Last night, I ran my second training run! I looked at my schedule, it simply said "1 hour long run," and when I looked in the notes for an explanation, I concluded that this run was to be a long slooooowwww one. When I started this journey almost 2 years ago, I hopped on a treadmill and set it at a 10 minute mile. This has become my comfortable speed. So I took the "sloooowwww" recommendation as...go slower than that. So I ran for an hour at a 12 minute mile, and by the end, this was excruciating for me. By mile 4, my right knee ached, my legs felt crampy, and overall, I didn't feel like I could do much more. My husband evidently thinks the same way when faced with a "sloooowwww" run. When I shared my pace...he simply said "ow."
Going back to when I started, I had no clue how fast (or slow) I should be going. I just set the treadmill at what felt natural to me. I've learned by watching and competing that this "natural" pace is different for everyone. For my husband, his current "natural" pace is around 8:30 minute miles, which is where I begin to feel like I'm pushing it. My former boss ran a marathon in 3:10, so I'm sure his "natural" pace is even faster than that. For others, 10 minute miles may seem difficult. I'm not sure what makes someone faster or slower than everyone around them, and I'm not entirely convinced that anyone's "natural" pace can be sped up or slowed down. Maybe I'm wrong!? But I do know, at least for me, there is a point where I think running too slow can actually be detrimental to your joints and the longevity of your runs. After I completed my hour, just for kicks, I sped it up to about a 9:30 minute mile, and low and behold, I started to feel better. Almost like I could go for another hour (I didn't...it was getting late and I was HUNGRY)! May not work for everyone, but if you start to feel fatigued really early during a casual jog, try speeding up a little...that little push may push you through!
In November, my goal is to finish in about 4:15. I've calculated this out, and this means I should average about a 9:30 minute mile. Totally doable, just means I have to push a little harder than I'm comfortable with. And in a race where adrenaline is flowing, people are running all around you, and there are spectators and inspirational things every where you look, that may simply carry me through. Regardless, I'm going to try over the next few weeks to defy my own thoughts about a "natural" pace and try and shave :30 off of my comfortable-ness. Here's hoping!
I also worked out with Renea yesterday! So yes, I am super proud that I made myself get sweaty and sticky TWO TIMES in one day! We did some really fun arm stuff that made me grunt and make silly faces, and we also worked my legs with different leg lifts. Then I took a whirl on "Mr. Trampoline" while holding 5lb weights and bouncing my butt of of it with a hop (sounds funny, but very effective)!
I completed my first session with her without collapsing which was a huge boost for me! I woke up this morning with quite a sore toosh, and tight arms and abs! YAY! I LOVE having someone motivate and push me hard, because I know at home I cheat...and she don't let me :)!
This weekend, I have to do another 4 on Saturday followed by 6 miles on Sunday. And since I got lazy and took Tuesday off, tomorrow, I'll be doing something active. Usually on Fridays by 5...I can be found cleaning my casa from top to bottom, and cleaning is hard work! Maybe I'll mix in some jumping jacks, push-ups, and crunches in addition to shower/tub scrubbing and hauling my vacuum up and down the stairs. Anyone wanna help me?
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
PS: My hubby is doing an Olympic Triathlon in Austin, Texas in September and he is raising money for cancer research through the LIVESTRONG Foundation. He's almost to his goal and he's trying to reach it by August 1st! Every dollar counts! Thank You!
http://tri.livestrong.org/teamls2011/krishealey
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
The Flat Out Truth About Hill Training in Harlingen
First day done! And even though it is considered my "short run" for the week, it was tough. I actually verbally yelled "this effing sucks" on two separate occasions.
**Side note: I'm a big fan of yelling while running/lifting weights. My husband is quite aware (and sometimes embarassed) that it is a given that my temper will most likely flare up at least 2x during a race 13 miles or longer. My language gets "peppery"...I think it calms me down...and fires me up :)
Today's run was called "4 mile run with 4:00 TUT." What the heck is a TUT, and why am I doing it for 4 minutes. Well...it's Timed Uphill Training. So today, I ran uphill for 4 minutes. I didn't do it all at once. I separated it out (at 1.35 miles I did a minute and a half, same thing at 2.35 miles, and at 3.4 miles I did one minute). Now where should one do an uphill run in a city with such vast topography as Harlingen, Texas? My upstairs bedroom. I did it on the treadmill. I'm not sure I know of another place in our town where it would allow me to run consistently uphill for over a minute, but if someone else does, do share!
I'm going to admit right now, before I go any further, that I am somewhat of a treadmill addict. I heart my treadmill (and I heart my Mother that passed it on to me so graciously). It's hot outside. And I can guarantee that the next 4-6 weeks will be largely done inside. This works for me, may not work for everyone though. I have vowed to do more runs outside this time around, but I am completely okay with the fact that may not happen until about Mid-September because of the heat.
So day one is done! Gone! It's officially started. My husband is trying to convince me to run at 4:45 am with the Footworks group. Not sure if I'll make it. I'm fairly confident no one wants to be my friend and run with me that early in the morning...I would most likely be downright unpleasant (I am the grumpiest morning person alive, really, I am). But we'll see! Maybe I'll have a change of heart! I'll let ya know!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
**Side note: I'm a big fan of yelling while running/lifting weights. My husband is quite aware (and sometimes embarassed) that it is a given that my temper will most likely flare up at least 2x during a race 13 miles or longer. My language gets "peppery"...I think it calms me down...and fires me up :)
Today's run was called "4 mile run with 4:00 TUT." What the heck is a TUT, and why am I doing it for 4 minutes. Well...it's Timed Uphill Training. So today, I ran uphill for 4 minutes. I didn't do it all at once. I separated it out (at 1.35 miles I did a minute and a half, same thing at 2.35 miles, and at 3.4 miles I did one minute). Now where should one do an uphill run in a city with such vast topography as Harlingen, Texas? My upstairs bedroom. I did it on the treadmill. I'm not sure I know of another place in our town where it would allow me to run consistently uphill for over a minute, but if someone else does, do share!
I'm going to admit right now, before I go any further, that I am somewhat of a treadmill addict. I heart my treadmill (and I heart my Mother that passed it on to me so graciously). It's hot outside. And I can guarantee that the next 4-6 weeks will be largely done inside. This works for me, may not work for everyone though. I have vowed to do more runs outside this time around, but I am completely okay with the fact that may not happen until about Mid-September because of the heat.
So day one is done! Gone! It's officially started. My husband is trying to convince me to run at 4:45 am with the Footworks group. Not sure if I'll make it. I'm fairly confident no one wants to be my friend and run with me that early in the morning...I would most likely be downright unpleasant (I am the grumpiest morning person alive, really, I am). But we'll see! Maybe I'll have a change of heart! I'll let ya know!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
Sunday, July 24, 2011
If at first you kind of succeed...sign up again and try harder!
Hi everyone!
If you're reading this, you most likely not only know me, but probably know a few things about me, my family, my life etc. Some of you may have known me long enough to be completely flabbergasted that I run at all...let alone am attempting my second FULL MARATHON! So for anyone that isn't familiar with the pre-running Lacy, I'll give you a synopsis on how this whole thing started.
I was NEVER athletic. Never played a team sport in high school (does freshman cheerleading really count?), never worked out regularly, never ate healthy, never ran a mile before the age of 26 that I can remember. My siblings were athletic, both played and excelled at their respective sports. My sister was actually the runner in the family. Both my parents ran, and were pretty quick from what I hear.
I, however, was never interested. Usually, I was dubbed "the smart one," or even more commonly, I was known as the Landry child that sang. I was a choir nerd that went to college as a Vocal Performance Major and tried out for American Idol. I can't think of a single time when anyone ever accused me of being athletic, although, I love to watch sports. So, as you can imagine, this major life change shocked many!
4 years ago, I met my husband, Kristofor. 2 years ago, Kristofor, my then fiance, started training for his first half marathon. He asked me to do it with him. I said hell no, absolutely not. NOT interested. But I was supportive, and I showed up reeeeallllyyy early on the morning of his race and got a good spot right at the finish line. After being there for 2 hours, I watched Elite runners finish, I watched cancer survivors finish, I watched people as old as my grandparents finish. I saw all shapes, ages, genders, and sizes finish that race. When Kristofor finished at about 2 hrs and 18 minutes, I was hooked! It was so exciting to see the joy on everyone's faces, so happy for their individual accomplishment. They all proudly received their medal and most I overheard saying "let's do it again!" I was more than curious.
2 hours later, my friend, Kate Durant, finished her second full marathon. I was inspired! That night I picked my race, the Austin 3M Half Marathon on January 24, 2010. That Monday, I ran my first training run. And just shy of a month before our wedding, Kristofor and I finished our half marathon together in 2:14, holding hands. I cried. I was so excited! I did it! I continued to train throughout 2010 and we decided, together, to attempt the much more daunting task of running a full marathon.
Training for 26.2 miles was much more time consuming. It took a lot more days per week, and overall was a much larger commitment. I did "okay" with my training. It was a little all over the place, 95% on the treadmill, and I'd run and crash. I did no strength training, no cross training, no meal planning, just running. We ran the half marathon in San Antonio last November 14th, and had a great race! We both finished in our goal of under 2 hours, and we both felt very strong going into our full marathon on December 12th, 2010.
Two weeks before the big day, Kristofor got sick. Fever, chills, sinusitis, cough, the whole bit. He was out for a week. 3 days later, I got sick. The week of the race, I had double ear infections, a sinus infection, and was put on antibiotics by a Dr. that was not excited about me running 4 days later. I began drinking my weight in Emer-gen-C and hoping for the best. Race day came, it was 39 degrees at start time with 25 mph head wind for the first 15 miles. Cold, windy, sick, and dealing with the total unpreparedness of the race event...
**(NO, and I mean NO crowd or course support...no water at mile 23?...how about we dodge oncoming traffic for the last 6 miles and finish into a busy shopping center at Christmas time without the lane being blocked off? WHERE IS THE FINISH LINE???)**
We finished in 4:47. Under our goal of 5 hours, but a little worse for wear. I had trouble walking the next week, and my shin splints were BAAAAADDDD!
Almost 8 months after the race, I've still had some trouble with my knee, but I've completed a few 5k and 10k races and did well. I've not run over 10 miles straight in 2011. That is all about to change! Tonight I signed up for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon on November 13, 2011. I've vowed to do it a little different this time! Don't get me wrong, I am so proud of myself for accomplishing the finish last year. What an amazing feeling! The look on my parent's face was priceless! But, this time, I want to do it the right way. I've got a healthy meal plan, a great training plan, and an amazing trainer that is helping me strength train this time to hopefully help reduce injury and improve my time!
In short, (and I realize that many of you may never read this because you were bored to tears reading all the boring-ness above) I hope to be more organized, healthier, and a little less haphazard this time around! I decided to start this blog to keep myself honest over the next several weeks. If I know that somebody (even if it's one person) is going to check this periodically to see where I am, I will be more accountable. Also, if anyone ever thinks that this can't be done or that you have to be super human to try it, hopefully, this will shed a little light on exactly what goes into something like this!
Soooooo if anyone is really bored and wants to check this periodically, I'm going to update regularly with stories about my training, how it's working for me, and how it is all mixing in with my social life, work, etc. If you see me out and about, feel free to tell me to run more. AND if you see my car in the Whataburger line...please feel free to call my trainer, Renea her number is 956-just kidding :), but you can honk loudly at me...that's ok!
Here is a link to my training plan...
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-2-3X5X7-4,00.html
**Note: Days I run are most likely going to be different according to what my schedule is like week to week. And although it has 3 "rest" days...2 of those I will be cross training with Renea and or doing other cardio...like swimming! I'll have 1 day to rest each week!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy Shea
**I promise this is by far going to be the longest post!
If you're reading this, you most likely not only know me, but probably know a few things about me, my family, my life etc. Some of you may have known me long enough to be completely flabbergasted that I run at all...let alone am attempting my second FULL MARATHON! So for anyone that isn't familiar with the pre-running Lacy, I'll give you a synopsis on how this whole thing started.
I was NEVER athletic. Never played a team sport in high school (does freshman cheerleading really count?), never worked out regularly, never ate healthy, never ran a mile before the age of 26 that I can remember. My siblings were athletic, both played and excelled at their respective sports. My sister was actually the runner in the family. Both my parents ran, and were pretty quick from what I hear.
I, however, was never interested. Usually, I was dubbed "the smart one," or even more commonly, I was known as the Landry child that sang. I was a choir nerd that went to college as a Vocal Performance Major and tried out for American Idol. I can't think of a single time when anyone ever accused me of being athletic, although, I love to watch sports. So, as you can imagine, this major life change shocked many!
4 years ago, I met my husband, Kristofor. 2 years ago, Kristofor, my then fiance, started training for his first half marathon. He asked me to do it with him. I said hell no, absolutely not. NOT interested. But I was supportive, and I showed up reeeeallllyyy early on the morning of his race and got a good spot right at the finish line. After being there for 2 hours, I watched Elite runners finish, I watched cancer survivors finish, I watched people as old as my grandparents finish. I saw all shapes, ages, genders, and sizes finish that race. When Kristofor finished at about 2 hrs and 18 minutes, I was hooked! It was so exciting to see the joy on everyone's faces, so happy for their individual accomplishment. They all proudly received their medal and most I overheard saying "let's do it again!" I was more than curious.
2 hours later, my friend, Kate Durant, finished her second full marathon. I was inspired! That night I picked my race, the Austin 3M Half Marathon on January 24, 2010. That Monday, I ran my first training run. And just shy of a month before our wedding, Kristofor and I finished our half marathon together in 2:14, holding hands. I cried. I was so excited! I did it! I continued to train throughout 2010 and we decided, together, to attempt the much more daunting task of running a full marathon.
Training for 26.2 miles was much more time consuming. It took a lot more days per week, and overall was a much larger commitment. I did "okay" with my training. It was a little all over the place, 95% on the treadmill, and I'd run and crash. I did no strength training, no cross training, no meal planning, just running. We ran the half marathon in San Antonio last November 14th, and had a great race! We both finished in our goal of under 2 hours, and we both felt very strong going into our full marathon on December 12th, 2010.
Two weeks before the big day, Kristofor got sick. Fever, chills, sinusitis, cough, the whole bit. He was out for a week. 3 days later, I got sick. The week of the race, I had double ear infections, a sinus infection, and was put on antibiotics by a Dr. that was not excited about me running 4 days later. I began drinking my weight in Emer-gen-C and hoping for the best. Race day came, it was 39 degrees at start time with 25 mph head wind for the first 15 miles. Cold, windy, sick, and dealing with the total unpreparedness of the race event...
**(NO, and I mean NO crowd or course support...no water at mile 23?...how about we dodge oncoming traffic for the last 6 miles and finish into a busy shopping center at Christmas time without the lane being blocked off? WHERE IS THE FINISH LINE???)**
We finished in 4:47. Under our goal of 5 hours, but a little worse for wear. I had trouble walking the next week, and my shin splints were BAAAAADDDD!
Almost 8 months after the race, I've still had some trouble with my knee, but I've completed a few 5k and 10k races and did well. I've not run over 10 miles straight in 2011. That is all about to change! Tonight I signed up for the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon on November 13, 2011. I've vowed to do it a little different this time! Don't get me wrong, I am so proud of myself for accomplishing the finish last year. What an amazing feeling! The look on my parent's face was priceless! But, this time, I want to do it the right way. I've got a healthy meal plan, a great training plan, and an amazing trainer that is helping me strength train this time to hopefully help reduce injury and improve my time!
In short, (and I realize that many of you may never read this because you were bored to tears reading all the boring-ness above) I hope to be more organized, healthier, and a little less haphazard this time around! I decided to start this blog to keep myself honest over the next several weeks. If I know that somebody (even if it's one person) is going to check this periodically to see where I am, I will be more accountable. Also, if anyone ever thinks that this can't be done or that you have to be super human to try it, hopefully, this will shed a little light on exactly what goes into something like this!
Soooooo if anyone is really bored and wants to check this periodically, I'm going to update regularly with stories about my training, how it's working for me, and how it is all mixing in with my social life, work, etc. If you see me out and about, feel free to tell me to run more. AND if you see my car in the Whataburger line...please feel free to call my trainer, Renea her number is 956-just kidding :), but you can honk loudly at me...that's ok!
Here is a link to my training plan...
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-2-3X5X7-4,00.html
**Note: Days I run are most likely going to be different according to what my schedule is like week to week. And although it has 3 "rest" days...2 of those I will be cross training with Renea and or doing other cardio...like swimming! I'll have 1 day to rest each week!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy Shea
**I promise this is by far going to be the longest post!
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