pittsburgh marathon

Weekly Therapy: Cinco de Runno

- Mel

the week:
Two years ago, I ran my first half marathon in Pittsburgh. Here I am now training for my second marathon. I’m so excited for my friends back in the ‘Burgh who are running this year again — or for the first time. Makes me a little “homesick” for running those bridges. Here’s a little #tbt to the 2015 Pittsburgh Half:

Recycled derby sign!
Recycled derby sign!

weekend:
A friend is coming over with wine Saturday night to help me celebrate my upcoming birthday… which means I should feel extra-awesome by the Des Moines Women’s Half Marathon (followed by wine at Jasper Winery) on Sunday.

Bonus: The Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market opens this weekend! I love their website!

seven things, seven days:
1. Oh, NEAT — I found a running group/club at work!
2. I’m also sincerely inspired by some of my coworkers, after attending a volunteerism event this week.
3. This Relationship Saving Station at IKEA made me laugh.
4. Found my birthday shirt.
5. 40 is the perfect age to prove our physical mettle
6. Fast after 40 {via Competitor.com}
7. And like that, I’m celebrating the last few remaining days in my 30s.

Pittsburgh Marathon: Training Week #2

- Mel

This felt like a GREAT training week! The week off for recovery really helped mentally. I’ve also been doing daily hip and glute strengthening workouts – it’s a set of four movements that takes less than five minutes (and I do while I’m brushing my teeth because I am the consummate multi-tasker). And I couldn’t have believed that something so simple would make me sore! But while I finally committed and followed-through on a 3-run training week, my mileage fell short of my training plans.

MONDAY: [walked to work] Hour spin class at the Y. I love this weekly class as much as I value my run-yoga group. I definitely intend to keep up this habit after moving.

TUESDAY: I joined SCRR for their group run on Tuesday night. I intended to run 5 miles, but it ended up being a Track Tuesday-focused workout. I definitely don’t do enough (read: any) speedwork this training cycle, so it was a fun break from just slogging through another base mileage run. Of course this would be a night when I would forget my watch, so I have only an estimate from MapMyRun about my 400 splits. I definitely appreciated the coaching in regards to speed and breathing.

Started with a slow mile warm-up, followed by 4×400 sprints. We totaled 3.70 miles. Splits: 10:43/6:23 (???!!!)/7:46/10:57. So, yeah… that’s madness!

And I think that I found a new way to get past some of the training burnout that I’ve been feeling (despite not really having a successful training mesocycle before Gasparilla).

WEDNESDAY: run//yoga//run//club — I’m going to miss this group so much when I move! And for REAL, I’m going to see if I can start a similar meet-up in Des Moines. I like the mid-week habit, and it was the first time that I felt like I found my “tribe” in the running community. *tear*

We changed course tonight (as did the weather), running into downtown, through/around the Point and back over the pedestrian bridge into the north shore. We finished around 3 miles (nobody tracked until the last mile, so I based off previous runs and maps) and at the end we were running a a sub 9-minute pace. So, WOOOOO!

Followed up the run with 75 minutes of yoga. It felt good. Really, really good.

THURSDAY: Rest Day – and dinner with friends!

FRIDAY: Rest Day – last day of work and going away party

SATURDAY: Another Rest Day – tbh, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a hangover fog for two days and really needed another rest day to sit around in my pajamas and purge my house of 8000 magazines. But I haven’t yet skipped my daily hip and glute workouts!

SUNDAY: One thing that I hadn’t yet accomplished in Pittsburgh that I always wanted to do, was the run up McArdle Parkway to Mount Washington. So… I did it Sunday afternoon. Starting and ending in my neighborhood in the North Side, I completed 8.01 miles at average 10:13 pace.

Splits: 9:38 (1) / 10:37 (2) / 10:15 (3) *going up* / 10:30 (4) / 9:52 (5) / 9:24 (6) / 11:06 (7) / 10:28 (8)

My paces for going uphill impressed me! And yes, the views from the top were amazing. Unfortunately, that familiar knee trouble came with me downhill and started getting really intense during mile 7 (hence, my pace), which is why I didn’t do the 10-12 that I intended to do.

Pittsburgh running McArdle Mt Washington

Gonna miss that view though!

TOTAL CROSS-TRAINING WORKOUTS: 2 (1 hour of spinning; 1 hot yoga session)
TOTAL RUNS: 3
LONGEST RUN: 8.01 miles
TOTAL WEEKLY MILES: 14.71 miles
TOTAL TRAINING MILES: 125.75 miles

Pittsburgh Marathon Training: Week #1 (and Recovery Week)

- Mel

Gah. My second marathon! I can haz freak out?

This past week, however, was my recovery week… so I did nothing! I did have to walk to work several times though, so that was good to keep my joints moving. So, instead of writing out my workouts for the week (because there were none!), I’m going to talk about my recovery.

recovery week 30something pittsburgh
Recovery: Resting your tired feet in the cool sand of Siesta Key is optional.

1. Chocolate Milk: You guys, I SWEAR by drinking a chocolate milk after every workout. It is my magic elixir to not feeling sore. And there’s science to back it up.

2. Compression sleeves: I had a conversation about compression gear recently with another runner friend (re: whether they actually work or not). VIM + VIGR sent me a pair of compression calf sleeves a few months ago to test out (no monies exchanged for testing or review, but I got a free pair). For recovery, these have helped my tired calves immensely. After my long runs, I put on my calf sleeves and prop my legs up for a good hour (or longer, if I nap, which… likely). I used them in the hotel room after the first day of Gasparilla, too, and I felt really fresh for Day 2. It might all be psychosomatic, but at the very least, this post-training regimen forces me to relax.

3. Massage: Sadly, I couldn’t get into my usual massage therapist this week (and OMG I have to find a new massage place in Des Moines!), but a massage after a long race is KEY to my body feeling back to normal. I get really tight IT bands, calves and quads like a lot of runners, which she works out perfectly; she also spends a few minutes helping me stretch those areas that I can’t get by myself. Because I didn’t have a massage this week, I definitely feel more “lead-legged” than usual. I probably should have scheduled one down in Florida. Sigh, 20/20.

4. Trigger-point therapy: I am guilty of not doing my foam rolling as much as I should (I’m a work in progress!), but I use several apparatuses to release tight and knotted muscles after big races or long runs: my RAD roller, a lacrosse ball, and two different foam rollers. I use this Foam Rolling app for guidance. I love the RAD roller especially, as I can easily toss it in my suitcase for traveling.

5. Hot tub: I don’t own a hot tub, but if I’m traveling for a race, I make sure to book a hotel that has one. We had access to a hot tub at the parent’s condo development — and sitting in one the day after the race, even for just 10 minutes, is just MAGICAL for relieving tired, sore legs.

Share your recovery methods in the comments!