Vermont City Marathon: Training Week #9

March 18, 2017 - Mel

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!

vermont marathon training blog week 9

Longest trail distance (and a crazy map drawing!), easy runs at home on the treadmill and more strength training with the kettlebell.

I got two awesome runs out on the dirt trails during week nine of training — which was not quite following my written workouts, though it helped me through a kind of a stagnant, tired patch of my marathon training cycle (go away, cold weather!). Though I went off-plan on my coach, I did ask in advance if swapping my long run day to Sunday was OK (and what workout I should do on Saturday) — AND got in SIX days of workouts. And then I did my longest run ever on dirt trails. It was a good week to kind of go “rogue,” since now I’m enjoying a cut-back week for my marathon training mid-point.

ON THE SCHEDULE:

Two strength workouts
YOGA!
Tempo Run
Long Run
A couple Easy runs
MOAR FOAM ROLLING!

MONDAY Scheduled Rest Day! I also did some foam rolling on my calves and feet.

TUESDAY Strength workout with my kettlebell (I’m seriously so happy that I asked for this for Christmas!). I also love starting my week with strength — a nice ease-in after resting, which helps me focus for the week ahead.

WEDNESDAY Tempo Run on the schedule… but I ended up meeting a couple trail buddies at Jester Park after work for 5 miles. I did one of my long runs here in the fall, and it’s such a wonderful park.

5.2 miles / 57:50 / 11:12 average pace / 127 elevation gain (per Garmin)

THURSDAY Finally back to my Yoga Roots class after a couple weeks off. It felt GLORIOUS — even though it’s always so hard — but the instructor always keeps the mood light and makes us laugh and reminds us not to take ourselves so seriously.

FRIDAY Started off with a 5-minute walk and then ran for 40 minutes at an easy pace. Back on the treadmill!

3.62 miles / 41:18 / 11:24 average pace

SATURDAY Since I swapped my long run to Sunday, my weekend Recovery Run became another easy run. Another notch on the treadmill. And some foam rolling to keep those tight muscles in check.

2.0 miles / 21:53 / 10:56 average pace

trail sisters running blogger — Ready for trail running season!

SUNDAY Met a flock of Turkeys (or, since we’re domesticated, do they call us a Rafter of Turkeys?) in the city at Center Trails for my long (and cold) run of the week… just in time to meet Daylight Savings Time square at 8am CST. These trails are AMAZING — and probably my favorite in the area so far (there are SO MANY trails here in Iowa to explore!). I love the mixed terrain and that these are tucked into city limits. There’s a lot of activity here — and a lot of fat bikers (not bikers who are fat). I love to see mixed use of the trails and people out having fun outdoor in winter. The Center Trails webpage also has a conditions indicator — like when it’s closed due to it being too wet and muddy.

I did another test run with Cytomax, and I’m still unsure if I want to use it on marathon day. I have only a couple more weeks to decide and fine-tune my fueling strategy. At this point, I haven’t really found something that I love OR something that I dislike — mostly just “this works” and adaptable to everything so far (I am not a light packer!).

I was SO COLD when I got home (there were multiple layers of fleece) and I couldn’t nap, which was a bummer. But a big ol’ bowl of chili for dinner was just the ticket to warm me up.

14.08 miles (trails) / 2:56:21 / 12:31 average pace / 358 elevation gain (per Garmin)

WEEKLY RUNS: 4 runs
WEEKLY MILES: 24.9 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 152.56 miles

Isn’t Burlington so pretty???

The Vermont City Marathon is only two months away (plenty of time for experienced runners to train!). Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your registration! Prices are set to go up again April 1.

Challenge Events: Multiple Races in One Weekend

March 12, 2017 - Mel 1 Comment

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Illinois half marathon and 5k as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!

Illinois marathon challenge blog runner

A year ago, I finished the Gasparilla Ultra Challenge — a total of 30+ miles across 4 races. In 2015, I completed the Steel Challenge — a 5k and half marathon. I am also doing the Minnesota Nut House – Totally Nuts! challenge this summer and a DIY 2x Half Marathon series over Labor Day weekend with a friend who is crossing off two more states in her 50 States Quest.

I really like the challenge of challenge races (and let’s not kid ourselves, the extra medals are awesome). And I was excited to see the I-Half Challenge as part of the Illinois Marathon weekend. This will be my first time visiting the Champaign-Urbana area AND I’ll be crossing a state off my map!

The Illinois Marathon has a few different options for its I-Challenges: All include the 5K on Friday; and then the 10K, half marathon, full marathon, or marathon relay on Saturday. You receive:

Two shirts (5K shirt plus the 10K, half marathon, marathon, or marathon relay shirt)
Three medals (5K medal plus the 10K, half marathon, marathon, or marathon relay medal as well as an I-Challenge medal [different for each I-Challenge])
Bragging rights

Challenge events are unique to each race – some are back-to-back AND multi-day races (like Gasparilla) and others are two different mornings (like Pittsburgh’s). I liked the idea of doing a race in the evening before waking up to do a half, particularly on a Friday night and Saturday morning, with enough time to drive home and recover for an entire day. This race fell perfectly into my marathon training and will provide some good mental training for me too. My goal for training is to do something similar (evening run, followed by a morning run) — not every week, but tossing in a few here-and-there for practice in running on tired legs.

I don’t have any goals for the half marathon aside from having some fun, getting in my miles, and cheering on my fellow BibRave Pros who are completing the full. Also, I’m not currently registered for any other 5K races (yet) this year, so I might attempt to actually race the 5K. We’ll see…

Room for more Runners! The Illinois marathon weekend is coming up April 20-22. Want to join me in Champaign-Urbana? Use discount code: “bibravebonus” for $15 off all race weekend events (excluding the Youth Run).
*Note: discount code needs to be entered towards the end of the registration

If you want to compete in an I-Challenge, do not register for two races separately. Instead, register by choosing one of the I-Challenges:

Full I-Challenge = 5K + marathon
Marathon Relay I-Challenge = 5K + marathon relay
Half I-Challenge = 5K + half marathon
Mini i-Challenge = 5K + 10K

Vermont City Marathon: Training Week #8

March 10, 2017 - Mel

vermont training running blog

Tired feelings, new Launch Shamrocks and BibRave buddy!

Week 8 was my time to focus on foam rolling, recovery, and good habits in general — especially as it was my first 25+ mile week since November. Daily stress is fatiguing me pretty hard, and I know big mileage weeks only add to that feeling. And there are a LOT more weeks that are going to feel like that. I haven’t raced in a while though, so I’m getting excited as I approach some of those dates on my calendar.

MONDAY Rest Day

TUESDAY This felt like the longest 4 miles that I’ve ever done! But my paces were pretty fast for a slower-than-easy run. This is probably why I’ll always run with a watch.

4.32 mi / 42:39 / 9:32 average pace

Splits: 9:44, 10:25, 9:47, 10:03

Ended the run with 4×20 second strides (and a big chocolate milk, of course).

WEDNESDAY Rest Day (planned in advance, since I had a social thing after work)

THURSDAY Interval training day! I always get so excited for speed workouts, as they allow me the time to FOCUS on my runs instead of zoning out on the treadmill watching the third season of Desperate Housewives. And while I can’t run fast for long distances, running fast is SO FUN. Though running fast on the treadmill kind of freaks me out!

vermont marathon blogger winter running

Overall, this was a weird run. I felt like my legs couldn’t turn over any faster, though felt like I didn’t even workout when my sprints were over. I was running so hard on those 400s but not even out of breath!

5.98 mi / 55:14 / 9:14 average pace

warm-up mile: 10:49
1 – 1:27 / 2:41
2 – 1:23 / 2:52
3 – 1:24 / 2:42
4 – 1:25 / 2:41
5 – 1:27 / 2:38
6 – 1:30 / 2:42
7 – 1:29 / 2:41
8 – 1:17 / 2:42
cool-down mile: 11:15

Finding bad habits in the week already taking over, I made sure to get some foam rolling in after my run.

FRIDAY Rest Day (unplanned). Skipped my strength workout that was on the schedule, since some impromptu fun plans came up after work. I moved my Strength Day to Sunday, alongside my recovery run. I still need to do better on getting in my strength workouts and foam rolling.

SATURDAY Long run with the Capital Striders in the AM (UGH, start times changed to 7am, and it was ROUGH — but I made it). I completed the 12-mile route, and then came home to do an additional 2 miles on the treadmill. I honestly just had enough of the cool weather, and I was REALLY hoping to enjoy the expected 65-degree day. Alas, it was NOT in the 60s at 7am and wasn’t until well into the morning that the temperatures warmed up. At least it was sunny?

Splits (14): 9:38, 10:08, 9:41, 9:35, 10:24, 10:23, 9:53, 10:02, 10:06, 10:02, 9:58, 10:08
Splits (2): 11:12, 11:00

My Striders buddies keep me fast!

SUNDAY I originally planned to meet some Turkeys out on the trails, but I had a gnarly headache in the morning — and I just knew there was no way I wanted to wake up for another 7am run. No fun on the trails for me!

vermont city marathon training recovery day — Ahhhhhhhh….

Sunday is my weekly recovery day; beyond doing my usual recovery run, I also needed to make up my skipped strength workout from Friday. I want to start GOOD recovery habits rather than using Sunday as a make-up day. So I finally took my first epsom salt bath using the San Francisco Salt Company’s Epsoak Muscle Soak. I get really antsy sitting in baths (similarly, I always think 5 minutes is TOO LONG for foam rolling. Patience is not my virtue.), but forced myself to stay the entire 20 minutes. And my body felt GLORIOUS when I was done. All my muscle soreness was gone (along with my hot water to shower afterward).

On Sundays, we recover. If I’m not having a massage, I’ll be using the salts. And foam rolling for longer than 5 minutes. Promise.

WEEKLY RUNS: 4
WEEKLY MILES: 27.1 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 127.66 miles

The Vermont City Marathon is this Memorial Day Weekend. Want to join me in Burlington? Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your registration! And psssssst… check out my giveaway for your chance to win a pair of Hoka One One running shoes.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED: HOKA ONE ONE — Winner’s Choice!

March 1, 2017 - Mel 2 Comments

hoke one shoe giveaway marathon

I’ve got an awesome giveaway for you: If you’re not already aware, I’m running the Vermont City Marathon this May. One of the race sponsors is Hoka One One, and they’ve partnered with my blog to provide a pair of shoes to giveaway! Hoka will supply any model to one winner (*provided your choice of shoe is in stock).

Here’s the rules:

Follow @runvermont and @hokaoneone and @melliesmel on Instagram
Leave a comment on my Instagram giveaway post OR this blog post on which Hoka One One shoe you would pick if you won.

That’s it! Giveaway ends at midnight on March 14, 2017. And I’ll announce a Winner at random on March 15.

Hoka One One running shoes VCM — YAY! SHOES!

Disclaimer: Hoka One One is a sponsor of the Vermont City Marathon and is providing one pair of shoes to one winner. I received a free entry to the Vermont City Marathon, courtesy of BibRave.com. Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your VCM registration!

Vermont City Marathon: Training Week #7

February 27, 2017April 19, 2018 - Mel

vermont marathon blog training week 7

Crazy week. And crazy weird temperatures!

Despite a crazy week, I completed all of my scheduled workouts! Coming back from vacation, I was eager to return to my routines. I feel like I can adapt well to being thrown off my usual schedule, but I definitely feel the impact of stress when things change in my usual routine. So, this week’s runs and workouts were MUCH needed to help me deal.

MONDAY: Rest day and return to work; but wow, did my hips feel sore from the weekend.

TUESDAY: Random day off (my work building caught fire!), so I did my kettlebell-focused strength workout in the early afternoon.

WEDNESDAY: Easy 5-mile run + core workout

10:21 average pace

My first mile felt pretty rough but got easier — and it was 72 degrees in Iowa!!!! Since my office was still closed, I got to run in the afternoon on the Greenbelt Trail in Clive.

Splits: 10:35, 10:29, 10:24, 10:05, 10:13

THURSDAY: A fun but TOUGH Intervals workout — 6×400 (400m recovery) with an easy mile warm-up and cool down. I was a little freaked out about sprinting so fast on the treadmill, and it took so much focus.

warm-up: 11:17

400 splits:
(1) 1:45 / 3:04
(2) 1:40 / 3:09
(3) 1:46 / 3:23
(4) 1:43 / 3:04
(5) 1:40 / 3:04
(6) 1:42 / 3:32

cool down: 11:30

Finished with foam rolling — which is something that is seriously lacking in my training right now.

FRIDAY: Wow my body is tired; bless this rest day.

SATURDAY: The Long Run That Could – I had 12 miles on the schedule, but I totally mismanaged my schedule and ran out of time in the morning (Who makes a hair appointment for 10:30am on a Saturday in the middle of marathon training?!) I finished 11 miles – a fast finish workout at that — just in enough time to shower for 5 minutes, dress, and drive 20 minutes to my salon.

Splits: 11:19, 11:10, 10:58, 10:54, 10:54, 10:59, 10:45, 10:21, 9:53, 9:30, 8:51

marathon training iowa blogger vermont race — Motivation for a 11-mile training run!

SUNDAY: An afternoon recovery run (25 minutes at a slower-than-easy pace), followed by a core workout.

11:22 average pace

Finished with my Core workout and foam rolling of my glutes and TFL.

WEEKLY RUNS: 4
WEEKLY MILES: 23.2 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 100.56 miles – WOO! Century Mark!

Join me in Burlington this Memorial Day Weekend for the Vermont City Marathon! Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your registration!

Vermont City Marathon: Training Weeks #5 and #6 — the Vacation Edition

February 20, 2017 - Mel

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Vermont City Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

vermont marathon training blog runner
Things seen on my recent runs — including an amazing riverfront trail in Tampa, a water stop on the trails in Iowa, a “jogging” track on a cruise ship, and… alligators?!?!

One of the best parts of having a running coach is the ability to adapt my training program when life (and fun) comes first, like during vacation. I like the balance of working out on vacation — and running outdoors always helps me explore a new city or neighborhood. Being gone for 8 days though was TOUGH. And I can tell you that running on a cruise ship is even tougher (particularly if you experienced a day-long nausea spell at sea and drank too much definitely). This was my 3rd adventure on The Rock Boat — and this was my favorite boat so far — but this post is only about my marathon training adventures. 😉

I worked around my travel days, making airport days my rest days. Though I had 6 scheduled workouts (4 runs and 2 cross-training) during my trip, getting in only 3 runs was still a success. All things drinking and sea sickness considered. My goal for for the next couple of weeks though is to get back into my cross-training and strength training because I’ve let those important workouts slide. I also hope to get in a better blogging routine and return to weekly training posts.

Week 5 was a drop-back week, and I had a Tempo and Easy runs before vacation — and two easy runs while I was away (one with Strides).

MONDAY: Rest Day

TUESDAY: MY TREADMILL IS FIXED!!!!! Good lord that took way too long. ProForm finally sent out a technician, and both the motor and control board were replaced. And my first workout back on the ‘mill was intervals (one additional than the prior week) — alternating .75 mile fast and .25 recovery. I’m aiming for consistency on these — and running based on effort level.

Warm-up mile: 11:31
1: 9:21 / 10:56
2: 9:39 / 10:59
3: 9:24 / 10:57
4: 9:35 / 11:10
Cool down: 10:40

Finished up with a runners-based core workout.

WEDNESDAY: 3 easy miles + plank work

Average 10:36 pace

THURSDAY: Travel Day (and Rest) — WOOF! Such an early flight!

vermont city marathon training blog ambassador — SHORTS! And testing out my new Saucony Triumph ISO 3.

FRIDAY: 55 degrees in sunny Florida! Some older gentleman runner laughed at me for wearing shorts & tee shirt — he was bundled up completely like it was winter or something. hahah

My training plan called for a 40-minute easy run, ending with Strides.

4.45 total miles / 42:40 / 9:36 average pace

Splits: 9:39, 9:51, 9:31, 9:35, 9:40 [.14]

Strides (4×20 sec):
7:43 / 9:36
7:49 / 13:02 (not sure what happened here?? Thanks, Florida!)
7:09 / 10:13
7:36 / 9:50

SATURDAY: Boat sickness caught up with me, and I had to skip my “long” run. Only 5 miles on the plan, given that it was a cutback week; but 5 miles that I could NOT do (besides, you know, even keeping food down).

SUNDAY: I was feeling better, but skipped the Strength workout on my training plan and enjoyed all the wobbly stair climbs at sea.

Week #6 at a Glance — and almost back to my normal schedule (and surroundings):
Easy Run, Tempo Run, Long Run, Recovery Run

cruise ship running mexico blog — Running on a cruise ship is NOT easy!

MONDAY: Ran on the cruise ship, which was super hard, super hot and super windy. Got 2 miles in before giving up (4 miles on the plan).

Average 11:39 pace

TUESDAY: Skipped my strength workout again (I know, I know) – but I did SO MANY STAIRS on the boat, you guys!

WEDNESDAY: Rest Day – and Debarkation Day (booooo!)

THURSDAY: Outdoor running on the paved Sarasota trails – such a great place to run (and flat!). I was working it for those high effort level paces, and felt like I was going to puke near the end and had to slow up. Felt really, really easy though considering how fast my paces are (all things relative).

Iowa blogger running in Florida trails sarasota — Stoneybrook Nature Trail in Sarasota, Florida.

5:00 total miles / 48:30 / average 9:42 pace

Splits: 9:38, 8:59, 9:14, 9:42, 10:56

FRIDAY: Travel Day back to Iowa (and a scheduled rest day)

SATURDAY: Woke up early to join the group run, but ended up staying in bed a little later. Instead, I drove to the Greenbelt Trailhead near my house. It was 48 degrees in Iowa in the AM (got to around 60 when I was done). What a beautiful day for a long run! 🙂

vermont city marathon training fuel blogger — Time to figure out double digit run fueling!

This pace felt like I was running an effort level 7 for majority but I was moving soooo slow – yay, vacation hangover! I also am testing out how running on Cytomax feels. I used it on the course during my first marathon, so I’m interested in how it may aid my energy and performance for the duration of the race. In training, I’ll take a couple sips after 30 minutes, and then a few more every 15 minutes.

10 total miles / 1:48:09 / 10:49 average pace

Splits: 10:34, 10:55, 10:52, 10:47, 10:41, 10:44, 10:46, 10:43, 10:39, 11:25

vermont city marathon blogger — Solo long run on the Greenbelt Trail

SUNDAY: Recovery Run + Strength Workout

2 easy miles / 22:40 / 11:18 average pace

Made up for the absence of cross-training by doing a kettlebell-based strength workout following my run. I also had an afternoon massage, which was the perfect addition to my recovery day.

Back to work and normal life and training schedule commences!

WEEKLY RUNS: 3 (week #5) + 4 (week #6)
WEEKLY MILES: 13.45 (week #5) + 19 miles (week #6)
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 77.36 miles

bibrave ambassador 2017 blogger

Run a marathon with me & BibRave in Burlington, Vermont this Memorial Day Weekend! Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 to save $5 on your registration!

Vermont City Marathon: Training Weeks #3 & #4

February 6, 2017 - Mel

vermont city marathon ambassador blog running

It’s been a rough start to marathon training. I missed two of my runs in training week 3 and generally felt defeated at anything I attempted (thanks, PMS!). I don’t want to make a habit of having every other week be awful, so I’m letting it go and reconfirming my dedication to the remainder of this 20-week cycle. I’ve got vacation coming up and “destination runs” to plan — and there’s no time to feel bad about missing a couple workouts (or complaining about my STILL-broken treadmill). I used Week #4 to get recommitted to my goal and determined to get all 4 of my runs completed.

So since Week #3 was mostly a bust, here’s how Week #4 of Marathon Training went:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Interval Run + Core
Wednesday: Easy Run + Strength
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run with Fast Finish
Sunday: Recovery Run + Core

MONDAY: Mondays are my usual rest day — alternating bi-weekly with a call with my running coach. I always have a good takeaway from our chats and she truly keeps me honest, accountable and POSITIVE!

TUESDAY: The last couple weeks my speed workouts have been on Tuesdays, and… if I’m being honest, it’s HARD after having a rest day. Though I’ve somehow lucked out with every other Tuesday having some crazy ice or likewise weather concern.

Week #4 was a longer tempo interval (1200 repeats). I don’t really know how this type of workout translate yet into marathon pacing, but it keeps me focused on my running effort levels and awareness of when I’m pushing myself to a faster pace. Though sometimes I feel like I’m running much faster, which can be a little deflating. I try to remind myself that even a 10- or 15-second increase in pace is faster.

I didn’t complete my Core workout post-run, since I was surprised at the door with a glass of wine and a diamond. As far as excuses go, that one takes the cake, no? lol

Mile warm-up [10:31] Speed intervals: 9:47 [400 rest: 10:38] / 9:52 [10:53] / 9:49 [10:48] — I like the consistency!
Mile cool down [10:47]

WEDNESDAY: ARGH, this week was SO COLD. I didn’t realize until I was back inside that it was only 10 degrees. But man, it felt even colder. I couldn’t finish my entire three miles because I couldn’t warm up (no thanks to you, $140 thermal North Face pants), but completed a respectable 2.13 miles given the conditions. I had to get into a hot shower immediately to get warm, so I didn’t do my strength workout either.

2.13 miles / average 9:48 pace

THURSDAY: Yoga Roots at LifeTime Fitness — this week’s class was probably my favorite session so far, since returning to a regular yoga routine. The instructor was in a sassy-but-silly mood and I laughed (at him and at myself) a lot during practice. But I felt better afterward then when I entered and really felt like I “blissed out.” It’s a wonderful feeling!

FRIDAY: YAY! REST DAY! We went out to celebrate and I had my once-a-year steak. haha

SATURDAY: I’m really enjoying the weekly Striders group runs — despite the 7:30 am start — and it’s been awesome running with and getting to know some great people and the Des Moines city neighborhoods. The Saturday morning events always have at least 2 routes (a long and short route) and sometimes an in-between third option. There is usually a water stop worked into the map at the shorter distance turn-around (though we somehow missed it this weekend).

This week I had 8 miles on the plan, with a Fast Finish for the last mile. It worked out well, as I was with the group for the 6-mile short route and finished my workout around Drake University again. I DID THE FAST FINISH — and actually felt really, really good (but, cold OMG WINTER).

Splits: 10:23 (1) / 10:17 (2) / 10:47 (3) / 10:32 (4) / 10:40 (5) / 10:56 (6) / 11:45 (7 — oops! forgot to pause my watch when I went inside to use the water fountain!) / 9:22 (8)

I also got myself an Orange Mud seat wrap for the new car. For some reason, all this fleece-wearing in winter makes me super sweaty and I don’t want that stank to invade my vehicle. Is that how “moisture wicking” works? It’s weird. I love that the seat cover transitions into a wrap to help you change with some modesty outdoors (or, in my case in the summer, my work parking lot). Also, it comes in hot pink.

SUNDAY: Easy recovery run, followed by a Core workout. I will say it again, how much I HATE having to bundle up for the temperatures for only a 20-minute run. Last week I went to the gym’s treadmills before my massage, which worked out well; this week, while it was sunny, I cursed my way through the cold outdoors again. I love winter better when it snows.

2 miles / average 10:19 pace

WEEKLY RUNS: 2 (week #3) + 4 (week #4)
WEEKLY MILES: 9.7 (week #3) + 17.1 miles (week #4)
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 44.91 miles

I have a cutback week for this upcoming week, and have already packed for all my planned runs and workouts while on vacation (and yay, some vacay running buddies!). Once I get back, the double-digit long runs begin. ?

bibrave ambassador 2017 blogger

Want to join me in Vermont this Memorial Day Weekend? Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 during your online registration to save $5!

Vermont City Marathon: Training Week #2

January 23, 2017 - Mel

Because of the upcoming double digit distances this training plan, I worked with my coach to swap my long runs to Saturdays to participate more often with the Capital Striders (the Des Moines area running community) group runs — which are, painfully, at 7:30 am. I did something similar in my last marathon training and getting the long run over with early Saturday seemed to work well for me. Though getting up at 6 am on a Saturday is definitely not the easiest, I usually take a nice afternoon nap — and I wait to do my Sunday recovery run in the afternoon.

Week #2 of Marathon Training Plan looked like this:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Interval Run
Wednesday: Easy Run + Strength
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Recovery Run + Core

Iowa blogger run marathon

My treadmill is still busted, despite receiving two replacement motherboards from ProForm. So, that meant a couple evening runs in the dark after work and ALL of my runs this week outdoors. The whole situation is totally irritating seeing as how we’ve had the equipment for less than a year AND purchased a 4-year warranty — and bundling up just to do an easy 20-minute outdoor run pisses me right off… but I’m working through it. But if I don’t get a promise of a replacement treadmill by next month, I’m REALLY going to lose my shit on someone.

Monday: GLORIOUS REST — and another recognized holiday at work — has me feeling finally (mostly) back to normal. We got a crazy ice storm in the Midwest on Monday, but the above-freezing temps melted mostly everything away overnight.

Tuesday: Short run — 3 miles, followed by an at-home kettlebell-focused strength workout.

Average 10:25 pace

Wednesday: Tempo Intervals — 6x400s (with a mile warm-up and mile cool down) in my secret stretch of sidewalk near the backside of my development. I love it; it’s a near-perfect .25 mile block (a little over, actually) and only slightly uphill that I just run back-and-forth.

Finishing these intervals was TOUGH, and I slowed down quite a bit on the last set. Looking forward to seeing myself get more consistent for a full set.

Thursday: Yoga Roots at LifeTime Fitness. Some weeks I love this class and others I hate it. I guess that means it’s working. Recently the instructor changed the programming to hold poses for 10 breaths instead of 5 — and holding some of the poses are really, really hard. The instructor tried to adjust me in triangle and I nearly collapsed.

Friday: Rest Day! I ended up meeting some friends after work for happy hour at Wellman’s Pub.

Saturday: I had 6 miles on my training plan, so I joined the Capital Striders group run (at 7:30 am) for the short route (which ended up being about 5 miles). After my running friends departed, I explored the Drake University campus to finish out my last mile. It was a pretty nice day in Des Moines, and I can’t believe I got my ass out of bed that early.

Average 10:21 pace

Des Moines running group blogger

Sunday: Easy 20 minute run — and despite it being 37 degrees, it felt REALLY really chilly.

Average 10:11 pace

WEEKLY RUNS: 4
WEEKLY MILES: 16.1 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 18.11 miles

Want to join me in Vermont this Memorial Day Weekend? Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 during your online registration to save $5!

Vermont City Marathon: Training Week #1

January 16, 2017 - Mel 1 Comment

It’s here, it’s here! Marathon training has begun. I can honestly tell you that I was excited to see a tempo run as my first workout of the plan (and also told my coach to remind me of that further on in training). But that workout didn’t happen. And neither did my mid-week easy run or my yoga class or my weekend long run.

When I got sick over the weekend, I messaged my coach asking when to do certain workouts based on my symptoms. And the short answer was: Use your energy to get better. And it was definitely the right decision as I battle whatever cold/flu combo sickness that has knocked me on my ass.

That said, I am committed to seeing through these 20 weeks of training — despite conditions seemingly conspiring against it (yep, treadmill is still broken despite them sending a new replacement motherboard). I intend to train hard though and do what I need to do to complete my workouts when I am fully capable to do them. This week, unfortunately, was not that week.

iowa run blogger winter running buff — Winter Warrior!

Week #1 of Training looked like this on paper:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Interval Run
Wednesday: Easy Run + Strength
Thursday: Yoga Roots at LifeTime
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run with Capital Striders
Sunday: Recovery Run + Core

Skipping to the weekend, I was finally well enough get through an at-home Strength routine on Saturday and an easy run on Sunday (before this giant ice storm came through, thankfully).

Iowa runner 180s tights winter running blog — Warmest winter running tights.

WEEKLY RUNS: 1
WEEKLY MILES: 2.01 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 2.01 miles

Want to join me in Vermont this Memorial Day Weekend? Use discount code BibRaveDsct17 at registration to save $5!

A Year of Running: 2016 Best/Worst Recap

December 31, 2016 - Mel

best-worst-year-in-review

This has been a pretty full year of running! I started off the year thinking that I would be playing roller derby again (even trying out and making our A-level travel team in Pittsburgh), and then we made a fairly quick and sudden move to Iowa (less than 2 months to visit, shop houses, get job offers, and actually relocate) kind of threw havoc into all areas of my life — particularly my marathon training (I ended up not completing training for the Pittsburgh marathon).

But the year started off with some highlights and ended with some amazing experiences — with, naturally, some awful things in-between. If I’m counting correctly, I did 16 races this year. Still standing at only 1 marathon since 2015 but my half marathon tally grew to 9. Let’s reflect, shall we?

Best Mileage Month: 101.74 miles in November — my 1st 100 Mile Monthly Challenge!

Worst Mileage Month: Only 14.6 miles in June. Woof.

By the way, my total mileage for 2016 was 512.97!

New States Run in 2016: Florida, Iowa, Nebraska

Furthest Race I Traveled to — and My First Multi-Day Challenge Race: Gasparilla (Florida) [recaps here: Gasparilla Day #1 (15k and 5k) and Day #2 of the Ultra Challenge (half marathon and 8k)]

Best Race Experience: Hitchcock Experience 13.1

Worst Race Experience: Dam to Dam — I was completely and totally unprepared for this race and swore it off for my lifetime because I’ve never felt so awful. Though now that I’ve had some distance, I’m willing to eat my words and run it again.

Best Run (not a Race): One that sticks out for me – when I returned to Pittsburgh over the summer. I unleashed a lot of emotions on that run; it was cathartic and bittersweet and a nice reprieve from the super humid summer.

Worst Run: UGH, basically any of my tempo long runs from the summer during my IMT Half Marathon training. I don’t think I finished any of them to plan.

Best New Piece of Running Gear: Garmin Forerunner 230

Worst Piece of Running Gear: Nathan hydration belt. It doesn’t work well on my body shape for running (wayyyyyy too much bounce and movement); though I may end up using it for hiking and trail-skating.

Best Piece of Advice I Received this Year: Though it’s spoken often in running circles to “run the mile you’re in,” this was really drilled in with my coach over the summer with focusing on the current moment and not thinking ahead. That’s something that has held me back a lot, and it’s been refreshing to just trust my body that it knows what to do and what I can handle AT THAT MOMENT.

Best Thing I Learned: Running by feel or effort level

Favorite Picture from a Race or Run this Year (TIE!):

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hitchcock-experience-runner-finish-line — SO EXCITE!

New PRs: Having a PR is always a BEST when reflecting on your successes, and this year my training plans helped me get a few.
5-mile – 47:24 at Madrid Milers Labor Day Run
15k – 1:34:27 at Gasparilla
10-mile – 1:43:16 at Capital Pursuit
Half marathon – 2:12:16 at the IMT Des Moines Half Marathon

I also ran my first (of several) trail races!

Can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2017! Happy New Year, everyone!

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