the post-marathon week

the week after the no-post-race-soreness miracle run has been good. pretty much I've just been taking it easy.

monday: pete and I did a very short run to stretch out the legs. it was probably only one mile. it felt kinda good to get back out there. and it was perfect running weather. cool, grey and overcast with the threat of more rain in the air. perfect.

tuesday: yoga.

wednesday: just took it easy.

thursday: yoga.

friday: ran my errands on my bike. I rode up to steiner(which isn't that bad if you go up 17th south to 15th east and then over to guardsmen) to drop off some flyers, and then over to fairmont to drop off some more flyers. it was kinda fun!

I'm thinking riding my bike to work in the summer won't be too terribly bad. it took about twenty minutes to get up to steiner, and it's not far to campus after that. now I just need to get a bike lock...

the race: a visual account

potatoes!

marathon number seven/state number four: the famous potato marathon in boise, idaho.

we drove up friday afternoon. we got to boise with plenty of time to pick up my race packet which included my race bib and timing chip(I was thrilled to see the prison style ankle bracelet of a timing chip--that thing was huge!), cheesy idaho potato pin, and various coupons and brochures for random things. you gotta love the race packet. we had a carbo-loading extravaganza at macaroni grill, I ordered the twice baked lasagna with meat balls. perfect blend of carbs and protein. afterwards we headed up to nampa to stay with my aunt and uncle.

we woke up early saturday morning to drop me off at the start line. the race started up at lucky peak state park, where we hopped on the green belt and ran our hearts out!

it was hard at first to adhere to this run/walk thing I had set my mind on. the first few miles I didn't really walk that much at all. then every eight minutes or so I'd walk for either a minute or a minute and a half. I was fairly diligent with that until the later miles.

my legs didn't feel tight at all for the first six or eight miles. it was like a dream! even in training they'd feel tight from mile one most of the time. I was still feeling pretty good through mile 13, then on through mile 20 or so. after mile 21 (and the short loop around the riverside elementary parking lot--they weren't kidding! you should've seen this thing! it was a few cones set out in a very small semi-circle that you just had to run around. it was barely past the entrance to the parking lot. it made me laugh.) I had a complete breakdown. imagine the whole lower half of your body cramping up. then imagine trying to run (or even walk!) like that. it was miserable. my legs were done. finished. dead.

I pushed past those remaining miles. I ended up doing a lot more walking after that. seriously, it hurt to run but it also hurt to walk. I couldn't decide which was the lesser of the two evils. the interesting thing was, though, I never once had the thought "why in the crap am I doing this? I'm never doing this again!" (I usually have that thought at least once during that last 10K) I knew I would finish eventually, and that it hurt, but it wasn't really that bad.

I did eventually finish. {thank you peter, for pushing me along.} and once I stopped running my legs completely seized up on me! they were so tight! I did go sit in the boise river for some 'ice bath' fun. I lasted about one minute. it was really cold.

I was also very pleasantly surprised with how pretty boise, idaho is. at least on the marathon route. the green belt along the river is beautiful. it reminds me of the jordan river parkway trail, but so much better! (I wasn't worried about finding any dead bodies or being attacked by a homeless person) it runs for a very long time too--I think someone said at least 25 miles.

and I had the best support crew out there. pete on the bike (and running along side me the last few miles) and my mom and dad with the flip-chart signs. all the other runners were jealous. if there had been an award for best spectators/cheerleaders these three would have gotten it, hands down. so many people appreciated it so much--mom, you were popular at this event!

I would definitely recommend this marathon. if you're not expecting a big race (thousands of people) and you're okay with running alone for half of it (after the half and the full marathon split, it's basically just you out there for miles.) and you don't mind really watered down gatorade, then I think you'd love this. it's a beautiful course with friendly volunteers. if I wasn't on the run for the fifty states, maybe I'd even consider doing it again one year.

my time was around 4:44. definitely not even close to my best time, but I'm okay with that. I didn't expect to PR or anything, just finish. and I did finish. plus there were potatoes at the end. so I'm happy.

ps: I'm not even all that sore! it's a potato miracle!!!

pre marathon friday roadtrip

we are hittin' the roads this morning in search of good times and potatoes. boise idaho here we come!

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I think I laid low on tuesday, maybe had a waxing extravaganza. . .

wednesday peter and I had an early AM run before work. it was really nice outside. I started ranting about the inequality and unfairness of bcdc. he thought I was crazy.

thursday I just rode my bike to work. (I had to since I couldn't ride it today, national ride your bike to work day.)

friday is yet another rest day. maybe I'll walk the trail alongside the river tonight for a little bit to loosen up the legs. I'm excited to see the route. from the mile-by-mile online directions, it sounds like we could all get easily lost tomorrow! (my favorite part is when we take a small loop in the riverside elementary parking lot before heading back out onto the street at mile 21. are they just hurting for mileage or what?!)
---

ps I'm sorry, rachael, we didn't realize malad isn't on the way to boise. we might have to cancel lunch in efforts to get to boise in a reasonable time. we have to pick up my race packet, check out the course, carbo-load, and then get to nampa before it's super late. I hope you understand. and I hope you don't read this before I call you! [we plan on rescheduling. super fun road trip to malad idaho!]

monday night swimteam

last year the big kid pool always felt so daunting. this year the transition has been so smooth. I just felt ready for it. it's really not that bad at all. especially since there's fewer flip turns.

(missed the warm up completely--whoops)
4 50's (I caught the last two), kick/pull drill
4 50's eyes out of water first 25, swim the rest
3 100's (I don't remember our intervals for the rest of the workout)
3 200's
2 300's
cool down

I had the veggie burrito from beto's today for lunch. if you know this burrito, you know it's bigger than your face. and of course I ate it all because it's too good to stop eating once you've started. it's a total fat bomb of pure goodness. I was a little worried it would affect my swimming.

when the work out started I didn't want to lead the lane. everyone else insisted, so I said yes... but that I might go pretty slow and we could re-evaluate later. it turns out the veggie burrito from beto's just might give you super human strength! I was kickin' trash tonight! it felt so good. I was swimming fast and not feeling tired. it was amazing.

mike, the monday coach gave our lane a little tip: as soon as your hand enters the water on your stroke, start the pull immediately to fully take advantage of it. it really worked; I felt so much faster.

seriously, everyone should swim.

the last long run

I love the last long run before the marathon for the simple fact that it's so short. six miles. that's nothin'! you get it done and you still have your whole day ahead of you!

the run was pretty nice. I got out pretty early because it was supposed to get pretty hot (and it did) on saturday. I did the baby pug tree run--I only had to go in three directions! I went south, west, then east. I didn't do the run/walk thing. I figured since I wasn't going that far it wouldn't kill me to just run the whole thing. my legs felt ok. hopefully they hold up this weekend.

it's kind of exciting, I feel like I haven't run a marathon in so long. this will be quite the adventure!

6 miles; baby pug tree run

run. bike. swim.

monday:
the usual quick monday evening run with my cutest husband. once around the park and then back. somewhere around three miles. it was funny because when we got home we were stretching on the grass in front of our apartment... the old lady that lives below us, mary, came out in all her blue sweatshirt glory to tell us to be careful where we sit because that's where all the dogs go potty! eek! don't worry, though. we didn't sit in anything.

tuesday:
I just rode my bike to work. it is national bike month, after all. okay, so I actually only rode it to trax, but I did ride all the way home! I took a new route. from the U I went over on Gaurdsmen and then to 1500 east all the way to 1700 south and down. it's a lot less scary than riding 800 south all the way down. so it worked out perfectly.

wednesday:
AM masters swimteam! oh my gosh, I woke up a little after 5:30 this morning to go swim. I could barely believe it myself. but I'm not going to be able to swim this evening, so I felt I just had to do it. it wasn't even that bad! except I don't think my body is used to sucking in that much pool water so early in the morning. during the summer I'm going to try and hit up the 6am swimteam at fairmont on mondays (I'm still going to do the wednesday evening workout at steiner--I love the coach and my lane buddies.) so this was some good practice at waking up so early. I can do it; there's nothin' to it!

the first long run/walk

I've been a little worried about my legs lately. they just never seem to loosen up. I'm having chronic problems with my right hamstring. the thought of running 26.2 miles is starting to scare me, especially after my longest long run of only 16 miles.

I decided a while ago that the best way to preserve my legs--and not kill myself completely--throughout the whole run was going to try the run/walk method. I'll be running eight minutes and then walking two. in the long run, I'll probably be able to finish quicker than if I were to just run this time around. we'll see if it works.

yesterday I tried it out for the first time. I was very diligent. I ran for eight. I walked for two. I ran for eight. I walked for two. my legs aren't sore at all today.

sure, it might take a little longer. but like I said, in the long run it will all pay off. I don't want to be caught at mile 18, with so many miles still to go, with nothing left in my legs. I don't want to have to walk the last ten miles because my muscles have cramped up so much I'm left limping along a deserted course.

we'll see how this all plays out on race day. I'm just practicing a little self preservation for now.

12 miles; baby pug tree run

these days

saturday|4.21.07
the salt lake city half marathon. it was a good run. I woke up super early, caught a train up to the start line with my friend lisa (and her friend lisa), and ran 13.1 miles. I started out slow and got into my groove. it was a fun surprise to see peter on his bike near our house--we live right on the half marathon route it turns out--he stayed with me pretty much the rest of the race. it was also fun because I was able to take a little pit stop at my house to go pee and change into my new running shoes. I'm pretty sure people thought I was either cheating or giving up when I took the little detour. I love living on the route. I totally pushed through the last 5k. it's fun passing people. I had enough in me at the end to sprint to the finish. I did it in two hours. not too bad for not even running at all the week before. my quads hurt the next day, I couldn't figure out why. I don't think I stretched very well after the race. it was a fun day, though. I'm super proud of the rest of my team: grandpa and dan d. -- bike tour; mom, dad, rachael, robert, michael, meghan, mary, v-lo, marta d. and the sole sisters -- 5K. you guys rock!

monday|4.23.07
run. I went up 1700 south to 1500 east and down to 2100 south and back. it was a good run. the downhill was slightly hard on the quads, but not bad.

wednesday|4.25.07
swimteam. I really like the pool. swimming is such a great workout. everyone should do it.

thursday|4.26.07
run.

saturday|4.28.07
long run. it was a tough 16 miles. not quite the twenty I had originally planned (or the 18 I was maybe going to do) but I'll take it. under the circumstances it was probably best. two weeks prior I didn't run at all, and last week I only ran 13.1; it's best not to increase the mileage too drastically. it was a hard run, though, and I don't think my legs would've let me do anymore anyway. they are just SO tight. my hamstring hates me. I need some yoga in my life and I need it now!

monday|4.30.07
ride! peter and I rode the frontage road out by saltaire. just a tip: don't ride there in the evening (or anytime of day?) because all you'll get is a face full of bugs. it was disgusting. but I guess that's what you get when you ride right next to a marshy body of water. it was fun being out on the bike, though.

tuesday|5.1.07
run. I just did the liberty park loop. nothing too exciting. I did run on the dirt trail (not the woodchip trail; I don't like to run on that because it feels too soft.) which adds in a little more length and it's not on concrete--always a plus.

wednesday|5.2.07
swimteam. the big kid pool opened. it's always a little daunting to stare out at the water after swimming the entire winter in the little indoor pool. fifty meters compared to 25 yards is a BIG difference. when I got in the pool the water felt so dense my arms couldn't push through. I think it was just because they were already a little tired and sore. at the end of the workout I felt like we should still be swimming for at least fifteen more minutes, so I guess the big pool hadn't beaten me like I always fear. it's just all in the mind.

thursday|5.3.07
run. I went up 6th east through the park and turned around and came back. it was probably only two miles.
yoga. pete and I got a yoga kit from costco today. it came in a little box with a handle. it felt like a little yoga suitcase. it came with a mat (though I already have a rad pink one that I got for my wedding), a dvd, and a book with poses. I did some of the dvd before the office came on. can I just say how inflexible I am? at least now I can start doing my homework before my real yoga class begins on may 17th. hurrah!

new shoes

I love my free shoes. granted they do need some breaking in still. after about one mile the outside of my right foot starts hurting a little. if I keep running, though, that pain seems to go away.

I probably won't run in them tomorrow. though I really don't look forward to running 13.1 (plus?) miles in my old shoes. but what do you do? I'd really hate to risk it in my new shoes. what if they gave me blisters or something? ouch.

last night I went on a longer run in efforts to break them in a little more and see how they'd hold up. pretty well. I think they're comparable to my old shoes. so we'll see if any of my chronic aches and pains go away. maybe I just need to get off the roads and onto the trails.

I'm resting today. I can't wait for the carbo-loading extravaganza tonight! extreme caloric intake, anyone?

~4+ (maybe five? who knows) miles; 6 east to 4th south to 8th east to 1700 south to my casa

the pool

swimteam:

500 warmup, every 4th length stroke (I was a tinsy bit late... I only got a 200 in)
6 75's [1-3: 50 kick, 25 swim; 4-6: 50 drill, 25 swim]
200 free
3 50's fly
200 free
3 50's back
200 free
3 50's breast
200 free
3 50's free

I felt pretty good for being sick... I wasn't too incredibly slow. I think the pool cleared me out a bit. the water at least made my throat burn. I'm glad I went.

ps. pete did biathlon team. he kicks butt! (biathlon team = swimming then running on the treadmill)

back on the roads

I'm back! I know you all must have been worried sick about me and my inner kenyan. well, we've been sick the past week. in fact, we're still sick. but we're making a comeback onto the scene, don't you worry. we won't let kid germs get us down.

after a whole week of not doing anything. no running. no swimming. no cycling. [okay, to be fair, I was doing a lot of walking, swimming (in a pool with kids), and a little hiking] we've decided to get back out there.

last night peter and I did the usual three mile run.

today I bought new shoes. [I went to the runner's advantage to get my foot analyzed on their special mat... yep, I need a stability shoe. I've been running in a stability shoe. I just feel bad because I went through the motions with this guy, when I knew full well I'd be buying my shoes from salt lake running co. you gotta love the frequent shoe buyer's program! every eighth shoe is free!] hopefully I can get a quick run in tonight after mutual?

tomorrow I'm planning on swimming.

thursday I'll most likely run.

friday should be a rest day.

saturday I'm running the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. I might just run home from the race finish line to get a few extra miles in. [I mean, I was supposed to run 18 miles this weekend... but since I didn't run at all last week--not even a long run--I'm thinking that might be pushing it.]

sixteen miles

I ran sixteen miles today so I can go skiing tomorrow (that's if the chick with the gold pass ever calls me back!). it was a beautiful day for a run. I went pretty slowly. my mantra, as any long run mantra should be, was "long and slow." long runs really aren't for speed, that's what midweek workouts are for. but my legs were tight at about six or eight miles, increasingly tighter throughout the run. how am I ever going to run 26.2? I think a lot of the problem is my shoes; I need new ones. maybe I'll go get some tomorrow... my feet were hurting by the end. that usually never happens. and I bet the shoes are contributing to the chronically tight muscles too. so we'll see.

16 miles, baby pug tree run--twice in each direction

ps I *heart* U too, peter! thanks for the secret motivational note at the baby pug tree... *my heart was all a glow*

the usual

pete and I went running on monday. it was the usual route. it's fun. I really like having run team with him. (especially when he makes yummy dinners afterwards) oh, I started doing becca's routine - monday was abs and such

tuesday I didn't have much time so I just went up to steiner and did two miles on the treadmill and then did tuesday's weight workout.

I went swimming last night. oh how I love the pool! there's just something about it. it is definitely a kick-you-in-the-butt workout. and I love the wednesday coach. she really makes an effort to know everybody and help with your stroke and form, etc. she's fabulous.

also: for the first time in my life the fly is starting to feel like it's clicking. I could make it a whole 25 without resorting to the breastroke or one arm drill. when I went to breath, I could do that extra little kick to get my head out of the water moving forward. it was like magic. she gave our lane the option of just doing freestyle during the IM sets. I chose IM. I have got to master the butterfly and backstroke.

thursday I rested: long run on friday.

ten miles plus tele skiing

last saturday I ran a short long run. only ten miles. I love it when you get to that point in your training when you pull your miles back and anything around ten miles is considered short. it's fabulous.

with that being said, I figured it would be no problem to go out and run a quick ten and then go skiing with my cutest husband. the run went ok. I just did the directional run and added one more little segment to get enough miles out of it (I am happy to say I chose to go east--that means I ran up the hill two times instead of just once. go jo!). my legs had the usual tightness.

skiing was fun. it was pretty warm. the snow softened up. I rented some tele boots from REI but ended up alpine skiing more than doing any tele turns. I gave it a good effort, though. it just hammers your quads (think of doing lunges while sliding down a mountain) and my legs were already pretty tired.

10 miles, a mile out in each direction (east twice) from the pug baby tree + tele skiing

plyo, et cetera

peter and I did the usual monday night run. somewhere around three miles. the liberty loop and back. it's a good, quick run to stretch the legs.

on tuesday I went up to steiner and did a two mile warm up run on the treadmill. then I got out a jump rope and did a ten minute plyometric routine. so good. such a fabulous workout. ten minutes is all you need, and it magically makes you a quicker, more efficient runner. [I have a testimony of it. this was the magic ingredient to my fastest marathon ever. I never thought I could run that fast for 26.2 miles and then somehow I did--without really training hard for it! all it took was a ten minute plyo workout once a week in the last half of my training, I swear!] anyway, I did my plyo then I stretched out with a two mile (does the distance on the eliptical machine actually translate to actual miles? I always wonder.) eliptical workout. good times for sure.

here is a peak into my plyo-jump rope routine. I like to break it up into 30 second segments.

mix up any of the following:

*easy jump roping or 'recovery jumping', if you will
*jumping from side to side across the rope
*jumping forward across the rope from a standing position
*jumping roping with high knees
*jump roping with feet together and no extra bounces between jumps

this workout is actually surprisingly tough and your calves will kill in the following days until you get used to it. I am a firm believer in this. trust me.

wednesday was swimteam. I really love swimteam. I led the lane. swam hard. did a lot of IM. one day I'll master the fly. and my backstroke felt surprisingly better. it was good.

I didn't run today because I wasn't feeling well. tomorrow I'm going to do an easy run to stretch out the calves, etc. then saturday is a ten miler. and hopefully a ride with the buchanan's and maria. it should be fun, can't wait!

14 miles of goodness.

my long runs are getting longer. I'm definitely into higher mileage now. but I'm facing my fears head on and running right through them.

yesterday was a tough run. I had some long uphill miles to get through. I'm just glad I can still get away with starting the run at 9 am. soon it will be that if I don't finish my run by 9 am I will be in serious trouble. I love spring. I love running in long sleeves and shorts.

my body held up well. only the usual random aches and pains that don't stay with you through the whole run. that's a good sign. I was hydrated this week. I ran hard. it felt good. sure, I was tight by the end (or by the middle?) but not too terribly tight. I feel pretty good today.

this is serious marathon training now. no messin' around!

tips: [for all those just dying to break into the long run scene]

drive your route in a car, mapping out the mileage and dropping water (and gatorade, if needs be) about every two miles. but when you're done running, don't forget to drive back and pick up the water bottles! [or just have your cutest husband secretly follow behind you on his road bike. peter, I loved the cheering and the high-five as you passed by. best long run surprise ever!]

play the mental game. running is seriously 90% mental and 10% training. you cannot listen to the negative thoughts in your head. replace them with positive ones. lie to yourself if you have to. because your body is amazing and you'll be surprised as to how much she can really do. you really can do anything you put your mind to. here are some things I had to tell myself yesterday:

"you've done this route before, you know this. . . just remember how to do it. . ."

"be proud, jo, this is the hardest part. you are amazing"

"just keep running until X. . . good job, now just keep running to X. . ."

surrender yourself to the run. this is an old lesson, tried and true. you have to be able to come to a point where you are just out there, running, putting one foot in front of the other. you're out there for a long time; don't think, just be. this is where a good diversion is handy. someone to talk to, music blaring on the ipod, learning to be okay with your thoughts. running in a beautiful locale doesn't hurt either. just know you'll be out there for a while and don't think about it. the miles will go by easier. trust me.

dress the part. I love buying running clothes. I can justify any purchase if I can tell myself it would be great for running. if you look like a runner you'll feel like a runner. if you feel like a runner you will be a runner. pace times don't matter if you look hot. and not to mention the fact that technical clothing (the correct shoes for your foot type, non-cotton/technical fabric clothing, etc) will also reduce injuries and the like.

run safe. run strong. run happy.


14 miles; 17th south to 9th east to 8th south/sunnyside to wasatch and back

wednesday, thursday, friday

wednesday I swam, thursday I ran, friday I rested.

tuesdays: speed work

I decided on saturday that it was time in my training to start implementing some speed work. since I'm running on mondays to get the kinks out, tuesday would be the perfect day for speed. today I decided to do some hill repeats.

I ran over to sugarhouse park as my warm up. I turned into the park from 1500 east and ran down to the first good grassy hill on the south side. I did five repeats (you generally want a hill that's relatively steep and will take you around 30 seconds to get to the top), focusing on a quick turnover, running on my toes, keeping my head up and eyes on the goal. . . and engaging my robot arms.

[when doing hill repeats while I trained for my first marathon, this rad girl we ran with would always say she was turning on her robot arms. because it's a known fact that your legs can't go anywhere without your arms. so if you just put your arms on automatic, and power them through your feet will just have to follow. it's like magic.]

after the repeats, I ran the rest of the interior loop of the park and ran home the way I came. it was a good, long run. my legs started to get a little tight near the end. I came home and iced, though. and my hamstring didn't really bug me at all--I was a little worried that running hills might aggravate it (and let's be honest, running to sugarhouse is a hill in itself!) but I was okay.

I felt fantastic when I got home. It was a really good run.

~5.5 miles; 1700 south to 1100 east to 2100 south to 1500 east to the sugarhouse loop and back again

my new monday routine

I decided on saturday that I couldn't swim on monday's anymore. I needed to run. after all these long runs on the weekend, I'd need to get back out on the road as soon as possible to stretch out the legs.

pete and I did the usual quick run route. over to liberty park, along 600 east. it was good. I stretched and iced when I got home.

~3 miles; 600 east to liberty and back