3 Run Re-Cap

I'm so behind on my blogging.
This will just be a short recap of my recent runs, just to get caught up!


Saturday April 14, 2012
This was my last long run before the marathon.  YIKES!  I can't believe how quickly this race got here.  
I was supposed to meet up with the girls in North Park to run the last one together, but I had some stomach issues the night before and that morning and running in North Park, far away from bathrooms, had me worried.  So I decided to wait it out a bit and attempt a run in the afternoon around my house.  I ended up doing a really hilly course around my neighborhood, not straying too far from my house just in case I had an emergency.
Omar ran the first 6 with me and then I was on my own for the last 4. My total time was 1:39:27. Here was the mile breakdown by average pace:

Mile 1 - 10:17

Mile 2 - 9:57

Mile 3 - 10:02

Mile 4 - 9:47

Mile 5 - 10:00

Mile 6 - 9:57

Mile 7 - 10:05

Mile 8 - 9:49

Mile 9 - 10:07

Mile 10 - 9:19

TOTAL AVERAGE PACE - 9:47

I felt like this was the most solid long run I've had during this training.  The back and forth jump in pace between each mile was interesting as well.  Kind of made me laugh a little. I felt strong during the run and also felt good running so many hills on a longer distance.  I tend to keep my longer runs on a much flatter course. My mentality during this run was to sit back and enjoy the ride.  I have put so much time and energy into training for this half marathon.  I have struggled through runs and over-analyzed every aspect of a run.  I've added foam rolling, dealt with injuries and tried to work on my form to make it more efficient.  I've been frustrated, sad and angry.  But the day is almost here, and I've gotta focus on trying to enjoy this journey a little more.  So that's what I set out to do on this run. With it being my last long run before the race, I tried to be positive and think about how far I've come in my training.  It actually seemed to help.  A positive attitude can do wonders mentally for a run.  Each time I started to struggle, I just thought about how this was my last long run and that the next time I'd be running over 10 miles, would be May 6th.  I also saw this post earlier in the week on Facebook and tried to think this way:

Each hill I ran, I tried to earn the downhill.  It really did seem to help, as silly as it sounds.  It was a solid run at a pace I was very happy with.

Sunday I played volleyball for 2 hours. Monday I went to Zumba for an hour and it kicked my butt; my back and abs are still sore today (pathetic).  Tuesday I played volleyball for an hour.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

I had a very, very frustrating work day. I decided to take out this anger on my lunch time run rather than my loved ones. Yay for running and being an outlet for frustrations and anger.
I decided to do a timed 5k. I wanted to have an idea of how much my speed has increased since last year at this time. This Saturday is the Pirate Charities 5k.  Last year I ran the same 5k and PR-ed on the course at 30:12 with an average pace of 9:43.

Well this happened on Wednesday. Boom.

Average pace was 8:38!!!! AND this was a hilly course !!!!!!  !!!!!! !!!!!  !!!!!  !!!!

Needless to say, I was stoked.  My previous goal for this 5k Saturday was 28:00.  Time to re-assess that goal haha.  What an awesome feeling! I was beyond stoked about this run.  I was struggling to breathe the whole time and was giving it 90-95%.  I was congested (allergies?) and it didn't help with my struggle to breathe.  My goal for Saturday is 26:30.  Think I can do it? It's not going to be easy, but I'm surely gonna try!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

I took the day off work because I was taking the pup to the vet at 1:30.  I got up early and walked the dog and cleaned up the house a bit and before I knew it, it was later than 10 am.  I wanted to get in my 8 mile run, but in order to run 8 miles and get home in time to shower and drive to the vet, I needed to be running by 10 am.  I lost track of time, and didn't get on the road until after 11, so I set out to get in as much distance as possible.  I only ended up getting in 4.88 miles.  A little disappointing, but better than not running at all.  Sunday's 5 miler has now turned into a long run.  Oh well, it happens.  I did 4.88 miles in 46:35 with an average pace of 9:32.  I as very pleased with this time, even though this run was a bit of a struggle.  I think my legs were just tired from the week of exercising.

So today my legs are feeling sore and a bit tired.  I'm going to make sure to foam roll a bunch today and stretch.  I want these legs to be ready for tomorrow's race with Shay, Omar and Big Al.  We'll miss you Sarah! <3

PS  I didn't forget about my before and after post about the house.  I ordered a sectional on Wednesday for the family room and it'll be delivered next Friday.  I also haven't had the chance to get people over to the house to move my bedroom furniture upstairs to the master bedroom.  Once these things happen, I'll take plenty of pictures and post a little before and after blog of those two rooms!

The Perfect Run, a Fabled Creature

Although I was super busy last week, I was able to get in two of the most solid runs I have had in months.  What a confidence booster for the the upcoming half and boy did I need that.
I don't know why, but I've had a rough last month and a half of training.  My legs have consistently been tired, heavy and usually in immense physical pain. My runs have been disheartening. I haven't had that rush and endorphin high from a good, solid run in a long, long, long (ass) time.  Wednesday broke that terrible streak.  I had the PERFECT run last Wednesday.  YUP, you read that right, the perfect run!
What is the perfect run, you ask?  You know, the run where everything just clicks.  
Your legs feel stronger than strong.
Your lungs don't struggle and you're not gasping for air.  Your breathing is controlled and steady.
You can push yourself hard and you don't feel like you want to keel over and die on the spot from the physical pain your body is experiencing.
You finish the mileage feeling like a million bucks in a time that simply wows you.
You realize just how much your training has paid off, which makes all of the pain and terrible runs from the past melt away (okay in reality, no permanent meltage, but definitely temporary meltage)
You remember why you started running in the first place.
This was my perfect run.

Is this fast in the world of running?  No, absolutely not.  Is this fast in Fishy's world of running?  ABSOLUTELY.  I was completely stoked with this run.  I finished the last mile in an 8:15 pace (!!!!!!).  Total average pace was 9:27 per mile. I was trucking, and I was loving it.  Every minute of this run was enjoyable.  I kid you not, every minute.  I ran the steepest hills I could find and then came back and ran them again. Everything just clicked and it couldn't be better timing in my training.  I needed this run more than I can even begin to describe in words.  The perfect run, my fronds, is why I run. So although the perfect run has been a fabled creature to me in the last few months, it has decided to show it's beautiful face at just the right time, and for that I am so very, very thankful to the running gods (I'm sure all of my running friends are grateful for this as well, because my permanent bitching/whining about every run has come to a screeching halt).
  
As I've stated before, I'm not really running for speed in this half marathon.  I'm running to finish, to cross that line saying I did it, I completed a 13.1 mile race and I have a smile and this pretty medal to prove it to the world.  The next half (guess I'm going to make this a regular thing...), I will hunker down and get more serious about my speed and my time, but for the first one, I want to set realistic goals.  For a non-runner (as in I had never run more than 4 miles when I started training), my goal for this half was to finish without walking. I have no doubt in my mind that that goal is completely attainable.  If I can finish between 2:15 and 2:30, I'd be completely stoked. 


Saturday's run will have to be in my next post.  It was a solid run and one I'm also very proud of.  More on that later. 

Deadlines

I just wanted to write a quick post because it might be a while until I am able to post again.  Life outside of half marathon training is busy and I'm sore all over.  All I've done since Monday evening at 4:30 pm has been painting and physical labor. I have a deadline to reach; carpet is getting installed Friday so I need to paint 2 of the biggest rooms in my house, family room and master bedroom.  I also needed to remove the old carpeting.  Big thanks to brother Ron for all of the help.  As two klutzes, we got through with only minor scrapes and cuts and one small dent in the wall. Luckily no trips to Med-Express were necessary, haha.  Omar came over last night to help me paint and he is coming over again Thursday night to help me finish the family room. He has been so helpful with this house stuff lately, volunteering to cut my grass on his day off and coming over to help me paint when I'm on this deadline. What a keeper he is!  I'll post more about this later with lots of before and after pictures. 

To hold you over until then, there is this....

Dude, Ohm look how skinny you are!

and this

oh goodbye 28 year old brown carpet and 22 year old aqua carpet

I'm running 5 miles today on my lunch hour and getting a massage after work (I have two to use by the 17th, eeek), then back to painting.  At least I have playoff Pens hockey to listen to while I paint this evening.  LET'S GO PENS!

A Mistake that I will NEVER Make Again!

Saturday was an interesting day.  I learned a very important lesson about hydration... 
Here's the story:

I set out for an 11 mile run with Polish Josh.  His longest run so far in his training was 8.25 miles, so he was a little nervous.  I had done 10 once before, but I wanted to push to 11 this week just to see if I could.  I know that most 1/2 marathon training plans only go to 10 miles, but I'm a bit anal about being prepared for big events in my life, so I wanted to go into the half knowing I could do it. Only doing 10 and having 3.1 miles left to go on race day just didn't work for me.  I wanted to do 11-12 before the race so that I knew what it was like to hit the wall and push through, but I digress.


The weather was sunny, without a cloud in the sky and around 45 degrees when we set out.  By the time we would finish it would be in the low 50's; great running weather. I drank 24 ounces of water before running, along with a cup of coffee, a vitamin and some peanut butter on wheat toast.  I felt like I had properly hydrated beforehand, even more than I usually do on long run days. 

PJ and I figured out a course so that we could leave our Gatorade/water in the car and circle around at mile 5 and again at mile 9.5.  It seemed like a great plan to me.

Miles 1-5 felt great.  With all the physical pain I'd recently been having, it felt good to run some mileage without something holding me back.  My body felt good and I was in a wonderful mood.  We kept our pace anywhere between 9:30 and 10:30 per mile.  A nice pace that allowed us to chat.  


Around mile 5 we got back to the car and I GU-ed and PJ GU Chomped and drank some Gatorade and then headed back out on the road.  


Miles 6.5-9.5 were the worst miles I have experienced in my running thus far.  It was like a switch went off.  I went from feeling like a million bucks to feeling like complete death.  I was so thirsty and my legs felt like bricks. I just had to get back to the car to get some Gatorade, just a bit more, almost there, one foot in front of the other, push through the wall, etc. That Gatorade tasted amazing.  I gulped some down, caught my breath and then headed back out again.  I almost immediately felt better. I knew the last few miles would be tough, but I wanted to finish the mileage and knew I had it in me to keep going.  I knew it couldn't be worse than the last 3 miles. Josh sped up a bit, and I slowed down a bit.  I had to just take it at my pace and push myself.  I finished feeling fine, even though PJ said I looked like complete death haha.  10:27 average pace.  Not stellar, but not bad for how terrible I felt.

Obviously ignore the pace, PJ was driving when I took the picture

We got back to the car and chugged down some more Gatorade and water.  When I sat down I told PJ I felt a little nauseous. We chatted about how awesome it felt to finish 11 miles and both of us had smiles on our faces.  We felt good and happy.  We also had plans to meet up with an old co-worker of ours for lunch an hour later.  So I walked into the house and drank some more water and then got into the shower.


All of a sudden it hit me.  I couldn't stand up straight in the shower.  I went from freezing cold to boiling hot and unable to catch my breath in the steam. My mouth started to salivate and I knew I was going to be sick.  I was midway through rinsing my hair when I had to jump out of the shower and get to the toilet, fast.  I proceeded to get violently sick.  It was not pretty.  I'm pretty sure I threw up my entire bottle of Gatorade and all of the water I drank. After I finished getting sick, I decided to try rinsing off the rest of the soap and conditioner and got out of the shower as quickly as possible.


With the towel still wrapped around my body, I laid down on my bed and texted PJ to let him know what happened and that I wouldn't be able to go to lunch, and texted Omar to tell him as well (he was at work).  I could barely hold my head up or keep my eyes open.  I curled up in the fetal position under the covers and fell asleep for over an hour. My body just shut down. When I woke up, I felt a million times better.  I knew I needed to eat and hydrate myself.  I made some spinach stuffed tortellini's and drank some electrolyte water and then laid back down on the couch.  I stayed there until Omar got to my house after work at 8:45.  I felt fine, I was just really tired.

I can't lie, that was one of the scariest experiences of my life, especially because I was home alone.  I've never felt so weak in my life, and it just hit me so hard and so fast in the shower.  I'm assuming I was dehydrated from not having drank enough during my run.  I learned a very important lesson about hydration on Saturday and even though I hate running with a water bottle, I will do it anyway, because it's so important to stay hydrated.  Lesson learned, fronds. 

Today, I'm a WINNER!

So I have had a busy last few days with friends and house stuff. I've also given my legs a little break from exercising.  They have just been so tired and heavy lately, so I decided to shorten one run this week, and didn't partake in Sunday night v-ball or Monday night Zumba.  These legs-o-mine should be well rested for tonight's 5 miler.  I plan on kicking some serious butt tonight, resting tomorrow, and then putting in 11-12 miles Saturday.  Woo!


So today I'm a winner because I faced my shopping fear again.  I wanted to find just a few tops to wear now that the weather is getting a little nicer. Also, Friday Omar is taking me to see Beauty and the Beast the musical at Heinz Hall (I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for this...what a nerd) with some of his friends and Sunday is Easter. I'd like to look nice for both events!


I decided to stroll to Macy's to see what kind of selection they had.  I saw so many tops that I loved!  I had a huge stack of clothing to take to the dressing room, a few dresses and some tops in varying sizes. The best part about it, everything fit!  I didn't end up buying it all, because even though a lot of the tops fit, they didn't necessarily look right on my body.  But I realized on this shopping trip, that it was the style and cut of the clothing, and not my body, that was the problem.  This isn't always true, but today it was.  I ended up with  4 tops and 2 cami's for 94 bucks!  Not too shabby, eh?  I still have a lot more that I need to buy but I'll chip away at it bit by bit as funds allow.


The tops are girly and pretty, and definitely not like a lot of the clothing I currently have in my closet. I'm a pretty casual dresser.  Give me flats, jeans, and a fitted T and I'm a happy girl.  I went out of my comfort zone today and tried on some flowy tops with lace and patterns, and even stripes, and I was pretty happy with the outcome.  I don't care the size of a shirt, if it takes an xl to look right because of the cut of the shirt, then that's what it takes.  If it looks awesome, I'm not going to not buy the shirt because of the size on the tag.  That's silly, in my opinion.  It's all about finding clothes that fit your body, no matter the size.  So today I fought my battle with clothing shopping and today I won! :)

Just a Short Run Race Re-Cap

The Just a Short Run was a success for all parties involved!

Here was our obligatory pre-race photo

From L to R Myself, Big Al, Sarah, Shay and Polish Josh

It was a long but good day.  I was up at 6 am, bright and early, so that I could grab my usual pre-race meal, a cup of coffee, a banana with peanut butter, a multi-vitamin and a glass of water.

Omar and I picked up Polish Josh along the way and drove out to North Park, where we met up with Big Al, Sarah and Shay. It was in the low 40's and windy. Not the most ideal conditions for the pre and post race festivities, but relatively mild for the actual race.  
Sarah and the other 30ker's starting line was in a different location than ours so shortly before 8:30 we wished each other good luck and headed to our appropriate starting lines.
PJ and Big Al decided their goal was sub 1:15.  Shay and I didn't really have a goal but decided on sub 1:30.  We knew there was no way we could keep up with PJ and Big Al on this 8.1 mile course.
There were around 2500 total people signed up for the races (5k, 8.1 miler, half marathon and 30k) and starting line was pretty dense.  It took a little while to weave through some people and actually get into a more open spot.
The race started with a gigantic hill that reached a plateau and then kept going.  It was tough to start the race and get into a good mental state and breathing pattern with such a large hill, but it helped to thin out the crowd a bit.  After the big hill came a decent downhill portion in which I caught up to Shay.  We ended up deciding to stay together for the rest of the race.  We each took a headphone out and spent the next 7 miles chatting a bit and motivating each other.  Well, she was motivating me, more than me motivating her, but nonetheless we were both there for each other.  The course wasn't too bad after the first killer hill.  It was mostly rolling hills and flat area.
I definitely was struggling during this race.  I'm not sure why, but my legs felt tired and my IT bands were hurting. We ended up being able to keep a decent pace throughout most of the course.  It was great to have someone to run with during a race, since I usually run them alone.  
Around mile 4 we saw Omar, which brightened me up and added some pep to my step.  Shortly thereafter we saw Lucy, Sarah's sister.  She had this big sun balloon and was yelling, cheering and jumping up and down when she saw us.  It was so nice to see people you know cheering you on.  I'm not used to having that in the middle of races, either.  We saw Lucy again around mile 7.5 when the end was in sight.  
I pushed as much as possible during the last few miles and Shay really helped to keep me going.  I kept telling her to go ahead, telling her I wouldn't be offended if she wanted to, and she strongly turned my suggestion down and stayed by my side right to the finish line.  We crossed the finish line at exactly the same time!  We also beat our goal by over 9 minutes.  Our average pace was 9:47 for 8.23 miles.  

2358   307   35  Trish O, 27, Pittsburgh, PA           31:18     1:20:27             
2236   308   36  Shannon J, 26, Pittsburgh, PA         31:18     1:20:27

Thank you Shay for sticking with me through this.  We talked about possibly doing the same thing for the half, come May.  It would be awesome to cross the finish line with one of my closest friends/training buddies by my side!

Big Al and Josh MURDERED the 8.1 miler.

Big Al did such a good job, that she actually got 1st place for her age group and a medal (which she didn't get until later on in the week because we must have missed the announcement of her success while at the race)! FANTASTIC JOB!

2202   84    1  Allison 24, Pittsburgh, PA            27:33     1:08:51
Polish Josh also killed his goal time.  His sub 2:00 Marathon is most definitely in reach! Amazing!
2562    85   12  Joshua 25, Pittsburgh, PA             27:32     1:08:52 
After finishing we all decided to wait in the car and try to warm up a bit.  We also wanted to cheer on Sarah during her 30k mission! We spotted Sarah before her last 5 mile loop and Shay, Big Al and I joined her for a short bit of it.  Sarah was looking good and feeling good.  Her achilles, which had been bothering her for the last week felt fine and she had complete confidence in her ability to finish strong.  
We all joined the finish line crowd to cheer Sarah on.  Omar with his 15/20 eye sight said he saw Sarah in the distance and we patiently waited for her to round the course out and run towards the finish line...


YEP Looks JUST like Sarah to me.... pfffffff.  We all couldn't stop laughing, so much so that Omar had to take a picture of this Sarah look alike to share later. Luckily, shortly thereafter Sarah came around the bend and finished the 30k strong.  It was fun to cheer her on to the finish and I look forward to doing it again come May 6th.



Happy to be done!



hoods for Omar
After lots of celebratory hugs and some conversation with Sarah's boyfriend Ben and Lucy, some of us decided to head out to a nice breakfast at our usual after race breakfast spot, the Original Pancake House, where we consumed far too much food and continued the laughter and stories. 


Overall it was a great day (minus the fact that my achilles was killing me on my right foot, wth is wrong with my body and it's recent rejection of running???)


Special thanks to Omar for waking up at 6:30 and braving the cold and wind to cheer us on for 5 hours.  Thanks for being a trooper, it means a lot to me to have your support during this whole process.Also thanks to Lucy and Ben for being great cheerleaders!  :)


PS I was having serious spacing and formatting issues that I could not seem to fix on this post. GRR blogger, grr.