Boston On My Mind

Some weeks just don’t play out in your favor, but some weeks really do … and they are great. Running wise, of course. I had three solid weekday workouts this week. They weren’t easy by any means; they were challenging and trying. But I did them, finished strong (enough) and am ready for a successful long run tomorrow. Lately , I’ve found myself typing “Boston Marathon Training Tips” in the Google search bar partly because I’m eager and obsessed and partly because I want to make sure I’m getting the most of out of my training program. The last thing I want to do is qualify for Boston and go through the motions of training – I want to kick butt too! I’m discovering a lot about the marathon and what to expect, which has in turn changed my perception of how I should train.

Everyone has heard of Heartbreak Hills. If not, it’s the series of hills during the Boston Marathon that start at mile 17 and continue until mile 21 or so. Apparently, they aren’t steep and wouldn’t rattle any typical run. The catch? Yes, there’s always a catch. The first 17 miles are downhill, with small rolling hills here and there. Wouldn’t your muscles go into shock after changing what you were doing for 17 miles? That’s what I hear happens. The change from downhill to a steady incline is what gives the hills the infamous name. On the flip side, I’ve even heard quite the opposite. After mile 21 the course is dominantly downhill, which set some people’s muscles off with the drastic change from up to down.

So how have I changed training? HILLS! I’ve said it before, that I want to incorporate hills, but I haven’t quite challenged myself like I should. This brings me back to my workouts this week, which starts with my long run last weekend. I finished a tough 14 miles last Friday. I faced a lot of hills, the height and duration I think Boston will prove to be. After that run I realized that I am not prepared for a hilly course. Even though I felt heavy and slow for a majority of the run I still averaged an 8:30 pace, which is perfectly acceptable in my book. I have been very sore all week and mostly as a result of that run but what better than to keep pushing and fighting when you’re preparing for one of the biggest sporting events. Whoa. Tuesday I ran about six and a half miles and made certain to squeeze as many hills as I could. It was a difficult run but I felt good and light. I didn’t have my GPS watch but I would bet my pace was much faster than my long run pace the weekend before. Wednesday and Thursday weren’t as hilly of runs because I had to make friends with the treadmill but I hit my numbers, four and six, and ran hard. It’s much more satisfying when you completed a workout knowing that you put everything you had into it and probably even became a better runner because of it. I can tell I’m becoming a “runner” – I’ve stopped running just to run and finish a workout and have started thinking strategically in how I can best prepare my body and mentality for this particular race.

Tomorrow I scale back to 11 miles. My knees are looking forward to a bit of a break. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy running! :-)

Training - In Good Times and In Bad

Training last week was strong. Usually separating my week runs and my long run helps in my mental game. If I can hit all my goals Monday through Thursday then I get a nice, relaxing Friday. When Saturday rolls around I have to prep myself in a completely different mindset. During the week I’m running hard, I’m hitting my mileage and working on various techniques, like hills, intervals and speed. Long runs are a task by itself. It’s something I don’t ever think about – I just do it. Saturday morning routines typically consist of waking up, brushing my teeth, throwing on workout clothes, grabbing my watch and walking outside. Hopefully by then I’ve woken up and my eyes have opened to notice I’m actually outside and about to go on another adventure. Then I start without thinking of time, mileage or anything else really. It’s going to take awhile and there’s a good possibility I’ll be a little achy but I’ll push through it and finish yet another weekend long run.

I’ve had to do a lot of overcoming treadmill boredom during the week. Monday is my cross-training day so I did a 45-minute Jillian Michaels workout two Mondays ago and a P90x plyos workout yesterday. Both consist of constant core work, a lot of jumping, squatting and cardio. Last Tuesday I ran six-mile intervals on the treadmill. I warmed up with the first mile and then ran half mile intervals for the rest of the time, varying the speed increases each time. Tuesday was a good run; I felt strong. On hump day I worked in a four mile run on the treadmill (again) and incorporated hill inclines. Runner’s World says running at a 1 to 2 percent incline on the treadmill is similar to road running. So, I maintained that incline and then went up to 3, 4 and 5 percent to simulate hills. Thursday rolled around and I had to do a lot of digging for motivation. It happens to everyone. When I finally got to the workout center, I ran five miles at a tempo pace. I didn’t do the higher mileage here (six) but I did the other two days and that was good enough for me. My pace ranged from 7:45 to 8:34 during the five miles. The last couple were tough to get through but I did it.

In conjunction with my runs last week I also did leg, arm and ab work. For legs, squats (bodyweight or light weights), lunges (same as squats), leg raises, calf raises and pelvic thrusts are good for long distance runners. You get toning and strength but not too much. Hill workouts also act as a great leg workout. For arms I keep it simple with bicep curls, tricep pulls, overhead presses, weighted punches and push-ups. Again, I don’t have a goal to bulk up – I just want to be strong. I do all kinds of ab exercises, on the stability ball, on the balance ball, weighted, not-weighted … anything you can think of. I try and get a good core workout in three to four days a week. Running is easier when you have a strong core for support.

Friday night was my rest day and I took full advantage of it. They were calling for snow flurries and possibly rain on Saturday but when I stepped out on my deck and noticed nothing had fallen yet I got dressed and went out for my long run. When I stepped outside – the flurries were there to greet me. Great. I ran anyway though. I spent a lot of time dodging puddles and spots of mud. All in all I felt good and ran a solid 10.5 miles averaging 8:34 minute/miles.

I knew I was going to do a good bit of eating on Sunday for the Super Bowl so I decided to go against my typical routine and workout on Sunday. The elliptical was my safest bet since I didn’t want to cause too much strain on my muscles. I did 30 minutes on the machine and then worked in some arm, leg and core exercises. And as I said before, I did a P90x plyos workout.

That brings me to today … and my lack of motivation. I listened to my body tonight and didn’t run. I am mentally exhausted and needed a break. My program will start back up again tomorrow and I plan on getting two hard runs in and then taking Friday off. Twelve miles awaits me this weekend – stay tuned for the verdict! Happy running!