Pre-workout fuel: Slice of whole-wheat toast with reduced-fat peanut butter
Workout: Ran 4.1 miles in 38 minutes, 15 seconds; average pace, 9:19.
Monday catch-up: Did 40 minutes yoga, 15 minutes arms and a short walk with the dog.
Another month has come and gone in what seems to be the blink of an eye. It amazes me how fast time moves, especially when you find yourself counting down to your next race. (Twenty-four days, in case you were wondering.)
Instead of looking forward, let's take a brief look back.
Total miles ran in August: 112.02 (an all-time high and third 100+ mile month in a row!)
Farthest run: 13.1 miles (RnR Chicago)
Average distance (per run): 6.22 miles
Fastest pace: 8:39
Not too shabby, August!
My goals for September are simple: do my best, train hard and break 2 hours at Fort-4-Fitness.
Wait. Maybe that last one isn't so simple.
Happy running!
Showing posts with label RnR Chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RnR Chicago. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Rock 'n' Roll Chicago: Bulletproof
Another Rock 'n' Roll post, I know. It's gotta be seriously annoying but I have more to say and I might as well say it.
- I loved running a Rock 'n' Roll race. Why? First of all, the expo. I liked that the bibs and shirts were at the beginning of the hall and there was little to no wait to pick up items. (At the Flying Pig, we had to wind ourselves through a schload of vendors just to get our shirts, poster and bag). I loved that there were a ton of Honey Pots at the race start/finish.
- What I didn't love was the lack of toilet paper in those honey pots. It makes a girl resort to things she won't dare to tell her husband much less mention on this blog.
- While I'm complaining, I also thought the swag and expo were on the light side. I got a ton of stuff at the Pig and there were tons of vendors. Not so much in Chicago.
- However, I loved the wave start and the commentators keeping everyone entertained while we waited to cross the mat.
- I loved that I got to stand next to a celebrity.
- I loved that I totally beat her, time-wise. Same goes for Jake the Bachelor, Kelly Bensimon (or whatever her name is) and Al Roker.
- If Al Roker had beat me, I might have cried.
- I wonder if Al Roker took a Gu. I did. Two actually. Both Blackberry or whatever Gu calls it. I also grabbed a Blueberry Roctane when they were passing them out but I left it in the honey bucket at Mile 11.
- I wonder if anyone took it home.
- McDonald's french fries are the best post-race food. Ever.
- I ate entirely too much junk on this trip. Ice cream ... TWICE ... on Saturday. Coconut M&M's, more ice cream, half a Big Mac on Sunday. Makes me cringe just thinking about it. I will say that the Coconut M&M's and our second ice cream stop were worth it. If you are ever in Wheaton, go to Tate's and try the Graham Cracker and Banana varieties. Just sayin'.
- I am fairly certain I am going to have another black toe nail - second toe on the left foot. Crazy hurt after the race and even yesterday. Discounted pedicure in my future? I hope.
- I just got up to find where I put my coffee. It was on the bathroom counter ... most logical place.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Rock 'n' Roll Chicago: Part 2
A 4 a.m. wake-up call is early - no matter how early you go to bed - and I was not excited when the alarm went off. I even commented to Mark that I must be crazy to pay a $100 entry fee so that I can get up at 4 a.m. and run for 2+ hours. Especially when I can run for free any time want.
But I was already dressed at this point, so I sucked it up and began to psych myself up for the 13.1 miles ahead of me.
Pre-race: Mark and I were able to park just a few blocks from the starting line and conveniently right across the street from a Dunkin Donuts. Coffee for me! Too bad it was crap coffee and I only ended up drinking no more than a quarter of it.
Thankfully, I was sufficiently awake by this time and was able to limit my irritability by the massive crowd swarming Grant Park. Seriously, there were like 25,000 people PLUS the spectators. I do have to say that it seemed organized, there were a bajillion Honey Pots (though the one I used was out of TP) and the corrals were clearly marked. Mark left me at No. 17, and I waited to get started. I
The first wave of runners set off about 30 seconds ahead of the 6:30 start time, and the following waves followed in about 90-second intervals. I thought it would feel like forever but you seemed to be moving often enough to not get bored.
It was about 6:55 or so when I finally got to the starting line and saw Guiliana Rancic of E! News walking toward me. She and her pal stood right next to me and commented that Jake the Bachelor was supposed to me in Corral 17, too. I commented that I wanted to pass him and G. said she did, too. Ga! I just talked to another celebrity. Alas, she was quickly called away to be, you know, a celebrity, and I was called to the chip mat.
The race: I started off too fast. I knew I started off too fast. But there was something inside of me that just wanted to go!
I don't remember much from those first few miles, which took us north and west of Grant Park. There was the running over grates on a bridge. There were a couple of guys just ahead of me who wanted to run a sub-2:00. I thought about hanging with them but I weaved ... they weaved ... and I was alone. Oh, and there was a guy holding a sign that mentioned the words "long," "fast" and "hard." Quite funny. I laughed. And then I passed him.
Mark was waiting for me at mile 6, and I actually saw him. He waved. I waved. He waved. I asked him where his camera was. He fumbled. I told him he sucked at life. We laughed. And then I passed him.
The next part of the course took us along the side of a highway, down to Soldier Field and through a tunnel at Soldier Field. I hated these parts of the course the most. There were fewer spectators, fewer things to look at, some rough pavement in the dark tunnel and the route was narrower, making it more difficult to get around people.
Mentally, I struggled as well. I thought there was supposed to be a Gu stop at mile 7 and it wasn't there. I kept waiting for the Gu and began to worry about fueling, bonking and finishing strong. Around mile 8, I opted to drink some Cytomax as I wasn't sure I was going to get a Gu to take at mile 10 (I took my first, one I brought, at mile 5). Big mistake. Big, big mistake. My stomach began to cramp, and I thought about wretched scenarios.
Enter my decision to stop for the Honey Pot at mile 11. It ended up being an unnecessary stop but my legs were thankful for the minute break. Even if it hurt my time. Then again, at this point, I didn't really care about my time. I walked through water stops. I took a 20-second walk break. I let myself run more slowly. Intermittently, I told myself to suck it up and reminded myself that I am not a quitter. Never, ever quit. I would get up and go, trying to gain back some time. I took in the views of Lake Michigan, appreciated the breeze off the water. Got mad at spectators.
Yeah, you read that right. Spectators were encouraging runners, trying to tell us we were in the home stretch. Half a mile is not a home stretch, people. Don't tell me I'm almost there when you have your cup of coffee and lawn chair. Don't tell me the finish is right down the hill when I have to go down the hill and up another hill to get to the straight away. It's irritating. It makes me run faster and burn out and want to walk to the finish.
But I didn't. I gave myself 5 seconds and made myself haul ass across that line. I even remembered to raise my arms and smile. At least, I hope what I did was smiling.
But I was already dressed at this point, so I sucked it up and began to psych myself up for the 13.1 miles ahead of me.
Pre-race: Mark and I were able to park just a few blocks from the starting line and conveniently right across the street from a Dunkin Donuts. Coffee for me! Too bad it was crap coffee and I only ended up drinking no more than a quarter of it.
Thankfully, I was sufficiently awake by this time and was able to limit my irritability by the massive crowd swarming Grant Park. Seriously, there were like 25,000 people PLUS the spectators. I do have to say that it seemed organized, there were a bajillion Honey Pots (though the one I used was out of TP) and the corrals were clearly marked. Mark left me at No. 17, and I waited to get started. I
The first wave of runners set off about 30 seconds ahead of the 6:30 start time, and the following waves followed in about 90-second intervals. I thought it would feel like forever but you seemed to be moving often enough to not get bored.
It was about 6:55 or so when I finally got to the starting line and saw Guiliana Rancic of E! News walking toward me. She and her pal stood right next to me and commented that Jake the Bachelor was supposed to me in Corral 17, too. I commented that I wanted to pass him and G. said she did, too. Ga! I just talked to another celebrity. Alas, she was quickly called away to be, you know, a celebrity, and I was called to the chip mat.
The race: I started off too fast. I knew I started off too fast. But there was something inside of me that just wanted to go!
I don't remember much from those first few miles, which took us north and west of Grant Park. There was the running over grates on a bridge. There were a couple of guys just ahead of me who wanted to run a sub-2:00. I thought about hanging with them but I weaved ... they weaved ... and I was alone. Oh, and there was a guy holding a sign that mentioned the words "long," "fast" and "hard." Quite funny. I laughed. And then I passed him.
Mark was waiting for me at mile 6, and I actually saw him. He waved. I waved. He waved. I asked him where his camera was. He fumbled. I told him he sucked at life. We laughed. And then I passed him.
The next part of the course took us along the side of a highway, down to Soldier Field and through a tunnel at Soldier Field. I hated these parts of the course the most. There were fewer spectators, fewer things to look at, some rough pavement in the dark tunnel and the route was narrower, making it more difficult to get around people.
Mentally, I struggled as well. I thought there was supposed to be a Gu stop at mile 7 and it wasn't there. I kept waiting for the Gu and began to worry about fueling, bonking and finishing strong. Around mile 8, I opted to drink some Cytomax as I wasn't sure I was going to get a Gu to take at mile 10 (I took my first, one I brought, at mile 5). Big mistake. Big, big mistake. My stomach began to cramp, and I thought about wretched scenarios.
Enter my decision to stop for the Honey Pot at mile 11. It ended up being an unnecessary stop but my legs were thankful for the minute break. Even if it hurt my time. Then again, at this point, I didn't really care about my time. I walked through water stops. I took a 20-second walk break. I let myself run more slowly. Intermittently, I told myself to suck it up and reminded myself that I am not a quitter. Never, ever quit. I would get up and go, trying to gain back some time. I took in the views of Lake Michigan, appreciated the breeze off the water. Got mad at spectators.
Yeah, you read that right. Spectators were encouraging runners, trying to tell us we were in the home stretch. Half a mile is not a home stretch, people. Don't tell me I'm almost there when you have your cup of coffee and lawn chair. Don't tell me the finish is right down the hill when I have to go down the hill and up another hill to get to the straight away. It's irritating. It makes me run faster and burn out and want to walk to the finish.
But I didn't. I gave myself 5 seconds and made myself haul ass across that line. I even remembered to raise my arms and smile. At least, I hope what I did was smiling.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Rock 'n' Roll Chicago: Part 1
Mark and I arrived in the 'burbs of Chicago on Friday night so that we could wake up bright and early and get ourselves to the expo.
I think we took the 7:54 a.m. train into the city. Thank goodness we passed a Caribou Coffee on the way to the station!
The expo: We had to hoof it from Ogilvie to Michigan Avenue to catch the bus down to the McCormick Center, where the expo was taking place. McCormick is huge, and we had to hoof it ... again ... to the end of the place. We walked in and was immediately greeted by lots of logo merchandise that I want to buy but can bring myself to do it. It's against my beliefs that an expo is for two things - picking up your bib and getting free stuff.
Oh, and meeting Kara Goucher!!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEE
Let me tell you ... she is, like, the nicest person in the world. She was doing a Q&A at the expo, and she was just hanging out before she went on stage. Very nice about getting a photo, and I completely spewed that she is an inspiration to me and how I love her pregnant self. She was still very nice.
After the expo, we caught the bus and headed to Michigan Avenue. I looked at a lot of stuff, got frustrated with all of the slow-moving crowds and walked entirely too much. Mark tried to map it out, and he guessed it was 5 miles ... or more.
I was terrified that I had killed me legs with all of our walking so I busted out the Recovery Socks I picked up at the expo and wore them on the train. It was a super sexy look.
When we got back to the 'burbs, we changed clothes and headed out to Macaroni Grill to carb load. I picked whole-wheat penne with tomato-basil sauce, spinach, mushrooms and roasted garlic. YUM!
We stopped for ice cream and headed back "home" to go to bed ... at 8 p.m. Don't judge ... I had a 4 a.m. wake-up call.
Tomorrow: Race day stories!
I think we took the 7:54 a.m. train into the city. Thank goodness we passed a Caribou Coffee on the way to the station!
The expo: We had to hoof it from Ogilvie to Michigan Avenue to catch the bus down to the McCormick Center, where the expo was taking place. McCormick is huge, and we had to hoof it ... again ... to the end of the place. We walked in and was immediately greeted by lots of logo merchandise that I want to buy but can bring myself to do it. It's against my beliefs that an expo is for two things - picking up your bib and getting free stuff.
Oh, and meeting Kara Goucher!!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEE
Let me tell you ... she is, like, the nicest person in the world. She was doing a Q&A at the expo, and she was just hanging out before she went on stage. Very nice about getting a photo, and I completely spewed that she is an inspiration to me and how I love her pregnant self. She was still very nice.
After the expo, we caught the bus and headed to Michigan Avenue. I looked at a lot of stuff, got frustrated with all of the slow-moving crowds and walked entirely too much. Mark tried to map it out, and he guessed it was 5 miles ... or more.
I was terrified that I had killed me legs with all of our walking so I busted out the Recovery Socks I picked up at the expo and wore them on the train. It was a super sexy look.
When we got back to the 'burbs, we changed clothes and headed out to Macaroni Grill to carb load. I picked whole-wheat penne with tomato-basil sauce, spinach, mushrooms and roasted garlic. YUM!
We stopped for ice cream and headed back "home" to go to bed ... at 8 p.m. Don't judge ... I had a 4 a.m. wake-up call.
Tomorrow: Race day stories!
Rock this city
Pre-workout fuel: 1/2 banana with Nutella, 1/8 cup crap coffee from Dunkin Donuts and a Powerbar.
Workout fuel: 2 Blackberry Gu gels
Workout: Ran 13.1 miles in ...
Yeah. That's how I rock Chicago.
Workout fuel: 2 Blackberry Gu gels
Workout: Ran 13.1 miles in ...
2:02:43
Yeah. That's how I rock Chicago.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Leader of the pack
Pre-workout fuel: 1/2 slice of whole-wheat toast with apple butter and Amaretto Cream roast coffee
Workout: Ran 3 miles in 28 minutes, 29 seconds; average pace, 9:29.
Last night, after fast-forwarding through much of this week's "Teen Mom," I got out my Flying Pig bag and started to pack for Chicago.
Yeah ... did you catch those?
I found these goodies at CVS when I stopped in for those disposable washcloths and other hygiene items for the trip. OK, I didn't just find them ... I searched for them. I had seen them around, and I figured running 13.1 miles was as good a reason as any to try these bad boys. I'll be putting them in my bag slated to go to gear check so I can munch on 'em while I await to receive No. 496 in my age group at the post-race party.
Have a great weekend, and I will "see" y'all on Monday.
P.S. Check Twitter updates (@redheadrunswild) for race results.
Workout: Ran 3 miles in 28 minutes, 29 seconds; average pace, 9:29.
Last night, after fast-forwarding through much of this week's "Teen Mom," I got out my Flying Pig bag and started to pack for Chicago.
- Adidas shorts (for the race)
- Under Armor tank
- Temp shorts (after the race)
- Nikes (expo walkin')
- Mizunos, to be packed after a.m. run
- PowerBar (race-day breakfast)
- PowerBar Gel Blasts energy chews (eat one at mile 3, another at mile 9)
- Coconut M&Ms
- Optic Nerve sunglasses
- Disposable washcloths (so Mark doesn't kick my stinky butt out on U.S. 30)
- FitFinder bag (for gear check)
- SmartWool socks
- Garmin, to be packed after a.m. run and a good charge
- Gatorade
Yeah ... did you catch those?
I found these goodies at CVS when I stopped in for those disposable washcloths and other hygiene items for the trip. OK, I didn't just find them ... I searched for them. I had seen them around, and I figured running 13.1 miles was as good a reason as any to try these bad boys. I'll be putting them in my bag slated to go to gear check so I can munch on 'em while I await to receive No. 496 in my age group at the post-race party.Have a great weekend, and I will "see" y'all on Monday.
P.S. Check Twitter updates (@redheadrunswild) for race results.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Bending the rules
Pre-workout fuel: Half of a PB&J with Cinnamon Roast coffee pre-run, the other half and more coffee post-run.
Workout: Ran 5.12 miles in 46 minutes, 54 seconds; average pace, 9:09. Finished off with a 20-minute session of "Tank Top Arms" with Cindy Whitmarsh.
I've been reprimanded 'bout a thousand times/ I'm a rulebreaker/ You know that I'm a rulebreaker
In kindergarten, I was assigned to draw a "house for the classroom hamster. I drew an actual house. I didn't know how to draw a cage, and I decided that it was unfair for a hamster not to live in a real house.
I guess I just liked to work outside the boundaries. Break the rules. Sort of like today.
So today's run, according to the Runner's World sub-2:00 half-marathon plan, was 5 miles with the middle three miles at half-marathon pace (9:09). The bookend miles were to be a warm-up and cool down.
I started off pretty well, clocking in the first mile at 9:46. After the first mile, I switched the Garmin display so that I saw average lap pace and not current pace. I figured it might help me stay in a good range. Yeah ... not so much. I couldn't figure out when to hold back and when to speed up. My splits ended up too fast because of this: 9:03, 9:02 and 8:53.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem doing a bit better. I was always a bit of an overachiever (in addition to breaking rules). I also am not worried because I'm throwing these speed sessions into my schedule in the event that I decide to run a fall half-marathon - not because I am registered for such a race.
HOWEVER, I know that Runner's World wrote that schedule, assigned paces, that way for a reason. I also don't know what this will do to my legs just days ahead of Rock 'n' Roll Chicago. And, I also don't know what this will do to my head ahead of the race. I might think that I can run a sub-2:00 three weeks into a 10-week plan and crash. And burn.
I have one more run this week ... 3 miles on Friday. I plan to go solo and take it painstakingly slow. Save my legs. Rest for the race.
Workout: Ran 5.12 miles in 46 minutes, 54 seconds; average pace, 9:09. Finished off with a 20-minute session of "Tank Top Arms" with Cindy Whitmarsh.
I've been reprimanded 'bout a thousand times/ I'm a rulebreaker/ You know that I'm a rulebreaker
In kindergarten, I was assigned to draw a "house for the classroom hamster. I drew an actual house. I didn't know how to draw a cage, and I decided that it was unfair for a hamster not to live in a real house.
I guess I just liked to work outside the boundaries. Break the rules. Sort of like today.
So today's run, according to the Runner's World sub-2:00 half-marathon plan, was 5 miles with the middle three miles at half-marathon pace (9:09). The bookend miles were to be a warm-up and cool down.
I started off pretty well, clocking in the first mile at 9:46. After the first mile, I switched the Garmin display so that I saw average lap pace and not current pace. I figured it might help me stay in a good range. Yeah ... not so much. I couldn't figure out when to hold back and when to speed up. My splits ended up too fast because of this: 9:03, 9:02 and 8:53.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem doing a bit better. I was always a bit of an overachiever (in addition to breaking rules). I also am not worried because I'm throwing these speed sessions into my schedule in the event that I decide to run a fall half-marathon - not because I am registered for such a race.
HOWEVER, I know that Runner's World wrote that schedule, assigned paces, that way for a reason. I also don't know what this will do to my legs just days ahead of Rock 'n' Roll Chicago. And, I also don't know what this will do to my head ahead of the race. I might think that I can run a sub-2:00 three weeks into a 10-week plan and crash. And burn.
I have one more run this week ... 3 miles on Friday. I plan to go solo and take it painstakingly slow. Save my legs. Rest for the race.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
In the long run
July 1. That's what the calendar on my desk says.
"July 1. July 1. July ... holy crap, the RnR Chicago is just a month away," I thought to myself.
Yep, one month from day, I'll be towing the line at the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago and anxiously waiting to run a 13.1-mile race for the second time. Yay!
Yay?
I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous. I am nervous. With a couple lackluster long runs recently, I can't help but wonder if I can do this again and do it the way I want to. As in, I hope I don't feel like I'm going to die at mile 10 the way I did during the Flying Pig half-marathon.
With one month to go to ease that fear and reduce that possibility, here's what needs to happen:
The stats:
Total miles: 77.54
Number of runs: 17
Longest run: 9.01 miles
Average distance: 4.86 miles
Pace range: 9:15 to 11:05 (12 out of 17 runs in the 10s)
Now, let's look at June.
Total miles: 105.47
Number of runs: 17
Longest run: 10.02
Average distance: 6.2 miles
Pace range: 9:06 to 9:56 (10 out of 17 runs 9:30 or faster)
Before we get to what those numbers mean, let's pause for a moment. June was my first-ever 1oo+ mile month. YAY! (No question marks here!)
Now, to the stats. The numbers show, obviously, that I'm running farther and faster. I have a stronger base and feel more comfortable at middle distances (7, 8 miles). I would also venture to say that it shows that I've been unable to go farther, earlier - something that I thought would be possible the second time around. I'd been hoping to put that farthest distance at 11 miles, if not 12, by now.
I do have a 12-miler scheduled for this weekend, and it falls about two weeks earlier than the equivalent run in my Pig cycle. If this is a successful run, and I have plans to make it so, that last sentence might be stricken from the record.
And, in return, maybe I'll get some of that confidence I need.
"July 1. July 1. July ... holy crap, the RnR Chicago is just a month away," I thought to myself.
Yep, one month from day, I'll be towing the line at the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago and anxiously waiting to run a 13.1-mile race for the second time. Yay!
Yay?
I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous. I am nervous. With a couple lackluster long runs recently, I can't help but wonder if I can do this again and do it the way I want to. As in, I hope I don't feel like I'm going to die at mile 10 the way I did during the Flying Pig half-marathon.
With one month to go to ease that fear and reduce that possibility, here's what needs to happen:
- Two quality long runs
- A 5K PR, hopefully
- A longer midweek long run
- Consistent ab work
- Consistent 5-mile maintenance runs
- Whole lot of confidence building
The stats:
Total miles: 77.54
Number of runs: 17
Longest run: 9.01 miles
Average distance: 4.86 miles
Pace range: 9:15 to 11:05 (12 out of 17 runs in the 10s)
Now, let's look at June.
Total miles: 105.47
Number of runs: 17
Longest run: 10.02
Average distance: 6.2 miles
Pace range: 9:06 to 9:56 (10 out of 17 runs 9:30 or faster)
Before we get to what those numbers mean, let's pause for a moment. June was my first-ever 1oo+ mile month. YAY! (No question marks here!)
Now, to the stats. The numbers show, obviously, that I'm running farther and faster. I have a stronger base and feel more comfortable at middle distances (7, 8 miles). I would also venture to say that it shows that I've been unable to go farther, earlier - something that I thought would be possible the second time around. I'd been hoping to put that farthest distance at 11 miles, if not 12, by now.
I do have a 12-miler scheduled for this weekend, and it falls about two weeks earlier than the equivalent run in my Pig cycle. If this is a successful run, and I have plans to make it so, that last sentence might be stricken from the record.
And, in return, maybe I'll get some of that confidence I need.
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