North Texas Winters : A False Sense of Security

Things I consider safe to assume about winter in North Texas:

• It starts about mid-December and lasts until the first week in March.
• Temps will be lows in the low 30's and highs in the low 50's.
• I can sleep in a little on Saturday mornings and it won't affect my long run.

Things I should never assume about winter in North Texas:

• Anything I stated above.

Yeah....high's in the mid-70's all weekend with bright sunshine are not ideal running conditions when you start mid-morning.  Yikes!  Still managed to have an awesome run, though, after bumping my intervals to R15:W30.

Marine Corps = Hard Core!

I finished the Marine Corps Marathon!  It was incredibly hard, but incredibly awesome.  My friend Janice and I barely made it through the gauntlet, and only beat the bridge with a couple minutes to spare, but we made it!  A full race recap will be up soon (hopefully), but I wanted to share that I finished!  I have this picture from after the finish to tide you over until I am able to post again.

Janice (left) & me (right) in front of the Marine Corps Memorial after finishing MCM.

Also, yes, thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I did get stuck in D.C. until Wednesday at noon, but finally made it home safe and sound and unscathed!

21...and Done!

Saturday morning was my last truly long run before MCM.  21 Miles.  Wowsah.  While I was not exactly looking forward to a run that long, I knew I could do it, with 20 and 16 milers under my belt in the last 6 weeks.

So, in the 5am darkness on a muggy, rainy, morning, my group and I took off.  Although the humidity was brutal, the first loop around the lake was no big deal.  Then we turned off the lake and went up into the neighborhoods and hit the hills.  (And this particular area has a set of hills known as "The Dolly's" in reference to Dolly Parton's rather generous...curves...ahem.  LOL.)  Still, we persevered and made it back down to the lake at mile 12.  We took a quick bathroom and re-fueling break, then headed back out for one more loop of the lake...and yes, it was still raining.

I hit a really rough spot mentally around mile 18, and I found myself fighting back tears.  I was tired, soaking wet, cranky, and seriously doubting my ability to run the first 20 miles of MCM at the needed "beat the bridge" pace.  However, my awesome group got me through it and we continued on, finally getting back to our cars and post-run golden oreos (yum!).

3 of my group members & me post-run...and dripping wet (even though it doesn't look like it in the pic)!

Photo proof!  21 done!

I got home, examined my new blisters (even with tons of lube, with all that rain, blisters were inevitable), took an ice bath, and put on my recovery/compression gear.  We opened the doors to the now rain-cooled temperatures and let the cats explore the backyard a bit while I relaxed on the couch.  I spent the rest of the afternoon watching a couple movies and the Longhorn football game, virtually "cheering" on a bunch of my friends running the Disney Tower of Terror 10 Miler, and finally I crashed hard around 11pm and got some sleep.

So, now those super-long runs are done for this particular training cycle!  It's taper, taper, taper from here on out!  The next 3 weekends call for 12, 10, and 8 milers, respectively.  Thank goodness - those are going to be some very full weekends anyway, even without trying to squeeze long runs in!

• Do y'all ever have trouble mentally pushing through a run when you know your body can do it?
• How do you deal with race-related fears?
• Any helpful ideas for coping with the stress I'm feeling worrying about pace for MCM?

Flexibility is the Key

No, I haven't been doing my "Yoga for Runners" like I should be, so I'm not talking about physical flexibility (although that is an important aspect of running).  What's just as important is mental flexibility and the ability to adapt and modify your plan based on changing circumstances.  I'm not exactly known for going with the flow, though I have been trying to get better about that - and let me tell you, last weekend pushed me a bit further out of my comfort zone.  Saturday's long run proved to be the perfect storm of circumstances that required some serious flexibility on my part.

The Dallas area has had an outbreak of West Nile Virus this summer that led county leaders to implement aerial pesticide spraying over the weekend.  This spraying was due to take place near my group's normal running routes, so our group leaders moved our run to a local multi-purpose trail close to my house (yay for me!).  Twenty miles on the schedule meant some serious mental and physical preparation throughout the week (fueling and hydrating properly, etc.)  It also means  meeting at 4am to get ahead of the heat, but overnight Friday, storms rolled in and it thundered and lightninged through the early morning.  As 4am rolled around, many of us were sitting in our cars in the parking lot, all prepped for a long run, and watching the bright flashes above us, knowing what was coming.  Finally, the call was made - prolonged lightning meant no group run.  My pace group talked it over and decided to get at least 10 miles in on our own this weekend, and we'd re-schedule the 20 miler for next weekend.

So I headed home, and checked out the weather radar - they were still forecasting strong storms into the late morning and possibly even afternoon.  With my weekend plans, I still needed to get my miles done that morning...which meant...turning to the treadmill - blech.  I decided to break the 10 into two 5-mile segments, with a bathroom/fuel/water break inbetween.  So, armed with a new plan and my Gymboss Interval Timer instead of my Garmin, I popped The Sound of Music into the DVD player, and "took off" on the belt.  It wasn't fun, but I got it done, and with the reprise of "Climb Every Mountain" resounding in my ears, I pushed in the last couple miles and ended up with a negative split for the second half of the run!

So the key to last weekend, for me, was flexibility.  So many things were different that if I hadn't been able to make adjustments on the fly that it all could have fallen apart.  Change of location (trail instead of neighborhoods and the lake), change of distance (10 instead of 20), change of running mode (treadmill instead of road), and change of company (DVD instead of my running group).  That's ALOT of changes! 

I'd say I rolled with the punches pretty well, though, and am proud of myself for making the best of it!  Plus, I have to admit to a little extra pride that I got in some decent mileage, even though it was tough to do it on the treadmill, when the rainy weather was just beckoning me to come back to bed at 5am on a Saturday morning...  And I'm fortunate that our group schedule has a little wiggle room, so switching the 20 miler weekends should work out okay.

How flexible are you in your running?  What happens when your plan hits a snag?  Do you have a backup plan in place or do you make changes on the fly?  How do you adjust?  Is there flexibility in your training?

Last Week in Review:

• Monday - strength - 30 min bootcamp;
• Tuesday - short run - 2.2 mi @ 60:30 intervals;
• Wednesday - strength - 30 min bootcamp;
• Thursday - short run cancelled (not feeling well);
• Friday - rest day;
• Saturday - long run - 10 mi @ 1:1 intervals; 2:28:28; 14:51min/mi avg;
• Sunday - rest day.

Race Report: Hot Chocolate 5K - Dallas

When RAM Racing announced their newest race series, the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K, billed as "America's Sweetest Race," all of my running friends were abuzz with excitement.  Even I, not being a huge chocolate fan, found myself swept up in the enthusiasm.  So, my BFF Carrie and I both signed up for the 15K in Dallas, which was being held two weeks after Tink.

After we got home from Tinkerbell and "the crud" (as I have deemed it) continued to have an iron-fist-like hold on me, I started getting worried about the 15K.  Finally, I decided to see if I could switch to the 5K.  I sent the race team an email and they told me I should be able to switch at the Expo if there were spots available.  So I had my fingers crossed that there would be!

Packet Pick Up

I drove down to Fair Park on Thursday afternoon, and was able to successfully switch races and pick up both Carrie's and my packets and jackets - yay!  As race weekend approached, the weather forecast for race morning looked COLD!  And, in fact, the night before the race, the RD sent out an email advising slower runners in the 15K to switch to the 5K (without penalty) to limit their exposure to the elements - crazy!!!

I had been coordinating with some of my fellow Galloway Group runners, and we all planned to meet up before the race and run together, so we managed to assemble ourselves within the corrals (which were a little halfhazardly put together) and start together!

Galloway Girls!

There wasn't anything spectacular about the course - the area around Fair Park is not exactly Dallas' most scenic area - but it was fun to be running with my Galloway friends again after an almost 2 month break!  We ran 1:1 intervals and kept up a decent pace for the 5K.  After crossing the finish line, we headed straight back inside to warm up, because we were frozen!!!

Post-race goodies!

So we picked up our post-race goodies, which included warm chocolate ganache for dipping, and hot chocolate.  I didn't care that it was a lot of chocolate, especially for me, it was WARM and tasted so good after running!  We sat inside, eating and chatting, and waiting for our friends who were running the 15K to finish.  Once Carrie arrived, we hung out a while longer while she relaxed and enjoyed the festivities, then we headed back to the car to go home.

Considering there had been some VERY negative reviews and press of the Hot Chocolate races around the country in the months leading up to the Dallas race, we were concerned about how it was going to turn out.  With the exception of the confusion in the corrals, it was ok - definitely nowhere near the clusters we'd heard about elsewhere - so that was good!

BFFs with Hot Chocolate!

Surprisingly, I had a pretty decent finish time - considering my much slower paces in my longer races recently, and "the crud." All in all, it was a fun race to do once, but we probably won't participate again next year.  But if you want to do one, it's definitely worth doing once!

5K results:  3.14 mi; 40:19 min; 12:46 min/mi

Run the Race Before You

Starting down the trail this morning, I just knew it was going to be a good run.  I planned to do 5-6 miles (as a taper run before the Wine & Dine Half Marathon next week), temps were in the high 50's, and it was crisp and clear - a truly great morning for a run!

"A great morning for a run."  That thought sent my mind wandering...and ending up back at a place where I've been lingering the last 3 days - the forecast in Orlando for next Saturday night.  Now, of course a 10-day forecast doesn't usually closely depict what the weather actually ends up being, but now we're down to 7 days out.  It's getting closer, and they're refining the forecast.  Looks like it's going to be a typical "fall" evening in Florida - warm (low in the low 70's) and muggy with a chance of rain.  Definitely not my idea of ideal race conditions.  Yuck.

So as I set a fairly brisk pace on this glorious morning, I started to think about how these less-than-ideal race conditions might affect me next weekend.  Self-doubt and "what-ifs" started to pop in.  What I finally realized a few miles into my run was that there is nothing I can do about it.  My only option is to run the race put before me on Saturday night.  Sure I'll properly hydrate and fuel beforehand, and I have 19 weeks of marathon training behind me, but as I cross that starting line, that's it - I'll be there and have to deal with whatever the race conditions are.

As scary as that thought sounds, I was still buoyed by it.  After all - I was right.  I have done and will do pretty much all I can to get myself ready.  And the stuff I can't control?  Well - oh well!  I can't control it, so I'll just prepare as best I can and then roll with the punches.  I plan to have a great time running with old and new friends and knowing I'll do the best I can with the race before me!  And then have a great time at the after-party!!!

Today's Taper Run:

• 10 min. warm-up walk
• 5.5 mi; 1:10:07; 12:45min/mi avg pace

Runnin' In The Rain

When I left the house yesterday morning, I had no idea what I was in for.  As I was leaving the neighborhood, I noticed a few drops of water on the windshield, but thought I'd driven past some overspraying sprinklers.  The further south I got, the more drops were on the windshield, and by the time I reached the RunOn! parking lot there was no denying that it was definitely raining.  A quick glance at the radar on my phone confirmed that there was even more on the way.

Despite the rain, the group was still gathering, so I got out of the car and started getting ready.  But after a couple of lightning flashes, the overall group leaders decided to call off the run.  However, my pace group had different ideas.  We all decided that we were already up obscenely early, dressed to run, and we had the group for motivation - we were going to go for it.  I was apprehensive about it, but figured "what the hell," and fell in with the group.

Let's just say it was a very soggy 8 miles.  I had actually managed to keep my feet relatively dry until I accidentally slogged through a major puddle at around 5.5 miles.  Near the end of the trail, we had all reached the point where we could wring out our clothes and all our shoes together were performing a "squishy symphony."  We just had to laugh, and keep going.

So this was another first for me - normally if it's raining I either postpone the run or hit the treadmill.  I can't say that I enjoyed the "being dripping wet" part, but the cooling effect of the rain was pretty nice, and I made it through relatively unscathed (one tiny blister on my left foot and some chaffing from my water belt).  It's not something I'd want to do all the time, or for any kind of long run, but I won't "run away" from running in the rain anymore!

We survived the rain - no melting here!

Saturday's Stats:

• 8.1 miles; 1:51:36; 13:47 min/mi avg pace

We're not in Kansas Anymore, Toto

Well it has been a crazy couple of weeks around here, weather-wise.  We've had high winds, tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, etc.  They're saying that although it will still be windy, the severe weather should be over for a while, so let's keep our fingers crossed that they're right!

Fortunately, since I recently started running on the treadmill in the mornings, and we were gone over the weekend, the weather hasn't really affected my running much.  Yay!

Today's stats:

• 10 min. warm-up walk
• 35 min run; 2.66 mi; 13:09 avg. pace

Great Day, Great Run!

Today is an amazingly gorgeous day - cool temps this morning, predicted 70's this afternoon, and not a cloud in the sky!!!  I rolled out of bed and eventually made it out on the trail about 9:15.  I wasn't feeling all that motivated to run, but I did want to take advantage of the nice day and get an outdoor run in before it got too hot.  While doing my warm-up walk, I decided to concentrate on working on an even cadence and steady pace and not worry about speed.  I listened to the beeps on my Garmin for the run/walk intervals, but wasn't "watching the clock."  I just enjoyed the day and people-watched, since there were so many to see on such a great day!  Turns out, I had an great run without feeling like I was working that hard!

Today's stats:

• 10 minute warm-up walk
• 3.02 mi; 0:36:58 min; 12:14 min/mi avg. pace

Lessons Learned from Today's 5K

I learned a few new lessons about myself this morning:

1. I can stand the heat cold.
2. I never feel guilty about going for a run.
3. I look ridiculous in a running beanie.

1.  I can stand the heat cold.  Holy Crap it was cold out there this morning - 29 at race start!  I was really not looking forward to running in weather that cold, and had been waffling about running the race all week.  I finally sucked it up and went.  I didn't freeze, and I ended up running my second best 5K time yet!

2. I never feel guilty about going for a run.  Note the comment in #1 about waffling all week.  I kept thinking "Who would it hurt if I just ate the registration fee, skipped the race, and ran 3.1 miles inside on the treadmill?"  The answer I kept coming back to was ME, that's who!  I also figured it wouldn't be a good way to start the year if I skipped a race called a Resolution Run!!!  I always feel guilty if I purposefully skip a run, but never do if I just get out there and do it.

3. I look ridiculous in a running beanie.  I won a raffle at the Reindeer Run 5K in December where the prize included a running beanie with a hole for a ponytail - very cool!  Normally I don't like running in hats - I prefer a visor - but it was so cold, I jumped at the opportunity to try out this new gear/accessory.  It worked well, and was very comfortable, but made me look ridiculous.  I'll keep it in reserve for the times like today's race when it's definitely a case of function over form!

Today's stats:

• Resolution Run 5K (3.13 mi); 0:39:29 min; 12:37 min/mi

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

As a girl who would be barefoot at all times if she could, and whose non-running shoe of choice is a flip-flop, you can see why I'm not a fan of biting cold like the kind that blew in today.  Temps in the 20's and wind gusts up to 30 mph - no way in the world was I running outside in that kind of weather!  So it was back on the treadmill for me...

Today's stats:

• 0.5 mi warm-up walk
• 2 mi run; 0:26:29 min; 13:15 min/mi
• 30 min resistance band strength training