heat and beat feet

I composed this in my head as the next blog post but it's been so crazy at work, i'm only just getting it down.

Training for the marathon has gone very well. I've done the work. I've worked hard on the areas I know I tend to lag at which are consistent long tempo runs and the mental training that comes through working on that. I used to have a lot of long runs that just ended up as slogging shuffles and I think working on hip/glute issues has kept those issues at bay (as well as helped foot issues).  That's my guess anyway.

I feel ready and looking forward to a tough battle out there on the roads. What I've been most fearful about has been weather. we've had a fairly warm late fall and the temps had stayed in the 40s pretty consistently. Then the temps have dropped and we've been in the 30s. The best i can hope for forecast for my goal marathon? This marathon has an early start so i should be done by 10 am. I hope that the temps will be on the low side in mid 40s and rise to mid 60s by the time i finish. I expect higher humidity (which I am used to).  That can be 20 to 30 degrees higher than what i am used to at this time. 

So what to do? I researched all about heat training and decided to do something about it.  That meant that the last couple of weeks i've done three runs a week all bundled up. One of those runs (sometimes two) has been on the treadmill with typical indoor temps. And I have also been exploring the gyms in my area and acclimitzing to higher temps by sitting in dry saunas (and a steam room when available). 

It's been interesting. I can say that I am definitely more accustomed to these warmer runs. I do start sweating earlier and am really surprised by how sopping wet my layers have gotten. I have to remind myself to drink a lot more to hydrate afterwards too. This is in line with expected adaption to heat. You sweat earlier and more.

The sauna has been quite enjoyable overall. Really it feels wonderful going to bake yourself when it is freezing outside.  The first time i tried this i lasted about 30 minutes in the sauna. After a couple weeks about every other day, i am now more comfortable and last 50 minutes. I definitely have noticed that I am sweating earlier. The first couple times i did this i could feel my heart rate going up (expected) but the last couple times it took much longer for this to happen. I have been leery of bringing electronics into the rooms so i just bring a magazine until i get too soggy to hold it. Another unexpected byproduct is that i start to lose the ability to really concentrate so generally just lie down and try and relax instead of reading.

We'll see what this does. It certainly cannot hurt!

What can hurt is what I've been doing at work. We are in the middle of a multi-stage, multi-floor office move within our existing building. By the end of the week, i've been on my feet non-stop and my legs were aching. Anytime i'm not up and about (or running, ha!) i am trying to sit with my feet up. I will have a couple days off before teh marathon so that'll have to do.  I broke out the compression calf socks to wear at work and those do seem to feel better.

Taper on!

The Non Running Weekend

It doesn't mean that there is no running. It just means the focus is elsewhere. Taper is like that. Sort of. A lovely foggy run and lots (lots!) of yard work. 

The Last Workout

It's been a week.

The events at the Boston Marathon and in Boston were horrific and hit so close to home on so many levels. I had many friends running in the event and wasn't sure if families were also in the area. Everyone was safe but the unknown was really scary and i was really feeling the after effects of that. I've heard from a lot of running and triathlete friends that this event has only strengthened their resolve to continue to do what they love and that includes the support and friendship of the entire community. 

I'm looking forward to joining the running community this weekend for the Eugene Marathon. K is running the half and various other friends are running too. 

The blog always tapers off as I'm tapering. Like usual, i have a lot of doubts going into this race. I get a lot of people telling me that it'll be great, just focus on everything going well etc etc. I'm generally one of the more optimistic people I know but it just doesn't seem to work with racing a marathon. And I think that is the problem, i have a lot of doubts because i haven't really raced a marathon yet and don't have a good feel of how this is going to go. 

I've set some PRs in shorter distances lately and based on training, previous races and how i was feeling, I KNEW that i'd PR if i ran smartly and stayed focus.

I'm feeling great! The weather looks good. Timing seems to be good for me for the month. I'd had the usual blah runs a couple weeks ago and bailed on a planned long run.  This wasn't a problem. Instead of a three week taper, i adjusted my run schedule and bumped the long run to the next weekend. I ran 18 on tired legs and did manage to get do surges of marathon pace every mile for a couple minutes and the last mile at marathon pace. that was a nice confidence boost because i hadn't really felt all that great on the run in general but could still speed up.

I recovered well and started ticking off those last workouts. And finally last week, i had the last workout of the cycle.  and it was done without much trouble. Taper on and enjoy the recovery. it's been nice to sleep in and do a bit of gardening. Not too much because it has been too wet and the back doesn't always agree with gardening. 

The resolve is there. The training is there. The key workouts and health is there.  let's race!  I feel thankful that i can.

And that's a wrap!

Trees around Maple Leaf after snow.

The goal race was this weekend.  We've had an extremely mild winter so far.  What are the chances that winter is going to show up on that weekend I have a goal race? After many years of lucking out, the Nookachamps Winter Run Events got weathered!

I was all prepared to run a half marathon, really I was.  I knew what pace I planned to go out at and what I was aiming for overall. A front was moving through with a mix of cold rain/slushy snow and temps in the mid-30s. Drizzle and temps under 40 I can handle.  Drenching rain in those lower temps?  I had my doubts.

There was a large group of us from CoachLesley.com plus friends of friends and that was fun!  It was great to see/meet everyone including one very new runner who was going to be running her first 10k.  I met up with EC who I did a lot of marathon training with last year.  We went out for a warm-up together and the rain was awful.  And as we turned back towards the start, I realized there was a pretty good wind coming from the south.  Really?

The start was even more chaotic than usual with this race.  All three races (5k, 10k and half) start at the same time with no helpful hints from anyone that slower paced runners and walkers should move to the back.  I couldn't hear anything with the heavy rain.  And without warning, I realized those in front of me were moving!  I guess the race had started.

My goal was to go out at 8:10 for the first mile and keep it feeling easy.  This is a crowded start and as usual, i did see someone trip and go down.  Careful!  I hit 8:09 and realized my shoes were completely soaked.  Hmm.  And oh yes, i was still really chilled even with a tailwind.  the second mile has a long sweeping downhill and I kept it easy (7:45) and was even colder.  And I was soaked. I could feel the crosswind and knew we'd be turning into it after another mile.

And here is where this course is perfect.  At just over 2 miles, the 10k turns off and goes up a hill.  There was no question, I made the turn off and ran a 10k.  It's a really hilly 10k (more hills than in the half i think) adn I didn't worry about pace at this point.  I just wanted to keep it steady and not have a repeat of last year were i fell apart the last mile and realized I had some running form work to do. Much better this year and I kept even splits even with all the hills.  That last mile on the squishy trail wasn't easy but I held it together.  I was a minute faster this year.  If I'd been aiming for the 10k, I'd have started faster too so I'm happy about that.

What was the big challenge with this race?  Taper!  Coach really wanted me to do a proper taper for this half marathon.  I was a little doubtful about how it would play out but decided to go ahead and follow it.  What did I learn?

I completely see the need to cut miles although I doubt I need to cut quite so many miles if I am not running that many overall.  I have been typically running about 30-35 miles per week with either 1 or 2 rest days erring on the side of caution (and weather!). Coach wanted me to cut about 25% of my miles and keep more rest days.  Now she gave me the option of doing some cross training  (bike or row) but as I've had some odd little back issues, I was hesitant to add that in when I haven't been doing much. And, I got so ridiculously stiff that it got hard to run.  I'm not kidding.

I'm on my feet a fair bit at work (going up stairs and walking around) and we debated how much of an impact that has on training recovery.  personally, I think it is a great thing because when I get tired of sitting and need a stretch, I can get up and attend to some other duties.  Coach has been concerned that the extra time on feet takes a toll and I need the strict taper with full rest days for this reason as well.  Again, I have my doubts that this is the case.  I am very used to being on my feet a bit more than the average office worker.  

And then race day, after two weeks of dealing with this, my low back was grumpy and tight the morning of the race.  This never bodes well for having any sort of power on the hills and my hamstrings always feel tight if this happens.  So lesson learned.  I'm "challenging" with taper so obviously we'll be playing with this.

So the race itself was disappointing from the standpoint of I was looking forward to racing a half marathon.  Both weather and taper challenges meant running a hard 10k was a better choice.  Overall it's been a great year though and I've learned a lot.  After that awesome 12k where I was a LOT faster than I expected and held that race pace, I know good things are happening. I'm looking forward to the coming year for a lot of reasons.

And as usual the beer and burger at Skagit River Brewery with even more running friends was wonderful.  We came home and the next day, SNOW!  Woohoo!  Winter, finally.

Staying Busy

Along Bus Trail - Lake Tradition Plateau

WARNING: I'm going to whine.  Taper.  I hate it.  After all the hard training, the hardest part comes right before the goal event.  Taper refers to cutting training load so that your body has a chance to heal, recover and rest.  Tapering doesn't just work with running.  it applies to a lot of sports before a big event.

I'm finding tapering particularly challenging before a half marathon.  With marathon training, I am only too ready to take the 2-3 week break.  I'm tired mentally and physically and it's nice to have the couple weeks to attend to rest of my life.  Half marathon training isn't as demanding with no long runs.  The workouts can be challenging but I recover from them quicker.  So what d'ya mean I gotta cut back running?  I'm feeling so good!  Once I cut back running and take more rest days I just get stiff and sore.

The cure for whining is, of course, a nice and easy and short trail run out at Lake Tradition (see photo top).  I still found it challenging to slow down on some of the non-technical/non-hilly sections but just getting out to somewhere besides the normal running route is always good. 

K spent a couple days of his winter break replacing the lights in our kitchen.  They look great! The holes from the old fixtures needed to be patched and painted. It has been 12 years since we remodeled the kitchen from the studs out and I've wanted to repaint the walls and ceiling anyway.  All patching and painting is done!  It's like having a new kitchen as the new lights are so much better.  LED technology has certainly come far. 

Knitting is always a good thing.  I got to meet a new baby last week.  And that was the perfect excuse to knit baby leg warmers.  They are done and I will send them off tomorrow.  The only model I have is Keswick the Cat and these leg warmers are a little big for him but you get the idea.  Cuteness! 

We went off to the Seattle Asian Art Museum today for a small exhibit of "Painting Seattle: Tokita and Nomura" who were well known Japanese-American artists before World War II. It's a very small but a well done exhibit when ends mid-February.  See it if you can.

And driving out of volunteer park we came across the Conservatory.  How did I not know about this little gem in the middle of Seattle?  I had no idea that such a place existed and was quite delighted with the lovely room progression. On one of those freezing February days where you just cannot get warm, go here!

And to prove that taper only increases the thinking about running, as we were driving from Volunteer Park we saw a very nice little lookout park that would make a very nice running route addition with some serious hills. Gotta look at that map!  

I'm dreaming of a white Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving!  

 It's snowing right now in Seattle and all week we've had unseasonable low temps.  How low?  We saw 19 on our thermometer.  The temps dropped on Monday, we got dumped on in blizzard-like conditions and the temps have stayed below freezing since.  Today the snow will transition to rain and that is just fine.  Our street on top of a hill becomes a snow-packed skating rink.  We can walk down the hill to get to buses and still get to work but driving is out (for me at least). With the hills and inexperienced drivers (I include myself in that), it can be bumper cars out on the streets. 

It really is a forced taper!  There is no way I'd go run in this unless I could easily get to the path around Green Lake.  Snow running (in screw shoes) is great fun as long as you don't have to watch for hidden curbs/potholes and the disturbingly stupid SUV drivers.  So there has been lots of sitting on the couch with cats and they are very thankful for this weather!  Do you see how smug and content Keswick looks? 

Oh Taper, how I love thee. Let me count the ways.

My legs are tight and stiff and I feel blah.

How can I run a marathon on these legs?

It was SNOWING today and the forecast is for the high not to be above FREEZING the next couple of days.

Why am I running a marathon in Seattle in late November?

Every ache I've had over this training cycle seems to be amplified right now.  26.2 miles?  Really? 

It's time to get outta my head and not worry about it.  Time to trust the training AND the taper. 

The most telling item for me is that I took a spill on my run tuesday morning.  I was trying to hurry to get out of the way of a car which wasn't going to see me and misjudged a curb and splat.  down I went.  I was afraid I'd broken my wrist at first but i just have a nice big bruise.  I didn't land all too hard on my hip/outside of knee as it was on grass.  Still I have a very colorful bruise on the outside of my knee.  It's a mild fall.  I was sore from it for a couple days but not bad.

before each of my previous two marathons, I have also taken a fall in the week before the marathon.  Before Eugene, the fall was bad enough for my knee to swell up and I couldn't run for a few days as it was so sore and swollen.  Hey!  Things are better now.  I fell over a week before the marathon and it wasn't too bad.

Why do I fall at this point?  I've had to think about it a bit.  Training is done.  I have to cut back miles and take the time to rest.  I relax.  It's that feeling of relaxing and training is done which prompts the inattention.  And boom.  Down I go.   

Everyone has been asking me what pace I'm aiming for and I'm am not even willing to discuss it.  Nope.  it's too early.  I'll know the day off the race.  Meanwhile, I'll relax and not fall and I won't be doing anymore runs in the dark because of the days off coming with the Thanksgiving holiday.  I know not to worry about how my legs feel before a race.  Feeling blah doesn't predict anything. 

I am very excited about the marathon and it's time to just focus on that.  So I will. 

Seattle Marathon random musings.

Even with the threat of a winter storm in the Cascades pending, I'm realizing that training, taper and marathon recovery fits well for me with the Seattle Marathon in late November.

It was a bit tough to get up for those early morning runs once it got so dark but it did stay warmer this fall.  Yeah, it's been wet but I never find the rain all that bad.  And here it doesn't typically rain that hard or for that long.  Now as I approach the marathon (less than two weeks!), it is a pleasure not getting up in the dark to go for a run.  Ha! And I'm sure after the marathon, I'll happily take it easy with all the holiday fuss and weather issues.

I've tested out what I want to wear for the marathon and I'm prepared for it all.  The worst possible weather I could have would be temps over 50 degrees.  fortunately, that is pretty unlikely here at this time!  I feel like I should go light some candles to the running gods with that statement however.  No heat wave in November, please!  

I looked back at what I've done for taper for the past two marathons and realized it was probably way too much.  I can see that now with some experience.  After a bit of discussion with my coach, I'm planning on about 25 miles this week (60% of weekly mileage) with some shorter and faster stuff (800s at half marathon pace with full recoveries).  I got a massage and really need to focus on staying loose.  next week, I'll just run 10-12 miles in the week before with a couple at just below marathon pace 3-4 days out from the marathon.

It's tough to go from running so much to barely running at all.  I get really stiff and that can pull hips/back out of alignment for me. I've got a slightly annoyed hamstring/adductor which should settle down with rest and some TLC.   I'll continue to do some easy core/weights on a regular basis and my daily yoga.  Keswick as you can see above really enjoys these sessions! 

I really hope it just pours this coming week.  I'll be inside knitting. 

No sign of Taper Madness.  yet.

Is Taper Here Yet?

YES!   

Lincoln Marathon is three weeks out.  I am tired and had to force myself out for runs this past week (M-6, T-7.8, W- 3.1, 8.3, Th-7.5, F -off).  That does not mean I've not had good runs this past week.  I had a fantastic track workout with mile repeats on Wednesday.  I am definitely to that point where the bulk of the training is done and I'm ready to start the process of tapering so that all my hard work will (hopefully) pay off.  

I've never really felt I needed that much of a taper in previous marathons.  And since my mileage had never been that high (40s), i think that was correct.  I've been pretty consistently at 50 mpw which is a lot for me and I am ready for the break from running.  I'll cut volume but I am hesitant of cutting quality.  The harder, shorter efforts should work to bring back a bit of speed while my body rests and recovers.  I have some minor little tweaks going on but taper, better self care since i'll have more time and a good massage should do the trick.  

I'm also tired just because I am hitting that lull in my cycle where runs are a struggle and I just feel low energy anyway.  yep, it's that menstrual cycle thing.  My last marathon hit on pretty much the worst day during my cycle and there was nothing really to do except gut it out.  So far, things seem to be going well timing-wise and Lincoln looks like a go.  After a big of googling, I did find a reasoning for why things feel so off at this time.  

  

"Impact on training

The hardest time to race efficiently, for athletes experiencing a menstrual cycle, is during the week before menstruation and a week after ovulation (Tracy Williams Ph. D 1993). At these times increased levels of progesterone simulate the brain's respiratory centre increasing ventilation rates (progesterone is also linked to the mood swings). Athletes use breathing rate as an indicator of exercise intensity so exercise can tend to feel harder at these times."

Link

Personally I know I need more calories in the five days before my menstrual cycle.  I crave higher fat items, more protein and beef specifically and if I don't plan for extra snacks at work, I end up eating sugary junk and just feel even worse.  Even though I eat more in this time, I do not gain extra weight once I'm through the worst days.  Short, hard efforts like 5k's are doable but longer efforts can be challenging.  Oh I can do it, but it feels much harder and race pace is problematical.  (And then wait a week, and the very same workout WILL feel easy so it is enough to make you think you are crazy but it's just hormones, i've learned.) 

There was just this little thing called a Last Long Run on the schedule this weekend.  20 miles.  Oh I was dragging yesterday at work (a rest day from running).  I'm on my feet a lot during the day and towards the end, my energy was flagging even with extra snacks and a lovely dinner of Beef braised with red wine and basil for dinner for 4 nights!  Run 20 miles the next day? It was unfathomable. I did debate pushing it to Sunday or even pushing it to next weekend but no, i wanted it done.  The little tweak settled with the day off and I knew I could do the miles.  I wouldn't set any speed records but I knew I'd get it done.  

And I did.

I slept in and had breakfast (oatmeal) while I debated the run.  Hubby was kind enough to come pick me up when done from Downtown.  I could've taken the bus, but a quick ride home is the best! I figured out a good 20 mile distance with just enough hills to keep me honest and off I went.  By mile 2, i knew I could do the distance and feel fine.  I had no oomph on the uphills and the fierce northwind was tough to deal with but I just trotted along not concerned at all and ended up with a good long run pace overall.  The gorgeous views of the Olympics off of Magnolia were just stunning.  Mentally this wasn't even a tough run either.  I knew I could do it.  

Evidently training has worked, I'm ready for the taper and really looking forward to Lincoln! If I run as planned tomorrow afternoon, I'll hit 60 run miles for the week.  A new weekly mileage high and one I never, ever thought I'd hit.  Heck, we don't even drive that many miles in a week!