And it only took me 1 week to disappear… I’m back.

Well there we have it, I made it one week of posting before I fell off the face of the earth.  I really don’t have an excuse so I won’t give you one. I have been running and have gotten in all my scheduled runs and feel good about them. I’ll just give a brief overview to catch up.

Week 2:

Pretty uneventful, a total of 36 miles with a 13 miles long run.  I was supposed to do 8 at marathon pace, but didn’t really  feel ready for that and my Garmin was being a brat so I saved that for week 4’s long run. 

Week 3:

I had my second speed work this week.  I woke up later than my alarm so really just had time for 8 miles with the scheduled 4 miles at HMP.  However, the way I planned it out in my head was 1 mile warm-up, 4x (1 mile at HMP and 1 mile easy).  When I had finished my 2nd 1 mile easy, I realized I was 5 miles away from my apt instead of 4.  That 1 mile warm-up was the culprit.  I had not other choice than to turn my 8 miles run into 10, which was okay except I got home from my run at the time I should have been leaving for work. At least I hit my paces for the HMP miles and there were faster than 2 weeks ago. Thank goodness for scrubs because I was able to get there only 30 minutes late.  “Sorry I’m running late, but I accidently ran an extra two miles today”.

Week 4:

Lets see.. I got caught in a total downpour that came out of no where.  It  was one of those downpours where it rains so hard that you can taste the concentration of salt from your sweat go from strong to non-existent.  I questioned if that meant I had to shower, but then I thought of all of the nasty Broad Street germs I had been splashing my feet through and shower it was. 

Long run was 15 miles, with the 8 miles of MP that I didn’t do from week 2.  I felt really good and the whole thing actually ended up just 2 seconds per mile slower than my current marathon MP pace.  I never felt like I was pushing it so I just kept going.  This was refreshing because since returning from my longer than planned running break following Boston, I wasn’t really sure where I was fitness wise.  Good to know my body remembered what it is supposed to do 🙂

Okay that is all for now and hopefully see you in less than 3 weeks this time!

 

Philly Training Week 1

4Made it through Week 1 and felt pretty good.  I actually felt like I wanted to run more (I had 3 rest days), but resisted the urge because I know easing into the mileage is key to staying injury free (or at least gives me the best chance). 

Monday- Rest

Tuesday- 8 with 4 HMP.  I knew I couldn’t hold HMP or at least it would be REALLY hard for all 4 miles in a row so I split it up and was just about on for the pace.  I hadn’t hit those paces since my last half, which was March so I was feeling it.  Here’s what I ended up with… 2(8:04); 1(7:02); 1(8:01); 1(7:02);0.25(8:01); 1(7:08); 0.5(7:55); 1(6:52); 0.25(7:54).  I have never incorporated speed work into my marathon training so I figure #10 is a good time to give it a try and see if it actually helps! 

Wednesday- Rest/lifting.  Ideally I get this done x3/week, but this was the only time this week so definitely something to work on.  My gym is a few blocks further than the one I used at my old apt and I let that be an excuse for not going

Thursday- 4 miles @ .  I was supposed to do 9, but switched that out for the 4 planned for Sunday since I’m a good GF and gave up my weekly group run to drive the BF to the airport. 

Friday- 9 miles @.  I am not used to this kind of distance before work (since my running has been minimal since Boston), but since I am on my feet all day doing whatever I need to do to get my patients more mobile, I need to get these longer week runs done early.  It is cooler and after work I have about a 25% chance of running & 75% chance of plastering my ass to the couch for the night (well I do get up to cook/eat). 

Saturday- 12 miles @.  Ugh it wasn’t bad for the second half, but about miles 4-6 I questioned why I keep signing up for this, lol.  First long run of training cycles usually happen like this and then a couple weeks later 20 miles seems easier than those 12… lets hope that continues to be the case!

Sunday- Rest.

TOTAL= 33 miles with all planned runs complete INCLUDING the “speed work”.  Slacking on the lifting aspect so lets try for at least 2x next week.

 

Lets see other than run, I spent Saturday with the parents since it was Dad’s birthday.  We attempted a boat ride, which happened with a couple showers and ominous clouds overhead.  When zooming around the bay, raindrops sure can sting!

After the boat ride we ate some yummy lobsters and shrimp before heading to the Phillies game with Dad.  BF won Diamond club tickets at work and was conveniently out of town, so I took advantage of that. Don’t mind our picture, it went into the 10th inning and after 11:00 and it’s usually 10pm that I turn into a zombie 😉

Today I worked (yay overtime?).  I worked 3 out of the 4 weekend in July so I am looking forward to NOT working next weekend! It was one of those days I got a really nice compliment from a patient/family.  Although I would rather not be at work on a Sunday. that made it worth it 🙂

And so I return…

Last time I posted it was back in February. That was during my attempt at blogging through my Boston Marathon training, which we all know Boston happened in April. So here I am again, about to start training for my next race (Philadelphia Marathon on November 23rd). Last time I made it to week 11/18 of my training schedule so at least it shouldn’t be hard to outdo my last attempt. I see it as a way to stay accountable to my training (if I actually stick to it) and hopefully get some pointers/encouragement throughout the journey. This is my first of 18 weeks of Philly training.
Anyway, Boston happened since the last I made an appearance so I’ll give you my quick recap. I finished in 3:24:18, which is 4.5 minutes slower than my PR and I had been ultimately aiming to get my time back to 3:20:XX. I was on target to maybe even PR until going into mile 16, where I had to take a bathroom stop… darn that late start to mess up morning routine (there is no TMI for runners, at least I don’t think so). I was mad that I had to stop and lost time so I pushed the pace for at least a half mile.
This was not a good idea, especially for anyone who knows the course because it is right where the hills start. Before I knew it my quads were rocks and my mind was not in the right place. I’ll willingly admit I walked up a couple of the hills and really just wanted to give in the towel.
I was basically miserable for at least 4 miles until I managed to dig myself out of that by reminding myself of the events of last year’s race and some of my previous patients at work. If you don’t know, I am a physical therapist and for the last year have been on the SCI team. Some of these individuals will not walk again (yet alone run) unless some major medical breakthrough happens. I couldn’t let myself waste my opportunity knowing they would most likely never have it.

Some Pictures of Boston Weekend.

Got to “meet” two great runners, Deena and Kara at the expo. Oh and don’t Mind the stolen race pictures 🙂

<a href=”http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11447579/?claim=28hth3csafb”>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Last week’s running and since it is Wednesday.. WIAW

Last week was my highest mileage week yet, despite calling it a day at 16 miles instead of my planned 20 miler. I usually run from center city along Kelly Drive and then head down Wissahickon trail to Forbidden Drive if more than 16 miles so I did what I usually do because I am a creature of habit. Kelly Drive it’s self was clear, but Wissahickon was really bad with packed snow that had me almost falling every couple of steps… instead of venturing onto Forbidden Drive I decided to just keep it to 16 (scheduled for this week) and get 20 in this weekend. I figured some of the snow/ice would clear up; now we have another snow storm headed our way tonight. Looks like it may be a boring double Kelly/West River Drive loop kind of long run on Saturday and probably snowy/icy. Anyway, I got in 50/54 miles last week and with this weather, I am happy with that.

Okay now for my first and maybe last WIAW (I’m not all big into taking picture of my food, but I figured I had to do it at least once).

Breakfast was my usual egg/ham/cheese sandwich on toast, it is delicious and my go-to weekday breakfast.  Everyone at works seems amazed that I have time to run and make such an “elaborate” breakfast, but I have it down to a science… 5 minutes to deliciousness.

Snacks: NV granola bar… my 10:30 snack to get me through lunch.  I treat patients 9-12 so I have to hide behind the desk and stuff it in my face since we aren’t supposed to have food in the treatment area.  Either break the rules or turn into a hangry mean therapist.  Pretzels and yogurt went with my lunch.

Lunch: Chicken, couscous, spinach topped off with some salsa and “Slap Ya Mama” seasoning I got from New Orleans last year for a spicy kick.

Dinner: Crock-pot cooked chicken, whole wheat egg noodles, green beans topped with some homemade gray from the broth that cooked off the chicken.

Here’s to hoping this upcoming storm isn’t too bad.  Working in healthcare there is no such thing as “snow days” (we get to sound important as we are considered “essential personnel”).  Luckily I only live a few blocks away from work so I don’t have to worry about a crazy commute like some of my co-workers do.

And then there were 11…

… weeks until Boston Marathon.

Last week was my first week getting to 50 miles and overall I am still feeling good.  The calf/shin issue has improved, now just tightness in my calf without any shin soreness.  It is amazing what happens when I actually stretch/foam roll a couple times a week.  Yes, I am a physical therapist and tell my patients to do these things all the time, but REALLY struggle to get it done myself.  Such as hypocrite!

As you can see from above, I am still going strong with keeping track of my miles in my fancy little excel spreadsheet.  I’d say this is the best I have done with tracking miles since I started running.  The big question will be how I do once this training cycle is done.

Anyway, this winter continues to be all over the place, with being able to run in capris and short sleeves on my 18 mile run on Sunday (during I wish I wound have gone with shorts… it was a whole 45 degrees) to another snow storm on Monday and crazy ice storm last night (luckily the city itself is no where as bad as the suburbs).  I have my first 20 miler this weekend and looks like there is a good chance it will be in the snow.

I will try to think of something actually creative to post about other than my boring weekly updates, but I am just not feeling very creative.  I will gladly take any ideas if there are out there.

Baby It’s Cold Outside

It’s been 2 weeks so I guess it’s about time to check in. From the title and the fact most of the country has been dealing with the same, I bet you could guess it has been cold in Philly.
That has made for some cold runs, but as long as I bundle up (and by that no more than 2 layers or I am overheating a mile in), it isn’t too bad. And almost always better than the treadmill… even if one of my favorite shows are on I struggle to go more than 4 miles on that hamster wheel.

We got about 10 inches of snow last week and a couple of 1-2 inch snows since so there is some ice around in areas where people didn’t properly shovel/salt their sidewalk, but luckily the running path is pretty clear.  I have been fortunate not to have wiped out yet ***knock on wood***, but did watch a women in her 70’s go down pretty hard during my run today.  The PT in me turned around to stop and help her and luckily she seemed alright (she let me know she broke her pelvis slipping on ice last year!) and after helping her up she was able to keep walking wherever she was going.

Running has been going pretty well the last couple weeks; although the soreness in my right calf is worrying me because that is how my tibial stress fracture started two years ago.  My shoes are still low on miles and I haven’t really been doing anything different so I hope it isn’t anything that gets any worse.

It was nice only having to run 12 as my long run last week, I have what I consider my first “real long run” with 18 coming up this weekend. I work on Saturday and of course it is suppose to rain on my only day off (Sunday).

Some exciting news is that we got approved for the lease of the apartment we wanted.  It’s a old school being converted into lofts.  My commute will be about a mile to work versus my current 4 block work, but it will be SO nice to have a brand NEW place (with a washer/dryer and dishwasher… SOOO happy not to have to go the Laundromat anymore).  My current apartment is “real modern” with a 1960’s kitchen, starring the metal cabinets! I will miss the yard when it gets nice out, but I guess the roof deck will have to do! We won’t more in until May 1st, but I already want to start planning the decorating 🙂

And I will leave you with some cuteness.  Pepper seems to like the snow… (when watching you are best muting it to avoid my annoying voice so you can just enjoy my cute pup frolicking in the snow:))

Excuses

Excuses are what led to a 4am wake-up Monday morning to get in my 15 mile long run I was supposed to do this weekend.  Not ideal, but at least I got them done and in enough time to be able to write this post and shower before work.  Not sure how fun work is going to feel being on my feet all day after this many miles, but then when my patient asks if I ran this morning I can make him think I am crazier than he already thinks I am.

I went into the weekend knowing I basically had to get my long run in on Saturday and then 10 miles on Sunday because I was smart and saved my two longest runs for the weekend.  Saturday was my only day off this week, bit it was rainy and I was being a big baby about going out in the rain.  It sounded like more fun to make a Target run and spend all the money I don’t have, lol.  At 3:00 I finally told myself I would just go out for a 5 mile run to at least get a run in.  The rain had stopped for the time, but started pouring about a mile in.  Since it was 60 degrees the rain was actually enjoyable, minus the soggy socks so I decided to make the run 10 miles.  As soon as I got in the door I wanted to kick myself for not just adding the extra 5 miles, but I told myself I’d get it done tomorrow before work….

And then I slept through my alarm.  Sitting around Sunday night I finally guilt tripper myself into promising myself I would get up early and NO EXCUSES get the 15 miles in on Monday morning… DONE! That puts me at 42.3 miles for the week.

Now it’s time to go get in the shower and head to work. Happy, and hopefully not too tired by then end of the day, Monday!

Boston Training Weeks 1-3

Boston training has started… the first two weeks were not perfect, but it was the Holidays and I took spending time with the family a priority over getting all of my runs in.  I missed my first “long run” of 12 miles the first week and a 10 mile run the second week, BUT last week I got all my miles done including a 14 miler in the icy conditions on Sunday (somehow still managed a 7:43 pace and DID NOT FALL once!).  Last week I ran a total of 40.2 miles (I did split a scheduled 10 mile weekday run into 2- 5 milers).   So far I have felt great except for some calf tightness, lets hope that continues! Oh also, I did my long run week 2 with my friend and FINALLY figured out where Boxer’s trail is… good to now have an alternate route when the Kelly is full of rowers during the spring!

As for the missed runs from weeks 1-2, I will probably try to do them sometime along the training just so I can cross them off my plan… OCD much, but it won’t be the end of world if I don’t.  My plan (Pfitz up to 55 miles) is 18 weeks long and personally I think 16 weeks is long enough anyway.  Oh and the weather is not cooperating, 58 degrees this morning and down to 8 tonight.  Tomorrow morning will probably be a TM run, don’t like that darn machine… but I dislike wind and single digit temperatures more!

Oh also… some New Years Resolutions
1) Use my gym membership… at least 3 sessions of arms and core/hips each week!
2) Keep track of my miles for 2014. I always right them down randomly, but get jealous each year when people start posting their number of miles for the year.
3) Run Boston and then a fall marathon (will probably just stick with Philly, but MIGHT change it up). One of those two will be at least 3:20… I have done it 3 times and it is time to get back to it. New Orleans last year was close with 3:24… close but no cigar!

Back from Holiday Hiatus

Welcome 2014! I guess I shouldn’t have started the blog right before the Holidays because I could have guessed this would have happened. Oh well… Here is a brief summary of my Holidays via pictures

Rittenhouse during Christmas= Beautiful… they should always have the lights!

Our mini Christmas tree and lights… and Pepper Sweater

Christmas Party with Joe before he flew home to Michigan to see his family (I had off Saturday-Wednesday and he had off Wednesday to Sunday).

Work Christmas Party BYOB Bowling with our annual rule of taking a shot every time you get a gutter ball… this year it was Fireball/Jameson, last year was Tequila.  FYI I am not very good at bowling.

NYC in the rain with the Ladies in the Family… Mom, Grandmoms, and Aunts 🙂

Home to the Parent’s house… and all the dogs (Pepper, plus my parent’s 3= a zoo!)

New Years Eve…. somehow only took one Picture.

AND last but not least, watching the Eagles lose against the Saints 😦 It was really hard to watch at points!

  Pepper was all dressed for the game and was very sad they lost 😦

Okay that is enough for this post, might be ambitious and write another one later, at least I am caught up!

Running Safety

Earlier this week a runner was sexually assaulted along the path that I run for just about every run.  http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/24233463/police-investigate-sexual-assault-on-runner-in-fairrmount-park

This story was not very publicized and I actually heard about it from a friend that mentioned in on Facebook.  I ran right by that area Tuesday and had no idea, but was definitely on high alert today.  The thing is that it seemed like one of the other runners out today had a clue of the attack because I would say 75% of them had both headphone in and were just looking down at the ground. 

Personally I do not run with headphone and on the rare occasion I do, I only keep one in.  I am stuck inside all day at work so why not embrace being outside and the sights/sounds of it.  If someone is approaching, you cannot hear them coming… which I saw evidence of when I passed the girls with their headphones in and they jumped as I came around the side of them… IF YOU WEREN”T WEARING BOTH HEADPHONES YOU WOULD HAVE HEARD ME COMING!!!

Call me crazy, but I actually run with a knife.  Not in my pocket or Spibelt, but right in my hand.  It gives me a sense of safety and hopefully I never have to use it, but if need be I would have a way to protect myself. 

I am not telling you all to go buy a knife to run with, but just stay aware of your surroundings.  You never know who is out there and if you have your eyes on the ground and music blasting into both headphone, you probably won’t notice them until it is too late. 

ALSO, Philadelphia it would probably be a good idea to keep the lights on the path where the attack happened on when it is still dark out in the morning (they were off and it was all creepy dark this morning)!!!!