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Surviving the Pre-Taper Slump

26 Apr

I don’t know what it is about the week before you start tapering for a race, but it always hits me hard. My motivation tanks and I would love nothing more than to crawl in bed and not wake up until race morning.

Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic.

But really! I’m not sure if it’s the months of training wearing me down or the temptation of an easy taper week ahead, but that critical final week of training never comes easy. I thought it was just me, but I have two friends running the Nike Women’s Half Marathon this weekend and they described going through the same thing last week!

I’m running the Frederick Half Marathon next Sunday, so this past week was “the week” for me. Knowing what I was up against, I did everything I could to try to overcome my slump and power through my training. These were my mantras for the week:

  • Run early and get it over with – This is true in two ways. First and foremost, I prefer to run in the morning so it’s not hanging over my head all day and I don’t have time to come up with an excuse not to run. During this week, I also tried to get all my runs & workouts in early in the week so my body will have plenty of time to rest. I normally skip a day or two during the week and make up the miles over the weekend, but I didn’t want to back-load my miles a week before race day. Sure, I was dying for a break midweek but I know it will be worth it when I cross the line next Sunday.
  • You can sleep when your dead tapering – Piggybacking off my first point, inevitably when my alarm would go off at 4:45 my immediate reaction was to snooze it and “run later” (i.e. oversleep & then skip my run that afternoon). While sleep is always an important part of training, I know that I’m going to need it more next week while I’m tapering and preparing for my race. So instead of snoozing my alarm, I’d get up and daydream about the mass amounts of sleep I’m going to enjoy next week. Ahhh…
  • Keep your eye on the prize – Pretty straightforward, but it worked. This half marathon is my goal race for the spring season (sub-1:34!) so jeopardizing months of training with one lazy week is simply not an option. Plus, I don’t want to be at mile 9 and have the little voice in my head chirping, “You really shouldn’t have skipped that workout last week…” Best to leave no room for excuses!

I’m really interested to get some thoughts on this! Do you know what I’m talking about, or am I just burnt out??! Do you run into a training slump the week or two before your taper? How do you train through it?

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How to Enjoy Running on the Treadmill (Almost)

5 Feb

With temperatures dropping into the teens last week (and even lower for my poor sisters north of Chicago), running outside was not happening.

I’m not sure where this snobby attitude towards cold weather came from. In high school, I remember finishing runs in northeast Ohio with ice-covered eyelashes. In college in southwest PA, we ran through snow and slush for most of our training for track season. But now that I’m a Recreational Runner, I’m liberated by the fact that I don’t have to run out in the treacherous elements! I have a choice! I have FREEDOM!

Unfortunately, that usually means that I find myself stuck on the treadmill more often than I’d like.

Lately, I’ve been actually – dare I say – enjoying my treadmill runs. I reflected on how I managed this feat and thought I’d share my tips on making the treadmill slightly more enjoyable (or bearable at least!).

  • Find a running buddy. As with most forms of exercise, strength in numbers usually work. My normal running partner is also averse to cold weather, so we’ve moved our weekly running dates indoors. It’s the accountability factor, both for showing up at the gym as well as not pressing the “Pause” button the treadmill. Plus, you can run at different paces so you don’t have to worry about holding the other person back or leaving them in the dust snow.
  • Don’t look at the numbers. I literally put a sweatshirt or towel over my treadmill. Watching each minute or tenth of a mile tick up is excruciating. Cover up the dashboard and only let yourself look at it at predetermined times (after 4 songs, at 8:30, etc.) to check your progress.
  • Run your own pace. This goes hand-in-hand with the previous bullet. The good – and bad – thing about the treadmill is that you can see exactly what pace you are going and it never changes (unlike in normal outdoor running). Set the treadmill at an easier-than-normal pace (for me, I start at 6mph or 10 minute miles) and as you warm up, start pressing the button to increase it gradually but don’t look at the pace on the dashboard. As you settle into each new pace, pump it up or bring it back depending on how you feel rather than how your mind reacts to seeing 8:24 pace flash across the dashboard.
  • Get new music. When all else fails, putting new music on my iPod or just creating a new playlist of old music always motivates me. I don’t listen to the playlist when I’m not at the gym so it’s almost a treat when I go to the gym because I get to hear the songs that have been stuck in my head since my last run.
  • Set goals. If you need to stop, set a goal first. Sometimes I’ll break up a run by telling myself, “Okay, after 2 miles I can jump off and grab water but then I have to run for 3 when I get back on.” Or tell yourself you’ll run until the end of the next song/TV show/commercial break, etc. Setting mini-goals (and achieving them!) always seems to motivate me through my workout.

Hope some of these tips help! Do you have any to add?

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7 Steps to Recover from a Marathon

23 Oct

“Proof” I finished:)

A little over two weeks ago, I ran the Chicago Marathon. I got the time I wanted, felt great, and couldn’t have asked for a better race. Where do I go from here?

No matter how excited (or disappointed) you are with your marathon performance, your body needs some recovery time. I did some research and read Hal Higdon’s marathon book (that I had autographed at the expo ;) ). Here’s how I’ve been recovering:

  1. Celebrate. The day of the marathon, sure, that’s obvious. But don’t stop there! I even wore my medal to work one day. :) We also had a post-marathon party, where our running club/training program got together to eat, drink, and share stories. Celebrating your own race is great, but it’s so much more fun to celebrate everyone else’s races, too!
  2. Indulge. I have been eating. And drinking. A lot. After waking up early every weekend for the past 4 months, eating healthy so I’d have energy for my run, and staying hydrated, it’s time to let loose! I’m definitely more of a ‘run to eat’ than ‘eat to run’ type of gal, so I’m enjoying having a glass of beer or wine at night, having a late Saturday or Sunday night out, and making less than nutritious lunch decisions. If food isn’t the way you indulge, then find other ways to reward yourself for a great effort!
  3. Rest. I took about 10 days off from running. The research I did varies, and I think it depends on how long you’ve been running and how much experience you have. However, your body is recovering from the damage you caused it during the marathon, so rest is essential! And, if you don’t rest now, you’re body will break down in the future.
  4. Cross-train. If #1 is tough for you, find a different way to get your workout in. For me, I’m trying out Yoga. I took a sculpt/weights class on Sunday, and a Ryder class this morning. I am SORE in places I didn’t know I could be sore. am definitely no yogi or biker, but I’m trying something new to work out different areas of my body and incorporate some variety in my life. I can honestly say the Ruder class this morning made me reply appreciate why I’m a runner. :)
  5. Try out your legs. Eventually, you need to get out there and see how your legs feel. My first run was last Wednesday. I ran 3 at a pretty good pace, but my legs felt lethargic and I had a few tweaks in the ankles and hips. Saturday, I ran 4 at a slightly slower pace, but felt pretty great. I’m still not jumping right back into it, but I am planning on running shorter distances (3-5 miles) 2x/week, and I’m going to try to start my weekend long runs this weekend with 6.
  6. Listen to your body. Do all the research and reading you want about what the ‘best’ recovery method is. When it comes down to it, you need to listen to your body. Joints still feeling sore? Take a few more days off or cross-train. Muscles screaming? Stop. You’re going to feel tired and lethargic; your body is still repairing your muscles. After my last marathon, I took off 3 weeks. I also tried to run after 10 days, and my legs immediately hurt. See #3! But if you feel pain, stop. It’s better to rest now than pay for it later.
  7. Plan your next race. What’s your next goal? Start planning for it. I’m planning to do some of the fun Fall/holiday races, but I haven’t signed up for a specific race yet. My goal is to do a 5K the last week of October/first week of November, then look for additional 5Ks and 10ks throughout the rest of November and December. Amanda, Lara and I will be planning our next ‘runcation’ half marathon for January/February (we went to Austin last year); once we determine the race, then I’ll start a more formal training program.

I’m no expert, but this approach seems to be working for me. Any other suggestions? How are you recovering from your fall marathon?

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Time To Trust the Training | Chicago Marathon #CM12

26 Sep 20120923-191015.jpg

Less than 2 weeks until over 40,000 runners take to the streets of Chicago to run 26.2 miles. I will be one of them!

I’m getting nervous. My goal for my first marathon was to finish; this time I want to be faster and feel stronger. With race day quickly approaching, I’ve got to trust my training and taper, which is the toughest for me.

Looking back, I’m proud of how far I’ve come. In less than 18 months I’ve went from never wanting to run a marathon to running a half marathon, then my first marathon, and now my second! On February 1st, I set an appointment on my calendar at work so that I was sure to go online and register for the Chicago Marathon when it opened at noon. Committing to something like that 9 months out was a pretty big deal to me. That’s right – 9 months of anticipation. I ran the Wisconsin Marathon in May to ‘practice’ (and to keep my nerves at bay), but now, here we are.

There are a few things I did differently to prepare for this marathon.

  1. One more 20-miler: I started my training plan a little earlier so that I could incorporate an extra 20-mile run to help build my confidence. The additional 20-miler did quite the opposite, but I’m still glad I got an extra couple of week of long runs in this time around.
  2. Weekly speed work: I loved this! I signed up for a track workout program; our training was based on past times, goal times, and heart rate. Every Wednesday I would show up at the track, and Coach Tom would have our workout and times ready. We did everything from 400s and 800s to miles and the ‘Arkansas slide’. I’m hoping this level of training will have my legs ready to run not only fast in the first half, but conditioned to keep going at the end when your legs just sort of, well, go! I’m going to attempt to run at least consistently or maybe even negative split; I haven’t been very good at this in the past but I’m hoping it will make me consciously slow down a little at the beginning.
  3. Foam roller and stretching: I still don’t do this as much as I should, but I did it more frequently this time around. I do think it’s making a big difference – I haven’t had the hip and IT band irritation I had during spring marathon training. Post-Chicago, I’m going to try out yoga to stretching and build flexibility.
  4. Drink more water: I know, duh, but I never made myself drink water during work in the past. Now, I almost always have a water bottle with me or close by. It really is amazing the difference you can feel when you’re hydrated… or not. I almost always felt good during my weekly runs this time around!
  5. More miles: I was cautious the first time around. This time, I bumped the miles up a bit and consistently ran 4 times/week. You can see my Nike+ log below; my track workouts aren’t included (7 miles/week, 28 miles/month), so you can see I’m a little above what I did in the spring.

20120923-191015.jpg

Reflecting is great (thanks for listening), but how do you keep yourself motivated during the taper? How do you trust your training?

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Had a Bad Day

16 Sep

“I haven’t been feeling well.” “I didn’t drink enough water.” “My dinner last night could’ve been healthier.” “I just couldn’t catch my breath!” “I should’ve went to bed earlier.”

Sometimes, you just have a bad run.

For me, that bad run was yesterday. It HAD to be on the final 20-miler of my marathon training. All of the excuses above ran through my head, along with “I shouldn’t have had that beer”, “I thought I was on better shape”, and “I REALLY hope I don’t feel like this at the marathon.”

I started out the run feeling OK, but not great. I’ve been battling some sort of sinus virus, along with terrible allergies, so I wasn’t expecting the run of my life. However, I was feeling much better that morning and pumped up to tackle the culmination of my training plan! 10 miles into the run, I started to drag behind my pace group and have a hard time breathing. We broke off into a smaller group at one of the turns, and I had to lead the way for 3 fellow runners who couldn’t remember the course. Around mile 13 it starts to get pretty hilly, and I had to stop to catch my breath after every hill. My group stopped with me and encouraged me; finally, around mile 14, they knew where they were going so I headed straight for the finish.

I spent the last 3 miles walking, running, and thinking. What happened to me? How do I mentally overcome this blow? Am I really ready for the Chicago Marathon? Should I push through and do the full 20, or just go in?

Then, my thoughts started to shift:

“My legs are feeling better on this run than the last 20-miler.” “Running 17 miles should never be considered a failure.” “I already got one 20-miler in.” “I am a marathoner!”

That’s when I finally realized: I had a bad day. It happens, and I was smart enough to realize I needed to take it easy. I’m not going to let one run define how I’ll do at the marathon. Sometimes, you just have a bad run.

How do you overcome your ‘bad’ runs?

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Inspiring Others to be Active

20 Aug

Over the last couple months, I’ve noticed at work that I’ve become the “runner girl” of the office. And of all the things one could be known for in the workplace, being a hard-working, dedicated, slightly-obsessive person is pretty good in my book.

I’m not sure how it started exactly. When my company initiated a walking program shortly after I started, I was recruited by a coworker from another department because he had [somehow?] heard I ran track in college. A few months later, I put up a couple flyers in the lunch room about how I was raising money to run my first marathon, and there was no turning back after that. People I hardly know will stop me in the hallway to tell me how they ran for the first time over the weekend or to ask my advice on training or to share a story about how their [daughter/cousin/friend] just ran [his/her] first [mile/5K/marathon].

I’ve been pondering why people seem to gravitate toward me to share their stories. While I’d like to say it’s my charm, good looks and outgoing personality, I really don’t think any of that’s true. The truth is, I think people feel good when they work out and want to be patted on the back. But tell the average, non-running individual that you ran 3 miles yesterday and their reaction will probably be, “What was chasing you?” Why shouldn’t you want to tell someone how far you’ve walked or ran and have that person actually appreciate it rather than scoff?

So, I’m embracing my position as Unofficial Cheerleader! I ask questions when someone shares their running story with me and make a point to casually bring up exercise ["Have you been able to run in this heat? I've been struggling myself!"] to those who have brought it up to me in the past.

My unofficial role has also encouraged me to be more consistent with my own running. One day, a coworker asked me what my training was like these days and I really didn’t have a good answer. Non-existent? Sporadic? Neither were good answers if I wanted to encourage others to adopt a more active lifestyle. That week, I signed up for a half marathon and started my training program.

My advice to all you closet runners out there: Go out and tell people what you’re doing! Chances are they will be inspired by your dedication and you will feel a stronger conviction for your training plan.

Sadly for my coworkers, they’ve also recruited me to play company softball or kickball games as well. I’m still trying to figure out how to communicate that “long distance running” and “eye-hand coordination” don’t go together…

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What Do You Do After the Marathon?

23 Apr

I’m back! Sorry for being so non-existent on Run Sisters Run. The truth of the matter is… this sisters wasn’t running.

After my first marathon in March, it took me a while to get the running bug back. And then when I did, all those marathon pains came back like a bad nightmare on my very first (and very painful) 30 minute run.

Coming back from a marathon is different for everyone. My one runner friend is doing two back-to-back half marathons in the next two weeks after running the LA Marathon the same weekend I ran my marathon. Another friend just ran a 3:13 marathon and the following week was lacing up for a handful of 4 and 5 mile runs. Me? I took a solid 2 weeks completely off and have gradually been getting back into running.

My time off and the subsequent struggle to start running again has taught me a few things, though. Here are my tips for how to come back from your first marathon (or any tough race!):

      1. Ease back into it.
        You just ran a marathon. Relish in that for a few days. If you’re like me and took a couple weeks off, don’t just jump into 10 mile runs. Remember that you tapered for a few weeks prior to the marathon so you weren’t putting in as many miles as you were before. Start slow and ease back into it so you don’t get injured or irritate any lingering injuries.
      2. Don’t forget your injuries.
        Those miles put a toll on your body, pure and simple. I had nagging IT issues before the marathon and, although they haven’t bothered me since then, I’m still treating them religiously. I started doing yoga and do hip stretches and foam roll after every run because I remember how bad it hurt at mile 20 and don’t want to experience that again.
      3. Do something with your extra time.
        Wait, what? I don’t have to devote my entire Saturday night/Sunday morning to my long run? Take advantage of the extra time (because, let’s be honest, you’ll probably be training for something else soon anyway) by taking up a new hobby or doing something you’ve missed out on for the past weeks or months. Instead of wallowing in the fact that I wasn’t running, I used my extra weeknight and weekend time to catch up with friends I hadn’t had time (or energy) to see because of my training.
      4. Mix it up.
        Now that you don’t have to focus on hitting your weekly mileage, why not try something new? Take a bootcamp class, start cycling or focus on something that’s taken the back burner during your training. I gave up spinning while I was training, but now I’m back to going twice a week.
      5. Reflect.
        Whether you PR’d or DNF, take the time to reflect on your marathon to assess what went right and what you can improve. I was stumped looking back at my injuries; even when I was running 70 mile weeks in college, I never was injured. What changed? Two things stood out: I stopped running on trails and I stopped doing daily ab workouts. Guess what two things are going to be incorporated into my new training schedule?

 

These are just what I came up with based on my experience. Do you have any to add?

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20-Miler and Pinteresting Running Inspiration

15 Apr 20-mile run

I ran 20 miles!

I’ve been training for my upcoming marathon, but I’ll be honest – I haven’t really been looking past my 20-mile training run. For some reason, I’ve been really nervous about how I’d feel on this run and how’d I’d feel about the marathon afterwards. Leading up to it, my 16-mile run was pretty brutal. My 18-mile run felt better, but was pretty slow.

Happy day – I felt pretty solid on my 20-mile run until the end. After the run, I felt pretty awful, came home and took a nap, and have felt fine since, albeit a little sore. I’ve posted in my Nike+ run stats below for yesterday’s run. Overall, I knew I was starting out way too fast, but wanted to keep up with my typical running group. I lost steam at the end – I need to figure out how to keep up my energy, since gels just aren’t going down for me. I may rely on jelly beans and salt tabs. Any other advice out there?


I’ve been finding a lot of running inspiration (and laughs) on Pinterest to keep me pumped up about the marathon. You can check out my Running Pinterest Board, but below are some of my favorite running pins to inspire you to run.

Source: google.com
via Brandi on Pinterest

Source: google.com
via Brandi on Pinterest

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Hit the Ground Running – Faster

22 Mar

A little over a week ago, I went to a running symposium where I learned lots of cool things that you’ll soon read about in coming blog posts. One of the key things I learned about were two types of workouts to incorporate into your workout plans to help you run faster: Lactate threshold (LT) runs, and interval runs.

Because getting faster is one of my goals for 2012 (specifically, to beat my 2011 half-marathon time this coming May!), you’ll notice that I have speed workouts scheduled on every Monday of the week in my Spring Workout 2012 Training I. I have “tempo” runs to help with my lactate threshold, and 400 meter repeats to help with my speed and running efficiency. I alternate only one of these each week since these are the first speed workouts I will be doing in a long while; but if you are a more advanced runner, you could (and should) do both during the week to further increase your speed and efficiency.

So what are lactate threshold and interval runs? Time for a little science lesson.

A lactate threshold run pushes you to improve your anaerobic capacity. It trains your heart, lungs and blood vessels to carry the maximum amount of oxygen from your blood when you’re strenuously exercising (like running fast uphill, or sprinting), to your muscles. The more oxygen your body can get to your muscles, the faster and more efficiently you can run.

Interval runs, simply put, have you run at an intense pace for short amounts of time, so your body learns what it feels like to run FAST. Your cardiovascular fitness improves during interval training, your body becomes stronger, and you get faster.

Here are some ways to incorporate LT runs:
• Run at a “comfortably hard” pace (about 75% of your max speed) for 1 mile, with 1 minute rest at the end of each mile. Repeat 4-6 times.
• Run at a “comfortably hard” pace (about 75% of your max speed) for 30-40 minutes. During the middle 15 minutes, add in bursts of 200-meter to 800-meter surges at a hard pace, with 1-2 minutes recovery (slower jogging) between each burst.
• Run 800 meter repeats at a hard pace (about 80%) with 1-2 minutes rest after each. Do 4-6 repeats.

Here are some interval workouts to speed you up:
• First, run one mile all-out, as fast as you can. Then divide your time by 4 to get your 400 meter pace. For instance, if I ran an 8-minute mile, I would have a 2-minute 400m pace. Then begin your workout: Start with 400 meter repeats at your pace, and repeat 6 times. So for me, I would run 400 meters at a 2-minute pace, 6 times. I would rest for the same amount of time, 2 minutes, between each interval. Up your intervals by one each week. After several weeks, run one mile all out again and adjust your 400 meter times accordingly as you get faster.
• Climb Run the ladder. Find a track and start by running 200 meters at 80% pace. Rest the same amount of time. Run 400 meters. Rest. Run 800 meters. Rest. Run 1200 meters. Rest. Run 1600 meters. Rest. Then work your way back down with 1200 meters, 800 meters, 400 meters, and 200 meters. If you feel like over-achieving, tack on that extra 100 meter sprint at the end—you know you want to.
• Find a nice big hill that is about 200 meters long. Run up it at a hard pace. Jog or walk down. Repeat 8 times. Increase repeats next week. It’s that easy.

Just this morning, I got up before the sun was fully up to get in my interval workout for the week. This was my first interval workout this year. (I’ve been battling an upper respiratory infection, so things got switched up in my schedule.) I have to admit—today’s speed work wasn’t the most fun, especially because I am wheezy already from being sick [cue inhaler noise]. And you thought intervals were tough enough! I warmed up for ¾ mile on my way to my nearby running trail. After a good stretch, I churned out 6×400 meter repeats at a 2-minute pace. I was sweating good on my cool-down jog back home! While I can’t always say speed workouts are “fun,” they sure get the job done, and I felt faster and stronger while sprinting and afterwards (albeit tired and ready for some coffee).  I’m sure I will be sore tomorrow, but you’ve got to love that kind of soreness, right? It’s the kind that means you’re getting faster!

What are your LT or interval plans for the week? Do you have other workouts you like to do to increase your speed?

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Amanda’s Spring 2012 Training I

12 Mar

If you’ve read my “About” page, you already know that I LOVE to make training plans. Whenever I find a race that I want to sign up for (now generally half marathons), my first step is to print out a calendar for the couple of months leading up to the race, and then work backwards from race day to figure out how to prepare for it.

Depending on what fitness level I’m at, I like to start working on my training schedule way ahead of time so I have some wiggle room. I keep my training flexible, so I never feel like I’m forced to do exactly what’s on my training docket 100% of the time, but can somewhat revise it due to weather, plans that come up, weekend trips, etc. I have several main components the comprise my typical training schedule each week: a long run; speed work; strength training paired with an easy run; cross-training; and a rest day. As long as I get those all in during a week, I call it a win.

Days of the Week Training

So, what race have I been gearing up for next? The South Shore Half Marathon in Milwaukee, WI on April 7th. (The registration fee is only $12—how can I pass that up?!) Because I plan to run the Wisconsin Half Marathon on May 5th, I thought this race would be a good way to keep running higher mileage, as well as gauge if my speed is increasing from when I ran the Austin Half Marathon, which is my main goal for this year…to keep getting faster.

So far this year, I haven’t really done any speed work (I was more focused on getting my long runs up in mileage than anything), so I am adding that back in to get my pace time down. Also, new to my training regimen is YOGA. With the tight hip issues I have been having, plus the myriad benefits of yoga, I thought it would be a welcome addition that will hopefully help keep me injury-free.

I thought it’d be fun to share my training plan for the next month, so you can see just how I structure everything and try to keep my workouts balanced without burning myself out. Of course, I take a day off/easy if I am feeling extra sore and fatigued, but I like that I generally can follow the plan for 90% of the time and still get the benefits I want.

March – early April Training:

Amanda's Training for the Month

Now…off to run!

P.S. My 3/13 boot camp is replaced by a 6 mile run due to a Running Club fun run – woohoo! Like I said – I think it’s best to keep training plans flexible.

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