Sunday Funday and Aiming High

I came home Monday night to find this waiting for me:

Not a bad way to start your week!  Of course it got me thinking about next years goals.  I had originally said I wanted to break 3:15, which would mean I'd have to take 1:03 off my time from last year.  Of course, G being the loving and supportive hubby that he is said "Good to see you're aiming high".  Oh SNAP.  He means well really, he does.  He believes that I am capable of more than that.   So, I decided to step outside my "feel safe" zone and aim high.  I put it out there on Instagram yesterday.

Yes, that says 3:10.  I get butterflies just thinking about it.  I'm going to be following the same plan I followed last year.   I really hope that my body can take it.  I'm sure I'll have a good idea in the first few weeks.  I'm not going to be an idiot about it.  I know it's going to be tough and if I find that I'm killing myself and not making any progress, I'm going to re-asses.   Next year's training plan will also involve a fair bit of cycling as well so I'm really going to have to listen to my body and make sure I get adequate recovery.

Speaking of recovery, I have recently been introduced to the most amazing pair of shoes ever.  Krysten posted about them a couple of months ago on Instagram and my interest was piqued.  She talked about how comfortable they were and called them her recovery shoe.  Then the lovely Michelle Clarke finally introduced me to my first pair of Barefooters.  Oh. My. Goodness.  These things are so comfortable.  I put them on at the end of the day and it feels like I have little minions massaging my feet.  I haven't worn them out of the house yet, mainly because it's been raining a lot and these are wee bit on the holey side.  You can bet that these will be my go to footwear for all my marathons both on the road and in the kitchen.  You can actually win a pair of your own from now until November 6th if you enter their #feelgreat selfie contest.  Details can be found here.  Who doesn't love a good selfie?  Ok maybe me.  I am a bit camera shy.  My feet aren't though. 

 

This was my first week back into my regular routine and it was tough.  I was still dragging my butt early in the week but I think I'm almost back to normal.  I ran 16km yesterday and it totally sucked, but I got it done and that's all that matters.  I had a monster swim this morning (almost 3km) followed by 1 hour on the computrainer.  Yes, the bike is back in my life.  It has to be.  I don't want to go into tri season playing catch up with my cycling.  Especially if there is the potential for something longer than a sprint.  That's all I'm saying about that right now.

There was a whole bunch of racing awesomeness this weekend with NYCM and the Hamilton Road to Hope happening.  My instagram feed was filled with images from NYCM.  Almost made me regret taking the money and running after last year.  But, I will go back.  I'm going to try and re-qualify in with a half sometime next year.   I had several Blends running the Hamilton Road to Hope:  Krysten, Christina and Danielle all raced.  Krysten ran the full and Christina & Danielle ran the half.  I have been coaching Danielle and her goal was to break 1:50 for the half.  I am proud to say that she killed it.  She ran a 1:48:46.  That totally made my day. 

Did you race this weekend?

Going for Gold: Around the Bay Race Report

"Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts"  - Dan Gable

                           

I knew that if I wanted that gold medal I'd have dig deep.  I'll admit it, I was scared.  Scared that I'd blow up.  Scared that I'd fail.  Realistically the only person that would matter to is me, but still.  Fear is a great motivator.  It can also cause you do to some silly things, like throw your race plan out the window.  Which is pretty much what I did.  Instead of sticking with my carefully thought out plan, I chose to run on feel and when I couldn't feel anymore, I'd run on guts. 

My original plan was to be consistent and stick to 4:27's  (that would have me crossing the finish line in 2:13:30).  My fear being that once I hit the hills in the last 12km, I'd slow down a fair bit, despite the fact that I've been running hills on a regular basis in my training.  That would have been a totally fine plan except that once I started running for some reason I felt that 4:27's wouldn't give me enough of a cushion if I slowed down a lot in the rollers.  So, I ditched my plan and opted to run based on how I felt.  Not always a wise thing to do, especially in the early stages of a long distance race because you almost always feel good.  I didn't go too crazy at the start.  In fact, I was incredibly consistent.  My first km was a bit on the speedy side so I dialed it back and managed to hit exactly the same pace for the next 5km (4:20's).  In fact for the first 17km of the race, I managed to stay between 4:20's-4:25's, although my Garmin seemed to be off just a bit for the entire race.  So I think my pace was closer to mid 4:20's through the first 17km.

The First 10km: Getting into a Groove

I had my trusty "Safe & Danger" band on my right arm.  I knew that for the first 10km if I came in around 44 minutes, I'd be good in good shape.  I also knew that the pace I was running was probably going to get me to the 10km mark faster than 44 minutes.  The course is quite flat along here and relatively sheltered so you don't get much in the way of wind until you start heading north.  There are still plenty of people to draft off of as well so I was able to take shelter behind a few dudes, which was nice.  The closer we got to 10km, the more the crowd started to thin out.  I chugged along really well through here, making a point to grab water at every aid station.  My fueling strategy was the same as at my last race.  It seems to work really well for me.  There were a couple of points between 8 and 10 km where my "too slow" alarm went off so I picked up the pace.  We were running into the wind for a couple of km so it's not surprising.  As we came up to 10km I could see the clock.  I didn't pay much attention to the time on my Garmin as it seemed to be off a bit.  I was going on gun time, not chip time so the clock at 10km would tell me exactly what I needed to know. 

First 10km:  43:41.  Sweet.  I was well ahead of where I needed to be and I was feeling good.

The Middle 10km: Staying Focused

As soon as you cross the 10km timing mat, you start to climb a slight incline onto a bridge.  I felt strong going up this incline and actually passed a few people.  On the bridge, however, I slowed down.  It's one of those metal bridges with holes in it, which makes the footing incredibly uneven.  I changed up my stride going over this, which kind of bothered my left knee a bit.  Luckily I wasn't on there for too long and we were headed into one of my favourite parts of the course:  the stretch along Beach Blvd.  Last year there were people that had set up a bacon stand.  I kid you not.  Sadly they weren't there this year.  I'd be lying if I said I felt great through here.  I didn't.  But I didn't feel horrible either, I just felt kind of "meh".  I could see it in my pacing too.  My Garmin started to beep a bit more frequently.  It was almost like I was losing focus a bit.  I didn't panic though, I just kept moving forward, figuring that perhaps I was just going through a rough patch.  I kept watching the time, trying to do the math as to where I thought I'd be time wise at 15km.  I was pretty sure I'd be sub 1:06:00 which was perfect.   The clock at the 15km mark came into view and I could just make out 1:05 something.  As I got closer I saw 1:05:32.  Amazing.  I was at the halfway point.  I had at least another hour and 5 minutes.  Probably more given that I figured there was no way a negative split was happening today.   Knowing that I was well ahead of my 15km "danger" pace of 1:07:30 seemed to buoy my spirits a bit and I started to feel a little better.  I hoped that it would last as I knew that the really hard part was coming.  As we came off the road onto North Shore Blvd, Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" came on.  How appropriate, as that was exactly where I was headed.  Into the rollers.  I cranked it up and put it on repeat.  I actually started to feel good again so I tackled the first few rollers with gusto.  I remember thinking "this isn't so bad".  Riiight.  I was then smacked in the face with the first of the really ugly rollers.  "Oh yes, now I remember."  I could feel my quads starting to burn.  I let it fly on the downhills, knees be damned.  I spied the clock at the 20km mark but couldn't make it out just yet.  As I got closer, I could see it counting down to 1:27:30.  By the time I got there, the clock read 1:27:34.  Ok, I was slowing down a little but I was still very much in my safe zone and that's all I cared about.  

The Final Leg: Finding My Guts

Remember how I said I felt good between 16 and 20km?  As soon as I hit 21km, it was like I ran into a brick wall.  My entire body hurt.  Probably due to the long grinder of a climb that you do between 20 and 21km.  I got to the top and I was gasping.  I remember looking at my watch and seeing 1:31:30.  I started trying to do the math again.  Anything to keep my mind off the pain.  We were coming towards the hilly part of the GoodFriday 10 Miler course.  There was a very short steep downhill, followed by an equally steep but a little bit longer uphill.  Pure. Evil.  It took every ounce of strength in my legs to get up that hill.  I was starting to worry that I wouldn't be able to hang on over the next 8km.  It was at this point that I noticed a guy running right beside me.  Totally keeping pace with me.  He'd occasionally pull ahead of me a bit and then look over his shoulder to see if I was still there and then he'd settle back into my pace and run beside me.  It was like he needed some company.  There was no way I was getting any words out but it was nice to have the company, even if it was only for a few km.  As we pulled out onto Plains Road, he pulled ahead.  I tried to stay with him but I couldn't.  My legs were really starting to hurt.  My feet were also starting to cramp a bit.  I was thankful to get out onto Plains Road as that meant we were out of the rollers.  All we had left was the Big 'Un in between 25 and 26km.  I caught up with my friend for a bit and ran behind him as we headed towards the valley.  Once we started heading downhill, he pulled away from me again.   I could hear the familiar chorus of Queens "We Will Rock You" and I knew I was coming up to the highlight of the race:  The little dude in the wheelchair and his boom box.  This guy has been out at this same spot, playing this song every. single. time. I've done this race.  So, just like last year, I ran up to him, gave him a high five, thanked him for being there and told him he was always the highlight of my race.  With that done, I started the descent into the valley.  Once again, I let it rip down this hill.  My quads were absolutely shredded by this point but I didn't care.  I knew that once I got up the Big 'Un, it was flat and slightly downhill for the last 3km.  What I didn't bank on was the wind.  More on that later, let's get back to the Big 'Un.  

Everyone has their own opinion on this final climb.  Some people say it's not so bad, others (like myself) say it's horrible.  So in my opinion, it's the worst climb on the course.  When you get to the top you're at the 26km mark so I suppose the only thing that would make it even worse is if it was at the 29km mark.  Thankfully it's not.  It is definitely the steepest climb on the course.  You can see it prominently on the course elevation profile.

Yeah see that lovely dip at 25km, that's the Big 'Un.

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Given how hard I had pushed myself through the first 20km, I figured this climb was going to be just plan ugly.  And it was.  It was like I was carrying a knapsack with about 30lbs on my back.  My pace slowed to 5:30's and all my Garmin did was beep.  Thankfully I could barely hear it over my ragged breathing and cranked up ipod.  I can thank the Arctic Monkeys for getting me up that hill.  Much like they did last year.  I was actually wobbly when I got to the top.  I remember cresting that hill last year and actually feeling pretty good.  Not this year.   Nope.  I was going to leave it all out on the course this year.  It took me about 5 minutes to catch my breath and get back into a rhythm.  Then I noticed the wind.  Good. Freaking. Lord.  It wasn't horrible but in my already depleted state, it certainly wasn't great.  It made the last 3km just a little harder than I wanted them to be.  I tried to catch a few people and draft, anything to ease the hurt I was feeling.  I managed to do that with a wee little guy in a Longboat Runner's singlet but given that he was shorter than me, it didn't really do me much good so I moved on.   I was running on nothing but guts and fumes at this point.  Once again I started trying to do the math in my head based on what my Garmin said.  At about 28km I knew absolutely for sure that I'd make it in well under 2:15.  I think I started smiling just after I high fived the Grim Reaper.  I was guessing I'd be in around 2:12:30.  As I got closer to Copps Coliseum, I started scanning the crowd.  My sister said she'd be out with her boyfriend Jesse and I knew G would be waiting for me somewhere.  Sure enough I saw my sister and Jesse just past the 29km mark.  I could hear her yelling Go get it PK and I remember saying I've so. freaking. GOT THIS.  And making my trademark Rock On fingers (of course).  I may have been hurting but I was beyond happy.  I was smiling the entire way and trying to get the crowd to make some noise, which they did.  I took a very wide corner into Copps, pulled off my sunglasses and pounded down the ramp, wincing at the soreness in my quads.  As I turned the corner I saw the clock had just ticked over to 2:12.  I had nothing left, there was no final sprint.  Nothing.  Some guy came flying by me as I came into the Coliseum.  You go buddy.  I raised my arms and grinned as I crossed the line.  I had done it.  

Gun time:  2:12:26.  Chip time:  2:12:14.  5 minutes faster than last year.

I walked over to get my medal and as soon as the girl handed it to me, I kissed it.  I couldn't stop smiling and I totally couldn't wait to see G.  As I walked out of the stadium I happened to look up and saw him standing there smiling that smug look he gets sometimes when he knows that he was right.  I didn't care.  He was right.  I DID it.  All that worrying was for nothing.  

Good as Gold.

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As I was exiting the stadium, I saw my friend from earlier.  He stopped to thank me and shake my hand.  He said I really helped him.  I thought that was really sweet.  I said that even though I didn't say anything, it was really nice to have the company.  THAT is exactly what I love about running and runners in general.   

I hobbled out to the exit of the Coliseum to go meet G and my sister.  The one thing I hate about finishing in Copps is that they make you take the escalator up to the second floor and then you have to walk DOWN the stairs to the exit.  For whatever reason they don't allow you to just walk straight out.  I guess they want to keep some semblance of order and not have everyone and their brother walking around in the finishing / food area.   Other than that, this race always delivers.  It's incredibly well organized and well supported.  It's not surprising that it sells out every year.  I'll probably be back next year to do it again, even though I'm not planning on running a spring marathon.

Me and my awesome cheerleaders.

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Now I've got 3 weeks to recover and get my last little bit of intensity in before I toe the line in Hopkinton.  Some people that push themselves at Around the Bay go on to have crappy experiences at Boston because it is only 3 weeks later.  Last year I ran ATB at more comfortable pace and I still caved at Mississauga, which was a whole 6 weeks later.  So perhaps this year's experience will remind me what it's like to run with guts.  That being said, I'm not going to be stupid.  Boston isn't a walk in the park and I don't want to re-live my last experience there.   It's been 10 years since I last ran Boston so hopefully I've managed to learn something.  I guess I'll find out in 3 weeks.

Countdown to Beantown - 4 weeks to go!

Gotta be honest, when I read that title, I get butterflies in my stomach and I feel like barfing...just a little.  I can't believe there is only 4 freaking weeks left in my training.  4 weeks!!!  Gah.  If these next 4 weeks are as successful as the last 4 have been then I suspect Boston will be a good day.  Let's pick up where we left off 4 weeks ago shall we?  There was much whinging in that post and I'm happy to say that even though I've had a few crappy long runs in this cycle (including yesterday), most of my other workouts have been good.  I even managed to get all my runs in while away for work in Miami, including a 5x1000m interval workout along the boardwalk.  And to top it all off, I ran a half marathon PB on my birthday.  Not just a little PB either.  I shaved a whole minute and 9 seconds off my time from last year.  The best part was that I paced myself smartly.  I didn't go out too hard so I had plenty left in the tank towards the end.  I'm not going to lie,  it's a nice feeling to start passing folks in the last 5km of a half marathon. The added bonus?  I re-qualified into NYCM with my time.  YEAH.

Where I've taken a hit as of late is my cycling and my strength training.  I was supposed to start phase 2 of the NROL program just after I got back from vacation but that never happened and then the follow week was my race and I didn't think it was wise to start a new weightlifting program the same week I was running a half marathon.  Then I was away in Miami.  I could have started it this week I suppose but I wasn't organized enough to look up all the exercises.  So that will have to wait till next week and even then, I'll probably skip the leg part of my Thursday workout because I'm racing again next weekend.  And as for my cycling well, it had been a month since I've been on the bike but I rectified that today.  I'm not going to fret about my lack of cycling fitness right now as my first tri of the season isn't until the end of May but, I also don't want to completely slack off.  I can't get another entire month go by without riding.

As usual, I've been plugging away with my swimming.  I'm really closing the gap on 250,000m.  After this mornings swim, I'm at 218,250m.   If I can manage to keep up a monthly average of 20,000m I'll be there by sometime in May.  April will be dicey because of Boston;  I'll miss 3 days of swimming for sure, possibly 4 depending on whether or not I can drag my butt out of bed the day after we get home.  Although, I usually get out 15 minutes early so I can hit the showers before they get too crowded.  Might have to change that over the next few months so I can squeeze in a few extra meters. 

The first challenge of this month - the Further Faster Forever Badge Challenge ended today and I managed to snag 20 different badges.  I'm sure there are a couple of others I could claim but I don't have picture evidence so in the interest of playing fair, I'm not going to claim them.  It was a fun challenge and I hope they do something like that again!  Today also marks the start of the #30DaystoBoston Instagram challenge that Ty from Seeking Boston Marathon is hosting.  I can't wait to see everyone's pics over the course of the next 30 days. 

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my last cycle of training.  Now I just have to make sure I work on recovering better (i.e re-hydrating and getting more sleep) and not getting sick!!

The Yellow Birds First Flight

Only two more sleeps until I can run in a tank top and shorts.  YES!  I cannot even begin to tell you how. flipping. excited I am.  This winter has sucked the big one.  The only thing that would have made it worse was if we had a ton of snow.  Thankfully we haven't had too much.  It's just been grey, cold and generally miserable.  I need to see the sun and bask in it's warmth.   But for now, it's two more days of cold and grey.   Yeah yeah, I know, I'll shut up now.

Despite the grey skies outside, things have been looking up.  I had another really good A.R.T session yesterday morning and that, coupled with the 90 minute hot yoga session I did on Sunday has really helped to loosen everything up.  On Monday, I even managed to do 3 sets of 8 reps of squats with no knee issues.  I used a much lighter weight than normal (65lbs vs 80lbs) and I felt great.  No pain, nothing.  WOOHOO.   The only pain I felt was in my glutes the next day.  Proof that I actually used my butt muscles!  Yeah!

The real test for me would be when I hit the road for my run groups Tuesday Tempo session.  My training plan had me slated to run 13km with 10 of it at 4:35/km's.  Tough considering I hadn't done any speed work in about 10 days.  I figured I was going to suck some serious wind.  My PT had taped both my knees up so I was feeling really good about letting loose.  In fact, I was absolutely chomping at the bit to go out and run fast.  I wasn't going to be stupid about it obviously.  If I didn't feel great, I wasn't going to push it.  But if I felt good, then I was going to let the dogs out.

I was also going to be taking these babies on their maiden voyage outside.

The Yellow Birds

I got to the community centre early and a dynamic warm up and then started my 3km warm up.  My plan was to get back close to when the club left so I wasn't standing around too long.  I started out slowly resisting the urge to push the pace.  My knees felt a little weird but I think that was due to the tape.  My right one was bothering me a bit so I started thinking about taking the tape off when I got back.  But once I hit my turn around point, it had stopped and I didn't think about it again.  I got back about 10 minutes before we were scheduled to leave.  Most of the group had arrived and I made sure I stretched and tried to keep limber because I knew that as soon as we started, it was hammer time.  I had hoped that at least one of the fast guys was going to be there so I could have someone to chase and sure enough, Steve was there.  On these runs, he's always in front of me by about 300m or so which is perfect.  It's close enough that I never lose the motivation to keep up the chase.   I figured the first 2km would be the test for me.  If I felt alright in those 2km then I was going to give 'er.  That 2km came and went and I felt amazing.  Well, as amazing as you can feel when you're pushing the pace.  My legs felt strong, my footing was sure and I was confident in my stride.  The Yellow Birds were flying.  I felt great until about 10km in, then I really started to feel fatigued.  The lactic acid was starting to build up in my legs and any uphills I hit became a bit of a challenge.  Guess that's what happens when you take 10 days off running.  I shut the whining down and focused on working through the hurt.   Pushing the limits just a bit farther.  With 500m left, I really pushed the pace, hitting 4:05 km's.  I was hoping to sneak under an hour for just over 13km but I didn't quite make it.  I was close.  The Yellow Birds had an excellent maiden voyage.

BOOM!

It's official.  I'm back. 

Countdown to Beantown - 12 Weeks to Go!

I can't believe I'm already 4 weeks in to my 16 week training program for Boston.  That means Beantown is only 12 weeks away.  Geez.  I am really liking the "Run Less, Run Faster" plan that I am on.   As much as I love to run, my body can't seem to handle more than 3-4 runs a week so this works out perfectly for me.

I started off really well.  I followed the program to a T.  At least for the first week.  These last 3 weeks, well, I've been free-styling it.  I've been doing my prescribed Tuesday tempo runs at their appropriate paces and I've been doing my long runs at close to my appropriate pace but my track workouts have vanished.   I know, I know.  They are an integral part to this program.  It's not like I'm not running on Thursdays.   I've just been doing whatever workout that my club is doing.  It's just easier.  That and the track I like to run at isn't lit so until it starts staying lighter later or I luck out and find a good indoor track, I'll be doing interval work with my run group.  Sure it's not going to be the prescribed workout but, it's still speed work so hopefully that will count for something.

I finally went for a long overdue massage on Wednesday.  It had been 6 weeks since the last time I had one.  Far.  too. long.  Especially with the amount of abuse I pile on my body.  I was a total disaster area.  My shoulders and back were actually crunching while my therapist was working on them.  CRUNCHING.  I had little knots everywhere throughout my shoulders.  My calves were super tight and my quads and IT band were also in pretty rough shape.  I don't think it was any coincidence that my knees started to bother me a few weeks ago either - all those tight muscles are going to start pulling things out of whack.  They seem to be somewhat better but I can't say 100% just yet. 

This plan is definitely a bit more aggressive in terms of long run pace and mileage than I'm used to.  There are six 20 milers in it.  Yes, you read that correctly, SIX.  The most I've ever had in a training plan has been 3.  My long run pace is also about 15 seconds faster per km than what I normally run.  I've been responding fairly well to it so far though, until this week.   I had 3 great long runs and then was smacked up the side of the head with a horrible run yesterday.  I was supposed to slow it down and run 5:20 km's for 32km.  I started off slow and then found a pace that felt easy and comfortable and stayed there but my legs just didn't have it to go the distance so I stopped at just over 30km.  I don't think I had fully recovered from my massage on Wednesday.  My legs just felt tired and sore.   I figured I was due for a crappy run after having 4 weeks in a row of awesomeness.  Sometimes, that's just what happens in training.  You've got to learn to take the good with the bad and move on.  Tuesday will be another day to be better.

Week 2 Long Run.  Wicked Awesome.

Week 3 Long Run - Hellz Yeah.

Week 4 Long Run:  Ouch.  Although this did include a 5 minute pit stop so I can't complain TOO much.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to get back on the bike once a week.  That has just started to happen.  I think the cycling will help with my leg turnover when it comes to running.  If I plan on doing as many triathlons as I've indicated on my race schedule, then I really should get on the bike at least once a week.  So I figure Sunday afternoons or Wednesday nights will be my bike days.  Once Boston is done, then I can work at getting more cycling in and scale back on my running (gasp!).

So far, I'm feeling pretty good about everything.  I am chomping at the bit for race season to start though.  I can't wait to get started on my 13 in 2013.  I'm also curious to see what these legs of mine will be capable of on this more aggressive training plan.  March 3rd can't come soon enough! 

Start Spreading the News...

I'm leaving on Friday!!  Ahhhhhhhhh!

Oh how my tune has changed from last week's post.  I think I have Frank Sinatra to thank for that.   The day after I wrote that post, I was heading out to meet my run group and New York, New York came on my iTunes playlist.  I couldn't help but smile.  I think at that point the full realization of where I was going and what I was going to do, hit me.   I've never been to New York and I've never participated in a race this big. 

So yes, the excitement has finally kicked in.  I was dancing around the kitchen singing "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere....."  G turned to me and said "So you're not really excited, right?"  Ah touche my love, touche.

I think excited is an understatement.

This time next week, I will be just over an hour and 30 minutes into my journey.  So I should be somewhere around 18 km depending on how I'm feeling.   I went out for a 16km run yesterday and my legs didn't feel great.  I'm not surprised given I had a massage on Wednesday and then did a kick heavy swim on Friday.  But, I've still got a week of recovery left.  The positive thing was that my achilles didn't bother me at all.  I could feel it getting a bit tight towards the end but I stopped to stretch and that seemed to help. I've got one more session on Thursday with my PT.  I've been given all sorts of exercises to do.  Once the race is over we're going to get down to business to fix the underlying issues on my left side.  I don't have much mobility in my left ankle and I'm not engaging some of my calf muscles so there is some compensation happening in my other muscles.  This is the first time in 14 years that I've had any sort of calf / achilles issues and I am I chalking it up to the Newtons and the fact that I did pretty much no calf work at all this year.  Not a good combo.  

So while I'm excited about the marathon, I am also excited to stop, give my body a break and take the time to work on making it stronger so I can get through next year injury free.

In the meantime, I'm going to focus on the task at hand: getting through another 26.2 miles upright and smiling.

It's not a Race, It's a Journey...

This post started off as a somewhat whiny post about how I feel like a sack of hammers, I'm super stressed out and that I don't feel like running another 26.2 miles in a couple of weeks, blah blah blah.  And then I came home to this, my excitement returned and I changed my tune.

The photograph of all those people brought back fond memories of my last Boston experience.  Given that NYC is double the size, I can only imagine what the crowds will be like.  I'm sure the energy will be palpable.  I hope so because I think I'm going to need all the help I can get to make it through 26.2 miles.

I'm not going to lie though, I am tired.  And I am kind of (only kind of, not completely!!) dreading the fact that I'm going to be running marathon number 2 this year.  I don't know if I feel mentally ready to tackle another one.  That is what's been running through my head this past week.  As of this very minute, I can honestly say that I really don't feel like running another one.  I really don't.  I feel mentally spent.  That could be a combination of the fact that I've been super stressed at work and that fact that normally my fall A race happens sometime in mid-October.  After mid-October, I can usually check out in terms of my mental focus.  Not this year.  Nope.  I decided that doing NYC in November would be fun and a great opportunity.  I mean when would I get the chance for another guaranteed entry?  Probably never again since they lowered the qualifying standards for my AG this year to a blazing 1:30:00 or faster.   Insanity.  So I jumped at the chance and figured I could handle two marathons in one year. 

Ok so maybe this post is still a bit whiny.   Ah well.  Guess I need to get it off my chest.  Call it online processing.  Heh.

I think that two marathons in one year is too much for this bod.  I'm feeling a little beat up.  My achilles isn't 100%.  I managed to tweak it on a long run a few weeks ago when I ducked into the bushes for a pee break.  Who hurts their achilles going to the bathroom???  Apparently I do.  Maybe I'm worrying too much.  I had physio yesterday and she said my mobility is a lot better.  It feels a lot better too.  I'll see her a couple more times before I go and I've got a massage scheduled tonight so maybe I'll feel better about everything after a little TLC and a good nights sleep.  

Those nagging little "performance oriented" thoughts have started creeping in though and I need to shut them off.  I had to give a finishing time estimate way back when and I had said 3:30.  The competitor in me feels compelled to try and make that time.  But really what does it matter?  I have to keep reminding myself that I decided to do this race for the experience of it.   It's all about the journey.  That's what I'm going for.  No pressure.  I'm going to take a 26.2 mile tour of all five Boroughs with 45,000 other people.  Yeah, that's it.  That's the key.  To quote one of my favourite Rush songs (Out of the Cradle) "It's not a race, it's a journey".  

I think that's going to be my new mantra for the next 12 days. 

A Running Start: Scotiabank Toronto Half Marathon Race Report

Sunday marked my last long run before The NYC Marathon.  I was scheduled to do 35km.  I was also supposed to run the Scotiabank Half so the plan was to run to the start and then do a 3km cool down after the race.  I ended up running with a friend of a friend who happens to live in my neighbourhood and who is also doing NYC.  Lucky for me she also decided that running to the start line would be the best way to get her mileage in.  We met up at 6:45 am in the pouring rain at Parklawn and Lakeshore and made our way east along the Lakeshore.  We ran at a very comfortable pace (5:30's or so) and my legs felt great.  They should have as I hardly ran at all this week.  I've been re-habbing my achilles and I've had both my treatments on days where I run with my group.  My Tuesday treatment left my achilles and calf quite sore.  She had tried like crazy to release my rather stiff ankle to no avail.  I think it finally released on my run because all it did was crack.  I had to stop at 6.5km in because it was affecting my gait.  And it was so loud it was grossing me out.  My Thursday treatment was acupuncture and my calf was so tender by the end of the day I figured there was no point in running.  I'd just rest and hopefully be good to go come Sunday. I felt better on Friday and thought I'd run when I got home but after the day I had, a glass of wine was what happened instead of a run.  Oh well.
I also spent over 5 hours on my feet on the Saturday wandering around the Annual Fall Bike Sale.  I had vowed not to be there for more than 2 hours but G was hell bent on buying a new mountain bike.  So 5.5 hours later, I walked out with a whole new cycling wardrobe and G with a new bike.  Smiles all around.

The run to the start was a lot of fun despite the rain.  Jackie had me in stitches the entire time.  It was really nice to have the company.   We made it to the Eaton's Centre and ducked inside to use the washrooms.  Unfortunately a large number of racers also thought that would be a good idea so we went to the other end of the Eaton's Centre only to be greeted by a similar line up.  Hmm.  It was almost 8:00 am and the race started at 8:30.  I knew that getting into our starting corral was going to be a pain in the ass so we opted to duck out and try our luck at the Tim Horton's around the corner.  Ran in there and conveniently their washrooms were Out of Service.  Uh-huh.  More like they just didn't want a bunch of runners messing it up.  Luckily for me Jackie knew her way around Ryerson so we ran over there hoping that the doors were unlocked.  They were.  Jackpot!!  We had our own clean bathroom with toilet paper!  Oh the joy!

I had called G when we were in the Eaton's Centre and as I had predicted he was not anywhere near us yet.  As we were finishing up at Ryerson he called me.  He wasn't too far from us but I didn't want to risk waiting for him.  It was 8:10 and we still had to run over to Dundas and University so I told him not to worry and that I'd look for him at the start if I could.  We made our way over to the start line and it was complete chaos.  The way they have the corrals set up is awful.  I understand why they do it the way they do but it really causes a lot of unnecessary stress.  There was ONE entrance into the red corral and there isn't really any other way to get to the corrals other than along the next to non existent sidewalk.  I was climbing over planters and jumping into the crowd of runners.  I finally found the entrance to the red corral.  Thank goodness they actually had people screening the runners for the correct bib or else I imagine I would have missed the start.  I wedged my way in and pushed through the crowds towards the front.  I still had my hideous jacket on because I was unable to meet up with G due to him being held up in traffic (no comment).  At that point I don't think it mattered.  I was totally soaked.  I took it off, hung it up on the fence and went back into the crowd.  The body heat of the crowd kept me warm.  In fact I thought I might actually be a bit overdressed as I could feel sweat dripping down my chest.   Nothing I could do about it then as I didn't feel like tossing my nice New Balance shirt.  This is where seeing G would have been handy.  But I digress.

The rain had stopped when we were making our way over to the start line so I hoped that was going to be the last of it.  I didn't even want to see what my feet looked like at that point, never mind adding another 21.1km to it.  As I stood there with thousands of other runners, it started misting.  Ugh.  Then the 1:30 pace bunny made his way into the crowd and stood right in front of me.  Uh-oh.  Sure enough, I started to get crowded by the folks that wanted to run that pace.  I knew that was going to be too fast for me so I tried to get out of the way a bit.  Not an easy feat when everyone is jammed in like sardines.   The announcements started, they played the anthem and the countdown began.

And then we were off!

Of course I started running far too quickly because my legs felt great.  I was nice and warmed up from my 11.66km run to the start.  To say I got a little carried away by the crowds was an understatement.  At about 3km I finally told myself to "chill the eff out".  I didn't have much of a choice because we were going uptown at this point.  The route for this years race was re-jigged in an effort to make it more spectator friendly and give runners a better feel for the city.  In that regards I think it was quite successful.   I enjoyed running through "The Village" and along Bloor Street, through Yorkville.  Crowd support was a bit sporadic but the weather wasn't great so I wasn't too surprised.  (it had started raining again shortly after the race started).  If the weather cooperates next year, I suspect that the route through The Village will get a lot more entertaining.   We motored along Bloor and then made our way down St. George through the U of T area which is quite nice.  We then hit College which was just plain weird to run on.  I was trying to avoid the streetcar tracks and all the bumps in the road.  It's not the nicest road to run on.   We were at about 5km in when I thought "I don't want to do this".  I was tired, it was raining and my achilles was just starting to ache.  I already had almost 17km in my legs at that point.  I wasn't sure I could face another 16.   But I'm not a quitter so I decided I needed to focus on something else.  I had to banish those negative thoughts.  I started checking out the people around me.  I noticed a guy in front of me wearing a t-shirt that said "I am Chuck Norris" and from the back I would have agreed.  I stuck behind him for a while.  We turned on to Bathurst and I happened to look over and see G standing there.  I smiled and waved and he blew me a kiss.  I caught it and blew one back.  I know, get the barf bucket.  I was bummed that I didn't get to see him at the start and he knew that.  That little gesture lifted me up and I ended up catching Chuck Norris.  I gotta say, this guy could have been his younger twin.  It was uncanny.

We were coming towards Lakeshore and Bathurst and I knew that my run group was manning one of the water stations down there.  Sure enough as I came barreling down road I could see them.  I saw them all before they saw me.  I started cheering and grabbed a cup of Gatorade from Steve and they all started cheering and yelling.  That totally buoyed me along.   By this point the pain in my achilles was a constant dull ache.  I hoped that that would be the worst of it.  I tried not to think about it.

We headed west along Lakeshore and I was bracing myself for the wind.  It's usually pretty brutal along there but it surprisingly wasn't too bad.  There were a few windy patches so I just made sure I slowed down and drafted where I could.  I chugged along Lakeshore at a decent pace.  My legs were starting to feel a bit rough.  I knew the 10km mark wasn't too far off.  Sure enough I crossed it a few minutes later in 44:15.  Not too shabby.  We were heading towards my favourite part of the race.  We usually head west along Lakeshore to the turnaround at Windermere which is always jam packed.  This year they changed it and had the turnaround just past Parkside.  The change and the unpleasant weather didn't deter the spectators.  They were out in full force.  I knew my friends Kiki and Bob were going to be around here somewhere so I kept my eyes peeled for them.  Sure enough I saw them a few minutes later right at the turn around point.  I saw them before they saw me.  There was lots of cheering and I even busted out the Rock On Fingers.  Luckily Bob snapped a pic as I made what seemed like a 180 degree turn.  Apparently a few people wiped out here.  Not cool.

Some people take their racing far too seriously.

 I was actually feeling pretty good through here.  That changed about 1km later.  My achilles really started to hurt.  I tried to ignore it but it got so bad at points that it affected my gait.  I decided it was time to distract myself again so I started watching the oncoming crowd of runners to see if I could spot some familiar faces.  I had hoped to see fellow running blogger Krysten before the race to wish her luck (she was running her first marathon!) but that didn't happen so I kept scanning the crowd for her.  I also tried desperately to spot my friend Kirsten and my RMT David who were both racing.  I suspected that David was probably not far behind me as he was aiming for a sub 1:40.  I was also supposed to find him at the start but that didn't happen either.  The constant stream of people was actually quite hypnotic.  I know I slowed down for a while.  In fact, I got so distracted that I actually missed taking my gel by almost 5 minutes.  And I wondered why I was hurting so much.  Well other than the fact that I had about 27km on my legs at that point.
The next few kms were really tough.  I remember looking up at one point and seeing the 16km mark and thinking ok, just 25 more minutes.  That's it.  Just hang on for 25 more minutes.   At 18km I really started to hurt.  My quads had started to cramp slightly.  I was coming up on a woman in a Longboat Runners singlet.  As I got closer I realized it was the same woman I caught and passed at 20km of the Oakville Half.  Crazy.  I got up behind her as we ran up the Spadina off ramp.  My legs did not want to work.  She started to pull away from me on the downhill.  I caught her again on the flat and we were running almost side by side.  We ran along to Bay Street and as I came under the bridge towards Front Street, she started to pull away.  I was running for all I was worth.  I hurt so much.  I glanced at my watch.  I had hoped to beat my time from last year.  It was going to be close.  I pushed hard towards Nathan Phillips Square.  I actually managed to catch a woman as we passed Queen Street.  I was meters away.  My entire body hurt and my lungs felt like they were going to burst.  I heard the announcer call my name as I came down the finishing chute.  I glanced at my watch:  1:34:15.  I had beaten last years time by just over 30 seconds.   With an 11+ km warm up and an injured achilles,  I'll take it. 

I was sore for two days post race.  Today is actually the first day where I'm not going down the stairs sideways.  My achilles was very sore on Sunday and for some of Monday.  I had some work done on it yesterday and now it feels a lot better.  It's still fairly tight but I'm stretching it every day and doing my prescribed calf raises.  I don't suspect it will be fully healed when I do NYC but at least I know that once I'm done, that's it for my season.  It's time to put the feet up and rest.  Two marathons in one year is too much for this body.

Did you race this past weekend?  If so, what race did you do?

If you did Scotia, what did you think of the new course?  I really liked the changes.  I think it will give out of town runners a good feel for the city.

The One Where I Run to the Start Line of a Half Marathon

Source

This Sunday marks my last really long run before NYC.  My plan is to do 35km.  It also happens to be the day of one of my favourite local half marathons:  The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon & Half Marathon.  Since I really enjoy this race and wanted to do it, I figured there had to be a way for me to incorporate it into my long run.  Running to the start of a race is nothing new for me.  I did it multiple times last year, although most of the time, it wasn't more than 7 or 8km and I wasn't running to the start of a half marathon so I'm just a little scared.  I thought about splitting the difference and running 7km before and then 7km after but the more I thought about it, the more I figured once I was done the race, I'd just want to go home, have a nap and get ready to go rock my socks off to Rush that night.  I did think about running home but quickly dismissed that idea.  No way I'd be able to face that after racing 21.1km.  So, I figured running to the start would be the best idea.  It will also test my ability to race on tired legs.  I sat down and mapped out a route to the start.  Turns out it's just over 15km from my house.  Hmmmm. 

Don't think I want to run 15+km as a warm up.  Time to re-jig the plan.

I decided to enlist the G-Man.  He'll be up early anyway, so I'll get him to drive me to roughly 11km out.  Once I get to the start, I'll find him, re-fill my fuel belt bottles, hand off my layers and be ready to go.  After I'm done  I can then do a 3km cool down run by heading back out on to the course and cheering on my friends that are also racing.  Win-win situation if you ask me.  Although the last time I decided to do something like this it went horribly wrong.  G has promised that won't happen again but just to be safe, I'm wearing my race belt & number under my jacket.  To be extra safe,  I'm going to wear a running jacket I got from the Chilly Half last year.  It's absolutely hideous so if I have to leave it on the side of the road, it won't break my heart.  This will all depend on the weather of course.  The current forecast for race morning is a 49% chance of rain with a temperature of 15 degrees but because of the gusting winds it will probably feel more like 10 degrees.  Sounds like perfect running weather to me.  Minus the gusting winds of course.

I'm thinking Sunday is probably going to hurt a lot but like I said, it will be a good test to see what I can do on tired legs.  I don't expect to set any PB's either but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to beat my time from last year.  Not sure how possible that's going to be given my rather ambitious warm up but we'll see.  All I can do is go out and try my best.  I will probably be a bit of a mess by the end of it all but that's ok.  Good thing I have the to option to sit through the concert.  But given that it's my favourite band, I highly doubt that sitting will even be on my radar.   I am definitely going to have to fit a nap in if I want to stay up past 9:00 pm.  What can I say, I know how to live it up.

Anyone else racing this weekend?  

If so what are you racing?

Let's Go Racing!

Well folks, tomorrow will be the first long distance race I've done since May.  The G-Man and I are doing the Oakville Half Marathon.  Usually I get a little nervous the day before but today I'm remarkably calm.  Probably because I have absolutely no expectations.  This is just a test to see where I'm at.   I'm not trying to go out and set a PB.  I'm going to take this opportunity to practice my race day fueling strategy for NYC and enjoy doing what I love to do:  push myself. 
My legs have been feeling great this week.  I've had two really solid training runs and I've taken today off so my legs should be nicely rested for tomorrow.  I'm really looking forward to letting loose.  I've got 25km scheduled which is perfect.  I'll do a 4km warm up and then be ready to race.  It's supposed to be quite cold tomorrow so I've dug out the throw away gloves and my Team RF arm warmers.  I'll be sticking with my tried and true CWX tri-shorts, my Compressport calf sleeves, my fitted New Balance t-shirt and my Team RF singlet.  That should be just perfect.

And of course, I'll be wearing my awesome purple Mizunos.  Here's hoping for a very Mezamashii run.

The Sunday Ritual, A Different Path & A Reboot

Yes, it's Sunday again.  Normally I'd be writing this sprawled on the couch recovering from my long run but, I decided to dice things up this weekend and do my long run yesterday so I could swim and ride today.  Not only did I run yesterday, but, instead of following my usual westbound route along the lake, I opted to run east and then north up the Humber River Trail.  I hadn't run up that trail since late last year so I figured it was high time.  I also figured a hilly-ish long run would do me some good because NYC is not flat.  At least that's what I've been told.  So I went Eastbound yesterday and I'm so glad I did.  Even though my legs didn't feel great, I felt energized to be running somewhere different.  I also discovered a new path that is partially completed.  Right now they are working on extending it east to Marina Del Rey / Humber Bay Park.  I'm hoping that they will also extend it in the other direction because it would be so nice to run right along the water instead of running along the sidewalk on Lakeshore.  It was a nice little diversion off of Lakeshore even if it was only about 5 minutes.  The view of the city and the Etobicoke yacht club wasn't too shabby either.

Interesting name, especially since it was anything but linear!

Etobicoke Yacht Club

I had hoped to be out on the road by 8:00 am but that didn't happen.  I was tired and really dragging my butt so it was closer to 9:00 by the time I actually left the house.  It was a gorgeous day out so it was a busy morning on the paths.  Lots of runners, cyclists, walkers, you name it, they were out.  And why wouldn't you want to be outside on a day like yesterday?  Days like this are going to be few and far between in a couple of months so we might as well get out and enjoy it now!

Eastbound at Humber Bay Park.

 

 

The temperature was perfect.  I almost wished I had a tank top on when I was in the sun but most of this run was in the shade and there was a cool-ish breeze so I was actually quite comfortable.  Once I hit Humber Bay Park East, I turned north and followed the Humber Trail.  There are a few rollers on the way out but for the most part is a gradual climb.  You are working just hard enough on the way out.  It's mostly bike path but it's peppered with a bit of dirt and gravel trail which I quite like as well.  I wasn't sure how far up I'd get.  I guessed that I'd make it to at least Dundas maybe further.  I was way off, I made it way past Dundas and almost up to Eglington before I turned around.  I was hoping I'd be able to maintain a sub 5:00 min/km pace but my legs had other plans, especially for the first half hour of the run.  But, I managed to pick up on the way back, especially since it was downhill.  I think this past week of not enough sleep, less than optimal eating and a deep tissue massage that I hadn't quite recovered from all played a part in my slower than normal pace.  But, whatever, we're all going to have days like that so I didn't worry too much about it.  Especially when you've got scenery like this to distract you.

Fly fishing in the Humber River

Into the Light

The important thing is, I got it done.  I actually quite liked doing my long run on Saturday.  It's nice to have a quasi lazy Sunday.  Sure I still got up early to do my swim but I was back home by 9:45 even with a stop at the grocery store.  Love it.

After last week's horrible eating, it's time for me to get back on the wagon.  By the end of last week, I felt gross and bloated.  I hate feeling like that so it's time to re-stock the freezer.  I've been a busy little lady this afternoon.  I cleaned out and re-organized the fridge.  I finally used one of the 2 heads of cauliflower I bought last week.  I cut it up and roasted half of it with garlic, olive oil and lemon.  Easily reheated or eaten cold.

The other half I cooked in 1/4 cup of water + 1/2 a can of coconut milk until it was really soft.  I tossed in a few cashews that I had kicking around as well.  Once the coconut milk had cooked down, I turned the heat off and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes.  I mashed it up with a fork and then took my immersion blender to it and whipped it to a nice smooth consistency.   I think that will be part of my dinner tonight.

Mashed cauliflower goodness.

I've been wanting a change of pace for breakfast so instead of making my usual frittata / quiche, I decided to make a couple of mini ones and then cook up some quinoa to have on the days I'm not eating these.  I could have made them crustless but I kinda like the crust.  I didn't think a chick pea crust would go well with the ingredients I had on hand so I opted to make one out of ground flax and hemp seeds.   The filling consisted of sauteed spinach, smoked salmon and goat cheese.  Had I actually had dill, I would have put that in as well.   I think they look pretty good.  We'll see how they taste.  The good news?  I actually had the foresight to write down the recipe! 

Smoked Salmon Mini Quiche

Smoked Salmon Mini Quiche

Crust:
1/4 cup of flax meal
1 TBSP of hemp seeds
2 TBSP of egg whites
dash of salt

Mix ingredients together in a bowl.  Divide in half and press into an oiled ramekin.  

You could probably skip this next step if you want but I like a crunchy crust so I opted to bake the crust for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Let crust cool and pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Filling:

1 generous handful of spinach, roughly chopped. 
1/2 tbsp of olive oil + a splash of water to sautee spinach in.
1 large piece of smoked salmon cut into pieces
1 TBSP of goat cheese
1 egg
2/3 cup of egg whites
1/2 tsp of dill (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee spinach in oil and water until wilted.  Add to ramekin.  Add cut up salmon.  Beat egg and egg whites, season with salt and pepper, add dill if using and mix in.  Divide evenly between ramekins.  Break up goat cheese and drop into egg mixture. 
Place on top rack of oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until mostly set.  I tried not to cook them until completely done as I will be re-heating them for breakfast and didn't want them to be over cooked.

That will be my breakfast tomorrow.  Can't wait!  I just finished cooking chicken burgers from a Martha Stewart recipe that I tweaked a bit.  Will have to post that one later on this week.  I am hoping to be able to make this recipe later on this evening, I'll just have to figure out what flour to substitute as I'm running very low on almond meal.  I do love me some pound cake and this one looks pretty darn good.  I'll have to remember to portion and freeze it asap so I don't eat half of it one go!

Despite my busy week, I still managed a decent week of training.  I worked really late on Thursday so I was planning on taking Friday as my day off.  It's just as well, I was totally zonked by then.  This is how it all went down this week.

Monday:  1600m swim

Tuesday:  a.m. 2.96km on the treadmill at the gym + 40 minute weight workout.   P.M. 9.82 km tempo with hills.

Wednesday:  2200m swim.  Desperately needed massage in P.M.  

Thursday:  Easy-ish 8km in High Park - no weights.

Friday:  Off

Saturday:  Long run 27.66 km

Sunday:  2600m swim +1 hour on the trainer. 

Totals for the week:
Swim:  6400m
Bike:  1 hour
Run:  48.52km

+ 40 minutes of strength training.  Just over 8 hours of workouts this week.  Not bad. I suspect that total will start to climb along with my mileage over the next few weeks.  Crunch time is coming!

What did you get up to this weekend?