Exactly 3 Months Until Race Day!

Are you getting excited?!

In Case You're Wondering...

I know you probably know better than this, but I also know that there are some people out there who may be thinking, "ok, once she gets her BQ and is able to run Boston, she'll be done."  If this is you, or if you think you know who this might be, the answer is "definitely not."  I find it quite ironic that a certain someone who is generally annoyed by my running decides to inquire if any of my upcoming races will qualify me for Boston.  My prediction is that this person assumes (completely incorrectly, by the way) that if the Marine Corps Marathon goes well, I'll be done once I run Boston (which, by the way, probably won't be until 2017).  Perhaps by then, I'll be on to some new hobby.  (BASE jumping, anyone?)  What said person also doesn't know is that Hans has already mentioned me, Morgan, and him running the Two Oceans 56k in South Africa that year.  So many races...so little time!

A New Record - 8 Days & 75 Miles

If you consider just this week (Monday through tomorrow), there is no record mileage; I'm at 54 miles which is pretty status-quo for many weeks I've had over the last few months.  However, if you factor in that my week 3 and week 4 training schedules went back to back and that I've been running every day since last Friday, that's when you get the record: 8 days & 75 miles!  I don't think I've ever had a span of 8 days in a row where every single one of those days involved running, and I'm pretty damn sure that I've never reached 75 miles in that time period either.  Yeah, I'm tired, and I was tired going into this week just knowing what the final tally would be.  It's done, I feel great, and I am totally looking forward to a true 100% rest day tomorrow.

Something made me go back to my other blog when I was training a year ago for SoMo, my first marathon.  Man, there's a lot of good stuff in there; some of it's funny, some of it's serious, some of it's just random as all get-out (in the words of Gram).  I hope this blog is living up to the usual standards of past ones.

Exhibit B - I don't suck as a runner

Just more validation that I don't suck as a runner.  I emailed Addie to tell her how excited I was to be crewing for her in May, and she wrote this back to me: "I was planning on asking you girl, but I knew you had committed to helping someone else out."  For someone who is as strong of a runner as Addie is to say she planned on asking me, that's a virtual thumbs up that I don't suck because, let's face it, who wants a sucky runner to be a potential pacer?!

For 8 Days Straight...

...I will be running!  That's right!  Last week's schedule had a rest day on Friday and then runs scheduled on both Saturday & Sunday.  (Even Dave said, "I thought you don't run on Sundays!")  This week's schedule has me running each day up through and including Saturday.  It might be just mental, but my legs already feel tired!  LOL!  I'm not sure if I've ever had 8 days in a row of scheduled running, so this little 'experiment' will be interesting.  I do love running, but will I love it after 8 days and 70+ miles?  Time will tell...

Exhibit A - I don't suck as a runner!

Morgan had originally said she wanted to run one of the individual races at next year's Keys100.  Cool!  I told her I'd crew for her since I was sort of over the whole relay thing.  Turns out, though, that Morgan's too good to let go, and her team asked her back for next year.  She said 'yes' to them.  It really is nice to be asked back, so I get it.  Add in the fact that she's being asked back to a winning team, and how do you say 'no' to that?!


Addie & I met for lunch today, and I figured I'd throw my hat into the ring to crew for her since she'd be running the 50 mile race again.  My offer was very enthusiastically accepted, and I was "hired!"

So what does a crew member do?  In short, a little of everything!  From being there to hand the runner a fresh, cold drink to saying "it's time for you to eat something" to pacing/running with the person to being a cheerleader or, sometimes, an ass-kicking drill sergeant who needs to say "get your shit together," you don't quite know what's going to be needed, so you've got to be ready to do it all.  Here's a good (and short) article on crewing for someone: http://www.enduranceplanet.com/ultrarunning-how-to-crew-for-your-runner/. 

What I'm more excited about is the opportunity to pace (ie: run with) Addie during the race.  Seriously, did you expect me to be a part of this 50 mile race and not run?!  What does a pacer do?  Well, as the name implies, sometimes it's about helping the other person maintain a certain pace, but most times it's about companionship, a little bit of cheerleading, and just being there even if it's completely in silence.  During Morgan's 100k back in February, I had the chance to pace her for the final 8-ish miles in what was probably the hardest part of the entire race; it was the last little bit to do (you can say "little bit" when you're talking about a 62 mile race!), it was cold, it was getting dark, it got extremely dark, and she was beyond tired (as you could imagine).  Joining Morgan for this part of the race allowed me the opportunity, in a very small way, to help get her to the finish line in good spirits.  After the race, I came across this article/interview on what it takes to be a good pacer: http://www.irunfar.com/2015/01/how-to-choose-your-sidekick-aka-pacer.html. 

In case you don't remember, Addie was the 2nd place overall female winner of the Keys50 race.  How cool would it be to help her to a 1st place finish next year?

Yet Another Reason Why I Love RCJ!

There are so many benefits to having a coach, and as I've said to a bunch of people, my coach is worth every penny!  Here's just another example of what I mean.  Even though RCJ is away with her family in Montana, she's still staying connected and sent me this tonight: "I contacted Chenae to find out about the MCM corrals, for lining up. She said one could easily be able to get near the front, and avoid being slowed down by a crowd. That is exactly what we will plan on."  So not only is she working with me on running and getting faster so I can get my BQ, she's also working with me on race-day strategy!  Love it!

My New Gadget

Look what arrived in today's mail!  For those of you who say, "Yeah, big deal?  It's just a watch," let me tell you that it's so much more than "just a watch."  Oh, and also let me tell you what a good deal I scored on it.  I had been stalking Garmin watches on Ebay for a while, had bid on a ton of 'em, and had not won any auctions.  This particular watch, the Garmin Forerunner 920XT, was really what I wanted because of the 20 hours of battery life and tons of other features it has (like wi-fi capabilities to automatically upload run stats).  Finally, an auction went in my favor, and I picked this puppy up for over $40 less than the cheapest place I could find it online (outside of Ebay).  It's pricey, and it'll take some getting used to wearing something "expensive" when I run, but from everything I've read about it, it'll be awesome!

A Run-Down of Week #2

Here's how week 2 shook out as per my "report" back to Running Coach Joan (who shall, henceforth, be referred to as RCJ).

Monday

Target: 8 miles (8:15 pace)

Actual: 8 miles (8:08 pace)

Tuesday

Target: 8 miles - hills (8:30 pace)

Actual: 9 miles - hills (8:17 pace)

** I apparently don't know that area well enough because when 8 miles rolled around, I was at the base of the big hill leading up to the church; I ran up the hill and then did a slow jog back to the car which is why it was longer than what was in the plan.

Wednesday

Target: 8 miles (8:15 - 8:30 pace)

Actual: 8 miles (8:15 pace)

Thursday

Target: 8 miles - strides (8:15 pace with strides in the 7:30 - 7:45 pace)

Actual: 8 miles (7:55 pace)

*** I think my strides might been faster than 7:30.  Like last week, I loved them!!!!

Saturday

Target: 13 miles (8:30 - 8:50 pace with middle 4 miles at an 8 pace)

Actual: 13 miles (8:50 pace), did my middle 4 miles from 6.35 miles to 10.35 miles and all were at or below 8.  Felt good to do this.

That meant I ended the week with 46 miles.  Not bad, but considering that most of my weeks for a while had been in the 50-55 range, 46 seems easy.  Not this next week, but the week after will be 6 days of running instead of 5.  Woo hoo!

 

The Nicest Thing Happened at Starbucks

I love me some Starbucks.  It's a good pre-run treat to look forward to in the morning (plus, it helps to motivate my lazy ass to get out of bed at oh-dark-thirty), so every now & then I'll swing by a Starbucks, get a Venti coffee, and put it in the fridge.  Since I was going to be in Stuart to meet Stephanie for lunch today, I figured I'd make the trek across the bridge and hit the Starbucks in Jensen Beach because it was sort of (but not really) on my way home.  My work hours didn't start for a while, and because I was in no rush, I was lazy and went through the drive-thru knowing that I'd be waiting in line.  When it was finally my turn to get up to the window & pay, the barista said "the car in front of you already paid for this."  Huh?  Really?  Yes, really!  I don't know if this person knew that I ordered one of the cheaper things on the menu, but how much of a nice and completely unexpected surprise was that?!

I decided to call Grandma and tell her about this.  What was her response?  "Oh, I've heard of people doing that."  So hip and up on current goings-on this grandmother of mine is!

Week 2 of Training...Aiming Higher

This was part of one email that Joan sent me today (6/28): "Did you get a chance to look at the plan and notes? I'm thinking we should set our goals a bit higher....".  Are you intrigued?  Here's the scoop: for me to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I need to run a marathon on a course that's been "certified" and have a time of no more than 3 hours and 40 minutes.  However, so many people want to run Boston that you aren't going to get an entry if you're just seconds under your qualifying time.  I already knew this, so the original plan was for me to aim for running a 3:35.  That, in my opinion, was going to be a stretch to accomplish.  However, Joan wants me to aim for 3:30 and is now setting up my training plans based on this goal.  (This, if you're wondering, is what would be called a BQ -10.)  Hey, you know me, I'm up for the challenge!

Week 1 of Training - Done!

This was my 'official' first week of training under Coach Joan's guidance.  Other than running fewer miles than I have in about a month or so, it was a very good week!  This is what she had me do:

You've probably noticed that she mentioned twice the need to back down on mileage.  However, she promised me that it would be going back up (eventually) and would probably get to around 70 miles per week.

Joan and I did Tuesday's workout together, and that was fun because she showed me the Skyline Drive area of Jensen Beach which has some decent "hills" for this area.  Before we met that morning, I ran into the Walgreens where we decided we'd start our run; I had to get some more chapstick.  Of course, I'm in my running gear, and one of the employees asked if I just got done running.  Snarky Kim's response would have been "if I look this good after a run, I wasn't running hard enough."  Instead, Polite Kim answered with "not yet - just waiting for a friend."  Had this same employee seen me at the end of the run (after 8 miles of hills in almost 80 degree heat with about 90% humidity), he would have known that I had already done my run!

 

A New Weekly Mileage Record

Check this out!  I ran almost 62 miles this week!  Holy crap!  I think the closest I ever got to reaching 60 miles was around 58-ish miles, and that was probably back in December when I was getting ready for the 6 hour race.  It's kind of funny to think that this new "record" has occurred when I'm not really training for anything.  For those of you who are thinking that 60 miles is a lot, well, to me, it is.  However, there are tons of regular people out there (in other words, people who do not make their livings from running) who will do upwards of 70, 80, or even 100 miles in a given week.

I Was Almost Turned Down

I debated if I should call this post "My New Coach," but I figured the title I used was a little bit more interesting.  Let me set the stage for you.  There are certain people who only need one name: Angelina, Prince, Gandhi.  Well, in the running community here, if you say "Joan," everyone knows who you mean!

I've been fortunate enough to meet Joan via Team Essen, my running club.  She is an amazing runner and is beyond friendly.  I have no delusions of grandeur; I cannot keep up with Joan!  Her race resume, if she were to keep one, would be filled with many 1st place finishes, and, in tons of races, she beats the majority of the men!  Joan runs half marathons, marathons, and does triathlons as well.  Oh, I should also say that she teaches a killer high-intensity interval training class at the local YMCA.  The one and only time I attended one, she damn near killed me because the workout was that good!!!

Joan and I run together every so often, and I knew that she got her run coach certification via the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) not too long ago.  Today, Joan and I met at Dunkin' Donuts to get in 10 miles, and I figured it was as good of a time as any to ask if she wanted a new client: me!

So as we're running, I ask how the coaching is going and how many clients she has.  Joan's an elementary school teacher, and her plan with the coaching was to take on a small number of clients so that she could provide them with top-notch service.  Truthfully, I was afraid that she might be maxed out and not be wanting any new clients.  After she told me how many clients she had, I really did worry that she'd say 'no,' so I figured I'd keep it light.

Me: Do you want one more client?

Joan: You're ultra-runner girl; I know nothing about that!

Me: Well, my next race is the Marine Corps Marathon, and you do know about marathons and Boston qualifying.

Joan: I do!

The good news is that Joan is taking me on as a client, and by the sound of what we talked about during the rest of our run, what she'll set up for me will be absolutely perfect.  It'll be a combination of running (duh) and strength-training (which I totally need).

As a multiple-time qualifier for Boston, Joan knows that just barely getting the time you need as per the BAA site isn't good enough.  We discussed that shooting for a 3:35 time (or better) is really the way to go.  I knew what the pace had to be for 3:40, but I wasn't familiar with the 3:35 pace.  When I looked it up, I found out that would be 8:12 per mile.  (For reference's sake, a marathon time of 3:40 means a pace of 8:23-8:24 per mile.)  To be honest, I think that the 8:23 pace is completely do-able; 8:12 will be a stretch for me.  I'm going to have to work hard to get anywhere close to that.  However, here's one of the reasons why Joan is already an awesome coach.  Not letting on to the fact that I'm not sure if I can realistically get/keep an 8:12 pace, this was Joan's email back to me after just giving her the paces that I listed above: "I think an 8:12 is completely doable! I have no worries. I think some of your miles could be faster, some a little slower, and the average will work out great. You could shoot for 8 min miles, giving some wiggle room."  The idea of an 8 minute mile sort of boggles my mind at this point, but, to be honest, the idea of actually doing a marathon boggled my mind at one point.

Historically Speaking

June has not been a good month for me.  Why?  Well, two years ago, June was when I had my pelvic stress fracture happen.  (June 29th to be exact.)  Then, last year, June was when the problems started with my IT band.  While I don't remember the exact day, I do recall that I was at the gym & near the end of some speedwork on the treadmill when I felt a strange stabbing pain; it was very quick but also very "wrong."  You all know that both issues have been taken care of, so let's all keep our fingers (and toes) crossed that this June is a healthier one!

I Need to Slow Down...Literally

I need a training plan from someone who knows what he or she is doing; left to my own devices, I rarely slow myself down!  Need proof?  Check this out & see if you can spot what's wrong?

Have you spotted it?  No, it's not the 5:37am start time.  Haha!  It's the average pace of 8:02!  Saturdays are all about long, slow runs.  There's nothing slow about an 8:02 pace over this many miles.  To qualify for Boston, I'll need an average pace of around 8:22.  There's no reason I should be running this fast on the runs that are meant to be slow.

One of these days, I'll figure out what I'm doing as far as a training plan & run coaching.  As is already evident, I need plenty of guidance on this.

This is Why I Hate 5k Races!

As soon as I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon, I told Bryan Graham that I wanted his help (again) in setting up a training plan that would have me meeting (or beating) that 3:40 goal.  One of the things he needed me to do was to run a 5k.  While it didn't need to be an organized race, it did need to be a 5k distance (3.1 miles) run at what I'd do during a race.  To be honest, I was not looking forward to this at all!  For those of you who don't run, you'd probably be asking yourselves, "Why not? It's only 3.1 miles, so that's got to be easy to do, right?"  Not so!  Part of why I think I like longer distances is that you have time to ease in to your pace; you don't have to hit it right away and hang on to it.  In a 5k, though, that's not an option.  There's not a lot of distance which translates to not a lot of opportunity to make up time.  FML!  

I decided that today, Friday, would be 5k day in the morning.  I'd just run it around my 'hood.  All week, though, I was dreading this.  In fact, I did lose sleep over it!  Yes, that's how much I did not want to do this.  But, it had to be done, so that's what I did.  Let me set the stage for you: at 4:56am, it was very warm and extremely humid.  Ugggh - could it get any more miserable?  I started my watch and was off.  Since my RunKeeper gives me updates every 2 minutes, I was keeping a pace in the low 7s for a while.  Definitely not maintainable (by me).  By about a half mile in, I was already saying to myself "this sucks beyond belief; I might just keel over in my own neighborhood doing a freakin' 5k!"  (Ok, that's a touch on the dramatic side, but I really was thinking that!)  Long story short, here's how it (finally and thankfully) ended.

Hmmmmm, what are my thoughts on this?  The time is nothing spectacular.  I've done better, but that was over a year ago when my focus was not on marathons & ultras.  I guess for not really doing any speedwork for quite a while, this is decent.  But God damn, it really was not fun!   

(Would you believe me if I told you I'm doing 2 more 5ks in the upcoming weeks?  Yup!  My boss asked me to do one with her down in Deerfield Beach, and my running club puts on a July 4th race that I'll be doing since Morgan's coming here for the holiday.  It'll be semi-interesting to see if I can do better at either of those than I did with this one.)

Boston or Bust!

Growing up in New Jersey, you hear a lot about the New York Marathon.  Heck, even if you don't grow up in or around that area, you still hear a lot about it.  To those outside of the running world, the New York Marathon may seem like the holy grail of running.  To those acquainted with the running world, that holy grail is the Boston Marathon, and that's where I'm (hopefully) headed!

So why is the Boston Marathon such an event?  Well, I'm sure there are many right answers to this, but here's why it matters to me.  Qualifying for Boston sort of symbolizes that you've "arrived" in the running world; it means you're a strong runner.  Unlike many marathons where you just pay your money and you get a spot, Boston isn't like that.  You've got to show that you're worthy of it by qualifying via another marathon and meeting (or exceeding) certain time requirements based on age & gender.

Here's a great excerpt from an article on Active.com: "Qualifying for the prestigious Boston Marathon is the goal of many who run marathons. It's an honor, like qualifying for the Olympic trials, but one that's reachable by those of us who aren't professional runners. 

Qualifying for Boston is a big debate among runners of all demographics and abilities. Some believe older runners have an advantage while others believe women have the advantage. In a recent study by Jim Fortner, only 10.4 percent of marathon finishers achieved their Boston qualifying time. However, more people qualify in different age groups. For example, the number of women ages 45 to 49 who qualify is 14.5 percent. The number of men ages 65 to 69 who qualify is 17 percent, while only 7.9 percent of men and women age 34 and younger qualify. Boston qualifiers (also known as BQs) are not biased against men or women, and they certainly aren't biased against older runners."

I came close to qualifying for Boston when I did the Rock-n-Roll marathon in New Orleans with Suzanne.  How close?  84 seconds away.  Does it suck to be that close & yet that far at the same time?  Of course!  Had I not done the 6 hour ultra just two weeks before New Orleans, could I have gotten the time of 3 hours and 40 minutes that I needed?  Probably.  So this time around, there will be no 6 hour races close to the marathon.  Mark your calendars for October 25th!  I'll be running the Marine Corps Marathon and, hopefully, earning my BQ there!