best 20 miles ever ...

So, as you know, my attempt to run 20 miles on Saturday went awry for a multitude of reasons. But, by the time Sunday rolled around, I was ready to run.

The plan was simple. I was going to head out at 6 a.m. for the first 4.5 miles. At 6:45ish, I was going to stop back at J's parents to pick him up for the next 11. Then, at mile 15.5-16, we would run past the house again. J would stop and I would finish the rest of my 20. Easy peasy.

I woke up around 5:45 (waking up Dizzle and Doodle in the process) and got dressed, ate a Clif Bar and gathered my gear. Promptly at 6, I headed out. AND.IT.WAS.WONDERFUL.

The temperature was 54 degrees when I walked out the door. And in case you haven't been paying attention, that's about 20 degrees cooler than anything I have run in since early May. Anyway, feeling energized by the weather and the rest day on Saturday, I decided that I would run a little faster than my usual long run pace. Nothing super fast or challenging. Just whatever my legs were up for. When I got back to the house to pick up J, I realized that I was averaging just above "Super Dream Goal" Marathon Pace. Sweet.

Then J and I headed out. (Aren't we cute?)

I let J set the pace. I was hoping for about an 11:30 average, which is about 30 seconds slower than my 15+ mile long run pace and about 30 seconds faster than J's long run pace. We started together, but for most of the run, we ran near each other, not with each other. I was about 30 feet in front of him. I was hoping that running just ahead of him would push him to catch me. (I know, I'm a mean wife). He didn't, but he held his pace quite well, finishing with an average of 11:50 for the 11 miles (over a minute faster than his current half marathon PR pace).

When we got back, I left J (he had to get ready for the Red Sox game) and finished the last 4.2 miles of the run. Again, I decided to push the pace a little. I felt good and averaged 9:30 from miles 16-20. And the icing on the cake ... mile 20 was my fastest of the day at 9:13. Basically, it was the best 20 miler I have ever run.

And see that smile? It's more than just a "thank God I'm done" smile. It's also a "thank God for perfect runs" smile.

Back Pocket Sports Winner ...

Yesterday, I ran the most awesome 20 miler ever. And tomorrow, when I am not trapped in a car for 12+ hours with my children, I will hook you up with a recap. But for now, I leave you with the results of my Back Pocket Sports Giveaway.

There were 302 entries and thanks to random.org, the winner is #208 ...

Congrats Katie A. @ One Run at a Time

Email me and I will give you the information to claim your prize.

excuses ...

I love my schedule. I follow it to a T. It's my Type-A personality. It pushes me to strive to be perfect all the time. But, don't tell anyone, I'm not. (I am pretty good at faking though.) At times, things go wrong. Plans go astray. Life gets bumpy. Or I get lazy. Like when I didn't run my scheduled 20 miler on Saturday.

The following is a list of what may or may not be excuses as to why I did not run:

1. I ran an a**-kicking five mile tempo run on Thursday (8:21 pace, if you were wondering.) I followed that run by the most sucktastic five miler on Friday. I barely survived. It was horrible. And I finished that run less than 10 hours before my scheduled 20 miler. At that point, I just wasn't feeling it.

2. I have been nursing a sore throat and some nasal congestion since Thursday. It's not getting any worse, but it's not really getting any better either. An extra day of rest was only going to help, right?

3. The temperature on Saturday morning at 6 a.m. was 70. The temperature today at 6 a.m. was 54. Enough said.

4. My iPod was non-functional. Apparently, if you NEVER remove your iPod from the armband and NEVER remove the earbuds from the iPod, your sweat will start to corrode the device. The metal was eaten away on the top (near the bezel) and the plug for the earbuds was permanently welded by calcified sweat into the plug. Not a problem until you attempt to remove it, at which point, the cord will rip off and the plug will remain. Fan-freaking-tastic. $200 later, I now have a working iPod (and will religiously be removing it from the armband after my runs).


5. Sleeping in (even if it was only until 7:45) sounded far more appealing than hitting the pavement for 3+ hours.


6. I wanted to wear my capris on Saturday. And they don't really go with my recovery socks.

7. I didn't REALLY want to run 68 miles in a seven day period (Sunday-Saturday). I much preferred the thought of only logging 50 miles in seven days (Monday-Sunday).

8. J made me.

P.S. - Those excuses were short lived. I am headed out the door right now ...

crushing the block ...

Yesterday, G wrote a rather insightful post on the self-imposed limitations we set for ourselves. After I read it, I sent her a message to let her know that she was right. She needs to start believing that she can reach her "dream goal." And that since she mentioned it, I might as well start believing that I can reach mine too.

For me, it is clear that my failures (if you want to call them that) are results of mental weakness. I am a strong runner. I know this. I thrive during training. I hit my goal times. And sometimes crush them. I excel at shorter distances (10K or less), not because I am better at them than longer distances, but because I have the confidence that I can complete them without faltering. And thus, I do.

In the longer distances, I set myself up poorly. When my body tells me it's had enough, I believe it. Even if it's not really the case. I know that I am capable of more, but when crunch time comes, I begin to doubt it. But that has to stop. I need to believe that I can hold my goal paces (or at least come close), because that is the only way I am ever going to make it happen.

So, I am going to crush that block that I have been allowing to stop me. And I am putting this out there to the universe. I am a strong runner. And a powerful runner. And I can reach my goals because I am capable. And it starts now.

Based on all of my recent race times from 3 miles to 10K, I should be able to run a 1:50 - 1:53 half marathon. My current PR is 2:01. In Seattle, with Mel pacing me, I am GOING TO RUN a 1:52. Everyone else seems to think I can do it, and now, so do I.

And that marathon that is a mere six weeks away? My primary goal has always been, and still is, to train correctly, stay injury free and run strong. But, honestly, I want a sub 4:30 time. It would be a HUGE PR (like 40 minutes). But I KNOW, I can run it. Anything faster would just be icing on the cake.

Now, all I have to do is prove myself right.

you wanted to know, questions 11-15

As a requirement for entry in my 1,000 mile giveaway, you needed to ask me a question. Any question. And I promised to answer them over a series of posts. Here are questions 11-15 ...

Michel asked, "Have you ever had to wear a cast for an overuse injury?"

Yes and no. Last November, I had a severe case of stenosing tenosynovitis in my ankle. Basically, it's the progressive restriction of the sheath surrounding a tendon, causing inflammation. I was bad. I could barely walk. And despite the fact that it did not require a cast, I had my doctor put me in one, so that I couldn't ignore my body and run on it. So, I didn't HAVE TO wear a cast. I CHOSE TO wear a cast.

But it was really hard (mentally and physically). It itched like crazy and made my everyday life rather challenging (you can't exactly drive with a cast on your right foot). And although I asked for it, I am a horrible patient and cut it off early. However, I do not recommend this irresponsible behavior. Although it turned out fine, I would have probably been better served by leaving it on.

The good news is that I made a full comeback from that injury. I built my mileage slowly and gradually added in speed. And now, 9 months later, I am running 45 miles a week and have set new PRs in nearly every distance.

Alma F. asked, "How do you handle non-running friends/family who do not understand your dedication to running and/or do not understand why you blog and are unknowingly discouraging?"

It's unfortunate, but I have had some people like that in my life. And as harsh as it may seem, I have pretty much cut those people out of my life. I figure that if someone is going to be judgemental of my choices, then I don't want them around. I tend to be a person who sees things in black and white. Thus, I don't waste my time with people who don't fully respect me or my passions.

However, the vast majority of my friend and family are supportive of both my running and my blog. The non-runners (and even some of the runners) may not understand my obsession, but they respect it. And that is all I ask for. Sure, they tell me I am crazy and usually I agree with them. I know that most people don't want to run half as much as I do, but I love it. It's my passion and they get that.

And when it comes to my blog, no one is forced to read it. Some of my friends and family do, and that is great. But at the end of the day, I write it for me and my children. It is a daily record of our lives. It's not a running blog. Or a mommy blog. It is an accurate representation of our lives and the things that shape our experiences. And one day, I hope my kids can look back on it and have a better understanding of their childhood and their mother. Because, in the end, that is all that is important to me.

Kingston's Mom asked, "What is the best meal to eat the night before a long run? And do you eat anything the morning of, before the run?"

Scientifically speaking, carbohydrate loading is most effective in the 24-48 hours prior to endurance events. So, it's probably best to eat a carbohydrate dense diet in the two days before your long run and/or race. But what the actual meal(s) consist of is really more a matter of personal preference.

I am a fortunate individual. I am usually not affected negatively by the meals that I eat prior to a run. I do not have a sensitive stomach and as long as my last large meal is 8-12 hours before my long run, I can eat pretty much anything. Because of that, I do not have a set "night before the long run" meal. I just try to as healthy as I can (within reason) all the time.

As for my meal immediately prior to a run, I usually have either a Fiber One bar or a Clif Bar. They are both loaded with carbohydrates and give me the energy to make it through feeling strong. Then when I finish, I usually have a Chobani yogurt and some fruit.

I think that as long as you look at food as fuel, you will be fine. You just need to find the combination that works for you and stick with it.

Tara asked, "What is your favorite running song?"

It changes all the time, but right now, I love "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas and "If we Ever Meet Again," by Timbaland and Katy Perry.

Trish asked, "How do you keep your fitness and motivation up when dealing with an injury?"

Fortunately, I have only ever had one serious injury (the one I mentioned above). I had pain for about two months, the last three weeks of which I was in a cast. It was very hard for me to take time off. (I couldn't do anything with the cast). But I tried to keep in mind that when I went back, I wasn't going to be at square one and that was reassuring. I also tried to remember that taking care of the injury correctly the first time could save me from a lot of trouble in the future.

I know that it is easier said than done, but I try to remind my clients who are dealing with injuries that you need to address them immediately and not ignore the signs. The faster you take action, the quicker you will recover. And most importantly, you should NOT train through an injury. It is always better to take time off now and run for years to come, than to break yourself and cut your career short.

Three Things Thursday ...

Did you ever know that I hold a grudge against Thursday? Well, I do. It's my least favorite day of the week. Always has been. Maybe that's why I so rarely honor it with a "full" post. Instead, it gets a bowl full of my randomness. And today is no different.

1. We are visiting J's family in Rhode Island. It's kind of far from our house. My GPS says that it takes a little over 10 hours. Sure it does, Garmin. On what planet? Obviously, you have never "lead" our family trips before. Virginia to Rhode Island in 10 hours? With three kids in the car? Three kids who have to pee every 45 minutes? I don't think so.

We spent the night in Maryland on Tuesday to break up the drive. It took us four hours to get there. And yesterday, when we finished our journey, it took an additional 8.5 hours. Last time I checked 4 + 8.5 = 12.5 NOT 10. Just saying.

2. When our family takes these exponentially long road trips, we bring a lot of food. Generally speaking, if my kids are upset or bored or tired or just being annoying, I can usually pacify them with food (yes, I realize this is not the BEST idea).

I bring along plenty of goldfish, pretzels, 100 calorie packs and for the runner in all of us ...

Yeah, that's a bag full of Clif Bars and Gu - Because last time I checked, driving for 12 hours in a car with three kids is just as much of an endurance event as running a marathon.

3. Speaking of running, my kids are more tuned into my running habit than I knew. Sure, they know that when I break out the skirt and the socks that it's time to run, but apparently, they also know my sneaker rotation.

For the past few months, I have been running in my Mizunos with pink laces and bumming around in my Mizunos with rainbow laces. Just this week, I downgraded my pink laces to bumming around status. And Dizzle didn't get the memo. I asked her to get my sneakers with the pink laces, so that I could go to the store. And instead of just saying yes, she came back at me with a stern look and a question,

"Don't you mean the ones with the rainbow laces?"

I nearly fell out of my chair. Since when does my five year old know that certain shoes are only used for running? And others have lost that status? God, I love that girl.

August Rewind ...

How is it September already? I feel like it was just yesterday that I was complaining that I would never be able to get all of my runs in with the kids at home all the time. And as excited as I am for school to start up again, I'm kind of going to miss my summer running schedule. (Someone remind me of that next May when I start complaining ...)

Anyway, here is my August 2010 in review ...

Miles Planned/Miles Ran: 200/208.42 (my first time over 200 miles!)

Rest Days Planned/Rest Days Taken: 9/7 (Shelly's 10 day challenge contributed to this)

Highest Mileage Week: 8/23 - 8/29: 48.37 miles

Long Runs Planned/Long Runs Completed: 5/5

Donuts Burned: 149.82 (my favorite statistic on Dailymile)

Current Book: Earlier this month, I finished the third book in the Twilight series, Eclipse. I will hopefully get through Breaking Dawn on my upcoming trip to Seattle.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Could that show be anymore of a train wreak? Probably not. But I can't stop watching.

Current Colors: Turquoise and Orange

Current Drink: Water. Lots of it.

Current Song: Secrets - OneRepublic

Current Triumph: I killed my races in August. On the 12th, I finished 1st in my division at the Moonlight 4 Miler in 32:13. And then, on the 22nd, I finished 3rd at the Pink Power Sprint Tri without a single minute of bike or swim training in over two years. I'm feeling kind of confident right now.

Current Goal: Remain injury-free through this training cycle and demolish my half marathon PR at the You Go Girl! Half Marathon on September 26th. Tall Mom is pacing me for this race and I have SUPER HIGH hopes!

Current Blessing: Pretty much everything. Life is pretty sweet right now. And I don't take that for granted.

Current Excitement: Did you know that Kindergarten starts in 6 days? And that preschool starts in 12? I might be slightly excited for that. Just saying.