Day 28: Mixed up Monday

Today's task:  10 miles at 8:02 min/mile (marathon pace)*

Today's weather:  48 degrees, SW winds @14 mph

Today's outcome:  10 miles in 1:18:31 (7:50 min/mile)

I love my children.  And my husband.  More than anything.  Ever.  But I was really, really relieved when both kids went to school today and the mister went to work.  My introverted self was needing a little time of not listening or talking to anyone at all.  I dropped Camryn off at school with a maniacal grin on my face because my time had finally arrived.  Cue VB's own Grammy winner, Pharrell:

Mondays are usually my interval days, but I thought it wise to switch it up and do my tempo run today instead of Wednesday.  At first, it was because I am supposed to be watching my nephew on Wednesday.  Since I would not subject either him or myself to 10 miles with a jogging stroller, nor did I feel the desire to complete a 10 miler before 7am, today was the day.  This decision was solidified by all the talk on tv, radio, and social media about a "snow event" Tuesday into Wednesday.  I can do a few miles of intervals on a treadmill...I will not do 10 miles on one.  

As I embarked on my tempo run, I felt so light and free.  I had my new shoes on, only two layers on top, nothing covering my head, and a bloodstream full of caffeine.  The sidewalks were clear for the most part, and I could just go.  I spent a lot time along Dam Neck running in the grass next to the still-icy sidewalk, but I think that was the running gods' way of telling me to quit pounding the pavement and get on some softer surfaces for a bit.  The grass was the perfect consistency...it lost that frozen crunch but wasn't quite mucky mud yet.  I looked at my watch about every other mile to make sure I hadn't fallen behind pace, but I could feel my pace being faster than what it needed to be and just let myself go with it.  I cannot even explain how great this run felt.  There was one spot around mile 8 when I spread my arms like airplane wings and when around a 90 degree turn.  Freedom!!!  

Wednesday's interval workout will remain a mystery until we have a better understanding of what the weather will be like...I'm assuming it'll be a treadmill run, but will the rec center even be open is the question!  Exploring options, not letting it stress me out thanks to a great run today.  Hope your week is off to a great start as well!

Look ma!  No jacket!  Or hat!  Or frostbite!

Day 27: Dashing through the snow

Today's task:  16 miles at 8:45 min/mile

Today's weather:  21 degrees, SSW winds @15-20 mph, higher gusts

Today's outcome:  16 miles in 2:14:41 (8:25 min/mile pace)*

I have now completed nine weeks of this 16 week training program, and when I said on Day 1 that shit just got real, I had no idea how much realer it would get.  Having trained for a few half marathons, I knew signing up for a full would be a huge commitment, but I'm really starting to feel the weight of it now.  This goal I have set for myself is occupying so much more space in my head than I imagined it would.  And it's not just on days I run, either...all I could think about yesterday was today's run.  I was a total stressball.  I was worried I wasn't eating and drinking enough all day...I think my nerves were messing with my appetite, and the frigid temps made it hard for me to keep drinking cold water.  I did the best I could.

I was also worried about the road conditions.  Typically when it snows in Virginia Beach, we have warmer days following the snowstorm and the snow is gone before you know it.  Not the case this week...we only got 3 inches of snow on Tuesday night, and this is what it looks like outside my house this morning:

You could totally play ice hockey out in the street right there.  I was out and about yesterday and noticed most streets were in much better shape than mine, but what about the sidewalks?  I was doubtful it could possibly be clear from my house to 42nd street, and with strong SSW winds predicted for the morning, I starting trying to come up with Plan B.  I made a quick trip out to TJ Maxx after dinner to return a pair of fleece lined running tights that didn't fit (sad tuba), and did some recon work on my way back home.  I drove around to see which side streets were clear enough to run on if sidewalks were still a mess, and was pleasantly surprised by my findings.  I felt a little better going to bed last night, knowing I shouldn't have much trouble if I stuck with two 8 mile loops instead of 8 out to 42nd street and 8 back, into the wind all the way home.  

Seeing Ryan's face when he got back this morning confirmed that Plan B was the right choice.  If you know my husband you, know the guy loves a challenge (hello, he married ME!).  The more difficult something is physically, the more he enjoys it.  Not today.  He even used the word "brutal."  Yikes.  

Nervous as hell, I bundled up and got ready to head out the door.  I was excited to test out the new jacket I got last night:

White, reflective, high neck, zippered pockets, thumb holes. Best $30 I've ever spent.  Since I had no luck finding a smaller size in the fleece lined pants, I opted for my regular tights with a pair of shorts on top.  Sexy.

As for the run, no complaints here.  I wore my watch so I'd know how long it took, but I had no intentions of looking at it.  Since I was wearing gloves, I didn't bother to write down mile markers and times on my hand.  I had been so worked up over my nutrition, the ice, and whether I was layered appropriately that I just didn't need to add the stress of hitting my target pace to all of that.  Some spots were totally clear and dry, others were covered in ice and I ran off to the side in the snow.  Still others were so icy with no grass on the side that I ended up just walking across.  This was pretty easy during the first loop, but got a little hairy during the second when my legs were tired and their connection to my brain were a little slower.  But I stayed on my feet, so I'll take that as a success.  

I stopped at my house for water and a potty break after the first loop, feeling really good going into the second.  Kinda makes me want to smack myself for getting so worked up about the run.  I was a bit colder for the second half of the run because I was sweaty from the first (and the sun went behind the clouds and the wind picked up!), but it kept me moving quickly.  I was hoping for negative splits, but I ended up doing the first 8 miles in 1:06:06 and the second in 1:08:35 (hence the * in today's outcome).  I'm so glad this run is behind me, and I'm going to try my best not to get so stressed out before the next big one (18 miles).

After some chocolate milk, a Clif bar, and a good stretch, I hopped into a nice hot shower.  The ridiculous amount of layers I stripped off my body covered my bathroom floor:

A little something I learned today...it appears Brynn may be even more like her mother than we once thought.  With Ryan out for his run, I needed her to help me cover up the spot on my back that was still scabbed over from my bra during last week's long run.  She did a killer job with the skin lube and telfa pad:

It felt great during the entire run, and it passed the true test (the shower) with flying colors.  This kid may have a future in athletic training:

Virginia Beach...it's the new Ithaca!

Now I get to enjoy the rest of my weekend.  I won't even look at the plan for next week until tomorrow...that would just be cruel!  Stay warm, friends!

Day 26: Snow Day!!!

Today's task:  1 mile easy, 4 miles @7:40 min/mile, 1 mile easy

Today's weather:  21 degrees, sunny, windy, snow on the ground!

Today's outcome:  1 mile in 8:30, 7:40, 7:35, 7:30, 7:24, 1 mile cool down (between 8 and 8:30 min/mile)

So we woke up to this:

And this:

We knew the snow was coming, so I was mentally prepared to run my miles inside today.  Wasn't sure when or where, but I knew I'd get them in.  We started the day playing in the yard for a while before Ryan had to eventually go to work (boooo).  The girls warmed up with hot chocolate and a movie before lunch, then we ventured out to find any sort of slope we could use our sleds on.

Some HULAgans joined us for the snow stacher's maiden voyage:

While it was really fun to have both girls able to pull their own sleds up the hill instead of me dragging them in the sled up the hill, I'm glad Camryn still wanted to ride with me a couple of times.

Oh, the way this kid shrieks with delight as she starts down the hill!  Only her giggles as we come to a stop after going airborne are better.  These girls are so much fun.  And then this happened:

Lemme 'splain.  In a few weeks, I'll be jumping into the frigid Atlantic Ocean to raise money for Special Olympics Virginia, and I saw today's weather as an opportunity to pander for more donations.  I posted on Facebook that I'd do snow angels in my bikini if I collected $50 in donations by noon today.  Since I am a woman of my word (and I didn't specify eastern standard time), I threw myself on the front lawn and flapped away.  All in the name of charity.  If you're interested in supporting this great cause, you can make a donation on my secure fundraising website:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/karenpsimas/2014polarplungeVA

Once on my page, you can either donate toward my total or click on the tab that says "TEAM" and donate to one of my teammates.  We're the HULAgans, and we'll be celebrating this year's plunge with a luau theme.  Stay tuned for more of those shenanigans.

Back to today's run...there was just no way I was going to run outside today.  As fun and different as it is to run in the snow, I was just too worried about getting hurt to be able to enjoy it.  So off to the rec center (which was thankfully open!) I went.  It was actually a lot more crowded than I expected, but thankfully it was mostly dudes getting their pump on and there were quite a few open treadmills.  Since 4 miles at one speed is dreadfully boring on a treadmill, I decided to make today's run a little more progressive.  First of all, I split up the run into two 3 mile segments, that way I was in control of when the treadmill stopped (it cuts off automatically after 30 minutes).  I did the first mile of the tempo portion at 7.8, the next at 7.9, then 8.0, then 8.1.  A nice little cool down that ranged between 7.0 and 7.5 and I was on my way home.  An unremarkable run was a really fun way to end a rather remarkable snow day with my girls.  I feel great knowing I got my miles in, and now I have two full days to rest up for Saturday's 16 miler...since this is Virginia Beach, every bit of white should be gone by then! 

Day 25: Holiday! Celebrate!

Today's task:  1 mile warm up, 2 x1600m @6:42 min/mile, 2 x 800m in 3:12 (60 second rest intervals), 1 mile cool down

Today's weather: 37 degrees, SW winds @ 15 mph

Today's outcome: 1 mile in 8:24, 6:21, 6:47, 3:18, 3:18, 1 mile in 9:10

Can we just start by saying I ran a 6:21 mile today?!?! By the great beard of Zeus!!! Perhaps I was a little over zealous because I was wearing my new shoes, but I think it's because I still have no idea how to feel these fast paces and just go balls to the wall for the first one and see how it goes. This strategery was rather unfavorable, as my stingy 60 second rest interval wasn't nearly long enough to retrieve said balls from said wall and run another mile that fast.  My second 1600 was 5 seconds over my target pace, and the 800s were each 6 seconds over.  I feel if I had even 15 more seconds of recovery time, my results may have been different, but sadly, my bible did not call for 75 second rest intervals.  So today, I'll be excited about the anomaly that was that first 1600 instead of being discouraged by the other intervals being over target.  The silver lining is that they were a consistent amount over my target pace, which is helpful to know going into my next interval workout.

Since today was Martin Luther King Day and the kids were out of school, I got my run in before Ryan had to go to work and did legs and back afterward.  Saying my legs were fatigued during that workout is quite the understatement, and I'm curious to see how they feel tomorrow.  Someone had recently tried to sell us on the healing powers of Asea water (the saline solution that is the "first and only source of balanced stabilized Redox signaling molecules outside the body" and is available for the bargain price of $75 for 64 ounces, but less if you join their network marketing (um, pyramid) team).  Call me a skeptic, but usually if something sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.  I'll stick with my post-run chocolate milk and its carbs, calcium, sodium, potassium, and protein blend for around $4 a gallon.  You can check out this article from Runner's World for more info about the magically delicious recovery powers of chocolate milk.

After doing legs and back, I ran upstairs to shower before heading off to the dentist with the girls.  I had worn my new sneakers for my run, but changed into the identical old pair for P90X in an effort to preserve the new ones for as long as possible.  In my haste, both pair of shoes ended up being very close to one another on the floor, and I had a brief moment of panic:

Which ones are the new shoes???  I felt like a mom of identical twins who couldn't tell her babies apart.  I think I just may have to put some nail polish on the new pair so I know which ones to grab in the dark for an early morning run.

The rest of our MLK Day was quite lovely, with sunny skies, warm temperatures, and a cavity free x3 visit to the dentist.  After the dentist, we were ladies who lunched at Tropical Smoothie, where I was more than pleasantly surprised by how good the Island Green smoothie is (spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, banana).  We don't go out to eat very often, so the girls were excited about their smoothies and chips with Mom.

We had a great visit with my mother-in-law after lunch, where we soaked up some vitamin D in the backyard while the girls fed the ducks and played fetch with the neighbors' golden retriever.  With weather like today's, it's hard to imagine a couple of inches of snow being in the forecast for tomorrow night, but that's the way it goes in Virginia Beach!  And of course the first thing I think about is how another polar vortex will affect Wednesday's tempo run.  I don't mind the cold, but at this stage in the game, I doubt I'll be down with running in icy conditions...I did not come this far to get hurt because of some stupid Canadian air mass!!!  And if the city freaks out and shuts down schools, I'll have stir crazy kids to entertain instead of the whopping 1.5 hours of kid-free time I was expecting to use to get those miles in.  Too many what if's to worry about right now, so we'll just have to wait and see.  Until then, I hope everyone has had a good start to their week.  I leave you with a few inspiring quotes from the man whose memory we honor today:

Day 24: Meg's Miles

Today's task:  15 miles @8:30 min/mile

Today's weather:  38 degrees, cloudy, WNW winds @15 mph

Today's outcome:  15.04 miles in 2:05:55 (8:22 min/mile avg pace) + .86 miles in 6:53

Today's run felt really important.  It was the longest distance I've ever run, and it was done in honor of a woman who was probably a lot like me.  As you may have heard, Meg Menzies, a 34 year old mother of three young kids, was struck and killed by a drunk driver while out for a run this past Monday morning in Richmond, Virginia.  Knowing something this awful and tragic could happen to any one of us, the running community has rallied in Meg's memory and in support of the beautiful family she left behind.  As of right now, nearly 85,000 people have said they will run in her honor today.  That's more than the NYC and Boston Marathon fields combined.  Incredible.  

I hugged my kids tightly and kissed them a dozen times before I left the house this morning.  I even kissed my husband, despite him being in the middle of his own post-run ummm...tradition, if you will.  I ran in my blue tank top (Meg's favorite color) with tears in my eyes, a pit in my stomach, and the initials "MM" written Fancily on my hand beneath my miles and times.

Can you spot the math error?  What a dummy.

About 3.5 minutes into my run, I realized I left my GU on the counter.  Son of a bee sting!  Not wanting to find out what 15 miles would feel like without it, I went back to get it (and pee again...I never pass up and opportunity to tinkle!).  Hence, the additional .86 miles tacked on to an already historically long run.  Kinda makes next week's 16 miler seem like old hat.  Well, I'll just keep telling myself that.

The first mile after I got back on the road was slightly ahead of pace, but then my watch had me between 30 and 40 seconds behind for every mile after that.  I was a bit frustrated because I didn't feel like I was running slower than 8:30, but the numbers don't really lie, do they?  The boardwalk was tougher than I expected with the wind whipping through the hotels and swirling around off the ocean.  Getting pelted in the face with sand was not something I expected today.  But I've run that boardwalk in tougher conditions than today's, and seeing "MM" on my hand every mile helped keep me on task.  

It wasn't really until after I got to the other side of Rudee Inlet on my way back that I felt like I found my groove.  Sheesh, only took 10 miles!  I read about the practice of dedicating your miles to someone on The Hungry Runner Girl, and the last 5 miles of today's run were dedicated to Meg, her husband, and her three gorgeous kids.  Perhaps that's how I found my giddyup and made up those 30-40 seconds.  An additional kick in the ass was around mile 13.5, when I saw these smiling faces emerge from the playground at Chick-Fil-A as I ran past:

A couple of high fives and I love you's from my favorite little people was all I needed to push through to the finish.  After a good stretch and an Instagram post with the hashtag #megsmiles, I got in the shower, only to realize my sports bra had chafed the crap out of my back.  I had a very Kevin McAllister moment.

Running for Meg gave me a feeling of gratitude I've never experienced with running before.  I was so grateful to make it home safely to my little family, even if they had no idea why I was so happy to see them.  I ran 15.9 miles for Meg today, and will most likely think of her every time I lace up.  Go to the Meg's Miles Facebook page to read more about Meg and what's being done in her honor.

Day 23: Strength in pain

Today's task: 2 miles easy, 3 miles @7:15 min/mile, 1 mile easy

Today's weather: 48 degrees, sunny (aka ideal)

Today's outcome: 2 miles in 16:00 (8 min/mile), 3 miles in 21:36 (7:12 min/mile), 1 mile in 8:28 min

Every so often, my MilePosts app sends me quotes that are so on point it's spooky.  Today was one of those days (plus it's a quote from Dana Carvey...excellent!).  My body hurts.  In a good way though.  The first week of P90X after a recovery week is always really tough...I'm still feeling Monday's legs and back workout and running intervals, as well as yesterday's chest, shoulders, and triceps workout.  I did plyometrics early this morning for the first time in a couple of months, and I did it at about 80% effort so as just to wake up my legs, not beat them down further.  I think it did just the trick because, combined with today's ideal weather conditions, feeling well-nourished, hydrated, and caffeinated, I had a great tempo run.  It was challenging and fun and just what I needed to carry some confidence over to my next run.  

I'm looking forward to Saturday's long run. I've put in some hard work until this point, but these longs runs are my true litmus test as to how prepared I feel for the Shamrock.  I've got 9 weeks left of 16, and I'm just now getting into the meat of this training plan.  With the exception of just one 14 miler, I was familiar and comfortable with the distances of every long run I've done until now.  With long runs of 16, 18, and 20 miles coming up in the near future, I'm hoping I'll soon be able to imagine myself running 26.2.  I can't fathom it yet, but I'm getting closer each week.

Saturday's 15 miler will be run in honor of a complete stranger.  A fellow runner and young mother in Richmond, Virginia, was out for a run Monday morning and was killed by a drunk driver.  I'll be joining thousands of runners in a tribute to Meg, and I invite you to dedicate your miles to her as well.  This tragedy really makes it hit home that accidents do happen, even when every measure of safety is taken while out for a run.  We cannot assume drivers see us, regardless of how brightly colored or reflective our clothes are when it's dark, or in Meg's case, in broad daylight.  Drunk drivers are among us, even at 8:30 am.  Drivers are more and more distracted these days, and pedestrians in their periphery often go completely unnoticed.  In my experience, plenty of drivers roll right through stop signs, and some even fail to look both ways when making right turns.  Be alert when you run, but even more so when you drive.  Check out Meg's Miles on Facebook and be a part of this tribute.  Meg was with me in spirit on my run today, from the perfect weather to cooperative traffic lights and courteous drivers.  Her friend says she was always smiling, and I felt like she was smiling on my run today.  Thanks, Meg...run in peace.

Day 22: You better WORK!

Today's task:  10-15 minute warm up, 6 x 400s, twice - 1:35 pace, 90 second rest intervals, 2:30 rest interval between sets, 10-15 minute cool down

Today's weather:  50 degrees, sunny,  breezy

Today's outcome:  11:55 min warm up, 1:26, 1:26, 1:27, 1:26, 1:26, 1:28, 1:29, 1:28, 1:27, 1:28, 1:27, 1:27, 11: 47 min cool down

I was dreading this workout since I first read it on the training schedule before I even committed to the full marathon.  I've done 6 x 400s before and could barely eek out the last two intervals.  How on earth was I going to do six, then six more???  I felt nervous thinking about it last night.  And this morning when I woke up.  And all throughout my legs and back workout.  And waiting at the bus stop.  And driving Brynn to school after the bus didn't show up (really???).  And some more when I drove to and from Camryn's school.  

My nerves were consuming me, and it reminded me of my days as a competitive gymnast.  I always got really nervous before a meet, and I would feel nauseous, shaky, and pee a hundred times before going out for my event...everything I experienced this morning.  And when I finished my warm up and was staring down the 400 meter path in front of me, I really started having flashbacks to the gym, minus the smell of feet.  The short, straight path ahead reminded me of the vault runway, and the brevity of a 400 meter interval felt so much like performing a gymnastics routine...give it all you got for a minute and a half, then chill.  

After a quick stretch, I was off.  I'm still trying to figure out how to pace these short sprints, and I ended up finishing 9 seconds ahead of my target pace.  Happy that I had some wiggle room for the rest of the workout, I ran the second interval and got the same result.  Interesting.  I managed to consistently stay between 1:26 and 1:29 for each of the 12 intervals, which felt like a thrilling victory after last week's treadmill debacle.  Since it was such a nice day, there were quite a few people out on the path, which made me feel a little self conscious about all the panting and grunting I was doing.

What I loved about this run was the sense of focus I felt.  When you're running that hard, you can't think of anything else but getting to the finish.  And when you're finished, you can't think of anything else but catching your breath and getting ready for the next round.  There was absolutely no room in my brain for thoughts of anything other than the task at hand, which doesn't happen often.  I'm almost always thinking about several different things at once, so being able to tune everything else out and just be in the moment of these intervals was awesome.

And just a little tidbit...Ryan picked up some Clif bars at Sam's Club for us to use as recovery fuel after these tough workouts.  They've got 20 grams of protein, which is great for rebuilding the muscles we just completely broke down.  I've had the chocolate peanut butter and the chocolate mint so far, and surprisingly, to this lover of all things chocolate and peanut butter, I think I enjoy the chocolate mint the best.  Tastes like a thin mint without the guilt!  

Happy my legs didn't have a case of the Mondays today...hope your week is off to a great start, too!