Running Goals in 2014

It's January and yet somehow I haven't done any kind of a goals/resolutions/intentions post.

Partly that's because I wanted to really consider what kind of goals I should shoot for, and partly it's because I wanted to start training again to get a better idea of what goals were or were not realistic. I'm all for big goals, but me running a 3:30 marathon just isn't happening this year (or next year, or probably the year after...), and I'd just be setting myself up for failure if I tried to attempt that.

Let's back up, though.


2013 Running Goals

I had some running goals in 2013 that I laid out after an amazing wine-fueled vision-boarding session with the awesome Beth and Abby. I actually forgot about my goals until December, but when I looked back at them, I realized I'd met half of them. Not all, but looking back, I feel absolutely content with my year of running. And one was absolutely unrealistic (oops).

Breaking 25:00 in a 5-K. <-- DID IT!

Finishing my first 10-K.

Running my first 10 mile race in D.C. at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. <-- DID IT!

Breaking 2:00 in a half-marathon (at the NYC Half, hence the shamrock).

Placing in a race. <-- DID IT!

Racing the Chicago Marathon in under 4 hours.

Can you guess which one was crazy? Racing Chicago sub-4:00. At the time I was so new to running that I didn't realize how difficult it would be for me to do something like that. And that's fine -- I learned, and I was insanely excited and happy with my time of 4:20:17, and still am, so no regrets here.

I also didn't meet the sub-2:00 half marathon goal. I ran the NYC Half in 2:00:00. Literally missing my goal by one second. I know I can't check that goal box off, but I actually feel "at peace" with missing it. I'm gunning for a PR at the NYC Half this year, so hopefully I'll have redemption.

The other running goal I didn't meet was to run a 10K. Somehow I went through all of 2013 without doing one of those. I was even signed up for one on Roosevelt Island in December, but when I got an email saying that the course would be inches of muddy slush, I decided running a 10K wasn't as important to me as not getting sick from running in wet shoes for an hour.

But I just ran a 10K! Two weeks late. Oops. I ran the Joe Kleinerman 10K on Saturday as my long run (probably won't recap it since I ran it as a long run).

Remember when sunglasses and tank tops were a necessity for a race?
Summer, I miss you. Come back.

I think the most exciting goal I met was placing fourth woman and first in my age group at the Northwest Raspberry Festival 5K. Honestly I thought there was no chance I'd meet that goal and kind of threw it on there because I had a blue ribbon sticker. I won't be placing at a NYRR race any time soon, but just getting my hands on a ribbon was pretty awesome.


2014 Running Goals

This year, I'm embracing the idea of big, crazy "dreams" -- or as I like to call them, goals.

(source)

(In case you haven't seen Inception, the irony of pink block letters for that quote is hilarious. Here's the clip.)

So, here are my "dream a little bigger" goals for 2014.

• Run a sub-23:00 5K.
• Run a 1:50:?? half marathon.
• Run a sub-50:00 10K.
• Place in a race again (shooting for the stars here).

These are fairly aggressive, I think, but why not set some fairly aggressive goals? It worked out last year, for the most part.

One thing not on the list? A marathon. I still haven't been at work long enough to get a sense of the rhythm and whether or not running a marathon is a possibility. I absolutely loved training for my first marathon and really want to run another one, but I want to be sure I can really put my heart into training. So for now, I'm concentrating on training hard for shorter distances that don't require as much time.

Speaking of setting goals...


Team Challenge

Danny at the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America reached out to me about sharing information on Team Challenge to readers. I know several runners who are battling these terrible diseases, and I've heard great things about the program, so I'm happy to share the info for those of you looking for a team-based race training program.

Have you been looking for a way to challenge yourself while improving the lives of others in 2014? With Team Challenge, individuals have the opportunity to be part of a supportive group and train for a half-marathon or a triathlon while raising funds to cure Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. Collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, (IBD) these debilitating diseases affect over 1.4 million Americans.

In the upcoming 2014 Summer season, participants will have the opportunity to complete a triathlon in Philadelphia or run or walk a half-marathon in either Napa, Kona, Jamestown, or Chicago. Team Challenge is made up of individuals from all walks of life-individuals who either have Crohn’s or Colitis, have a family member or friend with the disease, or people who just want to take part in something bigger than themselves and get in better shape at the same time. Importantly, patients of Crohn’s and Colitis have found the experience to be empowering as they can contribute to their fight for a cure!

Past participant Jennifer Lonschein sums it up when she says “If someone was considering running with Team Challenge, I would recommend it until I was blue in the face. I've run a half marathon before, without TC, and it didn't even come close to comparing to this experience. The camaraderie, support and motivation you get from your coaches, mentors, managers and teammates is what drives you to cross the finish line and get one step closer to finding a cure.”

Check out the Team Challenge website to learn more!


What are your goals for 2014? 

Weekly Workout Recap and Goals: Biking, Refining, and Home Goods-ing

Hi all!

I hope you had as awesome a weekend as I did. It was full of friends, which every weekend should be, but too often I feel like weekends get filled with the chores you didn't get to during the week and catching up on sleep. I didn't really "catch up," but if I get 8 hours I feel lucky these days!

Friday night, I was able to leave work by 8 PM and head to Beth's to have some celebratory champagne along with Allison and Ashley. Allison just ran the San Francisco Nike Women's Half Marathon, Ashley is gearing up to crush the Philadelphia Marathon, and Beth and I just ran our first marathons, so we had some celebrating to do! 

Since Sourabh was away this weekend, I also got extra cuddle time with Mason. He was unhappy with my attempt to capture photographic evidence of said cuddling, however.

Saturday morning, I met up with Angela for a Refine Method class that kicked both our asses. We spent roughly 20 minutes talking about how exhausted we were at brunch afterwards. (She just wrote a great post about the latest Lululemon debacle involving the founder, Chip Wilson, saying that some women just don't have the right bodies for Lululemon's clothes.)

After brunch, I did some poking around Home Goods. No, I did not buy this deer ballerina shrubbery, although it would have been an excellent use of my money.

I did get some lovely wintry decorations, including a sugar cookie candle. That candle came in handy when two of my most favorite law school friends came over for dinner. I completely fooled Christine and Sarah by lighting the sugar cookie candle. Dim lighting with strategically placed tea candles and a nice smell made them think my apartment was a lovely, homey abode. I'm basically Martha Stewart for messy semi-adults.

Since I don't have to train for a marathon right now, I decided to turn off my alarm on Sunday and see what time I woke up, then decide what I wanted to do for a workout. I woke up at 8:45 AM and decided that restorative yoga at 9:15 sounded great, so I went with that. 

Then, after I got back, Theodora tweeted about wanting to bike ride. After figuring out logistics, we met up for a casual ride.

Which turned out to be an intense, resistance-filled push once we turned around and rode back down the West Side Highway. Just a tad bit of wind resistance, as evidenced by my windbreaker plastered to my body.

We refueled at an Irish pub because it turns out the West 30's of Manhattan are not the best place to find food. 

Later on, Theodora texted me this: 

We basically biked through a superstorm. NBD.

Workout Recap

Monday: Rest day.


Tuesday: 4.5 mile easy run in Central Park

The park is so gorgeous these days, I feel like I need to spend every possible morning soaking up the fall colors.


Wednesday: 60 minute personal training session

As a new member at Equinox, you get a complimentary personal training session. We focused on building up glute and hamstring strength as well as some core and upper body work. I won't be leaving Amanda, my trainer, any time soon, but it was a fun workout.


Thursday: 5 mile medium effort run in Central Park

Abby and I met up for some mileage on what turned out to be a crazy warm day for November. I think the temperature hit 63 degrees!


Friday: 3.5 mile progression run in Central Park

"Progression run" because I didn't plan on working out on Friday morning, then I woke up at 7 AM and, for some reason, really wanted to run in Central Park again. Since I'd woken up late, I had to push the pace a bit to ensure I had time to get ready and head to training on time.


Saturday: 60 minute Refine Method class

Three "power" cardio intervals that involved burpees, high knee sprints, and kettlebell swings. And of course, the pain that is lunges, push-ups and planks on sliding discs. Think an exercise is easy? Try adding something that makes your feet/hands slip around! I am still feeling this class. Ouch.


Sunday: (1) 60 minute restorative yoga class (2) 90 minute bike ride (35 minutes easy, 55 minutes hard)

Theodora and I only biked 8 miles, but those last four miles into the wind were rough, especially on my Refine-d legs (AKA super sore from Saturday's class).

I actually had a great time bike riding and want to incorporate outdoor rides into my weekend workouts more often...


How was your weekend? Are you loving the fall colors? Any tips if I want to bike ride more often?

Workout Recap and Weekly Goals: When Work Gets Crazy

Hi all!

Hope you had a fantastic weekend! I can't believe I haven't written since last Monday. Oops.

Partly, I don't have a ton to say right now (although I still have a few more parts of my road trip to recap). All I've been doing is working, really, and I've been absolutely exhausted since work has been crazy. However, I think this week is going to be a bit lighter, so I'm hopeful I'll have more to report on!

Sunrises are pretty, but less pretty when you're in the office at 7:30 AM and you worked until 2:00 AM... But on the plus side, so far I've been able to do work at night from home, which makes it feel much more manageable! Plus, I'm learning an incredible amount, so I can't complain.

Since my workouts were so sporadic last week, I'm just going to do a short recap, but I'm also going to post goals for this week so that I push myself harder to get to workouts. Even if I'm not getting much sleep, I know I'll feel better throughout the day if I've broken a sweat.

Also, I'm feeling extra inspired after seeing the orange Marathon Route signs up in Central Park. I can't wait to cheer for all my friends running this Sunday!!

Workout Recap

• Tuesday - 30 minutes cycling + 15 minutes core + 5 minutes stretching
• Friday - 60 minutes lower body + core strength training with Amanda (15 minutes of which were spent with me listening in via my headphones to a 7 AM conference call that ran over!)
• Saturday - 20 minutes upper body strength training
• Sunday - 3.5 miles in Central Park with Julianne (so good to catch up!)

This Week's Goals:

• 2 runs (3-5 miles each)
• 1 race (Race to the Finish Line 5K that runs through the NYCM finish line!)
• 2 strength workouts
• 1 yoga class

What are your goals this week? How do you fit in workouts when you're crazy busy? Would you ever want to read a "day in the life of a corporate lawyer" post?

Workout Recap and Weekly Goals: Taper Week

Hi all!

So... the big week has arrived! Sunday morning I'll be toeing the line of my first marathon. And if all goes well, I *should* be a marathoner by 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Knock on wood (no, please, go knock on some wood for me).

Last week was both the start of "official" taper (as opposed to injury-induced low mileage) and the start of work, which coincided nicely. I also felt like I was fighting off some vague illness all week, so I tried to get as much sleep as possible and eat a lot of citrus and ginger.

OH and I saw Gravity this weekend. It was totally incredible, both in terms of acting and special effects. I was literally shaky as I left the theater because I'd been so on edge the entire time. Sandra Bullock is phenomenal and the movie's just a testament to how great special effects can coincide with great filmmaking. If you can see it in IMAX, definitely do that.

On to the training!


Chicago Marathon Training Recap: Week 16

I'm keeping this recap short and sweet. I'll have plenty to say after next Sunday, after all! And I plan on recapping my thoughts on this training cycle later this week, before the marathon.

I started tapering last week -- cutting down mileage and intensity of workouts in preparation for the marathon -- but since I'd already sort of been tapering due to my hamstring strain, I didn't feel weird. It just felt like the previous week! In a way, that's been good -- I haven't felt the "taper crazies" at all. We'll see how I feel in the coming week!

Monday: Rest day.


Tuesday: 30 minutes cycling + 20 minutes core/arms work.

Wednesday: Sadly aborted easy run due to hamstring pain. 3.18 miles around the Reservoir.

Splits -- (1) 10:52, (2) 11:12, (3) 11:40, (.18) 12:06 <-- you can see the pain kicking in


Thursday: Rest day to try to ease up on the hamstring.


Friday: 6 miles around the Reservoir (1:02:34).

Workout was supposed to be two warm-up miles, one mile at half marathon pace, one easy, one at half marathon pace, and a cool down mile. But my hamstring pain kicked in when I tried to bring the speed up a notch, so I had to settle for "speedier" miles.

Splits -- (1) 10:50, (2) 10:38, (3) 9:44, (4) 10:55, (5) 9:43, (6) 10:43.


Saturday: 45 minute Flywheel class.

Terrific class with Danielle. I wasn't supposed to spin at anything above "moderate," so I didn't... and I still hit my highest power number ever! That was a pretty exciting confidence boost.


Sunday: 7 mile "long run" around the Reservoir and in Riverside Park (1:13:22) + 5 minute of core work.

Horrendous weather (humid, misty, grey) plus a killer headache that refused to go away and a stomachache = stopped at 7 miles. If the marathon weren't a week away, I would have kept going, but I've felt like I'm getting sick all week so my number one priority is to stay healthy through Sunday. By mile 6, I had to start stopping every quarter mile because I felt sick to my stomach, so I decided to call it quits at mile 7.

Goal was 4 easy miles and 6 marathon paced miles. Pre-hamstring injury, my goal pace was 10:00ish, so that's what I went for. The good news? No hamstring pain!!

Splits -- (1) 11:02, (2) 11:09, (3) 10:36, (4) 10:40, (5) 10:04, (6) 9:55, (7) 9:55


Next Week's Training Schedule

This week is all about the R&R: rest and recovery! I want my body to be as strong as possible come Sunday. So, here's what Coach Jess has me doing:

• 2 easy runs (4 miles and 45 minutes)
• 1 easy spin
• 1 shakeout run (20 minutes) + 5 strides
• 1 marathon (no big deal)

Workout Recap and Weekly Goals: Back in NYC

Hi all! Happy Monday!

Hope you had a great weekend! After I got home from Washington late Wednesday night, I had a very productive few days, since I had to prep for today: my First Day of Work!

It's just orientation today, so nothing crazy, but it's still a huge milestone. While I've had a lot of internships where I worked full-time for 8-12 weeks, and at one point had three in a row so I worked for nine months straight, starting work today marks the first day of the rest of my working career. Pretty exciting!


Chicago Marathon Training Recap: Week 15

While flying back from Washington, I got addicted to Nerdist podcasts. They're almost all with comedians, so they're really amusing and also give you some great insights into the comedy world. I mainly watch comedies (both TV shows and movies), so it's neat to listen to someone like Billy Crystal talk about his comedic process.

I bring up podcasts because they're what got me through my solo twenty miler yesterday! I listened to Billy Crystal, Charlie Day (of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Aasif Mandvi (of The Daily Show), and Seth Rogen. I was so entertained that I was able to put aside my discomfort -- my hamstring continued to be uncomfortable and my legs just felt heavy the whole way.

Monday: Rest day. Walked 2 miles and had a physical therapy appointment. Also saw a gorgeous sunset.

Tuesday: 60 minute yoga class (taught by my dad).

Ouch, I am still super tight from all those miles in the car on my road trip!


Wednesday: 4.6 easy miles (48 minutes).

Ouch. It was COLD in washington when I went running -- about 45 degrees -- and I was in shorts and a long sleeve top. I felt okay, but I'm pretty sure the cold is what triggered some extreme hamstring pain later.

After improving for most of the previous week, my entire hamstring seized up on the two hour car ride down to the Seattle airport. I was in so much pain that I had to take four ibuprofen, and I almost never take ibuprofen, so it usually works pretty well on me when I have pain. Somehow, the pain disappeared, but I couldn't run Thursday as planned.


Thursday: 60 minute strength training session with trainer, Amanda.

We used a TRX and did exercises that only used my core and arms, leaving my right hamstring completely alone. My abs were sore for a few days, which was awesome after not having any intense strength training in a while.


Friday: Rest day. Physical therapy appointment.


Saturday: 2 easy miles (22:21) with Sourabh!

Without needing convincing, Sourabh came along on my shakeout run on Saturday! We kept a really easy pace since I didn't want to aggravate my hamstring at all. It was fun to run together and chat, and I loved getting back to the Reservoir, one of my favorite running paths in New York.


Sunday: 20 mile long run!!!

With a Sad Panda sighting! Highlight of my run? Either this or the Charlie Day podcast (I'm a big Always Sunny in Philadelphia fan).

This run never felt good. I feel like I'm kind of sick, so my stomach hurt and my throat felt swollen the whole run. My hamstring ached a bit, my legs felt like lead, and the whole thing never felt "easy." But it was one of the strongest long runs I've had because I just felt so mentally strong. I wasn't looking at how far I had left to run and feeling miserable... I just stayed in the mile I was in and tuned out the discomfort. Good practice for the marathon!

Even cooler, I did this run totally solo. I was concerned it would be really hard to do such a long run solo, but the podcasts provided conversation for me to listen to, and were the perfect company. I'm no longer worried about running a marathon by myself.

I kept the pace slow because of the hamstring -- I shouldn't try to speed up, according to the physical therapists. I did push the pace more at the end, just to see how much I had left, and was really happy with how much I seemed to have left in the tank.

Splits - (1) 11:03, (2) 11:29, (3) 11:21, (4) 11:24, (5) 11:28, (6)11:35, (7) 11:17, (8) 11:43 - Battery Park crowds, (9) 11:52 - Battery Park crowds, (10) 11:19, (11)11:30, (12) 11:29, (13) 11:36, (14) 11:42, (15) 11:39, (16) 11:35, (17) 11:06, (18) 11:01, (19) 10:41, (20) 10:06.


Total Mileage = 26.6

Not ideal mileage, but my hamstring is improving, and that's what counts, right?


Next Week's Training Schedule

Totally up in the air! No, seriously. With me feeling under the weather and needing to rest this hamstring, Coach Jess told me we're taking it one day at a time.


How was your weekend? Do you like to do some long runs solo to prep for race day?

Workout Recap and Weekly Goals: Wenatchee River Run

Hi all!

Hope you had a great weekend! I'm a day late with this training recap and race update because I only have a couple days left in Washington, so I'm trying to prioritize family time and sleep over blogging.

I spent the weekend on the "other" side of the Cascades (the east), in Wenatchee and Winthrop, WA. It's really stunning over there, and it was a great weekend with my parents. Even better, I was able to run my dad's first half marathon with him!!

Here's how it went down. After feeling pretty disheartened about my bum hamstring on Friday morning, I ran two miles with only discomfort, no pain. The physical therapist said that was the sign that I could attempt a half marathon with my dad on Saturday, as long as the pain never went above a "1-2" on a 1-10 scale. The PT checked me out post-run and gave me the OK to attempt the half.

As my parents and I headed to Wenatchee, I knew I'd start with my dad, but I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to complete with him. My dad's main goal was to finish, but he was hoping to come in under 2 hours and 30 minutes.

We got to Wenatchee around 7:00 in the evening, after crossing the mountains and seeing a great sunset, and proceeded to a well-rated sushi restaurant, Iwa Sushi and Grill, for pre-race fueling. The restaurant definitely deserved its four-star Yelp -- it was delicious!

My parents and I split the sushi for three dinner, then headed back to the hotel so my dad could do a mile shakeout run and I could log 20 minutes of cycling in the hotel's fitness center.

Saturday morning was the most relaxed pre-race morning I've ever had since the race didn't start until 10:00 AM. We were able to wake up at 8:00! Love small local races with late start times.

We picked up our packets in 5 minutes, then walked around Pybus Public Market until 9:45. The race started by the Market and ended in the heart of the Taste of Wenatchee food festival!

The Public Market has produce stalls, restaurants, and artisan wares; it's similar to Pike Place Market in Seattle, just smaller. It was a fun place to browse, and even better from a racing perspective -- real bathrooms with heat and running water!

About ten minutes before the start, the race coordinator asked everyone to line up at the start line, with those running the 5K and 10K getting in front and those running the half in back.

Can you tell I was a tad bit excited to be running a race with my dad? I took about five million pictures while we ran. Perks of not racing!! I can't wait to run a race with my mom next year -- she's gotten the OK to start running in two weeks from her doctor, after her minor surgery a few weeks ago.

After a megaphone countdown, we were off! I immediately had to hold my dad back as he wanted to run off with the 5K and 10Kers. I've so been there before... you've been waiting for a race, you're rested, and shooting off feels great -- you're easily able to hit that amazing pace! Of course, while that might work in a 5K, it definitely doesn't work in a half marathon, so I reeled him in, and we set off at a more sensible pace.

Have I mentioned that I'll never trust a western race/trail description again? Because I won't. Described as "gently rolling," this course had a LOT of hills. It was pretty similar to Central Park, with some mega inclines leading up to bridges when you crossed the Columbia River. Since it was an out and back that crossed the river four times altogether, there were quite a few steep hills.

Of course, we were running with views like that, and the weather was fantastic -- high 60s to low 70s with a cool breeze off the Columbia River. It got a bit hot near the end, but overall racing conditions were pretty optimal.

My hamstring wasn't 100% by any means, and it never felt comfortable during the race, but since the physical therapist said I could run as long as my hamstring didn't hurt, I was determined to keep going with my dad as long as it felt okay. And thankfully, my hamstring felt okay the whole time!

I was SO proud of how my dad toughed out the course! It was a total elevation gain of roughly 400 feet, compared to 500 for two loops of Central Park, so it was a tough first half marathon.

And to add to the difficulty, the half marathon ended with an uphill over a pedestrian footbridge into Wenatchee. But at least it meant you could sprint downhill to the finish! The finish line area had pretzels, bananas, orange slices, cookies, bagels, twizzlers, gatorade, and water. Quite the spread!

Thumbs-up for River Run Wenatchee!! I would definitely recommend the race, although it's not necessarily PR-friendly because of the hills. It's an awesome local race that doesn't skimp on the post-race festivities. And since Wenatchee gets 300 days of sunshine a year (yep, Eastern Washington is a lot sunnier than Western Washington!), you have a pretty good chance of a sunny race!

After the race, we showered then headed off to Winthrop, a cowboy town two hours north of Wenatchee, nestled in the North Cascades. The drive takes you along the Columbia River, past vineyards and apple orchards.

We had dinner up at the Sun Mountain Lodge, which is perched atop a mountain overlooking the Methow Valley and Cascade Mountains. The views were crazy gorgeous. I'd been to Winthrop before, but never up to the Sun Mountain Lodge, and seeing the area from that vantage point made me appreciate the Methow Valley so much more.

Also, Winthrop is adorable. We had breakfast in town and walked a bit around the downtown, then drove out to see Falls Creek Falls (yes, the name is slightly repetitive, I know). 

Finally, we headed back over the mountains and toward home! Highway 20 is an incredible drive through the Cascades, but unfortunately it was rainy, so we didn't get to see most of the peaks. 

Diablo Lake was still its brilliant turquoise color, though. I've always wondered why it's so green, so I looked it up (the internet is magic): "Ten percent of the glaciers in the lower forty-eight states grind rock into a fine powder that stays suspended in the lake. Light reflecting off those rock particles causes the intense turquoise lake color." (source) Cool, right??

Chicago Marathon Training Recap: Week 14

Since I was dealing with a bum hamstring, I did not quite have the ideal peak week of training. I'm not even going to bother posting what my assigned workouts were, since it'll just depress me. Here's what I was able to get done.

Monday: 2.75 miles around Green Lake in Seattle, WA

Hamstring pain got worse instead of better as I tried to log 10 miles around the lake. When I texted Coach Jess about the pain, she texted back that I should stop and not risk straining my hamstring further. Was so bummed that I didn't bother taking a picture of gorgeous Green Lake.

Tuesday: 75 minute gentle yoga class at 8 Limbs Yoga in Seattle, WA.

This class was a great deep stretching class, but unfortunately it just set off my hamstring further. Pain when I stretched confirmed to me I had an injury rather than just tight muscles, though, so... a good thing? At least the class helped me stretch out my oh-so-tight hips and calves!

Wednesday: Rest day / Physical Therapy appointment. 

Thursday: Rest day. Did 3 rounds of physical therapy exercises and walked 2 miles.

Friday: (1) 2 easy miles. (2) 20 minutes easy cycling. + Physical Therapy appointment.

Ran down the street by my house. No pictures, again. Apparently when I'm bummed about pulled muscles, I don't take pictures?

Flushed out legs with a quick cycling session after the four hour drive to Wenatchee. 

Saturday: 13.11 miles in Wenatchee, WA for River Run Half Marathon. 

I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of shocked/amazed at the lack of over-running. How did we manage to pretty much perfectly run the course??

Sunday: 60 minutes moderate cycling (20.5 miles)

I texted friends throughout this ride because sitting on a bike at the gym for an hour is extremely boring. But I did see a gorgeous sunset on my way to the gym, so... it balanced out? 

Total Mileage = 17.86 

Next Week's Training Schedule

Since I have to be extra cautious with this hamstring going forward, this week won't be full of high mileage. Instead, the priority is getting in a long run on healthy legs this Sunday. Here are the workouts Jess has on deck for me: 

• 2 strength workouts

• 1 yoga class

• 2 easy runs (60 minutes each)

• 1 cycling session (class or outside)

• 1 long run (20 miles -- crossing my fingers this goes okay!!)

Of course, in addition to this, I have to keep up with my physical therapy exercises and sleep a lot to make sure my body can heal itself as quickly as possible, to have me at 100% for race day. Which is less than 20 days away! AHH!!

How was your weekend? Have you ever raced with a parent or relative before? 

Workout Recap and Weekly Goals: Nearing the End of the Road Trip

Hi all!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I got to see Glacier National Park, the park I'd been most excited to see, and it did not disappoint. We were just taking the Going-to-the-Sun Road through the park, rather than hiking, but that 50 mile drive was absolutely incredible.

Pictures simply don't capture the scale of these mountains. The drive was fantastic, and a great cap to the road trip. Today we're driving to Seattle, then tomorrow I'll drop Sourabh and Mason off at the airport and, later that day, pick up my parents who are returning from their vacation. So Tuesday night I'll be back at my parents' house! It's been nearly three weeks, and I am very excited to stay in one place for a while, but it's been an incredible trip. I'll keep recapping bit by bit!


Chicago Marathon Training Recap: Week 13

This past week was tough. I drove about 1,900 miles between Monday and Sunday. Since Sourabh doesn't drive manual and I borrowed my mom's manual car for this trip, I was doing the driving and definitely felt the tightness on my right side. Getting in to our destinations late at night also meant I didn't have much opportunity for strength training and, honestly, was just too tired to do much.

However, I'm entering this coming week feeling really excited to absolutely kill the next two weeks of marathon training! So, here's how things went.


Monday: Walked around Zion National Park a bit, but couldn't hike because of thunderstorms.

Tuesday: (1) 60 minutes "easy" run (5.41 miles) in Snow Canyon State Park, UT. (2) 3 miles hiking in Snow Canyon State Park, UT.

When Utahans classify a trail as "easy," I now know that means "moderate to difficult" by the standards of my New York runner legs! The altitude (2200 ft) didn't seem to affect me, but the trail had an overall 500 ft elevation gain, which I definitely felt. It rained on and off during this run, but nothing heavy -- just drizzling.

Splits: (1) 9:34 - mostly downhill, (2) 10:46 - partially downhill, (3) 11:16, (4) 11:12, (5) 12:38 - mostly uphill, (.41) 11:10 pace

Hiked three miles with Sourabh and Mason along a gentle trail. Dogs weren't allowed on the "fun" trails (those that go up mountains or that go far into the wilderness), so we were on a pretty basic trail, but the canyon was beautiful to walk through anyway.


Wednesday: 20 miles, split up due to weather, run in St. George, near Bryce Canyon, and Provo, UT.

Woke up Wednesday morning to surprise thunderstorms (forecast had been cloudy but no rain). Since there were flash flood warnings, running along the river pathway I'd planned to run my 20 miler on seemed like a bad idea, so I ran the first five miles on a treadmill in our hotel's fitness center starting at 7:30 AM.

Treadmill 5 miles at 2200 ft elev: (1) 10:42, (2) 10:42, (3) 10:31, (4) 10:31, (5) 10:51

I ate breakfast, then we checked out and drove toward Bryce Canyon. When we passed a series of dirt roads, I pulled over so I could fit in some more miles at around 11:00 AM.

I ate half a Honey Stinger waffle for extra fuel since I'd already run 5 miles and headed out along what turned out to be a fairly muddy and hilly road, but it had gorgeous views, so I was happy. Since the area was so isolated, I wanted to be within "shouting distance" of Sourabh and Mason, so I ran one mile out and one mile back twice, then half a mile out and back for five miles total. Mason joined me at one point, too :)

Mid-5 miles on muddy path at 6000 ft elev: (6) 11:16, (7) 10:58, (8) 10:58, (9) 10:44, (10) 10:10

I stopped because thunderstorms were rolling in to the area. Seriously, the storms refused to leave us alone. We ditched the Bryce Canyon plan after seeing how rough the thunderstorms were in that area. I've driven through several nasty storms on this trip and really didn't feel like driving through any more!

I ate lunch in between the earlier ten miles and the later ten miles. Around 4 PM we hit Provo, UT, which I figured would have some running trails. Turned out the city has a nice run path along the Provo River, so I ran my last 10 miles there.

Since I'd split up my twenty miler, I pushed the pace to tire out my legs and better replicate the late-miles feeling. Despite the elevation being the same as Sedona, I didn't feel it at all on these miles! Ate the second half of the Honey Stinger waffle as fuel.

Last 10 miles at 4500 ft elev: (11) 9:55, (12) 10:00, (13) 9:58, (14) 9:46, (15) 9:53, (16) 9:42, (17) 9:56, (18) 9:58, (19) 9:55, (20) 9:03 <-- I was ready to be done and ran super hard

Biggest problem on this run was my right hamstring. The same one that hurt two weeks ago and made me cancel my 18 miler at 12.75. It wasn't super painful, but it did not feel helpful, and I think I know why -- all the driving in between running. My hamstring felt fine on the treadmill, not okay in the next five miles, and hurt on the last ten miles.

Thankfully, I am nearly done with the intense driving! Today I'm driving four hours and tomorrow I'm driving 2.5 hours. After that, while I'll be heading over the mountains for a race this weekend, I don't have to drive and can sit in the back seat stretching out.


Thursday: Rest day. Stretched and foam rolled in hotel room after 9 hour drive to Yellowstone.

Friday: 4.2 mile hike up Bunsen Peak in Yellowstone National Park, WY.

Hiked 2.1 miles up mountain (1278 ft elevation gain, starting at 7000 ft high, so lungs were burning) then 2.1 down for 4.2 miles round trip. My legs felt strong, besides the aches in my hips and hamstrings from driving, but my lungs burned on the ascent.


Saturday: Rest day. Stretched and foam rolled after 12 hour drive through Glacier National Park.

Sunday: 2 sloooow miles in Spokane, WA + 5 minutes of core work.

Ran along the riverside pathway in downtown Spokane, near our hotel. This was probably the most uncomfortable I've ever felt on a run. The area I ran in had a lot of sketchy looking people, and quite a few men stared at me as I ran by. Since my legs also felt like rocks and my hips and hamstrings were hurting, I cut my planned 4 miles short and turned around at a mile, for two miles total. Adding two junk miles wasn't worth feeling uncomfortable or hurting myself!

In the afternoon, I got a 90 minute massage that made a world of difference for my legs. Looking forward to seeing how much better they feel tomorrow!

Total Mileage = 27.41


Next Week's Training Schedule

No more crazy schedule due to road tripping means I can be totally focused on training this week, while spending time with my family before I head back to NYC to start work!

Here's what Coach Jess has on deck for me:

• 10 mile mid-distance run (7 long run paced, 3 marathon goal paced)
• 1 spin class
• 2 yoga classes
• 1 tempo run
• 22 mile long run (including the Wenatchee River Run with my dad, his first half marathon!)
• 4 mile recovery run

Eek! Only one week of heavy training after this one, then it's two weeks of tapering.

I'm also focused on fueling myself with healthy foods. I definitely had a better week last week, but now that I'm going to be in Seattle for two days then home, I'll have access to more than the occasional Starbucks. (Shout out here to the Bozeman Community Food Co-Op -- delicious, healthy food options were an oasis last week!)


How was your weekend? Do you find lots of driving affects your muscles?