Just a quick post to say I’m racing a 5k tomorrow. I was a little torn on whether to run it (details about that in my race recap post!) but I have a comp entry so figured I might as well get a good workout if nothing else! It’s called Casa Larga Race for Grapes 5k “Peoplecha
Here’s a quick tidbit the race director sent me about the race:
Should be fun! Recap and more details tomorrow!
It’s marathon season and many of my running buddies are getting ready plunge into their 1st, 2nd, even 30th marathon. I’m not running a marathon this year, but I’m daydreaming about them a lot. I’m going over workouts in my head and thinking about training cycles and personal goals. One point that sticks in my head is: There is no magic workout.
But there are magic moves for runners, like this perfectly timed leap from my sister and me post run. (p.s. Nothing about running is magic, but I wanted to show you a funny picture.)
I don’t believe runners can look at a single workout, complete it, and think they can run a great marathon (or any race for that matter). Success in racing takes weeks, months, even years! This is why I’m not a big fan of posting my workouts on my blog. People see my workouts, think “Oh, I can’t do that and we have the same marathon goal” or “I run my workouts much faster than that, maybe I need to adjust my plan” and the next thing you know, they are doubting their own training. Remember my post about believing in yourself and trusting your training?
I love to talk training just as much as any other runnerd, and if you ask me specific details, I’m happy to tell you. I just don’t spell it all out online. There are lots of people who do though, and do it in a way that’s fun to read. I’m currently liking blogs from Katie and Kristy for that sort of thing and other random musings.
Back to the magic workouts. One of my running buddies, Josh of Roadkill Racing, got into a debate a few days ago on the Runner’s World forums regarding Yasso 800s.
Recent racing pic of Josh, running cross country for Roadkill Racing
(I think Bart Yasso is awesome and I would be giddy to the core to meet him or anyone on Runner’s World staff.)
In fact, Bart and I follow each other on Twitter. See, we’re basically BFFs!
But… I don’t believe Yasso 800s are going to save the world – or predict your marathon time. You should read Josh’s post and then his follow up workout post, but to give you a shortened version:
Josh replied to someone on the RW message board who was asking about Yasso 800s and marathon training. Josh said he didn’t think Yasso 800s were a good predictor of marathon performance then stated his reasoning. He got a reply from Mark Remy, Editor at Large of RW, saying if you are training for a marathon, doing all the expected marathon training and Yasso 800s, they are a good predictor. He also challenged Josh to do the Yasso workout and report back. Josh did the workout, much faster than his fastest marathon time and is now joking about having a new marathon PR. (Once again, I recommend reading Josh’s posts to get more details.)
I think the best predictor of your marathon time is to look at your workouts as a whole. How do your longer tempo runs feel? Or mile repeats at race pace? Another predictor I trust is to put my race times, preferably longer distance races, into a running calculator like the McMillan Running Calculator.
How do you predict your marathon goal time? Anyone racing this weekend? Getting excited for your fall marathon or half?
On my run on the local trails last night, I tried to show passersby how I’m a joyous, friendly, enthusiastic runner. I ended up making all sorts of strange, ugly, squinty faces as I tried to keep the bugs out of every hole in my head.
Reenactment of one of my squinty run faces – probably not necessary.
I like running in the morning and in the evening but prefer morning for a few reasons:
Bugs were out of control last night.
Talk about a short, random, post!
Tell me about your worst encounter with a bug on a run! Big one down the throat? One in the eye that stayed around for days? Any bug avoiding advice? I usually wear sunglasses to protect my eyes, but this was too close to dark for sunglasses.
I saw these 3 signs while running today. Thought I’d share some laughs.
Fat Man’s Dream, Dogs N Cream
Hurl… heh heh… Watch out runners, it’s hurl rocks park… hurling rocks… ok, I’ll stop now.
What a pessimistic sign!
Which sign is your favorite?
I’m at the beach this week on a family vacation. Right now it’s my in-laws, Currie, and me. Jeff arrives later in the week. I love my in-laws like my parents so it’s a fun and relaxing way to vacation.
I keep thinking I’m training for a fall marathon here because:
Hanging out poolside with my little lady on our beach trip 2011.
I am a former soda addict, but have been soda free for 18 years! Ok, addict is a strong word, but when I was in middle school, I would drink 6 cans of Coke or Pepsi every single day. I would drink one or two with breakfast, another with lunch, one after school, and a few with dinner and before bed. Yikes!
When I was in 7th grade, my friends and I were discussing what to give up for Lent. Riveting topic of conversation, I know. I couldn’t think of anything that I would have a hard time doing without other than my soda. So, I was guilted into giving up my beloved drink.
Those six weeks were rough, but I made it through. The days leading up to Easter morning, I stocked the refrigerator shelves with rows and rows of Coke. I was ready to make up for lost time.
On Easter morning, I popped open a can the second I woke up, and guess what? It tasted horrible. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been soda free ever since.
Soda free doesn’t mean I haven’t had a drop of soda since that day back in 7th grade. There have been a few exceptions. If I go to a gathering where only soda is served, I will drink it. If I’m at someone’s house and they don’t have coffee and I want some caffeine, I will drink a soda instead. And the final exception (that I can think of right now) is after every marathon I’ve run, the one thing I crave so badly is a soda… any kind. I just want something sugary, carbonated and caffeinated.
My caffeine of choice these days. You guessed it – coffee!
There you have it. Another super exciting look into my non-running life that always seems to relate back to running. 
Have you been successful at giving up anything you loved? Do you drink soda? What do you crave after a marathon/tough race?
Well, I guess last weekend was exciting enough to have a very lame week of running.
After a race, I like to give my 31-year-old-self at least 2 days to recover. Since I “raced” Friday and again on Sunday, I knew Monday and Tuesday would definitely be easy days. On Monday, I felt surprisingly good. It was one of those days I wanted to run forever! Those days always seem to coincide with the days I am on the biggest time-crunch of the week. I took what I could get and completed a few glorious miles.
On Tuesday I was reflecting on 9/11/01 and totally zoned out most of my easy paced run. With 3 miles to go, I found myself within 10 feet of a large buck. I kept yelling “go buck”! It was not as much fun as the day I ran into 2 bucks on the trail and yelled “Go Bucks!”, but it did help lighten my mood.
Go Bucks! A little Ohio State humor for you. Pic taken during cross country 2001. Look, I’m Pippi Longstocking!
Wednesday was supposed to be a workout. I set my alarm for VERY early. My daughter woke up 10 minutes before that so I was on child duty. I decided to do the workout that night when Jeff was home from work. Unfortunately, I ate something that didn’t agree with my stomach so Wednesday turned into another easy run.
Thursday was going to be a workout for sure. I set the alarm early again, and my little lady was up early AGAIN! So, a medium length trail run with the stroller took the place of speed.
Playtime on the trail post-run.
Currie and I are headed to the beach on Sunday morning so I’m doing my long run on Saturday. I figured today might as well be another easy run then I’ll hit the long run hard with a few quality miles mixed in tomorrow. During my easy miles today, I added 7×100 meter strides on the track. I had to remind my legs they were fast before tomorrow’s run!
What do I do when I am forced to run easy when I planned to do speed? Run with my phone and hope to see something entertaining! Here are a few things I saw.
Second road sign prank on this corner within the past 6 months.
This tree is along my every day running route. It gets dressed up according to holidays, seasons, etc. Here the tree is sporting the “end of summer” look.
This is the tree back in the spring. It likes to dress-down too. Sometimes, all you need is an umbrella.
That was my week of running! I was trying to find a race for tomorrow (Saturday) before we leave for vacation, but I couldn’t find anything too exciting so I’m sitting this weekend out of the racing scene.
What’s going on in your running world this weekend? Have you ever seen a fancied-up tree?
I ran the bagel race and was first female for the 3rd year in a row! Woohoo!
Medal, money – $100 cash, bagels for a year certificates!
It was a wonderful morning for a race, slightly humid at the start, but right around 60 degrees and sunny. Jeff and I dropped a hesitant Currie off at the free sitter service and were on our way to do a warmup. My plan was to get a long warmup in as this was my long run day. Unfortunately, we were running late to the race, like always, and I only had time for about 2.5 miles before the gun went off.
I have to be honest. I felt horrible out there. I love the course, which goes straight out for a mile, does a big loop (with a few curves) through some residential streets, then comes right back on the same mile stretch to finish in front of the local JCC. But, I just felt slow… like I’m lacking 5k speedwork. Could it be because I AM lacking 5k speedwork? Absolutely!
I came through the first mile at 5:26, the next mile was much slower at 5:48 as the pack spread out and I was off in no-man’s-land. Then my last mile was right around 5:50 with the last 0.1 in 30-some-seconds. I finished at 17:37. I don’t like having 20 seconds difference between my first and second miles, but I’m a bit out of shape and that’s what happens so it was to be expected. I’m content with my time given my week, my current fitness, and the lack of competition.
After the race, Currie wanted to take a picture of Jeff and me.
Jeff came in 2nd overall, I was 5th overall, 1st female. Good day! And good picture for a 2-year-old!
I had a great time talking with all sorts of people after the race. There were lots of familiar faces and I love that about local racing… you feel like you know everyone!
Strange things:
Create your own caption…
Family photo post race awards. Currie wasn’t sleeping, she was crying because she wanted to play Cookie Doodle on the iPhone…
Currie holding the medal our friend won!
After the race, I ran home to add some more miles since it was long run day. I felt so strong on the run home. Much better than I felt on the warmup, race, and cooldown so that was a pleasant surprise. During the run I kept thinking about how ridiculous I looked. First, I forgot to change into my cute Oiselle tank, so I was jogging home in my race singlet with the race number still pinned on. At least I remembered sunglasses, but they weren’t my athletic sunglasses, they were my normal everyday pair. Also, I realized I forgot to call my parents to tell them the race results and knew I would be too busy when I got home so being an avid multi-tasker, I called them while running. I know, talking on cell while exercising is one of my pet peeves too. I can’t believe I did it! (Still clocked a 7:41 mile while talking.) Here’s what I looked like:
Ridiculous!
So there you have it! Another year of free bagels. If you come visit me and have you drive or fly more than 2 hours, I will gladly share some of my bounty.
So who’s going to come visit? How did your weekend racing go?
I raced pushing the stroller Friday night and had a great time! It was a very low-key, tiny race at the University of Rochester to welcome students to the new school year. Don’t feel bad that I had to race pushing the stroller, feel bad for me because I was organizing my house and walked up and down the stairs to the second level and then attic (carrying boxes) about a million times in the 2 hours leading up the the race.
The course was 2.1 miles in a big loop along the Genesee River. Based on the past 2 years, I had a feeling I could tempo-pace this race and get second. My husband was running and would capture first place, but I was hoping to keep him in sight as long as possible. I lined up in the front, right on the starting line and started out fast. The “fast” was short lived. Within the first 50 meters I almost caused a pile-up as my BOB stroller went haywire on one of the bumps on the bike trail. I was swerving back and forth across the path, blocking anyone who wanted to pass. There were some gasps from the pack and a guy passed me. I could hear people right behind me. I knew I’d have to go slow on the bumpy parts of the trail.
I can tell you how the whole race went: me going as fast as I could on the flat trail parts, then me going very slow on the bumpy trail parts. It was sort of like a fartlek actually! There were just 2 hills and I thought I could gain some ground on the downhills to make up for the slow parts but no, the downhills made my stroller sound like a car peeling out of a driveway… SCREEEEEECH and it started zig-zagging again so the downhills were not places for making up speed.
Here’s a blurry, far away pic of me. I’m hunched over because I was coming off an uphill. I don’t usually run with both hands on the stroller, but the bumps in the trail (at 6:20 pace) left me no choice!
Around the one mile mark, I passed the guy ahead of me so I was in second place. I saw my first mile split: 6:20. Much faster than I expected considering my stroller troubles. I ended at 13:15 or 6:20-ish pace for 2.1 miles. I was happy with that. After Currie and I crossed the line, I released her from the stroller and she ran 50 meters back on the course, then ran across the finish line with him. Actually, ahead of him! I caught the most classic picture with my iPhone!
Currie inched ahead right at the finish line right as Jeff was wiping sweat out of his eyes! What an awesome, unplanned picture!
After the race, we enjoyed a beginning of the school year BBQ which was quite tasty. While we were eating, Currie asked: “Daddy when will I be able to run as fast as you?” Ah, that was heart warming.
So there you have it. I know there were better pictures taken during the race, but I’m not sure when they will be available so I’m going to post this recap without them.
Next up, a 5k this morning where the first place prize is $100 and bagels for a year. I won this race the past 2 years so I’ve had a lot of bagels since we’ve lived in Rochester and I would like to keep this streak going. I pre-gamed last night by eating some of my winnings from last year’s race. Gotta keep my eyes on the prize. (HA!)
How did your racing or long run go this weekend? Have you raced pushing a jogging stroller?
In March, I won a 5 mile race where the award was $500 and a bobblehead made in my likeness. While I wouldn’t personally purchase a bobblehead, the thought of winning a “Jen Bobblehead” made me really excited. In fact, I had the stomach flu for 5 days the week of the race, with only a day to recover, and I decided to race at the last minute just to win that darn bobblehead (the cash was an attractive prize as well)!
After the race, I was told a photographer would be contacting me to set up a time to meet and take photos of me to be sent to the bobblehead makers. A month passed and I heard nothing so I contacted the race director. We emailed back and forth during the next month. Finally, I found out the photographer was dealing with a family emergency, but he would be able to meet me the next week.
The photo shoot was quick and took place in my back yard. The whole time I wondered what my bobblehead was going to look like – would a stranger be able to tell it was me? Would the artist be able to replicate my Oiselle singlet?
The Oiselle singlet is a detailed work of art! This is me racing the bobblehead race, at just a half mile in. I was already hurting and swinging my arms across my body. Thanks, stomach flu.
As the months rolled by, I tried to be patient, but every now and then I wondered when I would get my bobblehead. The answer came in the mail this past week, right when we returned home from our summer in Seattle.
The letter essentially said due to the family emergency in the photographer’s family and another family emergency in the race director’s family, the bobbleheads were NOT going to be made. Instead, the winners were going to be given $150, the budget for each bobblehead, as long as we agreed to it.
I was upset at first. Well, I’m still a little upset, but I understand family emergencies, and I understand the race director wanting to get our prizes to us and get planning his next race. Honestly, $150 is great and probably a better prize, but I really want the bobblehead! I’ve talked to my family about this bummer and everyone thinks I should just have one made if I want one so badly. The thing is, I don’t want to use my $150 to buy myself a bobblehead, I just wanted that unique race prize. If I have to get it made myself, it’s just not as special in my mind.
So, it looks like there won’t be a Jen Bobblehead afterall. I emailed the race director tonight and told him to go ahead and send me the $150. Big Bummer!
What would you have done about not receiving the bobblehead? What’s the most unique race prize you’ve ever won?