Practicing pace....

That's how today's run went. Had an easy start that ended up being slower than it would so instead of trying to speed up the goal became trying to maintain pace.

Besides my last mile that actually did faster my pace different was less than 10 seconds between them for the first four miles.

I do have a blister on my toe that's been developing since Tuesday,  not sure how that's going to affect me on my long run this weekend. How do you deal with blisters? Any help would be appreciated!

On another note, I'm getting closer to the 300 mile mark of training and as of tomorrow I'm only a month away from race day!

17 more runs to go!

Changing it up...

Today I was able to get to work early so I could leave for the gym early. I wanted to be able to run before teaching class and to see how that felt. I had plenty of time so I didn't have to rush. 

I started with an easy warmup and about 4 minutes in started on my base pace of 6.5. I started my push 2 minutes later at a 7.7 and progressed up to an 8.2. The training was still challenging, but my body was fresh and I felt capable of completing the different levels / speeds I was working through. When I would run after class my body would be fatigued to some degree and the run was that much more challenging. 

I only have 4 more treadmill runs left so I'm hoping to keep this schedule of getting in early since I really felt a difference. 

I felt well enough on this run that I went for one extra push at an 8.6 (equivalent to a 6:58 / mile pace). I held that for about a tenth of a mile and my legs were going super fast! It always feels good to put challenges out there for yourself and successfully complete them💪🏼

18 more runs to go!

Week 14!

Today I'm off from work and decided to sleep in. I was happy to get my full 8 hours, but the trade off would be running in the sun. I got out on the road by 8:30 for my 5 miles today. Temps were already above 80° and the sun was stronger. I haven't had a run with the sun this strong in over a week at least. 

I started off with my first mile at a 9:13 and was able to maintain this pace through my second mile. After that things slowed down to the finish. Miles 3 and 4 got progressively slower and I fought to maintain or improve pace for my final mile. My goal was to have an overall pace faster than last week (ideally 9:30 or less). 

My efforts paid off and running with all I had for the last quarter mile brought me in at a 9:27 overall pace.

I feel I should be pacing the shorter runs just like my longer ones, but I'm often up against tight schedules and really just want to knock them out. I have 5 mile runs through mid November and then they scale back to 4 miles then 3. Still on that climb before the taper begins. Still feeling good!

I had some time after running to sit by the river and soak it all in. The run, how far I've come and the beauty around me.

Hope everyone has a great week!

19 runs to go!

Keep on moving!

5 weeks out from the big day! Today was a good one. I knew weather, specifically rain, might be an issue. I knew I'd be out on the road for 3+ hours and I didn't really feel like running in the dark. Forecast showed rain chances likely for the 10 and 11am hours.

I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. My plastic bags were packed to protect my phone and snacks. 

I got started at 7:05am and the plan was 18 miles, my longest run so far. I started slow and steady really focusing on a pace in the 11's. I was moving along nicely without going too fast or slower than I wanted. As I moved into the second half of my run thr usual foot fatigue was felt, but otherwise my body was holding up well. I could see gray skies up ahead and knew rain was possible. I started feeling drops with about 2.5 miles left in my run and prepared for it by putting my phone in the bag I brought.

Not too much later it started coming down. Not light, but not a total downpour thank goodness. Even better it only lasted for about one mile! Then up ahead I could see the clouds breaking up and sun peaking through. As I approached the 16 / 17 mile mark I started thinking about running extra. Crazy, right?...isn't 18 miles enough? lol.

I heard so much about the 20 mile mark and things that some people go through and I just wanted to see how I'd hold up. So I went for it! I only have 1 run more than 18 and that's 20 miles in 2 weeks so I figured is try now and depending on how I'm feeling maybe making my 20 mile run a 22 mile run. Luckily the rest on my run went well. My body was sore and tired and I felt like I was going slow,  but my mind was saying "YOU GOT THIS!" My mental energy was strong and I just kept plugging along until I hit the 20 mile mark. 

Finishing that run put me on cloud 9! With an overall pace of 11:08 I couldn't be more pleased. Completing the run and the distance made me feel more confident in and with my pace and my desired pace. I was on the road for 3 hours and 42 minutes. Now I know I can complete the marathon in less than 6 hours. What an amazing run and an amazing feeling. One of my mantras I'll be using on race day will be "Marathon finisher" I just want it so badly and I'm so close now!

Whatever it is that you want in life go after it! Why wait if you can do it now? Go out there and make yourself proud!

20 more runs to go!

When the going gets tough...

Today's run was 5 miles, while it wasn't a long run I still felt the struggle. When I left the house in the morning it was sprinkling outside and I was really hoping I wouldn't get caught in the rain. Luckily by the time I got on the road it was nice and dry.

My first 5 minute split was at an 8:58 pace, way to faster to maintain today. I may have given it a shot at 3 miles, but 5 not so much. It's funny how adding a mile or 2 to as run can make a difference. Everything was downhill from the first split. Funny thing is my overall pace was 9:34. Virtually identical to my 5 mile pace last Thursday, but so much more laborious. The difference was last week I was pacing more properly and this week because of scheduling my life and tight turnarounds I felt rushed and the need to run fast. Honestly,  that's just not gonna work. Another lesson learned.

After teaching pump this evening I'm really looking forward to my rest day tomorrow! I've got my next big run on Saturday. 18 miles!

Hope everyone had a great day!

21 more runs to go!

5 more to go...

Treadmill runs that is! I'm on the countdown. I pulled back just a bit tonight, but felt successful with my efforts. 3 miles completed with a base of 6.5 and 6 intervals from 7.5 - 8.0 in quarter mile bursts. 

I forgot my running shoes at home and was dreading the possibility of running in my training shoes I wear to teach Bodypump. They are years old and quite rigid, great for pump, but not for running. Luckily I had a pair of my old Nike running shoes in my trunk. Still pretty worn, but they did the job! When I first put them on they felt foreign on my feet. By the time the run was done they felt normal.

Tomorrow morning I'm up early for a 5 mile run. Hoping for a smooth and steady pace. Now ready for some good sleep to help my body recover from the workouts today.

22 runs to go!

Week 13!

Getting closer with every run! Nice run along the river this morning. A bit slower than last week, but still good with an overall pace of of 9:16. Only 14 seconds between my fastest and slowest mile. 

Running on the south end of river road keeps me thinking about the day of the marathon and how I might feel in those final 10 miles or so. I'll be running by the areas I've been training on for this entire training plan and I'm hoping the narrative I will be using no matter how I feel will be "you've run this road before many times, you can do it,  YOU GOT THIS!"

23 runs to go!

Pace for the race...

I don't normally run on Sundays on my plan, but the rain yesterday pushed my run to today. Honestly,  my body was in no shape to run yesterday. I spent Friday evening volunteering at an event serving and was up and down flights of stairs all night. I got home late and we didn't have time to eat dinner. So on top of body fatigue,  less than ideal sleep, dehydration and having to launch pump at 12:15, fitting a 12 mile run in wasn't exactly smart. 

I woke up later than usual today and everything from my knees to my hips (besides my quads) was sore or angry. I did a bit of foam rolling before I headed out, but still felt sore. Since I don't have many long runs left this was a perfect opportunity to slow down and work on my pace. My overall pace ended up at an 11:16 minute mile. The run was pretty steady and not overly difficult, even with the aches and pains. This makes me feel that an 11:30 might be a good goal pace for the marathon. Last week my pace for my 16 mile run was a 10:33, a great pace, but I started off the run too quickly and my pace was slowly over time. I'd be happy with anything between an 11 -13 minute mile pace. I know race day will bring so much energy and adrenaline, but I don't want to burn out. Running smarter over runner harder / faster will be the goal so I can finish the race!

My run went well today, the only annoying thing was in 2 sections the road was flooded. I absolutely hate getting my shoes and socks wet so as I was approaching these areas my choices were turn around and go back, run through the water ( which would have been over my shoes) or run in the grass and hope for the best. I thought I was going to make it through dry and happy. Then it happened, my shoe sunk into a super soggy spot, then the other shoe. I felt and heard the squish inside my shoes, socks soaked. Eww, eww EWW! At this point I was about 7.5 miles into the run and still had 4.5 to go. No fun! As soon as I got back to my car I switched into my flip flops and dried out my shoes as soon as I got home. Hopefully I won't have any more of those experiences. 

I spent a good while stretching and rolling out my muscles when I got home. As I write this I'm icing my inner thigh. It definitely feels inflamed. Only 6 weeks until race day and I need to keep this body healthy! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

24 more runs to go!

5 miles today (the longest distance for my "short" runs). Taking the hour of PTO was totally worth it. I got to sleep in, get in my run and still make it to work on time. The weather has been getting better too!

My pacing was much better than my run on Tuesday. Only 27 seconds between my fastest and slowest splits. I kept my strides short and quick on this run. At my first 5 minute check in I thought I was going faster than what the time said, but I was still pleased with a 9:34 at mile 1. My overall pace ended up being 9:35.

Next up is a 12 mile run on Saturday. Hopefully I can work on slowing down a bit and maintaining a good pace with tighter splits.

25 more runs to go!

Treadmill, Dreadmill!

The struggle is real! I only have 6 more runs on this beast! I will so not miss it lol. 

My body was exhausted from Bodypump and I just kept telling myself it's just 30 minutes, you can do it! 

I started on a 6.7, so a small bump up from last weeks base pace. My intervals were going to be 7.7 - 8.2. I almost got there, but not quite. I certainly wasn't feeling ambitious enough to use an incline like last week. I made it up to my 8.1 interval and my body / legs could barely keep up. Afterward I took the base down to a 6.5...I was wiped! After 2 minutes I would have pushed at an 8.2. I made the decision not to go there, but in the spirit of still pushing and not totally giving up I did my last interval and I did it at a 7.4 which became a 7.5. I was good with that. Because sometimes something is better than nothing.

When you are physically and mentally done the treadmill is anything but your friend. I'd almost rather run 10 miles on the road than the 30 mins / 3 miles of speed/ interval training on the treadmill. 

Anyway, I can check the box for training today. I showed up and got it done. I could have dug deep and been extra brave, but I really had no interest in potentially flying off the treadmill today (or ever).

I hope everyone had a great day!

26 runs to go!

Week 12!

Back to morning runs this week. I got to sleep in a bit and got out on the road just before the sun was coming up. As I was running on the road I saw several people taking in nature's beauty and the sunrise. A cyclist stopped by the side of the road to take a picture. I saw people walking to the edge of their driveway and looking out over the water and taking it all in. This view never gets old!

My run today was 4 miles. I started out right around a 9 minute mile pace and my second mile came in at 8:59. Unfortunately I wasn't able to keep that pace. My last 2 miles were slower and I finished with an average pace of 9:10. Still working on figuring out pace. Some runs are tighter than others.

After running these longer distances when I have a shorter run I think that it'll be easier, but that's not always the case. Each run, each distance has it challenges. It's all about the commitment to show up and give it all you got.

Temperatures are getting slightly cooler in the mornings which makes the runs more pleasant. My short runs on Thursdays are going up to 5 miles so I'll be interested to see how they go.

27 runs to go!

16 miles!

I did it! Out here running distances I never thought I'd run. It's been a magical experience thus far. Don't get me wrong though, I am in pain at times, sometimes I wish it was over before I even start, but racking up these miles has been pretty awesome. Testing my mind and body and seeing what they will do and how far they will take me. 

I officially crossed the 200 mile mark with this run. Total miles so far 208! This run was only 1 mile longer than last week. I was better prepared with sleep, hydration and fuel, but it didn't feel much different from my last long run. I noticed I started a bit too quickly this time and that came back to bite me later in the run. My overall pace was 10:33 and last week it was 10:28. My slowest mile was mile 15 and my fastest was mile 2. After about 10 or 11 miles I feel my energy and pace declining. My challenge moving forward will be trying to hold an 11 minute mile pace to see how that feels because even though my body tends to gravitate to the mid 10's on these runs it's not a pace I can comfortably keep up for the whole race. Lots of tweaks still need to be made. 

I had my fruit squeeze pack as my fuel and also added in some dried mangoes. My stomach tolerated them so I might try to add some different things to the mix.

I only have 2 more long runs longer that the 16 I had today for my training plan. 18 miles in 2 weeks and then 20 miles in 4 weeks. Then the plan backs off until race day. I'm considering extending the 20 miles to 21 or 22. I was told by a fellow runner that doing so would give me a better feel for the miles on race day.

Time is moving and the race will be here before I know it!

28 more runs to go!

4 more miles!

Tonight I ran in Casselberry. Back to a familiar route. I'm convinced 1 out of every 3 houses here has a dog. Every last one of them were talking to me lol. If they weren't confined by a fence, house or person I feel like they would have wanted to take a bite out of my leg regardless of their size lol. 

After having strong runs on Tuesday and Wednesday I was expecting a little quicker pace tonight, but that just wasn't where my body was at. I did what I could and ended up with a 9:11 average pace. Not bad at all.

Next week my Thursday runs level up from 4 miles to 5 miles so it'll be interesting to see how my body responds. 

I always look forward to my rest days and tomorrow is no exception. On Saturday I'll be tackling a 16 mile run (my longest run yet)!

I've come to realize it's not easy to predict how each run will go. My last long run was a perfect example. I felt I didn't check the boxes of hydration,  fuel or sleep, yet my run was strong...much stronger than I anticipated. Then there are days like today where you felt like you were on a good streak, then the results fall a bit short of expectation. Just gotta keep giving it what you got!

29 more runs to go!

A little bit faster now...🏃🏻‍♀️💨

Wednesdays are for treadmill runs and I got my 3 miles of interval / speed training in today. Things have been going well so I kept my promise to keep pushing myself. 

I leveled up by adding an incline of 1.0 to the entire run. Moved up my base pace from a 6.5 to a 6.6 and also shifted my intervals from 7.6 - 8.1 to 7.7 - 8.2. This all provided sufficient challenge.  My heart rate was elevated and each time I bumped my push pace to the next level I had that "oh crap" moment. It was getting harder and it would be so easy to not inch up the interval or just be done with the run. But I know there is no change without challenge.  Plus once I get to the other side of the interval and once the run is done I'm so glad I stuck with it. That pride and confidence is priceless. "YES YOU CAN!" I believe I'll be using this as one of my marathon mantras. 

Three miles and thirty minutes later, utterly exhausted, I achieved the goal! 

I know things do and will get tough along the way, but if we put our mind to it we can see our way through it💪🏼

Hope everyone had a great day! Go out there and make yourself proud!

30 more runs to go!

Hello Week 11!

I'm over the halfway mark and 185 miles into my training! Today's run was 4 miles. Since it's getting light out later and I'm not the biggest fan of running in the dark I've decided until the time changes next month I'll run after work instead of before. 

One of the biggest issues we face here in Florida is weather conditions, especially rain. If you know me you know I'm not a fan of running in the rain. It's not just a drop here or there, it's usually an all out downpour, soggy sneakers and socks, etc. No thank you! This week is going to be especially raining which makes it even more challenging to get my runs in.

The initial plan was to get up early so I could get into work early and then run right after work. The rain had other plans. I finished work at 4:15 and the weather report said the rain wasn't slowing down or going away until after 7. ❌ Of course there is always the option of the treadmill, but I really don't enjoy treadmill runs and only want to use them for my speed/ interval training once a week. So I saw the rain should be letting up at home by 6 so I drove to Cocoa and headed out to the river. I changed into sneakers I was willing to get wet just in case, put on my hat and grabbed my plastic bag to protect my phone. 

I didn't feel like I was going particularly fast, but my first mile split was an 8:25! Haven't seen that type of split in a few weeks! Perhaps this is further evidence that I'm not a morning person lol. The run went well overall and my overall pace was an 8:41. I was fortunate that the rain held out for my run. Not too long after I got back to my car it started back up again. I love when things work out!

The one disappointing thing was the ignorant catcall type behavior I encountered as a car drove by me as I was running. I've heard these things happen to runners, but this was my first time experiencing it. Runners face all types of challenges and dealing with this behavior is just gross 🤮

 Let's all be kind and respectful of others. Hope everyone had a great day!

31 more runs to go!

New adventures!

15 miles today! My longest distance yet! I didn't feel like I ate enough food or drank enough water yesterday so I was a bit nervous going into the run today, especially since up to this point the longest I've run has been 13.1 miles. Not too much longer, but still.

My run started at 7:15am and this was my first time on this training plan running on the north end of river road. The north end was where I did my half marathon last year, so I was familiar with the road, though I hadn't run on it since November. 

I had a nice easy start and at the 5 minute mark my pace was around an 11:19. I felt good with that and maintaining was my goal. Well, my first mile split ended up being 11 minutes even. From there my splits just got faster. 10:26, 10:31, 10:08, 10:04, etc. It seemed like my body was catching a rhythm so I just went with it. No resistance, no pushing. After the initial nerves before starting my mind started to relax and prepare for the journey. In fact, I didn't even hear the first few call outs for my time and pace...I mean I heard it talking, but I was so focused on the moment and my surroundings I missed the actual times. This was nice and reassuring. As I made my way north on the road I saw familiar points of interest and things I remembered along the way from last year. 

This would be an out an back run and the turnaround point would be 7 miles into the run. I was amazed at how fast I got to the 7 mile point. Not that I was going fast or even feeling like I was going fast, it was just that time was passing with ease. 

As I made it to the turnaround point I saw another woman running in the other direction back to Cocoa Village (my starting point) so when I looped around I used her as a focus point and an extra bit of motivation. Not too much longer a few cyclists passed by us. There was another woman just a bit in front of us running too. As the one cyclist rode by he suggested we move to the other side of the road because they just saw a gator in the direction we were heading. The other 2 women were just a bit ahead of my so when I heard his warning and saw the women switch to the other side of the road (not the side runners would usually use going in that direction) I quickly moved over.

Now granted by this point I was feeling surprisingly good. In fact the whole middle of my run was the best. But I did NOT want to encounter a gator or have to run any faster than I was running. I never did see the gator, but I did see a guy on the side of the road close to the water (no more than 20 feet from the road) and I just kept moving.  Less than a mile later the women moved back to the side of the road we were originally running on. Reviewing my splits after the run I did see that that mile was my fastest at a 9:35. Urgency definitely wakes the body up to do what needs to be done in the moment. Yay adrenaline and endorphins!

Not too much longer around mile 10 I hit a bit of a wall from my 9:35, I went to a 10:04 for the next split, then 10:15 and 11:03. For a while there I was holding around a 10:17 - 10:22 pace and thought I might be able to hold that to the end of my run. That wouldn't be the case so I accepted where I was in the moment and just kept trucking along, even though at times it felt like I was barely moving. There are more inclines on the north end so I was contending with the challenges they brought my way.

My slowest mile was 13 (also tied with my 11) with an 11:03 pace, but my last 2 miles got a little faster and my overall pace for the run was a 10:28! Fantastic! I was very pleased with my efforts and results. 

This was also the first run that I brought fuel with me. I brought a protein bar that I didn't end up eating, but I did have all of my fruit squeeze pack. I had about half the pack just after the hour mark between miles 6 and 7 and then again just before the 2 hour mark when I felt I was fading a bit between miles 11 and 12. My body seemed to tolerate it pretty well and I didn't feel nauseous. I'll keep experimenting on the rest of my long runs with other options. 

When I finished my run I tried to gradually bring my body to a stop and walked around for a few minutes after before completely stopping and sitting on a bench in the park to do a quick stretch before driving home. 

The run was the complete north end and just a mile of the south end ( 0.50 each way). As I entered the south end I was like "Damn, come race day after all I just did I have basically 12 more miles to go! Much respect to all those marathon runners out there. This is quite a challenge!

32 runs to go!

Rise and run

4 miles today. Overall pace was 9:21, not bad, but a little slower than Tuesday. Where have my runs in the 8's gone? Running in a journey and I've got to take the runs however they come. My legs felt heavy and sluggish for pretty much all of the run. I did have a few times where I felt I was getting faster or what felt like an energy burst, but those moments didn't last too long. It was nice and calm on the river today. Grateful the extra resistance didn't show up to challenge me. 

I was getting comfortable with my 3 mile runs and as of today both my Tuesday and Thursday runs have bumped up to 4 miles. Soon they will bump up to 5 miles! I've already prepared by taking 1 hour of PTO on every day I have 5 mile runs. I figured it's worth it for the extra sleep and more time to get into work.

Excited for my rest day tomorrow! Foam rolling is officially on my calendar,  now I just need to do it! 

33 runs to go!

Treadmill time!

Back on the grind at the gym. Bodypump followed by my treadmill run. Same format as I've been using for the past few weeks. About 3.5 miles of running today. My intervals started at a 7.6 today up to an 8.1, so just a baby shift up in intensity, but I handled it well. Gotta keep pushing myself!

I finished up with 1 extra push interval on a 9.0 for 30 seconds which is equivalent to a 6 minute and 40 second mile pace. That's pretty fast for me...that is also the pace some runners maintain for the ENTIRE 26.2 miles! Insane! Amazing! So inspiring!

For me this process has been about getting out there for each run and giving it the best I can. That's really all we can do in life. 

I hope you showed up today to give it your best whatever the day brought you. If it wasn't your best effort commit to doing better tomorrow. You've got this!

34 runs to go!

Week 10!

I'm halfway through my training plan and 2 months out from race day! This morning I was up running my 3 miles in the dark. Pace was slower than I though it might be at first, but each split got faster and I ended up with a 9:15 pace so not too bad.

It was a warm morning and I caught the breeze of the river as I was running. Just a hint of resistance, but nothing too bad.

I had a massage yesterday that was amazing! My therapist gave me great feedback about my body, tight areas and trigger points. I plan on going back before and after the marathon to keep my body in optimal condition for the run and then good post run recovery care.

Anticipating my Saturday long run of 15 miles...heading into new territory. It's about to get real as my journey continues! Stay tuned!

35 more runs to go!