I got nothin’

I need some kind of “creative post title generator.”

Now that we are mid-way through this week, I’ll finally post about last week’s running (May 14-20th):

Monday: 4.26 mi Trail run.  Because of views like this:

…Probably won’t be so green in another month or two.

Tuesday AM: 4.8 miles half road/half trail with a massive 500’ climb over 1 mile
Tuesday PM: 6.08 miles at the Track including: 2x800m (3:51, 3:58), 3x600m (2:47, 2:51, 2:53), 4x400m (1:49, 1:49, 1:54, 1:51).

Thursday: 7 miles: After a mile warm up, alternated 1/2 mi fast (3:55-4:08) with 1/2 mile easy.

Saturday: 13.74 miles. Included a nice mile-long climb, the rest was flat/9:34 avg pace excluding the cool down (Same route as last week- :22/mi faster!)

Total Weekly Miles: 35.88 miles

This 5 runs/4 days a week thing seems to be working out ok for me.  I haven’t felt tired going into any of my runs. If I start to struggle with my pace at the track on Tuesday nights I guess I’ll cut back on the “fun run” that morning, but it hasn’t been an issue yet.

I did some pushups, light arm weights, and crunches in there, but I need to get in the habit of incorporating my bike for some cross training.  I miss spinning, but I don’t want to drop money on a gym membership right now.

After Saturday morning’s run, we headed toward the ocean for the afternoon.  We grabbed lunch and a beer in Ventura for Dan’s birthday then walked through the town and on the boardwalk. We saw dolphins from the end of the pier, too, which was pretty cool.
   
 

I really enjoyed these mermaid merMAN ornaments hanging in a shop window. There were several rows of them including some that were Village People-influenced.
 

Mer MAN.


On our drive back, we picked up a ridiculous amount of perfectly ripe strawberries. We snacked on a bunch, but still need to figure out how to use them up before they go bad. I’m leaning toward freezing some.


Then  we came home and had red velvet birthday cake.

[Number of candles represents years until 30]

In other running news, if you are a smallish person like myself, who wears the Garmin HR monitor, I highly recommend finding the smaller strap on Amazon.

I remember looking for it when I first got my watch 3 years ago, but I was cheap and didn’t want to pay $10 + $7.95 shipping directly from Garmin, so I sucked it up and used the original heart rate monitor strap, just dealing with it being a little loose because I shoved it under the band of my sports bra.  Now it’s $8.50 and if you buy $16.50 of other stuff or have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping.

  
^Most excessive packaging ever.



Comparing the two straps at their smallest setting, the small strap is 5” shorter than the original strap. The small strap can be lengthened to up to an inch longer than the smallest size on the original strap.  Now that I have worn one that is comfortable! because it is the appropriate size, I can’t believe I dealt with the original one for 3 full years.

PS, Thanks for your comments on my last post.  I want to be sure I am respecting the distance before I commit to tackling it!

Recap: Training Week 10 + Garmin question

The Plan:

10  3/14-3/20

Spin  +abs

5 mi  easy

45 min  tempo

Boot   Camp

Rest

5 mi  pace

11 mi  long

What Happened:
Monday 3/14: 100 crunches. Nothing else.  Spinning was canceled because of the college's spring break.  I took one for the team (marriage) and went grocery shopping and made dinner.


Tues 3/15: Easy Run: 5.45 miles

Wed 3/16: 50 min Tempo Run = 4.92 miles

Thur 3/17: 25 minutes of weight machines at the gym (couple sets each of: chest, shoulder, bicep press; hip adduction & hip abduction; glute machine; "reverse" crunches? for your lower back.

Fri 3/18: Easy bike ride (first of the year!) w/hubs: 6.23 miles

Sat 3/19: Pace run: 6.75 miles + 120 crunches + 90 second plank

Sun 3/20: Long run = 13.02 miles.

I can't believe there are less than 2 weeks til the half marathon!

• While my running routes naturally include some hills thanks to where I live, I am still nervous about the course's severe elevation map.  I am hoping to get over to the park where the half marathon will be on the weekend to do a pace run there (or maybe my easy run next week if I can get out of work on time) so I can run the biggest hill before hand.
• I know it's early to obsess about weather. But I do anyway.  Excuse me, what is this!? 
• Exhibit A: Friday it was 79F.
• Now...chance of snow??  I'm not happy. This is central NJ, not western NY.  Crazy.
• I will take temps in the 40s for April 3, just no snow or rain, please.
• Related to the weather, I am starting to think about what I will wear.  This is also why I'd like to check out the park and see how shaded or not the trails are.  40s + shade = crops. 50+ with or without shade = shorts.  
• Must start waking up earlier in the morning!  And maybe get in a couple runs before work, if the above forecast changes.  The half marathon will start at 8am.  I have not run at 8am since...the fall?  (So why am I still up writing this at 11:30!?)

Question for my Garmin-owning friends--

What information do you like to have on your Garmin?  For training and/or races.  I know the options may vary from model to model.  I usually have...
Screen 1: overall time, avg pace, total distance
Screen 2: lap time, lap pace, lap distance
Screen 3: HR Graph, zone, and time of sunset
And Actual HR flashes on a 4th screen.

-I do autolap at 1 mile increments (Not a problem last April - course was along the ocean, on boardwalk.  September...it got messed up, I blame tall Philly buildings and a tunnel).

-I occasionally use Virtual Partner (debating whether programming VP at 2:21:10 for this half marathon so I can see, as I run, how I compare to my previous fastest time will help me or stress me out).

How do you use your Garmin??

"Uh oh. Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays..."

Back to work today.  I feel like I didn't get to relax at all since we were hosting parents for the second weekend in a row (mine last weekend; his this weekend).

This morning I prepared some tasty snacks to bring to work with me.  I made my own little fruit & yogurt parfait.  This was my first time trying Chobani's vanilla Greek yogurt.  I layered it with some strawberries and some Honey Oat granola from "The Baker."

Verdict: the vanilla Greek yogurt is ok with strawberries and crunchy stuff; 

I can't say I love the vanilla on its own though. 

I went to work.  I feel like my peep-toe pump days and my skirts without tights days are numbered.

I came home.  I had to really tell myself not to stop at Dunkin Donuts on my way home for a pick-me-up iced coffee (and hm, I have a coupon for a free donut with purchase of beverage...I haven't had a donut in a long time).  But I resisted. 

photo from Dunkin Donuts

 photo from flickr

I made it home, but I snacked on some delicious peanut butter pretzel nuggets. (Better than a donut, right?)  Because I was feeling lazy and putting off going for my run.  Ok, I also had a Reese's Peanut butter cup... why did my husband have to bring a bag of those home??  And why can I not get enough of peanut butter.  And why do I really really want junk food today.

It was about 58 and overcast when I got home from work.  I was happy to have a chance to wear some cooler weather running clothes!  It also felt incredibly cold.  I had to remind myself that at one point in the spring, I probably thought 58 was warm!  With it being so overcast and a little windy out, it was hard to get off my butt and step out the door, but I did.

I went for a run in my Lululemon Swiftly Tech L/S in dark classic grey (purchased last year on markdown at my local store - not sure why it looks so awkward on the model on the website!) and my Lululemon Run: Zoom crops in black (snagged off of loot this summer for $49!).

Slouchy McSloucherton

I went for 5.17 miles, at what I would call a comfortable pace.  That pace is what all my runs have been lately.  I think since I'm not actively training for anything there's no reason to kill myself over my pace; just trying to enjoy running.  This was my longest run since the half marathon on September 19th. (The next longest distance I've done in the past month is two ~4.35 mile runs).  Anyway, it felt good to go for a nice longer run in the cool weather.

ETA:
As a follow up to this previous post, much to my relief, sans-cold medicine my heart rate was back to normal on this run.  My average HR was 167 over the course of the run which is good for me.  The cooler weather helps too.

PS, Anyone know what movie the title of today's post is from??

Two down.

Well, I finished my second half marathon this morning!

Finisher's Medal

Sadly, but not unexpectedly, it was not faster than my first.
I'm still awaiting my chip time, I think it was approximately 2:30 or maybe just under.

I woke up around 5:45, when it was still dark out, got ready, made myself almond butter and raspberry preserves on a slice of wheat bread, grabbed a banana, and met my friend outside of my place at 6:15 to carpool in to Philly.  We got there a little after 7, found parking pretty easily in a garage with a flat rate of $11 (not bad considering the rates of some of the lots!) about .6 miles from the start line.  I ate my little breakfast in the car on the way there because I don't think my body knew I was hungry yet at the crack of dawn.

I was excited to see (and be able to identify) long distance runner (and last year's winner of this race) Ryan Hall warming up with the other professional runners on my way to my corral.  As there were over 18,600 people registered, the race had a wave start.  The fast people  (you know, like sub-5 minute pace!!) went first at 8, then every minute and a half or so, another wave of people was released based on estimated finish time.  My corral crossed the start line at about 8:21 or 8:22.  This made the road much less crowded for everyone at the start (I didn't even have to walk at the beginning), and as we had D-tag timing chips on our shoes, our individual time did not begin until we crossed the mats at the start line.

I had fantastic splits for the first half of the Half (10:40, 10:33, 10:31, even a little 9:36, though that might be where my GPS got off a little because we went through a tunnel and I briefly lost GPS reception).  Then beginning with mile 5 it was more like 11:02, 11:19, 10:56, 11:18, 11:26, 11:23... and the last 3 were even slower with a couple short walk breaks sprinkled in, mostly by the water stops.

Here's where the course took me

My initial goal when I signed up back in May or early June had been to finish around 2:16 (10:25 pace), shaving about 5 minutes off my April half marathon (10:46 pace).  Runner's World Smart Coach came up with that goal for me based on my previous half marathon time, weekly mileage at that point, and training moderately hard.  However, as our summer continued to be brutally hot, I continued to log the miles suggested in my training plan but not necessarily at the right pace.  My speedwork sessions definitely suffered in June and July, and I rarely had a run outside with temperatures below 80 and/or humidity below 60% until only a couple weeks ago.

Once I realized I was never going to get in all that speedwork, I decided I would just try to beat my April time, which was still kind of ambitious.  In April it was just 50 degrees, and cloudy.  Today it was 64 at the start line and had crept up to about 73 by the time I finished, and was sunny.  I was so thankful for the shady stretches!  When we turned the corner around some tall buildings downtown, we got some shade, and along the east side of the river there was a nice shady section.

I enjoyed running past the Franklin Institute, City Hall, The Liberty Bell, the Art Museum, then along the Schuykill River past all the boat houses, then finishing back at the Art Museum (The famous "Rocky" steps).  There were sooo many supporters lining the streets, as well as occasional bands (as it was part of the Rock n' Roll series) and it was a lot of fun!

Phila City Hall (Pic from August visit)

Art Museum Steps (Also from August visit)

 Photo from [this blog] of Boathouse row

(We ran on the road behind the boathouses--into the distance in the picture, 

crossed the river about 3.5 miles down, and came back on the other side of the river)

After finishing, there were tons of snacks being given out: water, Cytomax, little bags of pretzels, (I missed the mini bagels), mini Lara Bars, Dole Fruit cups and "Real Fruit Bites," and bananas.  I grabbed some stuff, met up with my friend who also ran today (who had hoped to improve from April's 2:08 to 2:00 but finished around 2:26) in the "Family Meeting Area" and we headed back to my car.  We dropped our goods off at the car, grabbed swung by a nearby Starbucks (mmm, Venti nonfat Starbucks Double Shot!), and made our way back home.

Back at home with my medal!

(No, I did not run in flip flops)

According to my Garmin FR 405, based on my age/weight/activity class/heart rate, I burned 1534 calories.  

I think I deserve ice cream tonight!

Garden Update & A nice COOL run!

Here's what we picked from our garden on Saturday, 7/17:

We used most of the tomatoes and two bell peppers by just cutting them up and cooking them in some olive oil and serving over pasta.

And here's what we picked from our garden Thursday 7/22:

We're still working on using this stuff up... Saturday morning we had tomato and pepper omelets for breakfast.

Some banana peppers cut up

Last night we cut up some of the above cucumbers and some of the tomatoes and tossed with a little dressing and had a cucumber and tomato salad before dinner. I must say, the big tomatoes are SO flavorful compared to what you find on your sandwich or in your salad at most restaurants.

Look how red those tomatoes are inside!

I'd also just like to say...yesterday we had a serious thunderstorm roll in with heavy rain and high winds. It cooled things off quite nicely (for the rest of the day anyway). Last night I ran an easy 4 miles at 9:30 pm and it was only 72 out and breezy. It was glorious!! I headed out with my watch, cell phone, and my fun little clip on blinking light for visibility:


I just ran at what felt like a comfortable, easy pace, without checking my watch continuously (only when it beeped at me every mile to check my pace). My pace per mile was about 15 seconds faster than my last "easy" 4 mile run on Friday morning, and my average heart rate over the course of the run was 16 bpm slower. Woo hoo!

I am not ready for summer to be over, but when you run outside, cool days/evenings are greatly appreciated! It gave me a little confidence boost. As it's been so hot, I've been worrying about being able to run the pace I want to for the half marathon in 2 months. Hopefully it won't be above 80 on that day and I can know that when it's cooler I will be able to run at a faster speed, more easily than I can in the weather we've been having for the past month. I checked my notes on my Garmin Connect program and saw that the last time I ran outside when it was at least 72 or cooler was June 30th (last night's pace was faster and my HR was slower than my June 30th run too, hopefully that's an indication of progress). It's been nearly a month since I've been able to run in weather that cool. Anyway, back into the 90s this week, but at least our overnight lows are going to be around 70 again, maybe I will plan for more evening or early morning runs when I can.

What I Wore Running

I got up this morning around 6:45ish so I could get an earlier start on a long run today. An 8.4 mile run, to be exact! The high for today was 93... and it's staying in the 90s for the foreseeable future, so I guess I need to get better about waking up early if I want to run outside. I didn't get to check the temperature when I left because my husband was still sleeping, so I just got ready and slipped out the door. But when I got back, sometime before 9am, it was 84 with 59% humidity.

I made sure to drink lots of water last night so I would be hydrated when I woke up. After I got ready, I ate a banana and drank some water, grabbed my Garmin Forerunner, then I headed out the door.

This is what I wore:

Front - New Balance Cocona Tank

Back - Check out the Reflectivity

I wore my New Balance Cocona tank. It is antimicrobial and moisture-wicking. It's semi-fitted, but a little looser below the bust. It's made of 35% COCONA Polyester/65% Polyester. Cocona is a fabric embedded with activated carbon from coconut shells, a renewable material that wicks, fights odor, and offers UV protection. You can read more about cocona [here]. This is a nice lightweight tank. It's fitted, but not tight, and I like the slightly longer length so I don't need to worry about it riding up. While it wicks, it doesn't show sweat easily.

Lululemon Speed Shorts, black (Summer 2009)

Back - Note the venting, reflective logo, and zip pocket

I love my Lululemon Speed shorts from last summer. They seem to be a different material than the two pairs of Speed Shorts I bought this year (white/wish blue and sidewalk/white foxy plaid). My black pair seems lighter and softer. The ones from this year seem to have a stiffer fabric. I also prefer the fit of these guys; they are shaped a little more to my butt and upper leg. The new ones are a bit looser and flare out at the leg opening more. I still like the new ones I bought, but this black pair is really my go-to running short. I find I choose to wear them for running more than any of my other shorts.

O.N.E. Coconut Water

When I got back from my run, I was thirsty! I was hoping being hydrated was enough to get me through my run, and it was, but on my next long run I'll definitely be bringing water along. It's hard to compare these long runs with my earlier training - since the long runs for my spring half marathon training were in 50-70 degree weather. Anyway, I filled up a big glass with ice and coconut water and downed it pretty quickly.

I just picked up this Liter sized container of coconut water at Whole Foods for 2/$8 the other day. Considering O.N.E.'s little 8.5 ounce (250mL) bottles are ~$1.19, this was a good deal.  The 11 ounce containers are usually $1.69.

After breakfast, we went to the local farmer's market where we picked up some more fantastic honey from a nearby farm. I had always just bought the bear shaped clover honey from Wegmans, but THIS stuff is really good.