Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon: Week 0

Today marks the start of my training for the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon. I am really, really excited. Like, I haven't been this excited to start a training cycle since probably the one before my first marathon excited.

For Sleeping Bear, I used a Hal Higdon plan and focused solely on getting the miles in. I did one "tempo" run a week (in quotes because I didn't know to warm-up or how to shoot for a given pace). I went out way too fast at the actual race, but I showed up to the start line uninjured, energetic, and well-trained.

I got away from this the last few training cycles because I had to get faster faster faster now now now. As much as I try not to admit it, I definitely have some hang-ups about being a "slower" runner, and I let myself lose sight of good training practices to try to improve my times. A couple of injuries and illnesses later, I think I've hopefully learned my lesson. (And if not, I think there's no helping me at this point.)

So, this training cycle, I am going back to basics and using a Hal Higdon plan. I went back to the data from my first cycle (that was a scary blast from the past, let me tell you...), and when I first started my easy pace was around 12 min/mile and, by the end, it had dropped to about 11 min/mile. My easy pace now seems to be about 10:45 - 11 min/mile, and I'm curious to see how much I can improve by the end of this cycle!

That being said - I am modifying the plan a bit based on what I've learned during my less than stellar training cycles. I really liked incorporating strength training and swimming when I did RLRF. I also found hill workouts to be fun and not as body/soul/mind-destroying as track workouts when I added some Blue Ridge-specific prep to my training this spring. I also am aiming for a time goal, so I will be following Higdon's speed recommendations, rather than just adhering to the distance prescribed.

A typical week will look like this:

M - easy run AM/NROLFW workout PM
T - swim AM/easy run PM
W - hill workout AM/NROLFW workout PM
R - swim AM
F - tempo run AM (@ MP)
Sa - long run AM (@ MP+90)
Su - rest

Yes, there are a lot of AMs there for someone who tries to run in the evening, but I know workouts in the morning are inevitable when doing two-a-days, and they're something I genuinely want to do. I paid attention the last few weeks and realized my biggest barrier to getting up on time is that I get sucked into social media in bed. (Yes, that's very shameful to admit!) But to combat this I downloaded one of those blocking apps - so that I don't have anything fun to look at when my alarm goes off instead of getting it into gear. (I did leave Instagram unblocked, so that I can get my small fix and not feel like everything I love is being ripped away at once.)

Every third week will be a cutback week, which I think will be my key to successfully completing this training cycle. On these weeks, I will switch the hill workout and tempo run with easy runs, and the long run will be cut back from the previous week by 3-4 miles. I was a little nervous about building my own plan until I made these modifications. I know myself, and I will be much more willing and able to hit the workouts when I know these regular rest periods are coming my way.

I'm also ready to get the little (and not so little) things in line this cycle! I normally fail pretty hard when it comes to nutrition, but Michael and I loaded up on healthy stuff at the grocery store this week and have committed to having quality dinners. I also picked up some iron supplements to combat the anemia I struggle with, and I've started a hip flexor stretching routine every night, since I think most of my injuries stem from them being incredibly tight! I also plan to foam roll religiously every night to combat any other imbalances.

Michael cooks dinner for us because he is awesome, so I know my giant lazy butt won't lead me back to eating junk for dinner after a day at work. I realized I usually watch one episode of some fun TV show a night, so I plan to do my stretching and rolling during that time, so it doesn't feel like a horrible "extra" burden.

I think that covers just about everything (and has probably bored you to tears by now), except for what my actual goal is. It's pretty scary, but I am going for a 4:20. (Ok, a 4:19:59, but who's counting?) This translates to a 9:55 min/mile pace.

Based on recent times from shorter races, this should be a reasonable goal for me. It's pretty scary to see a goal marathon pace that starts with a single digit, but I need to stop letting my mental game hold me back. Hal Higdon worked for me before, and I know it will again.

I just need to trust my training.

Guilt

I feel a little strange writing a negative post when there's so much positive stuff going on right now, but I've been struggling with these feelings for awhile, and that's what my blog is for. So here we go.

For the past couple weeks, I have been totally neglecting my training. I focused on getting all my weight sessions in (and I will recap Stage One of NROLFW soon, I promise!), but everything else sort of fell by the wayside.

I can't say I'm totally surprised this happened. There's a been a lot of life stuff happening like, you know, buying my first house and moving for the second time in three months. I love our house, but it's still an adjustment. (As someone at work said the other day: "I HATE CHANGE!!!")

Besides that, it's also been go, go, go, with races and other travel, like going back to our parents' for Father's Day and the 4th of July. All of this has been super fun, but it started to burn me out. Right now our only plans for August is for my best friend to come visit us (which will likely involve me taking time off work and chilling poolside!), and Michael and I can't wait to sit around on our butts for a few weekends.

We've also started wedding planning slightly more in earnest than before, in that we are actually looking at venues. The first was a total spectacular dud, but we have high hopes for the one we're seeing at the very beginning of August. When my best friend (and MOH) gets back stateside in July, it will be easier to have someone to bounce ideas off of.

So, with all of that detailed, from an objective point of view, I'm not surprised at all that I am feeling a bit burnt out. If someone else told me all that and asked for advice, I would tell them to take a few deep breaths and enjoy the time off.

However, I am the queen of imposing irrational and pointless pressure on myself. Which has led to some really intense guilt about skipping my workouts.

I tried to take a step back - I have no time goals for Missoula, I am in decent (for me) shape, and there is a generous cut-off. Taking some time to recharge isn't going to hurt me this Sunday. I'm guessing it might even help.

Even though that sounds super reasonable, I'm still struggling with the guilt. I've spent this week doing about 30 minutes of yoga a night, which has kept me from getting restless, but hasn't really eased the guilt.

I've been doing a lot of soul-searching trying to determine the cause of this guilt, and maybe have a few guesses. The job I took here when I moved is fine, but it's a lot less challenging than my prior one. I specifically wanted something a little less stressful, but I went too far down the spectrum. I think without some work stress, I'm feeling a little lost. I defined myself by academics for so long, and now that I can't replace that with work, it's a bit of a struggle. I guess I feel like I have to pressure myself somehow, so I'm finding a new outlet?

I've also lost a routine without a set workout schedule. Again, I specifically took a break from my plan to break that very routine, but structure really helps keep me centered. (I originally used the word calm here, but I don't think that's quite right.)

Trying to understand the cause isn't working out so well, so I'm hoping it passes soon. I'm unbelievably excited to run Missoula and then spend five whole days hiking all over Glacier National Park. I haven't done a big Park hiking trip in awhile, and I'm ready to hit the trails! I even treated myself to a new daypack and everything.

I plan to take an additional week off after the trip and plan to do whatever I feel like. If I want to go for a walk, I will. If I want to go for a trail run, I will. If I want to sit on my butt and share 1000 pictures of Glacier with you guys, I will.

This low-grade anxiety is really uncomfortable, but it helps to recognize that it's irrational and it too will pass. Training for Chickamauga will start two weeks after Missoula, and I'm really happy with the plan I created for myself, so I also have that to look forward to.

Other than at Christmas, I've never taken for than a couple of days off work at time. (And at Christmas, we switched locations every three days, so it wasn't very relaxing!) After tomorrow and Friday, I will have nine days straight off work, and I have no plans to check my work email or even check in with the office. After so many major changes in the last few months, running a great marathon and doing some amazing hiking might be just what I need to reset.

Has anyone else struggled with this? I could really use some advice.

Versatile Blogger Survey

I was nominated by EB from Running on E for the Versatile Blogger Award. She manages to run far and fast and make it seem easy! I love following along with her training and reading her race recaps. In fact, her reviews help sell Michael and I on doing Chickamauga this fall! Definitely check her blog out.

A little about this award/survey (which I stole from EB): The Versatile Blogger Award is for those blogs that bring something special to your life. In picking your nominees, you are to consider the quality of the writing, the uniqueness of the subjects covered, the level of love displayed in the words on the virtual page. Or, of course, the quality of the photographs and the level of love displayed in the taking of them.

“Rules” are as follows: Answer the questions you have been given, nominate 10 (ish) other bloggers and give them their own set of questions to answer.

I hope you enjoy!

1. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?

Hmm...this is one of those "icebreaker" questions I always struggle with.... I guess I'm a fairly simple person! I'm going to half-steal EB's answer (that she knows Latin). I speak German with moderate fluency. I never considered this surprising because it was my second major in college, so I talked about it a lot, but I realized that now that I've graduated, very few people I regularly interact with know this about me.

2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Weirdest answer ever, but I really, really wanted to be an Amish person when I was little. I went through a huge "Felicity" phase (she was the American Girl from the Colonial period), and my grandma told me the Amish lived a Colonial times-ish lifestyle. I'm pretty sure she meant to mock me, but at that time, it sounded like the best thing ever. I had actually forgotten about this until I started my new job - my hospital does a lot of outreach to the Amish community, so members are around pretty often.

3. What is your favorite place you have visited?

Hands down, New Zealand! I went for two weeks as a pre-college program with a bunch of other incoming freshmen, and it was so amazing. We only stayed on the North Island, and I want to go back and explore some more, especially on the South Island. Michael and I thought about going for our honeymoon, but I want to do a whirlwind tour of all the LotR/Hobbit filming sites, so we decided to leave this for a stand-alone trip.

4. What is one place on your travel must-see bucket list?

I already blew New Zealand on the last question. Oops. Two other places I really want to see are Ireland and Quebec. I have ancestors from both these places (I did the math, and I think I have one relative from Quebec five generations back! but it counts!), and I'd love to see them. (I'm mostly German, but I've been fortunate enough to already have gone to Germany three times.) 

5. What's your current go-to workout song?

Bills by Lunchmoney Lewis. It's so catchy and fun. My favorite radio station usually plays this at 5 PM on Fridays, so it also reminds of the weekend. 

6. What is your favorite distance to run?

I had to think about this one. I obviously really like marathons (or I wouldn't be doing 50 of them!), but I think the 10K might still be my favorite distance. It requires speed, but also endurance, and I find it to be more tactical than the 5K. Pushing myself for a 5K hurts, but it's over pretty fast. A 10K requires a little more prolonged suffering.

7. What is your dream race/event?

I would love to run some international marathons! My best friend and I are hopefully going to go to Turkey sometime so I can run the Istanbul Marathon. (She is fluent in Turkish, so she can haul me around.)

8. What would you do with a $1000 gift card?

True story, I am horrible at spending money on fun stuff. I try to give myself permission to buy treats, and I just can't do it! I think I would put this towards travel and maybe stay in a nicer hotel than usual. I know, I really live on the wild side.

9. If you could go on a bicycle built for two ride with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

Someone with strong quads! All kidding aside, probably JRR Tolkien. We could talk about Peter Jackson ruined Faramir and how Sam is the real hero. But I wouldn't tell him I named my cat after Faramir - apparently he was not a fan of people naming their pets after characters!

10. What is your favorite guilty pleasure snack food?

Gosh, so many choices! I think most German sweets are on this list. Rittersport is so good, but hard to find in the US. There's a flavor with a biscuit in the middle that is the bomb dot com. Once, on a study abroad, I bought a package and offered to share a piece with the people I was sitting with. They were almost appalled I was willing to share the best flavor of Rittersport I had bought for myself!

I nominate the following bloggers:

Sam @ See Sam Run

Emily @ My Healthyish Life

Liv @ Healthy Liv

Angela @ Love the Running

Here are my questions: (Ok, and if there's one thing I'm worse at than doing icebreakers, it's making icebreakers! I kept a lot of EB's questions because they were way better than what I could do.)

1. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?
2. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
3. Why did you decide to start a blog?
4. What is one place on your travel must-see bucket list?
5. What's your current go-to workout song?
6. What is your favorite distance to run?
7. What is your dream race/event?
8. What would you do with a $1000 gift card?
9. What's your favorite running related book? (I'm trying to find some summer reading, totally a selfish question.)
10. What's your favorite hobby outside of running? (Blasphemy!)

Hatfield McCoy Marathon Recap (Round Two)

This past weekend was a first for me - I went back and ran a marathon for a second time. I've only ever repeated two other races before - my hometown Turkey Trot and the Big Ten 10K. I wasn't sure what it would be like to repeat a race of a much longer distance. I did know this time around would be a little different since it was slated to be 10 degrees hotter (with a predicted real feel of 100) than 2014.

Michael and I took a half day Friday to drive down. We probably could've waited until after work and gotten in late, but I wanted to make sure Michael got the "full" Hatfield McCoy experience with the free pasta dinner and the skit.

From Northeast Ohio, the drive is very easy - you get on 77-S and take it forever, then finish it up with a short stretch on a state highway. The only major town you pass by is Charleston, WV, so it's stress-free. We got a bit of a late start because I had to stop in the hood to get gas (never again!), but we arrived about 45 minutes before the skit. We had plenty of time to pick up our packets, eat, and get good seats in the auditorium. 

The RD gave a 30 minute talk about the race and how much it's grown. The skit was just as good as last year, and Michael said he enjoyed it. I did snap a quick picture to send my dad, who replied "I don't understand your message or picture." Hey - I tried!

We booked a hotel about 40 minutes away from Williamson. When I tried called the downtown hotels on two separate occasions, they wouldn't let me book a room. I got fed up with it, and I got us a Best Western for cheaper and booked online no problem. I know the city isn't really set-up to handle major tourism, but they seem to shoot themselves in the foot sometimes. If I call a hotel, I expect to be able to book a room!

Our alarm was set Saturday morning for 4:45 AM (getting up before 5 always makes us a bit sad). (Side note - how do you runners not in the Eastern time zone travel for races?! You must always get screwed by the time change plus an early wake-up!) We saw maybe two or three other cars on the road, and we had no issue finding a spot to park downtown, which was my big worry.

We walked about two minutes to a corner where people were congregating for a shuttle and got on the second one that came by. I think we waited less than 5 minutes, and then the actual ride to the Food City took less than 10. We cycled through the bathroom in a few minutes and had about 20 minutes to wait for the start. I did forget about the pre-race prayer. (Again, I appreciate the sentiment of hoping everyone has a good race, but having a Christian prayer for a very diverse group of people makes me pretty uncomfortable. I think it's a cultural thing there, but I wish they could be a little more self-aware.) 

The race started right on schedule, and we were across the line in about 30 seconds. While the race is chip-timed, there is no mat at the start. The two re-enactors from the skit saw us off by shooting a few rounds. 

Given how hot and humid it was supposed to be, Michael and I discussed strategy for this race, and we planned to run around 10:30 min/miles for the first half, to try to get as many miles under our belts as we could before it got oppressively hot. Our splits for the first 12 miles hovered around 11 min/miles with our walk breaks.

I forgot just how gorgeous this course is! While the race really advertised the feud aspect (obviously), I think they do a disservice by not mentioning how beautiful the region is. I tried to soak it in while I was cool enough to enjoy it.

I think both Michael and I were a little apprehensive about running another marathon after the sufferfest that was Blue Ridge, so it was nice when the biggest hill of the day, Blackberry Mountain, was no big deal. We did power-walk, but there was no soul-crushing defeat.

Soon enough, we were at the top. This was the first aid station with "extras," and I had the best, freshest piece of watermelon ever. I had a few more slices at other points in the race, and they were all just as good. Michael got a bit ahead of me on the downhill, so I finally got a picture of him running!

The course flattened out for a few miles after this, and we continued making good time. Until about mile 12, that is. I think there was a moment where we both looked at each other walking out of an aid station and were like "It is hot!" At this point we started implementing walk breaks whenever we felt like it. I really appreciate that this race doesn't have a time limit. It was nice to only manage our bodies, not our bodies and the clock.

The person I ran with last year really started struggling around this point, so it was nice to enjoy downtown Matewan when we came through the halfway mark this time.

I also stopped to take an identical picture of the river as I did last year, only this time no one came up to tell me it was an ugly spot and I shouldn't photograph it.

This was the point where my companion dropped out last year, and I was surprised how little of that part of the course I remembered. I totally forgot about the long section along the river, though this meant the dirt road part was way shorter than I was thinking, which was a nice surprise. But that didn't mean the dirt road wasn't still there!

Luckily, there hadn't been unseasonable rain the whole week before the race, so it was not all mud like 2014. But I was glad the entrance to the golf course didn't disappoint and was once again hilariously bad.

I was really excited for another chance at the swinging bridge, and I even got a picture this time around!

The last section of the race had very little shade, and it felt like we were in the middle of a Marathon Maniacs walking club. It was really fun getting to talk to a bunch of different people, including some others going for the 50 States. It's easy to get down about how slow walking is compared to running, but our chats helped pass the time.

Michael also spotted my returning racer sign! I was getting worried we had missed it.

In the last half mile, it finally started to rain. We passed a couple other racers, and we all just shook our heads and laughed! And finally, the end was in sight.

The finish downtown came up quickly, and the re-enactors were once again there to greet us.

Time: 6:11:50

We were given our medals and immediately grabbed some chairs in the shade. A volunteer came over with some towels soaked in ice water and said we looked "done." Considering how bad I felt, I don't want to think about how bad I looked.

My entire legs had gotten horrible cramps the last eight miles of the race, and I was worried they would persist. But once I sat down, they quickly went away. I was relieved, since I had been imaging writhing in pain in the backseat the whole drive home.

Michael and I walked the few blocks back to the car and enjoyed a change of shoes and some time in the air conditioning. Once we felt a little more normal, we walked to a nearby restaurant to get our free post-race meal (there were four other restaurants we could have picked). I got two hot dogs, chips, a pop, and finished it off with soft serve ice cream.

I loved this post-race meal concept! It was so nice getting a pretty solid meal and having a choice on what it was. I just wish they had advertised what each restaurant offered. Hurley Drug ended up being great, but we weren't exactly up to wandering all over downtown to find out all the options.

Once full, we drove a half mile up the hill to the abandoned high school to shower. Not as creepy as I expected, actually, and I survived taking a shower in an open room with a bunch of other ladies. Also not as intimidating as I imagined.

I'm not planning on repeating any other marathons until the 50 States is complete, but it was fun to get to re-visit one of them. But I can't wait to see what the next 38 have to offer!

Home

The radio silence is over. Michael and I are finally, finally in our new house, and I can breathe again. The process went smoothly and quickly - but it still took over a month!

I thought I knew what to expect, since I spent my entire childhood in a house, but, after four years in dorms and apartments, owning my own place is even more magical than I imagined.

During the pre-buying process, both sets of parents suggested maybe buying a condo as a starter place, but I (and Michael) were completely against this. Our rule was our walls couldn't touch anyone else's walls. (We later had to modify this to also disallowing homes where we could touch someone else's house while still standing on our own land - some cities here really jam their houses together!)

I'm still adjusting sleep-wise to a new place with new ambient noise, but I can't get over how amazing it is that it is quiet enough to sleep virtually whenever I want. (Irony - our neighbors had a huge birthday party for their son the day after we moved, but it wrapped at 7 PM!) I knew being in an environment with the possibility of loud noise was really stressing me out, but I didn't realize how much until Sunday night when I started noticing lots of palpable tension in my shoulders and back around 9:30.

I'm also adjusting to a new running environment. While we're still in a suburb of Cleveland, we're straddled right on the edge of a county of nothing but farmland. This means that while our subdivision has nice sidewalks (and some running paths!), the surrounding area has none. It took me a minute to realize I can just run along the road safely because we're out in the country, but it will take some getting used to. For what it's worth, everyone on my run this morning was super courteous!

But to get to the important part - the house! We were really lucky to find a city that had homes with all our "needs" (an attached two car garage is a must in Northeast Ohio but surprisingly hard to come by) within our price range. I can't decide what my favorite part is yet (if you don't count the peace and quiet). However, a little work needs to be done. My parents came to help, and they get a huge shout-out for whipping our exterior back into shape.

Yard mowed, landscaping weed-whacked, trees pruned, mulch added.

We do need to call in a few tradespeople to fix a few minor things (ie, our dishwasher isn't attached to anything and tries to run away while being loaded), and our radon mitigation is scheduled for next week. There are a few minor aesthetic items to tackle as well. We started with spackling some giant holes left in the spare bedrooms, under the tutelage of my dad, - but next up will be painting over the giant baseball motif in the guest bedroom.

This is how I react whenever I look at it.

When we're supposed to tackle all these tasks, I have no idea! We're out of town the next two weekends (ok, we will be here Sunday, but I'm not sure finishing up the mulching would be fun the day after a marathon), and gone every weekend in July. Luckily, Michael has the option to work from home, so we can at least get the trades out ASAP and just deal with everything else...some time. (Our first guest will almost certainly be my best friend, and she assured me as long as the baseball room is climate controlled, she will be happy!)

I don't want to sound like I'm whining though - I will happily figure this whole thing out in turn for living in place that is actually mine. Which is a weird concept in and of itself. I was thinking this morning it'd be nice to have a little shelf or basket by the door for my Garmin and iPod - then I realized I could put in whatever I wanted! I think I'm focusing on the more straight-forward tasks first, because the thought that Michael and I could theoretically change everything is a little overwhelming.

But back to this weekend, we'll be running the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon! I'm super excited, especially since I'll have a sign to look for, since I'm a repeat runner. Plus the atmosphere is so much fun - everyone is so much more relaxed and outgoing without a time limit.

But - the predicted high is almost 90 degrees, and the written description for the day is "humid." I ended up being sore from moving (!!), but my legs felt fresh and normal today after a super slow, dead-legged run Monday morning. I'm hoping with a little more rest this week, they will be ready to go come Saturday. Either way, Michael and I are just running this one for fun together.

And no matter what happens, I know we have a home to come back to.

Jog into Spring 5K Recap

I realize this recap is coming pretty late, but I've been prioritizing other areas of life right now. We're closing on our house in less than two weeks (you have no idea how excited I am for this!), and I think once Michael and I are in a place that feels like "ours," rather than his with my stuff scattered everywhere in boxes, I'll have a much greater sense of normalcy and can get into a routine. (Plus I'll be able to sleep whenever I want for however long I want!)

Anyway, even though this is several weeks late, I would be remiss not recapping this race since (spoiler alert) I set a new 5K PR there! My purpose is signing up for this race was to actually race a short distance and evaluate where my fitness stands after some extended base-building through the spring. I'll be the first to admit my training was nowhere perfect, what with job-hunting and my move, but I did my best to stick with it and was hoping to run somewhere in the neighborhood of my PR, even if I didn't beat it.

The race was only about 15 minutes from my apartment and didn't start until 9 AM, so I left a little before 8 to give my time to pick up my packet and do a warm-up. I've hesitated doing a warm-up for short races for a long time, since I felt like that was only for "fast" runners, but I've come to realize that is totally silly, since a warm-up will help pretty much anyone run relatively faster.

Packet pick-up only took a minute or two, then I grabbed my phone from my car and put on one of my favorite 8Tracks playlists ("Epic Motivation") for a mile warm-up. The race started at the Independence Civic Center, which is next to a few baseball diamonds and a fishing pond; surrounding this area was a sidewalk almost perfectly .25 miles around. I did four laps, picking up the pace on the second and fourth lap. That pace was still far slower than what my PR pace would be, so I hoped adrenaline would carry me through the actual race.

I finished my warm-up with about five minutes until the gun, and they actually sent us on our way a minute or two early. I haven't raced a 5K in probably about a year, so I paid careful attention to my pace the whole way to keep myself from blowing up.

Initially, I panicked when I saw my pace was around 8:45 min/mile. I'm slow - I had no business running that fast! (When I ran my previous PR, I had no idea that I would PR and only saw how fast I was going about halfway through, so I didn't psych myself out.) I was tempted to pull up right away, but I took a step back to evaluate how I actually felt - it was obviously hard, but I wasn't dying.

I asked myself if I felt exactly the same but my watch read 9:30 min/miles, would I slow down? The answer was a very strong no, so I knew I was simply getting in my own head. I was determined to hold that pace. I think everyone was regaining their sea legs for racing season, so whenever I tried to tuck in with someone, their pace would vary dramatically. Because I'm not used to running an 8:45 pace, this made it a lot harder for me to stay on track, since my body couldn't "feel" that pace independently.

My main mistake in that first mile was chasing down people I thought were running my desired pace. I didn't really taper for this race, and my legs kept screaming when I did this. I eventually gave up that strategy, but I think it did some damage.

Mile two was definitely a mental struggle, and I ran it 15 seconds slower. I thought maybe I was close to blowing up, so I made my goal to run under a 9 min/mile, to avoid a total mental meltdown. I think this mile contained a slight uphill that really took a toll, but when it ended with a long, slight downhill, I was able to catch my breath and recommit myself to the final mile.

I tried to do some race math and realized a PR was still doable, I just had to give it my all in mile three. I focused on landmarks and catching other runners around me in turn to distract myself in that final stretch. The course was a loop, and I had seen the mile three marker on the way out, so I knew from quite a distance when it was coming up. This helped give me a tangible goal to work toward. I used my usual trick of promising myself I wouldn't have to sprint the last .1 if I didn't want to, and just plowed ahead to the marker.

Around 2.75 miles it really hit me how short a 5K is compared to a marathon. (Who knew, right?!) Even though I was in a ton of pain and out of breath, I couldn't believe I was almost done! In fact, I was even more almost done than I thought, as the course ended up being .05 short.

Time: 27:14*

(This is adjusted from 3.05 miles to 3.1 miles. I used my average pace for the race, even though my pace for the last .05 was faster than that. This estimate seems conservative enough that I feel totally comfortable using this number as my PR.)

Not me...simply just a picture of the finish line.

I mentioned this before, but I had to adjust my last 5K PR for a short course as well. It was a huge bummer to get a sub-27 time on my watch again, only for the real time to be over that. I know it's much better to have an accurate PR, otherwise I'm just lying to myself and will get frustrated when I don't beat it, but it is a bit of buzzkill. But don't get me wrong - I was thrilled to PR!

I've been using Hal Higdon's Multiple Marathons plans since Myrtle Beach, and not even following them perfectly, and I still PRed by 26 seconds! Even though I know Higdon's methods work, I always feel like a less serious runner for using them, plus it is so weird to run an easy pace and just trust that the speed will magically show up on race day. I plan to use Hal Higdon to train for Chickamauga in the fall, and this was just the reminder I needed to trust the training. (Again - who knew?!)

After walking it off a bit, I went into the pavilion where packet pick-up had been to grab some post-race food. They had pizza, and I enjoyed it at a picnic table outside. I stuck around for an extra hour or so because they were having a huge raffle, though I sadly didn't win anything.

However, first came the post-race awards. I'm used to marathons, where the ceremony happens way before I finish, so it took me awhile to figure out why they were waiting to start (because of the walkers). It felt very strange. I didn't place, but I was still really excited when I looked up the results.

I placed 6/9, however - I finished eight minutes ahead of the woman in 7th place. This isn't a put-down to the women who finished after me at all, but it was so weird to look at the results and see a significant dividing line between "fast" and "slow"...and I was on the fast side! In my head I'm always the really slow runner, and it's bizarre when I see something that definitively shows that's not the case.

Now the question is - can I have similar success this Saturday at the New Moon Half?

Weekly Training Recap: 5/3 - 5/9

I'm going to start out this training recap with some exciting house news - we are under contract on a home! Our close date right now is the beginning of June, but our lender thinks we could close much sooner. However, buying a house is a huge time-sucking vortex. We are lucky to be moving very quickly, but there still seems to be 30-60 minutes of house "stuff" to do every night, which gets very tiring.

I'm trying to stay positive, because we both love the home we're under contract for, but I will be glad when the buying process is over. It sounds so petty, but having my workout and evening schedules messed up makes me cranky! But it will be totally worth it when we're in our own place. 

My week got rearranged a bit, but I stuck with last week's plan of prioritizing, and I'm pretty happy with what I accomplished. It certainly wasn't perfect, but I'm becoming more and more okay with that.

Sunday, May 3

9 mi easy, 11:14 min/mile

I was still in the winter running mindset, where heading out mid-day in the full sun is glorious. However, when it's 80 degrees and you don't take water with you, it is actually pretty terrible. I could tell I was getting very dehydrated and that my body wasn't cooling itself effectively, so I cut it short. (After drinking 36 oz of fluids, I was still down two pounds, so it was the smart decision!)

Monday, May 4

PM - 3.7 mi hills, 10:47 min/mile

PM - NROLFW Stage 1A-2

I did four sets of last week's hill workout, instead of three. I managed to do two of them at my "updated" MP (based on last week's 5K), but I had to dial it back for the second two. They were killer, so I'm still happy with the effort I put in.

Tuesday, May 5

AM - 1000 yd swim

PM - 6 mi easy, 11:11 min/mile

I set out at a bit faster pace, but when my breathing started getting a little harder, I backed off, and enjoyed the run a lot more. I think all the preceding days of hot running and had really taken their toll.

Wednesday, May 6

rest

My intention was to lift in the morning and run after work, but I was so tired when I woke up that I opted to go back to sleep. It's a good thing I did, because we had our home inspection after work and it took three hours. We didn't get home until after 10 PM, and I was wiped!

Thursday, May 7

AM - NROLFW Stage 1B-2

PM - 4 mi easy, 11:19 min/mile

I had a little trouble dragging myself out of bed in the morning, but I felt much better after a good session at the gym. Once again, I incorporated a warm-up and noticed the difference. Since I was in house mode, I threw on HGTV and watched a couple whine about their $1MM. Guys, there just was no room for their grand piano!

Friday, May 8

1 mi WU, 4 mi @ 9:55, 1 mi CD

I waited until after dark to run because it was so hot and humid, and I still felt like death towards the end of the run. The pace was harder than I wanted it to be, but I stayed around the apartment (because it is well-lit and right by the police station), so it was a hilly course too. I'm already over summer!

Saturday, May 9

11 mi long, 10:40 min/mile

Michael and I went in to see our parents for Mother's Day this weekend, so I ran on my parents' treadmill while they were at their bowling league (and Michael went to see his parents). The goal was 16 miles, but the treadmill turned out to be wildly inaccurate, so 5.3 MPH was reading as 10:30 min/miles on my watch (which also matched my perceived effort). The plan was only to run 11:28 min/miles, so I was okay throwing in the towel a bit early. But hey - it was a new treadmill PR!

Shout-out to the LotR marathon on TNT for getting me through!

Run Miles: 39.7 mi
Swim Miles: .6 mi
Lifting Time: 39:38
Total Time: 8:20

All in all, I am happy with the week. I missed one swim (the least important type of workout) and cut out 8 miles of running as I acclimated to the heat. (Though I really wish I had found .4 more...oh, well.) While I want to have some good preparation going into Missoula, I have to remind myself it's still really about building a base for Chickamauga training.

One of the last major pending house items is getting radon mitigation installed, which can take several hours, so I might have to switch up some workouts again. (The seller's are paying for it, but we're allowed to be present and to choose the spot.)

I'm also having a mother/daughter weekend with my mom this coming weekend. I had been planning a 20 mile long run, but I think I will flip flop it with my 12 mile long run the following week. I would like to be well-recovered for my half the week after that (are you still following?!), so I will cut out an easy day if my legs need it.

How do you acclimate to the heat?
What is your treadmill PR?