Mississauga Marathon Training Week 17

And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain

Here we go! Second last week!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Last tempo run of the cycle! 10 minute warm up at 6:00/km, 20 minute tempo at 5:12/km and 10 minute cool down at 6:00/km. This felt good and easy on the treadmill. 6.8k, 40:00

Wednesday: Steady 12k around both community lakes chatting away with Paul discussing race plans and feeling sad that he won't be able to race on Sunday as I'm sure we'd run together. 12k, 1:12:12

Thursday: Another easy run around just one lake. I ended up alone but that was fine. I enjoyed the run without looking at my watch and the pace felt easy. 10k, 58:39

Friday: Rest

Saturday: This was scheduled to be 16k race pace, but my husband had to work so I ended up switching out Saturday's and Sunday's runs. I just ran easy again without looking at the watch and the pace was the same as Thursday. 6.34k, 37:13

Sunday: Race pace 16k! I started out nice and early which was good because the marathon starts at 7:30. I was up at 5:15am and ate and relaxed and then headed out the door around 6:15am. It was so cold that I couldn't wear the shorts I hope to wear on marathon day or the shirt, but I wore both on my 33k run, so I'm not worried. I got on pace right away with now problems and spent the next 16k doing my best to slow down! I was under my targeted 5:41/km pace in every kilometer except one when I hit 5:43. I decided to walk to take my drinks and GU as this is the strategy for race day and it obviously didn't slow me down. I finished the run strong and easy (man, if only I was running a half - I would ROCK it OUT!) and decided that I'd be finding the 4hr pace bunny on Sunday come hell or high water. 16k, 1:28:47

Total KM: 51.14, Total Time: 4:56:51, Average pace per KM: 0:05:48

So this week, expect a few more posts than normal. I will be writing one on race plans and asking for advice and on my race goals - of course! I value any and all input you can provide!

SIX DAYS!!!

Taper madness? Doubts? CAN I EVEN RUN THIS FAST?

So.

Here we are.

Nine FREAKING days away from my first marathon.

(a marathon is a distance of 42.2km or 26.2 miles).

I’ve been training since January 1, 2012.

I’ve been training toward a very specific time goal. All of my tempo runs and steady runs and LSD runs have been paced to hit that goal. I ran an easy run :10s slower then the targeted marathon race pace yesterday and it felt fine for 10k in windy conditions. I ran the last 10k of my Sunday 23k run at race pace in windy conditions on paths (much like the end of the Mississauga Marathon) and felt okay. I ran the Chilly Half Marathon at the start of March at a pace :06s faster than my targeted marathon race pace and finished feeling like I could have run longer.

So why am I so afraid that I won’t be able to finish in 4:00:00 (3:59:59)?

Why do I care so much?

Finishing in 4:07:06 (what McMillan suggests is appropriate considering my 1:57:10 finish at Chilly) is still amazing for my first marathon. Why can’t I let go of the four hour goal? Why am I so freaking stubborn?

The thing is, many people have suggested that for my first marathon, I should go in with a goal to “just finish”.

I call bullshit on that goal.

I DON’T WANT TO “just finish.”

I didn’t run over 855km to “just finish.”

I didn’t spend every Wednesday night away from my husband and son and miss bedtimes for my kids on Wednesday and Thursday nights to “just finish." I didn’t run 33km in the freaking cold rain to “just finish.” I mean, I’m going to finish the freaking marathon, so why not go for a goal time?

I just need to get some swagger back, I guess.

What I Ate Wednesday

Another day of Tuesday eats. I really tried to document what I ate after my long (23k) run on Sunday, but I totally forgot! Let's say it involved a new protein bar that I loved (chocolate vector) and movie theatre hot dog and popcorn (Alasdair and I went to see the Lorax!). Oh well. I'll do my very best to capture my day in eats on marathon day (a mere 11 days away - eek!)! I totally missed the veggie meme on this day.

Breakfast #1 - it was a rushed morning so I only had time for yogurt mixed with fish oil before I booted it to the train.

Once I was at work, I enjoyed my homemade oatmeal, banana and chocolate chip muffin and a banana.

I spent 9-12noon in a meeting and I drank a coffee and all of my water and ate half a cheddar tea biscuit. I also had an un-pictured yogurt before my later than usual run (1:30pm).

Once I was back from the gym, I was glad to have more a snacky lunch then a sandwich or something. I ate the two homemade turkey bacon and thyme mini quiche I made on the weekend.

I also enjoyed this bunch of grapes and about 10 baby carrots

Dinner on Tuesday is always crazy as my husband has both boys alone and I don't get in until 6pm. We decided to have left over’s for him and Alasdair while Fegus ate a scrambled egg, toast and fruit and I had a homemade bacon, egg and cheese mcmuffin (with real bacon! YUM - Ken can't eat pork so we normally only have turkey bacon) and a hash brown.

I spent the evening on the couch with the computer clearing my inbox of over 500 emails. That kind of work deserves a treat. The chocolate was actually pretty nice which is a change because I usually find Easter chocolate waxy.

And there is my day in eats. 1620 Calories, 206 Carbs, 76 Fat, 51 Protein.

Mississauga Marathon Training Week 16

It was the first week of the taper and we still ran quite a lot of KM, so I'm feeling fine. Well, I'm starting to worry about my time goal, but more on that later.

Monday: Rest. I felt pretty good considering the 33k in the rain the day before. I wore my ugly flat work shoes instead of heels to work and I'm sure that helped.

Tuesday: Tempo Tuesday! I ran after the kids went to bed as there was no time in the day at work. I did the usual 10 minute warm up and 20 minutes of tempo with the rest to cool down. I was aiming for a 5:14/km pace, but without the treadmill to keep me consistent, I ended up with a 5:09/km tempo pace. Oh well. 7.5k, 42:36
Wednesday: To the lake for Fartleks. We did three half loops as Fartleks and I messed up on the first, hitting stop instead of lap on my watch, so the distance and time is a bit messed up. We were aiming for a 4:45/km Fartlek pace (running with Paul again). 596m: 4:48/km pace, 710m: 4:42/km pace, 707m: 4:36/km pace. This felt good even if my IT band was a bit sore. I feel like I could have run faster on the Fartleks. 11k, 1:06:51

Thursday: We had a very small group to run with as two people were unable to run. I was the middle of the pack runner on this night so I ended up running alone along the trails, looping two community lakes. It was a nice run and I tried to ignore my watch and run by feel. I ran in my new New Balance Short Shorts and they felt good! 11k, 1:07:31

Friday: Rest

Saturday: I managed to squeeze in this run between grocery shopping and a family visit from Ken's sister and her husband (my brother in law, Joe ran the Toronto 10k on Sunday). I covered my watch, didn't look at it once and enjoyed the "free" running. 6k, 36:56

Sunday: Our cut back LSD at 23k. I ran with Paul again and we got a bit lost after we completely missed a turn and ended up about 3km short. We quickly found a way to make it up by hitting the trails and managed to run the last 10k at targeted MRP (5:41/km). The last 10k had an average pace of 5:39. It was cold and windy, but still a great run and it felt good to run strongly after 13k of easy running. 23k, 2:18:55

Total KM: 58.5, Total Time: 5:52:49, Average pace per KM: 0:06:02

12 days left!

What I Ate Wednesday

Once again, I'm partcipating in this weekly blogging theme. I've tried to add more veggies to my day as you'll see below.

Breakfast was Crunchy Organic Peanut Butter on a (barely) toasted English Muffin + a Grande Bold once I got to work

Morning snack

Lunch - Mixed baby greens with carrots, grape tomatoes, chickpeas and balsamic, a few slices of deli ham and a cheese string

Snacks - ShaSha Cocoa Snaps and a SunRype bar (yes - I did lots of math and charts yesterday!)

Dinner - Spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce. I had hoped that my husband would have sauted up the peppers and mushrooms we have to add to the sauce, but it was impossible for him to do with the two boys all over him.

Post run treat. YUM.

And that is what I ate on Tuesday, April 18, 2012. I hope you enjoyed a great day of eats as well.

Mississauga Marathon training week 15!

We are so close now! Another great week where I didn’t let stuff like work get in the way of running!

Monday: Rest. My legs felt great – the cold water bath the day before totally helped.

Tuesday: Treadmill tempo day! Based on my run for the 10k virtual race, I decided to up my tempo pace to 5:14/km and it felt easy! I won’t up it again before the marathon though. 10 min warm up, 20 min tempo, 10 min cool down. 7k, 40:00

Wednesday: Fartlek’s take two! We ran on the trails around the lake again and the goal was to run fast half way around the lake and then easy for the other half. We did this three times. Our first loop was short though: 347m @ 4:24/km pace, 667m @4:52/km pace, 680m @4:45/km pace. I can’t wait to get back to the track in the summer! I love these types of runs. 11.05k, 1:05:48

Thursday: This day started VERY early as I was on a 7am flight to Vancouver for work. We got to Vancouver, did what we needed to do and went for lunch. I returned to the hotel and got some email correspondence out of the way and hit the treadmill at the hotel gym for my scheduled run. I could have run through Stanley Park, but I have a horrible sense of direction and didn’t want to get lost! 10k, 1:04:24

Friday: Fly home. All day. We were lucky to get on a flight considering the fact that 44 were cancelled when Air Canada pilots called in sick.

Saturday: My usual loop around the neighbourhood, not looking at my watch. I think I may start to run these “naked” so that I can run without paying any attention to pace. 6.25k, 38:46

Sunday: My longest run ever! Our clinic met at UofT Mississauga and headed out to run the last 32k of the marathon route. The start of the run was nice – overcast, cool but not cold. The middle of the run was horrible: we ran though a downpour and were able to wring out our shirts. There were other groups running the route and it was fun to see other runners doing the very same thing as us. When we ended at the Lakefront Promenade, there were people to cheer for us and then we carpooled back to UofTM. The rain had stopped by this time and we were able to help ourselves to the (dry-assed) cake I made to celebrate Julie’s birthday (I think the cake was well received even if it was dry!). 33k (I rounded out the run), 3:33:12



Total KM: 67.3, Total time: 7:02:10, Average pace per KM: 0:06:16

19 days until race day.

I’m ready.

Wow!

What I Ate Wednesday

As always, hosted by Jen at Peas and Crayons (click on the icon below), here is the food I ate on Tuesday, April 10, 2012.

Breakfast was cereal - My last box of Fiber One from the Running Room challenge

I wasn't feeling 100%, so I had a grande Awake Tazo Tea instead of my usual coffee

Pre Run snack, with water

Post run lunch, salad greens with balsamic, a hard boiled egg and chocolate milk

My lunch desert! Balkan style yogurt and water.

Dinner was Easter dinner leftovers of Turkey simmered in gravy with mashed potatoes, carrots and homemade bread, onion, celery and sage stuffing

My after dinner snack while watching the Blue Jays was a 39g pack of these delightful treats!

And so, there is my day in eats for Tuesday. What is your favorite Easter treat?

Mississauga Marathon Training weeks 13 + 14

Delayed post as last week was super crazy, busy.

Week 13

Monday: Rest!

Tuesday: I was at a conference all day, so I couldn't run during the day. i ended up doing a neighbourhood loop after I got home, just running easy. 7.13k, 45:32

Wednesday: Fergus and I had to head to the doctors in the morning to get some booster shots, so I was able to fit in an early morning (6am) run. This was especially good as my husband had to work late so I was going to miss the group run anyway. 6.2k, 39:17

Thursday: Ali Mc's virtual 10k race. I asked my clinic leader to run with me and told him about the race. He was game and chatted my ear off the entire way while I grunted out answers. He totally kept me going and I amazed myself by surpassing my in going goal of 55min. 10k, 52:34. this is a PB!

Friday: Rest

Saturday: It was the day after I hosted our book club which always means a late night with a few glasses of wine. My husband let me sleep in until 8am though, so the 8k through town wasn't difficult at all. 8k, 50:34

Sunday: Group LSD run. We ran through rain, hail and wind, but got the cut back distance done! 23k, 2:28:00

Total KM: 54.33, Total Time: 5:35:57, Average pace per KM: 0:06:11

Week 14

This week was SUPER busy at work, plus everyone was off for Good Friday, but somehow, I made it work and got my total distance in.

Monday: rest

Tuesday: I worked until 10pm (a 14 hour day), so I didn't run.

Wednesday: It was our first night of Fartleks. Chris, our clinic leader, decided that we'd do a "leap frog" set around a community lake. Basically the group spreads out with about 40-50 meters between everyone and runs easy. The person at the back then runs to the front of the line as fast and they can and slows into their easy pace. Rinse and repeat. I think we did it four times? It made the run go VERY quickly, but man it was hard (and fun). 9.65k, 59:09

Thursday: Another crazy day! I flew to Montreal on the 0825 flight and was back in Toronto by 1630. I picked up my gym stuff at the office and headed to the gym as I had Leafs tickets as well. I wasn't feeling any kind of speed work or anything, so I just ran easy while watching the Jays on my personal TV. 5k, 30:11

Friday: Normally I would rest on Friday, but I knew I had to run as I had missed Tuesday and Saturday was full of family and feasting (we hosted my husband's side). After lunch, I set off for 16k through town on my normal route. I was cruising along at quick speeds during the first few km, so I decided to turn the last 10k into a MRP run (5:42/km). I couldn't keep my legs slow and ended the 10k with an average of 5:32/km. Whoops. It does make me a bit more confident for May 6th though. More thoughts on this later. 16k, 1:32:42

Saturday: Rest. Turkey. Family

Sunday: Group LSD. Our fourth time on this 29k route and it was a PERFECT day for running. I struggled to keep my pace in a true LSD pace and would often pull away from the girls running around 6:35/6:40, ended up at 6:25/6:30. I managed to keep myself with them until the last six KM when I just started cruising. I felt pretty bad at the end of the run and I think that I'm going to need to run with sports drink in my of my bottles as the weather warms up. I think I need the salt. 29k, 3:11:19

Total KM: 59.65, Total Time: 6:13:21, Average pace per KM: 0:06:16

4 weeks until the marathon. In a way it can't come fast enough. This week brings my first and only 20 mile (32k) training run.

March Recap

A Super-Amazing month of training resulting in my longest runs ever, my fastest 10k ever and THREE AMAZING RACES!

# of runs: 21 (I missed a few due to races!)

Longest run: 30k Around the Bay!

Races: 3! The Chilly Half Marathon, with a 1:22 PB, Around the Bay as mentioned above and Ali Mc's virtual 10k race which was a 4m41s PB based on the Zoo 10k race from 2011.

Total KM: 252.89 – 50.88k more than my previous best month ever, January 2012.

Total time spent running: 26h26m56s

Average pace per KM: 0:06:17



March was an amazing month full of hard work and rewarding runs. I can't believe how far I've come and how close I am to the start line at Mississauga. April will be all about setting the final goal for the race, ensuring I go out hard enough to know I couldn't have done better, yet not so hard as to crash and burn.

How was your March?

What I Ate Wednesday!

It is another great day of what I ate Wednesday Tuesday! Little did I know that there would be a veggie challenge, but I somehow made it work!

As always, hosted by Jenn at Peas and Crayons!

Breakfast was a homemade oatmeal, banana and chocolate chip muffin with cantaloupe.

How much do I love my coffee? Any my awesome Stella & Dot Medina Bib Necklace!

For lunch I ate two of these amazing, homemade Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos, topped with cheese and salsa. There are those veggies!

Rosebud. A classic film mystery and a handy, tasty treat!

I ended up working until about 10pm last night, so my colleague and I chowed down on my desk staple of ShaSha Cocoa Snap. I also had an un-pictured yogurt and an apple.

Once I got home, the leftover cheese and pepperoni pizza seemed like the perfect thing to pair with this lovely glass of Malbec.

And there is my day in eats.

Do you know what movie the Rosebud reference is from (PS my minor in University was Film)?