Goals

I've been trying to decide what my goals are for NODM. I ran the race last year and almost immediately knew that I wanted to run it again.

Here's a picture of me from last year's race somewhere around mile 20. Don't I look like I'm having fun?

NODM was the race that made me excited about marathons again. I had completed five marathons up to that point: Portland 2001, 2002, 2003, RnR AZ 2004, and NYC 2004. And then I had a big, fat DNF at RnR AZ 2005. It was supposed to be my last marathon, my grand finale. So much for that, but what to do next? I couldn't end my marathon "career" with a DNF. (I'll have to tell you more about the DNF someday. In retrospect I'm glad it happened the way it did.) So back home I poured over MarathonGuide, looking for the perfect way to redeem myself. I wanted to give myself enough time to feel mentally refreshed and then do a full training program. But I didn't want to wait for a fall marathon. And I felt like I needed a change of pace from the big, urban marathons I had raced before.

NODM seemed perfect. A small-town marathon, relatively close to home, which in its few short years had developed a reputation for being very well organized. So I did it, had an overall good race, got a PR (yay!) and felt like I had redeemed myself after my previous DNF. But I still didn't feel like I had given it my all and run my best race.

So way back last fall I registered again for NODM. The plan was to ramp up my mileage, train a bit harder and go for a PR again. Well somewhere along the way (March?, April?) I started looking beyond the marathon to what I could do next. As of today, I'm registered for two 50K's and I can't get 50 miles off my mind.

So what are my goals for NODM? Should I go all out and strive for the best race possible? Should I think of it as just a training run for my future races? Are these two goals compatible? This is what has been on my mind lately. I guess I have nine days to figure it out. I'll keep you posted.

My own personal trainer

Today, 15 miles were calling. I'll say up front that it was a great run where I accomplished everything I set out to. I love when that happens!

S's foot is still bothering her so we headed over to Leif so she could bike along while I ran. I honestly would've preferred that she be able to run, but her biking really pulled me along. It was as if I had my own personal trainer. We've been completing our long runs in a 10:30 to 11:15 pace. The last 22 miler was at 11:00. For the taper, my goals are to decrease mileage but increase intensity. Despite taking walk breaks (run 15:00, walk 1:30), my overall pace today was 10:02. Its been awhile since I've run that fast in a long run! A few times I couldn't talk without needing to stammer and catch my breath. I thought I may be running too fast and was going to crash and burn. But I felt strong throughout and even skipped one of my planned walk breaks at about 10 miles.

Conditions were perfect....50's with a low cloud cover but no rain. I thought we'd see more people out there, but I think everyone was sleeping in for Memorial Day. On the way back a runner came down a connecting trail just before us. I realized it was Wendell, one of the race organizers from the day before, so I called out to him. He was out collecting the last of their tags before heading back home. We chatted and ran together for about 2 miles and then he headed back up another trail to continue with his task.

By the end of the run we were seeing more runners, hikers and bikers, but still a light turnout for a weekend day...although I guess it really isn't the weekend. Then we headed to Starb$cks for our usual post-run recovery ritual of caffeine, sugar and fat. (I think there may be some carbs in there!)

I hope everyone else's long weekend turned out as well as mine.

Serious fun

Today was a planned rest day because a few weeks ago I decided to volunteer at the Pacific Coast Trail Run at Forest Park. This is their first run in Oregon; all their other runs are in northern or central California.

About 75 runners showed up for either the 10K, 20K, 30K or 50K. A few were attempting the 50K for the first time. I helped from 7am to noon, checking in runners and handing out t-shirts as they finished. Perhaps because it was a small group, it didn't really feel like work. More like a bunch of friends hanging out, talking, and enjoying a misty Sunday morning in Oregon. I met a few women who were wearing their Red Lizard shirts. I've been intrigued by this local running club and they encouraged me to come out for some of their training runs.

Sarah and Wendell advertise their runs as Serious Fun. Admittedly, I didn't see any 50k runners finish. But every other runner had a smile on their face as they came through the finish line. Next year, I'm looking forward to running with them too.

Taper madness?

You hear a lot about taper madness among long distance runners. Personally, the taper has never bothered me. Oh, I've experienced a few bad runs the last week before a marathon that made me think I wasn't up to the challenge. But generally, I don't get antsy during the taper.

However, it may be different this time around. My running partner has developed a mystery pain in her foot, so we postponed tomorrow's 15 until Monday. Today and Sunday are planned days off. I could do a short run tomorrow, but...sissy alert...I have a nagging blister that could really use a few extra days to heal.

So intellectually, I'm okay with 3 days off in a row. But emotionally...I may just start going a bit crazy....

p.s. Saturday, 6:30 pm: Went out for a quick 5 mile run....

The Schedule says taper....

On my run this morning my thoughts were about my running schedule. I've been following this one developed by Bob Glover for the NYC marathon. And for this training cycle, I've followed the schedule fairly closely. I've decided that's a good thing...at least for now. Mid-week I usually run twice with others and twice by myself. My running pals depend on me and I depend on them. We run no matter the weather...rain, sun, snow, wind...you name it. I'd have to be deliriously feverish to cancel at the last minute.

On the days I run by myself its my (self-imposed) schedule that keeps me honest. I always get my running clothes assembled the night before. The alarm goes off at 5:30 and I'm up! No snoozing allowed. Change...a quick glass of Gatorade....shoes on....and I'm out the door by 5:40. I don't give myself a chance to think about it. Its mindless and it works for me. Sure I've had to cut back a few times. I was out for a few days after needing stitches from my trail tumble. That was a little disappointing since I was right in the middle of the build-up. But having that schedule to aspire to ultimately kept me on track.

Funny, then, for me to see Matt's recent post about his lack of a schedule. And despite what I've written above, moving towards a more flexible way of training is the next phase for me. I still want to have general plans and goals, but I definitely want to get away from the "It's Tuesday, so I must be running 6 miles today." mentality.

The Schedule helped push me to the next level, but now I'm ready to move ahead on my own, more intuitively.

22 mile day...45 mile week

22 was on the schedule today as our longest run before the marathon. I picked up S at 6:30am and we headed up to Forest Park, intending to run the length of Leif Erikson Drive as an out and back. This is an old closed road that is paved in a few parts, but mainly gravel, with more dirt and pine needles as you get further out. It's popular with runners, hikers and mountain bikers. You can also connect with the Wildwood trail (single track) in a number of places and do a variety of loops. I feel fortunate to live within a 20 minute drive of such a great resource!

We started at about 7 am. I tried a few new things on this run that seemed to work well. I downed a gel and some water before we started out. Also, I've never taken electrolyte caps, but recently purchased some Succeed! Caps. I had a few in my pocket and took one at the one hour mark and the other at the two hour mark. I carried 2 more gels and decided to take them early on too...at about 1-1/2 hours and 2-1/2 hours. In races, I've found that I usually can't handle gel after about 18 miles. So the plan for my upcoming marathon is to take them early and then switch to just sports drink (NODM uses HEED) and the Succeed! Caps for the last third.

Overall it was a good run. We've been trying to replicate running to the aid stations and then walking through them. So I set my timer to run 15 minutes and walk 2. Had some early stiffness with my Achilles tendons but they loosened up by about mile 3. At about mile 18 I developed a sharp side stitch but was able to work it out. Poor S started having ITB problems about the same time, but we powered through. Total time was 4 hour, 2 minutes for an 11 minute pace on the dot! Not bad for a somewhat hilly long run.

I'm overjoyed to have a 45 mile week....my highest ever. I know that's still considered low for a lot of competitive runners. But there was a time when I couldn't even run 2 days in a row, so I'll take it. I feel like a 50 mile week is not too far off in my future.

And finally, for some tentative good news: I told S about my entry into the PCT 50K and she volunteered to watch our son so my hubby could run it with me (!!!). It's not a done deal....she has some things coming up that might prevent her from doing it. And I need to convince hubby that he can do it. He would never admit to being a runner. Mountain climbing is his sport of choice. But he likes to trail run the steep trails in the gorge. And on a whim entered a scramble last summer and won his age group. I think a man who can cycle across the country or solo climb Mt Ranier, can run a 50K at my measly pace. Stay tuned.....

Changes, small and big

The small: I changed up my mid-week mileage this week so I could have another rest day on Saturday before my 22 (and still get my 45 for the week!). This is what I did:

Mon: rest
Tues: 6
Wed: 5
Thurs: 7
Fri: 5

I feel good and I'm looking foward to Sunday's run.

The big: I'm sending in my registration this weekend for the Mt Hood PCT 50/50 on July 29th. I'll do the 50K. I had considered it earlier but thought it might be too close to my marathon for a first attempt. But the more I've thought about it the more I know I can do it! And everyone I've asked has said to go for it. (Have you noticed that ultrarunners always say that? LOL!)

It may be hot and the higher altitude is a slight concern. But I'll have 10 hours to complete, which seems like a pretty good cushion. I'm an early morning runner so I think I'll have to add a few afternoon runs to my training to get in some heat training. Yay! I'm excited.

I'll blame it on endorphins

I don't remember exactly when or exactly why, but this past March the idea stuck into my head that I wanted, no needed, to run far. I’m not really sure why, but I’m going to blame it on endorphins. My mileage was up and I was running well. So despite being in the thick of marathon training, I started looking ahead to an ultra I could run after my June marathon.

The McKenzie River Trail Run, a 50K held in early September, looked like a perfect first attempt at a longer distance. This run fills up quickly, but my timing was right. On April 1, the first (and ultimately last) day of registration, I dutifully printed out the entry form and mailed it from the central post office (just in case the box didn’t get its regular pickup). A few days later, I got the email that I was in!

This seems to be the way I operate. I go along quietly, living my life and then a crazy idea hits me. I trust my instincts and commit to it whole-heartedly. I’m still anticipating my June marathon, but my sights are already looking ahead to the future.

Working on a 45 mile week

This is the last big week of my marathon training and then its on to the taper. My schedule calls for a 45 mile week:

Mon: Rest
Tue: 5
Wed: 6
Thur: 5
Fri: 4
Sat: 22
Sun: 3

I ran 5.5 with J this morning so I'm well on my way. S is out of town on Saturday so we'll run the 22 on Sunday. My quads are sore from my half-marathon which is somewhat surprising to me. I guess its been a while since I've run that hard over that distance. I'll see how I feel and may take another rest day on Saturday and skip the 3. But I really want to hit that 45 mile mark. I've been above 30 since February and I've had two weeks above 40 so far this year. Last year I only had two weeks above 35 and eight weeks above 30. So I'm happy with my progress.

Half marathon PR 2:01:58

Although I've never actually trained specifically for a half marathon (they've just come along as part of marathon training), breaking the 2 hr mark has always been a goal. I came a bit closer on Sunday with a time of 2:01:58. That's a PR of about 1 minute if you count an uncertified race that I think was a bit short, or 3 minutes on a certified course. I'm pleased. But its probably the closest I'll come to breaking 2 hrs, since training for road races really isn't part of my future plans.

Its a long way from my first half marathon 5 years ago. I don't remember the exact time...somewhere around 2:34. Its fun to improve but frankly, speed records are becoming less and less important to me. Just getting out there and enjoying the ability to run and experience is more my focus lately.

Tripped over a rock

That should have been the title of this blog but its already been taken.

Last Saturday, 15 miles into a 16 mile trail run, I tripped over a rock and gashed my right brow, resulting in 9 stitches. My first reaction was anger that I couldn't finish my run!

I knew then and there I was hooked.

I've been running road marathons (and shorter distances) since 2001, but recently decided to focus more on trails and longer distances. Since I've been commenting on other's blogs I think it only fair that I start my own. I can't promise that I'll post consistently, or that it will even be interesting. But here it is.