When great runs go bad

Saturday was beautiful here in Chicagoland this past weekend. I was excited to be able to do my final long run outside and enjoy the *spring* like weather for another week.


18 miles avg 9:00/ mile

But it was a *horrible* run. Granted the first 11 miles were glorious. I was cruising at 8:30-8:40 pace and loving life.


Then the GI issues hit me. I had to stop and walk and contemplate whether or not to continue on or find an open restroom (which are hard to find on the lakefront this time of year). I used my Jedi mind tricks to settle my tummy and continued on, albeit at a much slower pace than before to complete my run.


If I could survive this, I'm pretty certain I could survive anything in a race.

So what can contribute to a *horrible* run?

•lack of sleep the night(s) before •dehydration from too much "drinking" or not enough water the day before


•food. I know some people are sensitive to eating certain foods before longer runs. Luckily, I'm not one of them and the tacos Friday night had no claim to my problems.


•emptying out your insides before a race (or long run). Extremely important for long runs where the restrooms are boarded up and in short supply!!


•improper fueling during the run. Not enough water intake, not taking enough gel, chomps, salt tabs etx This can cause muscle cramps and eventually injury.


•wearing proper clothes for the weather. It was low 30's and little wind so I wore, CEP comp sox, shorts, long sleeve shirt and a light jacket. Should have worn gloves, but i felt cool the entire time. (and happy I finally figured out how to dress for the cold)


There seems to be a lot that can make a run go bad, but in reality most of the factors are in your control. This *horrible* run was my fault. It wasn't some new problem that hit me like a train- but it was 100% preventable.

Post long run We checked out Panozzos, an Italian market that we saw on Diners, Drive ins and Dives a few weeks ago.


My porchetta sandwich was amazing and WW got a massive meat ball sandwich. They were delicious!

We also tried out "Waffles" this weekend.


I got waffles Benedict. It was a Liege waffle (very sweet and dense) with pulled pork, egg and hollandaise sauce. Very delicious!

What are some additional causes for crappy runs? What has caused you trouble during a run before? - xaar

Bittersweet

This weekend will be my last "long run" before the Miami marathon in 3 weeks. I'm actually looking forward to running the 18+ miles outside and enjoying the crazy beautiful weather that has descended on Chicagoland lately.


This run is bittersweet because I'm finally starting to enjoy these sessions. There is something therapeutic about going on auto pilot for a few hours and enjoying the scenery, sounds and smells around you. I also enjoy reflecting on my training and thinking about the future while on longer runs.


I'm hoping tomorrow brings peace about whether or not I should pursue another marathon this year in the spring to achieve a BQ, and Fall if I fail in the spring. This marathon training has been a good speed/ base building towards my future running goals no doubt about it. And I'm excited to see how my half marathon times improve with the speed work and consistency I've been putting in. but, my shin has been acting up again and I've had to replace some running workouts with hilly stationary bike workouts lately.


The big question is do I really want to put my family through another 12+ weeks of me ranting about training, injuries, and talking incessantly about running? (and will this shin pain just go away once and for all!?!) - xaar

New years day 5k

First, my thoughts go out to the man that was critically injured By 2 pitbulls on the lakefront today.

My dad and I ran the new years day 5k on Sunday. Luckily it started at 11am which gave us enough time to digest all of the yummy food and brew from Revolution Brewery's new years eve dinner.


My wonderful wonderful was smart and stayed in our warm apartment.


So to cut to the chase, I got a 23:37 which surprisingly was good enough for 2nd place in my age group and 19th woman. Far from my PR during thanksgiving. My dad beat me by 50 seconds to get 3rd in his age group! It was a good start to 2012!


The race was small by Chicagoland standards. About 750+ people were timed and maybe about 300 more participated without chips for the fun run/walk. Sunday was the opposite of the awesome run weather I had the day before with Britt. It was mid 20's with wind gusting to 45mph!



Mile 1- 7:24 "crap I'm going too fast. Felt good at first then definitely a bad idea." **

Mile 2- 7:50 "holy head winds! Why the hell am I doing this? I should just walk or slow down."

Mile 3- 7:30 "ok. No more head winds. Feeling better but my legs are begging for me to stop."

Mile 3.1- 54 seconds "just run to finish. C'mon just finish strong and don't let the guy with the dog beat you. Ok. Good job dog on beating me- at least it was a big dog."


**running a 5k in winter was never a priority (due to marathon training) and mainly I just did it because my Daad thought it would be interesting. Note to self, running 6 fast hilly miles on Friday, followed by 18+ miles on Saturday followed by a fast 5k will cause your muscles to cry and beg for mercy!!!


My Daad and I post race. We were cold. Overall, I'd say the race was well organized. We started up near the front and while it was run on the narrow inner path of the Lincoln park, it never felt crowded. The course was well marked and the volunteers were awesome. We even shared the path with the oncoming runners and there were no problems. Water and bananas were plentiful at the finish and the race directors also had devices to punch in your bib # and it would print a ticket out with your time and place in the race. That's how we found out we placed in our age groups.


The after party at sedgwicks was cool. We got our free beer and waited around for the awards. While waiting, there were numerous items being raffled off- like gift certificates to restaurants but sadly we didn't win anything. We eventually just went up to the announcer to get our medals because it was announced they would just be mailed out. That is my only complaint. We wouldn't have waited around so long had we known that.


(my dad didn't realize CB was doing business when he took this photo of us in the snow. Haha)

So I would do this race again, but it would have to be a last minute decision because I surely never want to run in ice or snow or rain.

How was your new years? Did you run on new years day?

26 days until marathon #5! -xaar