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.

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

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.

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!

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

MCM 37: Weekly Round-Up (1)

(Although I wrapped up my fourth week of training, I'm starting my training round-ups at one for good measure.)

Week 4 started off really well.  I ran 6 miles last Monday, 5 glorious miles on Wednesday, and felt like a boss in the swimming pool on Thursday.  I was looking forward to a strong 14-miler on Saturday and, with that, a boost of confidence and affirmation that I have a mileage base and can focus on speed during this round of training.

The long run didn't go as well as I would have liked.  I set out a little before 9, and it was already hot.  I took the first few miles slowly and felt really good until about Mile 6.  My clothes were soaked, and I felt like I wasn't drinking enough to stay hydrated.  (By the way, there is something really scary about drinking 64 ounces of water and Gatorade over the course of a 14 mile run and not once needing to stop at a restroom.)  I stopped to walk often and, even though that's totally fine and a smart thing to do, I felt really discouraged about my overall fitness level.  I just didn't have it in me to run, and I wanted to quit running (and possibly training) right at that moment.

Of course, since I was quite far from my apartment and didn't really have a choice, I kept running and things started to improve.  I ran below my goal pace and took walk breaks when needed.  When I got back to my apartment and hopped into a tub of ice water (running clothes included), I realized that the run wasn't all bad and that I'm still in decent shape. And, there's a bright side of training outside during the summer: running a marathon in October is going to feel like a breeze -- well, as much as a breeze that running 26.2 miles can feel.

I'm still in this, folks.

Week 5 started off with a rest day yesterday and a hill workout today.  So far, so good.  Here's what I have planned for the rest of this week:

Wednesday - 6 miles (tempo)
Thursday - optional AM easy morning run/swimming pm
Friday - off
Saturday - 16 miles
Sunday - 4 miles

Murphy's Law: Runner Style

This has been making its way around the internet.  I always seem to get caught on a rainstorm during a long run when I get new shoes.

(via theRUNiverse)

MCM 37: Training Update

The blog has been very quiet these days, but I'm in training for Marathon #4. 

The shorter runs, speed workouts, and hill runs have gone really well.  But, truth be told, I've had to push myself to get my long runs in.  If we don't count the long run I cut short because heat exhaustion was a very real possibility, I've only done one run over 10 miles in the last three weeks.  (I did some rearranging, too, to accommodate a lovely weekend getaway.)  There's a part of me that's very chill about the whole thing because I can run the marathon distance -- the three finisher's medals prove it.

But, after Providence, I want to run 26.2 miles well.  
I want a PR.
I want to get closer to a BQ time.
I want to be faster than Oprah and Sarah Palin.

I can say "I'll put in the miles in August and September" but now's the time to really work on becoming a stronger and faster runner.

Out of the 17 planned weeks of training, I've completed three and will be moving onto Week 4.  This time around, I used the Smart Coach tool from Runner's World to build a plan to get me across the finish line in just over fours.  Given my current PR, it's ambitious.  But, if I put in the work, I should be able to reach my goal.

Weeks 1-6 of my plan

Week 4 is coming up:

Monday - 6 miles
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 6 miles
Thursday - 5 miles AM/swimming PM*
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 14 miles
Sunday - XT

*I've decided to take the plunge into the world of triathlons...except how I look more like a drowning turtle when I swim.  I think the swimming classes have started to correct that.

It's going to be a fun next few months!

Oh really?: "Plus-Size Friendly Gym" Bans Skinny People

So, this is...interesting:

(via Time)

For some gymgoers, a plethora of thin, peppy gym rats can prove to be too big of an obstacle to overcome. That’s why Body Exchange, a Vancouver-based gym, has made a bold business move and banned skinny people from their establishments in the hopes of fostering a friendly work-out environment for a primarily plus-size clientele.

Body Exchange isn’t the only gym to launch a weight-based policy. According to the New York Daily News, similar rules exist at gyms like Buddha Body Yoga in New York City and Downsize Fitness, which has branches in Las Vegas, Chicago and Dallas. Marty Wolff, a former competitor on the reality show  The Biggest Loser, owns and operates Square One in Omaha, Nebraska which caters to people who aim to lose 50 pounds or more. ”Clients want a place where they can get fit without feeling like they’re being stared at or criticized,” he told the Daily News. “My whole life, I have always wished there was a place for other big people. So I created one.” 

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/06/21/plus-size-friendly-gym-bans-skinny-people/#ixzz1ywuP8fvE

I'm torn.  I can understand a need for a safe space where people can feel comfortable working out, but I think it contributes to the us-versus-them dialogue that sometimes pops up during discussions about weight loss.  (Check out the comments on the article.)  Erika at A Black Girl's Guide to Weight Loss raised great points on this:

Five things really made me uncomfortable while reading this: 1) the idea that “skinny, healthy people” being around is a problem; 2) the implied assumption that “skinny” and “healthy” are one in the same; 3) the idea that there’s something wrong with being a “peppy gym rat;” 4) the belief that the answer to people being “fearful” about becoming active is to create a space where the thing that so many people want… is unwelcome; and 5) the idea that it’s only “skinny, healthy” people are the only ones doing the staring and ostracizing.

Excerpted from Discuss: Pro-Plus Size Gym BANS Skinny People? | A Black Girl's Guide To Weight Loss

What happens to the clients once they reach their fitness/weight goals?  Or, is this going to be one of those places that doesn't actually encourage people to reach their goals?  (This is about making money after all.)

I'm curious to see how long this business model lasts.

Get Inspired: Fit Seniors

Okay, folks, it's been a while since I've posted a "Tuesday Inspiration."  It's also Thursday, but if I don't share this now, I might burst from all of the awesome.

via Colorlines: 64-Year-Old Great-Grandmother Takes Second Place at Bikini Contest

Ruby Carter-Pikes is 64, and she placed second in the FitSciences Championships.  From the post:

"It's like showing people age is only a number and you don't have to get cut up or do anything crazy, just be healthy and take care of your body."

Amazing!