Just What I Needed

Here we are on Wednesday.  I gave you my "plan" on Monday that wasn't a specific day-by-day plan, but included the runs I want to get in a weekly basis - 5 total and I forgot to include that I should also have 1 day of cross training.  I want to go back to some spinning classes soon!  Or even just elliptical or bike by myself with my Kindle.

I didn't run on Monday, so that will count as my 1 rest day.  Looks like I have a busy week of working out ahead!  Luckily I have turkey trots scheduled tomorrow and Saturday so those will get my butt out the door.

Last night, I did a 5 mile run and it was just what I needed because I had not run since last Tuesday.  The past week seemed to be a kind of down week for me and was very hard to get motivated to run with the cold temperatures and the fact that I felt so mentally terrible during that run last Tuesday.

But last night I knew I had to do it.  I couldn't let it get to be more than a week without running.  I was still doing my weights, so I had some physical activity and was feeling sore from that, but still not the same as running.  And to be honest, a good part of my motivation came from knowing I was going out to a bar and going to be drinking beers and eating greasy bar food later in the evening.

(Photo from Pinterest)

So I doubled up on socks, put on my warmest spandex, and out I went.  I was very cold during my first mile.  My poor little nose was hurting and I may have considered making it a super short run.  But I kept going and actually warmed up quite well.  Maybe because I naturally picked up the pace when I was about a mile in and had to run through the dark park.

I got to the lake path and it was wide open as can be.  In the mile I was on the path, I probably only passed 3 other people going the opposite direction.

I came up to a part where I knew the path wouldn't be lit well, so I decided to go to the city streets from there.

I didn't bring a watch, but mapped out the run to 5 miles.  As I was running I tried to guesstimate how far it would be based on what I knew and how many songs I listened to for a rough time estimate.  I was feeling strong mentally, I think because I was glad I forced myself to get out and run, I wasn't nearly as cold as I thought I'd be, and I was excited to be going out later in the evening for the Dayton Flyers basketball game.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

What is something out of the ordinary that motivates you to run?

bRUNch + Weekly Training Recap

Catherine and I put a long run + brunch on our calendars a long time ago.  We each had fall marathons and then wanted to plan this to keep us running and for an excuse to go to brunch, because breakfast food is easily the best kind of food.

I decided to call it a bRUNch.  Get it?  I really crack myself up, like a lot.  I hope you find me as funny as I find myself, but if not, that's ok.

The first part of the bRUNch was the RUN.  We started at my apartment and ran to the lakefront trail and then north until we got to Montrose Harbor - to a park where we actually had a cross country meet in high school.  We turned around and headed the same way back, a little faster since we were with the wind now.  Our run ended up at 9.3 miles - not sure what time we were at because I didn't bring a watch.

Catherine and I had a whole list of things to talk about/catch up on during our run, so I'm glad we finally had a chance to do that.  Another thing that was awesome was the weather.  It seemed like it was that awkward in-between temperature when you don't really know if you should wear long sleeves or not or wear shorts or capris.  We each wore long sleeves, but ended up shedding that layer - short sleeves in November!

And the second half of the bRUNch was of course, the brunch.  Our plan was to go to either Toast or Ann Sather's, but we ended up at Nookies due to a long wait at Toast and the fact that Nookies was right down the street.  However, bRUNch will be a once a month occurrence from now on, so all of the best Chicago brunch places will be visited at some point soon I'm sure.

We each ordered the same thing - scrambled eggs with hash browns, bacon, cheese, and peppers.  Catherine's was without bacon though, something I'll never understand.  I can understand if people don't get bacon on something because they are being more health-conscious and bacon is very fatty, but to not like the taste of bacon is just wild to me.

My workouts last week:

Monday -6.65 mile run

Tuesday - 6 mile progression run

Wednesday - weights

Thursday - rest

Friday - weights

Saturday - 9.3 mile run

Sunday -  rest

Total Mileage =22 miles

I did weights twice last week, so that was good.  BUT I need to be running more than 3 days a week.  So my goal for this week is to do weights on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. (I'll be visiting Anne in Denver on Friday/ this weekend!)  And then to hit at least 30 miles for the week, which shouldn't be too difficult, it's just making myself do all my runs!

Do you like bacon?

What was your training like last week?

M&M's and FaceTime

It's finally marathon week!!  There are so many mixed emotions about this week going on in my head right now.  I'd say mostly excited and nervous.

 

(BTW, that's probably the worst part of the course - when you run over the bridge on those metal grates.)

I'm excited because I know it will be a fun weekend - especially going to the expo on Saturday and I am hosting a pasta party in the afternoon/evening for some friends and family.  Angela and I have been talking even more recently about our plans for the weekend and the race and that always makes me very excited!  We have our awesome matching outfits, of course.  And we are going to try to each make the exact same playlist to listen to while we run.  I consider making playlists to be one of my better life skills.  But this also means I need to get that iPod situation figured out.  So I'm not sure yet if it will work out, but it's an awesome idea.

But obviously I am nervous also.  I am not always mentally tough during races, especially in the last half when I start to feel worse.  But this is why I'm glad I'll have Angela with me.  We'll try to make it as fun as possible and push each other to finish the race as fast as we can.  Ideally, that will be faster than my time from the Columbus Marathon 2 years ago - 3:28:55 - but I would also be happy just to qualify for Boston again, which would mean under 3:35.

I was just doing my daily Google News reading and came across an article about the marathon with this picture:

And now I know what my next goal is after this marathon.  To run another marathon dressed as an M&M.  Because I definitely have a yellow M&M Halloween costume from a long time ago (as long as my mom didn't get rid of it like she did with the BEST Halloween costume ever - but that's a story for another time...like in a few weeks when it's Halloween).  My roommate Lauren and I really love M&M's and go through bags of them way too quickly.  And when I go to my parents' house there are always little dishes of M&M's scattered throughout the house.  Thus, this happens and I tweet about it:

And now for a recap of my runs the past few days:

Friday - 4 Miles

Nothing too special...just ran on the lakefront after work.  It was so so humid out so that was not fun.

Sunday - 8.5 Miles

Now this is the type of running weather I love.  It was about 55-60 degrees at 9am when I left to do a long run.  This was way way shorter than my recent long runs!!  I was at my parent's house in the suburbs and was glad to do a run out there since almost all of my runs have been on the lakefront and that just gets boring after awhile.  I set out to do 8-10 miles, but didn't even bring a watch, so I was going completely on estimates.  I knew once I got to the YMCA that was about 2 miles, but after that I did not have a super accurate idea of how far I was, so I finished the run and mapped it at 8.5 miles which I was happy with.  I have no idea on pace, but I think it was decent.  I just tried to make it as relaxing as possible to enjoy it and not get stressed.

Total for last week: 21 Miles

Monday - 4.5 Miles

I worked until about 7:30pm and then went straight down to the gym in my work building to run on the treadmill.  Nobody else was in there (obviously - people are only ever in there before 8, at lunchtime, and right at 5) so I put my music on without headphones.  I am such a rebel.  Then I decided that was boring, so I called Grace on FaceTime.  And then I called Nick and he kept me distracted for about 2 miles.

Then I called my mom on FaceTime and she kept me occupied for the rest of the run.  This was fun to do and only slightly awkward to talk like this while I ran.  So I don't know how often I'll be running on a treadmill when nobody else is in the gym, but when I am, FaceTime would be a nice way to pass the time.  So if anyone wants to sit on their couch and chat with me/watch me run, let me know.  I did 4.5 miles at 8:30 pace so it was really relaxed and my legs feel great today.  I just need to keep them like this for the next 5 days.

What is your favorite candy? - I have a lot but M&M's are definitely up top.

What do you do to pass the time on the treadmill?

It's Taper Time!

Ten days til the Chicago Marathon!!

I haven't posted on here in awhile because life got pretty busy with work, marathon training, and socialization.  And then a lot of my free time pretty much went straight toward research for a new business idea I had.  I can't share the idea just yet, but it's coming and it's awesome.

So here's a summary of last week:

Monday - 3 miles on the treadmill

Even as I was walking to the gym, I could tell that the shoes I was wearing should be thrown away ASAP.  I think I got that pair for Christmas and started running in them in February.  I have another pair I started using in June and have been alternating between the two.  I thought I'd run the marathon in that pair, but now I'm thinking even those are a little too worn.  I started running on the treadmill at an 8:30 pace and was planning to keep it at that for 6-8 miles as a recovery run.  But I stopped after 3 miles because of the shoes, went home, and ordered a new pair online.

Tuesday - 5.7 miles on the lakefront

This run went by super fast.  Probably because the entire time I was thinking of my awesome new business idea that I am really excited about.

Wednesday - Rest

Went to dinner with some lovely accounting ladies  :)

Thursday - 4.5 miles

Mac and I ran after work through Wicker Park.  We went up onto the abandoned train tracks that Christopher told me about.  I wasn't feeling great - my legs felt really tight.

Friday - Rest

Running in the morning just hasn't happened lately.  I'd have to run in complete darkness for my entire run to get ready and to work on time.  Or go on the treadmill.  But the evenings have been perfect weather lately.  There was no time to run on Friday evening though because we left for Dayton right after work!

Saturday - Frericks 5k Race

You can read my full race recap here!  I mentioned that my mom ran/walked the 5k too, but forget to tell you how she did.  She finished in 52:39, which was much better than the hour she was expecting.  After the race, she said she should've kept J-Lo's song "On the Floor" on repeat because she really loves that song.  I agreed and said I do the same thing with Teenage Dream.  Or at least put it on at the very end of a race/run to get me through the finish.  I still don't have an iPod though since mine broke last week.

And another tailgate picture from Saturday:

Sunday - 5 miles on the lakefront

New shoes!!  I went for a run right when I got back to Chicago.  It was perfect running weather and a ton of people were out on the lakefront path.  Angela told me she did 15 miles out there this morning, so it was just weird to think while I was running that she was here in Chicago running there while I was in Dayton and then when I came back to run in Chicago she was already en route back to St. Louis.  But we'll get to run together in 10 days!!

I might wear these new ones in the marathon, if I feel over the next 2 weeks that they are good to go.

And a summary of this week so far:

Monday - 4.5 Miles on the lakefront

Nothing fancy.  I ran in the new shoes again.  I used my really old iPod Nano.  The songs on there haven't been updated in over a year.  They were obviously pretty good though.  I think I'll post tomorrow with the workout playlist that's on there - it will be a nice throw back to the summer of 2012 and earlier.

Tuesday - 4 Miles on the lakefront

I ran with Mac to the lakefront with the intention of doing 12 miles.  Not sure what happened because I was fine most of the day and pumped to get in my last long run, but I just did not feel good mentally and needed to stop.  We ended up just walking back.  So that was frustrating, but hopefully I'll be able to get in other solid runs over the next 1.5 weeks.

Wednesday - REST

I got a massage after work!!  I definitely needed it because my muscles were super tight and now feel better.  I am not good at just relaxing and not thinking - even during the massage I kept thinking about various things.  I've only gotten massages at a salon before and this one was at my gym, XSport Fitness, because I had some reward points to use so it was free.  The massages I've gotten at the salon were more relaxing and light and this one at XSport was more of a deep muscle massage, which was probably a good thing right now.

So that's all I got for now...boring running talk I know, but I felt like you needed to be filled in obviously since this blog is supposed to be to document my training.

I Made It 20 Miles, My Technology Didn't

Two 20 miles runs in one week!  That's probably not recommended, but it happened.  So now I've done 3 runs of about 20 miles in this marathon training cycle.  You can read about the other two here and here.

Overall, yesterday's 20 miler felt physically better than Monday's but mentally harder.  If I was not running with Mac, I definitely don't think I would have finished it on my own.  It's Saturday evening as I write this, and as of now I don't think I'll be nearly as sore as I was on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, especially because of the foam rolling I did right afterwards.

I met the Old St. Pat's Crossroads Runners/Coach Brendan Running group at the Running Away Multisport store.  Coach Brendan's plan for today was:

20 Miles - 8 "uncomfortably easy" + 10 at goal marathon pace + 2 cool-down

I ran the first 8 miles with Mac and another guy, Greg, hitting these paces:

8:25, 8:26, 8:27, 8:08, 8:20, 8:08, 8:05, 7:53

Greg left us to run faster for the "goal marathon pace" segment, but Mac and I successfully picked up our pace after stopping at one of the Fleet Feet aid stations to take our Gu gel.  OF COURSE, the Garmin lost reception during our first mile of faster running.  But we guessed about 7:25.  At some point, the Garmin finally kept reception for an entire mile, somewhere around 12-13 miles into the run and said 7:35.  I think we still held on to that pace a little longer, but slowed back down to 8 minute pace around mile 14-15.

Also, I had my iPod during this run which allowed for the following things:

• I got to listen to music
• I made Mac and Greg play a game called Guess What Song I'm Listening to Right Now
• I could take a few pictures along the way for your enjoyment

However, I think I jinxed myself when I wrote a few weeks ago about how surprised I am that my iPod is still functional given how much I've ran with it and has been sweated on.  At some point during the run, it just stopped playing music, but was still on.  When I got home, it would not start, even when plugged it.  Sooo that's an issue I'll need to deal with.  For now, no pictures :(

Oh and technology failed me another way yesterday.  I tried to download the new iPhone software but my phone is being silly.  It does seem to be downloading on my iPad though.

Mac and I went to Nookie's for breakfast, which was delicious as breakfast always is.  And then the madre came downtown and we went out to eat at Vapiano in Lincoln Park in the mid-afternoon.  And here's what we ate (and brought home for dad since obviously this was way too much food for just us)...I couldn't not take pictures, the presentation was so high qual.

Since I finished Desperate Housewives on Netflix a few weeks ago, I have been trying to figure out a new show to watch.  Andddd I just found out that SVU is on Netflix.  This is a bad idea, Colleen.  Why?  Because it's scary and makes me think I'm going to be raped...just as we are hitting winter and it's dark out when I have to run if I want to run outside.  It's just so good though.  Dun dun.

MNF - Monday Night Fun - 20 Miles

I did ANOTHER long run in the middle of the week...and not just a moderate-distance long run, I'm talking the longest run I've done training for this marathon yet.  Mac and I ran 20.5 miles in 2 hours and 40 minutes - averaging 7:48 pace .

Would you like to know why we had to do it on a Monday night instead of over the weekend?  Mac overslept on Sunday AGAIN.  But that was fine with me because I felt a lot better running last night than I would have at 6am Sunday morning.

Here are the splits from the Garmin for 20 miles:

8:08, 7:53, 8:01, 7:44, 7:53, 7:51,7:39, 7:35, 7:29, 7:31, 8:00, 8:00, 8:07, 8:29, 8:17, 8:24, 7:59, 8:05, 8:07, 8:05

We started at my apartment and ran to the lakefront path and then ran south...really far south.  On our way south, we decided that we would turn around to be back in the downtown area at about 10 miles and then run essentially the same route as the first 10 miles of the Chicago Marathon, which would end right near my apartment.

Picture break (because I have none from yesterday and my dad loves being in blog pictures): 

The course goes north on Columbus drive, underneath some other streets for a little while, so you are basically running in a long tunnel.  We lost reception on the Garmin here, so those 2 miles I highlighted in red were skewed...the Garmin told us each was close to 10 minutes which I can tell you was not correct.  Once we were at around 8 miles into the run and started hitting some good splits, we decided to try to keep that up until at least 12 miles, which I think we did.  I'll just call them 8 minutes and leave it at that.  I was wondering though if the loss of Garmin reception in that long tunnel makes a lot of people angry during the marathon.  I bet it does, but it's in the first mile or 2, so I'm sure they get over it.  It would be super frustrating though.

And then around miles 14-15, we both really started to crash I think.  I felt like I was trying really hard, but just not moving fast anymore.  Over the 2nd half of the run while we were on city streets, we did get randomly slowed down by slow people walking/blocking the sidewalk and stopped for a few seconds at a few street lights - nothing too crazy though...so maybe if we were on the lakefront path we could've more easily maintained a solid pace?  We stopped in a Chipotle for a water/bathroom break around mile 15 and had only made 2 other quick stops around miles 8 and 12 for Gu/water.  I felt a lot better over the last 4 miles and felt surprisingly strong when I finished...although I was VERY happy to be done of course.

I went to bed shortly after the run...then woke up about 7 hours later to run again.  Mac came back in the AM and we did a super easy 3.5 mile run to stretch out.  So now I don't plan to run again for at least 36 hours.

Do you get frustrated when the Garmin loses reception?

Do you ever stop in random restaurants for water breaks?  - I usually try to find a McDonald's when I need to.

ONE Month Til The Chicago Marathon!

Happy Friday the 13th!  My unlucky happening of the day so far is that I missed the train by about 1.6 seconds.  But the next one came almost right away AND I got a seat, so I think that's pretty lucky.

And then I got to work and my director had made these for everyone:

I'm not sure whether is was a cupcake or a muffin, but I'm gonna go ahead and call it a muffin since I ate it at 8:30am.  A muffin with frosting.  And coffee in my UD Alumni mug, per usual.  Sometimes I wake up in the morning and declare that it's going to be a healthy eating day (actually I say that every day), and then things like this happen and I decide it's OK because it's Friday and I'm running 20 miles this weekend.  I need to really work on my nutrition though.

Even more important than it being Friday the 13th - Happy 1 Month til the Chicago Marathon!!

This morning, I texted about 10 people I know running the marathon with a reminder that we are 1 month away.  The responses I received were all over the board.

Most Excited goes to Angela: "OMG I can't believe it!!  Happy Friday!  I hope it's a good one!"
Least Excited goes to Mac: "ugh don't remind me"
Favorite Response: Marisa sent a bunch of the unhappy/nervous looking emojis.

I'd say the general feeling is one of nervousness and being under-trained.  Does anyone actually ever feel prepared for a marathon?  I would think not because how can you ever feel ready for something like that?  I am definitely excited for it, but also nervous that something will go wrong.

The weather today would be absolute perfection for the marathon.

I did another 7 mile run last night in the exact same time as I did my run the night before.  It wasn't my intention to go any faster than 8 minute pace and I wanted to do 10 miles.

After a mile on lakefront path, looked down at the Garmin and was surprised by how fast I was going without even thinking that I had picked up the pace.  I was feeling good so I decided to go with it.  But then, at 3.5 miles, I turned back around to head north and right away I could tell why it was so easy heading south and that it was NOT going to be easy getting back north.  Such strong wind.

8:04, 7:24, 7:22, 7:35, 7:47, 8:03, 8:02

So despite the times being slower when I came back north, I'm pretty sure it was a consistent effort the whole run.  I'm also glad I did not get blown away into the lake.

I stopped to take some pictures because it looked really cool.  One wave came up and drenched my legs all the way up to my shorts.  So the remainder of the run was in soaking wet shoes and socks.  When I started, I thought about how wonderful fall weather is for running.  But then that wind really killed my excitement for fall.

Are you having a particularly lucky or unlucky day today?

How do you know if you are ready for a marathon?  Or any race?

How to Not be an Excuse Machine

Last night, I wasn't sure what kind of run I was going to do when I started.  I had a couple of ideas and figured I'd go on feel.  The two options I came up with were an 8-10 miles normal run around 8 minute pace or a shorter, slightly faster-than-normal paced run.  I started off towards the lake and took about a half mile to really get going, but by the time I got to the lake, I felt good.

The route I take to get to the lakefront path (which is basically just a direct route there from my apartment) is exactly a mile.  So once I got onto the path, I picked up the pace and wanted to hit 7:40/mile.  I decided I'd aim to do this for 4 miles, but I felt surprisingly good, so went for 5 and my splits were actually a bit faster than my goal pace of 7:40!  Then I ran the mile back home (in the dark...I'm turning into a night runner, it's weird) super relaxed and it felt wonderful.

8:11, 7:40, 7:29, 7:29,  7:32, 7:32, 8:15

I only have a few solid weeks of training left before tapering, but I'm going to try to do more of my runs at this pace (kind of in-between a tempo pace and a relaxed pace) to get used to the pace I'd like to run the marathon at.

(I love finding quotes on Pinterest - this one is on my running quotes board!)

Sometimes I am a straight-up excuse machine.  Last night I decided not to be one - even though this is a relatively small-scale example.  Once I cross over Lake Shore Drive to get back to my apartment, there are 2 paths I can take through the park - one goes around the softball fields and one cuts straight through the fields and therefore is a bit shorter.  So over the past couple weeks, tired Colleen on her way home from an evening run takes the path that is maybe .1 - .2 miles shorter.  I use the excuse that by this time it's dark out and this path is better lit with the lights from the soccer and softball fields and I don't want to get attacked in the dark in a park.  But really I think I probably just want to get home and done with the run ASAP.  In all actuality, the difference is only about a minute I bet, but I can gladly say I got in that extra minute last night.  Woohoo!

I came up with some tricks that I am going to try to use to not be such an excuse machine and wanted to share them to hopefully help others too:

• Remind yourself why you are training.  Think of your end goal.  Yesterday, I had to just think of the Chicago Marathon and my goals for it.  Even though the distance between those two paths in the park is minimal, taking the longer route like I should instead of cutting it short will help me more in the long run!
• Ask yourself if the excuse is really plausible.  My excuse was that I should take the shorter path because the longer path is not as well lit and I could be attacked since it's dark out.  While this is obviously possible and I should be careful, I probably have just watched one too many episodes of SVU.  People get attacked in broad daylight too, so should I always be afraid to go outside?
• Don't give yourself time to make an excuse.  Action precedes motivation.  As Nike says, JUST DO IT.  Motivation will follow.  Forget the excuse and just do what you need to do before you can over-think it anymore.
• Ask yourself who the excuse is benefiting.  YOU are most important.  One time I went for a run and was going to cut it about 2 miles short because I had to go to a speaker at 7pm (good excuse to do a shorter run).  I decided my options were (a) finish the 8 miles I wanted to run and show up to the presentation without showering,  (b) run 6 miles, get home and shower, and get to the presentation on time, or (c) run all 8 miles, get home and shower, and show up about 10 minutes late.  I had a breakthrough in my thinking.  Who is benefiting if I cut my run short to get to the presentation at exactly 7pm?  Not me.  All I would miss in the first 10 minutes is introductions and the like.  The speaker?  Sure I might get a few looks from people and from the speaker if I walk in a little late, but they'll forget about it after 2 minutes as long as I don't cause a huge scene.  The only person whose life is ultimately affected is my own.  Being 10 minutes late to a presentation would have no effect on those peoples' lives, but it would affect my own run.  Sometimes you just need to think of yourself first, which is hard for some people.

And I decided to pick a song of the day - People Like Us by Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson is probably one of my favorite non-country singers (even though I think she is somewhat trying to be country?).  I had a minor freak-out during my run last night about 3 miles into it and then this song came on and I guess it kind of calmed me down.  In the past, if I had a "freak-out" in the middle of the run, I would just stop and walk and call it a day.  Today I was able to run through it and re-frame my thoughts (mostly some negative thinking on the upcoming marathon and general over-thinking about things) and finish my run as planned.

In other pop culture "news," I watched The Hunger Games last night on Netflix.  The 2nd movie comes out at Thanksgiving, so I think I'll have to read all of the books again in the next couple months.

I saw the professional photos from the Chicago Half Marathon this past weekend and obviously have a few things to comment on my own running form/style, so get pumped for that tomorrow!

Do you make up excuses or are you able to talk yourself out of taking the easy way out?

What is your song of the day?

Weekend Photo Bomb - 9/6 - 9/8

Here's a sampling of the weekend in pictures!

Friday - Rachel is training for the Fox Cities Half Marathon and needed to do a long run.  I met up with her after work on Friday to bike while she ran.  It was a great time catching up!

When I showed up to meet Rachel, we had matching running fanny packs!

About 5 miles in and still smiling!  She finished 11 miles woohooo!!  I am only half a good friend though because I left after about 6 miles because I was planning to drive home for the night.

On my way home, I went to hang out with Catherine and Matt for a little bit.  Catherine is officially in marathon taper mode now!  Her marathon is in 2 weeks, and trust me, she is working on a good guest post to write for my blog afterwards.

Saturday - Mac and I went to the Chicago Half Marathon Expo at Navy Pier.  We ran there about 2 miles and then walked around the expo for awhile.  I found 2 of the Sweaty Bands headbands to complete the marathon outfits that Angela and I will wear!  Since we had our race bags from the Expo, we just had a nice stroll back home instead of running.  And who wants to run very much the day before a race?

I can't decide what was the better purchase of the day - the headbands or the socks.  Both were better (and cheaper) than the half marathon purchase.  Races are too expensive.  But I am glad we did it.

Sunday - Chicago Half Marathon! I am going to do a whole race recap tomorrow, but here's some of the basics...  I finished in 1:42:04.  I was hoping for a little faster, but I'm over it.  Mac and his friend Bryce ran too.  This was the first half marathon for each of them and I think they were pretty pumped about the medals.  We are all winners.

And here's a giant picture of the slice of Lou Malnati's pizza we each got after the race!

Despite having the pizza right after running, that obviously wasn't enough so we went out to Elly's for breakfast.  They have such amazing pancakes.  And I ran into some other friends there too!

I hope everyone had a great weekend too!

Tempo Runs & Twitter

Yesterday, I read this article about tempo runs and ironically, I ended up doing a tempo run last night, which was not originally planned.

Mac and I were going to do mile repeats, but decided on just a normal run instead.  I thought a normal run would be good instead of a hard workout since we are racing on Sunday and I want fresh legs for that.  Well...normal/marathon pace for Mac = tempo run for Colleen.

I don't know all the actual splits on this because I was not in charge of the Garmin.  I think the first 2 miles were about 7:30 and then we picked it up for a few to 7 minute pace and then the last mile was back down to about 7:30 again.  I had my watch at 48 minutes and mapped it out online to 7 miles, so if that is all correct (or even if it's a bit off), that was a really fast run for me!  We did stop in the middle for a bit to stretch, etc. but that is quite alright and I needed that break.

So after I read that article on tempo runs, I started freaking out that there are only 5 and a half weeks left until the Chicago Marathon and that I haven't gotten in enough "quality" workouts or "marathon-specific" workouts.  I decided I really need to build in some tempo-paced runs.  With only about 3 weeks left before I have to taper, I wanted to know what workouts I should try to get in.  So I did the logical thing and emailed Catherine.  Subject line: important running question.

First of all, I realize this article is from 2007, but I doubt running philosophy changes that drastically (even though I do think running has gotten way more popular in the past couple years and more and more research has been done).  I just stumbled upon it yesterday because the Columbus Marathon tweeted it, so I read it.  They tweet lots of good articles.  You know who else tweets awesome stuff?  I do.  So you should follow me @CSmith_Run.  While you're at it, also follow @PJSmith9.  He tweets good stuff too (and he knows it).  Some examples:

Anyways though, Catherine and I are pretty comparable in pace and she has trained for a few marathons and knows what workouts are good.  So I trust her.  I asked what pace she does for tempo runs and if she has any good workout suggestions.  She usually does tempo runs around 7:20-7:30 pace, so that was consistent with what I was assuming.  The article says tempo pace should be 30-40 seconds per mile slower than your current 5k race pace.  I did a 4th of July 5k averaging 6:55 pace and I think I would be even a little faster than that now.  So the 7:20-7:30 tempo pace sounds pretty reasonable and manageable.

The article also said a good indication of tempo pace is the "talk test."  A simple question or answer should be possible, but conversation should not.  This was definitely true on our run last night...my sentences were pretty broken up in between gasps for air.  And then Mac got too fast for me so I was about 10 feet behind for a bit.  Conversation is not possible that way either.  I guess that means I need to get faster.

Catherine suggested a workout of 2 x 3 miles at tempo pace.  I think that would be a workout that would be very beneficial.  The article from Runner's World suggests a tempo workout of 2 x 5 or 6 miles at tempo pace, but with the warm-up and cool-down, that would essentially be a long run with tempo portions.  A workout that Mac has on the schedule in a week or two is 3 x 5k, which would also be at a "tempo" effort.  So I think I will aim to do that when he does and then make one of my two remaining 20 mile runs into a tempo workout/long run.  Two workouts in one!

Who is your favorite person to follow on Twitter?

Any good tempo workout suggestions?

The Craziest of Crazy Cardio Equipment

During my long run Wednesday night, I saw a few pretty interesting pieces of exercise equipment being used that I had never seen before.  I was going to write about them in that post, but I had way too much to write!

Kangoo Jumps

I saw a man using these, which I learned are called Kangoo Jumps, on Wednesday night.  He was probably around 50 or so, not moving too fast in them.  But hey, if that's how he wants to get his workout in, then right on.  I didn't have much time to stare as I ran by him, but decided they looked fun and would be cool to bounce around on.  I am pretty sure I would not purchase them, but they would be awesome to try sometime!  Wouldn't it be fun to get a group together wearing these and play basketball?  Anyone who would like to do that, please let me know.

Frog Scooter

The girl I saw using the Frog Scooter on Wednesday night was probably in her 20s, just swinging her hips back and forth to make it go.  It's hard to describe the motion and also seemed like it would take up a lot of space on the path given the side to side motion you need to do to propel it forward.  Can you imagine what terms I put in Google to figure out what this thing was when I got home?  I don't remember which one ultimately worked but I tried things like "triangle scooter" and "2 footed scooter."

Elliptigo

I have seen people using the Elliptigo a few times on the lakefront path and out in the suburbs at the forest preserve.  It is a bit wider than a regular bike, but overall not that much different in size.  I actually don't think this is that crazy of a concept, it's just new and different.  The bike was outside first and then stationary bikes came along for indoor use.  The elliptical was an inside machine first, so why not take it outside?  It's a great cardio machine for people who are injured and need little impact or who just don't like running.

Treadmill Bike

Now here's where things get fun.  This is just silly.  I have never seen anyone use this, but I decided to use Google to see if there were any other crazy outdoor cardio fitness devices on the market - and lo and behold - the Treadmill Bike.  The silliness is brought to a whole new level when you check out the website of the makers of the Treadmill Bike.  Here are a few of my favorite excerpts:

"Have you ever wished you could get a quality treadmill workout without paying expensive gym prices?"

Unfortunately, the link on their website that is supposed to direct you to order your very own Treadmill Bike takes you to a site to purchase a bicycle design software.  My guess is that it would cost at least a few hundred dollars.  If you did want a quality treadmill workout without gym prices, maybe buy a real treadmill?  Just a thought.  Yes, I imagine a real treadmill would be more expensive than the Treadmill Bike, but it can be used year-round, not just when the weather's nice.  Speaking of...

"When the weather's nice, the last place you want to be is cooped up in some stuffy gym. Imagine running through evergreen forests or strolling down country roads."

Can't I run through evergreen forests or stroll down country roads while just, you know, regular running?  My reasons for running on a treadmill are either (a) the weather sucks or (b) I want to do a speed workout using the treadmill to control my paces.  The Treadmill Bike would work in neither of these situations.  We have Garmins now to do help do speed workouts and see/control the pace.  Furthermore, just to drive the stupidity of this thing home, how on Earth would you know how far you ran on the Treadmill Bike? I imagine the pace you are running and the pace this contraption is moving along are different. But there's more...

"The Treadmill Bike's hard wearing belt offers a sure grip while protecting your feet from dirt and other contaminants commonly found on the earth's surface."

You would still need to buy a new pair of running shoes after a certain number of miles on them, whether those miles are indoor or outside. Sure they may look prettier if you never get dirt on them, but where's the fun in that?

"Thinking of taking the Treadmill Bike to the grocery store? Be sure to stock up on ice cream while you're there. You will have earned it."

And where are you going to put the ice cream? Maybe in a backpack?  That's logical for something smooth like biking or even rollerblading, but not for something bounce-y like running.

There is no way a runner would want to use this thing because how can it give you a "quality" treadmill-like workout if you aren't using your arms?  It would be awkward to run while holding handlebars.  So, even though the Treadmill Bike would be something else that would be fun to give a try, I definitely don't think it can replace real running.

This was just too good to not look up on YouTube.

Which one of these would you want to try the most?

Or have you tried any of them??

I Ran 19+ Miles Last Night

Yesterday afternoon, I made the executive decision to try doing my long run after work.  Why?

• I'm going to a lake house in Michigan this weekend with Angela and her family!  Angela and Olivia are training for the Chicago Marathon too so I'm sure we will get in some awesome runs up there together.  However, I know that alcohol will be involved this weekend, so I really don't trust myself to be 100% sure that I'd get in a run as long as I want to while I'm up there.
• I considered doing the long run Saturday morning, but I figured if I get it done during the week I could leave earlier for the lake house.
• What better way is there to spend a Wednesday night?  It was actually cooler out than it has been the past few days...definitely still hot though.

I figured I would start going and if I felt terrible I could always stop and just make it a regular distance or slightly longer mid-week run.  I probably shouldn't even give myself options like that and just do what I'm supposed to.  But, I ended up making it through all of my 18 planned miles, plus some!

First of all, here's what I had as a little pre-run meal:

(There was more Smart Start in there before I took the picture...)

I also updated my running playlist with a few new songs before I left.  Some of the songs that were really great during this run were:

Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
Kokomo - The Beach Boys
Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
That's My Kinda Night - Luke Bryan
Rollout - Ludacris
I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet A Woman - Britney Spears
Get Big - Dorrough
Alive - Krewella
Runnin's Out of Moonlight - Randy Houser

Normally I would just let you assume that Teenage Dream would always be on this list, but want to know something? I didn't listen to it at all during this run.  2 hours and 34 of my playlist on shuffle and it never came on.  I thought about putting it on near the end of my run, but then I was finished before I knew it!

It is about a mile from my apartment to the lakefront path.  I ran north just about as far as the path went and then turned back to head south.  I did not stop a single time during the whole first 1 hour and 30 minutes of my run.  When I got to North Ave Beach, I took my Gu and a bathroom break and then continued on my merry way further south all the way to Navy Pier.  By the way, the "Chocolate Outrage" flavored Gu tastes just like chocolate frosting.  It's like dessert combined with running!

I had to take a little 30 second break to get this picture in.  I also probably stopped each mile from miles 13-16 for a quick water break since there are fountains along the path.  The last half of my run was completely in the dark.  It was a little scary at times, but I made it home safely...obviously, or I would not be writing this.  I ran all the way to the end of Navy Pier and then back onto the lakefront path to head back home.  I was almost done!!  Once I got on North Avenue and had only 10 minutes left to run until I reached what I figured was about 18 miles (I didn't have the Garmin so I was just going off of time), I decided I felt awesome and was going to go for 20.  I kept adding on, just around the city streets.  This made me more nervous because of cracks/uneven sidewalks and I couldn't really see, so I was afraid I was going to trip!

I made it back home at 2 hours and 34 minutes, which I knew wouldn't be quite 20, but figured it'd at least be 19.  I mapped it out to 19.25 miles!!  That averages out to exactly 8 minute pace, which I am really happy with.  And I actually think I maintained that pace the entire time.  When I stopped at North Ave Beach, I was at 11.25 in 1:30, which is also exactly 8 minute pace.  So, no majorly slowing down at the end!  During the whole first half I felt like I was really cruising and doing very well.  Miles 12-16 were a bit tougher, but then I felt great again at the end.  I think this was the strongest I've ever felt on such on a long run!

After the run, however, I did not feel so hot.  I felt like I was going to pass out and needed to sit.  It was hard to prioritize between stretching, showering, and just laying to rest for a few minutes.  Erin came to pick me up to take me to Walgreens for some essentials.  She was a savior!  I needed chocolate milk and I needed sugar (not pure sugar, I mean in candy form).  I also considered getting ice to take an ice bath, but decided to hold off on that.  This was my post-run meal:

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep, so I got out of bed and watched an episode of Desperate Housewives and made pasta at 3am.  I was so hungry.  There was some cool stuff that I saw or thought about during this long run that I was going to write about, but this is long enough already and since I'm taking today off of running, I can just write about that fun stuff tomorrow!

Have you ever done a really long run or workout on a weeknight after work?

Do you like running at night/in the dark?

What do you like to eat before or after a run?