Weekly Roundup 10.5-10.11

Week 2 of 16

I don’t know about you guys but I had an awesome week!  I knew I was going away for the long holiday weekend so I crammed most of my runs in during the beginning of the week and saved a 5k for the trip.

My run on Wednesday was HORRIBLE!  One of those really, bad, sluggish days.  I tried to stay relaxed and not worry too much about it because I knew I had a 10 mile run the following day.

Thursday’s mid-week long run was perfect!  I had my daddo riding alongside me on his bike.  Weather was great.  Sun was shining.  Slight wind.  My goal was 8 minute pace (1:20:00) and I ended up running 1:20:12.  Darn 12 seconds!  :)

Friday was a travel day.  Eight hours in a car brought us to my uncle’s cabin in Ellicottville, New York, which is about an hour south of Buffalo, for Fall Fest weekend.  Saturday I ran a 5k (Race Report: Fall Fest 5k) and Sunday we took a ski lift to the top of a ski mountain at Holiday Valley Resort and walked down!  Oh my god, my glutes!  Ouch!

Upcoming events:

·      2 weeks until the Cape Cod Half!

·      14 weeks until the Houston Marathon!

Monday 10.5.15

5 miles (35:57)

1.25 miles with G (11:40)

10 push ups

24,380 steps

Tuesday 10.6.15

0.5 miles with G (4:57)

Marathon Sports Run Club! 3.25 miles with Chris, Jason & Danielle (27:06)

Taught spin class. The playlist: When Love Takes Over Spin Playlist

10 push ups

23,100 steps

Wednesday 10.7.15

3 miles (23:20)

14,319 steps

Thursday 10.8.15

10 miles with daddo on the bike (1:20:12)

29,414 steps

Friday 10.9.15

Ellicottville, NY

7,803 steps

Saturday 10.10.15

Ellicottville, NY

Fall Fest 5k (20:23) <--a PR!

Race Report: Fall Fest 5k

22,290 steps

Sunday 10.11.15

Ellicottville, NY

14,978 steps

Uncle John, Aunt Barb, Cousins Melissa & Michele with me and my parents

G mileage disclaimer: None of the mileage reported with Georgie is straight, consistent running. We may run 1 mile in 9 or 10 minutes but in reality we probably covered a 2-3 mile distance with a mix of walking and running.  I stop my watch every time we start walking.

ICYMI

Week 1 of 16

This week’s mileage: 26 miles

This week’s G mileage: 2 miles

October Totals: 41 miles

2015 Totals: 458 miles

Race Report: Fall Fest 5k

Important question – Does a 5k PR count if they spell your name wrong in the results?

I say YES!

I spend the long holiday weekend in Ellicottville, New York for Fall Fest with my family.  It was a fun-filled weekend of activities including a 5k on Saturday morning.  (Signing up for the 5k wasn’t even my idea!)  I went with my two cousins Melissa and Michele and friends Ali (remember Ali from the 50 Yard Finish?!) and Michele’s friend Katie.  

Side note: I am such a proud cousin right now.  Melissa is in the middle of a 6-week 20 pound challenge and is doing SO GOOD!  She looks great and is totally changing her whole lifestyle.  Michele is also doing big things as she signed up for the half marathon in Houston.  She recently started running and seems to really be getting into it.  (I drew up a 14-week training plan for her that starts TODAY!)  Last week Michele ran 7.5 miles while Melissa biked alongside her.  Love the motivation and teamwork, girls!

#cousins

Back to the race!

The race was small with only 196 finishers and started/finished at Holiday Valley Ski Resort.  It was an out and back course with the first half mile downhill and the last half mile uphill.  So fun!  NOT!  I believe the race website used the word “epic” or “thrilling” to describe it.  It didn’t look that big but it felt ginormous.  The rest of the course was flat.  Kind of boring but the mountains and fall foliage was GORGEOUS!  Before the race it was super foggy and cool but just as the gun was about to go off, the fog broke and the sun came out making the scenery even prettier.

Overall, I felt really good running.  I wasn’t trying to PR.  I wasn’t trying to place.  All I wanted to do was run “comfortably fast.”  (My Tuesday morning spinners always make fun of me for using that term but it totally makes sense to me!!)  I cruised through the first mile, settled into a rhythm during the second mile, slowed down a bit from 2 to 2.5 miles then powered up the hill to a 20:23.  YEAH!

Up next: Cape Cod Half in 2 weeks!

I signed up for the Jingle Jog!

What: 4th Annual Jingle Jog 5k

Where: Falmouth, MA

When: December 5, 2015

I signed up for another 5k! 

Does it fit in with my Houston Marathon training?  Nope, not really.  Pretty sure that weekend I'll be running 18 miles.  So why am I running it?  Because why not! And where else am I going to wear my Christmas compression socks?!

I ran this race in 2013 with my dad and we had a blast!  [Check out my full 2013 Race Report!]  We had to miss out last year only because the race times overlapped with Puppy Kindergarten.  Despite the freezing cold temperatures, it was a pretty course along the water with Dunkin’ Donuts hot chocolate waiting for you at the finish line.  They give out heavy cotton long sleeve shirts to the first 200 registered and everyone gets jingle bells!

I hear a few of my Run Club friends will be there and I also just signed up my dad.  If you’d like to join us, visit the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce website for full registration information.  Hope to see you there!

2013 Jingle Jog with my Daddo

PS – 78 days until Christmas!!

Weekly Roundup 9.28-10.4

Week 1 of 16

Week 1 of Houston Marathon training was great!  The 10 day forecast was not very promising with rain beginning Tuesday and lasting for the next 9 days.  I took advantage of the beautiful Monday but started to reconsider marathon training when a mile into my first training run I literally almost ran into a turkey and I didn’t even have my mace—a big Run Jen Run no no!  It was so nice I even went home and took G out for a quick run.  I wasn’t expecting to go to Tuesday’s Run Club but it wasn’t raining so I couldn’t NOT go!  It was fun but about 1/2 in the dark… BOOOO! 

Torrential rain on Wednesday led to a rest day.  There was a clearing on Thursday morning so I decided to try a long route with G, which turned into a bad idea, a very bad idea.  So many things added up and sent her way over threshold about a mile away from home.  Not fun.  But we survived and I dropped her off at home and got in 2 miles alone.

Friday was an experience!  More torrential rain and wind but I refuse to run on the treadmill so I headed out for 4 miles in Osterville.  Running with a hat definetly helps and I wasn’t feeling all that bad except for the asshole cars that would speed by and splash buckets on my feet.  Not a fan of soggy socks, thank you very much.

Saturday was long run day!  Week 1 starts out at 8 miles.  When I went to bed on Friday it had looked like the rain was going to continue until late afternoon but I got lucky!  I headed out late morning and battled the 20-30mph winds.  (The news reported up to 40mph winds!)  I ran way faster than planned but I blame the wind.  So hard to stay consistent and judge pace when swirling winds are pushing you in all directions.

I will be facing some possible scheduling conflicts next week but bring it on, Week 2!

Upcoming events:

·      3 weeks until the Cape Cod Half!

·      15 weeks until the Houston Marathon!

Monday 9.28.15

5 miles (38:04)

1.15 miles with G (12:02)

20,676 steps

Tuesday 9.29.15

Marathon Sports Run Club! 3.2 miles with Chris (29:03)

Taught spin class. The playlist: Let’s Get Married Spin Playlist

10 push ups

20,530 steps

Wednesday 9.30.15

10,275 steps

Thursday 10.1.15

0.96 miles with G (10:05)

2 miles (16:20)

Taught spin class. The playlist: Lose Control Spin Playlist

Power Water

24,708 steps

Friday 10.2.15

4 miles (31:20)

16,760 steps

Saturday 10.3.15

8 miles (1:00:40) <-- 7:35 pace – 7:37, 7:34, 7:39, 7:41, 7:38, 7:41, 7:26, 7:19

25,205 steps

Sunday 10.4.15

Taught spin class. The playlist: Gimme Three Steps Spin Playlist

Burdenko H2O

10 push ups

14,438 steps

G mileage disclaimer: None of the mileage reported with Georgie is straight, consistent running.  We may run 1 mile in 9 or 10 minutes but in reality we probably covered a 2-3 mile distance with a mix of walking and running.  I stop my watch every time we start walking.

This week’s mileage: 24 miles

This week’s G mileage: 2 miles

September Totals: 87 miles

October Totals: 15 miles

2015 Totals: 432 miles

Specificity of Training

Specificity of Training

According to Jack Daniels in Daniels’ Running Formula, his Specificity of Training principle states that, “The system you stress is the system that improves.”

Think about your running goals.  What are you trying to change or improve?

If you want to run a marathon, run long.  If you have a marathon goal pace, train at your marathon goal pace.  Consistently running slower than goal pace will not help you on race day.

If you are training to run a fast 5k, you need to run fast in your training.

Not quite at your goal race pace yet?  Start with conversation pace running to build cardiovascular fitness and add in Fartlek runs and interval training.  Gradually increase your speed and/or distance and decrease your recovery periods.  Remember: if you want to run fast in a race, you need to run fast in training.  It seems so simple, right?

Changing too many variables in your training can also become a problem.  It takes about 3 weeks to start seeing improvements and up to 6 weeks to adapt to new training stresses.  If you change too many variables at once, it’s hard to tell what is working for you and what is not.

If you are unsure about how to train, a Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) Certified Running Coach can be a great resource.  (Hint!  Hint!  I am one!  You can book with me through CoachUp: https://www.coachup.com/coaches/jens-3)

The Cross Training Debate

Cross training and strength training are very important for runners.  However when talking about Specificity of Training, not all cross training will benefit your running.

In a good fitness program, you will train the whole body.  Focusing on an upper body routine will not help build muscle fibers in your legs and vice versa.

On a similar level, walking 18 holes and swinging a golf club will not help your running.  Neither will running back and forth on a tennis court.  Yes chasing tennis balls will increase your cardiovascular fitness but how often in running are you moving laterally in a road race?  In fact, the side-to-side movement in tennis is risky and can lead to an increased chance of injury for someone that is consistently training in a straight line!

American distance running legend Frank Shorter once said, “The key to running is to develop the neuromuscular patterning that enhances running.”  This translates to cross training.  Running-specific cross training not only improves cardiovascular fitness but also includes similar running movement patterns. 

What are examples of running specific cross training?  Aqua jogging, swimming, biking, cross country skiing, and using an elliptical or EllitiGo.  These are often go-to activities for the injured runner or in place of a run.  Movement patterns mimic running while at the same time working the cardiovascular system. 

Weight training, while necessary for runners for other reasons, should not take the place of a run.  Neither should yoga or Pilates.

The RRCA recommends 2-4 efforts per week.  An effort is “a workout different than normal workout” and includes the week itself, long runs, fast runs, cross training, strength training, etc. 

Again, think about your running goals.  What are you trying to change or improve and what other activities are you participating in?  Are they helping or hurting your running?