Not So GR8

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Ever have one of those runs where the entire time you're thinking to yourself "I really shouldn't be running?"

I totally had one of those last night.

My marathon training plan called for 8 miles at a 9:30 pace for Monday. I decided that after running a new PR in a half marathon the day before I'd take Monday off and run on Tuesday. When I got home from work on Tuesday I tried to pump myself up by putting on my running clothes and flexing in the mirror.

But my Garmin was having issues finding a satellite. My knees felt achy. The side of my big toe on my right foot hurt. My chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it. I forgot to put on chapstick and my lips felt like gummy sandpaper. My legs felt like they were made of lead.

I could not wait to be done with this run.

Also, I think I hit traffic at almost every intersection. I'm not sure I ran one uninterrupted mile the entire time. Not only did that screw with my times, it also made it difficult to find a pace and settle in. Just when I thought I might be breaking through the blahness of the run I'd have to stop for cars.

Plus, I decided not to run with music since I'd be running alone and it would be getting dark before I got home. Listening to myself struggle to breathe and having not much to distract me from the random aches and pains didn't help matters either.

And here's a question. Have you ever run your regular running route backwards? Normally on this route I only go east on Thomas St. Last night I double-backed that way so that I went west. A street looks entirely different when you're running the opposite direction! I kept having to slow down to glance at street signs to make sure I wasn't totally lost.

Still, I did the entire 8 miles even though it wasn't as fast as I would have liked. I just kept telling myself that this was the last weeknight 8 miler I had to run and I wasn't going to cut it short.

Although, honestly, it was one of those runs where the entire time I was thinking "Two days ago I ran how far how fast??? Why does this feel so horrible right now?" A smidge of over training perhaps? I think I'd better get some more sleep before Saturday.

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 625 ft Location: Forest Park, IL Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 09/14/10 Up/Downhill: [+42/-39] Time: 06:06 PM Difficulty: 2.3 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 8.20 miles Time: 1:23:13 Speed: 5.9 mph Pace: 10' 09 /mi Calories: 970 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 55 -0' 14 6.0 +0.1 +6 ft 2 10' 16 +0' 07 5.8 -0.1 +6 ft 3 9' 38 -0' 31 6.2 +0.3 -6 ft 4 9' 45 -0' 24 6.2 +0.2 -3 ft 5 10' 13 +0' 04 5.9 -0.0 +6 ft 6 9' 45 -0' 24 6.2 +0.2 +3 ft 7 11' 05 +0' 56 5.4 -0.5 -6 ft 8 10' 14 +0' 05 5.9 -0.1 -6 ft end 9' 43 -0' 26 6.2 +0.3 +3 ft Versus average of 10' 09 min/mile

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Chicago Half Marathon Race Report

I know, the suspense is killing you. Did I break 2:10? Did I get a new PR? What happened??? I promise to tell you if you promise to keep reading after I do. Okay?

Okay.

Official race time?

2:01:21

Not only did I break 2:10, but I blew my old PR out of the water by almost 9 minutes and I came thisclose to breaking 2 hours!

And it didn't even feel that hard. But let me back up.

Race weekend events did not get off to an auspicious start. Due to a snafu with packet pick-up on Friday I had to go back to the packet pick up location on Saturday. Wearing shoes that were not designed for hiking all the way to and from the far east end of Navy Pier. When I finally got home I realized I had two huge blisters on the insides of my heels. The night before the race. Great. I drained them, slatered on Neosporin, and hoped they wouldn't give me trouble the next day.

I ate my new favorite pre-race meal (pasta with roasted broccoli and walnuts with chicken sausage and parmesean cheese) but when I went to bed at 9:30 PM my stomach was still rumbling. I've discovered that the key to a good morning run is eating A LOT the night before so at 10 PM I got back out of bed and downed a Clif bar and some pretzels. And some more water.

My alarm went off at 4 AM and I jumped out of bed. Got dressed and ate my bagel with peanut butter. Amazingly I wasn't as groggy as I thought. I drove to the carpool location, picked up my riders, and off we went. Except we didn't go more than half a mile before I saw flashing lights in the rearview mirror.

Yes, I got pulled over. By a cop. For not having my headlights on. Which is totally strange because I NEVER turn my headlights off. I blame my husband. He drove my car last. Thankfully the officer just double checked my insurance, ran my license, and let me go. That's one way to get the pre-race adrenaline flowing!

We arrived at the race super early, parked, hiked about a mile in the dark to the gear check/race prep area and did our best to find the rest of our group. We were only marginally successful. One good thing about getting to the race so early was that there was little to no line for the portapotty. So, I used it. We waited awhile before checking our gear since it was downright chilly and we wanted to keep on our jackets. Plus, I wanted to wait until about 45 minutes before race time to eat another Clif bar.

After checking my gear and hitting the portapotty one last time I found where I wanted to stand in the starting corrals. I positioned myself near what I determined to be the midway point between the 2:00 and 2:10 signs. All by my lonesome I did some stretches and tried to ignore the leg aches I was feeling. My left shin was also not happy about hiking all over hill and dale in those shoes the day before.

The next 30 minutes went by quickly and before I knew it they were singing the national anthem and we were off. Well, we walked briskly for almost 10 minutes before we reached the actual start line and then we were off.

(Note: my personal race photographer was not available so I have no photos of me actually running. Unless the race photographers got any and I feel like paying for them later.)

At Tuesday's running club meeting someone mentioned that at the full marathon you shouldn't waste energy dodging people at the beginning. I decided to employ this strategy and only went around people when I was right on their heels and couldn't get between them. It seemed to work as it kept me from going out too fast and feeling like death after the first 3 miles.

Most of the race itself is a blur. I had my headphones on and I was doing my best to ignore everyone around me. I wore my fuel belt with one bottle of water and one bottle of Gatorade so I was able to skip the aid stations. At the 10K mark I considered walking so I could take my Clif Shot Blox but instead I figured out how to take them while still running. I wasn't looking at my current pace on the Garmin and I only occasionally looked at my average pace. Imagine my surprise when I looked down to see it was at 9:21 and then later 9:16!

"You've got under 2:10 in the bag," I thought. "You could slow down if you wanted." But I ignored that voice and decided I would try to hold on as long as I could and see just how far under 2:10 I could get.

I read some funny signs ("My girlfriend is the hot one"), some sweet signs ("Did I ever tell you you're my hero?"), passed a guy in a frog costume and a guy dressed like a flamingo. Listened to a high school drum corps and got cheered on by the cheerleaders from the university where I work.

And just kept running.

Around mile 10 I walked through part of an aid station and refilled my water bottle. I didn't know if I'd need more water but I'd rather have it just in case. I was alternating sips of Gatorade and water every mile just like I do on my training runs and it was working perfectly. The few times I did catch my mile splits I was amazed that they were around 9:00 or faster. "Am I really running that hard?" I'd think.

Apparently this course is kind of hilly but I didn't notice until near mile 11. Then we hit a bridge that just about killed me. Still, I kept on going, passed one of my coworkers on the downward side, and realized that while I was getting tired, I didn't feel like I wanted to walk. Not once.

When we hit the 1/2 mile to go sign I desperately tried to look at the time on my watch and do the math. I couldn't, though. So, I just tried to run a little bit faster. I was pretty wiped, though, but I swear I tried! Then we rounded a corner and I could finally see the finish line! I was finally able to pick up the pace and I charged to the finish.



One bottle of water, one medal, and one chocolate chip cookie later I was meeting up with the running group who convinced me to get my official results printed out just in case my Garmin, which said 2:01:24, was off. Instant official results? Isn't technology amazing?

Except that as soon as I stepped up to the table all the computers froze.



Thankfully they got it straightened out and I got my sticker and my official 2:01:21 time. I was ecstatic! Still am, actually.

Actually, several people in our group had good races. Several PRs, one time that means a New York Marathon qualification, and general decent runs. It really was a great day for racing.



I can't wait to get under 2:00. Give me another day like this one and perhaps a slightly less crowded race and I'll be all over that. Just you wait!

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 589 ft Location: Chicago / Northerly Island, IL Elev. Gain: +13 ft Date: 09/12/10 Up/Downhill: [+291/-278] Time: 07:10 AM Difficulty: 3.1 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 13.17 miles Time: 2:01:24 Speed: 6.5 mph Pace: 9' 13 /mi Calories: 1554 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 02 +0' 49 6.0 -0.5 0 ft 2 9' 45 +0' 32 6.2 -0.4 0 ft 3 9' 33 +0' 20 6.3 -0.2 +3 ft 4 9' 17 +0' 04 6.5 -0.0 0 ft 5 9' 05 -0' 08 6.6 +0.1 0 ft 6 8' 58 -0' 15 6.7 +0.2 -4 ft 7 8' 59 -0' 14 6.7 +0.2 +4 ft 8 8' 53 -0' 20 6.8 +0.2 0 ft 9 9' 00 -0' 13 6.7 +0.2 0 ft 10 9' 11 -0' 02 6.5 +0.0 0 ft 11 9' 00 -0' 13 6.7 +0.2 -3 ft 12 9' 07 -0' 06 6.6 +0.1 0 ft 13 8' 50 -0' 23 6.8 +0.3 +4 ft end 8' 25 -0' 48 7.1 +0.6 +10 ft Versus average of 9' 13 min/mile

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An Alternate Track

My performance at last night's track session was rather lackluster. Actually, I don't think any of us were pushing it all that hard. Most of us had run long on Saturday and then raced hard on Monday so really the last thing we wanted to do was run fast again. In addition, we were unable to use the actual track due to a soccer game so we were back across the street at the park. Also, since the weather was so cool our coach didn't let us lallygag as much as usual between runs. As a result of those things, my times were significantly slower than the last time we ran at the park.

.93 mi - 8:12
.95 mi - 7:53
.94 mi - 7:58
.96 mi - 8:02

.33 mi - 2:30
.33 mi - 2:36
.33 mi - 2:41
.33 mi - 2:35

Total distance: 5.08 miles
Average pace: 8:22

I think my legs were tired. I'd better rest them so I'm in as good of shape as possible for my half marathon on Sunday. I'm technically running it as a training run but, man, wouldn't it be cool if I could break 2:10? With that in mind, I'm considering skipping my strength workout tonight so I can be as rested as possible. What do you think?

Chicago Running

Yesterday I braved wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour to get in a quick lunch time run. Technically this should have been a recovery run but, as always, I ran fairly speedy.

The run itself was pretty uneventful. It took me a bit to settle in during the first mile due to stops for traffic, crazy wind making it seem like we were running in place, and general leg fatigue (as Jason pointed out, I did run 23 miles over the weekend and that's more than I used to run in one week). I settled down during the last two and a half miles, though. A nine minute pace still doesn't feel particularly easy, but it's definitely easier than the 8:30 pace I ran on Monday.

Also, running at lunch is a great way to beat the midday blahs. It doesn't help the 3PM hunger, though. It makes that much worse. And, of course, I didn't bring enough food so I was STARVING by the time I got home.

Thankfully, I was able to eat before I headed to first running club meeting of the 10-11 season. Our speaker? Carey Pinkowski, the race director of the Chicago Marathon. He's been race director for 21 years and he's been speaking to the club before the marathon for each of those 21 years.

Carey shared some behind-the-scenes information on how they get such a huge event up and running. Including the fact that race employees go door to door handing out fliers telling residents and businesses who live along the course what to expect. He joked that one of the reasons so many people come out to cheer on race day is because they figure they can't leave their house so they might as well get into the spirit of the event.

Carey also gave us some interesting stats about the race. I took notes so I could share them with you :-)

Fun Chicago Marathon Facts

This is the 33rd year for the Chicago Marathon

Registration for the 2010 Chicago Marathon filled up 50 days after opening

43% of people who registered for the Chicago Marathon are first time marathoners

Only about 1/4 of the runners are from Illinois. Another 1/4 are from outside the U.S. The rest are from all over the U.S.

In 2009 the average race day temperature was 57^oF cooler than in 2008

He told us about how he woos the elites to come run Chicago and you could literally feel his excitement about the field this year.

Of course, we asked questions and gave suggestions. Who knows? Maybe one day one of our suggestions will get incorporated into this event! And in just over one month I'll be participating in this event as one of those first time marathoners. Which means next year I'm sure to have my own suggestions :-)

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Lunch time run stats

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 591 ft Location: -- Elev. Gain: -7 ft Date: 09/07/10 Up/Downhill: [+157/-164] Time: 12:18 PM Difficulty: 1.8 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 3.62 miles Time: 0:33:01 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 07 /mi Calories: 428 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 44 +0' 37 6.2 -0.4 +7 ft 2 8' 47 -0' 20 6.8 +0.2 -20 ft 3 8' 58 -0' 09 6.7 +0.1 0 ft end 8' 58 -0' 09 6.7 +0.1 +3 ft Versus average of 9' 07 min/mile

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Park Forest Scenic 5 Race Report

Yes, after running 18 miles on Saturday morning, I dragged myself out of bed at 5:00 AM and laced up my running shoes for a Monday morning Labor Day race. I mean, I was going to run a minimum of 5 miles on Monday anyway, why not do it in race form?

I met up with members of the running group for our carpool to the race site. The race venue was about an hour south of us and when we arrived we were surprised to find that the weather was drizzly, chilly, and windy! Still, we picked up our packets and marveled at how small the participant field was.

We decided to do a warm-up that would take us out passed the finish line so we could better visualize what the final mile would look like. And what did it look like? Hilly. Great. We finished what ended up being about a 2 mile warm-up and realized it was no longer drizzly or chilly. But it was still windy. Darn.

About this time I realized that I needed to eat something in order to calm the sea of water churning in my stomach. One of the club members gave me her last bite of a PowerBar and then it was time to line up for the start. Jason sent me a text message saying he was "in position" as a spectator and shortly after that we were off.

Jason had a prime spot to view the race leaders just after the 1 mile marker.



Also known as six Kenyans and a guy from Wheaton, IL.

Probably about 4 minutes later I passed saw Jason up ahead. Jason, unknowingly, actually got a great photo of my running buddy Maribeth who was just in front of me at that point. She's in red. I'm in the fuchsia top to the back right.



My goal for this race was to pace under 8:45, preferably 8:30 or less per mile. I knew if I could keep Maribeth in my sights I'd be doing well. We hit the first mile marker in just over 8 minutes but I could tell already that my legs were getting tired and I was feeling parched.

After a stretch on the surface streets we turned into the forested park for a long straight bit. I felt myself starting to slow down but then, just after mile 2, as I approached a sidewalk that T-ed into the path we were on, I saw Jason ride up on his bike! "Great timing!" I yelled and it put a huge smile on my face.



That put a spring in my step for a bit but I still felt sluggish. I was trying to just get in "the zone", tune out the rest of the runners, and not check my Garmin ever 2 minutes. Still, I glanced down often to see that I was barely hanging onto my 8:30 pace. As I passed the water station just after mile 3 I slowed to a fast walk, grabbed some water, and took a swallow. The wind combined with the fact that I was breathing heavily through my mouth made the inside of my mouth feel like the Sahara. Blech.

I barely remember mile 4 but I recall passing some bag pipers and then, when I could hear the polka band, I knew we only had a mile left. Running the last mile as a warm-up was a great idea. I highly recommend it if you can do it. I knew that when I could hear the tuba I was almost there.

But first I had to tackle the hill. Maribeth had long since pulled ahead but I could still see her and that's all that mattered to me. I powered up the hill and passed Jason near the top.





I put all I had into my finishing push and crossed the line in 42:37. The Garmin told me I'd done 5.02 at an 8:29 pace. Goal accomplished!

My favorite part about this race? Everyone who finished got a medal! What a great perk for a small race. Also, each racer's bib had two food coupons that could be exchanged for a myriad of foods. I chose pancakes :-)

After checking out the results and learning that at least two of our group members had placed in their age groups we posed for a partial group photo before Jason and I headed for home.



All in all, it was a good way to spend a holiday morning. I hit my goal pace, I came in in the top 10 in my age group, I got a fun medal, and I got to spend time with some of my favorite runners. Plus, it meant that I got to take a nap later that afternoon. And I like naps. Perhaps I need a shirt that says "Will Race for Naps". What do you think?

Official Race Stats:
Gun Time - 42:50
Chip Time - 42:36
Pace (based on Gun Time) - 8:34 per mile
Age Group Place - 7/17
Overall Place - 153/290

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 706 ft Location: Park Forest, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 09/06/10 Up/Downhill: [+95/-95] Time: 07:59 AM Difficulty: 2.0 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 5.02 miles Time: 0:42:38 Speed: 7.1 mph Pace: 8' 30 /mi Calories: 340 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 06 -0' 24 7.4 +0.3 -10 ft 2 8' 29 -0' 01 7.1 +0.0 +10 ft 3 8' 36 +0' 06 7.0 -0.1 0 ft 4 8' 46 +0' 16 6.8 -0.2 -3 ft 5 8' 29 -0' 01 7.1 +0.0 +4 ft end ** ** ** ** ** ft Versus average of 8' 30 min/mile ** Insufficient data to calculate this split

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One More Thing...

When I got home from running on Saturday Jason informed me that I looked as though I'd just come out of the sea. And, no, those white spots in the photos are not a smudge on the camera.





Apparently I sweat out quite a bit of salt. And when the wind dries it on my skin instead of it just running and dripping I become a human salt lick.

Maybe I should look into salt tabs? Perhaps I could bottle and sell my own?

A Glorious Day

What does a hand dryer have to do with the number 18?



Let's find out.

Saturday morning was the perfect morning for running. Fall is making a semi-early appearance and, for once, I've never been happier to see it. The only downside? Trying to figure out what to wear in 52^oF weather and no humidity when you haven't had to deal with that in months! I ended up in shorts and my Soldier Field 10 Miler tech shirt. Yes I was chilly while waiting to start my run but once I was moving it felt WONDERFUL.

I met up with some people from the running club in Berkeley, Illinois (home of the World Dryer Corp) which is one of the places you can pick up the Illinois Prairie Path. My goal? Run 18 miles, my longest distance ever.

I was all suited up with my fuel belt filled with two bottles of water and one of Gatorade. For once I'd remembered to pre-open my Clif Shot Blocks and they were ready to go. My plan was to stick to my 1 minute walk breaks every three miles, alternate drinking water and Gatorade every mile, and eat some Shot Blocks at mile 6 and mile 12 (and more if necessary).

I didn't actually plan to run WITH anyone so while everyone else started I put in my headphones and put the music on my iPhone on shuffle. Two of the women in the group were running at a nice, easy pace and I used them to keep from going out too fast for the first 4 miles. I took my walk break at mile 3 even though I didn't feel like I needed it. The key to walk breaks, though, is to take them BEFORE you're tired.

I passed the two women shortly after the 4 mile mark and after that I was on my own. Well, not literally since the path was teaming with people. Tons of runners, running groups, bicyclists, and walkers. Just imagine this photo filled with people:



At my mile 6 walk break I ate some Shot Blocks and removed a rock from my shoe. The path is crushed limestone which is great in that it's not as punishing as concrete or asphalt but the little rocks can get irritating. Especially since they seem to have an affinity for the inside of my sneakers.

I passed the rest of my running group going the other way at mile 7 and again just before mile 9. I was so happy that I was feeling good and strong which is such a change from most of my other long runs. In fact, although I resisted looking at my Garmin too much, I was pleasantly surprised every time I looked down; My pace was spectacular.

Sometimes my brain tries to count up how many miles I have left. Breaking it down into the 3 mile segments really helps. Especially when you get to eat something at some of those segments! I briefly at mile 9 but didn't feel the need to down any Shot Blocks. About mile 11, though, I was looking forward to mile 12 when I could take a scheduled break and nosh.

Mile 12 came, I ate and walked, and I started back up. I took a short pause a short while later to refill one of my water bottles at one of the water fountains. I was still feeling strong although I admit that the three miles between 12 and 15 seemed to take forever. When I hit 15, though, I took another walk break and yet another pause to remove some rocks from my shoes. I didn't really need the walk breaks physically but I did need them mentally. They really do help.

Then it was time for the last 3 miles. At this point I knew I was going to do all 18 and do them strong. When I noticed I was getting tired I reminded myself to run tall, push out my hips, and breathe deep. I avoided looking at my Garmin so I would run by feel and not worry about my pace or how many more miles I had left. I didn't even play the "you've never run this far before!" game when it rolled past 16.

When I came to the park we'd passed at the beginning and then went under the freeway underpasses near our starting point I knew I was home free. I picked up the pace just a tad bit more and then, in the distance, I could see some of the people from my running group hanging out in the parking lot. When the Garmin beeped 18 miles I ran a few more feet, stopped, and threw my arms in the air. I admit, it was nice to have an audience for my grand finale :-)

Because I did it! I ran 18 miles. I felt strong. I felt good. I kicked ASS.



And here's the weird thing: I could have gone farther. But, as Beth at Shut Up and Run said recently, you do what the day demands. So, I ran 18. Plus, I was back at my car.

I'm still in awe of myself. I'm still basking in my post-run high. If ever a run could give me the confidence that I will finish my first marathon it was this one. Now, if whoever is in charge of the weather could copy and paste Saturday's weather onto October 10th I'll be eternally grateful. Because if marathon day is anything like this run, it's going to ROCK!

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 706 ft Location: -- Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 09/04/10 Up/Downhill: [+465/-465] Time: 07:02 AM Difficulty: 3.5 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 18.04 miles Time: 3:04:38 Speed: 5.9 mph Pace: 10' 14 /mi Calories: 2152 Map   Elevation (ft)   Pace (min/mile)   Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 13 -0' 01 5.9 +0.0 +4 ft 2 10' 29 +0' 15 5.7 -0.1 -10 ft 3 10' 23 +0' 09 5.8 -0.1 +13 ft 4 10' 42 +0' 28 5.6 -0.3 +23 ft 5 10' 13 -0' 01 5.9 +0.0 +3 ft 6 10' 11 -0' 03 5.9 +0.0 -13 ft 7 11' 01 +0' 47 5.4 -0.4 +29 ft 8 10' 01 -0' 13 6.0 +0.1 +20 ft 9 10' 01 -0' 13 6.0 +0.1 +14 ft 10 10' 31 +0' 17 5.7 -0.2 -20 ft 11 9' 47 -0' 27 6.1 +0.3 -26 ft 12 9' 47 -0' 27 6.1 +0.3 -16 ft 13 10' 31 +0' 17 5.7 -0.2 +13 ft 14 9' 51 -0' 23 6.1 +0.2 +3 ft 15 9' 35 -0' 39 6.3 +0.4 -26 ft 16 10' 32 +0' 18 5.7 -0.2 -17 ft 17 10' 03 -0' 11 6.0 +0.1 +7 ft 18 9' 46 -0' 28 6.1 +0.3 +7 ft end 7' 40 -2' 34 7.8 +2.0 -6 ft Versus average of 10' 14 min/mile

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Crash and Burn

Something happened at track last night and I'm not sure what caused it.

As I alluded to earlier this week, I've been feeling pretty exhausted. So maybe that's one of the causes. When I got home from work even Jason could tell I wasn't as gung-ho about going to my workout as usual. I was just feeling blah. Still, I suited up and drove over to the track. Maybe driving versus riding my bike made a difference.

When we arrived the college football team was still practicing so we didn't really get a chance to do a warm-up. That doesn't usually affect me, though.

Our workout was 4x1-mile repeats followed by 4x400 meters. The air temperature was better than it has been but the humidity was high from all the rain we'd had earlier in the day. Our coach was pushing us hard. I busted out three fast miles but then there was the final one.

The first lap felt hard. Harder than it should have. I was 5 seconds slower on that lap than any of my previous laps. Our coach was encouraging us to pick up those 5 seconds. But I just couldn't. My second lap was still slower. And then it happened. 200 meters into the third lap I just couldn't catch my breath. My breathing was ragged. My lungs felt constricted. And I stopped to walk. I didn't walk much but when I started running again it was slower than a speed lap should be. My breathing would loosen up but every time I thought about how I had blow this last mile it would tighten up again. I would be gasping for air and breathing through clenched teeth. I just couldn't relax.

I finished that mile over a minute slower than the other three.

And yet, my 4x400s were fine. I hit all my usual times there. Under 2 minutes each.

Mile 1 - 7:57
1 minute recovery
Mile 2 - 8:01
Full recovery
Mile 3 - 8:00
1 minute recovery
Mile 4 - 9:07

1st 400 - 1:55
30 second recovery
2nd 400 - 1:57
Full recovery
3rd 400 - 1:53
30 second recovery
4th 400 - 1:46

So what happened in that last mile? Yes, my first three miles were fast, but not THAT much faster than previous 4x1 mile repeats. Why did my anxiety-induced asthma crop up last night? Why did that last mile feel so hard? Was my brain just not in the game? Did I just not have the "mental toughness" our coach talks so much about? Does a roasted veggie sandwich and fries not make good pre-run fuel? I don't know.

I'm kind of discouraged but I also know that incidents like that are not the end of the world. There are more important things to worry about. One "bad" mile (which, really, wasn't all THAT bad overall) does not make or break all the rest of the training you put in. You learn what you can from it and move on. And that's what I plan to do.

August Wrap-Up

Source


I guess the most interesting thing about this August is that for the first time in two years I didn't run a single August race. Building up those long distances on the weekends when training for a marathon makes it difficult to get in some shorter distance races.

Of course, that's also partially because the racing season slows down around here in August. Good thing, too, because it's been HOT.

Still, though, I managed to run an approximate total of 103 miles for the month of August. That's actually about the same as July but in August I skipped one long run and walked almost 7 miles instead. Those miles aren't included in this monthly total.

Was there anything else interesting about August? I hit a distance personal record with 16 miles. My 400 meter speeds are getting faster and faster, which is good and hopefully translates to faster times in general. I've powered through some hot and muggy runs. And I've gotten my first black toenail.

With August over I'm one more month closer to the big, bad Chicago Marathon. It's just 38 days away.

All I have to do is tackle September. Bring it on!