27 Days + Wheatfield Half Marathon Recap

until Eugene, and I am officially a terrible blogger! :) Oh well. I’ve been pretty busy with work, and you know, training for a marathon! I guess I can get a little lazy…

Since I last left you, we completed another 20-miler, which I think felt harder than the first one…Maybe it had something to do with moving the Mt Tabor loop closer to the end of the run. We got to the top and then had to keep going! Oy! My theory: If its hard, it just makes you stronger!

The following weekend, I completed my 8th half marathon in 7 months (with an additional 3 added miles to make it an even 16 mile long run) at the Wheatfield Half Marathon. I wrote a recap for the RunOregon blog about it.

It was a good event. Very small race, and only $5 pre-registered ($10 DOR). It was a bit of a drive (1.5 hours to The Dalles) but it didn’t start until 10am, so we didn’t have to wake up extra early! It was a beautiful out and back course, along wheatfields, green mossy rocks, and most of the course ran alongside a really pretty creek.

Since it was a small race, there were definitely times when J and I were running by ourselves (Good thing we enjoy each other’s company!) And we recognized a lot of people out there, and it was fun to cheer them on as they passed us on their way back to the finish line. We took the course pretty slow, since this was most of our long run. We had gotten to the race start about an hour early (score!) so we did most of our extra 3 miles prior to the race start, but when we came into the finish, we knew we had another extra mile to do.

After the race, our carpool friends took us to a few of their favorite breweries in Hood River: Double Mountain Brewery and Big Horse Brewery. Pizza and beer = delicious post-long run recovery food! :)

This past week was a recovery week, and we took our rest seriously!

Next weekend is the Vernonia Half Marathon, which will be my 9th half-marathon in 8 months. We’re going to use this is part of our last 20-miler (maybe 22-miler; we’ll see). After that…taper time! Wow, Eugene Marathon is coming up quick!!

So Busy

And not just with running. We just finally had a “restful” weekend, but I still think I would have liked for it to be longer. Ah, well.

So I guess I last finished off by writing about Hagg Lake. We’ve definitely kept up the running since then, and have done some LONG runs!

Last weekend was our first ever 20-miler! And it wasn’t nearly as bad as I would have thought it would be way back when; just another progression in distance. We ran again with Coach Jim’s group, which brought us up to the top of Mount Tabor within the first 5 or so miles; not a bad way to start your first 20-miler! ;)

After Hagg Lake, those hills felt like nothing! The remainder of the run was along relatively flat neighborhoods, and we finished 18.5 miles with the group. J and I ran few more miles until we completed 20.5 total! Wow! That’s kind of a long way!

We’re planning on another two 20-milers before Eugene. And I’m thinking of just maybe making one of those 20’s a 22-miler…We’ll see.

So far, though, so good. No problems with my shins (or knees, calves, hips, or any other body parts!). I’m pretty excited about this. I think it was a good idea for me to stay away from super challenging workouts, like speedwork, in order to prevent any injuries while going into uncharted mileage territory.

Last week was another cut back week, and we finished all the pertinent miles on our schedule without difficulty, and managed to actually have a little fun, as well as a little rest over the weekend: including Sake Tasting, Wine Tasting, and dinner at Por qué no!

Next Sunday is the Shamrock Run. We’re doing the 15k + ~7 more miles for an even 16. It should be a fun time with friends, though!

55 more Days
until Eugene Marathon!!

Hagg Lake Trail 25k Recap + 10 weeks left!

J and I spent last weekend out volunteering at Hagg Lake Trail (MUD!) 50k and 25k races. We spent all of Saturday volunteering at the finish line (which was also an aid station before the second loop) and then on Sunday, J volunteered at an aid station and the finish line, and I ran and volunteered at the finish line. (It was packed when I finished, and I jumped right into the same duties I did yesterday.) Volunteering was fun, and there were a lot of great runners out there this weekend. How they finished as fast as they did on those rough trail conditions just leaves me in awe!

Onto the 25k recap!

Mud. Mud. Mud. If you ever do this race, don’t let the first 8 or so miles deceive you. The last half-ish of the race is a big dirty, slippery mess. I don’t think I saw anyone finish the 50k who didn’t fall! My goal going into this race was to stay on my feet. And, as long as hand contact on the ground doesn’t count…I succeeded!!!

The first several miles entailed what I consider “average” dirt trail, much like the Wildwood Trail. This section was tough with the hills and and all, but overall not too bad. There was a section of washed out trail where you have to get through some mud. I didn’t mind since I knew what was to come. But others tried their best to get around it. I didn’t feel like hurting myself trying to do that, so through the mud I went!

I saw J at the aid station about 6 miles in, and quickly moved on after refilling my water bottle. A few more miles later, the muddiness began, and didn’t end until we crossed the finish line.

First up was the slick mud. Easy goes it with shuffling and trying to stay on my feet. This is where I pulled, what I refer to as a Spiderman pose. One foot out to the side and both hands on the ground. But I was still on my feet! This continued on for miles, with slick up hills, slick down hills, and slick flats. There were a few breaks in dry dirt and on the road, but the slipping really takes a toll on your legs.

I was counting down the miles, hoping for some glimpse of the finish as my legs were begging me to stop! And then I saw the boat ramp at the parking lot, and knew it was only a small bit of trail afterward to the finish line! But first, holy boggy mud!!! Mud up to mid-calf. This section went on longer than I expected it seemed like it could, and when I finished I only had to slug my 5-lbs blocks of shoes a little ways farther to the finish line.

3:14:13 – later, and the finish line was packed, and I could tell all the volunteers were scrambling to get things done, so I jumped in and started helping out. Which probably explains the extreme soreness I’m grappling with today! Ouch!Not the best picture of the mud, but pretty much knees and below = mud.

On the marathon training front, we are about 10 weeks away from the Eugene Marathon and everything is going well so far. I’ve decided against doing any speed training at least this go around because I want to avoid any injuries as we up our mileage. So far so good! Next weekend is our first 20-miler!! And it doesn’t seem nearly as daunting as it once did! I’m actually kinda looking forward to it! :)

Lazy Blogger

Not much new to report.

We’ve kept up our training for the Eugene Marathon. Since we started our training, I’ve felt a little tenderness in the shin area, and since last week was a cut back week, I took it seriously and ran a total of 2 times, and made sure to massage and ice my shins as much as I could! They have definitely felt better the last few runs, so I think I made a good choice. When cutting back like that, it’s hard not to feel lazy, but I just had to keep telling myself: “It’s better to take a few lazy days now, than a few lazy months later!” And truthfully, my goal for this (my first) full marathon is just to finish! And I can’t finish if I injure myself during training!

So I don’t have anything too exciting to post. January was my highest mileage month ever, about 0.4 miles more than my only other month over 100 miles. Not too shabby. I’m expecting the next few months to be even higher; I just hope my shins hold out for me!

The weekend before last, we finished a 15-miler for our long run, our longest consecutive run ever. It felt pretty good, too, except for the last 0.5-0.75 miles. That’s when our legs started to feel heavy, but I expect that’s probably going to happen as we continue to increase our mileage; it’s kinda far to run!

We have 16 miles planned for next weekend, plus I have to work Saturday. I predict I will be tired next week! Oh the joys of marathon training!

Cascade Half Marathon Race Recap + Week 1 of Marathon Training

When I initially signed up for this race, I thought that it looked like a nice flat course for a PR. Then the Holidays/Vacation came and went without much running, and I decided that I would just run it for “fun” and hope to finish! At some point I though I might try to break 2 hours, but I have been feeling pretty sluggish lately, and really just wanted to finish!

The weather wasn’t too terrific for the drive down to Turner, but the temperature reading seemed fairly warm for January. And it would have felt warm, too, if it weren’t for the driving rain! Oh well.

This race is a fundraiser for the Cascade High School Cross Country and Track and Field Teams, so the start and finish are located on school grounds. We made our way to the school gym to pick up our packets. Packet-pickup was a breeze, and we had plenty of time to kill before the start of the race at 9am. We wandered around the indoor school areas to get the lay of the land, including the cafeteria (which served warm soup after the race) and the locker rooms (which would allow us to take “warm” showers after the race.)

Now, my bib number was 909. As in the pace needed to break 2 hours. (Yes, I knew that off the top of my head.) This is when I started to think I might just break 2 hours after all…

 
Soon enough, it was time to head outside into the driving rain. But we didn’t have to wait too long. Finally, we were on our way!

The course takes place on flat country roads, taking several turns here and there as you weave through farms, cows and horses. A flat and fast course for sure, except for that darn sideways rain! As we made each turn, it was fun to discover which way the rain would be hitting you this time! It didn’t take long before we were all drenched, but we’re Oregon runners, and so, we continued on.

I was hoping to settle in to my “fun” pace right from the beginning, unfortunately I fell right into PR pace. Oops! So, I tried to fall back a bit, but it was hard to do with all the people surrounding me. I finally found a reasonable pace…for about 2 miles, until the leaders started passing us on their way back to the finish. So I picked it up again, and before I knew it, we were at the turn-around with several boisterous spectators, which definitely pushed me on.

When I saw the time on the clock at the turn-around, I figured I might as well continue on with my current pace! And so we wove back over familiar territory, counting down the miles left until the finish. Each time we turned a corner, I kept a lookout for the school, hoping I could dry off soon. Finally, there it was! So I picked up the pace for the last 1.1 miles, and pushed through the finish line.

 
Just for fun, here are my splits from the race (along with my thoughts at the time):
Mile 1: 8:23 (Oops! Way too fast.)
Mile 2: 8:46 (Better, but still too fast.)
Mile 3: 9:11 (Better, I could probably keep this going.)
Mile 4: 9:28 (That's more like it.)
Mile 5: 9:20 (Still comfortable.)
Mile 6: 8:52 (Look at those people coming back this way; they're fast!)
Mile 7: 8:56 (Ok, under 1 hour at the 1/2-way point, I should just go for it.)
Mile 8: 8:43 (Not sure I need to go this fast...)
Mile 9: 8:34 (Or this fast...)
Mile 10: 8:33 (Well, I'm nearly there now...)
Mile 11: 8:43 (A little tougher here.)
Mile 12: 8:29 (Almost there)
Mile 13: 8:12 (Push against that headwind! Push!!)
Mile 13.1: 1:23 (7:26 avg pace) (I just want to be dry again!)

Official Time: 1:55:32 (8:50 avg pace) My second fast half ever!

 
So much for the “fun” run I had planned! I was tired, but not as tired as I had been after EWEB. My competitive spirit definitely got the best of me! I collected my finisher’s medal, grabbed my dry clothes from J, then made my way to the locker room to get cleaned up. It was definitely nice to change into some warm/dry clothes!

 
It was a great end to a decent week of Marathon training. I got all my runs in, and finished the week with 28.7 miles. Not too shabby! I might have less mileage during this upcoming week, but that’s probably ok! :)

So far I have completed 5 months of 1 half-marathon/month for 1 year! AND, since I completed 6 half marathon within 5 months, I now have 2 moons as a Half Fanatic! Yay!

Until next time!

Sneaky Sneaky

Well, Marathon training kinda, maybe, somewhat caught me off guard. We got lazy over winter break, and now it's time to jump right in! Whoa!

Luckily, we managed to squeeze in 22 miles last week, and we have 26 miles on the schedule for next week. I think we'll be ok, but going into my long run on Sunday, I was starting to worry about my half coming up next Sunday. But it looks like I'll be ok. I'm definitely not in "racing" shape, but I know I can complete the whole thing! Phew!

Also…I may have done a crazy thing. I'm a Half Fanatic, and noticed some of my Fanatic friends on Facebook were signing up for a few races on July 4th weekend. Three to be exact. So I signed up! For three half marathons in three days! Eep!

Actually, I'm kind of excited. I think it's going to be difficult, and definitely a challenge, but I really think I can do it! And when do you get the chance to run 3 halves in 3 days? A fellow Fanatic (and Maniac) is putting on the 2 weekend marathons/half marathons, and the 3rd one is the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon/Half Marathon. It's being billed as the Firecracker Triple, and you can find more information here. The 2 weekend races are capped at 100 participants each, and they will definitely fill soon! (Clearly, you can also do a triple of marathons, but c'mon now, that's just crazy :P)

Marathon training officially begins this week, so I guess it's time to get serious. My legs are starting to remember what running is, just in the nick of time!

Hopefully I'll have something fun to report next weekend!

Running Goals for 2011

I hope everyone had a good time ringing in the new year. J and I hosted our own party, and had a lot of fun with friends and games. I haven’t run since Monday, and thus can officially say I ran 801.5 miles total in 2010. Not too shabby, but I want to think bigger next year, especially with marathon training officially starting on the 10th. Eek! :)

I made a few goals for 2011. I think they are realistic, and will give me something to work for. But I won’t hesitate to adjust them as necessary throughout the year, and hey, maybe add a few more! You never know!

1. Run 1200 miles in 2011. As I stated above, I ran 801.5 miles in 2010, my first full year of running. I know I can run more than that now, and I know we’ll be training for a marathon, and thus should definitely get more miles in.

2. Complete a Marathon. Currently planned as the Eugene Marathon! I’ll reassess whether I would like to run another one after I complete the first one. Best not to get ahead of myself, right?!

3. PR in the half marathon (and probably the 5k and 10k, and definitely the marathon…automatic PR!)

4. Complete running 1 half marathon every month to complete a full year (August being the last). I started in September 2010, so I am on my way!

I’ve added a 2011 Race Calendar to the sidebar (and moved the 2010 calendar to the “Races” tab). I’ll keep updating it when I “officially” confirm my plans for races. Until then, happy planning for 2011!