Half Marathon Complete!

Silicon Valley Half Marathon
Originally uploaded by michellefleury.

What a day. Two personal records: running more than 10 consecutive miles and, of course, completing a half-marathon.

I was amazed at how it felt to run that far and how I felt today. I was warned by many not to go out too fast, so I focused on staying in my comfort zone at ~9:30/mi. My pace was 10:30/mi including a bathroom stop and walking through the water stations (~30 seconds each) with my running pace around my current aforementioned norm. I felt good throughout the run, with minor aches in my hip and ankle joints during the last 4 miles or so.

At this point I cannot imagine running a full 26.2 ... glad I have another 3 months to prepare.

Michelle's Marathon Training Log: Week 2

Short Run 1: 10/24/2005 @ 6:57a US/PST
Total Distance: 3.82 mi, Total Time: 40:34, Avg Pace: 10:37/mi Avg Speed: 5.7 mph, Total Calories: 538 cal, Avg Heart Rate: 161 bpm

Short Run 2: 10/25/2005 @ 8p US/PST
Total Distance: 4.8 mi

Inside on a treadmill, not much else to say.

Short Run 2: 10/27/2005 @ 5:43p US/PST
Total Distance: 5.01 mi, Total Time: 49:53, Avg Pace: 9:57/mi Avg Speed: 6.0 mph, Total Calories: 518 cal, Avg Heart Rate: 159 bpm

Long Run: 10/29/2005 @ 8:44a US/PST
Total Distance: 6.28 mi, Total Time: 55:16, Avg Pace: 8:46/mi Avg Speed: 6.8 mph, Total Calories: 601 cal, Avg Heart Rate: 162 bpm

Hmmm. Not sure on these stats. That pace seems amazingly fast...

Michelle's Marathon Training Log: Week 1

Not a good week. I was travelling to the east coast and the timezone change was brutal.

Short Run 1: 10/17/2005 @ 8:00p US/EST
Total Distance: 3.0 mi, Total Time: 28.5

Ran this one on a treadmill -- on my BIRTHDAY! It was not fun, running inside is very boring and the room was very hot. I take pride in getting the run in as I was exhausted due to the timezone difference, it was on a treadmill, and it was a night where I could have been out having a good time!

Short Run 2: 10/18/2005 @8:22a US/EST
Total Distance: 5.08 mi, Total Time: 58:59, Avg Pace: 11:37/mi, Avg Speed: 5.2 mph, Total Calories: 596

Yuk. Hills, hills, hills. Humidity, humidity, humidity. Foreign pollen too. Not fun.

Long Run: 10/22/2005 @ 8:34a US/PST
Total Distance: approximately 4 miles (no meaningful stats, the Garmin appears to be way our of whack on this day)

Not that long of a run as this is week one of the full marathon plan.

Strength Training for Runners

Now there's a topic. A quick Googling of the topic yielded lots of information but no 'right answer' for me.

Periodization comes into play, with the recommendation to focus on hypertrophy in the off-season and maintaining strength within season. But what if you have no season? Does one really need to go through a strategic planning cycle for the year with macrocycles for each sport, cycling, running, and strength training? Should one divide the year in sections and move sports into and out of focus?

I've been lifting MWF and running T/Th/Sa. Good for calorie buringing daily, but I'm sick of running while sore from lifting.

I'm going to try the following for the next month in the evening on the days of my short runs early in the week:

Day One
Squat
Straight Leg Deadlift
Lever 45 Degree Calf Press
Lever Incline Row
Barbell Upright Row
Barbell Bench Press
Incline Leg Hip Raise

Day Two
Single Leg Split Squat
Lying Leg Curl
Smith Standing Leg Calf Raise
Dumbell Bent-Over Row
Iron Cross
Clap Push-Up
Medicine Ball Sit-up

10 Mile Milestone Passed!

Well, after balking yesterday I headed out early to face the inevitable -- my first run in the double-digit range. I did it! Stats as follows:

• Total Distance: 11.40 mi
• Total Time: 1:52:42
• Avg Pace: 9:53 /mi
• Avg Speed: 6.1 mph
• Total Calories: 1218 cal
• Avg Heart Rate: 161 bpm

I am so glad to have this mental milestone passed and to have passed it on my first try. After today's run, I'm confident I can finish the half marathon at the end of the month.

I did a couple of things differently today. First, I did not track my pace as I was running. My outbound run of 5.21 mi was at 9:13 /mi -- faster than my usual pace. My return path of 5.20 mi was at 9:42 /mi, faster than my normal return rate and while listening to an audiobook instead of music as a pacesetter. I forced my self to wait till the end of each split and I think that quieted the normal 'let's make a deal' self-negotiation that takes place for me on long runs -- "I'll walk when I hit that mile marker", etc.

The second was listening to an audiobook for a portion of the run. I liked it and think it will work for the part of the Pacific Shoreline marathon I currently fear the most, mile 16 through mile 23. I was focusing on the content while my feet clip-clopped along. A good 90 minute cliff-hanger might just do the trick...

I also thought about the marathon a lot today. What will it feel like when I am running the last few miles and see family and friends along the course? Will I psyche myself out during the part of the course that runs through the city? Who could I call to get me back on track mentally if I did start thinking about quitting mid-race? I found a good article about finishing strong. It included tips like placing familiar faces along the route for cheers of moral support, planning a strategy for handling physical and mental fatigue, arranging for a friend to run along side you during the last several miles, etc. I can't find it now, but will post URL when I do...

Michelle's Training Log: Week 10

Weekly Totals

* Distance: 23.66 mi
* Calories: 2536 cal

Long Run: 10/02/2005 @ 9:29a
Total Distance 7.66m, Avg Pace 9:29/mi, Avg Heart Rate 167bpm

The Bridge to Bridge race. As my earlier entry says, this was a great experience.

Short Run 1: 10/04/2005 @ 6:22a
Total Distance 5.30m, Avg Pace 10:06/mi, Avg Heart Rate 157bpm

Still loving the track I've round around the office...

Short Run 2: 10/07/2005 @ 6:24a
Total Distance 6.02m, Avg Pace 9:59/mi, Avg Heart Rate 165bpm

My only problem is 8am meetings. :)

Short Run 3: 10/02/2005 @ 9:29a
Total Distance 4.68m, Avg Pace 11:09/mi, Avg Heart Rate 155bpm

This should have been my first 10 mile run; I balked. Tired, not equipped for running in the wind, etc. I bagged the morning run and guilt pulled me out for a 4 miler to ensure my weekly total was above the target. My legs are sore from lifting, so today was not a great run. I'm pushing the 10 miler out to tomorrow...

Bridge to Bridge Complete!

What a great day. Sunny, felt like somewhere near 70 degrees. Lots of people. This is the first race I've run. I've participated in races before, but as a walker. It was really interesting. Top things I noticed were:

• The start is majorly slow and somewhat irritating. The bands of five walking arm in arm blocking the path at a 15:00 pace ... the runners oblivious to others sharing the same course cutting you off then slowing their pace. I'll I can think to do about this is get used to it. A few times I called out when passing ('on your right') and that seemed to help.
  
• The water tables were a huge bottleneck. As this was a short run and water was on the course, I did not bring any with me. I'm debating whether bringing water and avoiding the lines or taking advantage of the short breaks (~30 seconds) while queing up for water as micro-recovery is the right answer.
• The end of race 'thing' is weird. All these people run -- then drink beer and eat french fries. I like beer and french fries as much as the next guy, but after working hard to burn the calories, I don't want to slap them back on. Also, it's *crowded*. Not sure I'll venture into the next one any farther than it takes to get my t-shirt.

My Race Stats:

Bridge to Bridge 2005
Originally uploaded by michellefleury.

• Total Distance: 7.66 mi
• Total Time: 1:12:46
• Average Pace: 9:29 /mi
• Average Speed: 6.3 mph
• Total Calories: 803 cal
• Average Heart Rate: 167

I set out to 1) finish and 2) run the whole way vs. run/walk. I'm proud to say I did both!

Michelle's Training Log: Week 9

Weekly Totals

• Distance: 19.68 mi
• Calories: 2121 cal

Short Run 1: 09/27/2005 @ 6:10a
Total Distance 6.51m, Avg Pace 10:22/mi, Avg Heart Rate 158bpm

Great run this day. I found and out and back path that I really like. Sidewalks all the way, convenient to work, a few hills... Running pace @ 9:20/mi.

Short Run 2: 09/29/2005 @ 6:39am
Total Distance 5.08m, Avg Pace 10:29/mi, Avg Heart Rate 140bpm

Tired this day, but got the run done. Same path as the 27th, still like it. I also prefer running earlier in the day -- 30 minutes seems to make a real difference in temperature at the end of the run. With winter ahead, this should become a non-issue. I have no idea why my heart rate came down as far as it did; looking at the graphs provided by Garmin, it looks like the Forerunner HR monitor checked out for about half the run.

(Not So) Long Run: 08/20/2005 @ 7:28am
Total Distance ~5m, Avg Pace 12:00/mi, Avg Heart Rate unknown

The Forerunner's battery died on the way to the trail. Click here to see my route. All stats are estimates. I intentionally ran a short distance today as I'm running the Bridge to Bridge tomorrow. This was not a good running day though -- as you can tell by the average pace, I walked a lot today. I just don't feel like doing anything today...

(Another Not So) Long Run: 08/20/2005 @ 5:28pm
Total Distance 3.09m, Avg Pace 9:50/mi, Avg Heart Rate 159bpm

I just felt like running again. With the race in mind and consistent with the day, I took more walking breaks than usual. Happy to have my Forerunner back in action too. This route picks up the path I've been following on my long runs. I started at the point I turned on my 9 miler. I went out 1.5 and returned, giving me a visual on the landmarks for my upcoming 12 miler. Gulp!