1. So it's race week. Which means I've been antsy. And concentration has completely disappeared. I just want it to be the weekend so I can pick up my packet, figure out a plan and run my race. And of course the week has been dragging! Thankfully I thought ahead and took Friday off. But still. This has been the longest 4-day work week.
2. I've been light on the running this week. I skipped Monday to recover from my Ironman Wisconsin spectating and Tuesday it just got too late. I did get in 4 miles last night and plan on getting in an easy 2-3 miles tonight. Then? It's time to rest.
3. I'll be back with a separate post about race goals and looking back at my training. But rest assured, after the actual race itself? I've got the most important thing covered. An hour-long massage has been scheduled for Monday! Can't wait for that.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Actual photos of me running
Hey. Remember when I ran the Madison Mini Marathon in August?
I've actually got proof that I ran it. I finally got around to looking at the professional photos that were taken. And while I liked some of them, I'm really not in the mood to pay the incredibly steep fees those photogs want. So I used the screenshots. Because it's not often that you come across a good race photo.
I've actually got proof that I ran it. I finally got around to looking at the professional photos that were taken. And while I liked some of them, I'm really not in the mood to pay the incredibly steep fees those photogs want. So I used the screenshots. Because it's not often that you come across a good race photo.
Waiting out the rain delay inside an air conditioned theater at the Memorial Union with @ptg1002 and @MsIndigo
This one is actually my favorite. I like to think I look a little bit like a bada$$ here. A runner on a mission.
So I might have a slight problem with looking down at the pavement sometimes when I run.
Heading onto the Lakeshore Path. Just a little over 2 miles to go.
Finish line sprint. Yes, I passed that chic in the yellow.
I look a little bit like death here. But mostly because I was hot and wet. But I needed to get the pic in front of the iconic Union Terrace chair.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Spectating report to come
Guys. Spectating at Ironman Wisconsin? Hard. But so much fun!
And while I've (mostly) recovered, you'll have to wait a couple of more days for the full spectating report and what I thought. Mostly because my computer is being stupid. Seriously. Almost 5 minutes to load a web page? I don't even want to think how long it will take to upload photos.
But I'll leave you with this.
Because Ironmen? They're not too bad on the eyes.
And while I've (mostly) recovered, you'll have to wait a couple of more days for the full spectating report and what I thought. Mostly because my computer is being stupid. Seriously. Almost 5 minutes to load a web page? I don't even want to think how long it will take to upload photos.
But I'll leave you with this.
Because Ironmen? They're not too bad on the eyes.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Three Things Thursday
1. Are you ready for some football? I know I am! I can't wait for the NFL season to kick off tonight at Lambeau Field. And you bet I'll be sporting my green Aaron Rodgers jersey tonight. The only bad part about today? Instead of heading up to Green Bay to take in all of the kickoff festivities that are going on, I'll be at work. Somehow I have a feeling my concentration level will be pretty close to non-existent.
2. Last night I headed out to meet up with Peggy for a run after work. We had 6 miles on our training plan and both of us have realized that 6 miles is about the cut off point for where running alone is tolerable. We can both do the longer miles alone, but find them so much easier and more enjoyable when we're with a running buddy. So we met up and ran. And the miles? They literally flew by. And they didn't feel hard. We took them pretty easy, even sprinkling in a few short walk breaks, but still finished with a fairly decent pace. We were happy.
3. And the run gave us a chance to make some more plans for this weekend. Because we're heading down to Madison to take in all the Ironman Wisconsin craziness and cheer on our friend, fellow Tough Mudder and coach Jeff as he travels the 140.6 miles. So excited. It's going to be an amazing and inspirational weekend. And I'm pretty sure I'll walk away on Sunday with the desire to add a triathlon on to my 2012 race calendar. I missed it this year.
2. Last night I headed out to meet up with Peggy for a run after work. We had 6 miles on our training plan and both of us have realized that 6 miles is about the cut off point for where running alone is tolerable. We can both do the longer miles alone, but find them so much easier and more enjoyable when we're with a running buddy. So we met up and ran. And the miles? They literally flew by. And they didn't feel hard. We took them pretty easy, even sprinkling in a few short walk breaks, but still finished with a fairly decent pace. We were happy.
3. And the run gave us a chance to make some more plans for this weekend. Because we're heading down to Madison to take in all the Ironman Wisconsin craziness and cheer on our friend, fellow Tough Mudder and coach Jeff as he travels the 140.6 miles. So excited. It's going to be an amazing and inspirational weekend. And I'm pretty sure I'll walk away on Sunday with the desire to add a triathlon on to my 2012 race calendar. I missed it this year.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Run for the Paws 5K Race Report
Given the face that I had run nearly 14 miles the day before, I wasn't sure what to expect when I lined up at the starting line for the Run for the Paws 5K on Monday morning.
It's a Labor Day race followed by a parade and festival (featuring free corn!) in a small town that my friend Amanda lives near. I did the race in 2009 and it was a nice small, local race. Knowing I needed to get 3 miles in anyway on Monday and that I hadn't seen Amanda in a few months, I signed up.
Of course, that was thinking my long run would be on Saturday and I'd have a day to recover. Dang Mother Nature.
Before the lightning pushed my long run back a day, I was initially thinking I'd use the 5K on Monday to test out my speed. It was supposed to be cooler and the route is fairly flat. Fast forward to Sunday night, I had legs that were feeling a little trashed (even though I sported my green CEP compression socks all day) and I was seriously thinking of hanging back with Amanda and just getting the miles in at the run/walk pace that she's used to.
But then race day dawned and the legs didn't feel too bad. We lined up at the starting line. I told Amanda I was going to go out and see how I felt. But she shouldn't be surprised if she found me on the side of the road midway through waiting for her.
The gun went off. I started running. There were probably only about 25 people running so I was fairly close to the front. Kind of weird feeling. Anyway.
First mile I was feeling good, but I didn't realize I was running a 9:30 mile. Huh. Guess my legs weren't as trashed as I thought they'd be a day after almost 14 miles. Somewhere around 1.2 miles the route made a left turn and we were heading north on a village street. Straight into the wind. Not a bad wind, but you could definitely feel it. I tried to keep the pace up though. Went through the water stop, grabbed a glass and walked for maybe 10 seconds. Started to run again. Second mile in 10:00.
About a half mile later we made another left hand turn and we in the home stretch. Unfortunately we were also heading uphill. Not a nasty uphill by any means, but enough that it caused my legs to start getting cranky with me. I refused to walk the uphill, waiting until I got to the top before I let myself walk for about 20-30 seconds. This is also when a pair of girls that were behind me - who I had been holding off the entire race so far - passed me along with another woman. Them passing me was kind of a downer, but then I remembered, hello, you just ran 14 miles yesterday. It's OK to take it easy.
I started running again, refused to stop. Made the last turn onto the finish line straight away and tried to kick it into a finish line sprint. I sprinted. But didn't have enough road to catch the three woman that passed me during that brief walk break.
I finished in 30:30. Not too bad considering it was on tired legs from the weekend's long run the day before. And considering it's just 40 second slower than my 5K PR? I'll take it. I got my finisher's medal and chugged some chocolate milk and water. We didn't stick around for the awards ceremony because the pancake breakfast at the high school was calling our names.
It's a Labor Day race followed by a parade and festival (featuring free corn!) in a small town that my friend Amanda lives near. I did the race in 2009 and it was a nice small, local race. Knowing I needed to get 3 miles in anyway on Monday and that I hadn't seen Amanda in a few months, I signed up.
Of course, that was thinking my long run would be on Saturday and I'd have a day to recover. Dang Mother Nature.
Before the lightning pushed my long run back a day, I was initially thinking I'd use the 5K on Monday to test out my speed. It was supposed to be cooler and the route is fairly flat. Fast forward to Sunday night, I had legs that were feeling a little trashed (even though I sported my green CEP compression socks all day) and I was seriously thinking of hanging back with Amanda and just getting the miles in at the run/walk pace that she's used to.
But then race day dawned and the legs didn't feel too bad. We lined up at the starting line. I told Amanda I was going to go out and see how I felt. But she shouldn't be surprised if she found me on the side of the road midway through waiting for her.
The gun went off. I started running. There were probably only about 25 people running so I was fairly close to the front. Kind of weird feeling. Anyway.
First mile I was feeling good, but I didn't realize I was running a 9:30 mile. Huh. Guess my legs weren't as trashed as I thought they'd be a day after almost 14 miles. Somewhere around 1.2 miles the route made a left turn and we were heading north on a village street. Straight into the wind. Not a bad wind, but you could definitely feel it. I tried to keep the pace up though. Went through the water stop, grabbed a glass and walked for maybe 10 seconds. Started to run again. Second mile in 10:00.
About a half mile later we made another left hand turn and we in the home stretch. Unfortunately we were also heading uphill. Not a nasty uphill by any means, but enough that it caused my legs to start getting cranky with me. I refused to walk the uphill, waiting until I got to the top before I let myself walk for about 20-30 seconds. This is also when a pair of girls that were behind me - who I had been holding off the entire race so far - passed me along with another woman. Them passing me was kind of a downer, but then I remembered, hello, you just ran 14 miles yesterday. It's OK to take it easy.
I started running again, refused to stop. Made the last turn onto the finish line straight away and tried to kick it into a finish line sprint. I sprinted. But didn't have enough road to catch the three woman that passed me during that brief walk break.
I finished in 30:30. Not too bad considering it was on tired legs from the weekend's long run the day before. And considering it's just 40 second slower than my 5K PR? I'll take it. I got my finisher's medal and chugged some chocolate milk and water. We didn't stick around for the awards ceremony because the pancake breakfast at the high school was calling our names.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Moving the long run, but a good choice.
Nothing like Mother Nature to throw a wrench into long holiday weekend plans.
I was set to have my final long run - 13 miles - before taper starts for Fox Cities on Saturday. The weatherman said there was a chance of showers on Saturday, but it wouldn't be until the afternoon. So did all the pre-long run stuff on Friday night that I usually do and went to bed at a somewhat reasonable time.
Well when 5:15 rolled around, I was not only greeted by the buzzing of my alarm, but also a huge crack of thunder, so much lightning flashing that I could have been confused and thought it was 5:15 in the afternoon and the text message alert sound from my phone.
"WTF? Do we have a contingency plan? Breakfast now, run tomorrow AM? Lightning and thunder."
After a brief, half-asleep text message phone tree with my running buddies Peggy, Myriah and Amy, it was a no-brainer. We're going back to sleep.
So I did. And I eventually woke up to sunny skies, a guilty feeling about skipping the run and then was blasted with the humidity. But plans were in place to get the run in Sunday morning.
We met up at the park - minus Myriah, who's been sidelined with some knee pain - and let me tell you. We were rewarded for waiting 24 hours. Some light cloud cover, no humidity and temperatures in the mid-50s! Guys, it was actually a little chilly! Loved it.
I ran with Peggy, we talked race strategy, general life stuff and started to make tentative plans for Ironman spectating. Jeff rode along side us for portions of the run and offered good advice. I was feeling great.
And then I hit Mile 10 and my left knee started getting cranky. It's been happening every so often since I banged it mid-fall from the Berlin Walls at Tough Mudder. I'm also pretty sure the crankiness is my body's way of reminding me my shoes need to be replaced. The pair I was wearing Sunday had about 350 miles on them and it was time to start breaking in the new pair for race day last week, but with limited runs (one 7-miler) I didn't start last week.
So the last three miles were a bit of a struggle. The pace slowed down a bit. A few brief stretch breaks just to try to get the tightness worked out. But there were also some mental battles in my head. Self-doubt crept in. Worries about the half marathon in two weeks and if I'll be able to pull out the kind of performance I want since I feel like I haven't had that one great long run this training cycle.
And all the negative thoughts? Jeff did the best he could to banish the negativity as he was riding next to me. Bluntly told me that those thoughts were a load of bulls&$t and that I've made the strides in training this time around and I'll be able to hit the goal. And when it wasn't coming from Jeff it was coming out of Peggy's mouth.
Basically they told me exactly what I needed to hear to get that little bit of confidence back that I needed in order to push through those final miles. And it was reinforced when I finished the run and hit stop on the Garmin. 13.7 miles in just over 2:35. And that includes the drop in pace, struggles with the knee and a few walking breaks in the final 3 miles.
Bring on the taper. Less than 2 weeks.
I was set to have my final long run - 13 miles - before taper starts for Fox Cities on Saturday. The weatherman said there was a chance of showers on Saturday, but it wouldn't be until the afternoon. So did all the pre-long run stuff on Friday night that I usually do and went to bed at a somewhat reasonable time.
Well when 5:15 rolled around, I was not only greeted by the buzzing of my alarm, but also a huge crack of thunder, so much lightning flashing that I could have been confused and thought it was 5:15 in the afternoon and the text message alert sound from my phone.
"WTF? Do we have a contingency plan? Breakfast now, run tomorrow AM? Lightning and thunder."
After a brief, half-asleep text message phone tree with my running buddies Peggy, Myriah and Amy, it was a no-brainer. We're going back to sleep.
So I did. And I eventually woke up to sunny skies, a guilty feeling about skipping the run and then was blasted with the humidity. But plans were in place to get the run in Sunday morning.
We met up at the park - minus Myriah, who's been sidelined with some knee pain - and let me tell you. We were rewarded for waiting 24 hours. Some light cloud cover, no humidity and temperatures in the mid-50s! Guys, it was actually a little chilly! Loved it.
I ran with Peggy, we talked race strategy, general life stuff and started to make tentative plans for Ironman spectating. Jeff rode along side us for portions of the run and offered good advice. I was feeling great.
And then I hit Mile 10 and my left knee started getting cranky. It's been happening every so often since I banged it mid-fall from the Berlin Walls at Tough Mudder. I'm also pretty sure the crankiness is my body's way of reminding me my shoes need to be replaced. The pair I was wearing Sunday had about 350 miles on them and it was time to start breaking in the new pair for race day last week, but with limited runs (one 7-miler) I didn't start last week.
So the last three miles were a bit of a struggle. The pace slowed down a bit. A few brief stretch breaks just to try to get the tightness worked out. But there were also some mental battles in my head. Self-doubt crept in. Worries about the half marathon in two weeks and if I'll be able to pull out the kind of performance I want since I feel like I haven't had that one great long run this training cycle.
And all the negative thoughts? Jeff did the best he could to banish the negativity as he was riding next to me. Bluntly told me that those thoughts were a load of bulls&$t and that I've made the strides in training this time around and I'll be able to hit the goal. And when it wasn't coming from Jeff it was coming out of Peggy's mouth.
Basically they told me exactly what I needed to hear to get that little bit of confidence back that I needed in order to push through those final miles. And it was reinforced when I finished the run and hit stop on the Garmin. 13.7 miles in just over 2:35. And that includes the drop in pace, struggles with the knee and a few walking breaks in the final 3 miles.
Bring on the taper. Less than 2 weeks.
Friday, September 2, 2011
September could be a pretty good month
How is it already September?
Not that I'm complaining. Because I'm kind of looking forward to the cooler fall temperatures - if they ever decide to show up and stick around - and I've got some pretty cool things planned for the month.
But first I have to mention my Badgers.
Did anyone see that game last night? Bucky was on fire! Or I guess maybe his arms were on fire. See at Wisconsin we've got a tradition. Everytime the Badgers score during the football game, Bucky Badger does that number of pushups on a board that's being held up by the male cheerleaders. On a low scoring night it's not really a problem.
So now that I've addressed the Badgers (who looked pretty amazing in their victory and I'm pretty stoked to watch our new QB Russell Wilson this season), I can move on to other exciting things I've got planned for September.
It starts this weekend. Sunday night I'm heading down to my old stomping grounds, the 'Burg, to hang out with Amanda, a friend of mine. On Monday we're heading over to Randolph, this little village near her house, for Run for the Paws, a local 5K and corn carnival. I did the 5K with her two years ago and am pretty excited to make a return appearance. The first time I did it was a small little race and I actually placed in my age group! Looking forward to seeing what I can do this year.
Next weekend? It's going to be pretty cool. My friend Peggy (who just started a blog, stop by and say hi!) and I are heading down to Madison to cheer on Jeff, a friend of ours and fellow Tough Mudder teammate, as he tackles Ironman Wisconsin. Even though I went to school in Madison, I never got to experience an Ironman since the event was first staged the fall after I graduated. So I'm super excited to spectate and cheer on all the athletes. Should be a pretty inspiring weekend and it comes at a great time because....
The next weekend is the Fox Cities Half Marathon. My 'A' race for the fall. I'm pretty sure there will be more written about this race as race day gets closer.
So a pretty busy month. And that's only the first three weekends! I'm ready!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Three Things Thursday: Game Day edition!
1. It's game day! In a matter of hours you'll find me sitting in front of a TV watching as the Badgers open up their season, and the entire college football season, against UNLV at Camp Randall. So. Excited. I've been waiting for what seems like forever. Or since Jan. 1 when Wisconsin lost a heart breaker to those darn Horned Frogs from TCU and JJ Watt cried during the post-game press conference. But it's a new season. And it could be a special one. And it all starts tonight. Under the lights. Kick off is at 7 p.m. And I'm pretty sure the concentration level while I'm at work today will be non-existent.
2. But before I get to watch the Badgers I've got a run date set up with a new running partner here in Oshkosh. I know Jes through Twitter and we're both in the middle of half marathon training and run about the same pace. So the plan is to meet up after work for a quick 5 miles. I'm looking forward to it!
3. Speaking of football. Did anyone see this? Apparently President Obama wanted to make a speech to the joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Sept. 7 but after some outcry from Republicans pushed it back to the next day. No big deal, right? Well, Sept. 8 just happens to be the NFL season opener. You know, the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers taking on the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field? I'm pretty sure there might be a few angry Packer fans in Wisconsin if the President's speech interrupts the game and we miss a chunk because TV shows the speech instead of the game. Just sayin'.
Bonus: As I was adding up mileage for the month of August I realized I had another 100+ mile month! I logged 113.45 miles for the month. That's the third time I've hit that number this year (or actually ever) and my highest monthly mileage total (previous high was 111.7 miles in March). This brings me to 677.75 miles for the year, and leaves me needing 322.75 more miles before the end of the year if I want to hit that 1,000 mile goal. Four months. Think I can do it?
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