Transition Week

After 14 days off from exercise I am back! Easing into another training plan. I'm researching, planning, counting days, looking at the race calendar, wondering, and hoping for the future.

My plan is to run on pavement for the next two-five weeks in my Asics to build good form and allow my left ankle to fully heal without risk of twisting it again. My ankle feels almost back to normal but my achillies tendon is still a bit swollen where the ankle brace rubbed on it during the River Jam Race.

Sun May 24- Easy 15min run around downtown Mount Holly. I ran for time and let my whims guide me down smaller streets I don't usually get to see.

Tue May 26th- Did a comfortable 20min elliptical focusing on an even stride and "foot strike". I did two rounds of my weight circuit in the gym with just a few less pounds or reps on certain exercises.

Thr May 28th- Swam in the Catawba river and then went rock climbing at River Jam at the USNWC. "Thor" the lightning detector siren went off so we had to wait for 30ish min before we could get in the water.

Sun May 30th- went for an easy 29min run around mount holly. My achillies have been sore, my ankle tweaked on Friday so it's also sore and, my feet have been swelling while standing at work all day.

I'm thinking that I may ditch the gym membership in the next month and try the USNWC's Open Water Swim and late night climbing on River Jam nights plus some body weight strength routine for hips/core/gluts/knees. I like incorporating cross training into my weekly training. I also like how different swimming is from running. I feel like it allows me to still exercise cardiovascularly while using different muscles from running. I'll just have to learn how to put on a swim cap.

I have 17 weeks from now to train for the Wild Vine Half Marathon. I've been reading over various Hal Higdon training plans and I believe my plan, as of now, is to do the first 5 weeks of the Novce2 training plan and then switch to the Intermediate plan for the next 12 weeks up to the race. I haven't done any track workouts or tempo runs since college and I'd like to see if my body can handle the training.

I was looking over the race results from last year's Wild Vine race and the top female ran the race in 1:57:14. This gives me something to strive for.

I ran the 2011 Battleship Half Marathon in Wilmington as my first half marathon race in 1:50:30.

According to RW pace calculators I am currently on track to run about the same pace as my last half. So... I think I'd like to train to run at 1:45:00 pace this time. I'm having an internal personal struggle. Should I get a GPS watch? I beat up watches. If I'm gunna spend a lot of money I need to know I can care for it.So far this year I have made the decision to run for distance and not tie because I want to learn to better listen to my body and not get sucked into the pace numbers. I do have a tendency to push and train too hard. I'm not good at recovery. Maybe I'm getting better? If I'm training for a trail race on trails that don't have mile markers a gps device that tells me my pace and distance would sure be helpful.

In order to qualify for the Boston Marathon I have to run under 3hr35min which is approximately 8min mile pace. Equivalently a half marathon at 1hr45min would be the same pace. I'm contemplating doing the Disney World Marathon in January. It would be an excuse to visit family in Florida.

River Jam Race: Complete!

I was nervous going into this race because I hadn't run since the Time Laps Relay. I laced up my Brooks Pure Flow shoes with an ankle brace on my left for protection and just had to trust myself to do my best.

The 5k and 10k River Jam Races started at the same time. We ran the first two and a half miles of the race over the same course. I started near the front of the pack at the starting line but then tried to go out at a brisk 10k pace and let the 5k folks sprint by. I think the start line adrenaline did get me a little while looping around the whitewater channel but once we got into the woods I took it slower and settled into a more sustainable pace. Hurrah for the awesome white haired runner who can fall down the trail and get back up to keep on truckin! I wanna run and be that nimble when I'm older.

I felt so torn for the first three miles of the race because I didn't want to let racing 5kers pull me out too fast so that I'd expend my energy too soon. But I also wanted to be sure I was still racing. I felt good, strong, and relaxed but I knew I still had the other 3miles to do after we separated from the 5kers.

I run the pink RiverJam Run loop often and it breezed by quickly. I got stuck behind one fellow on the last uphill before we split off to the second half of the course, but managed to pass him once the ground flattened out on top of the hill. 

I was excited to find that there was a water station at the half way point. But, I got so distracted when I saw it that I missed the cut through turn for the second half of the race and I did an extra 30ft  of running because I exited and then re-entered the trail head paths. I do believe the water table itself may have been blocking the arrows for the turn though. I also can't blame the water station attendants for not directing me because I had no identifying marks to distinguish which route I was running.

I was steady climbing people during the whole race. It was encouraging to find that being in the race environment made me look ahead on the trail to the next person to pass. It kept my pace up and I would quicken it to catch and pass by someone.

There where much fewer people running the 6mile race. So, when we split off from the 5kers we where much more spread out on the trail and I wouldn't see another runner for a quarter to half mile at a time. I do feel like my last few miles may have been faster than the first because I was trying to catch up as much as I could to the front runners. I didn't know my place but was hoping I might be in the top 3 ladies. It was encouraging to pass as few ladies- both running and mountain biking- in the last few miles. I wish perhaps that I had started my watch at the beginning of the race so that I would have known my pace approximately after the first half of the race and could have maybe pushed harder.

I was also rather proud of myself for staying calm and relaxed over most of the race distance when pushing past people- especially in the last few miles. I let my nerves and insecurities get the better of me a little though, when I came out of the woods and it was time for a kick at the end to the finish over the last half mile. This just means I need to work on building my mental toughness and pace confidence.

After crossing  the finish line I realized that the ankle brace gave me better confidence to run down hills, but it also gave me some nice blisters on my achillies tendon. This does scare me a fair amount because it was the ankle brace I wore for an entire season after spraining my ankle at cross country camp in high school that gave me my achillies tendonitis issues in the first place. I don't want to cause more damage or irritation that may hinder my training. Hopefully this will mend itself during my time off between training plans. I also got a nice little blister under my left little toe nail.

I lost my ponytail tie to gravity and centrifugal force in the last mile and drew a few strange looks as I ran the last bit of the race with my long hair flowing freely in the wind.

The race distance was a little long. Another friend running the race clocked his distance at 6.8miles with a gps device. That means my average pace was closer to 8:46 min/mi. which I suppose is ok. I'm racing at fairly consistent paces from the 5k to 10k. I suppose that shows something, that I can hold the same pace over a longer distance. I will need to get faster though if I'm gunna qualify eventually for the Boston Marathon.

Over all it was a good race. I paced well and pushed a little. I need to re-learn how to push a little more. I got my hopes up for finishing in the top 3 ladies and didn't but I have to remind myself not to be too disappointed because running a marathon is the ultimate goal. I'm not training to be a 10k'er.
Find more info about this race, and future River Jam Races HERE.

10k: Week Nine

Race week! How will it go? I had planned on tapering my training this week, but not so much as taking the whole week off- we'll see what happens.

Mon 3mi run+core- My legs from my calves down are still crazy swollen from the Time Laps Relay. I wore compression socks all day to hopefully cut down on the swelling. My sprained ankle is still swollen but it doesn't hurt like it did.

Tue 30min cross- Jay's in town! I got to go play at work with him, his sister Katie, and her boyfriend Paul. We did just a few courses and then went rodeo rafting. It was a blast! I haven't been rafting in probably over a year. I wore an ankle brace all day to help rest and stabilize my ankle- especially when rafting. In the evening Wayne and I gave honey a crazy lion haircut to keep her cooler in the summer. We may do some more trimming to make her more lion like.


Wed 15min easy- I meant to bike and go to the gym yesterday to still allow my ankle to recover while working and moving my muscles to keep them up to speed for the race but...I had a team edition today at work and got to show a lovely group of Lenore Ryne college leaders around the center. I tried to bike and walk as much as possible to keep my muscles moving while working. My ankle swelling is much better today. I tried to shift my weight to my right leg when standing for a while to take pressure off my ankle joints.

Thr Race!- Admittedly I was disappointed when I crossed the finish line and saw that the time clock read 59minutes. It would have been nice to run a little faster and place in the top three ladies and receive a prize...but, moving on beyond my pouting and moping, it was a decent race! I was the 6th lady to cross the finish line. The 5k and 10k races started at the same time and we ran the first half of the 10k race with the 5k runners. This did concern me a bit with pacing in the first 3miles, but I think it worked out. I do think I went out fast in the first half mile but then settled in to race pace when we entered the wooded trails. I felt great and stayed pretty relaxed during the whole race. No one passed me and I was able to race and pass people over the entire distance. I did let my mind get the better of me a bit in the last half mile or so when we came back out of the woods and it was time for a push to the finish. I feel like if I had stayed a little more calm and determined in the last leg I could've had a better final kick.


This was a short week of [not] training. I will try to do a little more time off for recovery between training plans. Maybe 2 weeks off total, including the time off this week, dependin on how I feel.
 On to the half marathon next! I have plenty of time before the September 26th Wild Vine Half Marathon. We'll see how well training for this 10k has given me a sturdy mileage base to build on.

Time Laps 24 Hour Relay: Suprise!

Hazah! for our staff team, the #OldNorthRuners, who won the 12 person team category while managing the event! Find all the results HERE on the USNWC race series page.



 

This second annual event was definitely a test of endurance. The race began on Friday at 7:00pm and concluded on Saturday at 7:00pm. This relay race challenged teams to earn as many points as possible within a 24-hour time period. As a relay event, only one person per team could be running at a time to collect mileage points. Points where awarded based on difficulty-weighted mileage over various routes. There where also additional bonus points that could be earned by doing certain adventure race obstacles, like monkey bars or climbing over cargo nets, along the courses. Below is a layout of the event schedule and official rules.

 

 

The US National Whitewater Center recently built new Ridge Pavilions near their Ridge and Canyon high ropes activities. This location was the central hub for all of the event activities. This is where the Start/Finish line for each lap was, where the three meals where served, where we ate s'mores around the fireplace, served/drank beer, hung out, managed the event, used the restroom, and camped near by. We even had the canyon activities open from 9pm to 1am for some of the race participants.

  

Instead of passing a traditional baton between relay team mates we used reflective yellow slap bracelets. Especially during the heat of the day on Saturday, the inside fabric got so soggy that you'd get splashed with community team sweat each time the bracelet was slapped on your wrist. But that's part of the grimy fun of events like this.

We didn't have anyone stationed out on the courses. So, in order to ensure that no one cheated their running distance we had uniquely shaped hole punches stationed at the farthest point of each lap. As each person ran their lap they'd have to stop and punch their race bib number in order to record that they'd done that specific route. When they returned to the finish line they'd check in with us at the data collection table so we could record the route points for their team. Similarly we also had four rounds of bonus point cards through out the 24hour period where people could collect unique stamps for doing various adventure race obstacles along the routes.

Below is a map of the various routes we could choose from, their point value, and a rough layout of the pavilions and camp sites.

 



 

I was the second runner for our team on Friday. I started in the daylight but before I finished my yellow 6.2mile loop it was pitch black outside. I like letting my eyes adjust to the darkness as I run but I used my headlamp a bit more than I usually would in the hope of not spraining my ankle. The run was exciting because I got to run several new stretches of trail that I'd never done before. Goat Hill trail is a beast! but, an awesome one. As I came through the 3.5-4mile mark I did, of course, sprain my left ankle again despite how cautious I was trying to be. It was a pretty flat part of the trail so I'm not really sure what I rolled it on. I felt a tendon stretch pop this time and it hurt a little more than last time I rolled it so, I had a feeling it was worse. But, that's to be expected when you injure an injury. I feel rather bad, as a staff member of the USNWC team, that I yelled a few profanities from the pain and frustration, and then promptly had another runner come running up behind me to ask if I was ok. Hopefully it was dark enough he didn't recognize who I was. He was kind enough to offer to send someone back to get me, but I waived him on with a "Thank you" and told him I'd be ok. As has been my experience in the past with sprained ankles I can finish my run on them without the pain and swelling setting in too much. I do just have to be careful about how I land my foot as it's easier to roll after it's happened once. So I carefully finished the last 2-3miles back to the finish line. I did have the fore thought to bring an ice pack and pair of compression socks as well as my new Books running shoes. I promptly went to the car to change my clothes and grab some food after the run. Then I iced my ankle and kept my foot elevated while I helped at our data entry computer table until I could catch some sleep from 1-4am. We laid the sleeping bags out in the back of the Jeep. I cracked the windows and conked out pretty hard until I sprung awake in a slight panic, a few minutes before my alarm went off, because I had to pee.

Upon waking, and returning to help with the race data entry, my ankle felt much better. I decided I could do at least one more run. I had to keep at least my 12mile promise. I was pretty bleary eyed and worried I'd have to try to take a second nap later in the day. The sun just started to lighten the horizon around 5:30am and I finally started to wake up half way through my second run around 6:30 or 7am when the sun started to shine.

I ran my second and third runs in my Brooks shoes as they're lower to the ground and seem to squish more stably in to the lumps of the trail. I wish I had run in them at night but I didn't want to do too much mileage in new shoes that my body may have not adjusted to yet. I will never wear my Asics for evening runs again. I also walked some of the down hills as that's when my ankle felt the weakest, like it wanted to flop over my toes.

 

 

The one frustrating part about this relay was that it seemed to always be my turn to run next when the food was being brought out for meal times. I can't run having just downed a full meal without feeling a little like I might vomit. Because of this I'm glad we where allowed to bring  our own food so I could eat after my runs but, I feel like I ate a lot less food than I normally would have in a 24hour period because of this.

 

I woke up feeling like I was starving on Sunday morning and couldn't put enough food in my mouth all day. On Sunday all my muscles over my entire body where fatigued. It took a little extra concerted effort to move, pull, or lift things in my daily job. I also noticed that my legs from my calves down where crazy swollen. My toes looked like tittle sausages.

 

Over the whole event I ran a little more than I'd expected. According to my training plan I was supposed to do an hour of cross training on Friday and six miles on Saturday. So, I'd figured I'd do two 6mile yellow laps. Since it is a race to gain the most points, though, I did also figure that I may have to run more mileage. In the end I ran a total of 16.5miles and Wayne did 18.5miles. I also ran most of my mileage on my sprained ankle. I'm just nervous to see how this plays out toward training for the 10k next Thursday.

10k: Week Eight

Only one more week till the first RiverJam Race and my 10k! What a ride training for this race has been. We'll see how it pays off...

Mon 3mi run- Did the 3mi USNWC parkway. I ran on the asphalt the whole time. It's very different from running on the grass, like I usually do, but my Asics are meant for pavement. On a consistently flat surface I could better focus on evening out my stride and,, hopefully, allow my ankles to work the way they want and not over work to stabilize. My muscles feel nice and well worked and balanced. Better consistent form on a smooth surface.

Tue 45min cross train+strength- I split cross training between elliptical and upright bike again and did another two circuits of weights.

Wed 2mi run+core- I just did a light 2mi run on Hawfield road in my new Brooks PureFlow 3 shoes. I really like the way they feel and make/allow me to run. I feel more sure footed on uneven gravel and my calves feel less strained because they don't have a high heel. My stride feels more natural.

Fri 60min cross train- Surprise! 24hour Time Laps Race. I ran 6.2mi at 8pm as the second leg of our 12 person relay. It was night time when I finished  the run. I wore my Asics gel-evate shoes and of course rolled my left ankle again in the dark. I felt a little tendon stretch pop this time. The ankle swoll a lot more than when I last rolled it. Because the Asics are so ridged I think I will have to stop wearing them at night because if my foot starts to tip the shoe has a point of no return where it begins to force my foot to roll. I will try to wear the Asics on pavement more instead of the trails. I iced well that night. Brought an ice pack in pre-anticipation.

Sat 6mi run- I ran 8.2 more miles at 8am and then 4.5mi at 5pm. It was so much fun to get to help with the race! I got to help with the computer scoring system. I slept from 1-4am. Both Wayne and I had swollen legs afterward. I ran 17.5mi and Wayne ran 19.5mi I think. After sleeping I went back to helping with the computer an kept my left leg elevated up on the table. I transferred to my new Brooks for the rest of the race so that the shoes would work a little more with my feet to flex and absorb the contours of the trails. I love these shoes! they did a really good job. I'm interested to see how long the squishy foam holds up to my mileage. We met a lot of amazing runners and had a crazy amazing time.

10k: Week Seven

I'm starting to feel like this training plan is actually doing some good now that my long runs on Saturday are back up in the 5mile range. Training for this distance has definitely been different. We'll see how it pays off in the future.

My sprained ankle started aching about halfway through last week. I suppose I should still ice and elevate it when I can. The swelling has completely gone and it doesn't hurt to run on it but it aches a little when I sit and cross my ankles. I have noticed some imbalances between my legs while running though, and think it may be weakness in the ankle as it finishes recovering. I'll try to be kind to it.

Mon 3mi run +core- My family (Donna and Lauris, JD, Melissa and Tate) came and surprised me at work today! Thank you guys it was really nice to see you. I did a 3mi loop around the whitewater channel and Hawfield Rd since the trails where closed. I'm really enjoying that the weather is starting to warm up. I'm trying to start doing a more dynamic warm up before my runs since I recently learned that static stretching may not be ideal or helpful.

Tue 45min cross+strength- I split the cross training between ellypticaling and biking and did two sets of my weight training circuit. My left foot toes are slowly catching up and evening out in comparison to my right foot. Nice to leave the gym again with my muscles shaking just a bit. Exercises are getting easier which means I'm getting stronger. I got to paint my toenails and enjoy the warm weather with Dargo today.

Wed 2mi run- I did a nice swift but relaxed loop around the roads of mount holly with Wayne. We haven't run together in a while. It was nice. We had the day off from work together so we got to visit some local shops we've been hoping to for a while. We stopped in a local specialty running store called Walk and Run Belmont. They had some specialty running shoes that other big box stores don't have and the fellow that helped me was super helpful and willing to discuss my running history and preferences in order to find the right shoe for me. I would recommend the store to any runner! I bought a pair of brooks pure flow 3's. These are the next step toward transitioning to a more neutral shoe that works with my foot. They're light weight, squishy, and much less ridged than may Asics shoes. They have a 4mm heel drop apposed to the 13mm drop in my Asics. I'll slowly transition into them by wearing them once a week on my two mile shake out runs. Hopefully these will be nice on the trails by giving me more connection, ground feel, and flex over uneven terrain while still protecting me from sharp rocks.

Fri 60min cross+core- Split my training between ellypticaling and biking again. The Mount Holly "Soul Patrol" was having it's monthly meeting and meal. It was nice to see several seniors in the gym working on their fitness. My sprained ankle is indeed causing imbalances in how the tendons and muscles move in my left foot. I hope it will even out soon.

Sat 5.5mi run- I did two 2.75mi loops around downtown mount holly with Wayne. We got to see the vendors setting up and the start of the Spring Fest 5k Race. I'm a little sad I had to work all day and had to miss the actual festival but I was extremely glad come the end of the work day, at 7pm, that I didn't still have to go run 5.5mi- potentially in the dark again.