Park 2 Park 5 Miler

Whew! What a day! It was a rainy, overcast morning (and it still is gross here, actually)...but the race was a ton of fun!

Jillian ended up coming with me...she originally had 4th of July weekend plans, but ended up having a change of plans due to a variety of factors. She drove to Bloomington last night (she lives in Peoria) and picked up Biaggi's takeout for the two of us on her way to my house. We gorged ourselves on delicious pasta (me, GF of course!!) and Chilean sea bass (her) and chatted for a while before hitting the sack around 11:00 (a bit too late considering we had to get up at 5:45 am, but we are just little gabbers! ;)).

Jeremy had been planning on running with me, but was totally tired out from working on our basement-finishing project (he had worked from basically 8am-9pm at least on both Thursday and Friday this week on framing the basement by himself)...Jillian took one look at him last night around 9:30 and said, "You're not going to feel like running tomorrow are you?"He agreed...and she suggested that, instead of registering herself the next day that she just use his race number. He was far to glad to oblige!! ;) So, he slept in this morning while Jillian and I dragged ourselves out of bed at 5:45 and got ready.

We left around 6:15 am and drove to Fairview Park in Normal where the finish line of the race was...and waited for a shuttle bus to Miller Park where the start of the race (and packet pickup) was. There was a large group of runners waiting for the bus when we arrived at the park and we ended up not being able to take the first bus that arrived due to it filling up. The shuttle took FOREVER to return...we waited for 20 minutes or more in the cold drizzle. Apparently they had only ONE shuttle going back and forth. What the heck?! We got to the packet pickup just a few minutes before 7:30am (which was supposed to be race start time...but it ended up getting delayed a bit) and of course all of the size small shirts were gone, so we were both stuck with XL's. This, of course, brings me to one of my BIGGEST irritations with races: why does it seem like all that are ever left are XL shirts?! Are there really THAT many people who run that are XL?! I mean, COME ON!!!!!!

I got 269th place overall (out of 545 entrants) and 9th in my division (out of 32) with a time of 43 minutes, 12 seconds. My pace was 8:38, which is pretty consistent for my previous races this year (regardless of distance, it seems).

After the race we met up with our friends, Veronica and Christina, for some breakfast at CJ's. YUM! I had a delicious, filling and fatty omelet with Swiss cheese, turkey, spinach, and mushrooms...YUM!!!!

It was a fun day, all in all :). I am glad Jillian ran with me...and I know Jeremy is glad too, since it let him off the hook! It was also AWESOME that Jillian's knee didn't give her any trouble (she has a long history of competitive running and has had knee issues, unfortunately). WOO HOO!

Here's wondering now if I'll get up to join the Lake Run Club for our 9 mile run tomorrow morning at 6:30!! ;) I really need to...I will do my best to rest up (I think a nap is in order!!) and hope to join them bright and early for a nice run!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!!

Ok, I think I've found a plan I like

I mentioned that I wasn't sure that the Hal Higdon "Novice" plan was quite right for me in my training regimine...not that I think I am super fit and a super talented runner or anything ;), but the suggested weekly milage was quite a bit lower than what I tended to do (at least in the earlier weeks of the plan). So, this morning I did some internet searching and came up with some great finds:

Hal Higdon's Home Page

Novice I Marathon Training Plan (The Bloomington Lake Run Club suggested the Novice I or Advanced I plan...I was somewhat following the Novice I plan)

Novice II Marathon Training Plan

Intermediate I Marathon Training Plan

So, I think I am going to try to do the Intermediate I training plan because I like the increased milage during the week as compared to Novice I, plus there is only 1 rest day instead of 2. We'll see how this goes ;).

Today I'm going to go on a 4 mile run, tomorrow I have the 5 mile race, and then Sunday I hope to join up with the Lake Run Club group to do the 9 mile run with the "novice" group.

Happy Fourth of July Eve! ;)

Road I.D.

I just ordered a Road I.D. ankle bracelet. Does this make me a paranoid dork?! ;) I'll let you know what I think of it when it arrives...

Happy Holiday Weekend!

I just got back from tonight's training run....5.5 miles. I haven't updated in a while and need to record miles/workouts for the past week-ish...I'll do it just like I did before:
suggested week 4 workout schedule/my actual completed week 4 workouts:

Sunday: Cross train 60 minutes/Cross train 65 minutes (elliptical @ gym)
Monday: Rest/7 mile run
Tuesday: 3 mile run/Rest
Wednesday: 4 mile run/Rest
Thursday: 3 mile run/5.5 mile run

Yet to go for week 4:
Friday: Rest/I already took my 2 rest days for the week, so I am going to do something yet-to-be-determined tomorrow
Saturday: 9 mile run/I have registered for a 5 mile race, so I will do this...and maybe do 4-5 miles later on during the day? Or, I might wait and do the full 9-mile long run with the Lake Run Club marathon group on Sunday am...
Sunday: Cross train 60 minutes/Something yet-t0-be-determined!

I think, basically, I am on the right track still. I ran on Monday instead of taking a rest day as instructed on the training program because I knew I wouldn't have time to run on Tuesday. I did 7 miles instead of the required 3 for the training program because it just felt good and I wanted to make it a long run. It was great! It was awesome weather and a really good run. Tuesday I went to a book club at my friend Jillian's place in Peoria so I took that day off. Wednesday I got home from work and felt like absolute crap and lied on the couch for a good portion of the evening...which is SO not like me. Today, I did my best to make up for 2 days off by doing a 5.5 mile run. I'm slightly over the suggested mileage for the week thus far (10 miles suggested) by having run 12.5 miles. So, I think I am in good shape :).

Honestly, I am kind of torn...I am following the "Novice" training program that the Lake Run Club suggested...the only other option was "Advanced I"...and I am definitely not advanced!! However...I am used to working out on 5-7 days per week (with an average of 6 days on "normal" weeks) for 60-75 minutes (sometimes slightly less, sometimes slightly more)....and I don't want to JUST run 3-4 miles on the assigned nights (Tues/Wed/Thurs at this point in the program) because that's like 30 minutes of cardio when I am used to 60 minutes of cardio. I don't want to GAIN weight! However, I also don't want to HURT myself by "over training"...so I am trying to basically follow the program...and take the rest days, because it has really been stressed about how important rest days are (for your muscles to gain strength, etc.).

So, I am basically following the program ;), but kind of playing it by ear as well! Let's see how this one goes! Maybe when I am done with this I'll google some "intermediate" marathon training plans to see if such a thing exists ;), I would assume that it does!

In other news...I had a crappy stomach-ache today. YUCK. It didn't seem to be gluten-related, but I am not sure what it was. It was located in the lower central area of my abdomen and just kind of annoying. Oh well. I'm still truckin'! ;)

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, all! Happy 4th of July!

Lake Run Club

Whew! I had a great morning run! :) The best part is, it's 8:05am on Saturday and I am already done with my workout for the day! ;) Today was the Saturday "long run" of week 3 of the 18-week training program...so just 5 miles. I had a great time running with some "new friends" with the Lake Run Club's marathon training group. I really enjoyed myself and (at this point! ;)) am glad that I joined. It was great to hear people who have run marathons before chat with some advice for training/running. It was also nice to have company on the trail! Of course my favorite training partner is my husband :), but he's not as interested in running the long distances as I am! So, it was time to look elsewhere...enter Lake Run Club! ;) I met a nice guy, Dan, who will be running the Chicago marathon as his 1st marathon and ran the Illinois half marathon at just about exactly the same time I did...so maybe we'll run the same pace at Chicago! That would be great, but we'll see.

It was a beautiful morning for a run. I actually felt like I should've put in a few more miles, but I just left after the requisite 5.

I leave you with the suggested week 3 workout schedule/my actual completed week 3 workouts:

Monday: Rest/3.5 miles treadmill
Tuesday: 3 mile run/Rest
Wednesday: 4 mile run/4 mile run
Thursday: 3 mile run/Rest
Friday: Rest/65 minutes (6 mi) treadmill
Saturday: 5 mile run/5 mile run

So far, I'm right on target! :) I took the 2 rest days, but took them on days different than the ones suggested. I did 2 of my runs on a treadmill inside, but they were longer than the suggested outdoor runs...so I think I am doing ok.

I was more than fine after the 5 miles today. I kept up with the faster runners in the group and finished strong.

So far, I feel great about my training! Tomorrow's schedule calls for 60 minutes of cross training. I plan to either swim or do the elliptical at the gym. Maybe I'll get some strength training in as well, we'll see.

3 weeks basically down, 15 to go!!

Next Saturday's Race: Park 2 Park 5 mile
Yahoo!

Decision...It's time for some Big Confessions

I've decided that since this is MY blog (and I don't think that many people really read it anyway ;), which, quite frankly is the way I like it! ;))....I should:
1) write about anything and everything that I want to
2) be completely honest and not hold anything back
3) write about the really funny, really disgusting things that happen to me because: a) I CAN'T possibly be the only "runner" who has had such mishaps (can I?!) and b) because I crack myself up...and what's better than that?! ;) (I am a loser. Really. My husband should've been warned before tying the knot...)

For these reasons, I bring you: Rachel's Running-Related Bowel Mishaps, Vol. 1

I think it would be fair to take this time to give you some background information on my, err, bowel issues. Since approximately 2002 I have been plagued with some odd (??) GI issues that really run the gamut from one end of the spectrum to the other (let me spell this out for you....either I was all backed up and so bloated that my stomach actually looked as if it was gestating life inside....OR I had to run to the bathroom seconds after eating to unleash some terrible, terrible things). Long story short, last year it was determined that I have some form of gluten intolerance (whether it is actually Celiac Disease or something else is really up in the air, and at this point I'm fine with the limbo stage I'm in because, quite frankly, I feel great sans gluten and don't really have time to think about getting further tests, etc.) and have been officially GLUTEN FREE since October 18, 2008....check out my silly GF blog if you are interested in learning more about my adventures or the GF diet in general (I did my best not to plagiarize like Elizabeth Hasselbeck and cite sources to give credit where credit is due, etc. ;)).

Ok, so all of that being said...the point is, I do not have a "normal" digestive system. So, my "problems" are not my fault. Except for maybe the fact that I have been known to eat a Taco Bell Bean Burrito before running 5 miles on a hot afternoon. Maybe I was asking for it then. But that's neither here, nor now.

Ok, I bring you Exibit 1:

Last summer my husband and I were "training" for the Bix 7, a 7-mile race (hence the name!) in the Quad Cities that is held the last weekend in July each summer. It was to be my 5th Bix and his 4th. I am, in general, a stronger runner than my husband (I run year-round while he tends to just run February or March through October or so; he chooses to do primarily weight training in the colder months....but he's starting to get better at doing some indoor cardio during those colder months).

It was a Friday in the summer, and I was working in Peoria. Fridays tended to be busy days for me; I liked working through my lunch break in order to leave for home an hour or so earlier and thus getting back to Bloomington (where we live) earlier and starting my weekend ASAP. So, I tended to skip eating lunch if I was too rushed in the morning and didn't take time to pack a lunch. Clearly not a good idea. SO, on this particular Friday I decided to stop at Taco Bell (uh...) and pick up a Bean Burrito on my way home, since I was STARVING...and they were "on special" for like 79 cents on Fridays at this certain Taco Bell by my workplace. I devoured said burrito while driving and then when I got home, embarked on a 6-or-so mile run with Jer (this was over an hour after eating the burrito...so I didn't imagine that there would be any issues. I was wrong.). Well, about 1.5 miles from home, I began to feel some rumblings in my stomach. I chose to ignore them, and pressed on. A half a mile or so after that, there was no denying what was going on. I had to go...and I had to go IMMEDIATELY. I informed Jeremy of this and he suggested that I turn around and run back toward home, as there was a Porta Potty in a park on the way home. This sounded like a swell idea, so I turned around and began running 2 or so miles back home by myself...about .25 of a mile later, IT happened. I crapped my pants. And it didn't stop. Seriously. So, here I was...nearly 2 miles from home and about a half a mile from the Porta Potty and I was running with a serious load in my pants (I was wearing black loose-fitting capri-length pants, so at least I had that working in my favor)....

To be Continued...

Here we go!

So the "long runs" with the Lake Run Club start this weekend! I successfully got in contact with 2 guys who are in charge of the program and will join up with them all on Saturday for the first run....it is just 5 miles...but will be a good way to get acclimated to the program and running with a group. The program is starting on week 3 of an 18-week training program. The first few weeks were:
Mon (rest) Tue (3mi) Wed (3mi) Thurs (3mi) Fri (Rest) Sat (6) Sun (Cross-train)
Mon (rest) Tue (3mi) Wed (3mi) Thurs (3mi) Fri (Rest) Sat (7) Sun (Cross-train)
I feel good because my training the past few weeks has definitely surpassed that. So, I should be just fine to jump in with them this weekend!

Training yesterday: 4 mi running outside at State Farm Park. Beautiful night!

So, I think the biggest challenge for me (at least at this early point in the game) will be taking time to REST....I hate feeling lazy...and I have this (incorrect) mentality that I need to do something EVERY DAY...

Here is an excerpt from the LRC Marathon Training information:
Rest: Rest is an important component of any training program. It is during the rest period (the 24 to 72 hours between hard bouts of exercise) that the muscles actually regenerate and get stronger. You can't run hard unless you are well rested. And it is hard running (such as the long runs) that allows you to improve. If you're constantly fatigued, you will fail to reach your potential. This is why I include two days of rest each week for novice runners. If you need to take more rest days, do so. The secret to success is consistency, so as long as you are consistent with your training during the full 18 weeks of the program, you can afford--and may benefit from--extra rest.

Have a great day, all!

Rachel