17 Miles

Hey, what did you do this morning?

I ran 17 miles! I still can't believe it.


I left home at 8:00am this morning, and I have to admit it was hard to get out of bed. I went to visit my friend in New Jersey and her new baby last night, and I didn't get home until after 11pm. We had a bellini or two (sparkling wine and peach puree - total girl drink). I had to make sure to not drink too much and drink it early. There was a bottle of wine opened too, but I declined to have any of that.

I had my favorite running breakfast (banana, spoonful of peanut butter, and dry cheerios) before leaving the apartment. Luckily the subway was running pretty normal this morning, and I got to the park right at 8:30.

Last week was a recovery week (10 mile long run), and now we are back up to building mileage for the next 3 weeks. We'll peak on April 12th with a 20 mile run on trails in New Jersey.

Today the beginners, intermediates, and advanced runners were all doing 16-18 miles. The run was the same 14 mile "3 Bridge Run" that we did a month ago (see the March 2nd post for a description of it), but we had to add a loop of the park onto it a the beginning to make it 17 miles. A loop of the park is 3.3 miles, so we actually did 17.3 miles.

I was a little anxious about the run, because the last long run had gone so poorly. I tried to just not think about it and go. I took some advil with breakfast, and I took 2 more a few hours later after the loop of the park.

Some of this run was super windy. When we were running across the Manhattan Bridge, the wind was so strong that we felt like we were in Scooby Doo. Our legs were moving, but we didn't seem to getting anywhere.

I felt a little twinge of discomfort at certain points of the run, but overall it was OK. I saw our coach when we were running down the Williamsburg bridge, and she said I looked like I was favoring one leg. I'm sure I was, because running downhill is the least comfortable for me.

My friend Sarah was injured earlier in the season and had to miss a month of training because of tendonitis in her foot. She has just gotten back into the long runs for the last 2 weeks, and today she had another issue pop up. Now her other foot is hurting in the same way. She had to stop around 11 miles in. I felt bad for her, because I know how frustrating that can be. She has to be doubly frustrated, because this the the 2nd injury for her. This marathon training can be hard on the body.

For my injury, I wore this strap on my knee. I'm not sure if it really does anything or not. My physical therapist said it has to be really tight to work. I made sure to tighten it about 5 miles in to the run, because I don't think I had it on tight enough.


Whenever the pain popped up, I tried to think about keeping my right foot straight. I've found that it tends to roll in a little bit. Towards the end of the run, I actually felt great. Maybe it was the thinking about the straight foot, maybe it was endorphins, I don't know. I actually had a lot of energy running the last few blocks, and it is all uphill.

We did a lot of stretching post-run, and that helped me to get back to feeling human.

Somebody had bought bagels for the team, and I could not have been happier. After running for 3 hours, I was dreaming about them for the last mile. I scarfed down half a sesame bagel with butter - yum!

I didn't do the ice bath when I got home, but I did ice my legs tonight. I still might do an ice bath tonight. They do seem to have magical powers.

5K in the BK

Tuesday night we did a 5K in Prospect Park for our practice. Our coaches set up a little race for us, and it was really cute. We even had little mini numbers to stick on our shirts.

The name of the race: The Lisa+Luis' 5K in the BK.

Luis brought his fancy camera, and took some pictures.

Here's the group right before the race. Note that it is almost all women.

**Attention single guys**
If you are looking for a girlfriend who likes to run, you should join Team in Training in Brooklyn. It's a really easy way to meet girls.



I haven't done a 5K race in a long time. Since I've started this training, all of our races have been 4 miles or longer. A 5K is 3.1 miles. With all the training, I've definitely gotten faster, and I was really curious what my time would be.

Of course, the end of the course is a really big uphill. The nice things is, I've gotten so used to hills now, so I don't think it really slowed me down too much. So much of the hills is mental. I play games with my mind while running up the hills. I fix my eyes on a point at the top of the hill and just look at that. It really tricks your brain into not realizing how far up you're going.

I decided to try to run this fast, but not quite at 100%. I'm still kind of testing out my injured leg and I don't want to re-injure it.

My very first 5K race was in September 2006 (on a flat course), and it took me 29:00. Tuesday I ran the race in 26:09. That's a full minute faster per mile. Wow.

Here I am finishing!


The best thing about this race for me: NO PAIN! None. I'm cautiously optimistic about this IT Band problem. I'm really hoping the long run this weekend (16-17 miles) will go well.

And here is the group post-race. We got a pretty small turnout this Tuesday. The Saturday group is much bigger.


The coaches gave us little plastic finisher medals and goodybags. They really went all out for this race. It was adorable.


OK, they all said "winner." It's just like in elementary school when you get a trophy for "participation."

Happy Easter

No running today. Sundays and Wednesdays are my off days.

Inspired by my pets, I decided to sleep in today. I got up after 9:00! Yea!

Here is Tater, the world's most relaxed giant kitty. He's probably dreaming of baby easter bunnies and chicks that he would like to play with. His hunting instinct seems weak...


I'm going to try another run tomorrow (on the treadmill this time). It will be only 3-4 miles before work. I'm hoping for a pain free run. We'll see...

Feeling Better

Here's where I did my run today:


I'm feeling much less frustrated now, because I had a decent run today.

After emailing with my coach, we decided that it would be best if I didn't go to practice to run with the team this weekend. It's a recovery week, so we were going to be running "only 10 miles." Now at this point, I'm used to running 10 miles. That doesn't scare me anymore, but I was a little concerned about the pain popping up again.

The run was going to be loops of Prospect Park. The park has a banked surface, which isn't so great for people with IT Band problems (me). Since I'm trying to be as kind to my IT Band as possible, we decided that a gym workout would be better for me today.

I've been working late every night this week, so it was kind of nice to not have to be in Brooklyn by 8:30am today. I woke up naturally (without an alarm clock), had some breakfast, and went to the NYU gym.

We decided that I would do 90-100 minutes of activity, and I shouldn't run for all of it. So, I got on the stationary bike for 50 minutes. Then I changed into my outdoor running gear and went up to the track on the roof. The roof track is a softer surface than the pavement, and less boring than the treadmill!

I ran up there for 50 minutes, and I didn't even try to count how many loops I did. The track is about 1/6 of a mile. I'm guessing I did a little over 5 miles. I didn't run slowly, because slower running irritates the IT Band more than fast running does.

And...

I feel fine. No pain. Normally I start to feel at least a twinge by mile 4, and I didn't feel anything today. Walking down stairs is not a problem, like it has been for the last few weeks.

I don't think I am magically cured, but I guess the things I have been doing are helping. I've been trying everything, so there are too many variables to narrow down what works and what doesn't. I've been resting, icing 3-4 times a day, taking advil, and using my foam roller.

During the run, I wore one of those IT Straps (neoprene strap that goes around your leg above the knee), and I put new stability inserts in my shoes to keep my right foot from rolling in too much.

Even though I felt ok, I still iced the side of my knee when I got home.

Fingers crossed that it stays feeling good!

Pictures from the 15K

These are the pictures from the Colon Cancer Challenge 15K from 2 weeks ago.



I'm smiling for the cameras, but my knee is screaming...


Elizabeth and I both look like we are in pain in this one!

OK IT Band, It's War.

After an incredibly frustrating run on Saturday, I have declared war against my right leg (specifically my IT Band in my right leg). "Shock and Awe" begins now!

Since my right foot pronates in, I bought some stability inserts for my shoes. They add extra support to the arch, and keep your feet more straight when you run.


This is what the bottom of the inserts looks like.


And I also bought one of these IT Band straps. It's a piece of neoprene, and a cushion-y pad that you strap to your leg above the knee. It may or may not work, but it can't hurt. I'd be happy with a placebo effect.


I'm not too good at this resting thing. Not running is kind of driving me crazy. I've been swimming this week, and I tried a baby 1 mile run on the treadmill this morning. I felt fine, but I know a 1 mile run is not a good test. It usually takes me 2-6 miles before I feel the IT pain.

I've been foam rolling, icing 3-4 times a day and taking Advil. I'm not hurting anymore, but if I poke at my knee enough I can find a tender spot.

I'm still not sure if I am going to do the long run this weekend. I might do a workout at the gym instead for the same amount of time that I would have been running. I'm supposed to check in with my coach on Friday and we will decide then.

Frustrated

That's what I needed today, a little Amanda Carting.

I was really hoping for a good run today after last Sunday's running disaster, but no such luck. We all met at Gina's apartment at 8:30am, and I was planning on doing 16 miles. I started out feeling optimistic, because I felt so good on Tuesday night. Well, 3 miles in a felt a twinge in my problem leg. I took Advil this morning, so I was hoping it would stay just mild.

Nope! It got worse. We crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan and we were running up the West Side Highway, when Maria suggested that we stop, stretch, & eat soon. I was so happy to hear that, and I said "How about now?" We were at Chelsea Piers, which was about 6 miles into our run.

As soon as I stopped, I regretted it. My leg seized up, and it hurt to start running again. I tried a few times, but I knew it was a lost cause. I walked until I hit 42nd street, and then I walked over to the subway.

I had to take the train all the way back to Gina's place in Brooklyn where I had left my coat and purse. Gina's husband got us bagels again, which was super nice of him. I happily wolfed one down. Walking down the stairs of their building wasn't fun, but it wasn't as bad as the subway stairs last week. I'm hoping that stopping running was a good thing, and maybe I will heal faster.

I saw this on my way back to the subway to go home. It made me laugh, especially in the state that I was in. I wish the Amanda Carting service could have picked me up on the West Side Highway...


I went straight to a shoe store when I got back into Manhattan to look at shoes to correct the pronating that my right foot does. I know that it turns in a little when I run, and that could be what is causing the pain (or I could just be unlucky - it is a really common injury in long distance runners). I tried on a few pairs of shoes and ran on the treadmill on them.

Of course, there is no way I could pick out a shoe while running in pain. I'm not really sure what I was thinking. After trying on 3 pairs I decided this was a silly idea. So I went home and iced my legs in an ice bath. I think I cheated a little too much with the lukewarm water, because it didn't feel as cold as in past weeks.

My friend John (who is training for the NJ marathon on his own) called me this afternoon and said that he was having some knee pain. He knew that I had been also, and it sounds like he has the exact same experience today. He was going to do a long run and had to abort it half way through.

It is really frustrating. I'm hoping that a week or two of good rest and a lot of ice will help. I'm determined to run this thing!

OK, Tuesday Was Much Better

I was nervous to run after Sunday's running debacle. I hadn't been so messed up from a run in a while, and I was kind of afraid to repeat that.

Well, all seems OK! I guess the real test will be Saturday when we do 16 miles for the first time, but I'm confident I'll be alright.

We were working on pacing tonight. We ran 3 consecutive 1.5 mile loops of a section of Prospect Park. We were supposed to do each loop faster than the previous loop.

I ran the first one in 12:50, the second one in 12:17, and the third one in 11:50! Woo hoo! That's so much faster than I was when we started. I really want to do a 5K soon. I think I will blow my previous times out of the water.

The most exciting thing about tonight: The sun was still up when we started the run! I love, love, love daylight savings time. I wish we never went back to standard time.

Almost 15 Miles (I think...)

Today's run was both great and terrible.

First the great part:
At some point during the run (around mile 8) I got a genuine runner's high like I've never had before. I felt like I was floating and using energy that didn't belong to me. To be honest I thought maybe I hadn't eaten enough, and maybe this was a precursor to feeling awful. But no! The high continued for a while, and it was pretty great. I really could hardly even notice that I was running.

And the terrible:
I was a total wreck when this run was over. I could hardly bend my leg, and I hobbled down stairs like a 90 year old with a bad leg.

We did a 15K race (9.3 miles) in Central Park this morning. But since 9 miles isn't long enough for our long run days at this point, we had to add miles on to the race beforehand. I met Elizabeth in the park around 9am (felt like 8am since the time changed this morning) to do a 5-6 mile warm up before the race started at 10:15am.

There was also a 4 mile race that started at 9am, so we ran along side them until we got to their finish line where we veered off and continued running. This confused the hell out of the race officials who didn't understand why we weren't headed to the finish line! We kept running until we hit the start line for the 15K race (which was another mile down the road).

My problem leg started hurting me very early into the 4 mile run (maybe around 2 miles in). I'm trying to figure out what made bad today. In the past few weeks, I've been getting better. I've been doing the exercises and stretches that the physical therapist suggested, and it seems to be helping. I had been able to run about 4-5 miles pain free, and even then the pain wasn't too bad after. Sometimes it even went away as the run continued.

Not today! Now of course, there are too many variables to figure out what might have caused it.

1. It was really cold and windy this morning.
2. I didn't really have time to stretch much before the run.
3. I ate a very small breakfast, so I was hungry early on. Less hungry after the Gu.
4. I didn't run with the fuel belt, and there was no gatorade on the course - only water

I was able to run through it, but it certainly wasn't comfortable, even with taking the Advil at 7am. When I finished the race, I was limping a little. I stretched it out as much as I could, and I was looking forward to that ice bath (crazy, I know, but it really works).

Walking down the stairs at the subway was torture. It really wasn't fun.

As soon as I got home, I took another ice bath. It really is miraculous. I actually feel fine now. A little stiff, but NOTHING like before. No pain.

My physical therapist is on vacation this week, so I won't get to ask her about what went wrong. My health insurance is only going to pay for one more visit anyway, so we're trying to space them out. She's trying to fight with them, but I don't know if it will be successful.

We weren't running this race for time, but our time wasn't bad.

Distance: 9.3 Miles, 15.0 Kilometers
Date/Time: March 9, 2008, 10:15 am
Location: Central Park, NYC
Weather: 32 deg., 43% hum., W 14 mph
Finish Time: 1:31:56

My Miles Are Getting Faster!

Tonight was our "TEST #2"

Test #1 was back on January 15th, and we repeated it tonight to see how much we have improved since then. We've been doing 6 weeks of hill training which makes you stronger and faster.

The test consisted of fast 1 Mile Repeats. You run a mile fast, then recover for a half a mile. Repeat.

The goal is to run these as fast as you can. They aren't sprints, because you can't really hold a sprint pace for a mile. The pace should be just under a sprint. The other important part is to be able to run the subsequent miles within 15-30 seconds of you first one. Consistency is important too.

Well, for TEST #1 my 2 miles were at 8:15 & 8:20.

Tonight for TEST #2, my 3 miles were 7:29, 7:40, & 7:45!

I'm very happy with those results.

The 3 Bridge Run (14 miles) & the Ice Bath

Getting to practice on Saturday was a bit of an adventure. I got on the F train just before 8:00am, and I found out that it wasn't running all the way to my stop. It got a few stops into Brooklyn, and then you had to get onto a shuttle bus for the rest of the stops. I thought I was going to be about 10 minutes early, but with the subway wackiness, I got there right on time.

As we get deeper into the training, the group is sectioning out into lots of little groups. The people running the Paris marathon (which is 4 weeks before ours) are running longer mileage. The Nashville marathoners are still on the same schedule as the New Jersey group, because their marathon is only a week before ours. Within each marathon group (Paris, Nashville, & New Jersey) there are half marathoners, beginners (me), intermediates, and advanced runners.

With all these different groups, the coaches have to offer lots of different running routes with different mileage for each. We had 3 choices on Saturday - the 1 Bridge run (6-7 miles), the 2 Bridge run (10 miles), or the 3 Bridge run (14 miles). If you were supposed to be running more than 14 miles, you had to run a loop of the park before your run.


Elizabeth and I were slated to do 14 miles on the schedule, so we picked the 3 bridge run. We ran from Prospect Park over to the Manhattan Bridge. I think this is my favorite bridge to run over. You get a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.


The path of the Manhattan bridge has some other bikers and runners, but not too many. Of course, I didn't take these pictures... I found them on the internet again. I wanted to bring my camera because of the views, but I didn't want to carry it.


Once we got off the bridge we headed up the east side of Manhattan until we hit the Williamsburg Bridge. That was my first time crossing this bridge (not in a taxi). I've got to say, this one was kind of tough. The bridge is pretty much one big uphill. Just when you think you are done with the uphill, you see there is a whole second section of uphill! Oh, and the wind too! I think there was a moment that we slowed down to a crawl. Once we finally got to the end of the bridge, we ate our delicious Gu. We were about an hour in, so it was time.


There is a long chunk of the path that is really wide and not too covered. The weather was beautiful (unlike in this picture), and it really felt like the beginning tease of spring. I can't wait until we can run in shorts in nice weather.


We turned around at the end of the bridge and ran back to Manhattan. We retraced our steps back down the east side until we hit the Brooklyn Bridge.


Since it was such a beautiful day, there were tons of tourists walking over the bridge. You can spot them by their cameras. They ALL had one out, and I don't blame them. It is a great view. At the end of this bridge it was time for another Gu. I've decided orange and lemon-lime are my favorites.


Of course the very last part of the run back near the park was another big uphill. We're so used to hills now that it's not really that big of a deal, but at the end of 14 miles I would have preferred something flat. Oh well.

I'm trying to be kind to my legs after these long runs, so I tried my second ice bath!

Here's how our coach Lisa explained it:
"Get yourself a 5-lb bag or two of ice. first, rinse off in a lukewarm shower. don't make it too warm — that'll only make the ice bath more difficult to tolerate. once you've rinsed, sit your butt down, and begin to fill the tub with cold water. grab a nice, big towel to wrap around your shoulders and torso. once your hips are submerged, turn off the water and add the ice. you need only stay in there for 10-15 minutes — reading a book or magazine makes the time go more quickly, as does sipping a warm beverage. (low-fat hot chocolate is a great recovery drink, by the way.) an ice bath is the best way to control the inflammation of injured tissues, expedite recovery and relieve post-workout soreness (especially after those long runs)."

I know it sounds crazy, but it actually isn't so bad. I think it really does help, because I felt totally fine on Sunday. I even went to a party on Saturday night and wore heels.