Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Lessons Learned from Running Twice in One Day

1. Do the harder workout first -- even if it is 6 AM and you just want to go back to sleep.

2.  Properly eat after your morning workout.  Failing to do so will result in eating your lunch two hours before intended and that oh-so-special hangry (you know, hungry+angry) feeling for the rest of the day because you're too stubborn to buy snacks.


Sunday, August 26, 2012

MCM 37: Weekly Round-Up (3)

Summer's winding down, and I'm moving on to my next phase of training.  If all goes according to plan, my mileage will increase from 38 miles per week (starting this week) and peak at 45 miles in early October.

I feel great about my training so far.  Yesterday, instead of a long run, I ran 13 half-mile intervals starting at an 9:15 place (a little faster than my planned race pace) and increasing to an 8:00 pace.  During the workout, I felt like I could run all day.  It was a great confidence boost.

So, on to Week 9!

Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: 6 miles
Friday: Off
Saturday: 20 miles

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Oh Really?: New York City Marathon Eliminates Bag Drop

So, NYRR decided to eliminate bag check at this year's New York City Marathon.

From NYT:
The New York Road Runners, the club that organizes the race, said the new policy was designed to reduce the bottleneck at the end of the race, when tens of thousands of runners are forced to walk around the park and adjoining streets in search of the trucks carrying bags containing their sweat pants, cellphones and wallets. 

To eliminate what the Road Runners called “overwhelmingly the No. 1 complaint of our runners for years,” the bag drop was scrapped. Runners will now be given a wrap and a fleece-lined poncho to keep warm. Kiosks will also be set up so that runners can call family and friends, who presumably will be able to bring them other items.
If this wasn't a marathon, I could see eliminating a bag check.  But, for such a taxing event, I think it's reasonable to want to have access to whatever items you've made part of your post-race routine.  (Changing socks after some races has felt absolutely amazing!) 

I think it's great that NYRR will provide runners with something warm (as much as I love the shiny heat sheets race organizers distribute after marathons), but I imagine that the kiosks will be just as much of a disaster than whatever bottleneck is created at bag check. 

(Also, NYRR, you've been doing this for a while.  Don't you have your system streamlined by now?)

But, what else can you do?  I've thought about - gasp! - capping the number of allowable registrants. It's great that marathon running has gained popularity and that so many people want to do the big races (Boston, New York, Marine Corps) but at some point, you have to cap registration at these larger events in favor of logistics.  Granted, yes, I will be among the first people to fret about qualifying standards (my 4:39 PR certainly wouldn't cut it) but it ultimately improves race conditions and logistics, why not?

Although, now that NYRR isn't providing the service, I think this is a great opportunity for an enterprising person to make a few dollars by schlepping bags across boroughs.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Mo Farah Meme

I'm back after an amazing weekend at home to celebrate the marriage of two wonderful people.  Congratulations Jane and Nate!

I'll post a training update later this week, but, first, it's time for LOLs.  Here is a collection of Mo Farah running away from things


(Source)

Thanks for the link, Stef!

Monday, August 6, 2012

MCM 37: Weekly Round-up (2) - Alisha Versus the Angry Sun

Bear with me for a second, folks.  Do you remember the fourth stage in Super Mario Brothers 3?  You know, in Desert Land? When Mario spends his time running away from a very, very angry sun? 

Kind of like this?

(Source: AwesomeGIFs)  
I know what that feels like...

I went out Saturday for a 16-mile run.  I should have started earlier, I know, but waking up before 6 AM on a Saturday almost feels wrong.   When I went out around 9:30, it felt cool;  I honestly didn't think it would be that bad. Plus, I was actually prepared with a hat, sunscreen, water, and gels. 

You know where this is going...

By the time I hit Mile 7, it was actually too dangerous to attempt to run another nine miles so I decided to head home, with 10 miles logged for the day.  It was a smart move, but I'm really starting to worry about the rest of my training.  I need to suck it up and start waking up at 5 AM and pray that September is much cooler.

This week, I'm going to try to get in as much running as I can before Thursday -- fun times are ahead!

Monday: 3.5 miles (easy)
Tuesday: 5 miles (easy)
Wednesday: Speed Workout, 45 minutes 
Thursday: 6 miles (easy)
Friday: Off
Saturday: Optional early morning AM run
Sunday: Off