Back to Double Digits

After stressing all week about how I probably wouldn't get a long run in this week, I did!  Because of the cold and snow, I was on the treadmill all week and wasn't really getting myself to go over 4 miles. So doing 10 miles on the treadmill right now seems like a huge stretch.  But luckily, temperatures got into the 30s and the snow was melted from the sidewalks (for the most part) by yesterday morning.

I had plans to go out for the Dayton basketball game for a 10am game Saturday morning, but also really wanted to get my long run in that morning.  So I woke up at 6:30am, yet still laid in bed until about 7:15 when I finally talked myself into getting up since I wasn't falling back asleep anyways.

My goal was to do 8-10, but I really wanted to get up to 10 to get into the double digits.  I need to have AT LEAST one double-digit run every week for marathon training, hopefully up to the point where I have 2 every week.

Unfortunately, I'm at my parents' house right now and left my Garmin at my apartment so I can't tell you my exact splits...which I'm really upset about.  But they were all between 7:26 and 8:33 if I remember correctly.  From what I remember, the first few were about 8:10-8:30, then picked it up more to right at 8:00.  The 7:26 mile was a fluke...I'm pretty sure I had a 7:47, 7:55, and 7:59, but other than that, nothing crazy fast.  It ended up being 10.05 (I am an awesome route planner to not make myself do any more than necessary) at an average of 8:06...slightly over 1:21 total time.

Some things of note on the run:

There were a surprising number of people out running!

I ran mostly on the city sidewalks.  About 2.5 miles in, I was on the sidewalk of Wacker Drive, which is a pretty busy street, just minding my own business and a car drove through a big puddle I guess and BLASTED me with a shower of ice cold water.  My iPod now surely has water damage...but it still works.  Otherwise I would probably have to somehow hunt down that person and make them pay for me to get a new iPod.

After that incident, I was quite wet/cold for awhile, but it got better eventually.  I did make my way onto the lakefront path for about 2 miles, but then went back to the city streets.  I had heard the polar vortex we had last week caused "ice balls" in Lake Michigan and I was really hoping I'd see some, but I did not.

So besides getting drenched in icy water, the run was actually uneventful.  I'm just glad I made it up to 10!  And then I got ready as quickly as possible to head straight to the bar for the basketball game...work hard, play hard.

Dayton lost :(  But I got to go out with some UD friends (some who I haven't seen in ages) as well as my cousin Katie.  She goes to SLU, which is who we were playing, but we are very accepting.

On another note...I don't think I've posted many pictures here on the blog lately, but I have dark hair again now.  No more blonde.

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.

What Should I Do This Weekend?

Here's a quick summary of my workouts last week:

Monday - 6.3 miles tempo-ish run
Tuesday - 5.6 miles normal (included in the same post as Monday's run)
Wednesday - 19.25 miles !!
Thursday - REST
Friday - REST
Saturday - 4 miles normal w/ Angela and Olivia in northern Michigan - also, some paddleboarding = arm workout
Sunday - cross train - 12 miles biking, leisurely on a tandem bike

Even though I didn't get a run in on Friday as planned, I'm still really happy with the runs I did this past week and glad to have gotten my mileage up (both long run mileage and total weekly mileage which was about 35 miles).  I would still like to get that weekly mileage up a little more over the next 3-4 weeks before I taper.  But I say that every week.

I haven't decided yet what I want to do this weekend.  I might go to Madison, WI to watch the Ironman Wisconsin and in that case I would probably shoot for a 20 mile long run on Saturday.  But after all the driving this past weekend, a day trip to Michigan planned for the following weekend, and then UD Parents Weekend at the end of September, I think a weekend without traveling will be nice.  So if I stay here in Chicago this weekend, I can do a half marathon on Sunday or do a long run either day.  Here's my plan for Monday through Friday at least.  Obviously Monday already happened, so I just put in what I already did.

Monday - hill workout ~4.5 miles
Tuesday - 10-12 miles
Wednesday -6 miles
Thursday - Speed Workout - Mile Repeats
Friday - 5 miles

And now it's September!  As far as August running mileage, I ended up with 140 miles. If you've read some of my other posts, you know that I am comparing these couple months of marathon training to how I did during 2010 when I was training for the Columbus Marathon. In August of that year, I ran 145 miles, so I'm pretty much at exactly the same.  I was hoping to be significantly higher for the August mileage, but the beginning of the month was pretty low-mileage.

September should be a big increase over 2010 because I only had 98 miles that month. I want to shoot for close to 200 miles this September.

I decided I needed another picture and thought I'd include another one from the lake weekend, but then I thought - why not find a picture from last September?  My soul was sold away to the public accounting world for most of the month, but then I got to go to Nashville to celebrate Grace's Bachelorette party!!  Are you aware that according to whatever spell check system this blogging software uses, bachelorette is not a word?  It wants to correct it to bachelor.  That is weird.  And now I just typed it in Microsoft Word and it is a word there.  Google Blogger must not think that girls have fun too.

What are you planning to do this week?  Or this weekend?

Have you ever been to Nashville? 

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?

Weekend Running and a Video Chat

First of all, I'll tell you about my runs the last few days, and then some other random fun things I have to share.

I ran again on Friday evening, but only 3 miles because my legs still felt really weird, like during Wednesday's workout. I don't really know how to describe the way they have been feeling, but they are very tight and just don't feel "right." I am going to try getting back into running in the mornings and hope that will help a little.

Today's run was supposed to be 18 miles, but I cut it a little short.  Actually a lot short. I went to the Elk Grove Forest Preserve and Mac was supposed to meet me there, but he overslept. I debated going back home and then doing the run on streets instead of the trail and to get my iPod, but decided to stay there and get it done. The loop is 7.7 miles and then there is another trail that shoots off and is 2 miles. So I started the loop and then when I was at about 27 minutes, I split off onto the other trail and did the 2 miles out and then back. So then I was at almost an hour (I didn't have my Garmin but I used the trail markers to time a few of my miles and they were all pretty much exactly 8 minute pace.) I continued running the loop, but after a little longer I knew I wasn't going to be able to force myself to do another loop. So at 1 hour and 20 minutes, I stopped and walked the rest of the way back.

I was a little disappointed in myself, but I guess it has just been an off week. My legs did feel better this morning though. I have 4 weeks left before I have to taper, so I figure I can get in an 18-20 mile run each of the next 2 weekends, then a step back week, then another 20 mile run.

But now for something fun, this was the highlight of my weekend:

A Google Hangout with some of my very best friends!! We were all group texting during the day and apparently very few of us had plans on a Saturday night, so why not do a video power hour with each other? My excuse for staying in was legit though since I had to do a long run in the morning, so I also couldn't actually participate in the power hour, but it was still a boatload of fun. It has been determined that this needs to happen once a week.  I really miss this group.  And because they expressed interest in me writing about this/being in pictures, this is one of my favorite picture of some of us:

Another person who really loves this blog and being in pictures My dad. Remember when he wanted lots of pictures of him? This weekend, he shot an 81 at his golf league.  He was hoping for a 78, but I think he was still happy with it.  He would love if I gave you all an analysis of his game and which holes he pared, etc., but I don't remember.  He did give me a few good ideas for future posts though, so I'll get those in soon enough. And to be fair, my mom did a 10 mile bike ride this morning.  Unfortunately, we did not coordinate her bike ride with my run, but maybe we can for another long run.

Do you ever video chat with your friends that live far away?

Christmas Music in the Summer?

Since I had a guest post yesterday instead of giving you my usual run-down (pun intended...I crack myself up), here's the scoop on the runs I did this weekend and a few other noteworthy activities.

Yesterday morning I ran 13 miles at an average 7:56 pace.  My fastest mile was 7:42 and slowest was 8:05.  The rest were all fairly consistent at right under 8 minute pace.  Since I've been doing my last couple long runs on my own, I decided to meet up with the Coach Brendan Running group at 6am.  It was still dark out when I woke up.  That shouldn't happen on the weekends.  I actually ended up running by myself the whole time instead of with anyone from the group, so I was glad I brought my iPod.

I made a new running mix that has quite the variety of songs.  Life is a little weird when you go from a rap song straight into a church song.  I'm a fan of everything.  Here were some of the songs I recall particularly enjoying on the run:

• You Make My Dreams - Daryl Hall - Thanks to Grace for sending me this song recently.  If you don't have Spotify, you need it.  And then you need to send me some of your favorite songs.
• Kanye's New Workout Plan - Kanye West
• Drunk Last Night - Eli Young Band - I think this is my favorite song right now.
• Wired to the T - Dorrough - If this song doesn't just get you pumped while running (or whenever), I don't know what would.
• Hell on the Heart - Eric Church
• You Are Holy - Michael W. Smith
• Red - Taylor Swift

I'd like to thank my friend Carly for inspiring me to listen to rap while running.  It really does work nicely.  Carly is also training for the Chicago Marathon and always posts on Facebook with her motivating running song of the day...and it's almost always rap, so I decided to go for it.

And since we are already talking about music, I have to disclose that I listened to Christmas music last week.  Catherine made me a CD for my birthday, which included some Christmas songs because she knows I love them.  I will say though that I only listened to a few songs one day because I don't want to get Christmas music burnout before the Christmas season and I obviously had to listen to the CD she made me.  It'd be rude not to.  It is fun to be driving down the highway and know that all the other drivers have no idea I'm listening to Christmas music right now in August.  But now that I got that little bit in, I'll wait another few weeks before listening again.

Also related to music, here's a little tidbit I got from a Dove chocolate yesterday:

I always am, Dove, I always am.

After yesterday's long run, I went to Jim and Christina's new apartment.  They have a pool at their building, so Christina and I laid out there for a few hours.  I wore sunscreen this time, but I had my head turned to the side the whole time as we talked, so half of my neck got a little red.  Jim was doing manly handyman tasks around the apartment, but he was kind enough to take a break and bring us some Lime-A-Ritas (and UD coozies).

This morning I met up with my friend Christopher who I had not seen since I left my old job in May, so it was great to catch up!  We had been talking for like a year about running on this dirt trail that goes through Wicker Park and we finally did it.  It was basically old train tracks that are no longer in use and have overgrown with dirt and grass...a little sketchy though, so probably not somewhere I'd run alone.  But in the middle of the day with a friend was a great time to try it!

What are some of your favorite running songs or genres?

Have you ever listened to Christmas music not during the Christmas season?

Do you like to go explore new places to run?

Sweet 16 Miles: A Poem

To tell you about my long run today, I decided to write a little poem.

Sweet Sixteen Miles

I woke up so early that it wasn't even light out,

To do a long run on a somewhat planned route.

I took off from the house at exactly 6,

With my Garmin, iPod, and sweet running kicks.

The first few miles felt relaxed and easy,

And luckily the weather was a little breezy.

I ran all through Des Plaines to Maine West,

And as much as I wanted to, I didn't stop (yet) to rest.

Cath and I ran cross country camp there in high school,

Talking about iPods and how Kenny Chesney was so cool.

Then I did a loop around a small lake,

And stopped to take this pic and a short stretch break.

A few miles later I stopped in a McDonald's for some H2O,

And took half of my Gu so my legs wouldn't slow.

By this time I was really starting to tire, 

But I knew I felt better than on my long run 2 weeks prior.

I stopped at the YMCA for water break number 2,

To get ready for the last few miles and take the rest of my Gu.

I once again finished at the house at exactly 16 miles,

And came inside to breakfast and smiles.

So there you have it, in poetic form. But I'll give you a few more details too.

My plan was to do 18 today, but I was happy enough with the 16 today. I definitely felt a lot better (both during and after) than I did during the 16 mile run I did 2 weeks ago. Didn't necessarily feel great, but at least better. Most splits were right on 7:55-8:00 with a few faster and a few right over 8 minutes.

Some jams that were really getting the job done today:

- I Be Goin Hard

- Counting Stars

- Safe and Sound

- Teenage Dream (as always)

- Snap Yo Fingers

So when I said I came home to breakfast and smiles, I unfortunately did not eat any of the breakfast. As delicious as it looked, I was not hungry right after I ran and we had to get on the road to Green Lake, WI. So here's the breakfast I had in the car.

We are about 2 hours into the trip now with this guy behind the wheel. Dad insisted that we take the back roads through Wisconsin to make sure we take in all the scenery.

He was a tad happier then than he is right now after a few unexpected detours and A LOT of group text messages among all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. But I'm sure we will be all smiles again once we get to the lake. :)

16 Miles and Learning to Play Piano

This morning I did my longest run so far in this round of marathon training!  It was actually my longest run since the Chicago Marathon in 2011.  On Coach Brendan's schedule for today was a 16 mile "cascading" run of 9 miles at long slow distance pace, 6 miles at 10 seconds faster per mile, and 1 mile cool down.

I did not meet the running group this morning, but set out to do it on my own.  I brought the Garmin so I could track my distance and speed.  Total time was 2:09:10, which is an average of 8:04 pace.  Mile splits were: 7:53, 7:50, 8:08, 8:15, 8:08, 8:14, 8:07, 8:19, 8:05, 7:56, 7:40, 7:53, 8:21, 8:16, 8:05, 7:50.

I should go treat myself to a manicure this afternoon I guess...

So I did the first 2 miles a little faster than I intended to, but then slowed myself down.  I did miles 9, 10, and 11 under 8 minute pace again, but then wasn't feeling super so I slowed back down and then pushed the last mile.  So technically I did do 6 miles at an under-8 minute pace, just not all in a row.

I ran past the J. Smith's house and Ryan was playing baseball in the yard, so I stopped to say hi to him and Aunt Mary Jayne for a few minutes.  Then I continued on and stopped at the Colmone's house where Katie and Kelly were waiting for me to arrive with water so I could take my Gu.  It was my first time trying the Tri-Berry flavor.  I think I'll add that to flavors I like, now joining Strawberry Banana and Chocolate in that category.

After the run, I was NOT feeling good.  But after a shower, quick stretch, and a lot of water, I felt a little better.  Then I got to have lunch with Aunt Bernadette, Katie, and Kelly at Panera because Katie is home for 2 weeks!!!

Since I had to get to bed at a decent time last night to do the long run this morning and wasn't planning to go out, I had to come up with something to occupy myself.  I decided to use YouTube to try to teach myself some songs on the piano.  At the suggestion of a friend, I started with Mad World but it was kind of hard and I decided to go with a more fun song that I could get into - Teenage Dream.  I just tried to upload a video of my skills (VERY loose term), but the upload failed.  I'll have to play around with that more later because I am proud of what I have learned...although it may not seem like much yet.  I can't seem to get down playing with 2 hands at once...way too much coordination involved in that.

Another awesome thing: Angela is coming to Chicago next weekend!!  So we will get to do a long run together - I'm thinking 18 miles!  That should be perfect to have her to run with after doing today's long run alone.

Have you ever tried to learn something new on a whim?

What is the best part of your weekend?

How do you treat yourself after a long run or hard workout?

A Step Back Week

I just finished this week's long run!  And it didn't even seem that long because it was a step back week!  I want to keep trying to get in more mileage and longer runs, but this week was perfect for a shorter long run.  How's that for an oxymoron?  I thought today was supposed to be 12 miles, but the longest Coach Brendan had anyone going today was 10 so I just went with that.

I did the entire run today with Mac and another guy, Dave.  Dave was quite a talker which was good for me today because then I didn't have to do as much talking but had someone to listen to so that my mind wasn't just wandering.  He seems to be a very knowledgeable runner and knew at least 10 people we passed by on the lakefront path.  I asked him how he knew SO many people out running today.  Dave said he worked for the Chicago Marathon up until this past May so he has met so many runners through the various charity and training groups...not to mention that he has been running in Chicago for years and years.  I would love to have a job with the Chicago Marathon or something running related.  He said he worked a lot of hours...but I think I could handle that after going through tax busy seasons and at least it'd be focusing on something I'd enjoy and not just preparing tax returns.

We talked a lot about marathon training paces and distances.  Coach Brendan had a conversion chart to see your goal marathon pace and how fast you should be running other race distances like a 5k, 10k or half marathon.  I think these type of charts could be generally helpful but I also don't want to get too hung up on it because the marathon is just one day.  You never know what the weather conditions will be like or how you'll be feeling that particular day.

You can definitely tell that everyone is kicking their marathon training into gear now. (This picture was taken way back in March or April when it was colder and nobody was really out on the path.)  There were no bikers on the path this morning, I'm sure they all know how crowded it is with runners on Saturday mornings now so they stay away.  There were tons of people out running either alone or with various training groups.  Some of the training groups had soooo many people and were running in lines, two by two.  That would not work well for me, but I can see how it'd be helpful for any new runners to have such a large group to stick with and socialize with.

The 3 of us were going at a nice conversational pace that was perfect for a longer run and stopped at a few of the Fleet Feet aid stations set up along the path for Gatorade and water.  We did 10.5 miles in 1:27.  Coach Brendan was telling us the importance of having these step back weeks in both mileage and pace and I think this was the perfect week for it.  Once again, I would not have been able to do this on my own.  It was hard to get myself up at 5:15am to meet the group but otherwise I would've slept in and either not ran at all or not ran as long, especially because it is starting to get HOT.

Now it's time for post-run brunch with Catherine and Steph!!  I hope this happens every Saturday.  Mac was heading right to Crossfit after the long run, but I think I like the idea of brunch better.

Long Run with a Group

I ran with the Coach Brendan Running group for the first time this morning.  By running the Chicago Marathon through the Old St. Pat's Crossroads Runners charity, I am able to participate in Coach Brendan's Chicago Marathon training program for free.  The group started a few weeks ago on Saturdays, but this was the first weekend I was able to attend.  Based on the plan each person chose to follow for training, Coach Brendan had turn-around points for 10, 13, or 14 miles along the lakefront path.  I wanted to do 14 today and so did a few others.

When we started, I didn't know what to expect as far as everyone's paces or if we were all supposed to stick together or what, but I was able to fit in with a nice group of about 5 people.  After 3 miles, a guy named Mac and I were leading this small group and we didn't realize the others stopped for a quick water break and split up from them because we had just kept going.  Mac and I ran together for the remainder of the run - which ended up being 1 hour and 58 minutes total.

I miss running with people.  I especially miss running with the UDXC team.  So until I get better at taking pictures of current happenings to include on this blog, you get a picture of this wonderful team from circa 2009 :)

Running on my own is so much mentally harder to keep going.  I really don't think I would've been able to do this long of a run or this pace on my own this morning.  Mac said a few weeks ago he went out to run a marathon one morning, just on a whim (I told him about The Joe) and even though he only made it about 20 miles, he said it was a great experience with just him, Jesus, and the road.  I thought this was an interesting perspective because I always get too wrapped up in my distance, time, over-thinking about everything else going on, etc. so I don't always enjoy running.  It's like a chore that I know I have to do most days.  So I think next time I do run alone I will try to just be more calm and enjoy it.  That is probably a lot easier said than done though.

Unfortunately, no Garmin so I don't know our actual distance.  After about 2.5 miles, someone in the group at the beginning said that we were going 8:15 pace based on his Garmin.  When Mac and I split off from the others, we agreed that we were definitely going a faster pace.  He estimated close to 7:30, but I'm not sure it was quite that fast.  The effort was there though since we had to deal with a headwind for 40-50 minutes heading north.  We followed the 14 mile route Coach Brendan had but after we finished, another girl said her Garmin told her 14.3 miles.  Mac and I had went a little out of our way at the end to backtrack and find the long-sleeve shirt he ditched within the first few miles.  So I'm going to guesstimate we did 14.5 - 15 miles in 1:58, so anywhere in there would be pretty much right at 8 minute pace.  In the long run (#punintended), I shouldn't be too concerned with exact distance since it was a quality 2 hour run.

The running store where this group met was only about 1.5 miles from my apartment but that walk home felt like it was at least 5 miles.  it seemed like forever.  All I wanted was food and a shower and non-sweaty clothes.  So I made some oatmeal ASAP to get some food in me (I also did take an energy Gu on our run around mile 11 - and since we were on the lake path, we didn't stop a single time until this point which is also a bonus when running with someone else - I don't want to make someone else stop even if I am tired and want a break)  After my shower, I wanted more food so I met Rachelle at Starbucks for coffee and a bagel.  Sometimes I can convince Rachelle to run too.  But only if it's to a national monument and we wear ugly gray matching free sweatshirts.

I was also convinced to go more public with this blog and post to Facebook when I post.  So that's going to happen today.

Do you like running with others or by yourself?

What is your favorite thing to eat after a run?  I like carbs - bread, oatmeal, etc.

Long Run Wedding Weekend

This past weekend was Jim and Christina's wedding and it was a blast!  First of all, I need to tell you about my run on Friday evening before all the festivities, then I'll get to the fun stuff.

I wanted to do 14 miles on Friday, but I just can never get motivated enough to run after work.  First I met Angela at Starbucks for about half hour and then when I got home I knew I really need to just go run.  I set out towards Wicker Park and did a loop around that general area, then back into Old Town.  Since it was around 6:30pm when I started and a nice Friday evening, a lot of people were outside so it was difficult at times to weave in and out of people.  This first 4-ish mile loop was hard mentally to get going and I really thought I might just stop when I got back into Old Town.  But I knew I'd get back and be mad at myself and be in a bad mood still having like 3 hours to wait around.  So I kept going and headed north to Wrigleyville...the Cubs game was just ending so that again was more people to navigate through.  But after I got through that and headed south, I had my own space and just ran home, ending at what I mapped to be 11.8 miles in 1 hour 31 minutes.  I get kind of skeptical sometimes with how accurate mapping actually is and I know sometimes I'll walk across the street instead of run and even little things like that can add up.  So 11.8 in 1:31 would've been about 7:43 pace and I just didn't think I was going that fast, but who knows, maybe I was.  I logged it as 11.6 though which would be about 7:51 pace just to be a little more conservative.  I think maybe I will buy a Garmin; I imagine they'd be fairly accurate.

After the run, I was so worn out.  It was humid outside.  I got home and chugged 2 bottles of water before I even showered.  After my shower, I still had about 2 hours before Michael arrived and I didn't really want to eat since we were going to eat when he got here.  I had not ate the energy Gu I brought with on the run, so I figured I'd have that.  I personally like the taste of them.  Unfortunately, I think they are more for energy and not to fill you up.  It made my stomach hurt as I just watched TV.

The rest of the Friday night and Saturday were a lot of fun!  The wedding was beautiful and it was a very fun time to catch up with lots of friends.  And to dance.  The wedding meal was delicious.  Michael and I got bagels in the morning and then I thought I wouldn't be able to eat again until dinner.  But Glavin and Erika always come prepared with snacks, so I was able to snag a piece of bread with peanut butter...they even brought their own silverware.  One casualty of the weekend was a pair of flip flops.  On Sunday morning, I only had my heels, but luckily there was an Old Navy that we passed on the way to the pancake house where I could buy a new pair...actually 2 new pairs.  They were 2 for $5.  I can't not take a advantage of that.

What is your favorite Gu flavor?  My 2 favorites are Chocolate and Strawberry Banana.