back weeks?

Do you have a favorite post-run recovery treat or ritual?

Mon., July 20: Taekwondo class

Tue., July 21: 3 miles

Wed., July 22: Downtown Westfield 5K and Pizza Extravaganza (recap here!)

Running + pizza = OH YES

Thur., July 23: 5 miles

Fri., July 24: Taekwondo class and graduation

Sat., July 26: Rest

Sun., July 27: 7 miles

Total weekly mileage: 18 miles

I feel as though I’m settling into my new routine of running 4 days a week again. I’m not saying it’s easy, especially since the temperatures have been heating up here and running in 85 or 90+ degrees makes me absolutely miserable…but I do feel like my body is “remembering” how to run and I’m adjusting to the mileage pretty quickly.

Hot messes.

Last weekend’s long run was another tough one, though; we didn’t start early enough (what a surprise), so by the time we were done, it was pretty warm. It’s taking us a long time to finish our long runs because we’re constantly stopping to guzzle water/Powerade, take a quick walk break or stretch, etc. Plus, of course, our pace is nowhere near what it “should” be because the heat/humidity is TOTALLY cramping our style.

This dog follows me around everywhere, what can I say? lol

But Todd and I’ve both decided to take our time and ease into this training program. We both fell off the running wagon for a while after the New Jersey Marathon in April, and don’t want to risk injury/burnout by trying to do too much too soon — especially in this heat! In fact, he rearranged our training plan so we have one extra week of building our base in the beginning, and that’s why our first three long runs have progressed slowly, from 6 miles to 7 miles to this weekend’s 8 miles.

7 miles done…then it’s time for the puppy’s walk.

My continued struggle, of course, is balancing running with Taekwondo. Last Friday, I was promoted to brown belt, and the form we had to learn was killer. Now I’m performing all kinds of jumps and consecutive kicks and low stances that I’ve never done before, and quite frankly, my legs are pretty furious at me already.

But I’m just one belt away from beginning the quite rigorous process of testing for my black belt — which is a HUUUUUGE deal for me — so I won’t let myself lose momentum now. I’m an advanced student now and my classes are held later in the evenings, so I can actually make at least 2-3 classes per week. So you figure at least 4 days of running per week plus 2-3 karate classes, and you might just ask WHY THE HELL I DO THIS TO MYSELF. I’m trying to take at least one rest day per week, but I know that’s not going to be enough as I start ramping up the mileage. And when I attempt to run AND take a karate class in the same day, well, let’s just say it doesn’t feel so good, haha.

The moral of the story is that I am madly in love with both running and Taekwondo. I hate that my chosen forms of physical fitness both happen to be so hard on the legs, but that’s just the way it is. I promised myself that I would be better about listening to my body this time around, so if and when it becomes physically impossible for me to train for the marathon AND focus on karate then I know I will have to pull back on the Taekwondo a bit.

At the end of the day, the New York City Marathon is my utmost priority. How could it not be?!

Can. Not. Wait.

But, for now, I guess I should make best friends with that bleepin’ foam roller, huh?

Is there another activity that you balance with running?

 Do you feel you give your body enough “rest” while training for a half/full?

This time around, Todd and I will be following New York City Marathon’s own training program for the “conservative” runner. Even after all this time, I still in no way feel ready for a more intense training plan. I’d like to get through a round of marathon training without having some sort of mental episode before I even think about attempting an “intermediate” plan, haha.

And this one seems perfect for me; it spells out exactly what I need to do in terms of speedwork, hills, etc., and keeps it really simple (I STILL don’t understand exactly what all that 4×800 stuff is, lol). Plus, it has scale-back weeks in between almost every long run, which is something that I think both of us need given how disastrous those final weeks can be with 16-mile and 18-mile and 20-mile runs all back-to-back. PLUS, it incorporates “flex” days, which I will use for my Taekwondo classes.

My first week looked like this:

Mon., July 13: 3 miles

Tue., July 14: 3 miles

Wed., July 15: Taekwondo class

Thur., July 16: Rest

Fri., July 17: Taekwondo class and 3 miles

Sat., July 18: 6 miles

Sun., July 19: Rest

Total weekly mileage: 15 miles

Well, folks, there it is. At 15 miles, I’ve just logged my highest weekly mileage since…oh, I dunno…April? And I gotta tell ya, it was not easy.

My thoughts on that first hot, sweaty 3-miler.

And guess what else? It truly does feel as though I am starting allllllllll over again. Those 6 miles on Saturday? The first half was okay, but the second half was pretty tough…especially since an earlier rainstorm was clearing up, the sun was poking through, and it got H-U-M-I-D. I can’t think of any other way to describe it other than to say that it’s like running in a freakin’ sauna. IT SUCKS.

Whooooooo’s a hot mess…?

Needless to say, miles 5 and 6 were pretty brutal. We took several water/walk breaks and kept things very easy and casual, and our pace (surprisingly) wasn’t all that bad for us given our lack of training and the heat (under a 10:30)…but it does kind of suck to struggle through “only” a 6-miler when I know I have such a looooooooooooong way to go.

Happy it’s over!

That being said, right now I have exactly ONE goal. Sure, I have my hopes set on performing better than last year, and yes, I’d like to beat my New Jersey Marathon time and set a new PR. Who wouldn’t?

But my #1 most important training goal this time around?

I want to finish this marathon without having a meltdown.

During last year’s New York City Marathon, I had a full-on panic attack…not once, but at several points during the second half of the race. I let the tough course and the ridiculously windy conditions crush my spirit. I was struggling big time and I kept letting myself cry like a little baby, CONVINCED that there was no way I was ever going to make it to Central Park.

Struggling…

During this year’s New Jersey Marathon? More of the same. Apparently, I finish the first half of a marathon and it’s time for meltdowns. It’s like a switch goes off and suddenly I feel as though I’ve never run long distances before. I can focus on nothing except the discomfort and the boredom and the feeling that THIS IS NEVER GOING TO END. I convince myself that *this* is the time that I will NOT make it to that finish line and what was I thinking and I’m not a real runner and why can’t my legs move any faster and I can’t do this and OH MY GOD I HATE RUNNING SOOOOOOO MUCH.

(I’m a real treat, aren’t I?)

When it comes to running marathons, it’s never my body that fails me. It’s ALWAYS my mind. My self-doubt always somehow manages to completely ruin the race experience for me, and I HATE that I keep letting myself get consumed by negativity and why I STILL cannot just believe in myself even after running five freakin’ marathons. Frankly, I’m tired of it, and I want to do everything in my power to ensure that it does NOT happen to me again this November.

To that end, I feel the best approach is to make sure I take extra steps to make my training go as smoothly as possible this time around. Obviously, running in the summer heat/humidity is going to be a BIG struggle for me, so I need to take extra precautions to prevent any major issues and keep my spirits high.

Rewarding myself with an iced coffee after a sweaty run? *PRICELESS*

For example, should I wait until the middle of the afternoon when temperatures are at their hottest to squeeze in a mid-week 4-miler? Should I not pay any special attention to my hydration/nutrition and then try to complete a 10-mile run in the sweltering heat of August…and then wonder why I feel like I’m going to die? Should I let myself get all bent out of shape when I can only manage 11-minute miles on an especially humid afternoon? Should I procrastinate on getting my long runs started on Sunday morning so that by the time I head out it’s already 85+ degrees? Should I continue to go to a zillion karate classes every week and then wonder why my legs feel like they’re going to fall off before I even start that long run? Should I “forget” to foam roll and skip rest days so that even the short, “easy” runs feel like agony?

These are all mistakes I continue to make time and time again. I struggle through so many of my training runs, and then I wonder why I’m so unsure of myself come marathon day. I know it’s impossible to avoid pitfalls when you’re training for a marathon, and some runs are going to be hard and that’s just the way it is…but this time around, I feel as though I need to focus on listening to my body and doing everything I can to continue to boost my confidence so that I can fully enjoy and experience the thrill and amazingness that is the New York City Marathon.

Because it really IS going to be SPECTACULAR. I can’t wait. And I know that the next 15 weeks of hard work are going to be so, so, SOOOOO worth it.

Have you ever set a goal for a marathon that had nothing to do with your finish time?

How are you battling the heat/humidity during your runs this summer?

]]> http://thefinalforty.com/and-were-off-nycm-training-week-one/feed/ 10 http://thefinalforty.com/wanted-taper-tips/ http://thefinalforty.com/wanted-taper-tips/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2015 17:31:06 +0000 Jennifer http://thefinalforty.com/?p=5628 Happy Friday, all!

So, last weekend we tackled the big kahuna in any marathon training plan. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen…

THE 20-MILER IS COMPLETE.

We just think we’re so clever, lol.

Honestly, it wasn’t our best long run. Granted, it definitely wasn’t the WORST either. We tackled the 20 miles in my old stomping ground of Kenilworth/Cranford, which I loved because there are so many parks and there were tons of people out and about because the weather was BEAUTIFUL.

However, with spring-like temperatures finally here, I could tell right from the beginning that the warmer weather was going to take its toll on my performance. It was only in the 60s, but given the fact that we’ve been training in the 20s, 30s, and 40s all this time, it felt like a HUGE temperature difference. And ya’ll know how I feel about running once it starts getting warmer.

As for Todd, I know he struggled a bit at the end with sore legs, feet, back (okay, sore EVERYTHING), and for some reason, both of my feet were ridiculously sore and achy and ON FIRE for most of second half of the run, which definitely had an impact on our overall pace.

But given that our finish time was only about 30 minutes longer than our 18-miler, I’m hopeful that the (*fingers crossed*) cooler temps at the start of a 7:30am marathon and the fact that our legs and feet will be good and rested will help us do better on marathon day.

But now that I’m in full taper mode, I’m struggling a little bit. See, the thing is, I am definitely NOT one of those runners who suffers from “taper crazies” or that undying need to run even though I’m supposed to be resting and gearing up for the race.

Quite frankly, I’m freakin’ exhausted, and I very, very much look forward to the taper. Is it wrong that it’s kind of my favorite part of the training plan?

TAPER TIME IS HERE!!!

However, the “beginner” plan from Competitor that we’ve been following all this time still has a whole lot of stuff going on this week and next. I’ve stuck with the plan pretty closely for the most part, but this week I was supposed to run a 3-miler, 8-miler, and 5-miler — and I only did the 3 and the 5, with a couple of Taekwondo classes tossed into the mix.

This weekend is a final longish run, a 12-miler, which I’m totally cool with…but then next week there’s another 3-miler, 8-miler, and 4-miler on deck.

Yeeeeeeeeah, I don’t think so.

So, my question to you all is what are YOUR taper strategies? Honestly, I’ve learned from experience that I have yet to struggle from anything other than heavy, exhausted legs and tight muscles on marathon day (don’t we all?), and I’m thinking that a little extra rest in the days leading up to the big race might be what I need to finish strong next Sunday.

This week’s longest run — a 5-miler — and temperatures in the upper-60′s are already feeling WAY too hot for me, haha

But then, even though I know it’s ridiculous, I feel “guilty” for not getting in all of my runs this close to the big day…even though this plan is definitely unlike others I’ve followed that had much lower mileage in the final weeks. I know enough to scale back on the karate next week (duh), but when it comes to how much I should be running, I sort of feel like a newb. I’ve made so many mistakes in my previous rounds of marathon training, and I paid for it on race day…and I really want our experience at the New Jersey Marathon to be AWESOME.

Honestly, I’m more anxious about this race than any of my previous marathons. Okay, fine, except the Dopey Challenge. It really feels like the first time that I trained and planned and genuinely busted my butt to significantly improve my finish time, and I do feel READY. But at the same time, I’m sure you can all understand the feeling of wanting all that hard work to pay off on race day!

How often/long do you run in the final week or two before a goal race?

Any other taper tips/strategies for me?!

If you haven’t already entered, today is the LAST DAY for my PRO Compression marathon socks giveaway! You can check out my review and enter the drawing HERE, and I’ll announce the winner tomorrow!

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! In the spirit of the holiday, I thought it would be a perfect time to share my recap from this weekend’s 10-mile race: the St. Paddy’s Day 10-Miler.

The race is hosted by the Freehold Area Running Club, and I ran it two years ago as one of my first longer distance races. I remembered it being pretty hilly, so I honestly didn’t go in with huge expectations. Because I suck on hills. Like, REALLY suck.

However, I also knew that if I planned to sign up for this year’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon (spoiler alert…I am already in, and as of a few minutes before 12pm this afternoon, so is Todd!), that I was going to need a new time to submit for corral placement…since my old PR has officially expired in the eyes of runDisney. I’m hoping that this month’s Love Run will give me a shiny new PR to submit, but you never know what can happen…I know that there are all kinds of variables that can affect my performance that day.

So, I figured I’d use this race as a test run to gauge how well all of my recent “speedwork” has been working out for me, and to use as a “back-up” time to submit just in case my upcoming half marathons don’t go as planned. Plus, it was a cool and windy morning — it was in the 40′s, but when the wind would gust, it felt pretty frigid. Which made for FANTASTIC running temperatures, if you ask me!

It’s held at a park in Freehold, and packet pick-up was easy and well organized. This year’s shirt was cotton and long-sleeved, so my original idea to wear the race shirts over our tech shirts to match went out the window. So we used their handy dandy bag check for our race shirt and the few goodies they gave out so we didn’t have to make another trip to the car, which was a nice perk.

However, this particular club is known for being a little on the stricter side — i.e. all of their race materials threaten that you will basically be tarred and feathered in a public square if you so much as dare run with headphones or a stroller or a canine or, of course, a costume. So a volunteer gave me sort of a snarky comment as I was picking up my packet; it was something along the lines of, “you may have trouble running today, young lady, because our race director is very strict.” Uhhh…since when is a plastic necklace and a headband a “costume?” Everything else is legitimate running attire. So, I didn’t really care for that.

There was some debate on our “strategy” for this race. Todd and I have two completely different approaches — he always starts conservatively and has no problem negative splitting, whereas I have really NEVER done that. I always go out like a bat out of hell when the gun goes off, and then when my pace inevitably slows in the later miles, I rest assured knowing I have some time “in the bank,” if you will. But I told him I was really going to try it his way this time, especially since I haven’t been running so fast lately and I couldn’t necessarily count on holding my faster pace for any significant length of time before running out of steam.

When the race started, I went out way too fast for a few seconds before coming to my senses and letting Todd catch up. I then forced myself to find a “comfortable” pace and fall into a steady rhythm, which was somewhere around a 9:20-9:30 pace.

“Gee, maybe I should slow down a little…?” Photo credit: FARCNJ.org

The race takes you through lots of residential areas, parks, and, of course, over plenty of rolling hills…so I knew I’d have to conserve some energy in order to make it to the finish line. Plus, I felt really unsure of myself because I honestly have been running at paces at least a solid minute-per-mile slower in all of my recent races. In a matter of a year, I managed to go from averaging a sub 2:10 half marathon to being lucky to finish under 2:25. I’ve had the hardest time balancing my CONSTANT marathon training with the ability to train (and race!) at my “old” pace, which used to be somewhere in the realm of a 9:15/minute mile.

And, sure enough, it was within the first couple of miles that I felt just how dead my legs were. The previous week’s workouts consisted of my 14-mile long run, a 5-mile run, a 6-mile run, a 3-mile run, and two Taekwondo classes, and good lord, was I FEELING it. I was still maintaining my ideal pace, but I was struggling to do so…not because I was sucking wind or anything (which was a pleasant surprise!) but because my legs just felt so freakin’ heavy. And then we started approaching the first of several rolling hills, and I worried about coming anywhere close to what I would consider a “good” time.

But I figured I’d give it my absolute best shot. The course is pretty boring, and there really is no spectator support whatsoever, which really made me appreciate just how important they are! It kind of felt like running our usual long run with about 250 of our closest friends. I was feeling grumpy by the halfway mark because even though the clock time said 47:30 — which is exactly what I could have hoped for — I felt my legs were getting even heavier and I was nervous about this whole “negative split” concept. There were only a handful of water stops, so I took my Honey Stinger at mile 4 and tossed some water down my throat at the others, only stopping to stretch my legs once for a few seconds…and, as of late, I’ve been walking through water stops, so it was kind of new for me to not have any sort of break.

Moral of the story? I quickly fell victim to my usual pattern of self-doubt and frustration and the assumption that there was no WAY I’d be able to pick up the pace in the second half of the race. I’m a real hoot during a race, let me tell you (just ask Todd, lol).

But then by mile 7, something pretty awesome happened. I realized that despite slowing down a little bit on a few hills, I was still maintaining an average 9:20ish pace, and I thought that maybe — just MAYBE — I could actually pull this off. So I tried my very best to speed up just a little in that last 5K, and Todd did, too…so I did whatever I could to keep up with him. My Garmin showed that we were right around a 9:05-9:10 pace by miles 8 and 9, and I somehow managed to push it to an 8:55 in mile 10. Todd was a few strides ahead of me, so when I saw the finish line in the distance, I started sprinting to keep up with him so we could cross together.

For some strange reason, he took that to mean that I wanted to “race” him, so he sped up, too…and he ended up beating me by a freakin’ second. The handful of spectators and volunteers at the finish line really seemed to enjoy our action-packed finish, LOL.

Photo credit: FARCNJ.ORG

Plus, I saw that the clock was approaching 1:34…which was downright shocking to me because I knew that meant that I had, IN FACT, successfully negative split…and that I wasn’t too far off from my last results at this race, which was a clock time of 1:33.

Our official finish time was 1:33:53, which given the not-so-flat course and the fact that I was running on dead marathon training legs was about the best I could have imagined. And I was downright shocked that I came SO close to my previous finish time on this course.

So we celebrated by guzzling some Gatorade and going to check out the post-race goodies. And much to our delight, they had HOT DOGS. I’m not a huge fan of hot dogs in general, and I’ve never had them after a race before…but for some reason, it was the most DELICIOUS hot dog I’ve ever had in my life. Even now, days later, Todd is STILL talking about that damn hot dog. I think we’ve found our new favorite post-race food, haha.

Plus, they had hot soup, which tasted heavenly as my body temperature began to plummet, in addition to the usual fare like bagels and bananas. They also had beer (but neither of us drink it).

So we stuffed our faces for a little while, took some pictures, and watched part of the awards ceremony, where they handed out little shamrock plaques and gnome statues, haha.

Overall, I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised and quite proud of my performance. It was an awesome feeling to know that all of my hard efforts on training runs these past two months have been paying off, and I now know that a sub-2:05 half marathon (and, someday, maybe even a sub-2!) is something that is well within my reach once again. I don’t have to be happy to just “finish” a race any more, and I NEED to learn how to develop even just an ounce of confidence in my abilities when it comes to setting and reaching time goals.

It has been a long time that I’ve felt truly proud and excited by that finish time on the clock, and this race helped give me a big chunk of my confidence back. I’m hoping that with a bit more rest (and maybe a skipped karate class or two) in the days leading up to my next half marathon later this month — which is supposed to be a nice, FLAT course! — that I might just surprise myself even more. It was definitely the hardest I’ve pushed myself in a while, and the fact that I didn’t die (or really struggle beyond my usual leg fatigue) means that I have to be doing something right!

 Have you ever run a race for St. Patrick’s Day?

Have you ever performed significantly better than your expectations in a race?

Last Friday night was my Taekwondo graduation…

…and I was FINALLY promoted to red belt! Which officially makes me an “advanced” student. And it means that my new combinations and forms have lots of jumping kicks and all kinds of other cool stuff that will probably make me pull my back out or something. But it LOOKS pretty awesome!

Since we got walloped with another several inches of snow during yet another storm yesterday (UGH), I also thought it was an appropriate time to share our adventures from last weekend’s long run of 12 miles. You know, one one of the OTHER days this week that it snowed…and snowed…and snowed.

We took our run to the streets of Cranford since we were in the area to have dinner with my family. It was my old hood before I moved in with Todd, and sometimes I miss running there terribly…there are lots of parks and always other runners out and a cute little downtown area. And, frankly, it’s nice to not have to worry about getting lost…which is something that STILL happens to me on a fairly regular basis since I moved, haha.

But, of course, it just HAD to start snowing literally the second we started running (it wasn’t supposed to start until the afternoon, so we should have had plenty of time)!

What began only as some light flurries pretty much transformed into a full-on snow storm by the time we were done with mile 6, so we fought our way through the rapidly-accumulating snow. In my mind, we were already halfway done, so there was no way I was packing it in and turning around at that point!

Plus, I still was enjoying running in my old neighborhood, and the parks looked pretty spectacular blanketed in all of the snow. Honestly, I didn’t so much mind the cold…but it’s not always fun to have icy water whipping you in the face or your eyelashes getting stuck together. It definitely kept things interesting!

I was excited because I was keeping a pretty solid 9:45/mile pace for the majority of the run — and I felt GOOD — so it was a little frustrating to have to slow down as the road conditions became icier and more slippery.

But we did it!

And some of us looked like this afterwards. LOL. Gotta love frozen eyebrows and eyelashes.

I was happy that we still managed to keep up a pace of about 10:15-10:30 in the last couple of miles as the snow started piling up. Not only did I feel my feet slipping everywhere, but trying to actually RUN through even just a few inches of snow accumulation is pretty freakin’ tough on the legs! We finished with right around 2 hours on the Garmin, which was what I was hoping for.

And we got to visit with the little Nelson family snow dog, who was very anxious to come outside and greet us upon our return.

Anyway, I knew you guys would appreciate the fact that Cranford also happens to be home to the most AMAZING SNOWMAN EVER. I’ve seen it driving by, but still hadn’t gotten a chance to take a really close look. So what better time to check it out than in the middle of a long run?

There’s this local guy who makes these gargantuan snow sculptures every time it snows (which means he’s been pretty busy lately!), and needless to say, his latest creation has been getting a lot of attention. Like, in the form of people stopping their cars and holding up traffic on the busy road in front of his house, or families walking up with their kids to pose for photos with it.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen…it’s a GIANT OLAF!

I knew you all would appreciate this as much as I did. I am OBSESSED with this snowman! And, yes, the first time we ran by and wanted to take a picture, there was actually a LINE of people waiting…but when we came back later (somewhere in mile 10), I guess all the snow scared the people away, so we finally got to take our turn.

I’m always looking for distractions during a long run, and I think it’s safe to say we got it! We have 14 miles on the calendar for this Sunday, but thankfully it’s supposed to warm up this weekend. You know, to, like, 35 degrees.

Do you want to build a snowman?

(Haha, okay, I’m corny)…here are your REAL questions:

Have you ever/do you ever run in the snow?

What’s the coolest/most unusual thing you’ve ever seen on a long run?

Better late than never, right?

I usually spend the majority of January prepping for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend (half recap HERE, full recap HERE, in case you missed ‘em!) and the following weeks basking in all the post-Disney happiness.

WDW Marathon Weekend = A SUCCESS
(P.S. Anyone else heartbroken that the hat is almost completely gone?!)

It’s always nice to kick off a new year with a marathon, but now that January is over, I thought it was time to get serious about the rest of my goals for this year.

And I am happy to announce that I am officially registered for yet another marathon.

Marathon #5 will be…

::::::::::::::::::::drumroll, please::::::::::::::::::::

www.thenewjerseymarathon.com

(And, just for the record, this was all Todd’s idea…so if anything goes horribly wrong, it’s my full intention to blame him.)

Honestly, I wasn’t planning to run another marathon this soon. I figured I’d take a little bit of a breather, maybe do some half marathons, and gear up for another bout of marathon training in the late summer/fall.

But I’ve already done the New York Marathon…might as well run one that takes place literally 20 minutes from our house.

One of my first half marathons was the Long Branch Half Marathon back in 2013, which is part of the New Jersey Marathon — so it’ll be kind of cool to return and “go all the way” this time. And to be honest, I have a hard time finding the motivation to get out there and run if I don’t have a goal, so I think a spring marathon is probably the best way to keep my momentum going!

2013 Long Branch Half…seems SO long ago.

Also? I want a sub-five. BAD.

I KNOW I could have done better in New York. I KNOW I could have pushed harder in my training…and I definitely KNOW that I wasn’t properly prepared for the course/conditions. I am positive that I can do better, and seeing how this course is supposedly pretty pancake-like (and it will hopefully still be fairly cool in April), I’m hoping I can finally see a “4″ in front of my marathon time!

But in addition to training for a marathon — AGAIN — I’ve also set my sights on some other health/fitness/running goals I hope to accomplish this year. And what better way to stay accountable than to announce them to the world?

1.) Get Fast Again. Okay, so I was never really “fast,” per se’. But ever since I started focusing on marathons, my average pace has climbed from somewhere in the 9:15 area to more like a 10:30. My half marathon times have jumped from around a 2:05 to a 2:25. And for the past several months, I’ve felt nothing but discouraged and sluggish. It’s hard to feel motivated to run when you feel like you’re running through molasses all the time. My legs are always tired, and I couldn’t/wouldn’t find the energy to do any sort of speedwork.

I want my “old” paces back, and I want them back NOW.

Here’s the thing, though…I kinda sorta have no flippin’ clue how to go about this. I used to just naturally run a 10ish-minute/mile, and my pace just improved with consistency alone. And that was that. I have to be honest and say I haven’t done a whole lot of speedwork. And definitely not in conjunction with training for a marathon.

This past weekend, I thought I’d push myself a little harder on some shorter distances, just to see what I could do…and what it would feel like to try to run faster again. And for the first time in forever (*cue Frozen song*) I managed to run a 3-miler in 30 minutes, and then the next day, I challenged myself a little harder to run 4 miles in under 40 minutes.

I was right around a 9:10 for the first mile, then a 9:20, then a 9:30, and a 9:40. I haven’t seen those kinds of paces in probably a year. Granted, it was not easy…those paces used to feel completely comfortable to me, and this time, I was sucking some serious wind. But I surprised myself. I CAN do it. It’s not going to be easy, but I hope that if I start pushing myself a little harder again, I can get back to where I was.

2.) Set a New Half PR. So, I have a confession. My half marathon PR? It’s 2:03, and it’s from my very first half marathon (I’m not counting the Princess Half, because I did NOT run that one for time). It was way back in April 2013.

And that is just SAD.

“Runapalooza” in Asbury Park: my half marathon PR. TWO YEARS AGO.

Since then, I’ve come close (that year I ran a bunch of halfs in 2:04, 2:07, 2:10…) but never actually beat it. This infuriates me to no end because you’d think that with all the finish lines I’ve crossed since then, I should have seen some improvement from my first race EVER, right?!

You know how I said I wanted a sub-five marathon? Well, I want a sub-two half marathon just as badly.

Clearly, I’m not training properly — and I will be the FIRST to admit that — and that’s something that needs to change pronto. I’m proud of all of my accomplishments, don’t get me wrong…but at the same time, I’m tired of “just” being happy to finish. I want to get better. I want to know that all the hours I pour into running are actually paying off.

In other news, I just realized that my half PR will no longer be useable when I apply for corral placement in Disney races. We *MAY* be running the Wine & Dine Half Marathon this year, and proof of time has to be from a race after November 2013. And I really don’t have any times from last year that are even remotely close to 2 hours. *Insert panic here.* You know I don’t run Disney race for time, but I DO want the best corral placement I can have…mainly so I can get to the characters (and the post-race PARTAY) a little faster.

Which means I have no choice but to stop resting on my laurels and actually get out there and RACE again. The plan is to take this month to start slowly building up some mileage (I’m using a beginner marathon plan for now), but mainly focus on speed for the shorter runs and trying to improve my longer run performance (more consistent paces, etc.). I hope to run a race or two in March to see what I can do…since I’m going to need the flattest course possible and cooler temperatures if I have any hopes of performing well.

Getting our marathon training started…on snow and ice. Gotta love it.

We’re thinking of possibly doing The Love Run in Philadelphia, and there’s also a local 10-miler for St. Patrick’s Day (which I’ve also done in the past) but I recall it being nothing but hills…which is no bueno for me.

I’m realistic enough to know that my next half isn’t going to be a PR, but I’d like to get a little bit closer to 2:00. That way, I can take most of March and April to continue training for the marathon…and then maybe try another half or two (any of you New Jerseyans ever run the Wildwood Half?!) afterwards.

3.) Tackle a Tri. I’ve been talking about this one for, like, ever. I’d love to see what I can do in a multi-sport race. I love cycling, but between running and karate, I never feel like I can squeeze it into my weekly training regimen. And because of my fear of the swimming portion — I CAN swim, but I’m definitely not the strongest swimmer — I keep putting it off.

But I looked into a few local triathlons, like the Jersey Girl Triathlon, which seems perfect for a beginner like me. It’s a 3-mile run, 11-mile bike ride, and 300-yard swim. I haven’t signed up yet, so nothing is official. But I figure I’d already be well trained to take on a 3-mile run (duh), and whenever I do cycle it’s always for at least 10 miles, so I’d just have to become a little more consistent.

As for the swimming…well…I figure it’s a great form of cross-training, and I won’t be racing in the late spring/early summer (TOO HOT), so I can focus on improving my performance in the water.

4.) Drop a Few Lbs. I haven’t really written about this here yet. But I’m sure ya’ll can see that I don’t look quite the same as the picture in my blog header, which was taken two years ago. Ever since I started running marathons, I’ve watched my body change. I’m still wearing the same size and everything, but jeans that used to be loose just fit me now, some of my old running shorts are a little too tight for comfort, and some of my dresses are showing a bit more in my mid-section than I’d care to see. I’ve watched my legs and arms continue to get a little bulkier, which I do attribute partially to the Thai/Taekwondo and running — and that’s fine — but I find myself feeling self-conscious about my body again. And I hate it.

I had finally reached a point where I felt good about my body. Then I become more physically active than I’ve ever been, run a couple of marathons…and start to put weight back on? Where’s the fairness in THAT?!

I’ve been struggling to strike the balance between eating what my body needs to fuel my running — particularly for marathon training — and yet not overdoing it. I struggle with the “rungries” constantly, and that assumption that because I ran for 2 or 3 or 4 hours on a Sunday, that I can eat whatever I want. I haven’t weighed myself in more than 2 years, nor do I even a little bit care what my current weight is. I spent my entire life chained to that scale, and allowed a stupid little plastic box to crush my self-esteem time and time again.

All I care about is feeling comfortable in my own skin again, so my goal for this year is to get back to where I was, mentally speaking. I don’t plan to go back to counting POINTs again, but I know enough about portion sizes and how much I was eating when I lost the weight to simply tighten things up a bit and be more careful about what I’m putting into my body.

5.) Cook More. To that end, we’ve been making a more serious effort to cook in this house. Both of us pretty much suck at it, and I have absolutely no patience whatsoever in the kitchen. Truth be told, I really don’t enjoy cooking AT ALL. I know how to read nutrition labels, so I’ve always tried to pick the healthiest, most “natural” stuff to stock the kitchen…but we’ve been relying on frozen conveniences just a tad too often.

So I’ve turned back to Weight Watchers, so to speak, and we’re making an effort to try at least 2-3 new recipes a week from their database (my mom still has an active membership, so I just log-in under her name…shhhhhhh). I like it because the recipes are genuinely good (and good-for-you!) and you can filter them by prep time, difficulty level, etc…and there’s no shortage of main meal options that even an idiot like me can put together. And I’ve ordered a few cookbooks from Amazon. So, we’ll see what happens.

20 minutes ’til dinner? That’s what I’m talkin’ about…

6.) Become a brown belt. I’m still plugging away at Taekwondo. Now that I’m no longer considered a beginner, the higher belt level classes tend to be a little later in the evening — which means I can squeeze more of them into my weekly schedule.

I’m still way behind the other adults I joined with (who can make several classes per week), and that can be discouraging sometimes. And as much as I love martial arts, I know the wear-and-tear it puts on my legs isn’t always ideal for marathon training! But I’m doing the best I can to make it to class and work on mastering my curriculum for each belt…so, hopefully, I’ll be testing for my red belt soon, and maybe even my brown belt by the end of 2015! Patience is a virtue, right?

How are you doing on your 2015 goals?

Who has tips on speedwork for me?!

Northeast peeps…what are some of your favorite local half marathons?

I’m officially a black belt in Muay Thai kickboxing.

For the past couple of months, if I wasn’t out running, then I was at my karate school. The announcement of the black belt testing for Thai candidates definitely wasn’t ideal timing for me; as I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been running myself ragged trying to get to classes and squeeze in sparring practice AND log my weekly training runs for the marathon next month.

I’ve been EXHAUSTED, and there’s a part of me that is very, very glad this test is over and I can focus on training for NYCM. (And get back to my Taekwondo classes!)

Especially since this past weekend, I got to run 19 miles and skip a rest day in favor of my Thai test. I also feel I should mention that because my test was on Sunday, I had to run my 19 miles on Saturday.

IN. THE. FREAKIN’. POURING. RAIN.

I generally don’t mind running in the rain. I will take a wet, rainy run over a hot, humid run ANY DAY. But this wasn’t just rain. What started out as a misty drizzle in the early miles of my run turned into several periods of downpours.

I was soaked by mile 6, and the park where I was running was starting to flood. I stepped in several massive puddles that completely soaked my socks and sneakers. And even though the park is normally filled with runners on a weekend morning, I was pretty much all alone with the exception of a handful of fellow diehard runners. We all just kind of nodded to each other, as if to say, “yeah…we’ve all lost our damn minds.”

But I kept plodding along. I really, really couldn’t let myself quit, and I didn’t want to have to postpone another long run. By mile 10, I couldn’t take the discomfort of my wet socks any longer, so I took a brief pause to drive back home and change into dry running clothes. Then I headed right back out to finish the last 9 miles close to home.

Up until mile 15 or so, I was dealing with the crappy weather and still felt pretty strong. But the last couple of miles were a bit of a struggle. My shoes were soaked again, and the inserts came loose and were sliding all over the place, so I kept having to take my sneakers off to adjust them. (Like I don’t have enough problems when I’m trying to run 19 miles!) And, of course, my body was starting to feel it — between all the karate and the running, my legs have been DEAD lately.

BUT…I did it. And in my mind, that’s all that counts.

Running in the rain got pretty annoying after awhile, but I have to admit, it made me feel a little bit like a badass. (Not to mention a moron).

Speaking of feeling like a badass…I woke up on Sunday with only minimal soreness from the previous day’s long run, and still had plenty of energy to get up and complete my Thai kickboxing test (which was a bit of a disappointment, because I don’t think the master actually delivered the intensity that the class usually demands).

I was disappointed in how rushed the test felt, especially the sparring; I’ve been training so hard, and he really only had us out there for a couple of minutes. It was the first time I had to “gear up” and fight in front of people…but I have to say, I loved it. It’s such an adrenaline rush, and it was so cool to be able to demonstrate all of the things I’ve learned over the past couple of years.

I felt my partner and I both did great, especially given our limited sparring experience, and it’s something I plan to continue. But maybe after the marathon.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time this weekend thinking about how far I’ve come. I wandered into a local karate school with a Groupon for three Thai kickboxing classes way back in 2011. I remember feeling so awkward and intimidated, and wasn’t sure if I was “in shape” enough to keep up with the rest of the class.

It only took one class, and I was hooked. I was pushed to my physical limits right from that first day, and even now, this is a workout that NEVER gets easy, and there’s always something new to learn.

These kickboxing classes started as a way for me to maintain my weight loss. I felt myself growing bored at the gym, and was terrified that I’d lose motivation and start gaining weight again. I was desperate to find something that would challenge me physically and give me the push I needed to move forward in my fitness journey.

Today, martial arts is a HUGE part of my life. And, in a lot of ways, I do credit Thai kickboxing with giving me the courage to start running. If nothing else, my journey in the Thai program has taught me just how strong I really am — physically and mentally.

Martial arts helped me see myself as a strong, fit person for the first time in my life. It made me realize just how tough I actually am, and that I was more than capable to go out and sign up for a 5K race…and then a 10K…and then a half…until I worked my way up to the full 26.2. If it weren’t for this program, I would have been way too intimidated to try Taekwondo, and I probably wouldn’t have an overflowing race medal hanger displayed on my wall.

So while this black belt means a lot to me, it doesn’t hold a candle to everything martial arts has done for me over the past couple of years. All throughout my weight loss journey, I used to get complimented about how “amazing” I looked, and all I cared about was being “skinny.” But these days, there’s nothing that makes me feel better about myself than when a fellow Thai or TKD classmate compliments my strength.

I look forward to seeing where it takes me over the next couple of years — hopefully, a black belt in Taekwondo, and maybe even another marathon or two…or six.

Have you ever done a long run in the rain?

Is there another activity you feel has helped support your running goals?

Long story short, I’ve been swamped with work lately. When you’re a starving freelance writer, trying to stay on top of deadlines and schedule interviews and meetings and submit revisions and answer last-minute questions and, basically, keep all of your clients happy, can suck up your entire life. Which has left me ZERO time for recreational writing (i.e.blogging), as of late. (Not that I’m complaining, believe me!)

However, I really wanted to pop back in to let you know that 1.) I didn’t drop dead or anything and 2.) provide some updates on my New York City Marathon training.

Because, as my headline might suggest, we are now down to the FINAL MONTH before I run NYC!

One month from today! Photo credit: competitor.com

So, here’s the story. My training hasn’t exactly been going as well as I had hoped. Don’t get me wrong, I’m doing the absolute best I can, and I’m being as consistent as humanly possible when it comes to squeezing in those weekend long runs, including the “scale-back” long runs of 12 or 13 miles in between each longer distance.

But training in the summer damn near killed me. I’ve truly hated it. And I sort of resent the fact that now that it’s FINALLY starting to cool down, I’ll be tapering in a matter of two weeks! Seeing the “slower” paces on my Garmin and feeling how drained I was after an “easy” five-miler when it was 80+ degrees has really messed with my confidence, I have to say, and I feel like I really have absolutely no clue how I’m going to do come Nov. 2.

I did a 16-miler that was an absolute DISASTER. I started early in the morning but it was a HOT day, and lucky for me, my monthly friend decided to arrive that morning. Between the intense crampage and the fatigue and the sun beating down on me, I was in pure agony every step of the way, and — I kid you not — cried my eyes out for pretty much the last 5k. Good thing I was wearing sunglasses. But I fought through it. I ripped off my sneakers and collapsed in the park at the end, and took this fine “proof” photo for you guys, haha.

My 18-miler, on the other hand, started out FANTASTIC. It happened to be a cool, crisp morning. The sun wasn’t out and it felt like fall for the first time, and I knocked out the first 10 miles without any effort at all. It was the first time in a long time that I actually found myself enjoying a run — which is sad, but true. At one point I even thought to myself, “oh, that’s right…I actually DO enjoy this!” The last 8 were a little harder because it was starting to warm up — and, you know, I was tired — but I still finished that run feeling fairly strong and confident that I would be okay on race day.

You’ll notice the 16-miler and 18-miler took me almost the same amount of time, haha

Meanwhile, my mid-week runs haven’t been the most consistent. My plan is basically calling for 3 mid-week runs between 5 and 8 miles, and I gotta tell you, I don’t always have time to get that 8-miler in, or a second 5-miler. I’ve been overwhelmed with assignments and I have a completely full load of piano students now that school is in session again, and it’s no easy feat trying to juggle it all. I would say I’ve been getting in two mid-week runs and the long run on weekends, and I’m lucky to get in a rare fourth run each week.

Don’t think I’m sitting around eating bon-bons on my non-running days, however. My other issue as of late? My karate “master” decided that October would be the month to hold his next black belt test in Thai kickboxing, for which I am eligible. I earned my bo-black belt in Jan. 2013, and now I’m ready to test for the black belt.

What that has translated to is making a commitment to getting in as many Thai classes per week as possible, including the weekend classes I’ve been skipping ever since I moved 30 minutes away from my karate school, on top of candidate-only classes and extra sessions on sparring led by a fellow black-belt candidate. That is to say, most days I will do a run and at least one karate class, if not two. This past weekend I logged 8 miles, then a Thai class, then a Thai candidate class, and then an hour-long sparring session. Yep. I pretty much have no life right now.

I will have to spar with full gear at my test this weekend, and guess what? I had never actually sparred before! We’ve done plenty of drills and I’ve done some basic sparring without pads, but if you want to test for your black belt, you actually have to fight others. Like, for real. So I panicked and have been spending pretty much every waking moment at Karate World to get as comfortable as possible with the idea of going head-to-head against a real person.

My usual fighting partner…

Meanwhile, I earned my blue belt in Taekwondo in August, and have also been trying to squeeze in at least one or two blue belt classes each week so I can learn the curriculum and not have to wait all of 6+ months to advance to red belt.

Needless to say…it has been HARD to make it all work. And I’m EXHAUSTED. I’m basically comatose by 10pm every night, and I am pretty much always in pain. Whether my calves are tight and my hips are sore from running, or my quads are aching or lower back is stiff from karate, my body has just about had it.

I have my 19-miler this week, and then since I had to skip last weekend’s scale-back run last week of 13 miles in favor of taking a zillion Thai classes on Saturday and Sunday, I’m going right into the 20-miler the following week. My test will be over and I know things will calm down, but because I’ve seen nothing but my “summer” paces for months now, and my body is especially worn out from all the running and karate, I kind of feel like I’m going into the marathon blindly with no sense of how I’m actually going to do when I’ve had a little time to recover and the weather will (hopefully) be a lot cooler.

The moral of the story? No matter what, I am EXCITED for this race, and I know I’m going to finish. I feel very fortunate to be in the kind of physical shape where I can enjoy all of these different activities and remain injury-free (KNOCK ON WOOD), and that I’m capable of setting these ambitious fitness goals for myself. So, who am I to complain?

That being said, I know I may not be able to bang out my “A” goal next month. I’ve come to terms with that. Sometimes life gets in the way, and all you can do is the best you can do, right? I’ll be thrilled with my “B” or even more conservative “C” goal of under 5 hours…but even if I don’t make that, I know this marathon is going to be AMAZING. I am so excited to be thisclose to race day!

How has life gotten in the way of your training?

Does anyone else look forward to tapering as much as I do?

But first, here’s a look at last week’s training for the New York City Marathon!

Mon., Aug. 18: Taekwondo class and Thai kickboxing class

Tue., Aug. 19: Rest

Wed., Aug. 20: 4 miles and Thai kickboxing class

Thur., Aug. 21: 7 miles (4-mile run, 3-mile run) and Taekwondo class

Fri., Aug. 22: Taekwondo class and graduation

Sat., Aug. 23: Rest

Sun., Aug. 24: 15 miles

Total weekly mileage: 30 miles

This week was the first time I’ve ever tried splitting up a longer run. I just didn’t have the time to run the 7 miles on Thursday that my plan called for, especially since the majority of my shorter runs took place in the middle of the day last week. Between the heat killing my pace and causing me to stop to drink water constantly, it seems like anything over 3 or 4 miles takes me FOREVER to finish.

So I ran 4 miles earlier in the day, taught a couple of piano lessons, went to Taekwondo class, and immediately went out for another 3 miles. Needless to say, I was pretty tired at the end of the day, but I would definitely consider using the run-splitting technique again. I got the miles in…and that’s all that counts right?

This Sunday’s long run also went fairly well. It was in the lower- to mid-70′s and sunny, so it wasn’t the WORST conditions I’ve run in this summer…but definitely not the best, either! Todd ran his first double-digit run since our last half marathon back in May, and I took on 15 miles.

I won’t say that these long runs are getting easier, per se’ — especially since I hate waking up so freakin’ early and yet STILL struggling in the heat — but I will say I can feel that my training is working, and I’m feeling stronger and stronger every week!

Soooo gross. Is it fall yet?!

But the big news of this week? I’m finally a blue belt in Taekwondo!

I tested on Monday and attended my graduation on Friday, where I completed several musical forms (Todd tried videotaping me kicking and punching to patriotic music for you guys, but the video came out REALLY dark, sorry!) We also have to memorize combinations to advance to each belt level, and like the forms, perform ALL of them in addition to those we learned for our next belt. It’s a LOT to remember, I’ll tell you that much.

The purple belt form took me MONTHS to get down, and it’s to the Star Spangled Banner.

We were supposed to be holding flags for this form, lol

And, of course, you have to break a board before you get your new belt. In my case, with a sidekick.

In the Taekwondo belt hierarchy at my school, that means I only have three more belts to go before I can test for my black belt.

Photo credits: All “action” shots courtesy of this young lady and her snazzy camera, haha

It’ll be a looooong process, and studying Taekwondo really is no joke. Every single technique you learn is not only physically demanding, but has to be PERFECT before you’re allowed to move on. In fact, my “master” (sounds weird to call him that outside the context of the school, but, that’s basically what he is!) wouldn’t allow me to graduate last month because my toes weren’t pointed at the proper angle in a front-stance.

Taekwondo demands perfection at all times, which can be nerve-wracking, to say the least — but also really flippin’ exciting when you finally master a new technique!

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found not one, but TWO physical activities that I’m so passionate about. Honestly, if I didn’t start taking Thai kickboxing classes, I’m not sure if I would have had the guts to try running…and I definitely spent the first couple of years of my time at Karate World totally intimidated by the Taekwondo students!

There is SO much to learn, and what I like most about both martial arts and running is that it’s all about the mind-body connection. Whether you’re pushing yourself to your physical (and mental!) limits to get to that finish line on a race course, or practicing over and over and OVER to perfect the art of a reverse sidekick or master your next form, both activities are all about developing that inner strength and discipline to set and achieve new goals.

And it’s become very clear to me that I thrive on tangible goals…whether it’s a new shiny race medal or my next belt in karate.

Have you ever split a longer run into two shorter runs?

In addition to running, are there any other physical activities you’re passionate about?