20 Miles done! It's a heavy volume week for sure, and a muffin receipe

I'm in the middle of my heavy volume week.  I knocked out a 20 mile run on Wednesday, I ran 5 horrible recovery miles yesterday, and today I'm hoping to finish the day with 10ish miles....  Next week will be a step down week.  There is no way I could run 70 miles per week.  50 miles is enough to make me want to cry uncle... Okay enough feeling sorry for myself.

This is also my last week of shortened work weeks and vacation running.  (sad face)

Training Updates

Saturday 10/3 Rest,  I was looking forward to this rest day, but my legs felt restless, and I felt achy which is weird considering there isn't anything wrong (knock on wood)

Sunday 10/4 -8 miles This was a hilly tempo progression run.  I ran the first mile easy, and then tried to ease into a faster tempo  pace.  The first half was an uphill grade with a huge climb during the 4th mile, which meant a downhill finish.  Here's the data:

Monday: 10/5 5 miles recovery..It poured rain that day,  and I forgot to bring a hat. I was worried about soaking and ruining my Garmin so I wore in under my clothes linked to my waist pack... After my run.. I had a date with my kids and we went to the Shark Reef with grandma and a two other little ones.

Tuesday 10/6 Rest-  I also had another day off from work, like any other blogger- we went to Target.

Pretzels always taste better inside of the store.

Wednesday 10/7  20 Miles..... I"m not going to pretend that this run, wasn't a big deal.  This run took a lot out of me...
Mini Race Report Time:
I woke up early and I made muffins for my husband and I .  I made pumpkin oat hemp muffins.

They tasted a lot better than they looked.
That's carrot juice not orange

The kids ate french toast, then I dropped the kids off at daycare, and I bought my after run supplies (two 10lb bags of ice, Gatorade, and lunch fixings) before I went back home to run.  I knew that eating, driving, or anything else productive was going to be shot for the rest of the day.....
I left my house at 8:30 am and I'm so glad that the temps were still in the low 70's when I got started.

I ran both of my favorite 10 mile loops (they go in opposite directions)  halfway through my plan was to stop by the house and pick up more fuel and swap water bottles....

Miles 1-2  I tried to just run easy, and relaxed  the route went uphill slightly
9:25
8:59
Mile 3-4  I pulled out a date from my wrist pocket and ate it.  Mile 4 climbed 171 feet
8:44
9:29

Mile 5  This was a downhill mile and then I ran inside a gas station to buy a bottle of water.  I didn't stop my watch
10:09

Mile 6-9  Downhill running.  I tried to just take it easy and relax.  I ate two Powergel Energy Blasts.

This  is my new favorite energy fuel when running.

 I noticed that I didn't have any gels in my waist pack...  However I did have a 32oz bottle of Orange Gatorade waiting for me at home..
8:49
8:35
8:46
8:46

Mile 10- I swung by my house, and I decided against fumbling around with my house keys to grab energy gels from the pantry....  My Gatorade and other fuel was waiting for me in the bushes... I knew that I needed to drink as much Gatorade as possible.  I drank almost half of the bottle.  I was worried that my stomach would cramp up from the Gatorade, but I was fine.  I let my watch run for about 30 seconds while I stopped briefly.  I also grabbed another water bottle and my baggie with another date, and two Powerbar Energy Blasts.

9:23

I knew that the second half of the run was going to be much flatter, but there wouldn't be any shade coverage.

Miles 11-12  I headed out to the Sunrise Picinc Area.

LVTC used to hold timed runs out at the Sunrise Picnic Area
I hope someday they will start hosting events out there again.

 I love running out here, but this area does give me the heebee jeebees because it is so isolated....If shit goes wrong you are in the boonies.  I had one Powerbar Energyblast at about mile 12?
8:37
8:49

Miles 13-14  At around mile 13 I started to pick up the pace gradually.  It was a slight downhill grade so I tried to reign it in and not go overboard with the tempo pace.

8:22
8:18

Mile 15-16
I hit the turn around point to start heading back home.  There was a slight uphill grade during mile 16 but, it was like  a switch had been flipped, and I was down to run the last 4 miles as hard (within reason) as I could.
8:33
8:12

Mile 17-18 I had my last energy chew, and started counting the distance down to my next water stop at mile 19.  
8:20
8:13

Miles 19-20  As good as I felt at mile 16, the wheels came off somewhere around mile 18.75... It was sudden and quick, I felt like a balloon that had been popped.  My energy just went to crap, but I knew that I was close enough to home.  At mile 19 I stopped to buy another bottle of water. I only had a single dollar in my waist pack, so water was all I could afford.... I also cheated and stopped my watch when I went into the liquor store to buy the water... The last mile that I ran was a cool down shuffle.  It hurt.
8:37
8:57

Here's the Garmin Stats for transparency.

Map and Elevation

This run, almost felt like taking a hallucinogenic drug.  I was delirious when I finished.  I was happy that "Yes I finished 20 miles" but, my body was going haywire.  I wasn't in any serious physical pain. My legs hurt, but it was just more of a sheer exhaustion kind of hurt.  I started drinking fluids immediately.  I took a quick shower, and then I took an ice bath.  I never used to take them before.  But, they seem to help with my recovery so I'm going to keep on doing them.

I wasn't really hungry either. But, I knew that I needed calories.   I'm mostly vegan (I still eat eggs and fish occasionally) and I was craving salmon.  I purchased two kinds before my run, and I made a huge sandwich.

The rest of the day went by in a blur... Hours felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours.  I made myself stretch for 20 minutes before bed, and I crashed super early that night.


Thursday 10/8- 5.3 miles recovery (lolololol)  This was one of the hardest runs  ever!  I did not want to run, but I had 5 miles on the schedule.  I wore a regular watch and just tried to shoot for 45 minutes of running.  I went to Cornerstone Park, and I ran through the park, and around the neighborhood.  I ended up running around 52 minutes.  My body still felt haywire.  My legs don't feel injured my whole body just feels exhausted.

That night I crashed early again.

Friday 10/9  This morning I made another batch of vegan muffins.  My go to starter mix is:
3/4 cups white flour
1 1/2 cup steel cut oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 coconut oil
3/4 cup of Fruit Puree (I use either applesauce or pumpkin puree).

Add ins (optional)
hemp seeds
walnuts
sunflower seeds (shelled)
fruit (blueberries, raspberries, and pineapple work well)
peanut butter

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet, bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Vegan Muffins

Back to running......10 miles for the day!  This morning I  almost left the house without finishing my coffee.  I slammed that cup on the way out the door, and it gave me a huge boost.
I ran 3.8 miles this morning, and then at lunchtime I ran 6.2 miles.. 10 miles all at once was too intimidating for me to attempt. so I split the run up.... I was still feeling tired from Wednesday's 20 miler.... But, I'm glad I got the miles in, and I don't feel nearly as trashed as I felt yesterday.

Rest day tomorrow, and tempo run on Sunday....That's all I've got for now.   As always thank you for reading.

Hitting the Halfway Mark! Strava vs. Garmin data.....

So I'm about halfway through with marathon training..... I'm honestly scared to write out how I'm feeling because I don't want to jinx anything, and I sure as heck don't want to take anything for granted.... So far I have done long runs of 14.5, 16.8, 18, and 15 miles.  This week has been a step down week (long run still was 15 miles)  and next week I have my first 20 miler on the schedule...

Going into the 2nd half of this training cycle, I will be alternating between heavy volume/lower volume weeks. Next week I will be shooting for 50 miles!!!  A few months ago that sounded insane.  But, last week I finished the week with 47.8 miles, and in one 7 day span I ran 49.8 miles....Suddenly 50 miles seems possible.....

Again I don't want to take anything for granted.  I just want to trust the process, put my head down, and do the work.....

Training updates since my last post

Saturday 9/26: 5.1 miles at lunchtime.  The weather was hot. I ran this at an easy pace 9:20 average pace

Here's my carb loading from Saturday night.

This was the first burritto. Spanish rice, pinto beans, and  home made tortillas.
The ultimate comfort food!!  I didn't use any animal fats so this
meal is vegan.

When I first went vegitarian, I was making a lot of pizza and hummus on the weekends, we've kind of become burnt out on pizza so we are switching it up, with tortialls and tacos until we get sick of those.


Sunday 9/27 : 10 mile tempo workout--I had been worried about some hamstring tightness in my left leg earlier in the week...  I was also feeling tired from my 18 mile long run from Wed.  I decided to split my tempo workout into 2 sets of 3 miles at 10-15 seconds below goal pace.  For my goal pace I'm trying to hit 8:00 per mile for the marathon distance....  I was just hoping that my splits would be below 8:30.  I ran two miles to warm up and then I got the workout started. After the workout I ran another mile to cool down. Here's the data:

Monday 9/28-   For the last ten days in a row, the Las Vegas weather reporters have been telling us the same white lie over and over again...
" It looks like, this will be the last day of the year that we will see 100 degree temperatures"....

 7 mile run, I ran this at recovery pace. It was a warm morning, and I had the day off from work.  I left the kiddos with grandma and I went for a nice relaxed run.  I stopped about halfway through to buy a bottle of Gatorade...I almost didn't stop because I had some water left in my handheld.  But, man I was so glad that  I did stop,  Heat stress can sneak up on you so quickly, you will be feeling fine one minute and then the next things can go south.    I ended up using the rest of the water in my hand held to dump over my head and face while running, while I sipped on Gatorade.
Here's the data

That night I had some beet, carrot, celery juice for recovery

Tueseday 9/29 Rest

I'm trying to be more creative with the vegan cooking.  I made this really great vegetable stew and I served it over brown rice and quinoa.

The sauce was really thick and rich (I used a lot of olive oil)

Wednesday 9/30- 15 miles with a fast finish.  I chose this route  on purpose.

I started near Cornerstone Park, and
I ran a route with two out and back sections.

 I felt like running some hills, and since I had done my last two long runs at Sunset Park I wanted a change of scenery as well.   I ran a few miles uphill, then a few miles downhill, then uphill, and the last four miles were a nice downhill ride.  I wanted to push the pace at the end a little bit.  I'm going to post both Garmin and Strava data... Because I love data!!!  Well I also want to be transparent in my training.... Stava over estimated my run or Garmin underestimated the run.  I have a feeling that Stava may have been off because mile 12 was fast but not that fast.

View of the elevation for funsies

It was also a pretty warm morning, I ran the first six miles, and then I stopped briefly by my car to pick up my water.  I only ran with one bottle of water, and I was trying to be conservative and nurse that bottle the rest of the run.  I brought my energy chews in my wrist pocket, but I was having a heck of a time trying to pull them out of the stupid pocket.   This run, felt great.....But again, I don't want to get too confident..

After my run  I treated myself to a Diet Coke, Gatorade with Chia Seeds, and a Recovery Smoothie.

Thursday: 4 miles recovery at Cornerstone Park.  Today the daytime high was finally 96 degrees!!!

Friday:  I ran 2.2 miles easy this morning, and at lunch time I headed out for 4 more miles... I ended up doing some strides at the end of the run.  I also did a very short circuit training routine for upper and lower body.  These were the exercises that I did:

Bench Press
One armed rows,
Single leg Bulgarian split squats

The second set of exercises:
Step ups onto a bench with a knee lift
Incline Push ups
Regular Push ups
Step ups onto a bench with a back leg raise.

The one thing I have noticed since ramping up my mileage is that I am losing some of my upper body strength.  I'm not too worried about it for now.  I know that my high mileage is a temporary thing and I hope to get back into the weight room more after marathon training ends.

Well that's all I've got for now.  Thanks for reading!

Getting used to running on tired legs- This weeks training updates

I've survived another week of training.  I know that sounds dramatic.  But, I am feeling tired.  My 18 miler went well, but I'm dealing with the aftermath and I'm trying to decide if I will run a tempo run this weekend or swap it out for easier mileage....

This Weeks Training Updates

Saturday 9/19 7.9 mile tempo workout.  I   woke up thinking that I was just going to run, something short.  But, at the last minute I decided to get my Tempo workout out of the way.  I ran 1 mile warm up, and 5 miles 10-15 seconds faster than goal marathon pace, followed by 1.9 mile cool down.  The temperatures were finally cool enough that I didn't have to bring my handheld water bottle with me.

Here's the data:

Sunday 9/20 7 miles easy.  I averaged 9:06  per mile for 7 miles.  My piriformis is a little sore… I'm fine when I run, but sitting down for long periods of time is becoming a pain in the ass.. lol.

Monday 9/21 5 miles easy. I ran this at lunch time, instead of circuit training.  I also celebrated 19 years of marriage!

Our one and only marathon that we ran together back in
2004.

Tuesday 9/22 Rest

Wednesday 9/23 18 miles...  Well I wasn't as nervous as the week before.  It was also much warmer than the week before.  This run was hard, but I'm glad that I now have an 18 miler under my belt.

Because of the heat, I told myself to take it easy the first hour. I also carried water and started taking in fuel early on. I bonked twice once around 1:20, then again at 2:25. I thought that I would finish the last couple miles with some tempo pace, instead I found a side street with mature trees and I just tried to hide from the sun.

I stopped twice by my car to fetch bottles of water and Gatorade. I didn't stop my Garmin either time. My Garmin stats for this run 2:38:35 for 18.14 miles 8:45 average pace.

Here's the data

After the run, I was all pscyched up to take an ice bath.  When I got home I realized that I left the house without house keys..... I had to drive across the valley to get keys from my husband.  I ended up stinking up my car from my run funk.. ewww. (sorry for the TMI)


Thursday 9/24  I did some circuit training.  I was really sore in my piriformis. Weight Training has become a necessity for me now.  In order for my body to not get injured I have to diligently do my squats, lunges, and deadlifts.  I don't lift very heavy, but I swear it helps to keep my running form in check.  Heres' the circuits that I did.

I used a 25 EZ curl bar for the for the 1st set and a 35lb EZ curl bar for the 2nd and 3rd set. I dd the following exercises as a circuit. I tried to quickly move from one exercise to the next to keep my heart rate up.

Bicep Curls
Shoulder Upright Rows
Shoulder Press
Good Mornings
Squats
Single Leg Lunges
Hamstring Deadlifts

My 2nd Circuit (3 sets)
Flat bench press w/bar to warm up and two sets at 65lbs.
Back rows with bar
Single leg Bulgarian split squats (body weight only)

My last circuit (3 sets)
Shoulder Taps in a plank position
Mountain Climbers
Wall Sits (30sec)
Handstand up against wall for a minute

Then I stretched my very tight hamstrings.

I also ran two recovery miles on the treadmill.   I ran this mostly to try to get some of the stiffness out of my legs.

Friday 9/25  Two a day.  A short 2.4 mile run to shake out my legs.  They felt really tired this morning.  At lunchtime I ran another 5 miles.  I noticed at the very end of my morning run, my legs were finally starting to come around.  And at lunchtime I noticed that after two miles of heavy legs, the feeling started to go away.

In the past I was more likely to take a rest day if I was feeling tired.... I realize that my legs are going to feel tired with the additional mileage.,.. I need to get used to running on tired legs because miles 23-26 are when the wheels start to come off during a marathon.  I am erring on the side of caution because of my piriformis niggle.  It seems that harder pace workouts/long runs will aggravate it.  I don't think this is an actual injury... It's just something that I need to be aware of.

It stinks because when I was younger I had more natural talent,and I could muscle my way through marathons...  Now I actually have the drive to put in the work... But, my body breaks down easier. Que sera sera...
8 weeks out!!!
As always thank you for reading.

Training Updates, Racing Weight and some Random Food Pictures

I'm nearing the halfway point of my training cycle.  I'm feeling a little beat up from my long run on Wednesday...  I'm sorry if this post seems a little jumbled.

Race Weight

So I guess I will get this out of the way first.... Earlier this year, I was a little bummed because I needed to lose a little weight.   I didn't really do anything about it until the Summer time.  I didn't go on on a diet, I just changed the way I ate.....  I'm still mostly vegetarian (I still eat fish occasionally).  I still eat eggs, but I am weaning myself away from dairy.... I'm also trying to cut back on my diet coke consumption.  I started making these changes around May of this year.

February 2015

May of 2015

At the beginning of the year I was closer to 130 than 120 pounds (I'm 5 feet tall).   After I had my daughter in 2013, I chronicled my weight loss efforts on this blog.  I even posted my final weight loss update here.  I think in 2014, I just became complacent and in the summertime and I stopped tracking my food.   I didn't gain a lot of weight, but after a few months of just winging it, I noticed that my clothes were fitting a little tighter.



I tend to race better when I am at the lower end of the 120's and,   I'm happy to report that I'm back in my target weight range. (121-123lbs depending on the day) I don't expect to lose any more weight... If anything I need extra calories to accommodate all of the miles that I am running....

I don't have any current photos of myself.  I feel silly taking selfies in the mirror.   But, I hope my race photos come out okay in November :)

Random Food Pictures

I think if you blog long enough, eventually you will start taking pictures of your food.... Since I discussed my diet above I wanted to show  you some of the meals that I eat....

Pre Run Breakfast
Homemade White Bread
With Peanut Butter
and Strawberries

Dinner the night before my almost 17 miler.
Chickpea, blackbean, corn, & pasta salad.
with sauteed zuccini and mushrooms.
Not pictured was the garlic toast I also ate.

Post Long Run Recovery Shake

Spinach, Hemp Hearts, Black Berries, Coconut Milk, Oats,
Chia Seeds, Coconut Chips

Carrot Juice after long run on Wednesday

I also enjoy junk food on the regular, but not nearly as much as I used to....I try to snack on nutrient dense foods.   Its almost a running joke between my husband and I about empty calories vs. nutrient dense calories...  My splurges include chocolate covered almonds and Kettle Chips.

My Diet Coke consumption.... Is still something that I'm working on.  My husband won't let me keep it in the house anymore, so I only drink the stuff Monday thru Friday.  I can say that I average about 5 Diet Cokes a week.  They are starting to taste more and more chemical everyday.  I'm such a creature of habit that I am just drinking my Diet Cokes out of habit,  I'm pretty good about drinking water and seltzer water at home, but when I'm out and about I can't resist an icy cold fountain drink....  Baby steps... baby steps.

Training Updates (Since my Last Post)

I have had to make a few modifications to my Hal Higdon program.  I've added a few tempo runs (at marathon goal pace) and I have had to move my long run days to mid week... The weather in Las Vegas is finally less brutal. It's still warm, but our mornings are finally in the low 70's and next week they drop down into the 60's!!!


Saturday 9/12- 4 miles at lunchtime....instead of running first thing this morning, I chose to wait until the kids nap time. It was pretty hot and humid so I stayed close to home.  I did the first two miles as laps around the park.

  Then I ran two more miles on the streets I'm glad I went for a short run, I was feeling antsy.  I averaged 8:59 pace for 4 miles.
Sunday 9/13 9.5 mile tempo run.  I ran a two miles warm up, 6 miles at goal marathon pace and a 1.5 mile cool down.  I chose a route that was pretty flat, and I also ran a looped course to avoid being stopped by traffic.  Here's the data.

During mile five I threw down my hand held bottle, and I came back for it a mile and a half later.  I think when I threw my bottle down, I may have caused a small crack in it.....

Monday 9/14- 4 miles at recovery pace.  I had the day off from work, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to run the following day, so I flip flopped my rest day.  I also did some light stretching and some planks.

Tuesday 9/15- Rest-

Wednesday 9/16- 16.9 miles----  I have  a lot to say about this run..... I'm usually pretty nervous before a long run, I'm worried that the distance will be too far to run, or that I will bonk really hard at the end.  Going into these runs feeling nervous is kind of a good thing,  My senses feel more alert and I'm more focused on the task at hand.  I wanted to run 16 miles with as little interruptions as possible.  I try not to stop for any breaks when running long.  IMO the clock doesn't stop during the race, so you have to learn how to eat, drink, and make adjustments on the go....

I chose to run 16 miles in and around Sunset Park.  It was a great set up.  I was able to stash water, and Gatorade in my car..... A little side story.... My trusty Nathan hand held  bit the dust on Wednesday morning (my bff during the summer months.)

RIP Nathan Handheld. 2010-2015

I had filled it up with ice, and I noticed it had a lot of condensation on the bottle. I figured it was the ice melting and it was a little humid.  Well when I got to the park, the center console in my car was filled with water. My bottle now had a huge hole in it, and I couldn't use it.... I was lucky that I brought two frozen water bottles and a bottle of Gatorade with me.  

I decided to run the first hour without carrying any water, I stayed in the park and ran loops on the paved loop, and then I also ran a few miles on the soft dirt paths.  Around 6-7 miles in I stopped by my car briefly to grab a frozen water bottle and my energy chews.  For fuel I ate dates and Powerbar Energy blasts.  After that first hour, I just kind of zoned out.  I left the park and ran around the parameter.  The roads were a little dicey, but I only had to run on the sidewalk for a brief period.   I also tried my best not to glance at my Garmin.  During the first hour of the run, I listned to alternative rock, and then during the second hour I switched it up to electronic music....   During the 13-14 mile I started to feel like I had to pee.   By mile 16 I really had to go, but I didn't want to stop running and or stop the clock.... I slowed my pace down for the last mile, and once I stopped to use  the bathroom I was done running for good.  Here's the data.

I'm posting both Garmin and Strava Data:  I'm happy that I used both devices to time my run. Because it appears that my Strava cut out on me during mile 9.  I was wondering why this mile appeared to be a lot faster than the other miles....

After my run, I walked around for a few minutes, and then being really gross and too far away from home, to shower. I ran a few errands and picked up my lunch on the way home.

Sushi after long run, this ended up being a snack.

I also didn't eat right away... I was too wired to sit down and eat.  I ended up sweeping and vacuuming floors, and doing other chores....  After I ate my lunch I treated myself to an ice bath.

Thursday 9/17-  I felt just overall tired, and my legs felt heavy but other wise I felt fine.   I ran just a little over 5 miles at recovery pace at Cornerstone Park.

Friday 9/18- Today I did a short circuit training workout.

Tomorrow I plan on going for a short run, and on Sunday I have a another tempo paced run on the calendar.  That's all I've got for now.  As always thank you for reading!