Tag Archives: Grandma’s Marathon

Update on Marathon Training

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Since being done with school, these past few days have been liberating!! The stress of work is gone, and I love having the freedom to do whatever, whenever I want! 

I have kept myself extremely busy and have hardly had any time to truly relax but that’s okay because life is good! 

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(Picture taken last summer during my trip to Minnesota.) 

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As usual, I have been busy running. 

Grandma’s Marathon is quickly approaching. . . .only 3.5 weeks until it is here! Pretty soon I will be tapering!

I am in week 15 of my 18-week marathon training plan and things have been going very well! No injuries, no missed workouts, and I’ve been feeling great! 

My confidence keeps building with each workout completed, and I am feeling strong as I work to get my body into peak physical shape. I’m feeling very excited and confident I will have a successful race!

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(Running Mayor’s Marathon 2011 in Anchorage, AK.)

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I’ve only run two marathons, but each time I prepare myself for this feat, I learn new things about the process and discover ways to help me run faster.

This time around, the following is a list of things I have done differently that I’m confident will help me run a PR.

- I started track workouts sooner

Starting in January, every Wednesday night, I did a track workout with the Skinny Raven Running Group. I think this really jump-started my training and prepared me for the intensity of marathon training. 

We would do tempo runs (one workout was: a 20 minute tempo run, 15 minute tempo run, and 10 minute tempo run), speed workouts (12 x 3 minutes), 2 mile timed trials, and mile repeats. They were pretty intense, but it was nice having other people to push me. 

- I am following a much more rigorous training plan.

I have been following the Advanced Marathon Training plan found on the Grandma’s Marathon website. It is even more advanced than Hal Higdon’s Advanced 2 Program. 

- I did a 24 mile training run. 

I know almost every training plan does NOT recommend running more than 20 miles, but this has always been something I’ve pondered: How am I supposed to prepare my body to run 26 miles if I only run 20 miles. I know there are probably very good reasons why most people should not run more than 20 miles, but I’m glad this plan challenged me to run 24 miles. I think it will only help me. 

- I’ve completed more training runs on the treadmill. 

I know I’ve complained about running on the treadmill in the past, but I’ve really found the benefits this training season. I still find it very boring, but if I wanted to do a fast tempo run in the dead of winter, it was really my only option. And surprisingly I don’t hate it as much as I used it. I can keep a very consistent pace on the treadmill, and it is easy to run negative splits—it almost feels like I am cheating when I do!

- I’ve run more races. 

In the past, I’ve been scared to run races because I thought it would jeopordize my training, but this time around, I think it will help condition my body for racing the marathon. I did the Do Run Run race at the beginning of May, my sister and I are running a half-marathon this Saturday, and next Friday we are doing the Twighlight 12K. 

- I started taking an iron supplement.

I started taking an iron supplement after I discovered I was anemic. I have only been taking iron supplements for about 5 weeks, so I can’t say for sure my iron is at a healthy level since I need to wait 3 months before I am retested, but I figure it can only help, right??


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Accomplishments this training season:

- Running 70 miles in a week—my highest mileage ever!

- I ran 24 miles for a training run and would have set a PR in the marathon if I could have maintained that pace for another 2.2 miles!

- I achieved a 10K PR in a training run. 

 

Grandma’s Marathon Training

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June 16th I will be running Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota.

This will be my third marathon and the second time running Grandma’s.

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I have been diligently training since the beginning of February and surprisingly I am almost half-way through my the plan.

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I was even good about running while in Hawaii! I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to run in shorts and a tank top every day! (I can’t even do that in the summer here.) I absolutely loved sweating it out every day and then jumping in the pool afterward.

Plus, I loved exploring the area on foot. I got to experience and see so many things I never would have never noticed otherwise.

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For this marathon, I am following the 2012 Advanced Marathon Training Plan from the Grandma’s Marathon website.

It is a pretty intense plan that peaks at 70 miles, with 6-7 days of running, and includes a 24-miler! When I ran my marathon last year, I peaked at 60 miles for the week, and I’ve already hit 60 miles this training plan, so I’m feeling pretty confident I will be that much stronger for this marathon.

I’ve changed things up a little here and there—changing the long run from Sunday to Saturday and rearranging mileage slightly based on my schedule—but otherwise, I have been sticking to the plan.

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I’ve been keeping track of all my mileage in my Runner’s World Training Journal. I enjoy documenting everything by hand and love the layout of this log book.

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Overall, my marathon training has been going very well: I haven’t been injured and I have not gotten sick yet (knock on wood). There have been periods of being tired, but I usually get a day off right when I need it and bounce back pretty quickly.

I am feeling very good about the progress I’ve made so far, and I’m hoping this time I can qualify for Boston!

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Last night I ran outside in the sun!

I was supposed to go to the Skinny Raven Running Club at The Dome (the indoor track) and complete a speed workout, but there was a track meet going on, so I had to change my plans. This was actually a good thing for my plan because I was supposed to do an easy run instead of a track workout anyway.

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I ran 7 miles in 1:01, which isn’t stellar, but it is okay these days.

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The roads are finally starting to dry up, but now all the snow is melting and I have to dodge the water puddles.

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Another good thing about the snow melting: I can finally get paid to run. ;) (Money I found on my run.)

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Overall, the run was okay. I always have a bloated stomach in the evening. (I am trying to figure out why: for a long time I thought it was something I was eating but now I’m thinking it is from stress.) Whatever the reason, my bloated stomach makes running in the afternoon/evening very uncomfortable. The bloat wasn’t horrible last night, but still not all that enjoyable.

Anyway, today is a rest day. I already went to yoga this morning and have a massage right after work today. :)

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Question

If you are training for something, share what you are training for and how it’s going!

 

Before & After

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There was so much to recap about the marathon itself, I didn’t have time to include what went on before or afterward. And if you missed it, you can check out Grandma’s Marathon recap here.

My mom and I drove up to Duluth and arrived around 1:30 p.m. on Friday. We first drove some of the course so I knew what the terrain was like and how steep this Lemon Drop Hill was. I thought this hill was going to be a “walk-in-the-park” and quickly put any concerns out of my mind. Well, it definitely ended up being a walk to get up it.

After picking up my race packet, it was time to watch Kara Goucher speak. Ahhh!! I was so excited to see her. Kara is a stand-out American distance runner–an olympian and world-class athlete. She was raised in Duluth, Minesota, so it only seemed natural she was one of the guest speakers. She was so down-to-earth, genuine, and nice!! I loved hearing her speak. (Sorry for the blurry picture; I had to really zoom out with my camera.)

Kara Goucher with her husband, Adam Goucher, who is also a professional runner.

Kara signing autographs after speaking. (I was too scared to get her autograph.)

By now I was starving, so it was time to grab some food. We weren’t quite sure where to go at first because so many of the restaurants were busy, and I didn’t want to eat anything heavy (i.e. pasta with cream sauces). Luckily, my mom and I found this small, intimite cafe tucked away in the basement of a building.

It was great because it was not busy, like so many of the other places, plus it had food that I knew wouldn’t make my stomach upset.

I had a delicious sandwich with turkey, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, roasted red peppers, a little mayo, and some honey mustard. It tasted so fresh and definitely hit the spot. I loved the bread–crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

The rest of the evening included finalizing details for the marathon and getting ready for the big day. Then it was time to hit the hay and attempt to get as much sleep as possible, which only ended up being about 4.5 hours. Oh well.

Here’s some pictures from the race that I forgot to include in my race recap.

I am not sure where this was–mile 9 possibly?? We ran along the beautiful shores of Lake Superior and had a spectacular view of downtown Duluth, which was bitter-sweet since it was our destination.

My sister running with me and probably handing me water and/or GU.

Then at mile 20 when I started to walk. :(

My brother, Mike; myself; and my sister, Kristy after the race.

And the thought that was going through my head for this picture, “What was I thinking when I signed up for this?”

My shoes (and orthotics) that faithfully carried me to the end.

My very sore, tender, beat-up feet. Actually, I only got two blisters, four black toenails, and one toenail that will probably fall off. Not too bad, eh?

The worst was the second toe on my right foot. There was a large blood blister under the toe nail that caused the toenail to be raised up. (It was very painful!) That toe nail has been black for a very long time and will forever be black I think.

The circle imprints on my feet are from my socks. (ha ha)

Now it was time for an ice bath. I was in the water for a while, but my toes got super cold, so I had to get out.

Sorry for another slightly gross picture, but this was the insane amount of salt on my back/armpit from sweating. Sick, huh?

Me, Kristy, and Kristy’s friend hanging out by Lake Superior.

The crowds of people relaxing after the race was over.

I was NOT hungry after racing but knew I needed to eat something.

After relaxing and showering, my sister and I went to At Sarah’s Table Chester Creek Cafe in Duluth. We got some delicious food including this pizza that contained smoked salmon, dried figs, and goat cheese. While it may have seemed like an odd combination, it was very good!! The sweetness of the figs and savory taste of the smoked salmon and goat cheese were something that was not expected but very tasty.

We then spent the rest of the evening hanging out with some of my friends from college who ran the half-marathon earlier that day. Kristy, me, Julie, and Jen.

By the way, I love my sister’s t-shirt and need to get one of my own!