December Warriors Racing from Holiday to Holiday

[Sarah_Rose]

Carrie: Way to go in the snow! I am within the masses of people who don't run in snow (good thing I moved to Seattle!) so I'm always impressed by people who do. My little brother is running the half marathon next month with us and when I asked him about training, his response is that he doesn't run in snow (he lives in Calgary, Alberta where snow is normally accompanied -20 degree weather) and so he thinks he'll just wing it. He's run 2 halfs with no training and one with training, so I figure he'll be fine.

Kathy: for no knee pain! Hope that keeps up until the half next month!

Jeremy: WTG on the training! Hope you figure out what to do in the snow.

Kate: I hope everything goes well at the GP's. How's the fundraising for London going?

AFM: I'm still working on consistently getting out there and training. I invested in the iFit Live module for my treadmill and it's providing a bit more motivation to get on it after I finally get Callum in bed at night. I'm doing some of the Jillian Michaels performance workouts, and I ran down the Las Vegas strip a few nights ago. The Google Maps workouts are pretty cool if you pair them with an iPod Touch or an iPhone - you can watch where you're running in Google Streetview.

I didn't get out for my 9 miler this weekend, though. Seattle was hit by "build the ark!" type rain - it rained torrentially for 48 hours and there was flooding in a lot of areas. I did go out to run the Jingle Bell Run 5K for the Arthritis Foundation yesterday morning, but it was pretty much just my committment to the AF (my charity of choice, right now) that got me out of bed and into the rain. I was soaked to the skin by the time I walked from the parking garage to packet pick-up, and then had an hour to wait before the race started. It was chilly. And wet. Seattle has the biggest Jingle Bell Run in the country and it attracts over 13 000 runners - you run through the streets of downtown Seattle (that are decorated and lit up for Christmas) and everyone has jingle bells on their feet and there are lots of costumes, and people break out in Christmas carols at random intervals. It's the most fun race we run every year, and it was still fun despite the torrents of water running down the Seattle hills, this year. Because of the hills (downtown Seattle is very hilly, for those who have never been) and the crowds, it's definitely not a PR course - I finished in 36 minutes, which is about the same as last year. But minus the morning sickness, which was nice. I had every intention of getting out for another 6 miles yesterday, but after spending a few hours in the rain, I decided to nix going out again.

This just means I need to get my 9 mile and 10 mile runs done in the next 2 weekends... no excuses and no postponing, now!

Happy running, Warriors. We're in the home stretch (for those who are running Disney in January) and I can't wait to see people in a few weeks!

 

[johde]

The storm didn't completely miss us but we only got about 3 or 4 inches so not too terrible. Hopefully things can get mostly cleaned up before tomorrow and I can go running then.

 

[Bookwood]

Thanks for all the well wishes on the blisters they are fully healed and gone. I got an 8 mile run in yesterday - hips are a little tight today otherwise I'm A OK. I'm subbing for the same teacher I did when I got my blisters in the same shoes! -- luckily with finals starting this week the kids are staying put and working on review sheets. (giving my alot of "play on the computer time"

 

[smileyk8]

Pam hurray for fully healed blisters Ergh finals time sounds like a stressful time to cover though.

Sarah Your jingle bell run is amazing! I love that there are random outbursts of carols, no wonder it's not a PR course. Are you having bedtime battles with Callum? Poor little chick wants to stay up and go to Las Vegas on your treadmill with you! London fundraising is slow- don't feel like I can realy start pushing yet as it's so far away. I've got a few days at supermarkets lined up so I can effectively beg passers by! The things we do for charity and for a run!

Carrie 8 miles on snow.... on snow..... 8 miles...... I won't go out in case it's a bit slippy! You are my winter hero.

Kathy fantastic that your knee's doing so well, it's all about the exercises.

Jeremy there really is nothing worse than not being able to shower after a run! Massive well done for bracing the cold water. I'm sure your pupils appreciated it!

Me off to do 7 miles on TM tomorrow as I have to get it in before work. Fingers crossed it goes ok. Thanks for all your thoughts, GP thinks i'm just still fighting something (seriously who knows what!) so hopefully it'll go down in time. Big relief, I had all sorts of images in my head before going!

 

[DrMomof3]

Quick training question: What's the longest run I should have done prior to the 1/2 marathon?

Thanks,
Amanda

 

[johde]

Amanda - Several of the beginner plan I've seen have a peak long run of 10 miles for the half, and peak overall mileage in the 18-22 mile range. If you have the weekly numbers and are close on the long run you'll probably be ok, if you don't try to go out too fast.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Quick training question: What's the longest run I should have done prior to the 1/2 marathon?

Thanks,
Amanda

The longest I've routinely done was 10 miles. I did 14 before my second half marathon but that was because I felt so rough during my first that I was afraid of hurting again. It was totally overkill, though.

 

[wtpclc]

Amanda - 10 is what many plans call for. DOn't kill youself getting those in, though. I bet an 8-mile rhsould be good enough as long as you take it easy on race day.

Sarah - I'm sure any family member of yorus could do a hal fwithout training. Hope you get better weather thsi wekend!

Pam - Yay for being blister free adn having time ot play!

Kate - lol. We truely were winter ehros fro teh 06 marathon. We've gotten a bit whimpy with our gym mebership, but still can't do over 10 indoors.

Jeremy - Hope your roads are all clean!

20 on tap for tomorrow. Stil have snow on teh path adn maybe a bit more ice. This will mean a stiff neck run from watching every step, but it's stil better than TM.

Good luck with teh long runs this weekend!

 

[johde]

Carrie - I wouldn't call them clean but I have been getting out. I did 3 miles Tuesday and Thursday. Thursdays was on a fairly hilly course. With a big uphill into town and a big downhill back again.

 

[DrMomof3]

Thank you for answering my question! I'm planning to try for 10 miles tomorrow so hopefully that'll go well.

Amanda

 

[Embroidery Grandma]

Good Morning Warriors

Just completed 7 miles with a low 16 pace. Knees felt good
Started warming up with a slow pace and at the end we were in the 15's for the last 2 miles.

My issue again is my watch. Just got another garmin 110 and this time it was reading great but I tried to download it and it froze. Must be something with me and the watch I do not know if I want to take a chance during the marasthon. Any thoughts???????

Kathy

 

[Embroidery Grandma]

Just got the garmin to work. Went to their web site and found how to reset but I did not loose anything

Kathy

 

[DrMomof3]

I did it! 10 miles in 2hrs 19:48. I'm certainly not going to win any prizes for speed but I'm happy that I now believe I can finish a 1/2 marathon.
And boy do my legs hurt today!!!

Amanda

 

[JimB.]

Happy Sunday Warrioirs!!!

A nice cool (colder than forecast) day in overcast NE Florida.

I've only been out 1 lousy day this week. I had planned to do a "Mini Goofy" this week - I did 9 miles on Tuesday & was planning to do about 12-15 on Wednesday. During the last 3-4 miles of the 9, my right hamstring was giving me fits. I figured I would skip wednesday, but then (perhaps unwisely) said "naaaaaah. What the heck. If it hurts, I'll just quit" (BTW, I am very foolish and NEVER quit when something hurts). So off I went. About 1/2 mile down the road my Son calls me to tell me there is no hot water on his end of the house.

That is what I would call "A Sign", so I decided that was a good enough reason as any to turn around, so back I went. Probably a good thing.

Since than I've had 2 days of work, 1 day on the road & one day of cold, wet rain. I guess my taper really HAS started, whether I want it to or not.

But TOMORROW..................................

Everyone is doing GREAT! Keep up the work!!

3. Weeks. To. Go!!!!!!

 

[wtpclc]

Kathy - Woo hoo for that distance and pace! Hope the knee holds out for you!!! Glad you got the Garmin figrued out!

Amanda - Great job on your 10! You will be fine come marathon!

Jim - Hope your run went ok. be good to that hammy!

Jeremy - Glad you've been ablre to get out. be safe. (i.e., d owhat I say, not what I do. )

So, we decided to stay home to run because the path looked like hard pack. Maybe a little icier than our 18-miler. OMG, bad choice. The first 2.5 miles were hard pack coverd in ice. Ouch! Then, we were on raods that were ok for about 3 miles (2.5 of that would not be repeated ont eh way back). 5.5 to 8 were ok. Just about a half inch of snow that caused a bit of slip. 8 to 10 were bad to he$$-ish. I walked about a half mile and still slipped several times. 10 to 10.5 was up a bridge, around a corbener and down a very steep hill. None of it was close to runable. On teh downhill, I was awaslking and still fell on my hands and knees.

Only had to get to 111.5 and we could head home, though, due to some added distance early. That was the hardest 1.5 ever. My legs hurt from staying upright. EVen walking the iced over hard pack was killing me. Got to 11.5 and I was doubting. Praying for a gentle sign on whtehr to continue after 14, as we had a car parked there. Was wakling teh half mile before the car and slipped. Caught myself but it hurt. Told dh it hurt and he said we were done. It qas 18 with teh windchill. 24 with 15 to 25 mph wind to start and 30 mph gust. Was closer to LAke MI at the 11.5 miel mark so winds were worse. I had decided we had to take roads fro teh last 2.5 miles, if we went on, a s I could not even walk that by then. Well, it would have been dark by tehn, adn I will not do winter roads in teh dark, no matter how reflective I am (at least not the 55 mph one) and i wa snot reflective. So, we called it quits. Good thing as my back hurt from teh near falls and every muscle from teh hip down hurt from teh ice over hard pack. Picture a road 10x's rougher than AK walks covered with ice adn you get the picture. So, I know we put in close to 18 miles of effort and I know we'll be ok. Still....

On a happy note, this is the first year that an injurt has not sidelined me. EVen better, I should be going for my 3rd massage soon and I have no need for it. Bless my yoga instructor!

 

[wtpclc]

Jim - I want a Xmas gift from you this year. Yes, I have been accused of being very subtle. Please be at a meet or meet up with me somehow. I see we are both at BCV and would so love to meet you/you and Rachel!

 

[goofy57]

Good Monday morning Warriors,

Cold & snowing here in central Il. Start my tapering after work today. To be honest, I am tired of training & ready to get to the World & run. I do not have any time goals for either race, just want to finish and get that Goofy medal!!

Hope your training is going well & you are injury free. Merry Christmas & Happy New year. See ya in about 3 weeks.

 

[johde]

Amanda - Congratulations on the 10 miler. That was one of my hurdles in half marathon training.

Kathy - Sounds like your really improving. Your pace is coming along nicely. Glad to hear there was nothing major wrong with the Garmin.

Carrie - Sorry to hear about the run. Like I said, that's what pushed me to road running. And it's been at least a little bit better.

Stan - Don't let taper madness set in too bad.

Jim - Hope it's nothing major with the hamstring, and you can be healthy for Disney.

AFM - I ended up not doing anything over the weekend. I went out Friday and bought a new TV. Saturday Morning was rehersal for Christmas Eve service at church. I've also been getting ready for Christmas. The rest of the family isn't coming until the 29-31 so I still have time.

I got 4 miles in today at a 14:23 pace. I'm starting to get my speed back while running on the open road. The temp. was 29 outside and was just warm enough that there was a layer of water on top of the packed snow on some of the roads. I tried to stick to the cleared roads as much as possible. Lost footing a couple of times early first getting out of our neighborhood but didn't fall, my feet just shifted under me. Fortunately it was during my walk breaks. That was a nice thing about having the Garmin, I could move off a road that still had a layer of packed to onto clearer roads and not worry about total distance. I'm getting less self conscience about running in "public".

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Hey Warriors!

Jeremy: Good job getting your run in out in the ice and snow!

Stan: Merry Christmas and enjoy your tapering! See you in 3 weeks!

Carrie: The run sounds absolutely awful! My parents live on the east shore of Lake Huron and I told them about you doing 18 miles out there and they were just dumbfounded.

Jim: Isn't it great when life gives you signs that you should quit? Good for you for listening to them; I'm rarely that smart.

Amanda: on your 10 miles! You're ready for the half!

Kathy: Yay for no knee pain! Let's hope it stays that way for another 3 weeks!

Kate: Good luck with your "begging for money". I've run for the Arthritis Foundation the last couple years and though our fundraising commitment is lower ($1000), it's so hard to raise enough money! DH and I basically just assume that we may be paying $2000 between the two of us to run the race (even though we could enter for $110 each without the charity commitment). We just consider it to be the one thing we really do for someone else each year and are content with eating the cost if we have to. Still doesn't make it any easier to ask for money, though! Yes, Callum is still fighting sleep - he's doing better at night, but he's now stopped napping during the day. I guess you win some, you lose some.

Me? I finally made the connection last weekend that my arch pain is probably connected to my shoes. Pregnancy is rarely friendly to feet, and continuing to run until I was 8 months pregnant probably didn't do me any favors. I went into Road Runner Sports to get fitted for new running shoes, and I was shocked at how much my feet have changed. I had been wearing Nike Pegasus shoes (one of the softest neutral shoes out there) for 2 years, and now I'm wearing Mizuno Alchemys (a very stiff stability plus shoe). It was shocking to see how much I pronate in my left foot (the one that's been giving me problems), when I never used to pronate at all. I also shelled out the $70 for the custom molded insoles, hoping that they'll help keep my arches up.

So, I took the new shoes on a test run... my 10 mile long run on Saturday. I decided to go out to a trail around a reservoir that I've run with the Arthritis Foundation before. All I remembered about this trail was that it was awesome for running with a dog because the reservoir fence was on one side and there was either brush, a stream, or private property fence on the other side. The trail is lightly used even in nice summer weather (and it was cold and raining on Saturday) so it's a great trail to let your dog off-leash to explore a bit as you run.

As I was driving to the trail, there were lots of tree branches on the ground and a few of the street lights were dead. That should have been my first hint. I got out on the trail and there was a fallen tree across the path about a half mile out... that should have been my second hint. I got down on my hands and knee and crawled through the branches under the trunk and continued on. Over the course of 10 miles, I climbed over, under and through not less than three dozen fallen trees. Most of these were minor, but many of them required significant climbing and jumping. At one point I was walking in the middle of a closed road with a huge tree across it (big enough that I could walk under the trunk easily) and I realized I was stepping on power lines. Thankfully they were turned off.

At one point I ran into a Seattle Public Utilities truck on the path. They told me I should turn around. I told them I was 7 miles into the run and my car was on the other side of whatever was ahead. They told me I had a pretty dog and wished me luck. Here was the path at that point (sorry for the crappy photo - I have a cheap pay as you go phone):

Why yes, that clump of dense fallen over spruce trees is the path. Why do you ask? Do you see those two large fallen over trees in the background, that are crushing the fence? That was typical of the path all 10 miles around.

The other part I wasn't prepared for was just how bloody hilly that darn trail is - there are no flat stretches at all, on up or down. I must have blocked that part from my brain. Anyway, I made it around the lake... but was totally exhausted from the hills and climbing over and under trees and had to walk the last 2 miles or so. My total time was 2:17... I figure if I could finish that, the Disney half should be EASY!

Today was just baby and me yoga. I warned the instructor that my hamstrings were TIGHT from "bad running decisions". She took pity on me. Plus, the fun part about baby yoga is that you can get out of anything that hurts by making faces at your baby. As a side note, today was the day that Callum learned to move around the room by barrel rolling. He was rolling around the yoga studio all class while clutching his favorite toy (a squeaky rubber mushroom) - it was hilarious!

 

[wtpclc]

Jeremy - The shoulders on our roads are bad. We live in nowheresville. The year we tried to do roads, w were both injured from gettign on & off the shoulder when cars came. glad you stayed safe. Water over packed snow (aka ice) is teh worst!

Stan - hang in there! Almost race time!

Sarah - Your patrents may have more snow than us. The lsat bad one actually hopped over us adn hit the east side of MI hard. I'm guessign it didn't stop ofver Lake Huron either. Holly smokes on your 10-miler. You are hard core! lol. Love your baby yoga.

HAd heavenly yoga today. Instructor was tired. Did wonders fro my piri formis!