Sun and Rain

Training is back in full swing! I am back for season number 3 with Team in Training, running the NYC Marathon! I am very excited, especially since I get to be a mentor for the program again :)

So far, we have mainly been doing fun, "get to know the park" runs. I have met some amazing people who have made these runs much easier and more interesting.

Considering how much time we have to train for the NYC marathon (november 7th), it's really crazy to jump into intense training this soon. I was reading "Runner's World" yesterday (I know, I'm a geek), and according to their training calendar, people training for NYC shouldn't begin until July 17th! I guess this extra training cushion is a good thing, as long as you don't over-do it.

Our last three practices have consisted of a 5 mile tempo run, a long run on the Hudson, and a 5 mile interval run.

Last Tuesday (6/15) the advanced group did a 5 mile tempo run. The other groups were working on form, mainly upper body control. These are Coach Christine's tips on upper body form:

Keep your arms bent at a 90 degree angle.
Your arms should swing back and forth from your shoulder joint, not your elbow joint.
Arms should swing from the hip to chest high.
Keep your shoulders low (to prevent tightness of the neck area), back (not hunched forward), and relaxed (to open the chest area to facilitate breathing).
Keep your wrists relaxed. Your hands should be in a loose fist (as if you're holding an egg and don't want to break it.)
Avoid side-to-side arm swinging. Your arms should never cross the center of chest area.
Keep your posture tall and upright with a slight forward lean coming from the ankles, not your hips.
Keep your head up, looking in the same direction you're running (not looking down towards the ground or at your feet). Look forward in front of you approximately 10-20 meters.

I feel like after two seasons of TNT, I am pretty confident with my upper body form. So I went all out for the advanced group! This was our workout:

If you're not already familiar with them, tempo runs are important workouts in marathon training, especially if you're aiming for a specific time. A tempo run is a "comfortably hard" run. We run tempo runs at just slightly above our lactate threshold (when lactic acid starts to accumulate, causing our aerobic system to work harder). Doing regular tempo runs (properly) pushes our lactate threshold higher, helping us run faster and longer.
Course: 5 mile lower loop. From W. 62nd St., head north to the 102nd St. transverse. Make a right onto the 102nd St. transverse. Once you cross the transverse, make a right to head south on East Drive. Run all the way down East Drive, along the south end of the park. Come back up West Drive back to W. 62nd.

How to run it: Warm up (easy running) from W. 62nd St to W. 81nd (look for the lamppost or Delacorte Theater). From there, you'll start your tempo run. Continue tempo run across the 102nd St. transverse, down to E. 72nd (at the end of the 72nd St. transverse). From there, cool down (easy running) back to W. 62nd. Your tempo run pace should be a hard but controlled effort. If you've run a 10K recently, run about 15 seconds slower than your average pace. If you don’t have a 10K pace, run at about 80-85% effort. You should feel like you're working, but not racing. The effort should basically make you think, "It would feel pretty good to stop right now, but I can maintain this for longer." If you're able to maintain the same effort and close to an even pace throughout the 3 mile tempo, you did it right. If you're really struggling during the last tempo mile, you went too fast.

This run went surprisingly well. The trick is to not push it too hard in the beginning, which is something I (and most runners) make the mistake of doing. If you leave some energy in the tank for later in your run, you can run fast at the end! It is hard for our minds to trust and believe that, but it is true. A big part of our training consists of learning to trust that "negative split"- having a faster end than beginning.

ANYWAY, the point is I took it out easy, and ended strong. It felt good to run fast. Maybe I was pushing it too hard for the beginning of the season. Whatever, I don't care. It felt so good.


Our next practice was Saturday, June 19th. Instead of our usual run in Central Park, we were branching out to the West Side Highway, a gorgeous (and flat!) run along the Hudson. When I was preparing for my run, I was impressed with and proud of myself for remembering my "Body Glide" (for anti-chafing) and my sunglasses for my sensative eyes.

Lauren (my running buddy) and I decided on seven miles, which would take us from 72nd street to Charles street and back. A nice flat, slow run (We build up these long Saturday runs until we eventually get to 20 miles by the end of the season- yuck!). I didn't realize how incredibly sunny it would be. I have VERY sensative eyes. I had to keep them closed for at least three miles of this run. Luckily the path wasn't too crowded...I would have run into everybody! Even with my sunglasses, my eyeballs were sweating like crazy. I guess next time I'll need a visor! I think we are looking at a very hot summer...


Our most recent practice was last night, Tuesday June 22nd. I ran with the advanced group again for two reasons- because the other groups were doing the same workout as last week, and because Lauren made me. My stomach was feeling a little funny so I didn't want to push it, but she knew that I would feel better after I did.

This was our workout:

Advanced workout: We're assuming again that you don't need to work on your form (but feel free to join the other groups if you want to), so you're going to do a speed workout. You'll be doing the upper 5 mile loop (72nd transverse to the north end of the park). Warm up from Cherry Hill heading east across the transverse, make a left to head north, continuing to warm up to E. 82nd (behind the Met). After your warm up, pick up the pace to your 5K race pace for 2 minutes, then recover for 2 minutes. Your 5K pace interval should feel like a hard effort – about 85% effort. Your breathing should get accelerated, but not completely out of control. Continue this pattern of running hard/recovering until you get to W. 81st St. (Delacorte Theater). From there, cool down back to Cherry Hill (don't miss the turn onto the 72nd St. transverse). Make sure you have a watch to time your intervals!

This workout involved the upper five mile loop- which is scary because of all the hills! the top of the park involves "Harlem Hill"- a nemesis for most of the NYC runners I know. I'm sure Harlem Hill and I will become much more friendly later in the season when we get some hill repeat practices in :)

It was a hard, hard run. I love intervals, and when you say "two minutes" I will run really fast for two minutes. It was much easier to do that in the beginning. Once we got to the hill and beyond, it got a little rough and nauseating. The weather was disgusting- very hot and VERY humid. We got through the run though, just in time to exit the park and walk home during the torrential downpour. I have never been so soaked in my life. Ahh, the runner's life :)

And we ended with a 9:07 average pace for the 5 miles! Not so bad considering we took walk breaks during the off intervals....

This weekend: My brother's graduation from high school (and 18th birthday! wow!), and the 5-mile "Achilles Hope and Possibility" Race in the park on Sunday.

Have a great week!

Here we go again...

After the tough (yet rewarding!) training season last summer/fall, I was definitely ready to take a hiatus from running. The biggest mistake I made between my first and second marathons was the lack of rest. I did not take a break after running the Disney World marathon in January of 2009. It made sense- I had an amazing experience training for and running the Disney Marathon. I didn't want the season to end, so naturally, I kept it going in the only way I knew how- I signed up for countless races and kept running with my running buddies. I ran the Manhattan Half marathon 2 weeks after running Disney, which may seem crazy to most, but why not take advantage of the amazing running shape I was in? Besides, I wanted to get my "special prize" that you get from running all five of the Grand Prix borough half marathons in one year. (OK the special prize is just a patch- but it's the honor that counts!)

Needless to say, I unnecessarily over trained for no reason whatsoever. I had no big events coming up, and there was no reason for me to continue to do long training runs (except to keep my friend Lauren, who was training for a May marathon, company. I had to keep up with the gossip!).

Throughout my second marathon season, my race paces for every distance steadily got slower and slower. Running became emotionally and physically draining, and the only thing I wanted to was be injured so I could just quit. In a way, I was injured- mentally injured. Running was not fun. I couldn't keep up with the people I used to love to run with all the time. I was in desperate need of rest, and as soon as I crossed that finish line in San Francisco, I vowed that I would take a REAL break this time.

And I did! I took a short break from working out, and when I started again, I focused on easy strength training, yoga, and long NYC walks. When I eventually started running again, I would not go longer than two miles- at a very slow pace on the treadmill. If I was struggling to get through a workout, that was okay. I would try again next time.

All those factors got me back on track. Now I strength/cross about four days a week, and this has made running SO much easier. While I haven't really increased my mileage too much (generally won't run longer than a 5K), my speed has improved dramatically. I give full credit to the increased amount of strength/cross training, and intense interval runs.

I alternate between a few different interval workouts on the treadmill. I have stolen them all from the crossfit website, and even though they are simple and short, they can be hard! With interval training, the length of the workout is not as important as making sure are getting a killer ass-kicking. After these workouts, it takes an hour or two to get my face back to its normal color. And I sweat like crazy. It's pretty embarassing actually :)

The interval workout I started with is a .25 sprint alternated with a 90 second walk repeated 8 times.

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

90 second walk

.25 mile sprint

DONE



1/4th mile may not seem like a long distance, but if you really push yourself (which is the point of this exercise), it will hurt! (in a good way)

The second interval workout I use is slightly more interesting.

1 mile sprint

rest 3 minutes

.75 mile sprint

rest 2 minutes

.50 mile sprint

rest 1 minute

.25 mile sprint

DONE

obviously, the goal is to get faster and faster with each shorter distance. and it is hard to push out a mile as fast as you can when you are not warmed up! This reminds me of our mile repeats we do with Team in Training- 1 mile as fast as you can alternated with a recovery mile- three times. The goal with that workout is to make the 3rd repeat your fastest. This almost never happens :) That workout will come later in the season, and I will keep you posted!

The most recent interval workout I have incorporated uses half mile sprints.

.5 mile sprint

2 minute walk

.5 mile sprint

2 minute walk

.5 mile sprint

2 minute walk

.5 mile sprint

DONE

For some reason this one has become the hardest one. I think this is because I try to run the half miles at the same speed I would run a 1/4 mile. Whatever the reason, I don't really care.

These workouts really work, and none of them will ever take longer than 25 minutes. Intervals always work if you push yourself hard enough. They will make you faster and stronger in every aspect of your life. I have watched my regular 5K workouts get easier and faster without any tears and stress.

I have just begun training for the New York City Marathon with Team in Training (my 3rd season!). So far I have been taking it easy, and not doing to much too soon. I am very interested in seeing how my new attitude and workout regime affects this season.

Some Wise Words

This was Ramon's description for Tuesday night's workout:

ADVANCE WORKOUT The Course: 6 Mile loop. Whole loop of the park. Run East to West. The Workout: From East 72nd street warm up to East 90th street.There you’ll start your1st Pick up from the East 90th to 102nd street transverse. This should be done at about 10k effort. From East 102nd recover easy to the traffic light at 110th street, north end most part of the park (bottom of Harlem hill) then start your2nd pick up, this one goes from 110 to West 102nd street (west side of transverse) you are going to run this one at faster than 5k pace. Meaning you are going to push the uphill as well as the downhill, breathing gets hard from the get go. From W102 recover to Weast 90th street (long recovery, same as last week) at W90th start you3rd pick up, this goes from West 90th to West 64th street (about 1.2 mile). This should be done at 10k effort, hard but in control. From west 64nd street recover to 59th street and 7th avenue entrance of the park (note that this is short recovery, that’s why you need to control the previous pick-up) then you Start 4th pick up from 59th 7th avenue all the way to the finish at your meeting spot at East 72nd street. This is a spend whatever you have left kind of pick up. Basically if you feel strong push it, if you feel like crap, survive it.Be aware that I say 5k and 10k effort, not speed, today is going to be hot and your pace will not be as fast as you could run under better weather conditions. So, concentrate in putting the effort, as long as you put the effort you are getting the benefit of the workout.


To me, this seemed much better than last week. A workout without recovery scares me, and I thought these recovery stations would be just what I needed. Unfortunately, I did not push as hard as I could during the pick ups. My first 10K pace felt really good (up to 102nd) because I was keeping up with a group of runners doing an "Indian Run" right next to me (you line up while running, and the person in the back has to sprint to get to the front of the line. I used to do this with my friends at boarding school when I was not a runner. It was not as fun back then :-) ) My 5K pace up Harlem Hill was a little brutal. When one of our coaches, Pete, caught up to me, I got faster for a few seconds, but quickly lost my momentum. The rest of the run was discouraging, because I knew I could push harder than I did, but mentally I didn't feel I had the motivation. The worst part was, when I finished and met the advanced group at the end to stretch, I was one of the very last people in, yet I didn't even feel that tired. It's as if my legs wouldn't move because of the pressure and fear my body put on them.

After practice, I watched the Bach concert (conveniently located in the 72nd st. mall) until intermission. As I was leaving, the last remaining coaches were packing up and walking to the westside, so I joined them. Among them was Coach Ramon, head coach for the NYC chapter of TNT. (He is the amazing and crazy man who decided to run 42 upper loops on his birthday) I asked him how he was doing, and he said something along the lines of "not so well, my runs have not been going as well as I have hoped mentally." Turns out we are having the same problem (on a slightly different scale..). On our walk to the westside, he advised me on the importance of doing the work, and the other stuff will come later. He reminded me of how good my run was in Disney, because I was just running it to run, and I didn't have any pre-existing expectations of time goals. Now, I expect myself to be faster and want faster times, and this is putting pressure on my body and I am not able to run well. Basically, I have to forget about trying to improve my time goals and just run. If I do what he says, and put the miles in, it will come naturally. This talk made me feel a lot better :-)


Speed aside, I hope this pressure comes off soon. The fear my body goes through before a hard run or intense hill is really uncomfortable and scary. My body feels like jello sometimes. I have to keep remembering ITS JUST RUNNING!!

Time to run faster!

I was dreading practice last Tuesday night. 5 mile race? It's HARD to push yourself for 5 miles. I have been in a "running slump" lately, and I find it almost impossible to have motivation to push myself hard anymore. At the end of the 5 mile loop, instead of feeling near-death and nauseous, I felt OK. Which is not what the workout was supposed to be. Maybe I should start running with music. Or try to run with the intermediates and push myself for shorter distances.

Anyway, my 5-miler was OK. I ran with another mentor, Carlos, for the first half. Then I let him run ahead and tried to fall into my own pace. I always slow down when I let my running buddy run ahead of me. It is kind of like giving up. No matter what, I always push myself at the end though, which is a good jumping off point for success in the rest of my runs. My time ended up being 48 minutes, which is much slower than I had been running last season and up until the beginning of this year, but I guess I did take some time off running and my body does have four months until the marathon to get fast again.

On Saturday, we had our long run day. I had planned to run with Lauren (my running buddy from Disney) in the 9:30 pace group (which would have been comfortable previously). I had so much trouble warming up my legs, so I dropped back to a slower pace and ran with a new half-marathoner, Becky. I love running with new people during these long runs. It's amazing how much you will learn about a person before you even find out their name. Runner's are a very close knit crowd :-) Anyway, I ran the 1st 5 miles with Becky, and then Lauren caught up with us after running 6. I ran with Lauren most of the rest of the 2nd loop. Lauren and I have spent countless hours running together since we met September of last year for the Disney Marathon. She has come so far since our last marathon together. In fact, she ran the Long Island Marathon alone and PR'd by 40 minutes! (from a 4:44 to a 4:04). She gave me some pointers to get back on track with my speed work. I need to get back on the treadmill and do my speed/interval training no matter how much I hate it! I have been do interval workouts on the treadmill for the past 2 days, so hopefully I will see some progress soon.

Also, that Saturday, our crazy coach, Ramon, was celebrating his 42nd birthday by doing 42 upper loops of the park! For those who don't know, the upper loop is the hilliest loop of the park. I try to avoid it at all costs. It is 1.5 miles. He ran 65 hilly miles on Saturday! Thats insane! (I guess he is training for another 100 miler, so I already knew he was insane). What an impressive man.

Tonight our workout consists of running the 6 mile full loop around the park, and pushing ourselves to 10K and 5K paces at various points throughout the loop, with recoveries to follow. This one seems a little more do-able than fast the entire run :-)

I just got the new Ipod shuffle in the mail! Its 4GB, and TINY. There's not even room for a dial! It talks to you and tells you what you're listening to you and gives you choices of playlists. It's amazing what technology can do! It should be great for running!


(I got the darker color)

Hopefully I can handle this weather! Should be a long summer...