~Philadelphia Marathon 11/23/08~

[nucpharm29]

Colleen--not much in the way of Taper Madness going on yet. I chalk that up to having so much other stuff to do that I don't have time to think straight anyway. I was getting a little down about how awful last week was--but I got some sweet retribution today.

The weather was awesome 55degrees and no humidity!!! It's amazing what a little change in the weather will do. Did 12 miles in 1:46:58, ave 8:55 And my last mile was in 7:44! I think this is the first run ever that I had negative splits Now off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday and this glorious fall-like weather!

 

[Jodi]

Stephanie - Hello. That's an awful story, sometimes you just get carried away on a run & don't look b4 you cross. yikes. Sounds like you had an awesome run , what marathon is coming up for you? I'm sooo jealous that you're doing the ToT run!

Sara - Are you on your way to Disney yet? Have a terrific time, & ride Expedition Everest once for me! Oh, & please, forget about training when you're down there.

Colleen - That'd be so neat-o if you placed in your division!! I can only place in the old hag division

Mike - About the HR issues, uh, I think you should run faster & in the opposite direction

Chester - How'd you do?

Dave - Hope all is ok w/ you

Happy rest day (for most)

 

[nucpharm29]

Jodi--DH and I are running the Akron RoadRunner Marathon in (surprise, surprise) Akron, OH. His parents live in the area, so we get free babysitters. I, of course, was sucked in by the free shoes at the finish line. Forget the Tiffany necklace at the Nike 1/2--give me free Brooks and I"m yours forever!

 

[Jodi]

Stephanie - Well good luck gettin' thos shoes!!! Sounds like a blast & w/ built-in baby sitters, who could resist? I'll expect a full report!! Have FUN!!

 

[msblrobs]

Mike - I guess if you have to slow down then it might not be a good thing . I hope you had a great 13 miles today .

Stephanie - Such a very terrible story !! Thanks for posting it over here to remind us that safety should be a top priority. Congrats on your smokin' LR . Good luck in Akron .

Colleen - about the Athena division. I do agree with your DH about the Garmin because I've had trouble with my old 201 which is why I decided to upgrade. I am researching restaurants too...

Jodi - I've got another 6 days until WDW . Actually, I'm glad because it's still too hot down there. Glad you got your 8 miles in even though they felt tough. We're almost in the home stretch .

Well, I did do 9 miles a 10 mph today. I am okay with that. They felt good and I didn't want to push the knee issue because yesterday I was telling DH that I wasn't even sure I could spend 10 days walking around Disney with the way my knee felt. I have been icing, stretching and popping ibuprofen.
I most likely will do some sort of LR on Friday night since I am off to WDW early Saturday morning.

Happy training to all this week .

 

[Optimator]

:Jodi, I am not sure of the kickin' time because of my whack-a-mole garmin.

Colleen - I had some Garmin issues today as well. I'd been cruisin' along for 11 miles at a pretty consistent pace, looked at the Garmin and all of a sudden I was slowing down quite a bit. Well, only 2 more miles to go and like an idiot I wanted to finish at the pace I had been running at all morning long. So I pick up the pace some, then a little more. Before long I'm doing speed work at the end of a 13 mile run! Well, about 1.5 miles into the foolishness the dumb thing beeps that the signal has been lost. No trees in sight, cloudless sky... Go figure. It's a 205 and I've only had it drop the signal once, maybe twice before.

BTW, I didn't even know they had an Athena division. Pretty cool!

Sara - Good job on the run. Now, getting to the MCM is important but not being able to even walk around the parks?!?! That would be a tragedy!

And, as a public service announcement from your friendly pharmacist: Be sure not to over do it with the ibuprofen and always take it with food/milk or at least a full glass of water. A GI bleed trumps a sore knee every time.

Jodi - BTW, I didn't even know there was an old hag division. Good luck!


See above about my 13 miler today. It ended up being closer to 13.5 I'd guess at some undetermined rate. I would like to see what my pace was for the last 2 miles though. Judging by the burning in my legs and lungs, I'd think pretty good.

I guess I should have known it was going to be an interesting outing when I fumbled my Gu, dropped it, stepped on it, and squirted it all over the road. My belly was rumbling at that point and I was really looking forward to it, too.

DW and I then went on a 2+ mile walk this evening while the DD's were at CCD or Religous Ed or whatever the heck it's called. DW is starting her Donald training. I always struggle to keep up with her when walking, but it worked great to loosen up my stiff muscles from this morning.

Happy Monday!

 

[princessmomma]

Well, I did do 9 miles a 10 mph today. I am okay with that. They felt good and I didn't want to push the knee issue because yesterday I was telling DH that I wasn't even sure I could spend 10 days walking around Disney with the way my knee felt. I have been icing, stretching and popping ibuprofen.

Yeah, Sara, so glad you took it easy this weekend. My less intense week did wonders for me. I still hurt a bit, but nothing like I did before. This week will fly by and then you will have some great quality time with your family in your happy place.

Mike, good work on your 13 miler. I bet that was nothing for you.

Jodi, old hag division, wow, I wonder if they have an old hag/big girl division, I would definitely place in that category.

Stephanie, such a sad story. Thanks for the reminder. I do run early in the morning and wear a reflective vest. I will be careful.

Dave, thinking of you and your family.

OMG, I cannot tell you have beautiful it is weather-wise here in NC. We are FINALLY in the 70's!!! I think the high today will only get up to 77 degrees. For training today I went to a powerwalking class at the YMCA. We walked 4.1 miles around the neighborhood with some short spurts of backwards running, forward sprints and sideways squats. After the class, I was nicely warmed up and I went to the outdoor track to get in my speedwork. I ran 3 x 1600 at about a 8:20 pace with 400 m rest intervals. So total distance today was about 8 miles. Sounds a lot more inpressive than it actually was. That being said, my last mile interval was hard. I do feel really good.

 

[msblrobs]

Colleen - Awesome job on the speedwork !! I am beat today but I wanted to let you know of another restaurant I found in Crystal City that might work for our needs:

http://www.hamletcrystalcity.com/

Ted's is fine also. Winging it works too. Or we could just get connecting rooms at the Hampton Inn and have pizzas and a keg in our room for the WISH meet

I ran 20 minutes this morning followed by an hour of yoga. I may go out tonight for three miles but it won't kill me if I don't either.

 

[rKyDeX]

Chester - How'd your run(s) go? No blister problems, I hope.

Alright, here's a question for you. Let's say your running your race, monitoring your heart rate and all of a sudden you're surrounded by a bevy(sp?) of running beauties. How did Sara put it? Admiring the human form? Well, do you have to slow down due to the resulting increase in HR?

Mike

Saturdays 8.02 miles went down as a stonker. 12:47 mpm average. I attriibute the results to a late start - 9:17 - it was already light out and the sun was beating down.

Sundays 13.10 was much better. Averaged 11:10 at a pace between marathon and half marathon heart rates. Leaving at 6:00am helped. No major blisters, just a small nagging one on the end of a toe.

Hmmm, If I was surrounded by a bevy of running beauties, my heart rate would probably spike over 200, and I'd either have to slow down until they were over the horizon or ignore the Garmin and speed up and enjoying the scenery. I do notice that I naturally speed up when in the presence of younger female runners though.


This week:
Tuesday 5
Wednesday 8
Thursday 5
Saturday 5
Sunday 20


Lunch break is over, gotta go.



Chester
W.I.S.H. Half-Fast Marathon Team

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Greetings MCM Teammates:

I got back from Delaware last night after a dreadful 10 hour drive. We got stuck in construction right after crossing into Pennsylvania, and I went 4 miles in 1 hour. That's 15 min miles, and I can walk that fast! The weekend was very tiring, sad, and draining. My Mom's service was very nice though, and it was good to spend time with my sister, her family, and my Father. I only ran once over the weekend for 5 miles, and I ended up with around 20 miles total last week. Not too bad considering, and it was a step back week for me anyhow. I thought I would get back to my marathon training this week, but I'm still feeling really drained. I'm supposed to have a 20 mile run this weekend. Right now I'm just going through the motions and putting one foot in front of the other.

 

[princessmomma]

Dave, thanks so much for checking in. Unfortunate about the slow drive on the way home, so frustrating.

Chester, impressive weekend results once again. You do so well to start out running mid-morning like that. I am addicted to my 5 a.m. weekend runs.

Sara, I could go for Hamlets. I really didn't like the idea of Ted's, because if it was anything like some of the places here in NC, it would be too loud and busy for me. That being said, we could also order something in to our hotel, we have a 1 bedroom suite booked that would probably accommodate us all.

Get this, forgot to tell the story of a lady who was in my powerwalking class this morning. She was about 5 feet tall and about 55 years old and a recently retired teacher. She told me she ran marathons. I asked her some of her favorite races. Charlotte, Virgina Beach and Boston were three she ran. She then offered that she ran a 3:18 in Charlotte to qualify for Boston!! WOW, all I could say was WOW!

 

[Jodi]

Dave - Glad you & your family are home safe & sound. Don't put too much pressure on yourself for your training, do what feels right. If youdon't get 20 in this weekend, shoot for next weekend, kay?

Chester - I'm diggin' those times . Glad to hear that you had no blister issues. Mine are behaving nicely, but sometimes I get these nasty hot spots on top of my nasty callouses. Ugh

Colleen - ARGHhhh! Doesn't it amaze you that 55 y/o people can outrun you, me & nearly everyone else reading this??? Wow, good for her. Maybe I'll be that fast when I'm 50 (as if). Super job on that speed work stuff!! I'm impressed, you were flyin' . I'm glad the aches are subsiding as well, you're back on track (and a fast track at that). We're having great weather here as well. 70 today with night time temps in the 40s&50s Earl rocks! What are you gonna run this weekend?

Sara - KEGGER in Colleens room!!! . Who knew it'd be so hard to find a place to eat in our nation's capital??? (IS it capitol or capital?). "Won't kill you if you don't go tonight"??? Wow, that's a change, now you're talkin' my language...welcome to the dark side . Take it easy this week, finishing MCM is negligible, but not being able to walk the parks is downright WRONG. You could always rent a scooter!! I'm so excited for you!! Where are you guys stayin'??

OK, I ran 60 mins today & I know I ran about 61/2 to 7 miles, I didn't bring the Garmin 'cause the thing ways me down (Garmin 101). It felt pretty good for some unknown reason. I didn't make the a.m. call, so I left work early (that's responsible) & ran around 1:30. The weather was great. But that's all supposed to change as it gets hotter as the week goes on. By Sat. it should be 80 for my 18 miler . Can i catch a break?? Oh well, gotta deal.

I'm off to go watch Law & Order reruns. I just made some Early Gray tea & have the house to myself! My DS is sleeping over his friend's (no school tomorrow, some teacher's day thing...sheesh, already?) & my husband doesn't get home from work until 9. I've got almost 2 hours to go hog wild! . Can you say loser??

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Good Morning TEAM:

Thanks for all your support everyone.

I ran 5 miles yesterday after work in 45:46 min/9:09 mpm. It was a beautiful afternoon for running - sunny, clear, and cool. It was a great fall day, and I felt good being out there. It was the best run I've had in a week.

So here's something kind of neat - remember how I was having a solo trip to Washington DC for the marathon? Not anymore... my Dad's coming with me now. Last week when I was with my Dad, I asked him if he wanted to come and watch me run. Delaware's so close to DC, and he can pick me up at the airport. I thought it would be fun to be able to spend some more time with Dad. He did ask if he would be able to hang out with other WISH scream teamers while I was running, and I said I didn't think that would be a problem at all. Anyone mind if my Dad hangs around with their family to cheer on the runners?

 

[msblrobs]

Dave - Welcome back !! My family will most likely hang out at the street party in Crystal City for the duration of the marathon. Your dad is more than welcome to hang with my DH and DD's.

Jodi - You SO know I ran last night and this morning plus went to a Pilates class before work . I am hopeless . Colleen and I both have suites at the Hampton Inn so it could be a good time . I would be willing to recruit some Marines to join the party Awesome run and pretty speedy too !! I hope you enjoyed your solitude last night.

Colleen - Anyplace is fine but we really should either book something or make definitive plans for a casual meeting spot somewhere. I will see you regardless but it would be cool to get together as a group to hash out our pre-race plans. Holy smokes on the 3:18 marathon . I just cannot even imagine.

Chester - : Yeah for speeding up to enjoy the scenery. Best of luck on your 20 miles this weekend.

Mike - Thanks for the advice on the ibuprofen. I don't take it habitually because I am mindful of the risks. about the gel incident. Best of luck to your DW in her Donald training. Maybe she could call my DH and remind him to begin his Donald training as well .

I most likely will not get in anything else today because my DS is a HS senior so we have to go for the college night thingy. My knee is still upset with me so it is not a bad thing I guess. I could always think about packing sometime soon here too .

 

[rKyDeX]

Dave
It's great that your Dad is coming with you. Mine will be with me, just not in person. He's the reason that I'm running this particular race....

My father died November 15, 2002. He was my Scoutmaster, my Coach, my Mechanic, my Contractor, my Teacher, my Best Friend, my Best Man and he was a career MARINE. I'm running this race in his honor.

Dad is with me whenever I run. He is especially helpful during races and longer training runs when the going gets tough. If you see me struggling along, with my right shoulder dipping a little lower than my left, it's because Dad is there, urging me along. It's a burden I proudly carry.

Jodi
When I was researching blister prevention remedies, I came across someone that tried toughening ther feet up with callouses as a prevention. But, they still got blisters under the callouses during an ultra-marathon and were more painful and harder to treat. For Sunday's 20 miler, I'll pre-treat with body glide and change socks around the halfway point.

Sara
Have fun with your DS at the college night thingy. Absorb as much as you can. Senior year goes by very quickly. I drove DS back to college Sunday night after his first weekend home since starting his freshman year. It seems like just yesterday that his senior year started.

Colleen
I prefer to do my running in the dark, at least while its still really hot out. Weekday runs usually start at 10:00pm and I try to start weekend runs by 6:00am. The downside is that I have to stay in the developed areas and run sidewalks/pavement.


Chester
W.I.S.H. Half-Fast Marathon Team

 

[princessmomma]

http://crystalcity.com/Dine_Shop_Stay/Dine/Restaurant_Guide

More restaurant options. I am of the opinion that if I am going to carb load before a marathon, it is best to do it 2 nights before the marathon. Carb load and a good night's sleep is on my agenda for Friday. So I am on a mission to find an Italian place. There is a place called Bebo Trattoria, 2250-B Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202 that might be good. It is a little pricier than the American Cafe. They also have a semi-private dining room that might be good for us. I will see if the room is suitable for 16 people.


Dave, so glad your dad will be meeting you in DC. Hope he comes to the WISH events. He is welcome to hang out with my gang too.

Off to bed, had a hectic day today. Will write more tomorrow.

 

[msblrobs]

Colleen - I completely agree on the Friday night carbo load. If you wouldn't mind trying to make reservations at Bebo Trattoria that would be great!!

 

[princessmomma]

Colleen - I completely agree on the Friday night carbo load. If you wouldn't mind trying to make reservations at Bebo Trattoria that would be great!!

Sara, what on earth are you doing up at 3:38 a.m.? Is this your normal wake up time?

 

[msblrobs]

Sara, what on earth are you doing up at 3:38 a.m.? Is this your normal wake up time?

Somehow I knew you'd be calling me out on that one ...4:00 is my normal wake up time without an alarm . Today it just happened to be a bit earlier. The funny thing is I didn't even run this morning and I still had to struggle to get to work on time. I am cramming to get stuff done before vacation. I don't know if I am going to run today because I now have heel, ankle, PF issues in the same leg as my knee issue. I just can't win . I took a really hot soak this morning and I just need to get back to good.

I hope everyone is hanging in there and feeling inspired .

 

[Jodi]

Sara - How did I know that you were the "type" to get up @ 4 a.m.? . I was up @ 4 as well, but that's b/c I got up to use the BR @ around 2:30 & couldn't fall back asleep. That is until around 4:45...too bad I had to get up @ 5:45 to run . If we do have a kegger, we've already got one marine, my husband. Sorry that things are hurting so, take the day off. on the soak idea! Do you rotate your ankles at all? My heel's been acting up, too. I think this vacation is exactly what the Dr. ordered. And don't be afraid to hang out @ the pool/hot tub @ the hotel!! How'd college night go?

Colleen - I feel badly that you're stuck with this reservation thing. Anything is ok by me @ this point. There are 16 of us??? Holy crapoli, I'd no idea. How are you feeling? What are you gonna run Sat.? Friday is definite carbo night, along with a good sleep .

Chester - I enjoyed reading about your love for your father, you're a lucky man to have those memories. Glad he'll be w/ you on 10/28. I've tried the callous thing for a while, but decided to "wittle" them down the other night , as I'm starting to develop a blister just adjacent to this mega-growth on the right, big toe. My husband says I should take a grinding wheel to "those things".

Dave - Soooo glad your dad's going to meet you in DC, good for him to be able to come down & cheer you on. He's welcome to hang w/ my DH, perhaps he can even help my directionaly challenged husband find me?? Sara, was it you who said your family hangs in one place? or was that Colleen? Where is that place?? My last marathon my husband just roamed the streets & shops of Burlington, VT. Poor guy.

Ran 4 this a.m. & it felt great, really cold, in the 40s!! Too bad it's gonna be 85 & humid on Sat.