Baltimore Marathon 2013: Marathon #2

Last year, I registered to run the Baltimore Marathon to raise money and awareness concerning child sex trafficking. We were in the process of a move to the area - a move that did not happen as quickly as anticipated.

I ran Hartford Marathon instead and deferred Baltimore - just in case.

I did not plan on running a marathon this year. As of August, my longest training run was 13 miles, and that was in May. Not exactly stellar training.

I met a woman in my running club who was running Baltimore. I thought maybe we could run in together. We did a training run together in September: 16.5 miles. And then I did a solo 20 miler.

Ready for a marathon? Just really sure - but I was going to do it!

The week of the marathon, she decided to go all out and try and hit a personal goal of hers which was out of my range. I thought I'd try and run with the pace group aiming for a 4:30 marathon.

Can I just stop and say I loved this marathon? The whole thing is basically in the city (here is the course map). Over the course of 26.2 miles, you travel through beautiful parks with lakes and rundown neighborhoods with boarded-up buildings. I loved that. I loved the homeless guy who ran a couple blocks with us and the street preacher who warned us about the end of the world. I loved the people taking iPad videos of us out their apartment windows. The crowd support was consistent throughout, more so than any other race I've done. It was just an all-around great race.

Back to my race :) I ran with the 4:30 pace group for 11 miles, but lost them after a pit stop. 

This marathon is hilly. It was painful. I swore I'd never do it again. Did I mention it was hilly? My quads hated me for days after. The last 6.2 miles felt like 10+. My stomach did OK, with some painful cramps around mile 14, but the salt pills seemed to help. I also kept fueling simple: water, a LaraBar and organic jelly beans (not sports beans - actual jelly beans).

I eventually settled with the 4:45 pace group and finished just ahead of them for a final time of 4:45:12 (I started in front of them - hence the difference).

This was a 13 minute PR from Hartford.

Here I am, smiling at my family as I crossed the finish line.

Trying desperately to smile at the end, blue lips and all:

The Medal

And now I surf the web for other local marathons to run......I seemed to have caught the bug :)

Marathon Training: Week 14

Rough week. Rough several weeks.

Tuesday night track was cancelled due to rain, so no run. Friday & Sunday mornings, I had to be at work quite early, so no run.

This week on Thursday morning, I got up to go running and realized my dog was very sick. I took him in to be checked out, and he died in my arms in the waiting room.

So this is all I conjured up this week.

Monday: 8.35 miles (Rest)
Tuesday: Rest (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 45 minutes elliptical (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: Rest (Cross-training)
Saturday: 7.19 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: Rest (Long run)

I ran 15.54 miles this week.

We miss you, Noodles.

Noodles, when we adopted him

Marathon Training: Week 13

Week 13, marathon training.

I was still sick for much of this week. I was also having calf pain from the severe dehydration.

So I went out and got some compression sleeves.



I love them! Got me through 12 miles on mostly functional calves.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: Rest (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: Rest (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: Rest (Cross-training)
Saturday: 1.5 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 12 miles (Long run)

I ran 13.5 miles this week.

Marathon Training: Week 12

8.29 miles.

That's how far I ran this week.

8.29 miles.

It was a rough week anyway, and then I came down with the plague on Saturday night, which made a Sunday long run impossible.

So here it is.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 6.8 km track workout: 400m warmup, 6x1000 at tempo, 400m cooldown (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 46 minutes elliptical (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 2.03 miles (Cross-training)
Saturday: 2.03 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: Sick as a dog: no miles (Long run)

Marathon training at its best.

Marathon Training, Week 11

I am a week behind!

On Tuesday night, I put on my new running shoes (pair #2), and my toes still hurt. So I called the running store, and they said, "Sounds like your shoes are too small."

Yep!

On Wednesday, I went back for pair #3.



I ran a few short runs and decided to go long on Sunday to see how the shoes held up.

I headed out on a route I'd done once before. I decided to try to keep a good tempo, under 10:15 minutes/mile.

Around mile 9 or 10, I saw some wild turkeys.




I ended up running 17.39 miles at an average pace of 10:07 and decided I really liked the shoes :)

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 5.2 km: 400m warm-up, and then 3x1600, first at threshold, second at tempo, third half tempo, half speed. Serious business! (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 50 minutes elliptical (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 3.5 mile run, 20 minutes swimming (Cross-training)
Saturday: 4.3 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 17.39 miles (Long run)

I ran 28.42 miles this week, swam for 20 minutes, and did 50 minutes on the elliptical.

Marathon Training, Week 10

I mentioned last week I was discouraged. I wasn't sure my new running shoes were a good fit and was unsure what to do.

At Tuesday's track workout, the coach mentioned I was running strangely and I told him my concerns about my shoes. He said, "Take them back." So I took the rest of the week easy (and in my old shoes) until I could try to find some different shoes on Saturday.

Monday: 45 minutes elliptical, 1.65 mile treadmill (Rest)
Tuesday: 2 x 400m warmup, 1 x 400m @ THRESHOLD, 1 x 800 @ TEMPO, 1 x 1600 @ TEMPO, 1 x 800 @ TEMPO, 2 x 400 @ SPEED: 2nd one was 1:39! (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 4.35 mile run (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 50 minutes elliptical (Cross-training)
Saturday: A few short jaunts up & down the street and under the block, trying out shoes (Shorter run)
Sunday: 10.61 miles run, 2 mile hike, during which I carried the dog 90% of the time (Long run)

I really like my new shoes. Really, Really. That's likely evident by the fact that I went out & ran 10.61 miles in them the day after I got them, missing the men's Olympic marathon. The only issue is they might be too narrow. The insides of my big toes hurt afterwards.

They are Saucony Hurricane 14's, basically the new version of the shoe I've run 3 half marathons in.



Yesterday was a rest day, but we'll see how tonight's track workout goes in my new shoes :)



I ran 19.85 miles this week, did 2 cross-training sessions on the elliptical, and hiked 2 miles, carrying my cocker spaniel.

Marathon Training, Week 9: Discouraged

Here's how this week shaped up.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: Track workout: 800m warmup, 400m @ THRESHOLD, 800m @ TEMPO, 1600m @ TEMPO, 800 @ TEMPO, 2 x 400m @ SPEED, 400m cool down (ran one 400m @ 1:44) (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 45 minute hill workout on elliptical (Longer Run)
Thursday: 4.5 mile run to the running store (Rest)
Friday: 2 mile run (Cross-training)
Saturday: 2 mile run (Shorter run)
Sunday: 3 mile run (Long run)

I'm actually feeling pretty discouraged in my running this week. I knew I needed new shoes, so I took it easy. The shoes I decided on are completely different than my last 3 pairs (which were 3 pairs of the same style of shoe), and my legs are struggling to adjust. I also either hurt my back on Saturday, or the shoes are making my back hurt, and as of today, it still hurts.

In general, my legs hurts most of the time, even when I'm not running, whether I run 10 miles a week or 40. It especially hurts to sit or drive. I will be going to a doctor Friday to find out if anything is actually wrong.

So, yeah. I still have well over 2 months to train and at this point, I could likely walk 26.2 miles even with a sore back. But it's hard not to feel discouraged.

I ran 14.98 miles this week.

Marathon Training, Week 8

I traveled this weekend and knew I couldn't do a long run, so I shifted the schedule a bit and rested.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 400m warmup, 1x1600 threshold, 2x800 tempo, 4x400 speed. Only timed one 400m, but did it in 1:46 :) Not bad! (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 4.15 miles (Longer Run)
Thursday: 3.01 miles (Rest)
Friday: 45 minute spin class, 15 minutes elliptical (Cross-training)
Saturday: 3.5 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 45 minutes elliptical (Long run)

I ran 13.89 miles this week.

Marathon Training, Week 7

Challenging week in marathon training land.

Due to some leg issues, I'm doing quite a few exercises for strengthening my legs. I have a standing desk at one of my jobs, so I do strengthening and stretching while I work.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: Track workout, 400m warmup, 3x1600 with 800 @ threshold, 400 @ speed, 400 @ threshold, another 800m at tempo (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 6.46 miles (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 15 min elliptical, 45 minute spin class, 1 mile treadmill (Cross-training)
Saturday: 4.25 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 16.73 miles (Long run)

My long run on Sunday was HARD. Very HARD. Did I mention it was HARD? I think it has something to do with the fact that I need new shoes. Not only a new pair of shoes, but a whole new style and fit of shoes.

I will be away this weekend, and my mileage will be way down. I hope the rest will help with my right leg pain and the IT band pain I'm having in my left leg.

I ran 32.17 miles this week.

Marathon Training, Week 6

Lots going on this week. A delayed update :)



Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: Track workout, 400m warmup, 6x1000m, 2 at threshold, 2 at tempo, 2 at speed (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 9.08 miles (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 15 min elliptical, 45 minute spin class, .5 mile treadmill (Cross-training)
Saturday: 2.03 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 12.04 miles (Long run)

I ran 31.92 miles this week.

Marathon Training, Week 5

How is it week 5 already?



It seems every week, there's some reason to not follow the schedule exactly. I'm OK with that :)

This week was preceded by Saturday and Sunday being rest days. There was no track on Tuesday, due to so many running the race on Wednesday. I am taking the train to work now, so it is difficult to do my Friday cross-training and get to work at a reasonable time. I had to do my long run on Saturday because I was leading the music at church on Sunday (long runs mess with my hydration and thus my singing voice).

Monday: 2.5 miles (Rest)
Tuesday: 3.5 miles (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: Four on the 4th road race (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 3.46 miles (Cross-training)
Saturday: 21.27 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: Rest (Long run)

Yes. Saturday, I ran 21.27 miles. I was aiming for 20, but MapMyRun lost me at a certain point. It was not easy, but I finished.

I ran 34.73 miles week 5 of marathon training.

Marathon Training, Week 4

This week was a bit strange because I was in Minnesota for the Exodus conference.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 5.37 miles (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 3.25 miles outside in the MN heat & 1.12 mile on treadmill (Longer Run)
Thursday: 6.31 miles (Rest)
Friday: 20 minutes on the elliptical (Cross-training)
Saturday: Rest (Shorter run)
Sunday: Rest (Long run)

Total miles: 16.05

Marathon Training, Week 3

This is week 3 of training for the Baltimore Marathon.



This week was a little different. I already knew Thursday wouldn't be a rest day because my running club was doing a fun run as part of "Try the Y[MCA]" week. Then my car had issues and I couldn't get to the gym on Friday. I also took the train 2 days rather than commuting for 45 minutes in stop & go traffic. This really alleviated some of the pain I've been having in my right leg.

Below it says what I was scheduled to do and in parentheses is what I actually did.

Monday Rest
Tuesday Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout (minimal yoga & 3.72 miles of speed work)
Wednesday Longer Run (7.66 miles)
Thursday Rest (3.13 "fun run" in 95 degree heat!)
Friday Cross-training (5.51 mile run)
Saturday Shorter run (3.58 miles)
Sunday Long run (19.08 miles)

Prior to this past week, my longest run was 17.3 miles. Sunday, I found a good training pace that felt a teeny bit challenging, but not too slow: about 10:15 minutes per mile. I felt great and decided to go for 19. It was a very encouraging run!

I will be traveling out of town tomorrow early and am not sure what my running week will look like. I was planning that my mileage would be down this week anyway, as I was advised to drop the mileage to about half every 3 weeks.

Total miles: 42.69

Marathon Training, Week 2

Here is week 2 of marathon training.

Monday, 6/11: Rest
Tuesday, 6/12: Morning yoga, stretching and strength training
Evening track workout: 2X1600, 2X800, 2X400
Wednesday, 6/13: Longer Run (8.44 miles)
Thursday, 6/14: Rest
Friday, 6/15: Cross-training (10 minutes on the elliptical and then my first Spin class!)
Saturday, 6/16: Shorter run (4.39 miles)
Sunday, 6/17: Long run (15. miles with a running club friend)

I ran 31.99 miles this week.

Marathon Training, Week 1

I settled on a marathon training plan this past week (after trying it out 2 weeks ago). It looks something like this.

Weekly Marathon Training Plan
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout
Wednesday: Longer Run
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Cross-training
Saturday: Shorter run (before I go to Weight Watchers at 7:15 AM)
Sunday: Long run

With the exception of Tuesday, I always run first thing in the morning.

Tuesday evenings, I will run a coached track workout with the running club when I am able to make it. I'm aiming for 2 weeks out of 3. If I can't make that workout, I'll run a morning workout.

Wednesday's run will be 6-11 miles.

Friday, I will do cross-training. I'll be trying different workouts to see what's a good fit and sharing that here.

Since I'm having trouble with my right leg, I decided cross-training and extra stretching is important.

I will train for 18 weeks. Every 3 weeks, I will bring my mileage down for the sake of recovery.

This is what my first week looked like:
Monday, 6/4: Rest (day after hardest race of my life)
Tuesday, 6/5: Morning yoga/stretching
Wednesday, 6/6: Longer Run (4.25 miles)
Thursday, 6/7: Rest
Friday, 6/8: Cross-training (I used the elliptical for 30 minutes, the Stairmaster for 10, & ran a treadmill mile in 8:30)
Saturday, 6/9: Shorter run (3.46 miles)
Sunday, 6/10: Long run (8.16 miles)

A couple of comments on this week:
It was a bit of a strange starting week for numerous reasons. I was in race recovery mode after a particularly challenging race. Track was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. I did a shorter run than usual on Wednesday because I was still recovering from the race and wanted to make sure my body worked. Friday's cross-training gave me a minor shin splint (I think it was the Stairmaster), and so I took it easy for the weekend.

I ran 16.87 miles this week. It's a start.

I Registered for a Marathon

A week ago, I registered to run the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon on October 13th, 2012.

Last year's logo

I'm thrilled. And I'm terrified.

I'll be running to raising money for a great cause, about the only cause that could motivate me to attempt to run 26.2 miles.

I'll share more about this later, as well as what lead me up to this decision. For now, you can subscribe to my blog in the right navigation via email or through your favorite blog reader if you want to watch this journey unfold.