Nine Times

The Stats: 3/10 - 3/16
3/15: 9.0 mi; 1:15'23"; 8'22" avg. pace

Saturday of this week was a beautiful day, one perfect for a nice long run. I was determined to take advantage of it before what would probably be the last snow of the year in Charleston on Sunday. Mapping out the distances before running is crucial when doing these long runs. Thankfully, Nike+ has a very accurate mapping service that allows you to follow the roads, or take your intended path off-road to estimate distances. When mapping out 9 miles, I found the best way to do the bridge-to-bridge route was to add an extra mile to the Kanawha City portion. A half mile further out and a half mile back would add a mile to last week's eight mile course.

I started out a little uncomfortable but with a good pace. The first mile was slightly over 8 minutes. Each mile thereafter, until mile 6, got slower. I got slower by an average of 9 seconds for every mile with the slowest mile being the fifth at 8'41". 50th Street was my turnaround point in KC. Then, I headed back to the 35th Street Bridge and crossed it during my 5th mile, hence the slowest mile split. I got into a good stride on the Boulevard and reduced my split to 8'30" on the 6th mile.
After that long straight stretch on the Boulevard, I was ready for the change of pace that came from getting on the South Side Bridge. My 7th mile was impressive, 8'29", for having to go uphill on that bridge. The legs felt so sturdy coming back down MacCorkle on the home stretch that I sprinted some on the last mile. It was my fastest mile at 7'55". I can only hope that continues as the distances stretch out in this half marathon training. And spring weather should be a welcome boost!

Eight Is Enough

The Stats: 3/2 - 3/9
3/9: 8.0 mi; 1:10'29"; 8'47" avg. pace

A couple opportunities to run during the week did not pan out. Then, on Saturday the PTR crew opted for skiing instead of running. You gotta burn calories one way or another. The crucial question was: can we do a long run after the return trip on Sunday? The answer for both Ashley and I was: yes.
Moving up my distance by a mile each week led me to run an 8 miler on Sunday. Ashley had already finished half of her run and stopped for a break at my house. She said, "I only have 4 miles to go." To which I replied "That sounds like a lot." She looked at me with shock and said "You're supposed to be trying to encourage me." Oh, right, haha. This goaded me out of a wimpy attitude toward the run and got me out the door.
I started with a nice 8'20" first mile, but then cut back the pace on each of the next three miles, conserving energy. I trotted down to 45th street on Virginia, about 2.5 miles, before coming back towards the 35th Street Bridge. I high-fived Ashley who was all but 2 miles from her total of 9 on the day. Then, I mistakenly started to summit the 36th Street Bridge before realizing there was no sidewalk there (Again? Really?!). I ran down to the bridge I could cross and gave Ashley a two-armed wave. She was almost finished, I had only just begun.
Across the Kanawha and onto the Boulevard I went. The sun was setting to left of the river and I had forgot my sunglasses in Mike's car. That was a mistake. I ran most of the Boulevard with my left eye closed. Occasionally, I would glance towards downtown and then look back down at my feet to make sure I stayed on the sidewalk. By mile 5, I started to increase the pace again. I wanted to get over the South Side Bridge and not be facing the sun anymore. I darted across the Boulevard not long after mile 6 and went over the bridge. I kicked the pace before the bridge's incline to build up some momentum. This felt really good, despite all logic.

Love the bright green sections

From there it was a mile and a half sprint back down MacCorkle to the finish line. As was the case last week, my final mile was my fastest at 8'02". That means I am setting a good pace as the distance grows. Some stretching after the run to prevent soreness and we're well on the way to 13 miles. Jump on the half-marathon bang-wagon 'cause its rolling along smoothly.

Longer and Longer

The Stats: 2/23 - 3/1
3/1: 7.0 mi; 59'50"; 8'31" avg. pace

The weather is moving back and forth between being tolerable and unruly. At least it stayed dry enough to get in the long run this week. My plan is to increase my long, weekend run by a mile each week until I do a 10-miler. So far so good. Ashley and her friend Jessica outran me by 1.5 miles on Saturday, but I knew not to try and match them. Getting the muscles and bones accustomed to long distances is best done incrementally.
We couldn't have asked for a better day on Saturday. Cool and dry, at about 42 degrees, we trotted from the 35th Street Bridge to the South Side Bridge. There was an unleashed dog on the boulevard presumably following his owner. Then, I got distracted by construction equipment sitting in a barge in the Kanawha. It looked like they are building up the bank with huge rocks. But I digress. I kept the pace slower than I needed to for the first three miles. I wanted to make sure I could summit the South Side Bridge effectively. Once that section was complete, I felt okay to open it up a bit more. MacCorkle is a boring stretch, but there is the fear of oncoming traffic to keep you alert. I ran that bit and back behind UC. The legs started protesting somewhat around mile five. Still, I felt like I could have done between 8 and 10 miles by the end of the run. I turned around at Memorial and ran my fastest mile back home. Finish strong.

My pace for the run was 8'31", and I happened to mention to the girls that I expected a 8'30" pace before starting. So I am on track both mileage and pace wise. Now I have to keep boosting the distance until we hit 13 miles in May.

Week to Week

The Stats: 2/16 - 2/22
2/17: 3.11 mi; 23'57"; 7'41" avg. pace
2/19: 4.00 mi; 37'03"; 9'16" avg. pace
2/22: 6.22 mi; 50'02"; 8'03" avg. pace

I have finally put together a single week worthy of a blog post. A momentary break in the winter weather allowed for some good running days last week. Surprisingly, my pace has not suffered drastically from the lack of January activity. I started with the 'ole faithful 5k route on Monday. It went great, but I forgot to stretch out adequately after the run. Ashley joined me on Wednesday and helped me trot out the soreness from Monday's three-miler. I polished that off with a 10k on Saturday under beautiful skies. The half marathon training program suggested an 8 miler this weekend for the long run. Ashley knocked that out, but I am still building back up to the long distance weekend run. All signs are encouraging at this point. Minimal pain and soreness from past injuries is a green light to further half marathon training.
March madness is almost upon us. Madness? THIS IS RUNNING!!!!!!

Feb. 22 splits

Life's not a sprint, it's a (half) marathon.

I wanted to start off my debut as a member of Team Participation Trophy with a bang, so I bribed Matt to sign up for the Dick’s Sporting Goods Half Marathon with me. I started running a little over 18 months ago, and have completed several 5K races and one 10K.

As this will be my first half marathon, I’m trying to be pretty strict with my training (Matt has this in the bag since this will be his third). My coworker who ran her first half in Savannah this year and who is also running Pittsburgh with us created a 16-week training plan for us to follow.

The first 6 weeks have been tough, with the weather and water crisis. A few weeks ago I gave in to Mother Nature and joined a gym so I can stay on track with my training plan. Our plan includes running three times a week: weekday runs are 3-5 miles, and weekend runs are long runs that increase half a mile per week. This week I passed the halfway mark with a 7 miler on the dreadmill!

On my cross-training days I had been doing free weights or the elliptical, but last week I found a new class that is guaranteed to whip me into shape: a twice-weekly, 45 minute strength and conditioning class at my gym. The class consists of sprints, jump squats, crunches, push-ups, high-knees, planks…pretty much your average boot camp activities.

My mileage for 2014 so far is 55 miles. Not too shabby! Looking forward to crossing this item off my bucket list.

Janu-where?-y

The Stats: 1/1 - 1/31
1/14: 3.01 mi; 23'58"; 7'57" avg. pace

Yes, that was my only run in January. The snows, the single digit temperatures, a chemical spill, etc. conspired to make this an awful month for running. But 2014 is no year for excuses. I have finally setup the indoor bike trainer that Mike got me for Christmas two years ago and have hit that hard in the last couple weeks. Skiing has helped fill in the workout gap on two weekends as well. Mike and I got lost in Kumbrabow State Forest and escaped alive, though I'd prefer to burn my calories less out of fear for survival and more for stress relief and enjoyment. And I have tried to do little workouts around the house while I dream of better running days. I even find myself walking the stairs at work, for a break, to increase my heart rate every now and then.
The bottom line is: winter is depressing. Earth needs to move its fat a*# around the sun a bit quicker and make it spring in the Northern Hemisphere again.

Running in 2014

This year has gotten off to a rocky start. First, we hit zero degree Fahrenheit temperatures in Charleston. Then, Freedom Industries decided to leak a bunch of chemicals into our water supply. It is little wonder that I have run only one day this year. But since they say my water is now clean, I should be hitting the showers with increased frequency over the coming weeks. This year starts with the challenge of training for a half marathon in Pittsburgh. That race is not until the first week of May, but training starts immediately. The big question is: How will my legs hold up under increased distances? Only time can tell. But I'm easing into longer distances with a training spreadsheet.
Time to quite moping and hit the pavement.

Here is a recap of my 2013 stats. May was my best month. It was sorry by historical standards though.

Month	Miles	Pace
Jan	5.9	7'38"
Feb	13.9	7'48"
Mar	27.4	8'05"
Apr	15.8	8'11"
May	35.1	7'56"
Jun	10.1	8'10"
Jul	28.4	7'29"
Aug	28.4	7'48"
Sep	26.2	8'06"
Oct	9.6	7'41"
Nov	5.1	7'34"
Dec	4.1	7'41"
2013	210.0