See Chrisy run.

About A Week

The marathon is less than a week away.  I can't express how relieved I'll be when the event is behind me.  Marathon training, at it's peak, dominates and colors a person's life and schedule.  At least it does this person's life and schedule. 

I knew our summer plans as a family were loose, so I could commit to a training plan.  Chris and the boys have been very supportive.  I suppose there's nothing my training has prevented us from doing, but the long, Saturday, training runs have meant quiet Friday nights [nothing out of the ordinary for us].  Other than my unfortunate heat-exhaustion experience, I've felt fine after 17, 18, 20 mile runs and been able to go on hikes or work in the yard for the rest of the day. [Only because my endurance runs are at a VERY slow pace.]

The past couple of weeks, Supermodel and I have had a few days with conflicting schedules.  I enjoy having a training partner, but the days I run solo are nice also.  I'm alone in my thoughts, I talk to God, and I have conversations with people that I won't likely have in real life.  It's cathartic.

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Two things I wish Supermodel could have experienced with me last week...

Ferdinand:  The coolest, small, but stocky, black bull lives in a pasture on one of my running routes.  He roams peacefully amongst the horses and cows, and I LOVE him.  As I ran by one day last week, he was sitting on his rump, just like the passive bull Ferdinand in the 1930s story, with his back towards the fence, making a moany-mooing sound.  He was only a few yards away from where I stood.  I made a clicking noise to get his attention.  He made his moany-mooing sound after my clicks, but he never figured out where the clicks were coming from.  He looked left, then right, but didn't turn around to see me.  I finally resumed my run, but I believe that little bull was sitting there enjoying the view of his pasture, maybe even smelling the flowers like Ferdinand.

*Barefoot Running:  I saw a man running in a pair of the Vibram FiveFingers shoes.  We were running towards each other and I noticed his feet looked different from a distance.  I stopped him and asked how he liked the shoes.  He said he only wears them once a week to work on his form.  I'm not sold.  They're too ugly.  A friend of mine predicts they'll be the next footwear trend for unfashionable lesbians.  If anyone has experience running in these shoes, I'd be interested to know your thoughts.

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I've given up coffee and have been drinking green tea in the hopes that the extra flavonoid antioxidants will boost my immune system.  I have an easy training week ahead.  My personal life is busy with the boys and appointments, etc..., but the running will not add any stress.  I'm almost there.

I feel a little anxious about the race, but I know I'm prepared.  I followed the plan.  I may not break any speed records, but barring an unforeseen glitch, I should accomplish my goal.

I'll let you know in about a week.

*Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Plans Are Good

Supermodel and I ran the Park City Half Marathon today.  Two years ago we completed the full marathon and had a blast. [At least, that's what I keep telling Supermodel.  Remember?  We had fun!]

The past couple of weeks have been hectic for both of us.  We recovered from the Steeplechase, but it took longer than we expected.  We felt sluggish on our training runs for days.  Supermodel had house guests and welcomed a foreign exchange student to her home.  We both have been preparing for our kids to start school.  And I had the misfortune of losing my grandmother on August 20th.  Her death was imminent but observing and experiencing the emotion leading up to her passing was draining.

But, we are not special because we ran a half marathon and managed to squeeze in training runs during busy schedules and exhausting life experiences.  All runners do that.

Our finale, the Mid Mountain Marathon, is in three weeks.  Today marked our last endurance run before the marathon and our training plan specified a 20-miler.  Because the half marathon was only 13.1, Supermodel and I crossed the finish line, I hugged and kissed our adoring fans [Chris and the boys], Chris took a few quick pictures of us, then we returned to the race course to run seven more miles so we could complete the 20 miles; per the plan.  I like plans.  I like to adhere to the plan.  Supermodel?  Respects a plan, but is comfortable screwing with changing the plan.  She was a good friend today and adhered to it.  For me.

[I like this picture because you can see my oldest son standing behind us with a video camera.]

 

We backtracked on the course 3.5 miles, then turned around, returning the last 3.5 to the finish line.  By this time some of the faster full-marathoners were heading towards the finish line too. Our timing chips were removed, but we still had our numbers on so we could take advantage of aid stations.  People were cheering for us because we appeared to be FAST marathoners.  At first I tried to explain as we ran by, "Oh!  No.  We finished the half.  Just trying to pick-up seven to make it a 20-miler, but thank you!" [smiling stupidly]

After several times trying to politely explain, speaking as quickly as possible as I ran by, looking over my shoulder while finishing the too-long and complicated speech, I finally quit explaining.  Supermodel and I found it easier to wave, smile and graciously receive everyone's cheers and expressions, Looking good! Great job!  You're almost there!

We pulled off the course several hundred yards before the finish line and ran on side streets.  It felt good to get the attention of someone who completes 26 miles in the time it took us to run 20, but we needed to back-alley it for a bit.

The next three weeks will be a taper, per the plan.

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For you, my friend...

Blue = completed workouts  Red = workouts awaiting me

Week of August 10th
M - 10 mi easy
T - Cross train 40 minutes [bike]; lift weights
W - 4 miles with 6 x 20 sec strides
Th - 8 miles on trail
F - Cross train 40 minutes [elliptical]; lift weights
Sa - 13 miles on trails
Su - OFF

Week of August 17th
M - 10 mi easy
T - Cross train 40 minutes [bike]; lift weights
W - 6 miles with 5 x 20 sec strides
Th - 6 mi easy
F - Cross train 40 minutes; lift weights - OFF [felt tired]
Sa - Park City Half Marathon PLUS 7 miles for a total of 20 [per THE PLAN]
Su - OFF

Training Plans

I followed a Jeff Galloway training plan for my marathon two years ago.  His plans are known for long endurance runs [26 miles or more, three weeks before the marathon vs. the typical 18-22 mile training runs], 3-4 days of running with two days of cross training, and inserting walk breaks [walking for 30 seconds to 2 minutes or more at specific intervals].

The walk breaks and the cross training appeal to me because of my chronic Runner's Knee.  My training partner, Supermodel, suffered from severe IT [iliotibial] band syndrome while training for our marathon.  It's important to both of us to complete our training and remain injury free.  Something that's easier said than done when you're in your 40s [me, not Supermodel], live and train in a hilly area, and have put in several miles over the years already.

I'm preparing for the Mid Mountain Marathon.  The two additional events will serve as training runs and earn me the "trophy" jacket for the Triple Trail Challenge.  For this reason, I'm following a marathon training plan.  Well, four actually...

I'm combining the speed and strength workouts I found in the May/June 2009 issue of Women's Running [designed by Matt Fitzgerald], with the distances prescribed in a Hal Higdon training plan, with a few of the Galloway techniques, while comparing all distances to the plan in "Marathoning for Mortals".  Might be too much to juggle, but I've learned that training plans are personal and it's important to find what works for your body and age.  I'm comfortable pulling workouts from a few different plans, but if you've never completed an event, I recommend choosing one plan.  You can always wiggle within it.

We're in the middle of Week 2 of an 18-week plan.  Prior experience has taught me the weeks pass surprisingly fast, the time while on a long endurance run... does not.