HALLOWEEEEEEENNNNNNNN 'N JUNK

stuff.

and things.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Newport Half-Marathon Race Report (finally)

Well, it has been 5 days since the half. And now I am ready to write about it. Not sure why it took me so long. Laziness. Pure laziness. I'll admit it. Whenever I got home from work this week, I did absolutely nothing. I did go to the gym to run on the treadmill on Wednesday... boring. I only made it 3 miles. It was too dark to run outside... Winter is going to be tough. Today, Danato and I had a quick run outside. We didn't layer enough, so we only made it 2.7 miles...

So, here it goes...

***Pre-Race Day***

I drank a lot of water the week prior to the race, carbed up, and probably gained about 4 pounds. On Thursday, I started feeling a sharp pain on the top of my right foot. Scared the crap out of me. As soon as I got home from work that day I iced it, then heated it, massaged it, took some ibuprofen and repeated the next day. Luckily, the pain subsided the day before the race. I'm not sure what it was, but I think I over-stretched my foot when I was standing on my tip-toes to reach something at work (downfall to being short). The day before the race was a nice relaxing day. I had worked on Friday but had Saturday and Race day off. Kudos to Nikki for working the day before! I had to work the day after... not sure which is worse. One thing I did when I was "relaxing" on Saturday was pull my neck/shoulder. I got up from the couch, turned and all of sudden felt like I had pulled a muscle in my neck. Goodness gracious! Took some more ibuprofen and hoped it would be gone by the next day. Then, Danato made me a very good pasta dinner w/steak :-)



After getting all my gear and clothes ready to go, I went to bed at around 9:30 that night. I don't remember the last time I was in bed that early on a Saturday night, but it was definitely worth it.

***Race Day - Pre-Race***

I woke up at 4:45 am... Okay, well Danato woke up at 4:45 and finally was able to get me out of bed by 5 or so. We left his apartment in Providence by 5:30. Shuttles began at around 6:15 and registration opened at 6:30. Leaving on time and early enough gave us plenty of time to get over to Newport, with no traffic. I definitely recommend planning race day out as early as possible. Even if you have to wait a bit, getting there and being able to relax a little bit before the race is key. There are a lot of things going on at the race beforehand and you never know if you have to go to the bathroom one last time right before. And the lines for the port-a-potties are always long... you have to give yourself plenty of time to be able to wait in that line. I started waiting in a line before I even felt like I had to pee... good thing I did. By the time I got to the port-a-potty, I had to pee so bad! Haha, then I had about 10 minutes to spare before the start time.

***Race***

As soon as I left the bathrooms, Danato took all my stuff that I didn't need to run with, I got all strapped with my fuelbelt and iPod and I was ready to go. I hustled through the crowds to get sorta in the middle (basically, to keep warm in the huddle of people). I didn't realize it immediately but I had placed myself right in the area I wanted to start in, about the 9 minute mile pace start. The race started with the largest hill of the whole course. Going uphill while trying to dodge the slow starters was a bit awkward but I got over it. There were a lot of people but not as many as in the CVS 5K, which I was happy about. I expected that the rest of the course would be relatively flat... I mean... we're in Newport, an island off the coast of Rhode Island.. how hilly can it be? Well it seemed a bit more hilly than I thought it would be. Certainly nothing steep like capital hill in Providence. It wasn't bad but I guess I just expected it to be more flat for some reason. It was more gradual climbing than anything. But most of the climbs up meant a way down and that was a relief.

I kept a consistent pace throughout the entire race. Everytime I checked my pace on Nike+ it was under 10 minute miles. At one point I was under 9 minutes. I think I only got up to 10:00 once or twice.. When I was consuming my GU gel. I ran with all 4 bottles of my fuelbelt filled, 2 with water, 1 with gatorade, and 1 with watered-down gatorade. I also had 1 GU gel packet. Kept myself well hydrated and fueled efficiently. I decided to stick with what I did before in my long runs: half the GU at 45 minutes and then the other half when there was about 3 miles left. That seems to work pretty well with me.

One awesome part about the race was at about mile 4 when the course brought us through Fort Adams. The course turned right into the park, run about 1/4 of a mile or so and you loop to the left and go back the same way you came and out continuing right onto the road. I thought it was really neat to see the runners ahead of you racing in the opposite direction and then, when reaching the turning point, seeing the runners that were still behind you. I had no clue how many people had passed me or how many people I had passed or were still behind me. It was quite a motivation to me and that's where I stepped it up quite a bit. The best paces of my run were after the Fort Adams loop and at the end when I could see the beach where I knew the finish line was. It was an amazing site to see when we turned the corner and started descending down the hill towards the finish line. That same hill I had started up 2 hours prior. Oddly, I think that is when I reached some sort of runner's high. I just booked it down the hill and on to the finish line without any thought. I almost kept going to the marathon side if there hadn't been a sign last minute directing half-marathoners to finish!


The next thing I remember is grabbing a water bottle from a random person and completely ignoring the foil blankets being handed out. I was so happy to be done. I completed my run on my iPod and listened to my data. I was surprised at my average pace and my overall time. I finished in 2 hours and 5 minutes. My goal was 2 hours and 15 minutes. I impressed myself!

***Post-Race***

Danato and my friend Ray were there waiting for me once I got out. It was such a rush to have completed my first half-marathon. I instantly wanted food or a beer. When I realized how long the food line was, I went straight to the beer. A complimentary Harpoon beer at 10:30 in the morning after running 13.1 miles felt amazing :-)



After the beer, the three of us went and got real food at the Blue Plate Diner in Middletown. I ate a huge omelet with toast and a big bowl of fruit. Great recovery meal! The rest of the day was devoted to Danato's couch and him catering to me. Haha, I wasn't moving and quite sore! I was dreading work the next day... standing on my feet for 12 hours. And the day after. But it didn't turn out as bad as I thought. I made sure I drank plenty of water the days after the race along with ibuprofen around the clock for about 2 days. By Wednesday, I felt fine enough to try to run again. Besides being on a treadmill, the run went well and pain-free. I think it was a good thing I was forced to stand and move around all day immediately after the race. Kept me loose and ready to go again shortly after. Hopefully I can maintain a solid regimen throughout the colder months. It's time to go out and buy plenty of layers and gloves so that I can run outside for a bit longer.

However, here is my post running season weight-gaining diet (Have to keep warm for the winter, right?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4zw99VsoMA

"It's sweet, but then it's got that tang"....

Thoughts from the Week

I. Snap, Crackle, and Pop

II. Origins of the Team?

III. Watching the ALCS with running goggles

IV. Plano-isms

V. :Forrest voice: Mah mama says...

VI. (half) Marathon Tips

I. Creptius (the fancy schmancy medical term)

Since running more, anyone else feel like they can pop just about any bone in their foot? At this point, I can pop anything in my right foot.

II. In the beginning...

Pat brought up something that I have been thinking about while running. Since I always loved history class, I tried to remember the beginnings of this team. How did it all go down? I know I didn't plead and trick you guys in to running. If anyone would like to fill in the blanks in my head, that would be appreciated. Or, I could just ask you next week LIVE and in person.

III. America's Pastime

I must admit the fantasy baseball league some of you guys participate in (the NKFBL) has finally gotten to me. I have been watching the Rangers since coming back in May and this series has brought up some observations:

1. As a runner, I cringed at Teixeira's hamstring injury

2. Gardner is pretty fast. I wonder what his 5k time is?

3. Nike Frees (the newer ones) were spotted in the Texas dugout.

IV. You Know You Are In Plano When...

-overheard at the jungle gym "she's NOT my girlfriend"

-underage smokers on the trail, because suburban life is SOOO rough

-inflatable Halloween yard decorations (definitely not a Providence thing)

V.

I was going to put this in to words but my mom beat me to the punch. After the long runs, 3 or 4 mile runs seem pretty short. We are now looked at like we are crazy by 99% of the American public.

VI. Long Race Tips

Here's a list taken from the runningahead forum that I (unfortunately) found after you guys raced in RI but I thought the tips were pretty good.

Oh yeaaaaah! Half Marthon(marathon) pictures yeaaaaah!

Half Recap

Sunday, October 17, 2010
Newport, RI
1:39:31- 187 out of 2506

So to start, I cant say how great it is to have all of these people into running now, coming from the person who used to be up at these types or races alone, its awesome to have a team now and to have fellow runner to talk about the races and stuff with. Everyone did a great job, you guys built yourselves up from pretty much no mileage to a half marathon in no time and theres something to be said for that. I don’t know how you got everyone into this Tang, but hats off, you really inspired everyone to get off their asses and get running, and running far.

So to recap the race, I woke up at 6am, got out of bed, got ready and headed to Newport, chauffeured by the Greg. I downed my usual pre race half loaf of peperage farms cinnamon bread and a banana and downed a few bottles of water and all the sudden we were in Newport, when we got off the exit I realized how much of an advantage it was having my dad drive us, the traffic was backed up all the way to where the exit forks (where you can take a left to head to Newport Grand, where the parking was and where you can take a right to head to “Historic Newport” so Greg drove up literally right up to the starting line and we got out and hit up the porta-jons. It was 7:30 in the morning along the beach so it was pretty chilly, I was wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt and lauren looked like she was going out in a snow storm, but the guy in front of us was wearing a tank top and some short shorts and that was it, no socks, no shoes nothing, he was a “barefoot runner”. Ridiculous, us and the girls infront of us started talking to him and he said he’s done it for so long its all he knows, he said he enjoys it except there are some cources that have places that aren’t too barefoot friendly, the week before he ran a half in Hartford and there were two miles of freshly placed pea gravel, he said “but what can you do?” HOW BOUT WEAR SHOES! Haha I get that the whole barefoot thing is how you’re supposed to run and its more natural, but just like I say to the vegeterians who tell me its not natural to drink another species milk and all that guff, people have been doing it for all this time and it’s been workin pretty well, that cows milk gives me strong bones and tastes awesome and my shoes allow me to run over whatever I want without feeling it.

Anyways after that we started the search for Knapp Kob and Nikki. We went to the left hand of the starting line where we were gonna meet them and stood for a few and then I decided to take a lap around the area and look while Laur waited at the starting line, all to no avail. We ended up giving the numbers to Greg who was gonna look for them but that didn’t go so smoothly either haha, at the end they got their numbers so I guess it worked out, although by doing them a favor we really made the whole thing harder on them then it shoulda been, sorry guys!

I shed my warmup clothes and got to the starting line, standing at the 8 min pace markers, the gun went off and we started going. I wanted to start out right around 8 min and keep that throughout and then kick it in the last 3 miles, I started off with what I thought was an 8 minute pace, maybe even slower (it was tough to gague without timers at the mile markers) but when I got to mile 4 I noticed a guy next to me looking at his watch so I asked for the time, 30:25 roughly 7:30 pace, I thought maybe I should slow down, but then I thought eh I’ll keep this up as long as I can and go from there. There was finally a clock at the 5 mile marker and I got there at 38:10, keepin ahead of schedule I was pretty pumped. Kept on keepin on through the half way point and then I thought we got this, this isn’t so bad at all, 13 miles is nothing, Terry Fox did this before breakfast every day ON ONE LEG. The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful and it was just a great day to be running. When I got to the 8 mile marker and realized there was only 5 left I was pumped, when I got to the 9 I started getting real pumped, and when I got to the 10 at 1:16:02 and realized this thing was in the bag I was estatic. I said to myself this is it, 3 miles is a cake walk, its what you do at 5:40 every morning, down to Castle Island and back, this race is over. I picked up the pace even more, and when I hit that 12 mile marker “The Club Can’t Handle Me” came on my iPod which I found is the song that makes me run the fastest and I started into a light sprint, I saw my dad at the top of the hill where there was about .5 miles left and hit repeat on the song. Between seeing my Dad, the beats and the fact that it was down hill and the race was almost over I started real nice sprint, which lasted me all the way down the hill and along the beach where I hit the 13 mile mark and could see ahead to the clock counting up from 1:39:29 so I kicked it as fast as I could and crossed the finish well under 1:40:00 which I was super pumped about since I was shooting for 1:45:00.

I went through the shoot and ran back up the hill to go stand with my dad and cheer on my team mates. I had no idea what time they ended up starting so I was surprised when it took so long for Kevin to come by (after the race I found out they started about 20 min in) he was lookin real strong. Then I was expecting to see Knapp and I heard Lauren yell my name, she was looking great, and flashed by me, then there was Knapp rumbling around the corner, looking real strong, he gave me and my dad a high five and took off down the hill. We started walking down the hill while looking for Nikki and were met by KOB and we stood there and KOB spotted Nikki from the distance, she came wizzing by us with a big smile on her face and ran through the shoot. After we met up with Lauren we saw Sean going through the finish. I could write a lot more but I think this is enough haha, all in all it was an awesome day, everyone should be real proud of their accomplishment, you all did an amazing job. I cant wait to take down Boston in April with Knapp, Tang and KOB.

Newport Half RR

In the days leading up to the race, I was, again, seriously doubting myself and my abilities to complete an entire 13.1 miles. My taper week was pretty horrible. I guess I developed shin splints or something, because the two times that I ran 3 miles, my shins and calves burned continuously, making me run at an extremely slow pace, in serious discomfort the whole way. I was very anxious/moody on friday and saturday.

Saturday I had to work a 13 hour shift because my schedule coordinator would only allow me to take Sunday as a vacation day and not the whole weekend. It wasn't that bad though because I sat on the stool for most of the day. I had ordered chinese food for lunch with spring rolls and lots of steamed white rice and then I had chicken parm for dinner. I didn't eat the entire thing though so I think I carbed up enough without overdoing it. I also had 2 L of water throughout the day, which wasn't very smart on my part, because I was the only pharmacist on and I had to keep running to the bathroom all day. Oh well! I was also stretching/messaging my legs all day to try and get them loosened up enough where they hopefully would not be bothersome during the run. Some old guy saw me and said I shouldn't rub my calf if it hurts because I could have a blood clot that could dislodge and kill me. Oh my god, haha. Thanks for the advice, dude.

Before I went to bed that night, Kevin and I did some more stretching, which made me feel better, but then I woke up in the middle of the night because my entire left leg was throbbing with pain. I took some ibuprofen and went back to sleep for another 3 hours until the alarm went off at 5:30am.

I remember hearing the alarm and then crying 'noooooooo!' because I was so tired. We got dressed, had a bagel and a banana, went downstairs and hopped into Sean's car at about 6:10/6:15. I thought the trip to Newport would be quick, maybe about a half hour, but we hit some traffic when we got there, so we decided to park on a side road and do a little .7 mile warm up run to the shuttle busses. It was super cold out so I didn't mind doing the warm up run. After the warm up I felt awake, and more pumped than ever because my legs weren't hurting me! That was probably due to the fact that I took some more ibuprofen that morning.

There was a long line to the shuttle bus when we got there, and got to the start of the race with just a few minutes to spare. We had a little trouble getting our bibs b/c Pat and Lauren picked them up the night before, but were already lined up for the race. Thank goodness Lauren found us and gave us our bibs slightly after the gun went off! Kevin, Sean, Knapp and I didn't start with the majority of the racers though because we had to make the ritualistic pre-run trip to the porta-potties. We didn't end up starting the run until around 8:21am, and we made it just as they were taking apart the chip line...close call!

The run started out on a huge ass hill. For me, I start my long runs out VERY slow, so reaching the top of the hill felt I was walking instead of running up it, but I didn't want to up my pace until at least the second mile. It was so weird because we started at the very end of the pack. I was running by myself basically and was worried I was going to get lost. Fortunately there were lots of arrow signs and....HALLELUJAH! there were MILE MARKERS!!! I think this is the first race I've done where they actually put mile markers down, which helps me out a lot, figuring out my pace and junk. Anyways, I was feeling a little deflated motivation-wise as I ran by myself. There were next to no spectators left at the start of the race and I was getting what I think was compliments out of sheer pity from the cops that I passed saying, 'good job' and 'keep it up', maybe because they thought I was struggling already at not even a mile down.

At about 2 miles in, my shins and calves started hurting me again and I just thought to myself, oh crap, here we go. Sean passed me at about 2.5 miles in. I was very surprised to see him because I thought he had started out ahead of me. It was really nice seeing a familiar face. He asked if I was doing ok, which I said I was, but what I really wanted to say is my legs hurt and I want to stop, but I kept chugging along anyways. My left leg actually went numb at one point, which I would normally be worried about, but I was just happy that I was feeling numbness instead of pain.

Then, miraculously, between miles 4-5, the pain subsided and I was able to start kicking it up a notch! After that it was pretty much smooth sailing for the rest of the way. I started catching up to all the walkers/slow runners and continuously passed people right up to the end of the race. That right there is a huge boost in ego, just like Knapp stated. It just gave me a sense of accomplishment, like, "look at all these people tuckered out already and I'm just getting started!" It was a really good way to get me motivated to keep pushing on. Half-way into the race, there was a really long stretch of beautiful ocean views, this is where I got my 'runners high' and was feeling so good. It was such a beautiful day for a run. The only thing that could have made it better is was if it was less windy, I was running against the wind at certain points, which was kind of annoying.

I hit sort of a wall at around 9 miles in where I wanted to slow down, but I just told myself it would pass and to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I reached the 10 mile mark at 1:48, which I was pumped about so that put a little extra gas in my tank for me to push it to the end. When I finally reached the big ass hill, I felt awesome because there were loads of spectators there to cheer us on. I was taking huge strides down the hill, passing people left and right. I saw Pat, Pat's dad and Kevin on the side lines. Kev gave me a high five and told me there was only a quarter mile left! I was so happy that I started a small sprint down the rest of the hill. When I made it to the beach I saw Lauren and here mom and sister who cheered me on, and Knapp gave me a shout out too, which gave me that extra little push I needed to power it out to the finish line. That is what's so great about being at the end of the pack. Knowing that my friends are there to cheer me on to the finish is such an awesome feeling. I like being slow, especially for that reason :P.

After I finished, I did a little victory dance, and of course, gave a thumbs up for the photographer. I grabbed a water, that shiny foil blanket thingy, and my medal and headed out to find the rest of the crew.

All in all, I am really happy with how the entire thing went, even with the late/shaky start. I'm happy with my time, I reached my goal, and I'm looking forward to more half marathons in the future. Who knows, maybe I'll even try for a marathon eventually!

If you had told me back in May that I would complete a half marathon by October, I would have laughed in your face and called you a retard. But. I'm happy I did it, and I'm really glad Tang got us all together and motivated us to reach this point. Thanks coach!

Newport Half Marathon RR

I guess I'm the first to give my RR for the half....

I woke up around 5:30, which was not early enough because we arrived to the starting area with about 3 minutes till race time. This was mostly due to underestimating the amount of traffic and lack of organization by the race peoples. Since all of us had to urinate and defecate before the race, we pretty much ignored the 8am start. Our actually start was at roughly 8:22, just before they picked up the B Tag mats.

I started the race with the mindset that I wanted to run the first 3 or 4 miles at a real easy and controlled pace. Well, as usual, that didn't happen. I ran the first mile (including a pretty large hill) in around 8:50. My "goal pace" was 9:15/9:30/10 for optimistic/happy/realistic projections respectively. So 8:50 was way too fast, and I knew I would burn out. I kept thinking to myself slowwww down, the next mile was about 8:55. I started to hit a nice groove through miles 4-5, when the problems started.

The entire rest of the race I was facing various GI issues. First intense cramping in my stomach which from I thought was from gas, then later something a little more solid. I suppose eating take-out twice yesterday (Chinese and Italian) wasn't the best idea I have ever had. The second problem required me to stop twice at the easily accessible porta-potties. I think I only lost about 2-3 minutes from the stops, and it probably allowed me to keep my pace for longer (so maybe it was a good thing?). Although it pretty much felt like a had a brick in my stomach for most of the race.

Aside from those problems, I felt great. I could easily keep that 9:10 - 9:15 pace for every mile except 3 (2 poops and 1 water stop that I walked a little to drink). It was also nice starting so late because I got to pass like 500 people and I only got passed by 3 or 4 people (huge ego boost). The other great part about the race was the scenery... sweeping ocean views and insane mansions and wind.. lots of it.

There was hardly any crowd support till the very end, when I saw Pat, Greg and Kevin. The last mile was almost all downhill and combined with my music had me feeling about as well as I have ever felt running. I think I could have gone another 4-5 miles at that pace today. Bring it marathon.

Overall, I am pretty pleased about my result... 2:03:33 about 9:26 pace. Although, I know I could have pushed it a little harder and without stops I felt like I could have broke 2 hours today... but there will be other halfs. Next time I will hopefully show more dietary restraint and I will definitely know how to pace myself better.

Team's 12 Miler

I. Running south of the border

II. Southern charm

III. Hammies minus eggs and sleep hygiene = Saturday morning

IV. realism vs idealism

V. LOST-like cameo appearance

I.

4 members ran south of the border (technically, east and technically, to the On The Border restaurant) and back for the 12 mile loop on Saturday. It was kind of exhilarating to get to the other side of town. After a couple of seconds of letting it all sink in, it was time to turn around and methodically run another 6 miles.

II.

With roughly two hours of no music, unencumbered thinking led me to experiment with the runner's wave/ greeting. My conclusions:

Generalization:

The slower the runner, the more likely they will greet you warmly.

If this is the case, I'm glad to join the 9 minute pace group.

III.

I need to get back on a 10-6 sleep cycle. (No problem tonight, I am sleeping as I type this at noon) 4 hours of sleep for the 12 miler was not as fun as the 10 I did on more sleep and around mile 2, my hamstrings started acting up. Which leads me to...

IV. Restructuring goals on the fly

Since this will be my first race over 3.1 miles, I think it is safe to assume some rookie mistakes may pop up such as my inability to keep an even pace. Because of this, this is where I am mentally at:

realistically: 2 hr half

ideally: 1:53 half

delusionally: 1:45 half

V.

The Dharmesh's (as Pat referred to him as on his trip to RI) dad woke me up around mile 10. It definitely throws you off when you see someone you would never think of a la LOST.

Gipper Time

I. Newport Marathon

II. University of North Texas 5k

III. Kevin O'Brien comment of the week

IV. Chilean Miners and running?

I.

As the days trickle down to hours before the first half marathon for 7 members, I wish everyone the best of luck this Sunday.

You guys have shown a lot of character to hammer out miles when there really is no reason to be doing so. (USA Today even noted only 1% run on any given day).

You put in the long runs, figured out what works and what does not on these runs. Read my lips: NO NEW SHOES. Stick with what has been working.

I hate to be cheesy, but all of this hard work for months is the real victory and the 13.1 is the victory lap (albeit a very very long lap).

Some log peeking and I see that Knapp's going to reach the 500 milestone by race end. Nikki is at 250. Kevin just topped 300. Pat, 226. Lauren, 137. Sean out of nowhere busts out 177. You guys are ready.

Side note: seeing the logs go up every week looks pretty neat.

So go enjoy the 13.1. Enjoy the fact we all nudged each other along enough so that you could willingly pay to run 13.1 miles on Sunday morning.

I can't wait to read all about the race to tide me over for my own 13.1 battle.

II.

If the finishing time was right and the course was indeed 5k, my sister just made the female 5k record nearly impossible to break as she smashed her PR by three whole minutes. This coming after a late concert and an early (6:30 AM) race. Who says you need proper rest?

III.

I have to say, Kevin O'Brien is the front runner for oddest comment shouted at with the comparison to Joran Van Der Sloot. Who? Yeah, exactly. And after wikipedia'ing the guy, doesn't even look like him.

IV.

From Runner's World, apparently one Chilean Miner ran 10k's underground.

Prep Week for the Half-Marathon

This may sound twisted, but I'm truly enjoying this week before the race.

Prep Week Diet: I already cut out consuming alcohol a couple weeks ago (you bet I will be drinking my complimentary beer at the end of the race!!). I have had a decent runner's diet for the past 2 months, but I am really concentrating on it more this week. It's too late to change anything drastically but I am adding a bit more carbs this week along with extra protein when I can. Eggs, protein bars, etc. And making sure I get plenty of fluids all day, every day (I tend to slack on drinking enough water throughout the day... especially when I'm working). The day before any race, besides carbing up for dinner, I like to drink as much water as I can to keep fully hydrated during the day so the next day during the race I am still hydrated effectively. I'm stoked for this race. Hope it goes well!

Next task: Create super awesome playlist for Sunday.

Taper down running week. Took 2 days for rest after the 12 mile run, ran 5.5 miles yesterday, and today I ran 6.3 miles. Tomorrow will be 4 miles, a rest day on Thursday (due to working all day), maybe a short run (~2 miles or so) on Friday, then about 3 miles on Saturday to warm up for Sunday. I don't push myself during these runs but I have noticed that my average pace has improved during the past couple of weeks. I am running faster at less the effort than maybe a month ago or so. I am loving that! Must be a distance thing... Today I ran 6.3 miles at an average pace of 9:40, a month ago when I ran a 6 mile run I was averaging about 10:30... A little improvement but I feel great! :-)

Future Running Goals:

During my run today I thought about my running goals and what I want to achieve. When I first started running, I set a goal of 26.2 by the time I'm 26. Being only 24 right now I think I will meet this goal by the time I'm 25. So maybe Boston Marathon by the time I'm 26?? That's a far goal, but who knows.. maybe I can do it.

This is how I might do it, the following is a list of major runs I will plan on doing, but I will obviously try to include other smaller runs (like 5k's and 10k's) in the mix:***

1. Newport Half on Sunday
2. COX Providence (Shape Up RI) Half-Marathon in May 2011
3. Newport Marathon next October 2011 (which is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon)
4. Try to find another Marathon between October and March 2012
5. Boston Marathon April 2012 OR 2013
   

....If I can't qualify for the April 2012 one I can certainly shoot for 2013 (I will still technically be 26). Soooo it's not impossible. It will take a lot of work and a lot of focusing on making my pace a bit faster too... To qualify for the Boston Marathon, a woman who is aged 18-34 must be able to finish a qualifying marathon in 3 hours and 40 minutes. I did some simple math and this turns out to be an average pace of about 8:27... Eeek! Maybeee... just maybe!! If not, there are plenty of other marathons that I could run in anyway..

***This is all depending on a few factors of course... the main part being if I'm still in the area to do all these races a year from now... You never know what life events may happen. And well, I hope I don't get injured in the process!! (fingers crossed). We shall see, goals can change. But for right now, this is my goal.

Now, I don't really want to jump the gun on this. I'm not going to sign up for the next major race (the Providence Half-Marathon) until after this Sunday... see how my first half goes. If I can do the Newport Marathon next year at this time, I will be very happy.

Back to 2010:
I still want to try to run in the Downtown Jingle Bell 5K in Providence... I don't think I will be able to make the Monster Dash since I will be in Vegas from the 27th-30th.. The 31st will be a recovery day, lol. Any other runs coming up that people are doing?? I need stuff to motivate me through the winter...

Last long run before the Newport Half

Ran another 12-miler today... The last long run before the Newport Half. My planned run actually ended up being a little more than 12 miles... 12.6 miles. I'm not going to complain, it wasn't that bad at all. It was an absolutely gorgeous day here in western Mass. It was crispy cool, with temperatures in the 50's but it was sunny and the trees turning colors were beautiful. A nice crisp fall day so I decided to run in capris and a long-sleeve shirt. I finally picked good attire for a long run! lol.

The run went really well... surprisingly well. I was concerned about how it would turn out because I had run 5 miles on a treadmill the night before (at around 9pm when I got out of work). I didn't know what to expect running a long distance in the morning after running last night. Especially on a treadmill... I haven't run on a treadmill since April. I was worried that I would be quite sore from the different pace and feel of the treadmill. One thing I will say... treadmill running is soo boring!! I forgot my iPod so that made it a little worse. I am dreading the winter and not being able to run outside as much. I will probably spend most of the winter doing a lot of cross-training and strengthening, running less for distance but just to keep a good pace going.

Anywho... back to my run: I had my super fuelbelt strapped on again. Nutrition is essential and I love it! I decided to do just what I did during my run last week. I had half of my GU at 45 minutes and then, when I had about 2.5 miles left, I had the rest. I sipped my water probably about every 10 minutes. At the end of my run everything on my belt had been consumed and I still felt like I could run another mile or two.

My runner's "high" came really early in my run this time. About mile 5 I started not really paying attention to cars and I would think about something then maybe 3 minutes later, forgot what I had been thinking about. I was totally in the zone. Luckily I wasn't on a busy road when this happened. I eventually snapped out of whatever trance I was in and realized that I hadn't remembered any part of that run at all. What the F?! I need to watch out for that! Trippin is scary s@#* man! Lol.. No, it wasn't that bad.. but still I was a bit worried about that.. At about 10 miles, I found myself slipping back into somewhat of a "high". I was much more aware of my surroundings but I all of a sudden had a burst of energy and felt like I could run another 10 miles!

At about 11 miles, I saw a group of 10 teenagers walking up ahead on the sidewalk that I was running in. They were going in the same direction I was going so I knew I had to approach this group carefully. Unless I started whistling or yelling out random words, they were not going to know I was coming until I was right up behind them or running past them. As I was approaching them, I wondered why the hell these kids aren't in school right now... It was about noontime on a Friday. Perhaps it's some sort of a fall vacation because of Columbus Day on Monday? I started getting a little nervous. Teenagers can be scary.. especially ones that might have skipped school! (Is that a sign that I'm getting old??) I approached with caution. They were walking in twos but blocking the entire sidewalk. I was forced to hop off the sidewalk and run on the road. Luckily there was a wide enough shoulder. I passed them and I overheard one of the kids in the front say, "WHOA, she came out of nowhere!" as I was stepping back up onto the sidewalk. I thought that was pretty funny. Heck yes I came out of nowhere! :-P

This made me think of something Tang said some posts back... I kinda wished they would have said something like "Run, Forrest, Run"!! But sadly, it's true.... This group of kids may have never even heard of that movie. And that is surely another sign that we are getting old! :-x However, I did have an adult yell that at me once. That was sorta creepy...

Overall, my Nike+ data says I f'ing rocked that run. I was impressed with my pace and today was the first time I realized how much my average pace has improved over the months. Most of my run, I was in the 9 min pace range.. there were a couple brutal hills that put me to almost 11 min/miles, but my average pace for the 12.6 mile run was 10:03 and I finished at 2 hours and 6 mins. Not bad considering I had to stop at a busy intersection for about a minute or so..

My original goal for the Newport Half was just to run it the entire time. With the success of today's run and the 12 miles I did last Friday, I think I can safely challenge myself a bit more. I will strive to do the Half Marathon in 2 hours and 20 minutes. I think that is a good goal. I always tend to run faster in races due to the adrenaline pumping, but I never know how the weather is going to affect me. I better be wearing the right clothes this time!

Next Week ("Finish Strong"): Rest days (Sat&Sun), 5 miles, 6 miles, 4 miles, rest, 4 miles, Half-Marathon :-)

Running Thoughts

9 days to Newport

29 days to Dallas

I. Running safety

II. Coyotes

III. Movies, continued

IV. TCRC, the next generation?

I.

In lieu of a recent death at a running trail in Dallas, I would like to say as runners, always be aware of your surroundings and if you are going to use headphones, I highly recommend keeping one ear free. Stay to the right and when passing people, make sure no one is flying behind you.

II.

Running midday on Tuesday in Plano (and apparently South Kingstown, according to Nikki's post) is definitely different. Since 99% of the population is at work or school, I wondered what I would encounter on my run.

• A coyote
• An older black guy in a white jump suit talking with his 1 mile voice* on his bluetooth
• every grandparent with grandkids along the trail

*-don't tell me my elementary school was the only one that promoted 6-inch voices aka the teacher doesn't want us to yell.

I think that I will try to go in to this race conservatively and see where I am at on the last 3.1 miles and let it rip/ drop the proverbial hammer.

III.

Born-again runner watching movies:

• In Up In The Air, George Clooney has Nike Frees in his luggage.
• Ferris Bueller ran as fast as his dad's car at the end
• Running away from birds from The Birds = automatic PR

IV.

According to Dr. Estus, the geri class is running to class from Eastward Look, a grand total of 8.2 miles, also known as a training run to most of us, har har. Kidding aside, that is pretty cool. We should start a URI COP 5k race.

♪Runnin' in the Raiiiiinnnn♪

I set out for a 7 mile run this morning at 11am. Made it down my hill and said 'fuck it' because of the rain and ran back up the hill. After an hour, I got antsy and tried it again. 7.6 miles later, and soaked to the bone, I feel great.

Nobody was out on the bike path today. I wonder why?? Could be that it was lunch time in the middle of a work week. Oh yeah, and it was also raining pretty hard out. Guess I'm hardxcore now! (but not really).

Running alone on the SK bike path is a little creepy. Its mostly surrounded by woods, so I was afraid I was going to get attacked by some bobcat or something. Around 2.5 miles, three deer crossed the bike path in front of me. I kind of freaked out for a minute and was like "OH SHIT! Deer!!! I'm gonna die!!" But then I'd realized that there's never been any news stories of people being attacked and killed by deer, so I calmed down. It was actually kind of cool, they stopped and stared at me for a second, then moved on. It was also just a mom with her two little babies...nawwww, kinda cute...like Bambi, except I wasn't an asshole and didn't kill his mom.

That reminds me about another time I was running the SK path, only the opposite way. I was almost to the turn around point for my five mile run when out of no where, this cat jumps up right next to me on the post of a fence I was passing and let out a hiss. I freaked out and gave out this really weird, throaty scream and took off in the other direction.

Which brings me to another point. Cats are evil.

So, the run in the rain went well, it was like Blessing of Fleet all over again, soaked, slow pace, but I still enjoyed it. I guess if we get another nor'easter for the half-marathon...I'll be prepared.

Nikki Vs. The 12-Mile Monster

Nikki: 1 ; 12-Miles: 0

Thats right, bitches.

Kevin, Knapp, Sean and I tackled the 12-mile run yesterday, something I was feeling not so confident about all week. I mean, sure, I've done 10 miles twice before, but I was having doubts that I could do 12 miles without stopping. Fortunately, the run went very well for me, and I didn't stop. Not once! Big accomplishment for me.

The weather was near-perfect. 64 degrees out, with some winds, but the gusts weren't big enough to become annoying during the run. I was able to stick with the guys' "warm-up" run for about half a mile, until I realized they were running their warm-up at a 10 minute mile pace...which for me is not a warm up at all, but a full fledged run, haha. Sean and I decided to slow it up a bit, deciding we didn't want to get burnt out before the 12 miles were up.

My legs weren't feeling so great for the first two miles, I had a constant burn in my shins and calves, so I decided to keep about a 12 minute pace for a while, while sean picked up the pace and ran with knapp for most of the run. I kept them in my sights, but figured it would be better for me to keep steady and slow so I could finish the run without stopping.

After 2 miles my legs finally warmed up and I was feeling great. I hit three miles and thought about how I was already a quarter of the way done and how happy I'd be to hit this area again when there would only be a quarter of the way left!

I saw Kevin at exactly an hour into the run. He was already heading back and I was about half to 3/4s of a mile away from mile 6, the turn around point. I was passing this soccer field area after a big hill. To the right was a beautiful river surrounded by tons of trees. I was really a beautiful sight, seeing all the trees with their leaves changing color. I love the fall, I really do. I guess, if I have had any experience of having a "runners high" this would be it. I hit 6 miles and was still feeling really fresh...and super happy. Like, I was really enjoying running. Without realizing it, I was also picking up my pace. A lot! I would say I ran at a 10-minute-mile and or faster for the rest of the run.

I was still feeling great at 9 miles, and thought I might have been gaining ground on Sean and Knapp, but thats when I saw Knapp fly off into the distance and disappear. I passed Sean with about 2.5 miles to go, still picking up the pace. I was great until about mile 10 when my knees started to feel weird, some subtle pain and discomfort creeping in. At mile 10.5, my knees were hurting more, but it was only a slight annoyance to me, so I decided to keep pushing.

The start of mile 11 was hard for me, I wanted to push harder, but my legs were tiring out. I remember at this one little hill, after I had crossed the road, I was trying to push up this tiny little hill and it was killing me! I was like 'oh come onnnnn!', but I finally made it up and kept pushing.

I saw kevin walking towards me and passed him with a little more than a half mile to go. I was at 2:04:20, when I passed, and was really pleased with the time so far. When I hit the end, I ended up with 2:09:21, with an overall 10:47 pace. AWESOME!!! I threw my hands up in the air when I finished, enjoying my victory of running 12 miles. My legs felt like jello, but I felt so good!

With this time, I am setting my goal for anything sub 2:30 for the half. I think thats pretty achievable for me at this point in my training. Not setting the bar too high, but setting a goal none-the-less.

Ten Miler

13 days until Newport

34 days until Dallas

I haven't double digit-ed it since March when it was a balmy 40 in Providence (which also left my hamstring messed up). I used today as a mini-preview of the 13.1, wearing what I think I'll have on me at the race (same black shorts, COX 5k tech shirt, Nike gloves with key hole/ GU hole?). For the first two miles, the knees felt a little weird and then all was forgiven under the Spring Creek under pass when an old guy running the other way said "LOOKIN GOOD". Only runners can get away with this to a complete stranger.

Around mile 3, I realized I had never gone ten on this trail so it was all left to the map on runningahead to be correct. My only indicators for turning around was passing Alma Rd. and a baseball diamond after some trees.

Pass the 4th mile, my lower right back felt a bit off and disappeared after the turnaround.

The traffic sounds increased to the point that it hit me; I am next to the major highway (US 75), seeing the sign for Spaghetti Warehouse. Approaching the diamond and seeing businesses near the highway, I realized I needed a miracle. (TMI alert) Luckily, the Plano Parks Dept. planned the trail just for me as what should appear but a bathroom right at the turnaround.

The time had come; GU time. Those Nike gloves have a mini pocket that was big enough to stuff a GU packet in to. Now, I don't know how many have tried this, but I for some reason thought that it would taste like ice cream since I got the mint chocolate chip one. Of course, it came out more like toothpaste in consistency but the taste isn't as bad as what I have read. If anyone uses GUs on the trails, PLEASE throw them away and don't leave them on the water fountains. I saw 3 or 4 wrappers lying around.

After a few swigs of water, I was amazed at finding this part of the park. I love exploring unknown lands on foot (hence my love for Providence and all its randomness). So after I felt overcome with finding "new" land, I hightailed it back.

Whether this GU worked or it was more placebo, I was also worried about any stomach issues that I have also read about. Other than probably worrying it would cause issues, the run went on without a snag.

From mile 8-10, I felt the runner's high and by the time I had returned home and dropped my legs in to a frigid pool (thank the running gods for a cold front), the sense of accomplishment hit me along with feeling like I depleted my whole body of every last drop of energy. I missed that feeling so much. (Runners aren't crazy, right?) And having the need to down 4 pumpkin bagels and watered down Gatorade.

I can already tell that the difference between a 5k and 13.1 miles (other than distance) is that a 5k is more of a physical battle and 13.1 is a test of mental fortitude. 10 without an iPod, I think I am ready to tackle this half.

16 Days Until the Newport Half!

Well, it is the end of the 10th week of my training routine for the half-marathon and I am pretty much on schedule. I've been following the Nike+ Coach program at about 85% which, to me, is respectable. There are a few days that I skip. But I make up for some of the distance by shuffling around the runs to fit my crazy work schedule. Since it is getting darker out, it is harder to run on days that I work 12-hour shifts. Dark when I wake up and dark when I get home. It is disappointing. I have to find a local gym around here soon. My outdoor running days are numbered. I am up to running close to 30 miles a week. The program suggests 2 longer runs per week. The other day I ran 7 miles and today I ran 12 miles. The days in between I do about 4 miles.

Running 12 miles was a great experience today. I am excited that I am getting that much closer to 13.1. Running this distance requires keeping properly fueled. As of a week ago, I am now the proud owner of a fuelbelt. Best running invention everrrr! I have a blue Helium 4-bottle belt. It has 4 8-oz bottles and a little pouch. I love it. It was definitely useful today. I was able to bring along a GU Energy Gel. That was perfect for about 45 minutes into the run.

The run started off a little rough. I waited until later in the day when it stopped raining so hard. It was a light drizzle but nothing too bad. I was all set to run, then realized I had left my iPod on overnight and the battery had drained. It was DEAD when I tried to run. I panicked, lol. I can't run without my tunes and running data! I immediately plugged it in to give it some juice. Then I thought I could use my phone... I got that all set up to run with since I have the Run Keeper app. But then I got nervous that it would die fast and I couldn't figure out the music (haha, it's a new phone... I'll get better at it). So I waited. I waited until my iPod was charged at 25%, strapped it on my arm, and ran out the door. I got halfway down my street when I realized that I should probably grab a hat. Just in case it started to rain more, the visor would sorta block it from my eyes... I had a flashback to the Blessing of the Fleet, when it was downpouring and it felt like my contacts were falling out.... I ran back to grab a hat, the one that I got from running in the St. Patty's Day 5k in Providence. That was a quick warm-up.

Then I was ready to party. Or so I thought. About a half mile in, I checked to see if my iPod was tracking my data right... Data. FAILURE. I had to stop to fix it because my iPod was under my shirt-sleeve (didn't want it to get too wet if it started to pour). Fixed. Ready. GO!

After that rough start, the run went really well. I planned out a 12 mile loop around "scenic" Palmer. It was a perfect mix of hills and flats. There are some scary parts where it crosses some busy roads but I try to do mostly back roads to avoid that. The problem with back roads is that there are barely any sidewalks and the shoulders are very narrow. Cars also fly down back roads so that can get dangerous as well. But at least there are less cars to worry about and I am usually very careful, especially around curves where I can't see oncoming cars.

Another thing I have to usually watch out for... dogs. People do not frigin leash their dogs here in Palmer. Most of them are friendly dogs and just want to run with me, but sometimes I get some mean looking dogs barking at me and look like they want to bite me.. One almost came at me during my 7 mile run the other day... then it stopped dead in it's tracks at the edge of the yard. Booyea invisible fence! BOOYEA! I was so happy, haha. A little pug dog came running full force towards me today. The family was outside and saw it happening. "Miley!... Miley! Get over here!" Haha. I stopped before the dog had a chance to barrel into my ankles. Played nice with it until one of the kids was able to grab it so it wouldn't bother me anymore. All I could think about when I continued running was "Why the hell would you name that dog after an awful teenage singer??" Poor dog.

There is not much that I think about when I'm running. When I do have thoughts, they are quite random. For the most part, the roads I run on are peaceful. My mind tends to clear, almost like meditation. It relaxes me... even though my body is working super hard, lol.

I had about a mile left when my iPod finally died. So Nike+ says I only ran 10.8 miles, but my body knows I did 12 and that's all that matters :-)

Overall the run went pretty well. I consumed all my nutrition from my fuelbelt. I had water in 2 bottles, water/gatorade mix in one, and then just a gatorade one. I had half my GU at 45 minutes then the rest when I had 3 miles left. That seemed to work well for me. I stayed hydrated and fueled, and I didn't even cramp this time! It was a success. I ran for just over 2 hours and averaged a 10:30 pace. I'm pretty happy about that.

Since March (when I bought my Nike+ sensor), I have run about 400 miles. About 140 of those miles have been since August 10th, in my new Nike+ Free shoes.. not so new anymore. I think I've decided to keep running in these straight through to the Half Marathon. I don't have enough time to break-in new shoes beforehand. I haven't even bought the other ones I wanted yet. I'm thinking of branching out from Nike and going with something else. Which would require me to go with a different form of data... quite possibly a Garmin GPS watch thingy. Danato has one. Those things are pretty f'in sweet.

Next Week ("Bring it Home"): 5 miles, rest day, 7 miles, 4 miles, 5 miles, 12 miles...