Winter Wardrobe Two for One

Hi!

Two very different running workouts for two very different days.

Yesterday:
Same outfit as the previous day (shorts, long sleeved wicking shirt, thin gloves) plus a hat this time. The weather was great and I was comfortable even though I had to stop for some potty breaks (Butler, not me!). I was even warm enough to push up the sleeves. It was 39 degrees Fahrenheit and 32 degrees with windchill.

Today:
Cold and windy! I had on my Under Armour running tights, long sleeved wicking shirt from the Lakefront Marathon, burgundy running jacket, thicker mittens and a hat. The first mile was a bit tough just remembering what winter running is all about and getting warmed up. After that, it wasn't bad at all. The temperature was 19 degrees Fahrenheit or 5 degrees with the windchill factored in.

Jen

Winter Running Wardrobe

Hi!

Every year when it starts to get cold again, I don't remember how to properly dress for various temperatures. This year is the same-old-same-old, although compared to Wisconsin it's stayed warmer later. So, I decided to start keeping track of my running wardrobe on the blog.

Tonight is was 35 degrees Fahrenheit with a "Feels Like" (factoring in windchill) temperature of 28 degrees. It was sort of windy. I wore shorts, my long sleeve wicking shirt from the St. Louis Marathon and thin gloves. I would have worn a hat, but I forgot it. I was chilly at first, but overall the apparel choices were good. I did get a bit of a brain freeze due to the lack of hat, but other than that it was fine.

Jen

Vegan Experiment: Over

Hi!

So, the vegan experiment lasted a few days left than I had hoped. On Thursday I had a physiology midterm, three more classes and a meeting to work on a physiology project. I sort of developed a habit of getting a mocha before seminar on Thursdays to keep me alert. I caved and had one this week. It gave me a HORRIBLE stomach ache, so I guess that's what I deserved!

While I definitely don't plan to become a vegan, there were some definite positive points.

Positives:
-I definitely had to add more veggies to meals to get something really flavorful. Sometimes I think cheese acts as a crutch in this way.
-Most of my meals did end up really healthy.
-Obviously the carbon footprint of my meals for the 10 days was improved.

Negatives:
-I didn't necessarily feel any better than normal and one dish I made really upset my stomach.
-I was still eating some junky, process stuff like pretzels.
-Most chocolate includes dairy. Enough said!

I'll definitely be including a lot of vegan meals in the future, although I'm happy to have dairy back in my life for now. Especially since Thanksgiving is next week!

Jen

Winter is here!

Hi!

So it seems that winter has finally arrived in Boulder. It finally actually got cold out and I'm kind of surprised at the amount of complaining that I've heard. Seriously people-it's November and there have been about three days so far where I've really needed a coat. These are people that probably have some sort of crazy hobby like cliff diving and yet they are troubled by temperatures below 40 degrees F. The temperature drop was pretty sudden though, and that probably contributes to everyone's unhappiness about it. We also set the clocks back last week and now it is dark so early. I can take the cold, but the darkness...ugh.

I actually had to pull out the tights for two runs this week. Today, however, was about 40 degrees midday and so I got to wear shorts again. Probably about 30 degrees F is my shorts to tights/pants transition point. The two runs this week were borderline. I was a bit overdressed, but I probably would have been chilly in shorts.

I got an exam back this week that I did very well on (well above the average) so that kind of made my week. Of course, my fluid mechanics exam last week was a different story, but anyway...

I missed running Tuesday and Wednesday this week due to fatigue, school and some amount of laziness. I had a great run this morning though and have high hopes for a decent "long" run tomorrow. I need to figure out a better long run path here. One of my favorite paths here is great in a lot of ways, but it runs out at about 3.5 miles. I prefer to be able to run half of the total distance out and then just turn around.

I'd like to run a winter half, but so far I haven't had any luck finding a local one. This seems a bit hard to believe, so hopefully something will pop up.

I only have a few more week of this semester and I am so looking forward to it being over. Winter break here I come!

Happy Running!

Jen

Vegan Experiment

Hi!

I'm not a vegetarian, but I do eat vegetarian most of the time. This is for a few reasons. Probably the number one reason is that I'm just not a huge meat fan. The second reason is that meat is sort of expensive. Especially the free-range, organic, etc. meat that I'm actually tempted to eat. Third, my carbon footprint is greatly reduced by not eating meat. I've never wanted to strictly be a vegetarian though, because that becomes a hassle when having dinner at other people's houses, weddings, etc., and because I'm not actually opposed to eating meat so I don't see a need to be restrictive.

I recently started using almond milk in place of regular milk. I had seen it in the store for weeks, but I was afraid to try it because it was only available in 1/2 gallon containers and had the potential to be awful. Finally I risked wasting the $3 and went for it. Turns out that it is delicious! Since I no longer needed regular milk for my oats, it got me thinking about veganism. There are quite a few vegans in the running community and in Boulder in particular (for anyone who wasn't aware, Boulder is pretty hippied out). So, I'm giving it a try for a few weeks. I mostly just want to see what it's like to eat this way. It also better environmentally, which is nice because the local produce will be dying out soon and thus my fruits and veggies will be shipped in from who knows where. Of course, if I like it and am feeling good, maybe it'll stick, although I'll never really be a true vegan or vegetarian. I am from the dairy state afterall, and let's face it: cheese is delicious!

I hope to keep this up strictly for at least two weeks. Hopefully I'm not singing a different tune tomorrow, lol.

Happy Eating and Running!

Jen

Stress, excuses & NYC Marathon inspiration...

Hello!

So, obviously it's been awhile. There's no really valid excuse for that. I have been really busy and really stressed. I have been running, but it hasn't been going so well. Mostly this is due to being really busy and really stressed. Ugh. So, basically I haven't been too excited about spending my precious leisure time thinking about running. One of my classes is really awful (to the tune of 'you might be seeing me in this course again next year') and I've really been letting it get me down. I know that I shouldn't be, but for some reason I just can't help it. I'm really not all that Type A, but this class is really making me feel like a loser. The upside is that I only have two weeks until I have a week off for Thanksgiving (yes, we have the whole week off-strange, but I'll take it!) and then only two weeks of instruction before the exams. Then, I'll be off for 3 weeks!

This morning I watched the NYC Marathon. It was great to see Shalane Flanagan take 2nd in her debut marathon. I was sad to see Haile have to drop out, but perhaps it made a better men's race in the end. Obviously, it was pretty inspiring to watch. I went out for an 8 miler, which is the longest run I've done in Colorado. It wasn't great, but it was good to be out there. It's hard for me to believe based on today's "long" run that I ran a marathon in June. It's hard for me to believe that I've actually run five of them. But, I will be back in marathon shape someday.

For now, I'm trying to consistently build back up. I'm also trying to be less stressed and more like a normal human because I really can't be this busy/stressed for two whole years. More than anything, I'm trying to find the joy in running again. It really is my passion and one of my favorite things to do. I've been letting things get in the way of that. No more.

I hope that everyone is finding joy in their autumn running! It really is the best season for it!

Happy Running!

Jen

I'm not dead. Just stressed and low on oxygen. :)

Hi!

Just a quick note to say that we made it to Colorado. I have actually been running, but it's been tough adjusting to the altitude and the terrain. So, I've been slow and basically just been doing nothing 4 milers. I'm trying not to stress about running since with moving and grad school starting soon I've got enough stressors. I'm not sure if I will do any of the races that I had planned to this fall. If I'm not in great shape, I don't really want to do them since money is tight with going back to school.

I have a lot to write about, so I'll try to be a bit more consistent in the coming days. I also have some great mountain pictures and an unexpected barefoot running experience by Joe to share.

Happy Running!

Jen

Don't Fear the Track Workout!

Hi!

So, as promised, I went to a group track workout on Tuesday. Admittedly, I was pretty nervous about the whole thing and almost bailed. I don't know why I'm so weird about group workouts. It was totally fine and I'm glad I went. Some were faster than me and some were slower. And, during 400m and 800m intervals, it's hard to get too strung out anyway. Since this was my first track workout since, say, 2005, I was a bit unsure of how it would go. We did a ladder workout with rest in between.

400m
400m
800m
1600m
800m
400m
400m

My last 400s were about the same pace as my first ones, but I didn't feel like I had a ton left in the tank, so I think I paced things pretty well. The only interval that I think I should have gone harder on was the 1600. I was a bit conservative because it was a long one and I had a lot of the workout left to go. You can see the details by clicking on the DailyMile widgit and looking at my training.

The other runners were very friendly and there were Popsicles after the workout. :)

Tuesday was also my birthday. Some may go out for a night on the town for their birthdays, but I really know how to party!

Happy Running!
Jen

Track Workout

Hi!

Tomorrow I'm going to a track workout arranged by the YMCA at Appleton North High School. I'm excited but nervous. I guess the good thing is that, unlike a regular road training run, I can't get lost or anything if I am the slowest person there.

I'm excited to do a track workout though. I actually haven't done one in years.

Another thing that makes me nervous is that the workout is at 6:30 PM. I typically run later at night, so I come home, eat supper, let it digest and then go. I think I'm going to have some sort of substantial snack around 4:30. I can't not eat before the workout. I pretty much melt down mentally and physically when I miss a regular mealtime. Hopefully I can strike a balance and be well fueled but not have a bunch of food sitting in my stomach for the workout.

Jen

She's going the distance, she's going for SPEED!

Okay-so that's a bit of a Cake ripoff.

I had an awesome speed workout last night. You can see it by clicking on the DailyMile widgit on the sidebar.

Maybe I can do this fast running thing afterall!

Happy (fast) running!
Jen

100 Mile Week

Hi!

So, I'm not sure precisely how this happened, but I've become a bit obsessed with the idea of running a 100 mile week. You know-just to see if I can do it. 100 miles in a week sounds impressive to me. But, when I got to thinking about it, it only comes out to ~14.3 miles per day. Not that over 14 miles per day isn't a lot, but it's not so much. I realize that fatigue would set in as the week went on, but I still think it's entirely possible. Especially if I can run at any old slow pace that I choose.

I'm not sure when I'll be attempting this though, because I want to jump into some serious 5k training and slogging through 100 slow miles isn't the most productive training week. We'll see...

Jen

Book Review: Once A Runner

Hello!

A few weeks back I mentioned that I had bought a copy of Once A Runner by John L. Parker, Jr. to read before the marathon. I pretty much devoured the book within a few short days. This was of course aided by my being on vacation and also having to sit through several hours in the car on the way to the race. But, I also found it difficult to put down the book.

Once a Runner is the story of Quenton Cassidy, a collegiate miler at a university in Florida. The book really describes the life of a competitive distance runner. Quenton is primarily a track athlete, although he also competes less successfully in cross country. Since I am not an elite runner or even a competitive local runner and I never participated in track or cross country, I wasn't sure if I would really identify much with the book. But, I found a lot of the messages rang true. I think this is because although I am a midpacker, I take my training seriously. I get out there when it's windy, when it's raining and when I'm tired. I get my training in whatever is going on and wherever I am. This is the case for a lot of midpackers. We're serious runners despite not being genetically gifted! I think this concept is difficult for a lot of people to understand.

When I tell a nonrunner that I'm going to be racing that weekend, the first question is inevitably "Do you think you'll win?". When I explain to them that, no, I most definitely will not win, the next question is always "So you just do it for fun then?". No! I mean, it is fun, most of the time anyway. But, it's not always fun and I don't only run when it's going to be fun. I don't even run because it is fun. I run because it's my passion and because I can push myself. I run to know what I'm made of and to have some element of unwavering consistancy in my life. I run for PRs and for the satisfying exhaustion of a tough training week. I also run because, more than being "fun" in the amusement park sense, it is joyful. And those are the things that I have in common with the "good" runners of the world.

The book really hones in on some of the key aspects of the distance runner's psyche and experience. It discusses the single mindedness that runners often have and really must have to be very successful. At one point, the author describes the breaking down point where the body is almost to the point of utmost exhuastion and both the body and mind are in a state of malaise. Although not quite to the extent of Cassidy, I have definitely experienced this during marathon training. There is also a portion that discusses the questioning that can occur around that time. Is it worth it? Why do I do this to myself? I've been there. You probably have too.

Once A Runner is a very enjoyable and inspirational read. I would recommend it to any runner. It also is a cult classic, so reading it kind of catches you up with the rest of the global running community. The sequel, Again to Carthage was somewhat recently published. I'm currently listening to it as an audiobook. I don't like it nearly as much as the original so far, but it is really interesting to see the next chapter in Quenton Cassidy's life.

Here are a few quotes that I liked a lot. There are plenty more good ones, but I didn't mark them all down.

Not only to be better than his fellows, but better than himself. To be faster by a tenth of a second, by an inch, by two feet or two yards, than he had been the week or year before. He sought to conquer the physical limitations placed upon him by a three-dimensional world...

Training was a rite of purification; from it came speed, strength. Racing was a rite of death; from it came knowledge. Such rites demand, if they are to be meaningful at all, a certain amount of time spent precisely on the Red Line, where you can lean over the manicured putting green at the edge of the precipice and see exactly nothing.

And probably the best of all:

Running to him was real; the way he did it was the realest thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension. But it also made him free.

Happy Reading and Running!
Jen

Widgits!

Widgits! I have widgits! (See the sidebar at the left).

I finally decided to join the DailyMile and put their training widgits into the blog. I haven't done my run yet today so for now I've got goose eggs. That'll change in a few hours though!

Happy Running!
Jen

Quick Additional Note on Grandma's

Hi!

I just wanted to add a quick additional note on Grandma's Marathon. Obviously my report isn't so cheery since the race did not go well for me. But, the race itself is superb. The organization was great. The buses and gear check were great, unlike a lot of races I've done where they've just been a mess. The course had a lot of spectators and the expo was good. The course itself was also pretty scenic and mostly flat.

I just wanted to clarify so that my poor performance doesn't come off as a bad reflection of the race as a whole.

Cheers!
Jen

2010 Grandma's Marathon

Hi!

Well, some races go well and some go like this one.

The 2010 Grandma's Marathon was my 5th marathon, the marathon for which I was the best trained and a Personal Worst by almost 30 minutes. Needless to say, I'm pretty disappointed. On the one hand, I truly believe that finishing any marathon is an accomplishment. Some days everything goes right and some days it doesn't. But, my training had gone well and I was running well and feeling primed for a PR, so coming home with a PW instead isn't a great feeling.

There was a homebrewing event that Joe wanted to go to in Minneapolis, so we headed over there on Wednesday. Basically it was a big party celebrating the 5 year anniversary of homebrewing podcasts/online community. We spent a few days there and headed up to Duluth on Friday.

Friday we went to the expo and packet pickup. We got to hear Kara Goucher and Dick Beardsley speak, which was great. I also picked up a purple Bondi Band that says "Run Like An Animal" on it. You can see it in some of the action shots below.

Me with my beautiful pink bib number at the expo:

We stayed at the University of Minnesota-Duluth dorms. It worked out great. It's no frills, but it was the cheapest option by far and was very convenient since the buses to the start picked up right outside.

Friday night we went out for sushi and then headed back to the dorms to relax, stretch, ice and play cribbage. I got to bed early and had a pretty decent night's sleep. I was able to hop right out of bed Saturday morning and get going. Everything went well with my normal morning routine. I only made one exception. I always drink coffee and regular water before long runs and races. For some reason, this time I was worried about hyponatremia (I drink A LOT of water), so I drank sports drink. Now, I've never had this issue before, so it was stupid to worry about it and to change my normal routine, but the pre-race crazies got to me.

The race started out smoothly. For the first several miles, I was clicking along at goal pace and everything was great. More than great, actually. My legs felt loose and strong and I felt like it was my day. Unfortunately, around mile 10 I could feel that something funny was going on with my stomach. By mile 12, the nausea was so bad that I couldn't tolerate fluids or nutrition. Basically at that point I was just surviving until the end. I finally got up the courage to take a look at my splits and they tell the story.

Mile 1: 8:18
Mile 2: 8:15
Mile 3: 8:32
Mile 4: 8:29
Mile 5: 8:16
Mile 6: 8:25
Mile 7: 8:21
Mile 8: 8:33
Mile 9: 8:55
Mile 10: 8:39
Mile 11: 10:43
Mile 12: 10:15
Mile 13: 9:34
Mile 14: 10:08
Mile 15: 11:32
Mile 16: 11:36
Mile 17: 12:56
Mile 18: 12:33
Mile 19: 10:25
Mile 20: 12:23
Mile 21: 12:57
Mile 22: 12:21
Mile 23: 12:56
Mile 24: 13:56
Mile 25: 11:57
Mile 26: 12:30
Chip time: 4:36:37

After I crossed the finish line, my first concern was getting to the curb to sit with my head between my knees to alleviate the nausea, so I forgot to stop my watch and missed the 0.2 at the end.

And for your viewing pleasure:

Gazelle-like elites:

I think that I was smiling-it just looks like a grimmace!

Luckily I have a great support group. Joe, my mom, my dad, Joe's dad, Joe's stepmom Ranei and his sister Emma Jo all had these bright orange shirts!

Trying not to look disappointed in my finisher's medal and tee shirt:

The only good thing about the race going so badly is that the slow pace prevented my legs from getting trashed. I ran last night and today and they are feeling very good already. Before the race, I had decided not to run a fall marathon and to focus on getting some leg speed and running shorter races in the fall. I'm feeling pretty sad at the prospect of no fall marathon, but I think focusing on speed will make me a better runner and I don't think we'll be able to afford to travel to a race anyway. The Boulder Marathon is too soon and I don't really want to run my next marathon at altitude, so that excludes Denver as well. With starting graduate school I'll have enough on my plate anyway, so it's probably all for the best. I can't resist looking into Philly though...

Assuming that I don't run a fall marathon, I hope to smash some 5k and 1/2 Marathon PRs in the fall and then focus on a spring marathon. The Shamrock Marathon falls during my spring break and is supposed to be a flat, fast course... For now I'm busying myself with researching 5k training plans and finding some target races!

Happy Running!

Jen

My Long Run Route

Hello!

One of the things that I'll miss when we move is the route where I typically do my long runs. Yes, I realize that Boulder is pretty much a mecca for outdoor activities and there will be plenty of GREAT places to run there. But, I'll miss this route nonetheless. It's cheesy, I know, but it's kind of like an old friend. I've spent so many early Sunday morning hours out there. It's on that path that I realized while training for Lakefront last year that I actually (gasp) enjoyed doing the really long training runs. It hadn't always been that way. I'd say for my first three marathons I put in the long runs because I enjoyed the marathon itself and that is what I needed to do in order to succeed in it. Somehow the fact that I actually enjoy running distances that make most people cringe without the benefit of crowds or aid stations made me feel that much more like a seasoned distance runner. Of course, this path has been the setting for some spectacularly bad training runs as well. But, I truly think that the really bad, tough runs are just as important to your overall training as the ones where you feel like a rock star anyway.

My long run path starts about a quarter mile from my house and stretches out into rural Wisconsin, winding past farms and fields. It's gravel and I love the 'crunch crunch' that it makes with each footfall. (Wasn't I the one who didn't think I was so sentimental or philosophical about running?) It doesn't have to be only for long runs, but I tend to reserve it for these. This is partially because I just have it tagged as such and partially because I don't think it'd be too safe in the dark and I tend to do a lot of my weeknight running in the dark.

I have many landmarks along the route that I know and expect. One really stands out. It's a tree that sits about 2.5 miles into the run. I've wanted to get a picture of it for a long time and I finally did so this week. A fair amount of my running route is at least partially wooded, so why does this one stand out? Well, there are a few reasons. First, on the way out, it appears suddenly after I run around a bend in the path. The way it appears is just how I imagine it would be in a movie. (I really apologize for my sappiness today. Next time I'll rant about something, I promise). Second, it stands basically alone in the middle of a field. And third, it's so perfectly shaped. It's the archetype of a tree without looking fake. I pass it just as I'm getting settled in for a nice long run and signals to me that there's only 2.5 miles left in that 20 miler. I always look forward to seeing it.

Here it is....And a random countryside picture:

This path is actually a snowmobiling path in the winter. It's important to know which way the tavern is:

The only negative to this path is the birds that are out in full force right now. I'm not sure what kind they are. They are relatively small and black with a bit of red-orange and white at the wings. I'm not sure if they have babies right now that they are protecting, but they don't like me entering their territory. They sit on the fence posts and when I run by, they fly off and kind of hover behind me. It's pretty creepy, but I've gotten used to it. The really aggressive ones swoop down close to my head. That is always frightening!

So that's where I bang out the long runs!

Happy Running!

Jen

Inspirational Reading!

Hello!

I had been wanting to get a running related book to kind of pump me up for the marathon. I didn't want a book focused on training because that's basically all in the books for this one. I was looking for something that would get me focused on the race and excited for it. I found a few that could have fit the bill, including Duel in the Sun and a collection of essays from Runner's World. In the end, however, I decided to go with that running cult classic, Once a Runner.


This is a pretty popular book in the running world, but I have never read it. Partially this is because I haven't really read many running related books. Also, the book was out of print for a number of years and it was very difficult to get your hands on a copy. They were selling for crazy prices on Ebay and our local library's copy was "Permanently Missing" (aka stolen and sold on Ebay for a crazy price). It is back in print now so I'm happy to take advantage. I'll do a book review when I'm finished. I'll need to be starting it soon, but I'm about 80 pages from the end of another book right now (The Other Queen) and I kind of want to finish that one up first. Luckily (luckily?) the trip to the marathon will be quite long so I guess I'll have some reading time in the car.

Happy Running!

Jen

Heat, Plantar Fasciitis and Taper

Hi!

Running this week started off pretty well. I got three six milers in and a ten miler with fartleks. Then we came to Sunday and my last long run. I intended to run 22 miles. This is where things got a bit ugly. I knew it was going to be hot, so I sacrificed sleep in order to get on the road early. Even so, it got over 80 degrees while I was running. I planned my run so that I would be back at my house to refill my water bottles at 16 miles. I have a fuel belt (which I discussed in a previous post) that is supposed to be able to hold 32 ounces. However, based on other graduated containers I know it doesn't actually hold quite that much. Typically, it should have been plenty for 16 miles though. Unfortunately, I ran out of water at 12 miles. Sometime early on I decided to cut the run down to 20 miles. While I would have liked to do 22, it just didn't seem in the cards and five 20 milers is pretty solid in my opinion. When I got back to my house at 16 miles, I nearly vomited at the end of the driveway and decided to call it a day. I got into my house, took off my shoes, drank some juice and started to feel a bit better. I decided to struggle through the last 4 miles, so I refilled my bottles, laced up my shoes and headed out. The last miles were slow and consisted of walking, running and dumping water on my head. It was ugly, but at least I got the time on my feet.

My plantar fasciitis issues are haunting me again too. I hadn't really had pain while running until yesterday. I changed my shoes from my usual trainers (Brooks Defyance) into the Nike Free's for the last 4 miles, which helped a lot. This led me to wonder what to do for the marathon though, since I had planned to run in the Defyance. I don't want to run a marathon in Free's since they allow so much lateral motion. I decided to buy some racing flats and try them out. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my socks to the store. I wear Thorlos, which are fairly thick for running socks. I borrowed some sock at the running store, but they were a bit thinner. When I got home and put on the flat with my Thorlos, they seem slightly too small. I'm going to go back tomorrow and try the next half size larger. Hopefully that will work out. I've also been icing and stretching my foot like crazy. I plan to take some ibuprofin as well, but I don't have any right now. Hopefully the PF will calm down over the next three weeks.

So, I head into taper for Grandma's. I'm more collapsing into the taper than going into it with a bang as I'd prefer, but I should be fine. This training cycle has had some real high points and some real low ones. I learned that maybe the Pfitz plan exactly as written isn't for me and that 24 weeks is way too long for me to focus on training for a single race. Overall, I feel pretty good and I'm getting excited for the race. More in-depth reflection is to follow....

Happy Running!

Jen

Running at Altitude

Hello!

Last week Joe and I were out in Boulder getting to know the area a bit and looking for a place to live. First, it is GORGEOUS and I'm surprised that I didn't hit anything while driving the rental car from the airport to the hotel since I was looking at the mountains the entire time. Second, housing is EXPENSIVE! I knew this ahead of time, but it really hits when you're looking for a place. I guess we'll just have to adjust to that though.

Then there's the whole running at altitude issue. I was very curious as to what this would feel like. I wasn't exactly gasping for air or anything, but I did feel slightly out of shape. Seeing as how I've been marathon training for months now, I'm in pretty decent running shape. I've read that it takes about 14-60 days to adjust to altitude (from Running Times' website) and even then your performance is slower than it would be at sea level. I was only there for 7 days and it did seem to get easier as time passed. It'll be interesting to see what training up there full time is like. I was listening to an episode of the Marathon Talk podcast where they interviewed Ryan Hall while I was out there and he mentioned that when he comes down from altitude he feels like he has a third lung and an extra gear. Of course, he's training at an even higher altitude (I think about 7000 feet) but I do hope to head up into the mountains once a week or so and do a trail run. I know that there is inconclusive evidence on the effect of altitude training, but it seems to work for some of the elites. It didn't help that it was fairly warm and I did almost all my runs in the midday heat.

The area is amazing and I love the athletic culture. The majority of people seem to be active and it's easy to see why with the mountains in your backyard. Joe and I went on a couple of easy hikes and that was fun. Hopefully our hiking skills will progress and we'll be able to progress to some harder ones. I think our dog will love it too.

A few pictures:

Me beating the Frank Shorter statue at CU in a race:

Now I know what to do if I run into a Mountain Lion!!!

Another great thing about the Boulder area is the abundance of breweries and the apparent love of very hoppy beers. Did I mention that I love hoppy beers? We tried out Oskar Blues, Mountain Sun and Avery.

I didn't get the greatest workouts in there, partly because I was on vacation and partly due to the altitude, but I did get a bunch of runs and two hikes in the bank while out there, so I'm pretty happy with the week overall.

Happy Running!

Jen

Syttende Mai

Bring on the lefse and lutefisk!

Syttende Mai is 'May 17' in Norwegian. It is the Norwegian Constitution Day. Wisconsin has a fair amount of Norwegian ancestry and in particular the village of Stoughton has a strong Norwegian influence. Every year Stoughton has a huge Syttende Mai festival and part of this festival is a 17 mile walk and 20 mile run. I've been wanting to do this run for awhile now, but it's never worked out until this year. Since I was in the point of my training for Grandma's where I was doing 20 milers, I decided to do the Syttende Mai run this year.

I went down to Janesville to my parent's house on Friday night so that I wouldn't have so far to drive on Saturday morning. I drove to Stoughton and took a bus to the capitol square in Madison, where the race started.

Since this was just a training run, it wasn't too exciting, but overall it was a good time. And I love getting in a supported long run. My Garmin died at about 12 miles, so I don't have too many details, but my official finishing time was 3:00:51 for a 9:03 min/mile average pce. This is great, since I typically like to do 20 miles in about 3 hours.

This walk and run is awesome in that the participants really represent a wide cross section. There are super speedy runners and there are people that you look at and think 'They are going to run 20 miles?!?'. The walk attracts even more people. It's great to see so many people excited to get out there for an endurance event.

There was no beer after the race, which was my only complaint. :)


Happy Running!

Jen

Short Update

Hi!

I'm still alive and training! Grandma's Marathon isn't too far off now. I'm definitely getting excited. I am very stressed and busy right now with trying to sell the house and planning a move to Colorado. I'm very excited though.

Training is going relatively well. I had a short but harrowing bout with plantar fasciitis. I think it was caused by some flats that I bought recently. Not running flats, just flats for work. With icing and avoiding those shoes, it seems to be resolving itself.

I have completed three 20-milers so far. One was very bad, one was good and one was fine, but during a downpour! I plan to do another 20 miler and probably a 22 miler before the race.

I have kind of veered off of the Pfitzinger plan. I just basically decided that I don't like doing a half marathon distance run in the middle of the week. It's just too much and I don't enjoy it anymore. I completely believe in the merits of the plan and I think it would probably suit me well if I didn't have to work for a living! But, the reality is that I am not yet able to be a lady of leisure. Therefore, I'm just trying to get a couple of mid-distance runs, a long run and some recovery runs each week.

I'm planning on running the Syttende Mai run as my next 20-miler. It is at a Norweigian festival in Stoughton. Stoughton is a community with a very strong Norweigian heritage. I've wanted to do this run for several years now, but it's never really worked out until now. I wonder if they'll have lefse and lutefisk at the finish line?

Anyway, that's all I've got for now!

Happy Running!

Jen

Product Review: Fuel Belt

Hi!

My long run was all the more exciting today because I got to use a new addition to my running kit. I recently purchased a Fuel Belt brand bottle belt. It is the four bottle version in red. I know that many people have already used this product, but I have not. As described a few blog posts back, up until now I have used a North Face belt that holds a single 20 ounce bottle. I have only used it in training since I had been using Gu. For races I had been carrying the Gu in Race Ready shorts and drinking the water provided by the race. Recently, I have switched to using Perpetuem by Hammer. Although it is possible to mix this into a sort of a paste, this option doesn't sound too appealing to me. So, I will need to carry the mixed fluid with me through the race. While the North Face bottle belt has worked for many a long run so far, it is a bit difficult to get the bottle in and out of the holster. So, last week I went to my local Fleet Feet and purchased the aforementioned Fuel Belt.Obviously, I haven't had a lot of experience with this belt, but so far I really like it. The bottles are secure, but still fairly easy to remove and replace. The belt doesn't jostle or move around much and it is very light. Although each bottle is smaller than my single bottle, I have 12 more ounces than with the single 20 ounce bottle. This allowed me to do my entire 18 miler today without refilling. I also think the smaller bottles were easier to drink from while on the run. So far, I have no complaints except that I was a bit between sizes and I think the belt size I ended up with is just the tiniest bit too big. Oh well. I had heard a few people complain that their arms hit the bottles when they swung, but where the bottles end up around my waist this wasn't a problem at all. There is also a small pouch on the belt that I didn't use today, but that I could see being useful for items that I occasionally carry like lip balm and cough drops.

Verdict: Love it and look forward to many beautiful long runs together.

Happy Running!

Jen

Lazy Ass Blogger

Hi!

I've been pretty terrible about blogging the past few weeks. My running was not going exceptionally well. Last week I had some sort of stomach virus that prevented any good running of any kind. I did get some miles in (albeit slow and partially doubled over with stomach cramps). I did get a good 17 miler in on Sunday though.

I have a few product reviews to do, so I need to get back on the horse!

Happy Running!

Jen

Spring has sprung - weather brag!

One last thing for the day-this weekend has been awesome weather-wise! I ran in shorts and a t-shirt both days. There is hardly anything better than those first few "shorts-wearing" runs of the season. Woo hoo!!!

Jen

Fail: Homemade Hand Water Bottle

As promised in my previous blog post-the explanation of my homemade (actually home-modified) water bottle FAIL. I have a North Face water bottle belt which I normally use for long training runs. I did have to modify it with by cutting it and sewing some elastic band in because it was way too difficult to get the bottle in and out while running as designed/manufactured. It works pretty well, but sometimes is still a pain to use while in motion.

Recently I had been thinking about the hand held type water bottles that people have. They have a strap on them so that you can strap them onto your hand and not really have to grip the bottle. I do not own one of these, but we had another bottle with a strap on it lying around. I think Joe got it as a gift at some point, but we had never used it. It does have a hand strap, but not one that can be tightened. Being the engineering genius that I am ( ::laughs::), I decided to try to simulate a tighter strap by taping around the bottle and strap. This resulted in a quite ridiculous looking water bottle, but it was tight to my hand and seemed like it would be OK. See here (you get a bonus since Butler the Great is in the background):


This was not a good idea. As soon as a mile from my house, my hand was starting to get very tired. At 1.5 miles, I turned back to go switch to my bottle belt. There is no way I could have survived 18 miles holding onto that thing.

This Week in Training & Long Run Pace

Hi!

I had a very solid training week this week. One thing that I've been thinking and reading a lot about is long run pace. I've been so happy about my blazing fast long runs the past few weeks, but I was also well aware that running long runs that close to marathon race is not generally recommended. My initial opinion was that if I could maintain that pace, why not? The more I read though, the more I was realizing that these fast long runs could be compromising the quality of my training the rest of the week and also increasing my risk of injury and just plain burnout. Obviously, these are not good things. Another thing pointed out by Pfitzinger in Advanced Marathoning is that you want to train yourself to be on your feet for the length of time it will take you to complete a marathon. Assuming that you only train up to 20-22 miles, you will need to run long runs slower than marathon pace to accomplish this. McMillan's running calculator says that for a marathon time of 3:40:59 (BQ Baby!), long run pace should be done at 8:57 to 9:27 minute per mile pace. I tried very hard to hit this today. I was very, very close with a 8:55 minute per mile pace. I was happy with that.

I messed up my Tuesday run a bit. I thought it was supposed to be 10 miles with 4 miles at 15k-1/2 marathon race pace, so that is what I did. The tempo portion was supposed to be 5 miles, actually. Still, it was a very solid workout.

Saturday I ran a 5k race that supported the local high school track team. This was not in the schedule, but I felt like I would benefit from this sort of race and it was a good cause. I ended up running faster than expected. My finishing time was 22:38, or a 7:25 mpm pace. This is definitely a PR, although I had only done three 5k's prior to this. Two were in 2005 and the last one was in 2008 or so and was part of a Corporate Challenge. I did that one purely for the t-shirt and it was a Personal Worst. Joe ran with me and paced me. The first two miles felt great. The last 1.1 were hard, but not terrible. I ran a pretty even pace and was the second female finisher in the "Adult" age group (there were just three age groups: youth, high school and adult). The first place female finished about 4 minutes ahead of me!!! I had seen her doing her warm-up and knew that she was either doing her warm-up way too fast or was just an ass-kicker. It was the latter.

My long run today was pretty good. My legs were a bit sluggish from the 5k effort, but I wasn't sore. I felt good throughout. I unsuccessfully tried a new water bottle set up. I will post about it in my next post. I saw a lady running (apparently a fairly long run since she had a Fuel Belt) and picking up litter along the trail. A noble cause indeed, but I think I will stick to running while I'm running.

Weekly Summary:

M: Rest + 3 mile dog walk
T: 10 miles with 4 miles tempo (8 mpm pace)
W: 5 miles recovery (slow)
R: 10 miles general aerobic
F: Rest + 4 mile dog walk
Sa: 5k race (7:25 mpm pace) + 4 mile dog walk
Su: 18 mile long run (8:55 mpm pace)

It's crazy to think that I've completed a long run of 18 miles already and the marathon is still about 15 weeks away. Uncle Pfitzy is a killer!

I hope everyone's spring marathon training is going well!

Happy Running! (<----I realized this week that "Run Happy" or something similar is Brooks Running's slogan. I somehow doubt that they will care though.)

Jen

Tapping the Rockies???

So, it looks like BadgerGirl may no longer be running in America's dairyland come late summer. There is a good chance that I will be attending graduate school in Boulder. I'd be moving there sight unseen, but it seems like a great place! Wish me luck! More details to follow...

Jen

This Week in Training

Hello!

Here's a quick summary of my training for the week. It was a good week of training, but nothing too exciting.

M: 4 mile walk with the dog
T: 9 miles with 10 x 100 m strides
W: 5 mile recovery run + 3 mile dog walk
R: 10 mile general aerobic run
F: Rest
Sa: I skipped my 5 mile recovery run and went ice skating for 90 minutes instead. I guess I was inspired by the Olympics!
Su: 17 mile long run. There was a Garmin snafu that prevented all of my data from being recorded, but the 14 miles of it that I got were at a 8:35 min/mile average. Not bad at all.
My right calf and both achilles tendons were slightly sore from the ice skating, but it didn't
seem to hurt me too much. I guess I went a little too Apolo Ohno.

A solid week overall, although I feel a bit guilty over skipping Saturday's run. There's no real reason I couldn't do it. Oh well. It was just a recovery run and I went into today's long run well rested. The ice skating was also quite fun, despite the soreness I have today. It was surprisingly busy. A youth hockey tournament was wrapping up when we got there. I knew that hockey was big around here, but I guess I didn't quite understand the scope of it all. There were lots of people there for the public skate as well. It was nice to see people doing something active and supporting a local business. One kid there was way more interested in sliding into the wall and eating ice shavings than actually skating!

I guess that's about it on the training front. Next weekend I plan to do a local 5k on Saturday and then my 18 miler on Sunday. It is the last week of building before a cutback week. I think I will be looking forward to the cutback week, which I think is a key sign that I am training hard enough. You should always be mentally and physically tired enough to welcome a cutback week or taper, but not so exhausted that you couldn't go on.

This was a great weekend, but, like all the others, was too short. I'll definitely have a case of the Mondays...

Happy Running!

Jen

This Week in Training & My Awesome Long Run

Hello!

Time for the weekly training summary. It will be a bit brief-primarily because I didn't take a watch on most of my runs and am just lazy! ;) If I can remember my old Buckeye Outdoors login information, I will try to start posting on there again.

M: 15 mile long run (displaced due to my fall & done on the treadmill because I was skeered.)
T: Rest + 4 mile dog walk
W: 9 miles with 3 x 5 minutes @ 8:00 mpm pace
R: 5 mile recovery run + 3 mile dog walk
F: Rest
Sa: 5 mile recovery run
Su: 16 mile long run @ 8:21 mpm average pace

My long run today was AWESOME!!! It was probably run a bit too fast since it was even faster than my desired marathon pace. But, I like to do my long runs by feel and as long as I get my rest days and recovery runs in this week I think I'll be okay. I had to slow myself down at several points. I was getting tired the final 1.5 miles, but that's too be expected. I felt strong throughout.

Lots of times in training I am not very good with my fueling. For some reason on training runs I tend to try to avoid taking my gels. That is something that I am committed to improving this training cycle. Today I took gels and water at miles 4, 8 and 12. It worked well and I didn't have any stomach issues. This run was a great way to end a week that started pretty badly. Yahoo!!!

In other news, I found out this week that I have been accepted to 2 graduate schools! I'm going to wait until things are more settled to elaborate, but it looks like I will be moving West at the end of the summer! I'll always be BadgerGirl, but I will no longer be training in America's Dairyland.

Happy Running!

Jen

Product Review: YakTrax

Hello!

After my attempted long run that ended in a head injury last week, I decided that I needed to do something. So I headed to my local running store to pick up some YakTrax. I had heard about them, but had never tried them. For those who don't know, YakTrax are cleats made of rubber and metal coils that you stretch over the bottom of your shoes. They give you extra traction on snow and ice.

My opinion of these is mixed, although my expectations were probably a bit too high. They do work great on packed snow and "crunchy" ice, which is basically what they are made for. Unfortunately, they do not work well on the very, very slick ice that caused my fall. In reality, it was probably unreasonable for me to expect this. I have used them on a few walks and a few runs so far. On dry pavement portions of the route, they don't cause any problem. It just sounds like you are walking/running on gravel. During the walks, I didn't notice any foot pains or difference in how my feet felt at all. During the runs, several miles in my feet seemed to get a bit sore/tired. It was nothing too significant though, so when the conditions warrant, I won't hesitate to use them. I would probably avoid using them during long runs because the foot pain would probably get much worse. I also thought that wearing them caused me to heel strike a bit more than usual (I'm typically more of a mid-foot striker).

Another cool thing is that the YakTrax are made of ~70% (I don't have the package anymore and I can't remember the exact number) recycled materials. I love to see this because what's the use recycling if no one is using the recycled material?

Bottom line: A good product, but don't expect miracles.

Happy Running!

Jen

Uncle Pfitzy

Hi!

I promised at some point to discuss my training plan for this marathon. I am following Pete Pfitzinger's "55 miles per week or less, 24-week schedule". Actually, I missed the first week, so I'm technically doing a 23 week plan. The title "Uncle Pfitzy" comes from a running podcast that I listen to called 4 Feet Running. Nik abandoned "Uncle Higgy" (Hal Higdon) in favor of "Uncle Pfitzy" and got a huge PR. Unfortunately, Nik and Dan have decided to move on to different projects and therefore there podcast is ended. But you can still check out their blog here:

4 Feet Running

I have had Pfitzinger's book Advanced Marathoning for quite some time, but I have never completely and faithfully followed the plan. I attempted it when I trained for Austin and was running really, really fast for awhile. I ran a 17 miler at BQ pace! Unfortunately, I wasn't taking the prescribed rest and recovery days, which caused me to basically crash and burn about halfway through the program. I think it's a very solid training plan, so I've come back to it. I am taking the rest days this time.

The plan is broken into 4 "mesocycles". Mesocycle 1 is "Endurance". Mesocycle 2 is "Lactate Threshold + Endurance". Mesocycle 3 is "Race Preparation" and Mesocycle 4 is "Taper". There are some tough workouts in this program. I expect that things will get difficult later on when the program calls for 13 milers mid-week. That's a pretty long run for me to do on a work night. But, in the end, I think it is worth it to get a PR.

Hm...I thought that I had more to discuss related to the training plan specifically. But, I guess this at least gives a bit of background information to my weekly summaries.

Happy Running!

Jen

Olympics

Hello!

Just sitting around watching the Olympics. I absolutely love the Olympics and thus am glued to the TV. Not to mention that I went to school with a now two time Olympian. Tucker Fredricks is a 500m speed skater from my hometown. He placed 12th on Monday night. I'm sure that was disappointing after so many hours of training, but it is just incredible to be that level of an athlete. I can't even imagine it. Facebook was nuts and Janesvegas was sure proud!

~Jen

#@$!&* Ice!!!

Ugh. I'm not even going to bother with a day by day summary from last week. It went pretty well until I tried to run a 15 miler on Sunday night. I already wasn't setting myself up to have the best run. I normally try to do my long runs earlier, but I had been visiting my parents so I didn't get home until a bit later and then Joe was making me dinner for Valentine's day. So, I set off late, tired and with a bunch of food in my belly.

I noticed right away that it was a bit slick. It was a warm day-right around freezing. It was also snowing a bit. When I was about 1.5 miles away from my house, I did a very cartoon-esque fall. My feet flew out and I landed on the back of my head. My hat and right glove flew off. You might think that someone driving by would notice someone wearing reflective clothing and a blinky light sprawled out on the ice. Unfortunately, no one stopped to help. I have fallen several times before (on both ice and dry land, I'm ashamed to say). After some cursing and crying, I pulled myself together and started hobbling back home.

I went to the doctor today and my reflexes and optic nerves are good, so nothing is seriously wrong. Today I am pretty sore. My back, neck, head and abs hurt pretty badly. And then there's the nausea, which I'm told is fairly common with head injuries.

I did the 15 tonight on the treadmill. It was slow and awful, but it got done. At least I had the Olympics to watch. It's hard to wuss-out when you are watching world-class athletes. Tucker Fredricks, who is from my hometown and who I went to school with, competed in the 500m speed skating race. Due to a snafu with the ice machines, everything got delayed and NBC didn't show the race until a few minutes ago. It was so neat to watch!

I think I need to look into some screw shoes or YakTraks. I don't think I can run inside until the ice is gone, but I also can't crack my head on the sidewalk again.

Hopefully I'll have some cheerier news next time!

Happy Running!

Jen

This Week in Training & Miscellany

Hello!

I definitely owe a better post than just a training summary, but I think that's all I can muster for tonight.

It's been a busy weekend. It started off a bit badly when I came home from work Friday evening to a mailbox with a door missing. When we moved into our house ~2.5 years ago, our mailbox was on a post that was not properly installed and thus was very flimsy. Our neighbor's mailbox is also in our yard since they are all along one side of the street. Their mailbox was in one of those big orange buckets that you get from Home Depot with rocks and chunks of cement keeping the post upright. Yes-it was quite attractive. So, I decided that it needed to be fixed. I bought some pretty attractive, matching mailboxes and my dad built and installed the post. Perfect. Well, until one week later when I come home from work and our mailbox door is lying in the street. It had broken off. Basically, the hinge is a metal piece that has been molded into the plastic door trim. The force of the mailbox door falling open broke the plastic and thus the door fell off. Luckily the trim came in two color options, so I had 4 parts total. I replaced it with the other color and moved on. Eventually, ours broke again. Now, I should have been more proactive in obtaining new mailboxes or contacting the manufacturer, but my mailbox is not really my number one priority most of the time. It became my number one priority this past Friday, however. When I came home on Friday, the neighbor's mailbox door was missing entirely. I had no more parts to fix it and mail gets delivered on Saturday afternoon. I'm not sure if the mailman would deliver it if the box had no door, but it's probably a bad idea anyway since it's been snowing lately. Naturally, the new mailboxes are less wide and so I had to saw (by hand) the mounting board. Anyway, after much swearing, sawing and frozen hands, the mailbox was replaced.

Saturday night we had a party for Joe's (my husband) work group. We went and played dodgeball (who knew that there were places where you could rent dodgeball courts?). It was actually pretty fun, although I'm quite sore today. Then we had a get together at his manager's house. They are a fun group and it was a good time had by all.

Today we took Butler to the dog wash and gave him a bath. Then we had a friend's Super Bowl party. I don't care about football in the least, but it was fun anyway.

This week was a recovery week for me, so there were some extra rest days and no long run. Here it is:

M Rest
T 4 miles (this was supposed to be 7 miles + striders, but we were getting a "wintery mix"
which made it very difficult to get any traction. The slipping was killing my feet, so I cut it
short and moved the rest of the run to Wednesday, which was supposed to be a rest day. It
was the strangest thing. I've never in my life had my feet hurt like that. It was awful.
W 3 miles plus striders (~9:30 pace minus the striders and a treadmill run)
R 9 miles (~9:30 pace on the treadmill)
F Rest (had planned a dog walk, but the mailbox fiasco took up all my time and energy)
Sa 5 mile recovery run (8:32 min/mile. This is not my recovery pace, but I felt rushed and
ended up running faster than I had intended) + 3 mile dog walk (~20 min/mile). Cross
training: dodgeball.
Su 11 miles (8:39 min/mile)

All in all, not a bad week for a recovery week. Admittedly, the weekend was a bit booze-soaked and full of party food. Oh well-onward and upward!

Time for bed!

Happy Running!

Jen

Butler

Hello!

Here's a picture of my dog, Butler. He is a rescue and has been with us since July 2007. We think he might be a German Shorthaired Pointer and Black Lab mix, but we obviously don't know for sure. We also didn't give him his name. I wish that we would have asked the shelter why they named him that. We were going to name him Miles or Milo, but once we had him, it just seemed like he'd been through enough already without having his name changed again. Everyone thinks we should teach him to fetch a beer since he's supposed to be a butler and all. So far he has no marketable skills, which is too bad since I really do think it's about time that he stops laying around all day and contributes to the household coffer.

It's only tangentially related to running in that he is sometimes my running partner. I bought him this monogrammed jacket from Land's End. He hates wearing it, but he looks absolutely precious, doesn't he?

Thanks for looking and happy running!

Jen

This Week in Training

Here's a quick note on my training for the week.

M: Rest
T: 8 miles with 10 x 100 meter strides on the dreadmill (~9:30 min/mile pace for the generally
running portion).
W: 4 mile recovery run on the dreadmill (~10 min/mile pace)
R: 9 mile general aerobic-dreadmill again (~9:30 min/mile pace)
F: Rest
S: 4 mile recovery dreadmill run (~10 min/mile pace) + 3 mile dog walk (~20 min/mile pace)
Su: 14 mile long run...outside!!! (8:39 min/mile pace)

So, we had a bit of a cold snap and so I ended up on the treadmill a lot this week. It's certainly better than not running at all, and I get to watch cable at the gym while I do it, but it's just not the same as pounding the pavement. Luckily it warmed up to tolerable levels (13 degrees F, with a windchill of 1 degree F) today for the long run. Actually it was supposed to be even warmer today (low 20s) according to weather forecasts from earlier in the week, but we didn't make it up there.

You may notice that my long run was significantly faster than any of my other runs this week. This probably irks some. Although I don't run my long runs as slow compared to race pace as some suggest, this is still an oddity for me. It's because all of my other runs were on the treadmill. I am always slower on the treadmill unless I'm doing some sort of speedwork. It may have something to do with the calibration of the treadmills at my gym. It also may have to do with the fact that the treadmill bed is a bit cushiony and therefore it is a bit harder than running on pavement. I'm sure this has an effect, although even in the summer when I can run on dirt trails, I am still faster outside. Finally, there is the boredom factor and the fact that I can watch the seconds and hundredths of miles tick (slowly) by on the display. This is probably the biggest problem of all. I do like that I can watch television while running, but I find my mind is constantly drifting to how much time I have left. Oh how I miss the warm, non-icy days of spring, summer and fall!

Happy Running!

Jen

Running Philosophy & the Quest for a BQ

Hello Again!

As a further introduction, I wanted to talk a little about my general running "philosophy" and also my hope to eventually qualify for the Boston Marathon. I put philosophy in quotes because I don't really take running that seriously. I do think it can add a lot to a person's life, but I don't think it's any sort of path to enlightenment. I mostly think of a it as a hobby, good exercise and some time to think. I guess that in and of itself can be significant.

Runners are known for being a bit obsessive. They obsess about split times, speed workouts, training plans, PRs, etc. I do not. I guess I am very "zen" about running. I don't really care about data when it comes to running. I do own a Garmin Forerunner GPS, which I love especially for long runs on trails where it's difficult to estimate the mileage using other methods. However, for shorter runs I often run routes for which I know the approximate mileage and then generally I don't wear a watch at all. If I do, I tend to take a very brief and cursory glance over the splits. They definitely don't get logged. Hell-most of my running never gets logged anywhere.

I also do not enjoy gut busting, nausea-inducing workouts. I know they work, but that doesn't make me want to do them. I LOVE running. I love being out on a trail on a Sunday morning with the gravel and dirt crunching under my feet and the cows mooing "Hello!" as I go by. I love the feeling after a long training run. I do NOT love running repeats on a track. Actually, I do not love running on a track at all. It's pretty much the antithesis of my idea of a perfect run. I guess this is why I like marathons so much. Although it definitely helps to do these sorts of workouts, the longer the race distance, the less they seem to matter. So, I avoid them a good deal of the time. I figure, I don't get paid to run. It's a hobby. Why should I do workouts that I don't enjoy?

But....

I have the burning desire to one day qualify for and run the Boston Marathon. I have to cut 8 minutes and 5 seconds from my PR (which, if you remember, was my first marathon and was almost 4 1/2 years ago at this point). Why do I want to run Boston so badly? Well, because it's probably the best marathon is the world. How's that for reasoning? :) In April 2003, my then boyfriend and now husband, Joe, ran Boston and I spectated. It's such an exciting atmosphere and a really special event. At the time, I was a runner, but had never run a race and probably had never run over 3 miles at a crack. The Boston athletes seemed so gifted to me. Joe is "retired" from marathoning now, but he is a speedy one. His PR is 2:37:35. I definitely thought Boston was out of my realm of possibilities.

When I finally completed a marathon in October of 2005, I wasn't actually too far off from qualifying. This was much to my surprise. Although I would need to take 20 seconds per mile off of my marathon pace, a BQ somehow seemed possible now. I haven't really felt in a place to make a serious go at a BQ until now. I don't know that I will accomplish it in June, but I will be training like I can.

I'll talk more specifically about my training plan for Grandma's Marathon and the steps that I will be taking to improve my marathon time in my next post. Until then...

Happy Running!

Jen

Marathons Past

Hello!

I'm just in from a decent 13 miler. It was my longest run since the Lakefront Marathon on October 4th. I was typing up a long blog entry and somehow I managed to lose it. So, I am going to go for something a bit more succinct this time. I figured I would explain a bit of the history behind my "marathons past" as a bit of background information. I have run 4 marathons so far. My first was in the fall of 2005 and my last was just last fall (2009).

Chicago 2005
Chip time: 3:49:04
This race went awesome! My training had gone relatively well although I did have some gluteus medius pain that caused me to change one of my 20 milers into a 16 miler. Also I had abandoned all speedwork pretty early on. Still, my training was very solid, especially for a first marathon. I felt great throughout except for a bit of "foggy brain" near the end.

St. Louis 2007
Chip time: 3:59:17
Notice how I got 10 minutes slower? This is not the way it is supposed to go! But, it really wasn't too much of a surprise. My training was not great. One week I ran a 20 miler and then didn't run a single day until my next 20 miler the following week. That's clearly not ideal. I was in my last semester of engineering school, working on senior design projects, buying a house, etc. and was just busy and exhausted. Excuses, excuses, I know. Basically, I am lucky to have done this well on such crap training. :)

Austin 2009
Chip time: 4:09:06
Notice the time. I got 10 minutes slower again! WTF? Well, my training was much better for this one, but much of it was on a treadmill. Now, I am not afraid of the cold and am generally ok running in any temperature once I get myself out the door. But, the streets and trails around my house became utterly impassable due to freeze/thaw cycles. Also, my training started out super strong, but I was not taking the rest days called out by Pfitzinger. Bad idea. About half way through, I came back from a cutback week feeling tired, not rejuvenated. I was forced to cut back a bit or else risk completely crashing and burning. Still, I would have expected a better time, but Austin was hillier than my previous marathons.

Milwaukee Lakefront 2009
Chip time: 3:54:24
You were guessing a 4:19, weren't you? Luckily, I bucked the trend! My training for this one was pretty solid, although I wasn't completely faithful to Pfitz, especially in the later weeks. My speedwork was also quite spotty (I loathe it-but that's a topic for another entry). The Lakefront course is also notoriously flat, which couldn't have hurt.

That brings us up to now. As stated, my next marathon will be the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN in June. I plan to talk more about my training for this one and my running philosophy in general in the near future. For now, I need to get going.

Happy Running!
Jen

New Blog!

Hello!

I've decided to start a running blog (and hopefully stick with it). I plan to mostly write about marathon training, racing, running nutrition, etc. But I reserve the right to digress. :)

My name is Jen and I am a Wisconsinite, marathoner, engineer and dog mom, among other things. I'm sure all of these things will come up in the future.

Currently I'm training for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN on June 19th. Registration was on Thursday and so now I am officially in it. My last marathon was Lakefront in Milwaukee last October. Today I'm scheduled for a long run of 12 miles. It will be the longest I've run since Lakefront and it should be fun as long as I don't take a digger due to ice and hurt myself!

Ultimately, I need to qualify for the Boston Marathon. My first marathon (Chicago 2005) was actually my fastest at 3:49:04. So, I need to shave about 9 minutes off my PR. I realize that many have cut off much more time than this, but it's still quite a challenge. I'll explain my "marathons past" more thoroughly in the future. Right now, I need to get going and get ready for the run.

Happy Running!
Jen