update on the seventh week of traaaaaining (Feb 12-17)

First of all, can I just say that I’m glad I don’t always have to wake up at 5 AM to do a long run on a Saturday morning? That was a bit rough. But it did mean that I was done with my running before 10 AM, so of course it’s not all bad.

I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do my training posts. There’s a fine line between too little information and too much, and I’ve been walking it like I’ve had a bit too much to drink, so… yeah.

As my chart shows, this week it was all about building mileage. Rather than a tempo run on Wednesday, the plan called for 7-miles easy. Compared to Tuesday, it was of course not that much. Following Tuesday, however, it felt like a never ending slog. I struggled through the last miles and was glad when I could rest on Thursday. This week, there were no urges on Thursday to go for a run. If anything, I was dreading having to go out for 19 on Saturday. But I did it! And maybe taking the band-aid off while still half asleep made it that much easier to put the long run I was dreading behind me. It was pretty difficult and I was ready to stop after mile 10. But I also guess that if I didn’t feel that way at the end of a 3 week build cycle, I wouldn’t be doing the training properly!

All told, I pulled off 46 miles this week without injury, even if I’ve got some niggles and may have overstretched my left hamstring a tiny bit. Hopefully today’s rest and stretching/foam-rolling routine will put that right.

And for some bonus details (not sure if these are interesting for you or not), here were my intervals on Monday:

	Distance	Duration	Pace	Notes
1	0.25 mi	1:35	6:20
2	0.25 mi	1:30	6:00	at 1 incline
3	0.25 mi	1:33	6:12	at 1 incline
4	0.25 mi	1:32	6:08
5	0.25 mi	1:31	6:04	at 1 incline
6	0.25 mi	1:31	6:04	at 1 incline
7	0.25 mi	1:30	6:00
8	0.25 mi	1:32	6:08	at 1 incline
9	0.25 mi	1:31	6:04	at 1 incline
10	0.25 mi	1:28	5:52	last “official” interval with the 1:30 jog recoveries
11	0.25 mi	1:22	5:28	after a quarter- mile jog

Granted, these were on the treadmill, but I’m happy with the way the interval session went. Part of the reason I went for one extra mile on Tuesday was riding off the success of the intervals. The other reasons I went the extra mile on Tuesday were that the plan had originally called for 10 (I had changed the plan to 9 in a moment of weakness), and I was boosted by my teammates in SquadRunner. It was probably good I stuck to the Runner’s World plan, because the idea is that I do challenge myself. I’m trying to listen to my body though, to make sure I’m challenging myself within reason. The last thing I want is to get injured again.

Looking ahead, I have a “fast” 15-miler to complete on the 24th, but this week is also a drop-down in distance, so I hope I’ll see some benefits of training so far! I also got new shoes (Brooks gel-Glycerin), so I’m looking forward to the “new shoe” feeling and reporting.

That’s it as far as I’m concerned. But I hope your winter (or summer, if you’re down under) running is also going well!

Cheers, Dorothea

 

training week six update

This week was a week of reviews. I reviewed the benefits of consistency, the blessings and curses of trail running, and the fact that runger that can become all-consuming (or should that be “I become all-consuming”?) if one doesn’t keep a close eye on one’s nutrition.

But first of all, in major news, I’m part of a virtual running team!

Last Sunday, I was invited by Paula at Never a Dull Bling to the SquadRunner team her husband, James at 50 in 50 Marathon Quest,  captains. A week later, I’m fully involved in the aspects of SquadRunning- daily quizzes, missions, boosts, and generally being part of a team that supports each other’s individual goals, but also seeks to kick other teams’ butts. ;-)

I have’t been part of a team since the one semester I tried cross country at my university (Fall 2013-before my blogging years). I guess one could say I’ve been a lone-wolf since high school sports, but there’s always been some running community I attached myself to- none the least WordPress’s community of runners (in which Falyn, another new teammate, also participates)- and now it’s team Runnin Down a Dream.

And because the team name is based on the song, you now get a link to the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1D3a5eDJIs. Tom Petty, RIP.

So yes, that’s news! I’m super excited by the idea of missions. It makes the running seem more valuable than it is for just me and my training. However, I have to be careful about the slight pressure I feel to accept the missions and then do them. Because of Friday’s mission, I extended my easy run to cover 45 minutes. I don’t know if it was ideal that I did an extra 1.5 miles, but the fact that I didn’t want to do too much more than the 4 miles of my plan did make me keep them really slow- so I guess that’s a plus! And it got the team 65 extra points. And it didn’t affect my long run yesterday, so so far, so good.

But as for the reviews: training is going very well. My body seems to be adapting to the schedule of intervals, easy middle-long run, tempo run, rest day, easy, and long. Albeit it’s only been 6 weeks. We’ll see how it goes next week where the steady increase of mileage caps at 45 miles before an easier week of 36.

Basically, as many plans go, the plan cycles easier weeks every four weeks. I build every week for three weeks, and then have an easier week. Next week marks the last “build-week” and then, the week after, I get a bit of a break that ends in a 15 mile tempo run.

But I’m getting too far ahead of myself! This week is the topic of discussion, and I should report that the hill intervals (done on the treadmill because it was Monday and cold and I was a wimp and didn’t feel like scoping out an appropriate hill) went well, and I enjoyed my run under the Brandenburg Gate on Tuesday.

Then, Wednesday came around and I didn’t feel human. I’d guess I was operating on a calorie deficit caused by the long run Tuesday and not having the time or nerves (I had an important presentation on Tuesday) to refuel properly. I paid the price Wednesday with low blood-sugar that I finally appeased with a chicken wing and breast from the local market. I actually follow a mostly vegetarian diet and avoid meat, but I just felt like I needed this. Turns out, it helped… but I still haven’t gotten over the ethical ramifications of that satisfaction. I recalculated my daily metabolism and saw that it is definitely higher now. I learned an important lesson on Wednesday that I really need to make sure I eat enough now that I’m fully in marathon training.

But this leads back to the first review: the consistency of training is working. On Wednesday, I also found the tempo run doable. I did cut off a mile (three instead of four) to not wear myself down too much, but I found holding a 7:30 mpm quite pleasant. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t welcome the rest day on Thursday, but I did feel as if I could have run if I wanted to, which is a good indication of my fitness. I am strictly adhering to rest-days this training cycle, though, because I know my body needs them and I’d rather feel too good to have a rest day than feel like I absolutely need it.

I already talked about Friday- one of the easiest runs in a while- and Saturday, well Saturday was good. But I was very lucky!

See, trail running is great. The soft running surface provided by trails are a boon for the legs when impacting them over 10 or more miles. There’s also enough happening on the trails that one always has something to see, do, or watch out for. It makes the miles go by so much more quickly. However, that same needed focus is also a curse, because the moment one takes one’s eyes off the trail, gets distracted by adjusting running belt straps or whatever, one takes a wrong step and goes KABLAM all over the trail. That was me yesterday. However, I was very lucky that the extent of my injuries were a slightly sore ankle, a nice big bruise below my knee, and dirty gloves. The fall happened within the first 2 miles of the long run, and I questioned my own sanity when I was seriously considering testing the legs on 16 more miles after that fall. Yet the initial assessment was mostly positive, and since I could run without pain (maybe a dull one from the bruise), I figured what the hell.

Of course, given my multiple tests of luck so far this training cycle, I do wonder when it will run out… but I’ve also tried to be smarter than in previous years (a much better pre- and post-running stretching/foam-rolling routine).  These are just some more small lessons in being careful.

Speaking of careful: I bought myself a new pair of shoes to be able to cycle some fresher kicks as the miles continue building on the other two.

Aaaaand, I think that’s it! I think I covered all the major points I wanted to cover with this recap of the week. If there’s ever a question of what I’m doing, or what the hell I’m doing, I’d love to see it in the comments!

See you next week. In the meantime, happy running! -Dorothea

p.s. a sub-note for niggles I want to keep an eye on: there’s a soreness in my right hamstring that I mostly feel when climbing hills that could develop into something if I’m not careful-should start looking into some massage therapy here in the area. Also, weird bump developed on top of foot that I’ve asked my podiatrist about before- and she said, if it doesn’t hurt, don’t worry about it. But it is starting to feel uncomfortable, so I’ll ask her about it next time.

Okay. Now I’m really done.

Training Week Five update

This post brought to you by song of the day: “Runaway” by Bon Jovi. And yes, it is a song used in the Stranger Things soundtrack album; and yes, I got the soundtrack because that was one of the awesome parts about that show. “Runaway” is a good song to have come on at mile 9 of a long run.

Moving on, the running gods must have decided to finally take some pity on me, because not only did the foot issue turn out to just be a sign that I need to replace my shoe inserts, but I also got in a good week of running. Actually, this was the best week I’ve done in almost a year. 

Those pretty colors mean that I got in all the workouts my schedule called for, and I managed to keep my easy runs easy and the long run “slow.” Nutrition was also an “A” and generally, I’m grateful to be healthy at week five, and surprisingly not too tired this afternoon.

As I mentioned last week, I was worried about my foot going into Monday’s fartlek. So, I started off very conservatively. I felt some twinges through the first two miles, and it flared a little at mile 2, which was right by an U-Bahn station. I stretched it out and decided that I would try to run one more block, and if it was an issue, I’d get on that subway. The next block came and went, the next station came and went, I reached 3.5 miles and still nothing. So I just completed the fartlek (for someone who has such a hard time with staying on pace, you’d think I’d love fartleks… I don’t) and was happy to head back up the stairs to my apartment without complaints and having done the full run.

[side note: don’t you love it when the computer tries to mark “fartlek” as incorrectly spelled? And I used the word “fartlek” as often as I possibly could]

I then proceeded to replace my orthotic shoe inserts, which thankfully were ready for pick-up Monday. I guess I could have realized sooner that while my shoes weren’t too high in mileage (300 on each), the inserts most definitely were! That was probably my problem. After the new inserts, things just kept feeling better. The rest of the week went smoothly with my only worries being the standard concern of having the time to get the runs in around my schedule.

Everything is looking good this week around, so I won’t waste too many words. I do want to note that my sleep has been pretty messed up since Wednesday. It could just be stress from an upcoming presentation I need to prepare, but I’m going to keep an eye on it, since, as is said, sleep troubles are a sign of over-training.

But yes, good news mostly and hope to come back here same time next week with similar news. It’s supposed to snow more next week. Since I got 4 of 5 runs outdoors this week, I hope I can continue the trend of outdoor running. There’s also my first hill-workout of the cycle on tap for Monday and another 41 miles planned. I’ll be back to report!

Happy running and resting,
Dorothea

Training Week Four update

when you’ve got eight significantly more important things to do, and all you want to do is write about running…

Yep. It’s marathon season, and I’m already in the vortex of planning my day around running, etc. At least the training plan provides some stability, eh? And I do have to say that going for months on a “whatever works” plan has made me a little more relaxed about the training. I do still want to follow the plan and meet the paces, but I also no longer think training should be my top priority and if I end up having an off-day or getting injured, I do believe I can just accept it and move on with my life.

That being said, old habits die hard and I’m going to have to have a more solid plan for when I start to feel a potential injury, because I will probably try to run through it. Yesterday before and after the 10k time trial (strangely, not during), my left foot started doing some weird plantar issue stuff, but it’s not something I’ve felt before. I’m hoping it’s just a fluke from switching up my shoe inserts and that my fartlek run tomorrow goes as planned. However, if I feel pain tomorrow during the run, I have to tell myself to hop on the next underground home! I’ll then take off through Wednesday, and see what the foot feels like.

In the meantime, I want to reflect on the last week.

The week started off really well at 6 AM on Monday cranking out 6 x 800s. I had a 12 hour day at the uni planned, so if I didn’t run in the morning, it wasn’t going to happen. Sunday night at 11 PM, I had no idea if I could actually get up in time, but coming off a mostly restful weekend, I was animated to get out the door and felt proud of myself for averaging about 3:10 with 400m recoveries before 8 AM. I liked the feeling, but I don’t know if I like it enough to repeat it unless absolutely necessary.

Tuesday was a similar schedule, but an hour later (so 7 instead of 6), and I did my 8 miles easy. These felt good and may have been too fast, but I told myself it would be fine. I should try harder to go easier when the plan tells me to be slow. This is a goal for the coming week.

Wednesday was a 3 mile tempo run, and while I woke up thinking there was no way in heck I could pull off 3 miles in 23 minutes, my body surprised me. It was also delightfully “warm” (10 degrees Celsius), so I enjoyed running without gloves and a hat again.

Thursday and Friday were uneventful, just following the plan, and Saturday was “race day”.

Really, it was just a time-trial, since I don’t have the time or money to race right now, but I promised myself doing it at the gym on a treadmill was just as good. To compensate for the lack of outdoor factors, I put the treadmill at 1.0 for every alternating mile. Of course I had my drinks and a fan, and didn’t have to worry about the elements, but I don’t think it ended up being as much as an advantage as I was telling myself on the way to the gym. In the end, I think I could have done better outside.

I was so convinced that this was going to be an easy 10k. I even thought I could break 44 minutes and I was so smug with myself about being able to pick my own time to run and not rely on a starting gun and doing things at my own pace…

Turns out, I kind of crashed and burned. I ended up running 6.24 miles in 46:31. 3.24 miles were at 1.0 incline and the other miles were at 0.0 incline. I took 8 or 9 (I forget) walking breaks and just generally, … just ew. If it weren’t for my 10k run New Year’s Eve, I would despair right now.

On top of that, my the bottom of my foot started hurting during the warm-up. The pain went away as the speed increased, but then I had to pause at the first mile of the trial to stretch the foot out. During the rest of the trial, the foot felt fine. I struggled in everything else, but the foot felt fine. Then, during the cool-down, near the last quarter mile, my foot really started to hurt. I stopped and did my stretching and foam rolling. I noticed my calves and fascia were extremely tight, but I’ve had PF before, and this felt different. Oh geez. When I got home, I rolled my foot a few time over the massage ball. I don’t know if that helped or hurt, since the foot continued to feel sore, though decreasingly so, throughout the evening. This morning, I can’t even be sure if my foot ever hurt. I’m just going to take it easy today on walking and stretch the foot out again and bit and see what happens tomorrow. Again, if I feel pain, I am committed now to the plan as above!

Putting the time-trial into perspective, I guess I did fine; I’d had a tough week mentally and physically. Three long days at the Uni, some intense speed sessions, not averaging enough of sleep, and then, yeah, my period coming early should have all been considered before the 10k to expect less results than I got. I also didn’t make the smartest choices about recovery, which is another thing I’m going to work on for this week.

I can take this time-trial as a test not just of my fitness, but my training altogether. Fitness wise I know, based off the intervals Monday and my slowly dropping resting heart rate, that I’m where I want to be. But training-wise, there is so much room for improvement. I need to work on keeping my easy runs easy, fixing my daily schedule to ensure I get at least 7 hours of sleep (8 hours is, of course, the goal), and not drink Friday nights or within 24 hours of a hard workout. [Truth time: being on “whatever works” was kind of nice, because I didn’t have to stress about the alcohol I drink. Now that I’ve seen first hand that I’m struggling with the speed, I think I’m going to have to commit to giving up drinking sooner rather than later. Sigh.]

On top of aaaall of that, I seriously need to start working on pacing. My paces, even on a treadmill (smh), are all over the place. The Runner’s World plan has some steady-state runs in it and I need to use these and my long runs to figure out how to set a pace and keep it. My 10k reminded me of my biggest flaw during my BQ marathon. I’m still doing this weird thing where I start off conservatively, because that’s what everyone warns about, but then I’m so anxious to make up the difference about midway through, and I feel so good, that I just spurt ahead. Not the greatest technique, since I end up burning out before the last mile(s) and starting off slow doesn’t do anything for me in the end anyway. So, yeah. Add this to the things I want to improve on this training cycle.

Well, yep, that’s an update! Hope your training or off-season is going well. :-)

Happy running! -Dorothea

 

Let’s get this started.

Active.com and several running sites have announced that this week marks the beginning of spring marathon training season.

Um, excuse me, I’ve been kicking trails and asphalt (and a bit of treadmill) since Jan 1, thank you very much.

Obviously the start of the season depends on what marathon one is training for and how long one wants to train for it. Me? My race is April 22nd and my training plan, after two years of shaky training success, is a more safe 16 week plan designed by Runner’s World for those looking to break 3:30. It has two rest days a week with speedwork, tempo runs, long runs and two test races throughout. I met the basic requirements of having run 25-30 mile weeks and being able to run 1:30 without stopping and decided it was worth a try.

I record one of my intervals each week as a race, in order to be able to use the PR algorithm and see how my speeds increase for those distances. Don’t pay the red too much mind.

Wish me luck!

I don’t think I was imprudent in signing up. I thought carefully about how the marathon and, more importantly, the training would fit into my work- and family- life. The semester ends in mid-February, which is where the first 20-miler happens, and I’m relieved of most meeting obligations after that, so I will have enough opportunity to recover during the most intense part of the training.

I do have an international trip planned, which of course messes up training a bit, but I’ll just have to rework the plan those weeks to accommodate the travel time and jet-lag.

I also spit in the face of fate and even rented a car (that I can still cancel the day before- I’m not that much of a risk taker! ;-) ) that I can use for that weekend. So, yes, once could say I’ve committed.

Isn’t FL running great?! At least in winter, it is pretty awesome that it’s warmer here than most other places in the US .

My goal of sub-3:30 is not major, considering that my last marathon was 3:33. However, that marathon was 2 years ago, so I am going to have to consider my base of running from the 45-minute 10k on New Year’s Eve and see how I do at my next 10k test next weekend to determine if 8 mpm for 26 miles is within reach and if I have to work harder in my speed-work sessions. On the other hand, my nutrition is much more on point than two years ago, and I’m starting my training at an ideal training weight, so I don’t have to worry about reaching racing weight. I just have to cut out alcohol again in a few weeks. ;-) It would be great to BQ again. I have another goal for this race, but I’m keeping that private for now.

Most of all, I felt like it was time. I’ve spent enough time now taking it easy and putting running on the side-burner, and now I feel the desire again to go outside my comfort zone. I also spent enough time exploring other aspects of my identity, and I just keeping coming back to running as one thing in my life that consistently makes me proud and gives me positive feedback. While I am grateful to say that it’s not the only thing in my life that I feel pride in, it is unique in the way that I can push my limits and feel confident about my strength and my body. So heck yes, let’s do this!

Finally, I’m coming back to blogging about running, since this has, for the past five years, been the space where I reflect more on the process of training and running than I do in my actual log. These posts are what I scanned through for my last (successful) marathon and I’d like to share my process again. Your comments and advice are what I looked for when I was positive or negative, so I hope you want to follow me in this process, and I look forward to the interaction!

Happy running,
Dorothea

Running October 23-November 25

My whatever works plan is still going strong.

Unfortunately, a side effect is that I am less motivated to post my meager running online. But I figure it’s good to check-in and evaluate where I’m at.

Basically, I am running 4-5 times a week with easy runs, intervals, and long runs as the fancy strikes me. The long runs are obviously limited to the weekend, but otherwise it’s a matter of whether I get up in time in the morning to get a run in.

11/20/2017 – 11/26/2017:	13.4 mi
11/13/2017 – 11/19/2017:	27.5 mi
11/6/2017 – 11/12/2017:	23.4 mi
10/30/2017 – 11/5/2017:	24.1 mi
10/23/2017 – 10/29/2017:	22.8 mi

I’m still sub-30 per week, but given my schedule, I don’t think I could do more. I can’t even remember how I managed 50 mile weeks. I guess I was spending more time running than I even realized. I also commute 35 minutes to Uni 2-3 times a week, so some cardio, and therefore conditioning, is being done on bike.

I do think longer running is in my future (perhaps even a half-marathon/marathon combo in April). But for now,  I’m satisfied with this.

If only I wouldn’t have been so stupid to try and carry my bike up and down stairs after a tempo run on Tuesday. I’ve been feeling some kind of runner’s knee since then, and the combination of knee-cap pain and rain means I’m not doing a long run today as originally planned. I had actually even signed-up for a meet-up (a kind of social network for organizing meetings for people with like interests- in my case: running) that I’ve done once before and took me on new paths in a forest I’ve been running in for years. But there will be more meetups in the future and I do want to take a few days off now, versus having a longer layoff. Even if I’m not running a lot, the runs I do are super helpful for relieving stress and anxiety and so I have to be careful with how I dose my medicine!

Hope your running is going well— and if not, optimistically think that life is long and the days/weeks/months spent not running are still a short time in the long-run.

Cheers, Dorothea

 

Running Log: October 16-22, in which I run a race

This was a good week as far as running goes.

Remember how I mentioned that the races I signed up for got cancelled? Well, only one of them did. The other race was re-imagined by the Berliner running club who were putting it on and I decided to do it, despite it not being at all what I had signed up for. Rather than setting up the course in the forest as they originally were going to, they set up on a track. A dirt track. And rather than having hills and roots to watch out for, they set up mini-hurdles.

I considered the boredom of running in a loop, as well as the small participation, a challenge. There were about 35 people doing the 30-minute and the 60-minute together, but only 12 of us were doing the full hour. But they did have music and the timer on the track meant I’d get to know how fast I was running each lap.

It was an hour long race, the first of its kind I’ve ever done. I’ve had my own hour-long attempts- trying to see how much I can get done in the hour I had allotted, for example, but never a race where the time was measured and it was up to me to see how much I could get done in that time.

Turns out, it’s a tad above 13 kilometers: 97 meters more. This comes out to a 7:21 mpm average pace. At least, that’s my ability with my current fitness.

I went in with a goal of 8 miles, which is a 7:30 pace and I felt it was doable, since I’ve been running pretty consistently at 8:15 to 8:30 as an easy pace and the 800s in 3:20, so 7:30 was modest. This meant I was actually hoping (and going for) over 8 miles.

I managed to be a newbie and start off too fast: 1:36 for the first lap. But I settled down a bit and got 3:22 for the first 800 and 22:15 for the first 5k. But I also made the mistake of paying attention to the pace my GPS watch was showing and not the actual time, and of course the pace was based on distance and my GPS overcalculated distance (as it is wont to do on a track), so I thought I was going 7 minute pace the whole time, when really it was the 7:20 I ended up with.

When I first saw my splits (seeing each 0.25 mile is a novelty!) I was proud of the consistency with which I ran. Other than the first lap where I went too fast and the 17th lap where I took a fueling break, I was really consistent. But maybe it just looks that way since I did laps and not miles. Calculating the 5 second spread in miles, it’s a 20 second difference in pace, so perhaps my paces were a bit more spread out than I think now. I’ll find out on Monday. (edited to add: according to my TomTom, my paces per mile were  6:51, 6:55, 6:56, 6:57, 7:20, 7:02, 7:05, and 7:02- so, consistent enough!)

My longest lap was lap 17 where I took a fueling break to down some water and eat a third of a banana. It was 30 seconds off my average, and in retrospect, not having it would have allowed me to be first woman- but did the fuel help? Probably. I won’t blame it on that.

Which brings me to the fact that I also could have gotten 1st woman if I had a stronger mental game. Around lap 28, a girl came up from behind me, and while I was sure there was only one other guy in front of me, I couldn’t figure out the logic of racing on a track (despite having done 5 years of track and cross country but hey, it’s been a while!) and thought the girl had lapped me (I call her a girl, she is a 23-year old woman). I still tried to stick with her, for sports sake, but as she pulled away, I figured she had 0.25+ on me anyway, so catching up wouldn’t mean much. After the race, however, I realized she was on the same lap as me and only finished about 100 meters in front of me. Darn! Add in the doubt about the 30 seconds of fueling and I manage to sour what was otherwise a positive racing experience; kudos to the SC Tegeler-Forst running team for organizing a great event!

But that’s peanuts. I finished healthy (I think- going to evaluate after post-run fatigue is gone tomorrow) and had a good time. I also have an hour-race PR, so there’s that.

Running for the week

As for the week, one can see I took it easier. Part of that was to prep for the race, but I was also  sticking to what I wrote last week! I did want to take it easy. Got a bit of biking in too, so my activity points for the week are earned. Now, as for personal, academics? If only they were so easy as running in circles, sometimes.

 

Running Log: October 2-15

Wow. Only a two-week gap in posting? Good job, Dorothea. You’re not totally failing at this blogging thing.

Seriously though, the return to Berlin brought old routines back, and I am pretty good about getting at least 4 runs a week in again. However, I’m noticing that I have to be careful about getting back into it too fast. It may not look like much, but over the past two weeks I went up from 22 to 25 miles, and this week did 27 with most of those miles at a pace that’s realistically too fast. I’m going to have to work on that. I’m also commuting regularly with my bike again and doing strength 2-3 times a week in the gym, so it’s really no surprise that I’m getting some early symptoms of burnout. Going to nip it in the bud before it’s too late by having a few rest days this next week, but I’m happy with how things are!

Don’t ask me why, but I did two 5k race trials over the past two weeks and managed 22:17 and 22:07. One time was after a 3 mile warm-up, and one was without much of a warm-up, so I think I may have a PR in me this year yet. This kind of thinking prompted me to actually look at local races again for the first time in about 5 months, and I went for the two-fer.

Problem is, Xavier, a storm with hurricane force winds and killing 6 people throughout northern Germany, did a lot of damage in the Berlin region, so the two races I signed up for this fall were cancelled. I still have a 10k in Florida and I’ll do that while home over Christmas, so that may be the way I score at least one PR this year. We’ll see. I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself. This is a busy semester and I’m still trying to get back into running and staying healthy, so while my stretch goal is a sub-44 minute, I’ll be happy with a sub-45.

Today, I’m mostly happy about my 10 miler–the first in four weeks. But holy cow, I’m dealing with a serious post-long run haze. How can I feel like this after only doing 10 miles at 8-minute pace? How did I ever manage 8-minute miles for 18 miles? My present self likes to hold a lot of conversations with my past selves. They should probably be banned from talking to one another.

Hope you have a good weekend of running, resting, and whatever else is in store for you!

 

 

Running Log: August 28th through October 1st

I guess I can post a September update and call myself accomplished in keeping up with the blog.

In my defense, this past month I dealt with hurricane evacuation, food poisoning, traveling internationally and starting my position as Phd scholarship candidate (these things account for the longer gaps in my log)… I’m going to cut myself slack even if you won’t. ;-)

There’s not a lot to comment on from this last update, since I really followed the “whatever works” plan pretty religiously. One can see since getting back to Berlin that running is working a little better. I guess it’s also worth noting that I’ve steadily built up to double-digit runs. Soon I may even look into a race again.

My 800 intervals, one of the ways I keep track of my fitness, are 3:20 on average, so I am pretty pleased with how I’m staying in shape even if it’s not marathon shape. I hope to continue having a more consistent pattern of running soon, so that I can get more easy running in and build up my base again.

And… yep. That’s all I have to say this time around.

Hope September was a great month of running for all of you! Looking forward to seeing all the fall race recaps.

Berlin Marathon 2017: Reporting live from the Berlin Studio (apartment)

Just got back from my run in time to watch the last hour of the BMW Berlin Marathon as Kipchoge, Berkeley, and Kipsang (as the advertised world record strivers) fight for first place and hopefully the world record on this dreary Berliner day.

Opting for a more comfortable spectator position than last year (in my defense, I’ve also got wicked jetlag), I’m taking advantage of Berlin’s major TV station, RBB where the whole race is reported live. These are my thoughts while watching (disclaimer: I’m not a sports reporter, nor get paid to be one on TV 😉):

• Right now (1:08), they’re talking about Anna Hahner, one of Germany’s top marathon runners and also the hopeful for the top German result. She is about 20 meters away from the top women. (Spoiler alert: she only gets mentioned two more times and finishes alright)
• Kind of interesting this year are the thousands of election campaign posters lining the course and constantly caught by the camera
• Berkeley is off course (1:10:48) for the record. He could still make it up but eh…
• Guye Adola missed his water bottle at km 25…he’s a debut runner doing pretty well. Go underdog! No one shared his bottle with him, though. Competition is tough
• My bet is on Kipchoge, because he has that sub 2-Hour attempt to draw meantal strength from
• I think I’m glad I’m not volunteering today. The weather is kind of miserable
• I also hope no one forgot their glide… chafing=ew
• 1:24:29 Kimputo is kind of bouncing around in the back, my bet is he’s next to fall off the pace
• The water (light rain and sweat) is flying off their feet
• Pacer 60 Kimpare is doing a great job
• Oh! They’re at km aid station 30, and before I could finish writing about how I was there last year and didn’t even realize I could end up in the footage…
• WHAT Kipsang is out?! WHAT!?
• Now it’s just Kipchoge and Adola! I guess I may win my bet after all
• Kimpare is gone now too
• It’s not long now
• The bicycle leaders are are having a hard time not working as pacers for the two
• Marathon running televised is a bit like watching sloths play soccer.
• 1:43:11 Adola still there, slightly irritating Kipchoge it looks like. Hang on for 7 more km, Adola! Wouldn’t it be wild if he won?
• And how lucky is Kipchoge, after the other two fell off, to have this competition? Someone who keeps him on pace?
• Bekele is now also completely out. :-(
• Kipchoge is running the blue line (the adidas three stripes to be seen throughout the city weeks after the race) Adola is running long curves. What is going on? Is a Adola letting Kipchoge keep his own pace?
• 1:50:40 Okay, yeah, it’s getting a little more interesting  now
• 4 more km
• Less than 10 more minutes
• 1:54:55 Kipchoge looks like he’s losing a bit of form :/
• What the heck, Adola looks like a running god. He can have the win. I’m a fan
• Okay Kipchoge, you still got this after all. He closed the gap
• Adola doesn’t take any fuel? What? He may also have surged too early
• Max 5 more minutes. I’m actually on the end of my seat. I take back my sloth comment
• C’mon Adola! Hang on!
• Kipchoge is claiming the last km for himself
• Okay, experience wins. Aber Adola, aller Respeckt!
• Damn. Kipchoge, look at that smile. 1km left and he knows he has this
• Stride, smile, finish.
• KIPCHOGE IS THE WINNER!
• 2:03:34
• AND ADOLA, fastest debut in history, 2:03:47 :-)
• First woman, Gladys Cherono, doing a really nice job, on her own these last km.
• Wish I had that kind of stride
• Wins in 2:20:21 (and still gets a 15,000€ time bonus). Wooh!

In summary: what a race. Had I bet, I’d have won. Still proven: there are some fast runners out there. Athletes have a tough fight; it takes a lot to know when to step out of a race. Love the Berlin Marathon and hope to maybe run it one day!

Now, I return to my regularly scheduled Sunday. Hope you also have a nice day! -Dorothea