playing it by ear

a tale of two races

2009-06-28T22:23:00.004-04:00

So, last Sunday was my 10K goal race. The race all this speed and hill training has been leading up to. The 55-minute goal that I thought was a bit too ambitions.

Anyway ... I lined up race morning thinking that while it'd be awesome to see a 55 on that clock, I'd be happy just to set a new PR. And even happier to break 57 minutes. My 10K PR was 57:26.

I started off running with a friend from our training team. While she's naturally faster than me, her training was a little lacking. She decided she'd rather aim for my goal time than hers.

The first mile was a little slow, at 9:21. It was crowed, and we placed ourselves back a little too far in the pack. We had a bit of ground to make up if we were going to come close to that goal!

It got better.

8:58
9:10
8:58
8:55

I was feeling good. Kind of like in my last half marathon, when I started speeding up in the second half. I started pulling away from my running buddy after the fourth mile, and kept going strong.

My fastest mile was the last, at 8:40. Whoa! I gave everything I had left and ran the last .22 (well, that's what my Garmin tracked) in 1:41, a 7:30 pace.

It unfortunately wasn't a chip race, though. Garmin time is a little more solidly in my goal range at 55:45 ... apparently I didn't quite start with the clock. Official time is 55:57. But I say it still counts!

I'm now even more excited to see what I can do in my 5Ks this summer.

And actually I ran one yesterday. It was the graduation race for the club's 5K training class, and they had pace groups that anybody could join.

Excellent! I decided that even though it was a bit too fast for me, I would try to start with the 8:30 pacer.

Only she started out REALLY fast. If my Garmin's current pace reading was correct, we were at times over a minute-per-mile too fast. I gave up running with her, and just tried to keep her in sight.

She was at least 20 feet ahead of me as I passed the one-mile mark. The volunteers called out my time at 8:13. My mile alert beeped a few steps later at 8:22. That might be the fastest mile I've ever run, other than a couple of one-mile track races.

Mile two was a little harder, with a bridge and some gravel trails. I finished that mile in 8:51.

I was really hoping to be able to beat my best 5K (27:19 -- I won't count the 25:55 when the course was only 2.9), and I really wanted to break 27. I was in good shape.

And then, just as I took a turn after mile two, I was hit with the worst side stitch. I can usually run through them, but I had to stop to walk for a few steps. I grabbed my side and tried to keep running.

It wasn't getting better. My speed slowed. But after running over the bridge again, it finally went away. Unfortunately, it took nearly the entire third mile. I finished that up in 9:53. Ugh.

I was able to pick it up to a 7:46 pace for the final stretch, finishing in 27:48. Even though it was a little disappointing, it's really not a bad time for me -- it's my third fastest. If you don't count that 25:55.

They posted age-graded results, and I finished 10th out of 57. Overall 75th out of 438. Yes, it was a women's only race, and they had runners and walkers ... but I'll take it!

weekly winners: waterfront

2009-06-28T17:21:00.003-04:00

June 21-27, 2009

It's been a busy week. I have a lot to write about, but I think it's going to have to wait. I'm exhausted. I'm predicting an early bedtime tonight!

For now, I'm just going to share some of my favorite photos from the week. All were taken on or near the water. I love living in Annapolis!

On Friday night, the Chorale had its annual fundraiser boat cruise. I volunteer to help checking in guests and whatever else they might need with set-up/clean-up, so I get to ride for free. We were lucky to miss the storms, but got just enough of the aftermath to make things interesting!

And on Saturday, we went to a graduation party at a yacht club. Beautiful day, and beautiful views!

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weekly winners: nearly nothing

2009-06-21T06:15:00.000-04:00

June 14-20, 2009

Sorry I don't have much for today, folks. It seems I didn't pick up my camera all week until yesterday, when visiting my six-week-old nephew. Since he's not my kid, I don't want to post photos of him online. But I think it's OK to share his new sneakers!

He's still a bit too small for them, so they barely stay on. At least they'll fit for a little while!

I'm sure the other Weekly Winners participants have had a more productive week. Check them out at SarcasticMom.com!

not so fast?

2009-06-16T22:41:00.003-04:00

Since my concert schedule caused me to miss two speed workouts, I decided to make one of them up on Thursday.

I was worried about the weather. We could hear thunder when we got home, and the radar map made it look like a small storm system was moving through our area. But I still wanted to get my speed work in.

I did the math and wrote up a chart so I could match the mileage with my usual 400 meter sprints with a 200 meter recovery. I went up to 12 400s, but doubted I could make it that long on the treadmill! And just as I was ready to start, I checked the weather again.

The storm had moved on! So I hit the track instead. I wasn't sure how many I'd do. I missed the 18x400 and 20x400 workouts, but I didn't want to do that many. I wanted to do at least eight. And, well, I'm kind of an overachiever.

After a 15-minute warm-up, I was ready to go. I was still working with a 2:02 goal.

1:59
1:59
2:03
2:02
2:02
2:02
2:06 -- huh, getting a little sluggish
2:09 --ugh
2:03 -- that's better
2:00
2:04
2:06 -- maybe it's just not my day
2:08
2:09
2:05
2:02

Yeah ... not so good. Maybe it was the week and a half break from the track? Or was it my yoga class earlier that day -- while I always have yoga the same day as my runs, it seemed like a hard (but good!) workout. I don't know. I just wasn't too thrilled with this run!

But things have picked up since then.

On Saturday, I ran a 10K. This was a warm-up for our goal race -- what all this speed and hill training has been working up to.

I knew this race was hilly, and I wasn't expecting to be able to do it at my 55-minute goal. (I think I would have a hard time with that on a flat course!) I would have loved just to break 57. I didn't do either. But I was still happy with my race.

It was overcast at the start, and humid. I positioned myself where I thought was the middle of the pack, and we were off. Very early on, I got the feeling this was going to be a tough race. I looked down at my watch. Oops, 8:03 pace. That's why! I slowed it down and finished the first mile in 8:47.

Mile two clocked in at 9:11, mile three at 9:27. Sure I was slowing down, but I was OK with that. Wow, there were a lot more hills than I was expecting!

Miles four and five were pretty rough. Both were 9:43. Somewhere in here, I was starting to think a sub-60 10K was a better goal!

But it got better. Mile six, 9:15. And I clocked the last .18 (says Garmin) in a mere 1:23. Why yes, it was a slight downhill finish :)

Final time: 57:31. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was only five seconds slower than my PR. (Note to self: always know what your PR is before trying to beat it.)

I had a good time, and received what is possibly the ugliest race shirt ever:

It makes me laugh. And is likely going straight to the donation pile!

And now I'm going to bring us back to the track. We're no longer doing ridiculous numbers of 400s. We're sticking to just eight, but trying to pick them up a little bit.

For my pace group, our coach suggested a few seconds faster than our previous 2:02, that we should go for sub 2:00. I didn't expect to go quite this fast -- or be able to maintain it! But here it is ...

1:52 (I thought "too fast!" when I saw the time)
1:51
1:51
1:50
1:43 (WTF? That's a 7-minute pace. I double-checked to make sure I didn't end the lap too soon. Nope. Right on at .25 mile)
1:47
1:49 (Before finishing this lap, I was feeling sluggish. Apparently not so much ...)
1:47

Huh. I really don't know where that came from. We'll see how close I get to my goal on Sunday!

weekly winners: nine inch nails and scenes from the garden

2009-06-14T12:57:00.006-04:00

June 7-13, 2009

Last week, I took a lot of concert photos, too -- which you can see over here. I'm only going to include one of those in this week's 'Winners,' taken at the Nine Inch Nails show.

And now I bring you to my garden ...

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three shows in three days

2009-06-11T22:28:00.002-04:00

This week and last have been jam-packed with live music!

The madness began Sunday with a matinee performance by Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3. This show was in town, so we walked down to our favorite local venue and grabbed some lunch before the show.

We were seated in the front row, directly in front of Peter Buck. That was pretty amazing -- I've been an R.E.M. fan forever so it was great hearing a little extra guitar through his monitor.

Loved the show, and got to briefly meet Robyn and Peter after the show. Too bad Robyn wouldn't pose with us -- he said Peter was the photo guy -- but we got albums signed to add to our collection.

Monday night we headed up to Merriweather Post Pavilion to see The Decemberists. They were playing their latest album, The Hazards of Love, in its entirety.

But first up, we had a few openers. Andrew Bird was always on the bill. But a late addition was none other than Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3!

Robyn asked his "young nephew Colin" to join him on stage ...

How great to see them again!

Next up was Andrew Bird. I'm not really a fan, I just know a few songs from the radio. But he was pretty good.

Finally, The Decemberists took the stage. And well, at least for the first three quarters of the show, we knew exactly what to expect. And it was fantastic!

They took a quick break and played a few more songs after finishing Hazards, right up until the venue's 11 p.m. curfew. What a great show!

But there's always room for more, right?

Tuesday night we returned to Merriweather to see Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction.

Our seats were pretty far back ... and due to the nature of the show, we pretty much had to stand for both performances. But it was a great show, and a lot of fun!

I haven't really followed any NIN albums released since the late 90s ... but they always put on a good show. And they played all my old favorites!

Admittedly, I was never a huge Jane's Addiction fan. The husband was, I just never got past the hits. But I liked them, and they played them all!

Phew! We're done with shows for a few days, but it won't be for too long. At least I think the rest of our summer shows are a bit more spaced out!

weekly winners

2009-06-07T07:39:00.004-04:00

May 31 - June 6, 2009

I went into DC yesterday to run in the Race for the Cure 5K. It's difficult to run because there are so many runners and walkers -- something like 50,000. And a lot of the walkers didn't follow directions and started with the runners. There was a separate start line, and they were supposed to start 15 minutes after the runners. But I crossed the start line and there were already people walking, holding signs, etc.

So it was a little extra workout from your usual 5K, zig-zagging around walkers and slower runners, trying to find a good pace. I was happy that I managed to finish just over 29 minutes (I think -- official results not posted but I had my Garmin.) At least it was a chip race this year. In the past it wasn't. My clock time was somewhere around 37 minutes!

I got into the city really early. I was expecting to have to wait for a train, and for crowds. But I walked into the Metro station and right onto a train, and it left just a couple minutes later. I was meeting some coworkers for a team photo at 7:30, but I got there around 6:40. Plenty of time to find a port-o-pot (no lines!), pick up my donation voucher, and wander around. (They offered incentives to solicit donations. I procrastinated and didn't get any donations until race week. I reached my goal before race day, but I didn't get my voucher emailed to me.)

Anyway, that killed a little time. But I still had to wait for my coworkers. Fortunately, we were meeting at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden so I could entertain myself.

Eventually it was time to meet up. Folks gradually arrived, and we took a few photos. Then it was time to wait for the start!

Only the opening ceremony kept going, and speakers kept coming up. We just wanted to run! They ended up starting about 30 minutes late.

But it was a really good time. The event was very well organized. There were great vendor freebies at the finish, and the race had plenty of snacks and drinks available. I was impressed!

Also this week ...

I've got some lazy cats.

And finally, I took this at the Cracker show last week, while waiting for the encore:

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relays, ultras, and tris - oh my!

2009-06-04T21:35:00.003-04:00

Hmm, guess what we're talking about over at the Runners' Lounge today?

This week, Take it and Run Thursday is focusing on the not-so-traditional running events ... mainly triathlons, relays, and ultra marathons.

I think it's pretty safe to say I'll never run an ultra marathon. Yes, I was once known to say I'd never run a full marathon. And somehow, that happened. But I'm pretty sure I won't change my mind on this one.

However, I apparently am willing run a half marathon one day and a full marathon the next. This is probably as close as I'm willing to get!

I'm currently training for my second sprint triathlon, Iron Girl, at the end of August. I had such a great time last year that I can't wait to do it again.

I've only been to the pool a few times so far (I didn't mean to slack all fall and winter ... ), but I'm already swimming longer without a break than I ever did last summer, other than race day. I've got a new bike, too, so hopefully I can get comfortable going a bit faster!

I can certainly see myself moving up to Olympic-distance triathlons -- Iron Girl's swim is pretty long for a sprint, so it wouldn't be that bad of a jump. While I'm not signing up anytime soon, a Half Ironman probably wouldn't be out of the question. But I think I have to draw the line at a full Ironman!

Now onto relays ... this is definitely something on my to-do list!

Back in April, I almost joined my friend's team for the American Odyssey Relay. A few members of her team had dropped out, and she send out an email looking for replacements. TWO WEEKS before the event!

Even without any special training, I was actually considering it. I had kept my mileage up after my March half marathon and April 10-mile race, so it wouldn't have been too bad.

But the race was the week after my vacation, and started on a Friday. I would have had to take another day off work at a time when I was seriously overbooked. I just couldn't afford to miss another day.

And yes, I would rather go into something like this with a little practice running more than once a day!

I'm sure it will happen. Maybe even later this year ... some friends are currently considering the DC Ragnar Relay in September. Sounds like fun!

national running day

2009-06-03T23:17:00.002-04:00

What's this? Two posts in one night?

Well ... I was going to combine them, but then my race report got really long.

Anyway ... I had to miss my 18x400 speed workout yesterday since we had other plans. I decided to run tonight instead. It is National Running Day, after all!

Only it looked like thunderstorms were going to roll in (and they did), so I thought the better choice was to hit the treadmill. I don't think I had all those 400s in me tonight, anyway. I decided I'd just run a 5K, but was planning on playing with the speed a little bit.

As soon as the treadmill started up, my legs kind of hurt. Weird pains, too. No place that had been bothering me. I just chalked it up to being tired from the half (and oh, did I forget to mention the 12-mile bike ride I went on a few hours after running a half marathon?), and just kept going.

I took the first half mile slow, at 5.5 mph. Then I upped it to 7.0 and was able to keep it going for the next half mile. That was hard. I went back down to 6.0 for mile two. Then I did another half mile at 7.0.

For most of the last .6, I was back at 6.0. But when the Nike+ lady told me I had 200 meters to go, I kicked it up to 7.5. I think I made it to the end of my 5K before having to slow down again.

By no means my fastest 5K, but under 30 minutes (29:22), so that's fine with me. It's been a while since I've run on the treadmill!

zooma race report

2009-06-03T21:02:00.005-04:00

Some of you may have seen my brief mention earlier this week about the Zooma Half Marathon I ran on Sunday. It's always fun to participate in a big race in my own hometown!

The weather wasn't cooperating with us on Sunday morning. It looked a little questionable when I got up, and I heard some thunder around 5:30 a.m. I was a bit worried, but hoped it would pass.

I've read a lot of people had trouble with traffic and parking. However, I don't live far from the stadium and could avoid most major roads.

I got there around 6:15, with more than enough time to hit the bathroom before the 7 am start. They had a row of port-o-pots (with quite a long line!), but they actually had the stadium bathrooms open. I'm sure most people didn't realize this -- I waltzed in with no line! (There was, however, a line as we got closer to the start.)

The thunderstorms seemed to have passed, but it was still raining as we gathered at the start line. Huge puddles had formed throughout the start chute, and runners tried to stick to the edges where it was a little better. I managed to make it across the starting mat without too much water damage!

The rain threw off my plan to meet up with my friends. We had a meeting place, but it wasn't sheltered. I wasn't able to find them, so I started on my own.

Within a mile, I caught up with one of my friends. She really should be faster than me, but she hadn't really trained well enough. We ran and chatted, and the rain stopped within a few miles. We stayed together for about seven miles, and we keep a good pace.

I started pulling ahead of her when she announced we were at the halfway point. I checked my watch -- 6.5 in about 1:06. It wasn't until then that I realized I had a chance to beat my 2:13:11 PR from 2005. I really wasn't expecting to do that well. Even without the rain, this was a tough course!

The first seven miles:

10:04
9:52
10:04
9:53
10:00
9:54
9:42

The turnaround point was around mile eight -- we had to make a U-turn on the trail and headed back. Since the trail is narrow, it got a little congested with runners going both ways, but it eventually thinned out. Around mile nine I walked through a water stop so that I could refill my water bottle and grab a few sips of Gatorade.

I was feeling good. Very good.

9:25
9:55
9:36

As I passed mile 10, I glanced at my watch. 1:39. (And actually, my Garmin hit mile 10 a little sooner, 1:38:27) Huh. My 10-mile race PR is 1:40:12.

9:16
9:03
9:28

Now, I just want to note that I NEVER run negative splits. So I really think all this speed work has helped me learn to run faster on tired legs!

Also, most of that last mile is an incline ... and I got a side stitch after mile 12. But I forced myself to keep moving!

At least the finish was downhill. My Garmin tells me I had a 7:51/mile pace going for the last .19! (I tracked a bit long, but it's not unusual to be a little off, especially on the shady trail. )

My chip time was 2:07:43. I would have been happy under 2:20, with the weather and this course. I'm still pretty ecstatic!

My Nike+/ipod thought I ran 13.48, but it's usually a little long. I've calibrated it, but it only seems accurate when I'm at my 5K pace. But still ... I've never had such a consistent line (even though we can see I did speed up!)

I started it with the clock start, but didn't actually move much for a minute or so -- which you can see in the beginning.

I had a great race ... but I probably won't do it again.

Pros:

Close to home
Tech shirt
Race route I'm very familiar with
Box lunch (hummus and pitas, celery and carrots, and an apple)
Wine tasting (I think this one should count for more than one bullet point)
Finisher necklace instead of medal. So I can finally walk around wearing my race medal without looking like a dork.

Cons:

Expensive. I paid $80 after applying a $10-off coupon.
No splits or clocks on the course (I don't really need it because of the Garmin, but it would have been nice)
Expo was really small, and not many more vendors were there for post-race shopping
Necklaces are kind of crappy
When you are told you are getting "a custom-designed silver necklace handmade by women artisans in Guatemala" what would you expect?

Well, this is what we got:

And while not the greatest photos, yes, there are random black spots on the 'Zooma' side, and lines and scuffs on the 'Annapolis 05.31.09' side. Oh, and I exchanged my necklace at the finish, because the clasp fell off before I even put it on. The replacement chain wasn't much better, so I'm using another chain I had.

Also, they had a 10K and a half marathon. But the same necklace for both. I would like some credit for picking the longer option!

At least while wearing it, people can't really see its imperfections. But they also can't really see what it says at all! (I'll wear the 'Annapolis' side forward. I don't need to wear a boring logo.)
THEY RAN OUT OF CUPCAKES

In the final race instructions they had this note:

Yumm! Nostalgia Cupcakes will offer complimentary celebration cupcakes for all ZOOMA finishers.

In the instruction sheet handed out at the expo/packet pickup, they changed that line to "mini cupcakes." OK, a little disappointing that we weren't going to get full-size cupcakes, but what are you going to do ...

But when we got done with our race, they were gone.

The race director gave this lame explanation on their blog:

Where were the cupcakes? Our poor, poor sweet cupcake vendor… Spent all weekend baking over 3,000 mini cupcakes and was overrun with eager children and husbands on race morning! Plenty of cupcakes were baked for all runners, but keeping hungry non-runner cupcake-lovers at bay was more difficult than anticipated.

Uh, we had a ticket on our bibs to claim our lunch box. Why not have another ticket, or put a mark on our race numbers, to make sure only finishers are getting cupcakes, and that finishers are only taking one?

I'm still mad about that one. I need a cupcake.

two shows in two days

2009-06-02T23:06:00.003-04:00

The husband and I are big fans of live music.

We've got the Rams Head Tavern right down the street, and Merriweather Post Pavilion about a half hour away ... and occasionally we'll journey into DC, Baltimore or Northern Virginia to hit up local shows.

And usually we get a bit of a pileup around this time of year. The past two nights we've been entertained at the Rams Head.

Last night was Katie Melua. I've only just discovered Katie, and was really blown away. Sure, I'd listened to her music prior to the show, and knew she had a beautiful voice. But her delivery was amazing. It was a fantastic show!

I should also mention Katie's opener, David Berkeley. The opening acts are usually pretty good, but sometimes it's hard to get into someone you don't know. David has a nice voice and great stage presence. He brought along trumpet/banjo player Jordan Katz, which added something different. Too bad he just missed me in his Trumpetview photo!

Back for more tonight, to see Cracker. We've seen them here before, and it's always a great time. We were front and center tonight. I didn't even need to use the zoom for this shot!

We've got a few quiet days coming up ... but next week is going to be a little crazy. Stay tuned!

weekly winners: flowers and running update!

2009-05-31T11:56:00.001-04:00

May 24-30, 2009

Last week I planted some flowers and veggies in pots on my front porch. My yard is pretty shaded, but we get a lot of sun in the front. I had a couple tomato plants in my porch garden last year that did quite well. A little too well, actually, so I'm only growing one tomato plant this year. I've also planted cucumber and bell pepper.

The tomato and cucumber plants are still small, so not much to photograph. But I started with a larger pepper plant. It looks like we've already got one growing!

And for a little color, I added some flowers.

Out back, the hydrangeas are getting ready to bloom. We're going to have a lot of flowers soon!

And finally, not in my garden but fitting my floral theme, check out my cute new shoes!

Anthropologie, on sale!

Visit more Weekly Winners at SarcasticMom.com!

Running Update: I just got home from my ninth half marathon -- the Zooma Half Marathon. I wasn't expecting anything great since it's pretty hilly, and it was raining for the first five or six miles ...

But I got a new half marathon PR! 2:07:43 ... my previous best goes all the way back to 2005, at 2:13:11. Wow. I feel great! I guess that speed training is working!

so true.

2009-05-27T22:07:00.002-04:00

Tonight was a promo night at the running shop. Moving Comfort sent a bra fitting representative, a Timex rep was there to answer any sports watch questions, and Saucony rep was there with loaner shoes to take on a test run. And hand out the above beer koozie, which was put to use after our run. Free beer and pizza!

I only ran about 3.25 tonight. The first mile was a little quick, at 9:36, but I slowed it down for the next two, bringing my average pace down to 10:40. But that last mile included an extended walk break while I tried to figure out why my iPod wasn't tracking my miles. Since I was in Saucony shoes, I had the Nike+ sport pod in a shoe pouch. I've used the pouch before ... and it was recognizing that it was plugged in, but no distance. I think figured out the problem after we finished. I had it in upside down!

I'm glad I slowed down, anyway ... I was hoping for an easy run tonight. Last night was another track workout. Sixteen 400s! So yeah, my legs were a little tired.

On the track last night, my first lap was significantly quicker than my 2:02 goal pace. I wound up starting next to a faster friend of mine and just went with it. I knew I had to slow down to be able to finish 16, but I kind of wanted to see how long I could keep it just a little bit faster.

1:56
2:00
1:54
1:56
1:58
1:59
2:05 (and here is where I thought I was done with that ...)
1:59 (uh, just kidding!)
2:01
1:59
2:02
2:01
2:00
2:00
2:00
1:59

Phew! When you add warm up, cool down and the 200m between each 400, I logged nearly eight miles on the track last night.

I actually felt pretty good throughout the workout. And it wasn't until lap 15 when I realized my legs and butt were starting to hurt.

It's probably a good thing I can't make it to next week's track workout. I should be recovering from a half marathon I'll be running on Sunday. But if I wasn't already busy, I'd probably still show up for 18x400s!

(I did run 14x400s last Tuesday, after I had run a 5K on Sunday and a half marathon preview Saturday ...)

weekly winners: more water views

2009-05-24T00:58:00.004-04:00

May 17-23, 2009

We ran through my favorite neighborhood again yesterday. I couldn't resist bringing my camera again. In last week's photos, it was a bit cloudy, and I also was running later in the morning. However, it was warmer and a little hazy this time around. It's only going to get worse as the heat and humidity rises -- sometimes you can't even see the bridge!

(Someone asked last week -- yes, that is the Bay Bridge. And no, I don't live here, but I like to visit!)

good view, part 2

Same place as last week, different angle.

beach view

osprey

birdhouse with a view

ready for a picnic

bridge view

I can't help it. I love the beach chairs. Helps me imagine I could be sitting there!

Another good place to relax

shadows

Taking a walk/photo break. I'm on the right.

fish mailbox

This just makes me laugh.

Back to my own backyard ...

peeking through the trees

wild blackberries

purple flower

baby birds

I've been trying to get a picture of the momma feeding her babies.
I keep seeing her fly off, before I can get a good shot!

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what to eat?

2009-05-21T21:23:00.002-04:00

It's once again time for Take it and Run Thursday over at the Runners Lounge. Though, this week's topic isn't exactly one of my strong points ...

This week's theme is ... Runners version of Eat This Not That. Pass along some of your tips of food you have found helps your running. Tell us about what foods you have cut out or reduced because they don't help your running. And even better, tell us what "good" foods you substitute for the "bad" ones.

I have my favorite pre-run meals like most runners -- usually pasta the night before a big race, and a bagel or toast with peanut butter for breakfast. Other than that, though, I don't really do anything special.

Lately, though, I've been paying a bit more attention to my diet.

My weekly mileage has been higher than usual in the past few months. After the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March, I couldn't really let my mileage slide like I normally would. I ran a 10-mile race in April and have another half next weekend. On top of that, I've started swimming and biking again, to prepare for Iron Girl.

So I've been wondering if I'm eating enough calories and the right balance to support all this activity.

I've gone through a few phases where I've tracked my diet. I usually do it for a while and then get tired of it. I've tried a few sites, but so far I like FitDay the best. You can easily track each workout and see how many calories you've burned for the day. I often view the "Calories Burned vs Eaten" chart to see how I'm doing.

On the main food page, a pie chart gives you the breakdown of carbs, fat and protein consumed for the day. Since I don't eat meat (just fish/seafood), I was a little concerned about getting enough protein. Some days it's kind of low, so I'm glad I'm monitoring it. It helps me plan my next meal or snack.

Just because I'm watching doesn't mean I actually know what I should be eating, though. I still need to do a little research to make sure I'm getting it right!

(Now I'm going to go check out the other TiaRT contributors for some tips!)

running in circles

2009-05-19T22:43:00.004-04:00

Yup, Tuesday nights still mean speed work on the track. We've had terrific weather for the past two workouts.

While it's much more enjoyable when it's not raining, nice weather also means we end up sharing the track with a lot more people. Walkers with dogs, kids on bikes, toddlers wandering around ... most of them paying little attention to the runners sprinting by.

Well, my sprint isn't so fast that I can't dodge them ... but we've got some speedy runners on our team!

Last week we ran 12 400s at our goal pace (mine is still 2:02).

1:58
2:01
1:57
2:02
2:04
2:02
2:04
2:04
2:04
2:03
2:02
1:59

This week, we bumped it up to 14. I wasn't sure what was going to happen since my pre-run snack was sitting kind of heavy in my stomach -- even though I gave it two and a half hours to settle.

2:09 (a cautious start!)
2:02
2:03
2:05
2:03
2:02
2:01
2:03
1:58 (I may have been running away from a kid on a bike here)
2:01
2:04
2:04
2:02
2:02

It didn't go too badly after all!

I'm not sure if all this work is paying off yet ... but I did run my fastest 5K since 2005 on Sunday (27:43, third in my age group). Same course, 24 seconds slower -- but back then, the course was too short!

weekly winners: mother's day

2009-05-17T05:36:00.000-04:00

May 10-16, 2009

We had a lovely Mother's Day. Both of our mothers live out of state and too far for a one-day trip, so we had no family obligations.

I started the day off with a run in one of my favorite neighborhoods. I really wish I had some of these views from my front porch!

After my run, I got ready quickly to head up to Baltimore. A friend of mine won tickets to the Yankees/Orioles game, but couldn't go. We gladly took his place. And they were awesome seats, too -- three rows behind the Yankees' dugout. We're originally from New York, and have a cat named Jeter, so this was obviously a good thing!

It was nice of the O's bird to bring his mom to the game on Mother's Day!

Teixeira's home run in the first inning

Home run high fives

After Damon's three-run home run

My cat's namesake

In other news ... another kitty has been visiting our yard lately. We assume he's a stray, but he's pretty friendly. Maybe he's just really hungry and doesn't mind us being there. If he sticks around, I'll have to try to trap and neuter the little guy. (Sorry, dude. It's for your own good!)

Visit more Weekly Winners at SarcasticMom.com!

summer running

2009-05-14T21:23:00.003-04:00

This for Take it and Run Thursday at the Runners' Lounge, we're talking about the summer. How do you transition as the weather gets warmer? How do you stay cool as the temperatures rise?

The weather in these parts gets a little weird between seasons. A few weeks ago, it seemed like we skipped spring and went straight to summer. I had to dig out my running skirts and tank tops for a few runs. Not much time for a transition!

And then it got cooler, and I was back in capri tights and jackets.

My past few runs have been perfect. Warm enough for tanks/skirts, but not to hot and low humidity. But I know it won't last. It's only a matter of time until it's hazy, hot and humid.

Once the heat really kicks in, we might just have to slow down and give our bodies some time to adjust. And always drink plenty of fluids!

During one of my first years running, we had a particularly hot summer. I got into the habit of always running with a water bottle. I used to fill a plastic bottle halfway with Gatorade and freeze it, and then top it off with water before my run. The Gatorade would keep the water cold and gradually melt as I needed it.

I haven't done that for a while -- I kind of forgot about it. It's definitely something I should keep in mind when the weather's really miserable.

And for a little post-run refreshment, pack a cooler with some face wipes on ice!

weekly winners: in the garden

2009-05-10T00:56:00.003-04:00

May 3-9, 2009

I had another busy week, with barely any photos. But at least I managed to get some camera time in my yard, during one of the rare moments this week when the sun came out!

Visit more Weekly Winners at SarcasticMom.com!

choices

2009-05-05T21:00:00.003-04:00

Our second track workout was on my schedule tonight. The rain was coming down pretty hard on and off during my commute, and I kept changing mind.

Do I head to the track in the rain, or figure out the intervals and do the speed work on the treadmill?

By the time I got home, it was only lightly raining. I checked the weather radar map, and it looked like we might get a brief break. There was another patch of rain after it, so I knew I was going to get wet, but I threw on a hat and went for it.

And actually, it wasn't that bad! It was cool, but not too cold (upper 50s), so the rain wasn't miserable. Much better than the heat and humidity we had last week!

Last time, we alternated eight 400-meter laps at a fast pace with eight 400-meter slow recovery lap. This week, it was 400 meters fast / 300 meters recovery times 10. I have a 55-minute 10K goal, and for this our coach gave me a 2:02 goal pace for each fast lap.

Here's the breakdown:

Last week:
1. 1:54
2. 2:08
3. 1:59
4. 1:56
5. 2:07
6. 1:59
7. 2:00
8. 1:59

Even thought I was checking my time around each 100-meter mark, I still had a hard time finding my goal pace!

Tonight:
1. 1:54
2. 1:59
3. 2:03
4. 2:01
5. 2:02
6. 2:04
7. 2:04
8. 2:02
9. 2:01
10. 2:03

Much better. Maybe I'm getting the hang of this!

It probably wasn't just the cooler temperature that made this run feel better. I wasn't wiping myself out by going too fast. Even with the shorter recovery, I felt really good tonight. (I don't know if I'll say that next week, when the recovery is cut to 200 meters!)

Before my cool-down jog home (I don't live far from the track), I decided today was a good day to break out these:

I had low expectations, but they were actually pretty good!

weekly winners

2009-05-03T00:24:00.004-04:00

April 26- May 2, 2009

Wow, it's been a busy week. Not too much time for photos. But I did manage to pick up the camera for a few shots!

Joey

Jeter

No flowers this week, but I do appreciate how green it's gotten in my backyard!

Visit more Weekly Winners at SarcasticMom.com. I'm sure the other participants have had more interesting weeks!

april 28, 2001

2009-04-28T09:22:00.003-04:00

Eight years already. Does that make me an old married lady?

Happy anniversary, honey!

weekly winners: back home

2009-04-26T00:08:00.003-04:00

April 19-25, 2009

Unfortunately, the scenery in this week's winners just can't compare to last week. Back to reality!

Joey picks fights with Jeter all the time. But Jeter usually does most of the pouncing.

Visit more Weekly Winners at SarcasticMom.com!

marathon madness!

2009-04-23T21:42:00.005-04:00

No, I haven't gone mad. Well, not any more so than I already have (ahem, Goofy Challenge).

This week at the Runners' Lounge, the theme for "Take it and Run Thursday" is Boston and Marathon Madness. Runners are sharing their marathon tips and training plans.

I've only run one marathon (so far). And it's unlikely that I'll ever qualify for Boston. But I've been there, so I'll share our plan.

Since we were all first-timers (and some of us were a little reluctant), we were very conservative. We decided we would use the Galloway run/walk method for the race and all our long runs, and figured we'd use his training plan as well.

Only his plan (linked above) has changed a bit since we set up our schedule in late 2006.

I'm not sure which version is better. But I'll probably use one of them as a base for my Goofy training schedule. (I still have a little time before I have to worry about that!)

For our mid-week short runs, we ran Tuesdays and Thursdays, usually three-five miles. People wanting to work on speedier marathons would probably want to add another day or two of running per week, but I'm happy just to finish.

We normally did our long runs on Saturdays. We started a few weeks into the program because all of us had at least a 10K base. And to make it easier for me to type it up, I'm just going to start my training chart there, too.

Week 4 -- 6 Miles
Week 5 -- 7 Miles
Week 6 -- 8 Miles
Week 7 -- 9 Miles
Week 8 -- 10 Miles
Week 9 -- 11-12 Miles
Week 10 -- 6 Miles
Week 11 -- 13-14 Miles
Week 12 -- 7 Miles
Week 13 -- 15-16 Miles
Week 14 -- 8 Miles
Week 15 -- 17-18 Miles
Week 16 -- 8-10 Miles
Week 17 -- 19-20 Miles
Week 18 -- 5K or 8-10 Miles
Week 19 -- 8-9 Miles
Week 20 -- 22-23 Miles
Week 21 -- 5K or 8-10 Miles
Week 22 -- 8-10 Miles
Week 23 -- 24-26 Miles
Week 24 -- 5K or 8-10 Miles
Week 25 -- 8-10 Miles
Week 26 -- Marathon!

I liked the way it alternates longer and shorter runs. Also, I liked that during marathon training, we started thinking of our 10-mile runs as short runs!

We did get in three runs that were 20 miles or above -- we did 20, 22 and 24. I know a lot of people don't train higher than 20, but it was a real confidence booster for us. We were well prepared on race day!

But it was still hard. And it still hurt. Oh well.

I needed a little time before I was ready to sign up for another. But now I'm excited to do it again!

hills, interrupted

2009-04-21T22:01:00.003-04:00

Tonight was our last hill run, with 12 repeats on the schedule.

When we started, the weather was great. It was a little cloudy, and close to 70 degrees. I was regretting my decision to wear capri tights, but that's what I packed in my gym bag and I didn't have time to change.

We ran the 1.5 miles from the running store to the bridge, commenting on what a perfect night it was.

We got through the first two or three repeats (200 meters up the bridge each), and started to notice some dark clouds rolling in. After five hills, it was looking worse. We almost called it quits after number six, but were hoping the storm would pass us.

And then as we started uphill for number seven, the wind started picking up. We all ran a little faster for that one! And on the jog back down, the rain drops started to fall.

The faster runners, who were one or two hills ahead of us, toughed it out. The back-of-the-packers decided to call it a night. The rain really started coming down -- and it was cold! No longer perfect running weather, but we had no choice. We had to run the 1.5 miles back to the store!

We started seeing lightning in the distance. Thunder started rumbling. It was getting close ... but I think we made it back before the worst of it came through.

So, only seven hills tonight instead of 12. We were all feeling good, too, and ready to tackle the workout.

Oh well ... the top of a bridge is probably not the safest place to be during a thunderstorm!