Slower Post-Race Run

Posted on 05.21.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

Per my Advanced Marathoning training plan, today’s run was scheduled to be 8 miles with 4 miles at 15K to half marathon pace. Since I ran Sunday’s race a little harder than I had originally intended and probably got a pretty good workout from that, I decided to just run 8 easy miles.

Ready to run.

I woke up a little later than I probably should have, but it was still pretty cool out for my run. The sun poked through some lingering clouds for most of my run.

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I kept glancing at my Garmin to take a peek at my pace and was surprised at how slow I was going for the effort I was putting in, especially compared to what I was running. Then, I realized that in that moment I had totally forgotten that I ran a half marathon two days ago at maybe an 85 or 90% effort, so of course my splits are going to be slow.

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Some thunderstorms came through last night, so the river was flowing and provided a nice, calming soundtrack to my run. I also got to see a great blue heron along the river bank, which was pretty cool.

I swear, there’s a heron in the photo.

My heel was giving me some trouble at the beginning of the run, but the pain gradually eased up. My race probably didn’t do me any favors in terms of getting over my plantar fasciitis, but I’m hoping lots of icing and stretching and easy running this week will help.

The splits:

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After my run, I showered (it was warm and I was pretty stinky) and headed to yoga. I had to modify some poses that I can usually do because my body was pretty tired, but I made it through and felt so much better at the end of class.

And then I headed to Starbucks to get myself a treat.

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I had a coupon for $2 off a Refresher drink and I was pretty hungry after all that exercise, so I decided to treat myself to an apple fritter. I generally feel guilty after I eat pastries, but after reading a guest post yesterday on Skinny Runner about the Female Athlete Triad, I decided to not feel bad about getting in a few extra calories, especially since I don’t eat apple fritters all day every day. Everything in moderation.

Did you run today? How did it go?
What neat critters have you seen on your runs lately?
What are some of your favorite indulgences?
I really love Swedish fish. And cupcakes. And doughnuts with sprinkles.

Race Report: Chicagoland Spring Half Marathon

Posted on 05.20.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

Sunday morning, Scott and I woke up early and headed to Schaumburg for the Chicagoland Spring Half Marathon. We had a pretty view of the sun for the drive there–it looked like a giant red-orange ball in the sky, which unfortunately I wasn’t able to really capture well in a photo, even with my D-SLR.

We were running a little late and I was worried about how long it would take to do race day packet pickup, but I was able to slip in and grab my number pretty quickly.

Working on pinning on my race bib.

I like smaller races because the process of lining up at the start line is much less chaotic. They didn’t have start corrals at this race, but did have signs marking where you should stand for your goal pace.

You can see the runners lining up for the start behind me.

My plan was to try to run at around a 10:15 pace, but most importantly, to focus on running at a pace that felt good and relatively easy. There were several pace groups in the 10:00/mile area, so I lined up toward the front of the 11:00/mile area. Right before the race started, I decided to mentally dedicate my race to my friend who passed away last Monday, which really kept me going.

Starting out the race.

I was surprised at how fast I was going while running at an easy pace. I feel like my fitness has been improving pretty quickly since I haven’t had to miss any runs in the past few weeks due to injuries. (Knock on wood that the streak keeps going.)

Unfortunately, I was a few seconds behind these times when I hit the mile markers because I wasn’t running the tangents very well, but you get the general idea.

At the first aid station, I swear my cup had a shot of water in it. Maybe two ounces. Definitely not enough for how hot it was going to be later on in the race. I was very glad I decided to run with my hydration belt.

My other critique of the race: I wouldn’t recommend running this race if you’re trying to PR and other runners don’t line up according to what pace they’re actually running. The path in Busse Woods that a lot of the race is run on is pretty narrow, especially when you have race traffic running both ways. I had to run in the grass multiple times to pass people, and pace groups were especially hard to get around.

“Hey, Scott! Thanks for taking photos of me!”

The shaded parts of the trail were nice, but seemed kinda few and far between. The temps started to get into the 70s toward the end of my race, and the last few miles felt very hot and humid. I actually felt like practicing vinyasa power yoga in a heated, humid studio really helped me to be able to deal with the heat while running, especially since we haven’t had a lot of hot weather to practice running in. I was passing other runners right and left during the last few miles. I can’t imagine what it was like for the runners who chose to run the full marathon.

So, my last few miles were pretty solid even though it was getting hotter and I was very thirsty for the last mile. I found myself wishing that a half marathon was only 12 miles instead of 13.1 miles, but I pushed through. Dedicating my race to my friend really helped me stay strong, but also helped me remember not to push too hard.

Finish line in sight, running pretty hard.

My official finish time was 2:09:02 (9:51/mi average), about 10 minutes slower than my PR and my fourth fastest half marathon (out of 10).

Garmin shot.

Finisher medal. Not my favorite, but not bad.

I was pretty happy with how I ran, and especially happy with how easy running a 9:45-9:55 pace felt, especially in warm weather. I ran the Shamrock Shuffle 8K on April 7th pretty hard and averaged 9:36/mi. I’m hoping my performance at the half marathon is a good sign for the rest of my summer training for my fall marathon. (P.S. Training for my fall marathon officially started yesterday! 18 weeks until the marathon!)

It’s impossible to look pretty after a hot race.

After the race, we stopped and picked up some breakfast at one of my favorite breakfast places.

Waffle with bananas, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. Heaven.

I took a shower and a nap, then went in to work for a while because I’m that hardcore. After work, Scott treated us to some fro yo, which we ate while watching Game of Thrones.

Mine is loaded with Swedish Fish. I got so excited when I saw that they were a topping option.

Not a bad Sunday.

Did you race this weekend? How did it go?
When’s your next race?
Favorite fro yo topping(s)?

Saturday Thoughts

Posted on 05.18.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

Thank you so much to everyone for your kind words of support upon the passing of my friend. At times I still struggle to wrap my head around what happened, but I know I’ll come to terms with things eventually. One silly thing that did help was a rainbow that appeared with some rain clouds a few hours after I found out about his passing. I’m a scientist at heart and I don’t usually find platitudes in everyday occurrences, but I decided to let that go this time and take the rainbow as a sign that my friend is okay now.

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Onto less somber things, I was wandering around the first aid section at CVS and discovered that they sell KT Tape. So, if you’re in a pinch and need some tape but can’t make it to the running store, check out your local CVS. IMG_20130516_091610 We had to take the dogs to the vet a few days ago, which Chloe absolutely hates. She freaks out and acts like she wants to jump into your arms, which is pretty tough for an 80 pound dog. Scott decided to try to calm her down a bit and the result was pretty cute, so I thought I’d share.

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I’m running the Chicagoland Spring half marathon in Schaumburg tomorrow. (Not to be confused with the Chicago Spring half, which is being held along the southern lakeshore path…no idea why one couldn’t change its name.) I think I’ve picked out my race outfit.

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Found this on Facebook, and I swear I could substitute that puppy for Maggie. She thinks my TP massage ball is one of her tennis balls. Naughty Maggie.

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And, to finish, I’ll leave you with this gem that I found on the Women’s Running twitter feed:

BKTwKt6CAAAEAVS

What are you up to today?
Are your pets terrified of the vet?
Do your pets try to play with or chew on your foam roller or other self massage tools?

Running with Goslings

Posted on 05.17.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

Woke up early-ish for my run this morning. Temps were in the 60s, so not too bad. I settled on a lululemon Swiftly tank and a pair of Speed shorts for the run.

Love the stripes on these shorts.

I also was super hungry when I woke up, so I dug into this month’s StrideBox for some pre-run fuel. I settled on the Honey Stinger chews. I’m planning on writing up a review on everything in the box once I get the chance to try it all out, so I’m not going to tell you what I thought of them. I know you’ll all be holding your breath for the review.

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It was pretty cloudy out, so I didn’t stop every five feet to get a pretty photo of the sunlight filtering through the trees, but I did try to snap a couple shots of the prettiest things I saw on the run.

I ran a lap and a half around a lake along the trail. I wrote in a post earlier this week about how I was so disappointed that I’ve been seeing a ton of geese, but no goslings. Well, on my journey around the back side of the lake today, I was finally able to see some!

Source: Hey Runner Girl Tumblr

Wait. Wrong Gosling.

Three mamas and their babies. Or two mamas, a dad, and their babies. Or maybe three dads. They could have a whole “Modern Family” thing going on, I don’t really know.

And closer up…

Squee!

No ducklings, though, although I’ve seen many adult ducks. Hopefully they’ll be coming along soon.

My training plan called for some strides today, but because I’m still experiencing a little pain from my plantar fasciitis, I decided to skip those and go with the easy run. Still, I finished my seven miles and felt pretty good afterward.

10:33 average pace. Not bad for me for an easy run, especially since I didn’t drink enough water yesterday and I think I was a little dehydrated.

I had 15 minutes between the end of my run and when I needed to leave the house to make it to the 8:15 yoga class I wanted to attend, so I quickly changed and grabbed another goodie from my StrideBox to snarf down on the drive over to my studio.

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My yoga class was great, as always. We did have a pleasant little surprise during class, though–a mother duck and her 8 or so babies walked in front of the big glass windows at the front of our studio. We all cooed at them, and it was a nice little break to towel off the sweat. After wishing to see some ducklings earlier in the morning, I was happy to have my wish fulfilled in such a nice environment.

Have you ever wished for something and had your wish come true?
Any fun plans for the weekend?
Anyone racing this weekend?
I’m running the Chicagoland Spring Half Marathon on Sunday.
Are the Blackhawks going to win tonight? Answer: yes.

Running Reads!

Posted on 05.16.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

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Etiquette for runners. Just read it. You won’t regret it (I hope).
Essential Drills for Speed and Efficiency:“Each of the drills highlights one or more aspects of good running form and accentuates them through repetitive motion, which trains the body to become comfortable with that movement so it can be inserted into your typical running mechanics. These drills can serve as a dynamic warmup routine after a 10-minute easy jog before your regularly scheduled run or workout, or they can be completed after a run to reinstate the notion of running with good form while fatigued.”
Post-run stretches to help aid recovery (video), because I don’t know any runner who doesn’t want to recover faster from hard runs.
Three Best Core Exercises for Runners, because a strong core will help you keep good running form.
How underhydrating affects tomorrow’s run. This article had me chugging water all day when I read it.
Is your running mileage preventing you from progressing? This article discusses overtraining and undertraining and how to hit that sweet spot of running volume that helps you improve the best. Includes a nice little diagram showing how the strength of a training stimulus and recovery interact.
Meat-free alternatives packed with protein. We all know that protein is important for athletes; here are some options for those who don’t eat meat, or who would like to go meatless for some meals to be kinder to the environment.
The 5 biggest pre-race fueling mistakes and how to avoid them, because nobody wants to be running to the port-a-potty during the race.
The biomechanical case for minimalist running. If you’re up for a scientific read, this is an interesting discussion of the forces generated by heel and midfoot striking and how shoes can affect the way force is applied by the runner. Interesting passages: “The “new” findings suggesting that barefoot is best have been around for decades.” “We have two studies that present identical biomechanical data. [The newer study] concludes that the best way to prevent injury is to switch to minimal (or no) shoes and land on the forefoot; the [older study] concludes that we need cushioned heels and should avoid midfoot or forefoot strikes.” “To me [the author of the article], this is a great example of how difficult it is to draw foolproof conclusions from observational data.” End nerdery.
Blog Smarter Chat #2 Recap from Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean, which includes lots of good tips for bloggers
A list of great WordPress apps, for those of you who use WordPress, also via Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean. I think I installed at least five of these, some of which you may have noticed in the small changes to the layout of my blog.

Read anything good lately?

Be Safe Out There

Posted on 05.15.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

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This afternoon, I found out that one of my and Scott’s friends from college passed away. As I understand it (from what I can remember from the phone conversation I had with my friend who let me know what happened; I was in shock, so my memory may not be 100%), he was out on a run Monday night and collapsed. A passerby found him and called 911, but they couldn’t resuscitate him.

There are a lot of things about his passing that are tough for me to work through right now. He was my and Scott’s age and was engaged to be married, like we are. I couldn’t possibly fathom what his fiancee must be going through right now. His passing was also just days away from the 10th anniversary of the passing of another college friend who was also far too young when she passed, which has been weighing on my mind lately as well.

Finally, hearing about what happened to him has made me think about my own running. He was in excellent shape and was an athlete for the entire time I knew him. He was one of the better swimmers on my DIII school’s swim team. He completed a full Ironman our senior year of college. And, he continued to keep an active lifestyle when he went to grad school, participating in club sports. To think that he likely had an unknown heart or similar problem that just happened to pop up on his evening run is scary to me.

Rationally, I know that I’m much better off going out and running than sitting on my butt and living a sedentary lifestyle. The number of people who pass away running marathons or competing in triathlons is miniscule compared to the total number of people who compete each year. I generally don’t worry about something happening to someone during a race because my rational thoughts generally are able to overtake any fears I have, but because this was my friend, a guy who I walked to breakfast with almost every day of my freshman year of college, it has me thinking more about the risks I could be taking when I lace my shoes up and step out the door.

So, my question to you, dear readers, is this: do you struggle with similar fears? How do you cope with the possibility that the sport you love could possibly severely harm you, especially when the fear hits close to home?

Running After the Rain

Posted on 05.15.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

Some thunderstorms rolled through here last night, which somehow always makes things seem greener and brighter to me the next day, maybe because everything is covered in tiny water droplets. The clouds were clearing when woke up a little after 5 AM, and since it was already warm (at least 65°F) and was only going to get warmer, I wanted to get out to the trail ASAP.

Decided to go with the yellow on yellow today.

It was definitely a shorts and a tank top day.

The start of my run.

My run was relatively uneventful, although I was pleasantly surprised at how many cyclists passing me took the time to say hello. Generally they just buzz by without even nodding. So, that put me in an even better mood.

The frogs in the lake had started to call out for mates, which I don’t think they were doing yesterday. The birds were out in full force, too. Lots of geese, but no goslings. Does anyone know when goose eggs tend to hatch around Chicago?

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The clouds started to clear toward the end of my run, which meant all of the rain started evaporating and the air got really humid, which made me grateful that I was only running 5 miles.

Tried to catch the reflection of some clouds in the Garmin.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my pace, especially because the pace felt pretty easy and it was relatively warm, too. I also only felt minor discomfort in my heel that’s had the plantar fasciitis, so I’m cautiously optimistic that I’m on the mend.

Have new critters started to peep and make noise lately in your area?
Do you like running in the rain? After the rain?
What’s your favorite running weather? Temperature?

Wish Every Morning Was Like This

Posted on 05.14.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

More beautiful weather here in Chicagoland. I was out on my run just before 7.

Today’s outfit: lululemon orange Swiftly short sleeve, Speed shorts, and a pair of Brooks Ghost 5s.

The weather this morning was near perfect for running, yet again. I wish that we could keep having this great weather, but I suppose it has to turn into summer eventually.

The sun greeted me as I headed to my car to drive to the trail.

During the second half my out and back route this morning I met up with an older gentleman who was also out on a run. I ran with for about a mile or so and we chatted about running and he told me about the physical benefits of golf (I am not a golfer, unless you count putt-putt, and I do that poorly) and about how he ran Boston in 1983. He was running at a slightly slower pace than I had been, which was actually good for me since I really should be keeping my pace on the slow side until my plantar fasciitis heals up. (It is feeling much better, though.)

View from the trail this morning.

I came home from my great run and chatted with Scott for a bit, who was just getting up to go to work when I got home. The dogs surprised me with belated Mother’s Day presents after their morning trip outside.

Chloe got me some CVS store brand Swedish fish (they’re really good!) and Maggie got me a Starbucks gift card, which you can kinda see peeking out from her mane on her left side. They got groomed last Friday–aren’t they looking pretty?

After giving the doggies some belly rubs to thank them for their wonderful presents, I headed to yoga and had a great practice. Plus, it helped me stretch out after my run.

Yoga!

And then I stopped and got some Starbucks iced coffee on my way home. A perfect morning, all around.

Did you get in any workouts this morning?
Is there an easy gift that your friends and family can get for you?
Starbucks gift cards are always a big hit with me.
Do you ever chat with people you meet on your runs?

Weekend in Photos

Posted on 05.13.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

Friday

Ready to run!

The Instagram filters I used made the sky look much brighter than it was. Friday it was chilly and kinda gloomy, but I made the best out of my run.

Friday’s splits: 10:46, 10:30, 10:14, 9:50, 9:34, 9:13. That last mile, I was running pretty hard, especially since a lot of it was uphill.

So apparently you’re not supposed to run hard when you have plantar fasciitis. Oops. Didn’t read that until *after* I got home from my run on Friday. My heel’s been bothering me for the first few minutes of running since my marathon, but I’ve been icing a lot and will now be making a big effort to run slowly to get it to heal.

Saturday

Didn’t run on Saturday to let my heel heal (hehe) a bit. Did pick up these pretty purple Saucony Kinvara 4s that we got in at work on Thursday. I’m a Brooks girl through and through, but I’d been wearing my PureFlows for work, which I wanted to stop doing. Also, I love purple. The Kinvaras felt comfy when I tried them out briefly on the treadmill, but I’ll take them out for a few runs and let you know how I like them. They are very light, which is nice.

Sunday

Actually got my butt out of bed relatively early for my Sunday “long” run.

It was CHILLY on Sunday morning! Temps were just below 40 when I started on my run, so I decided for the long sleeve shirt, jacket, and tights combo. Probably would have been okay with just a vest since the trail I used is generally protected from the wind by trees, but I wasn’t overheating too much.

So aside from being cold, the weather was beautiful! Everything is really starting to bloom here, which made the run pretty enjoyable.

The splits. I was better at not letting myself go too fast.

How did your weekend workouts go?
Did you run long? How many miles?
What did you do for Mother’s Day?
I worked, then came home and had dinner with my (future) mother-in-law.

Puppy Photos

Posted on 05.10.13 by Beth @ Running with the Sunrise

Last night, Scott and I went to go see Iron Man 3 (good movie, BTW!) with his cousin and wife (cousin-in-law?) and stopped by their house afterward to see their new English Mastiff puppy Bo, who at 8-9 weeks weighs as much as Maggie.

Sweet little (for now) Bo. This puppy’s paws are HUGE! His dad was 240 lbs., so he’s going to be a big boy.

Playing with Bo plus Maggie’s #RunnerPhotoChallenge of pets has me waxing nostalgic for when our dogs were little puppies, so prepare yourself for a deluge of adorable puppy photos of Maggie and Chloe. Look away if you hate puppy photos. (Also, what is wrong with you if you hate puppy photos? )

The ledge under my coffee table used to be her favorite place to nap.

Those floppy little ears get me every time.

Maggie’s favorite place to play was the box that my Master’s advisor would put her paper recycling in.

Chloe’s on the left and her brother Chastan is on the right. They followed a farm dog onto a friend of a friend of Scott’s farm when they were puppies. Scott’s friend (who has Chastan) scooped up both puppies before they could be taken to the shelter and knew Scott wanted a puppy, so asked if he wanted Chloe. The rest is history.

Still can’t believe that Chloe was ever this tiny.

Chloe really likes to kick things.

Maggie only got a few months in of being bigger than Chloe.

Do you have any baby photos of your pets?
Like to look at photos of baby animals when you’re feeling down?
(I sure do!)
Any big plans for the weekend?

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