Monday, August 26, 2013

The Time 20 Miles Kicked My Ass

As karma would have it, days after I posted about how running 50 slow miles every week didn't feel like real work, I got kicked in the ass by my 20-miler this Sunday.

The first half of the run went well enough. It was actually a little bit chilly when I left the house at 6am. I was, admittedly, a little discouraged when I looked at my watch the first three miles only to realize I was running an 11 something pace (really?!). Otherwise, though, it was pretty enjoyable.

I always struggle to come up with long run routes since I'm pretty sure I've run every runable route in the city of Philadelphia. For this 20-miler I decided to run all the way up the Schuylkill bike path to Valley Forge National Park. It's 15 miles from my house to the park and then you can do a 5-ish mile loop around the battlefield. I really struggled with this run from about mile 10 and on. The bike path I was on started to get really boring and monotonous. Not to mention the latter half of that path is not shaded very well and the sun was started to heat things up!

I was siked by the time I got to Valley Forge because I needed a change of scenery.



 The park is really beautiful, but I forgot about the hills!



Normally I would not consider them bad. They are mostly short rollers. After 15 tough, boring miles, however, my legs were toast. By the time I finished, t was so happy to see Mike, who was kind enough to pick me up so I didn't have to run the 15 miles home. He brought my a gatorade and a bagel and both tasted like heaven.

So yeah, it was a tough run and I was reminded of it the rest of the day. Normally I can recover pretty quickly, but for some reason I spent the rest of the day feeling like a zombie. I could barely shuffle around the house and was having trouble putting together coherent sentences. While I was wasting away on the couch in the afternoon, Mike introduced me to an amazing new show (based on a web series), called Drunk History. Watching it fulfills two basic requirements: learning something and laughing your ass off. I think they should make another show where they film people who've just run marathons and ultra marathons teaching history. I can guarantee they will sound just as ridiculous. I would have been a prime candidate after Sunday's long run.




By 8 pm I was comatose and slept the deepest sleep I have ever slept. Today I planned a light 4 mile shake out run on the treadmill. Some time ago I learned the best way to loosen up sore legs was to actually get moving. Mile one felt rough, but after that point I had a great run. Four miles quickly turned into five because I couldn't stop listening to 'N Sync. I didn't watch the VMAs, but I have seen the 5,000 "OMG 'N Sync might really reunite" articles on Buzzfeed last week and I just had to add them to my playlist.


I missed you guys

So that was my weekend - got my ass handed to me, lived to tell about it.

Were you an 'N Sync fan or BSB? I was 'N Sync and my sister was BSB, so we basically had the biggest poster rival ever in our bedrooms.


Friday, August 23, 2013

How to Run 50 Miles Per Week & Still Feel Like The Laziest Person Alive

Running, like anything you've been doing habitually, becomes just that - a habit. Waking up an hour before you really need to so you can get those 6 miles in isn't a big deal. Packing your running shoes for a weekend trip doesn't phase you at all. Buying fuel for your long run doesn't seem any stranger than grocery shopping. Whether you are training for a race or just simply running to run, the point is, after awhile running on a routine basis just becomes second nature.

Forming a running habit is great, don't get me wrong, but it has its drawbacks. It's very easy to get stuck in an effortless pattern. For example, I've been running 50 or so miles a week the past few weeks as I gear up for the fall marathon season. 50 miles kind of feels like my base and comfort zone. The problem, lately, is that I'm doing all of this running and I still feel like a lazy piece of crap. I don't necessarily think its the distance I'm doing, so much as the speed with which I'm doing it. I'm running, but it doesn't feel like I'm actually trying. I've hit a plateau and I'm having trouble finding the motivation to make running hard again.

Last weekend I had two of the best 10 mile runs I've ever had while visiting my Mom in DC. I didn't have any goals for these runs. They were simply guilty pleasures. That said, I was extremely surprised (though I really shouldn't have been), to find out that I ran both runs averaging over 10 minutes miles. Not exactly on my way to a sub 3:45 marathon here, folks. I wasn't exactly mad that I ran so slow, since I didn't have any intention to do otherwise, but it does explain why I felt like I barely got a workout. Obviously I got a workout. But seriously, I barely broke a sweat out there over 10 miles.

This has been a very interesting training cycle. In a little over two weeks I will be running a marathon, the earliest fall marathon I've ever done. I have felt ZERO motivation to do any speed work save a few occasions and I'm honestly worried that the temperatures won't be cooled by race day enough for my speed to naturally improve. I'm worried about pushing too hard and having another pacing disaster. I'm upset that I might let this "BQ" course go to waste.

On the flip side - I've got three other marathons this fall and lots of cooler, speedier weather along the way. And I should probably jsut chill out.


 

Monday, August 5, 2013

Fall Marathon Season: 5 Weeks Out

Last week was a cut back week. I was shooting for about 40 miles, however I spent Saturday (my rest day) visiting my sister in NYC and we ended up walking 9+ miles. So, instead of setting out for a long run Sunday morning, I slept in and sat on the couch all day watching Breaking Bad on Netflix.


That is the beauty of having no specific training plan, my friends. You can play it all by ear. I was especially willing to take an extra rest day since I am starting the last three weeks of marathon training today. That means the next three weekends I will be putting away several 18-20 milers plus peaking my weekly mileage. If all goes well, I will be begging for taper by August 26th and ready to toe the start line at Lehigh Valley two weeks later.
 
Speaking of Lehigh Valley, I can't believe my first fall race is only 5 weeks away! This summer went crazy fast and though I'm not looking forward to classes starting and work getting busier, I am so ready for a change in seasons. Bring on the light sweaters, warm color palette, and crisp morning runs!
 
I have been doing some serious thinking about what my goals for Lehigh Valley. Originally I was hoping to BQ. Then I thought about it more and decided I would be happy enough with a PR since it will likely still be pretty warm out and maybe not ideal super-fast-running-weather. Now I am even questioning a PR because, you see, I haven't done any speed work all summer. Aside from my time in Berlin, all of my runs have been slow and lethargic. Even though the weather has cooled a little bit, its still too hot out for midday speed work on the treadmill (the only time I can get to the treadmill) and I definitely don't have enough energy to hit the track before work. Luckily, I have plenty of other marathons this fall to try and PR in, Philly being the strongest contender. I probably won't have any concrete goals for Lehigh Valley until the week of, but if I don't feel fast, I won't push it. I rather have a good time, chill out, and recover quickly for the rest of the season. Either way, I am siked for racing season to begin! Come on, fall!