20 Mile Training Run Recap

20 mile training run locked and loaded.

Here’s an action shot of my running group this morning as they manhandled our longest distance to date:

Don’t they make running 20 miles look easy?? Rock Stars, every one of them. They are inspiring and fun every week.  A large part of gaining the confidence of tackling the increasing distances each week is due in large part to everyone’s amazing attitudes.  Makes such a difference running with a group of people who are not only trying to build their own running confidence, they’re encouraging you in yours with every step we take together.  Priceless.

I’m not going to lie, this running pup was hurting by the end.  Nothing injured, mind you.  Just noticeably SORE.  It was definitely not the most pain-free running adventure I’ve been on.  Somewhere around Mile 6 my calves started to protest.  I’m sure that was due in part to overcompensation for the back cramps that plagued me before we even started running.  But, some things cannot be helped, and one runs anyway.  Every step of that 20 miles I felt today.

20.64 miles to be very exact.

Unbelievably close to that final distance.

Today was also a dress rehearsal of sorts for the marathon.  The motto goes, “Nothing new on race day.”  Everything we plan to implement throughout our race was to be tested today.   A number of essentials that I have tested on other races will of course be with me – the Nuun, the Honey Stingers, the Honey Stinger Waffles and my trusty iPhone.

Today I tested out:

• Body Glide.  I have rarely found a need for this but this morning I slathered myself anywhere I could possibly be chafed.  I’m guessing it worked as nothing caused me any noticeable concern.  Thanks to this level of awareness, we’re all becoming better educated as runners I suppose on this silent but irritating issue:

• My newly acquired Mophie iPhone battery extender.  Because I use Runkeeper to track my runs I wanted to make sure I had the necessary juice to track my pace through until the finish line.  Before my run, I made sure Wi-fi was turned off as well as all Location Services except for Runkeeper which uses GPS.  I took a few photos on the run as well knowing that I would for sure be taking some pictures on race day.  By Mile 19 my battery was down to about 29% at which point I flipped the switch to the charging setting. By the time we finished, my battery was still charging at 41% which leads me to believe that I will have plenty of battery power for race day.
• Tylenol.  A number of people have mentioned taking a few Tylenol at some point during the race to help take the edge off the aches that just naturally come.  Around mile 10 I took a 500 mg capsule as I was definitely achy.  By mile 13 I had not noticed much difference so I took another 500 mg.  I think it helped to some degree though I can’t say that I noticed any significant difference.  Some of that may be due in part to the fact that I’m a ibuprofen girl.  But, it was highly advised NOT to use ibuprofen during a race as it is both dehydrating and very hard on your liver.  I don’t see any reason to not keep Tylenol in my race day plans as it certainly did not hurt anything and ibuprofen is out of the question.
• Sucking on a peppermint at Mile 16.  This was highly advocated by our coach who declared that a peppermint is a great pick-me-up during a race.  Apparently, peppermint is a strong mental and physical stimulant that can help one concentrate and stay awake and alert.  Seems silly but it was noticeable!  I sucked on my peppermint from about Mile 16.5 until our last water stop at Mile 19.  Though my body still ached, those 2.5 peppermint miles were some of the best that I felt mentally of the entire run.  Big surprise of the run for me.  Definitely keeping a few of those handy on race day!

I have to say that despite the inevitable aches and pains of the day, today’s run was a definite confidence-builder.  Just as we were rounding back to our finishing point, I had no doubt that I could do the additional 6 miles to a finish line if today had been race day.  Sure, the last 6 miles might be slower…and, I might be limping them out…but I can defeat 26.2 miles.

Route 66 Marathon, here we come!!

You never know until you try . . .

Today’s “declarative statement cookie” at Pei Wei.

I don’t put a lot of stock in fortune cookies but I kind of cherish this one. One, it couldn’t be more representative of a weekend where I’ve logged another race and a new PR. I honestly didn’t really plan to do it. I already had a decent Tulsa Run course time. I knew to try and beat myself would mean pushing a pace that may not be the best for recouping my upper thigh pain not to mention taking on Training Week 17 which culminates with a 20-mile training run this coming Saturday. There will always be Tulsa Runs and plenty of time to best oneself. So, to shave almost a minute off my 2011 time was kind of sweet.

Secondly, this PW declaration reminds me that running really is a sport so many of us get into because in forcing our bodies to do more than it thinks it can, we win. Every time. You don’t have to take home the #1 spot overall. Every time you cross a finish line, whatever the time, whatever the distance, you win.

I think more than beating my own time this weekend, my real joy was watching other people with very specific race time desires walk away with some really huge accomplishments and new wins in their race portfolios. I ran this year’s Tulsa Run with a running buddy for this very specific reason. She wanted to shave about 15 minutes off her previous Tulsa Run racetime. Kind of a big jump. I told her that I’d run with her if she wanted to have someone to help pace her toward that goal. Not that I’m really any great pacer but I thought at the very least I could help get her in her goal time window.  About halfway through the race, a few other buddies found us along the trail and whipped out some movie trivia in an effort to pass the time. At about 7.5 miles, my buddy started speeding up and I laughingly thought to myself, “Oh my gosh. She’s going to majorly PR…and beat me!!” I was afraid that if tried to keep up with her I might risk pushing the pains of the past week too far so I held my pace — and my running ego — in check and just enjoyed the last moments of the course. My running buddy crossed the finish line 30 seconds under the time she hoped for.

Rock Star amazing.

She told me on the race course that the theme song in her head that day was Katy Perry’s Roar:

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar

The thing was she never needed my help or my other buddies’ help. The champion in her to cross the finish line with her race goal secured was already in her.

Really, no one can get you across that finish line but yourself.  Sure, other runners encourage, prod, and cheer on their fellow running buddies when it gets tough but the effort to get across that finish line is all you in the end. Others may disagree, but I think on race day, all your training amounts to about 5% of what gets you across the finish line.  Believing you can get there is probably the other 95%.

I think what inspires me about running and runners is that it is laden with people who try. They’re people who push themselves. They are not people who say, “No, I’m sorry, I can’t do that.” They are people who are willing to try.  And every time they try, they win over life’s setbacks and in some small way slay life’s demons. Every time they cross the finish line, just by trying, they win.

You know you’re an athlete when . . .

. . . you start getting closely acquainted with your trigger point paraphernalia, your nursing home approved bath salts, your relaxation drugs and your massage therapist.

Training Week 15 ended with a fantastic 18-mile training run.  At a crisp 37 degrees with light and variable winds, it couldn’t have been more perfect running weather.  The only slight kink in this otherwise perfect run was becoming suddenly aware of my rather full bladder approaching the last mile shortly followed by becoming agonizingly aware of my gastrointestinal tract.

Every runner knows EXACTLY what I’m talking about.  Those stories get passed around.  And some of them are hiLARious.

Uncomfortably so.

And you really don’t want to be one of that kind of famous.

I might even be willing to bet that the average runner is less worried about finishing their race as they are getting to the end without any bathroom issues.

In any case, mile 17 this past Saturday brought about some very deep-seated personal issues and when everyone turned north to head up a hill running what seemed away from our finishing spot, I turned back south into downtown gunning it in desperate search of facilities.  Another running buddy was kind enough to go with me despite the fact that she did not share my issues.  (Of course, it’s these kind of buddy systems that probably perpetuate the sharing of these stories! Ha!) We very quickly realized the downtown bus station would probably be our best bet.  Thankfully we were successful and all possible crises were averted.

Whew.

Sorry. No funny bathroom stories here. This is a respectable post about training injuries people.

So, due to the “gunning” it situation, mile 18 logged in at about a minute faster per mile than our training run pace.  Doesn’t seem like much but my guess is that when increasing speed at that pace after doing 17 miles may have made me a little more susceptible to the “twinge” of pain in my upper thigh that made it’s nagging appearance much later that evening.

And thus Training Week 16 began with the dreaded “twinge” of pain.  Ugh.  Thankfully Week 16 was a low mileage week in the schedule.  A good week in my mind to keep the weekly runs easy and do everything I could to keep my muscles loose. Between staying on top of my core work at 52 Fitness, foam rolling and trigger point ball rolling like a madwoman (I even took a roller up to my office), taking Epson salt baths and staying on top of the ibuprofen, my 5-mile run on Thursday night seemed to show that it had all been working.  And just in time for a Tulsa tradition tomorrow, the  Tulsa Run! Thirty-six years and counting.  Probably one of my favorite races.

So, if you don’t have anything to do in the morning, bundle up and grab a cup of coffee and come out and cheer us on!  Race start for the 15k runners is 9:00 a.m.  You can even get your Saturday sleeping in time in with that kind of start time. 🙂 Here’s a map of the course:

If you just can’t get out of the house or don’t live here in Tulsa, KJRH Channel 2 is streaming the race here.  Look for me to cross around or after the 10:30 a.m. mark. If you see me, come back here and let me know!  It will be like my 10 seconds of fame…or failure, whatever the case may be. 🙂

Chill in the air

Wow. The crisp mornings have been hinting at fall but as I left the house after 6 a.m. this past Saturday morning to meet up with my marathon training group, I had to actually pause and get out the windshield scraper! It was a very chilly morning at 37 degrees. But, let me talk you, an 18-mile run will warm you up! After missing the last several weeks with the group, it was good to be back with the group. There’s just something about running with other people pursuing the same goal as yourself, you know? It makes me feel like I’m a part of something.

Also had a great time Saturday afternoon catching up with an old college friend while she and her family were in Stillwater for the day. Enjoyed a little snack at Fuzzy’s Tacos.

Um, hello, Fuzzy’s? Why doesn’t Tulsa have one of these? I’m pretty sure I could drown myself in chips and guac.

Enjoyed listening to Mark Gibson with some girlfriends at Doc’s over a glass of wine on Saturday night. A group of us discovered Mark and his buddy Ryan at a local Tulsa event this past spring. He pops up at a bunch of great venues all over town. A dish of Doc’s gourmet mac and cheese, a nice Shiraz and some girl talk with some great music in the background and it was a perfect way to pass a crisp October evening relaxing on the town.

Finally got around to making a batch of White Chili on Sunday afternoon. I have been craving it for a week! Of course, it wouldn’t be fall soup season without a batch of Johnnycake either. Johnnycake is one of my most coveted recipe requests. And, no, I don’t give it out. Okay, I gave it out one and only time. And she knows who she is. 🙂

I will give out my White Chili recipe if you’re looking for a new soup to add to the recipe box. It’s also a great way to use up all the leftover turkey you’re sure to have at Thanksgiving.

White Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups celery, diced
• 1-7 oz can green chiles
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 3-15 oz. cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc but any dry white wine will do.)
• 4 cups cooked chicken or turkey, diced (I used a rotisserie chicken from my local market. Much easier!)

To assemble:

Heat oil in large dutch dutch oven over medium high heat.  Saute onion and celery until tender. Reduce heat to medium and add spices and green chiles; cook for about 5 minutes.  Add white wine and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth and beans and bring all to a simmer over low heat for at least 20 minutes.  Can top with a squeeze of lime and avocado wedges, dollop of sour cream and/or shredded monterrey jack cheese!

Mondays and Mimosas & a Flu Shot Poll

It was a busy weekend out-of-town for a family wedding and I was able to stay on my training schedule despite the change in location. Hope to update more on that later. In the meantime, I’m hitting up my daily dose of Emergen-C to hopefully stay ahead of any wayward bugs and keep my electrolytes charged as we head into the flu season. One of my co-workers often teases me that I’m hitting up my mimosas again whenever he sees me drinking my Emergen-C. One can always hope, right?

Speaking of which, tomorrow is Flu Shot day here at work. I’ve never really been on the flu shot bandwagon but in my runner’s circles it’s quite the debate and has me wondering I should or not.

How about you?  Are you for the flu shot or against it? Just for kicks, how about a poll?

Tuesday Night Track Workout

I’ve been working on speed work for quite awhile thanks to my stellar new treadmill. However, since the weather has been getting nicer, I have been joining up with the Tulsa Running Club on Tuesday nights for their weekly track workout as a part of my regular training regimen.  Couldn’t have asked for a better night!  The temps at 70° were perfect for an outdoor workout.

Here’s tonight’s workout and our target paces for each:

Here’s how we did:

1600m was pretty much on the money.

Our 800m was definitely on the money.

 You’ll note the variation in time between the first 400m (above) and the second 400m (below).  We were initially informed by our running coach that our target for the 400 was 1:50. When we finished the second lap, he told us 1:55 was actually our target.

Having exceeded our target again by the end of Lap 3, we concluded that we all must be a group of overachievers.

And because we are a group of overachievers, we figured one more lap just for good measure.

Not bad for a group of overachievers.

What did you do today to workout? Did you take it outside or hit the gym?

an 11-miler and a breakfast that would make the Contessa proud

Today’s training run was an 11-mile progression run.  Even though there was a possible threat of rain during the scheduled morning training run, I passed on the group run this morning and got the miles in on my treadmill.  It was just one of those days where I just needed a little more time before getting out of bed.  Most of my running buddies think I’m crazy to do long distances on the treadmill if I don’t have to.  But, I don’t mind it. Actually, I kind of like it.  It’s okay. Call me Crazy. I won’t take it personally.

Made myself a great post-run breakfast that I wanted to share. Everything I’m learning and reading about endurance training advocates consuming a good amount of protein within 20 minutes following long runs and hard workouts.  It helps rebuild what was torn in the muscles during the workout.  I have started incorporating either low-fat chocolate milk or almond milk with egg white protein powder in that post-run window but I also make sure my breakfast has some good sources too.  I’m for all the muscle recovery I can get!

So, this morning I was STARVING post-run.  Can I say, a progression run on a treadmill is workout? There’s no slowing down and speeding up that happens when you’re out on the road. Treadmill runs are constant speeds for the duration of the progression. Oh, and hills. Did I mention I set my workout to randomly engage inclines between 0-5 percent for the duration of the 11 miles?  Just to fend off the “treadmill running is flat” naysayers.

Needless to say, I was more than ready to eat and really didn’t want to have to wait longer while cooking something elaborate.  I started to grab the very handy egg white carton when I was deterred by the sight of a perfectly ripe avocado in my fridge’s veggie drawer.   Then I spied the package of white corn tortillas on the shelf above that I bought last weekend and had since forgotten. A little red onion, bell pepper and spinach sautéed in a spray of coconut oil and within minutes my inner Barefoot Contessa rewarded my inner Hungry Runner Girl with…

White Corn & Egg White Breakfast Tacos.

Game changer.

So easy, I almost hate to call it cooking!  The only thing I might add might be a sprinkle of feta or gruyere.  Or some sort greek yogurt drizzle.

And maybe just a glass of breakfast wine.

Quarter Marathon highlights

The day could not have been more perfect. I ran two great races. I PR’d my 5k time without having to push myself too much which was great.  It felt good to shave 30 seconds of that pesky 5k PR.  Pesky because it was a tied race time.  Nothing like crossing a finish line and giving it everything you have to find out you have tied your previous best. Oy! So, yesterday I took away a new time which was unexpected. I told my running buddies that the next time I have a 5k that I don’t have to follow with another 6.5 mile run, it is on.  Release-the-secret-weapon-on.

The quarter marathon was a lovely run as well.  I’ll admit, the extra 3 miles and a thirty minute delayed start between the 5k and and quarter was more of a challenge than I anticipated.  My legs felt pretty heavy the first mile or more into the run.  Mentally I told myself to just listen to my body, not push it and just enjoy the ride.  That was the best mental talk I could have given myself.  Eventually my body loosened up and I enjoyed  listening to my tunes and chatting it up every so often with people I came across on the course.  Lots of inspiring people along the way and many of them gave me the extra push I needed to make it through all the rolling hills and inclines in the last couple of miles back toward the finish.

Hands down most fantastic way to start the fall.

(Photos courtesy of Fleet Feet Tulsa Photobucket with personal edits)

And then there was fall . . .

It’s here! That weather that smells like crunchy orange leaves, fresh out of the oven pumpkin muffins and college football! (Yes, you can smell football in the air!) Today’s added bonus was the intermittent rain and overcast grey day. It does not get any better than fall in my world!

Fall weather also means races. I think most runners would say that spring and fall is the best time of year. Cooler temps plus little humidity equals the most perfect of running conditions.

I am commencing this great racing season with a couple of racing firsts.  Tomorrow Fleet Feet here in Tulsa is putting on a rather unique race distance – the Quarter Marathon.  A 10k race (6.2 miles) is fairly rare among race distances but even rarer is a quarter marathon (6.55 miles). To top it off, there is a 5k race before the quarter marathon and for a little extra challenge they’ve offered an option that you can run these back to back. So, tomorrow I not only run the Quarter Marathon but I will run both races or the Q-Doubler.

All in all, the distance totals at just under 10 miles which is a very doable run for me. The challenge, I think, comes in how to actually run the race?  Do I pace myself steadily in both races and treat it like a regular training run? Do I go for a 5k personal best and see where all this core training and speed work has brought me thus far?  Do I use the 5k as a warm up race and then try to put everything I have into the longer race?

And there you have it. Your very own close up into the inner workings of the runner’s brain. 🙂  I think I know which option in the end I will go with.  Most importantly, I will choose being smart over pushing myself to do more than I should at this point.  The bigger race for me is the Route 66 Marathon coming up at the end of November.  Need to stay healthy so I can pound out the longer miles, right?

A close second to all this race strategy is the question of what running gear will be with me as I head out tomorrow morning. I always like to decide these things and lay them out the night before. Even though I get up with plenty of time to grab all this in the morning, there is something about a race day that I just tend to be in a sort of a jog fog. Mental alertness eludes me. So, here’s what is in my pile:

A:  SPIBelt to some extra fuel, hydration tablets and a key.

B: Honey Stingers. These are my new current favorite in running fuel. Normally we consume these on long runs. I’m taking these in case I need to refuel during the second race. The chews are like eating very soft gummy bears.  The waffle is like eating graham cracker pie crust. And lemony to boot.

C: My race bib.  You would think this would be easy to remember. But, in fact, I have showed up on race day without this precious commodity! Thankful for a good running buddy who was just behind me on the road  who stopped by my house to pick it up!  Running buddies are worth their weight in gold. And confirmed race times. 🙂

D: My Plantronics blue tooth head set.  I use to wear Yur buds and ended up converting to blue tooth because I really hated the cords.  These hold a charge for close to 8 hours which is more than enough time for any of my runs.

E. Nuun hydration tablet.  This is new for me to carry with me.  I am normally a minimal water drinker when I race. But after a recent 12-mile run on a very humid day I began to appreciate the importance of staying hydrated and replenishing electrolytes. Tomorrow will in no way be too humid and I will probably be fine on what’s around for the racers.  But I don’t do well with Gatorade and I thought at the very least I may be able to Nuun between the two races.

There’s probably a lot of overkill here.  After all, I have done these kind of distances on great days with much less.  If nothing else, I shape my running regimen a little more for the next race.

See you at the finish line!