Griffith Park Half Marathon Training Plan

Aaaaannndddd….I’m type A. I like training plans.

I enjoyed my summer of free-form running, but I was feeling like I tended to slack on runs because I wanted to “save” energy for some undetermined future run. I also have a weird mental block with runs over about 8 miles, and when Leo asks, “So, how far do you want to run today?” I immediately answer, “Ummmm, 3. Or 4. But not more than 4. Unless I feel great. And then maybe 6.”

So I started putting together a training plan. And because I enjoy Excel spreadsheets and running math, it took forever. But it’s done!

Training Plan – Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon (I don’t know why you’d want this, but feel free! However, I am not a doctor, and have gained all my running knowledge from the internet. Don’t be stupid)

Yeah, it’s color coded.

I threw in a day of swimming (or cross-training) because I’ll start having access to a pool when my new job starts in August. I’ll also have access to lots of big heavy weights, and a track, hence the weights-only days and speedwork. I’m going to try to do all of my other runs at least partially on trails, which is pretty easy around here. I kept the long run mileage relatively high, and added some back-to-backs because I may want to run another marathon in December or January (I will actually run a marathon).

I’ve already noticed that I’m putting more effort into my runs, since I know exactly what’s on the schedule for the next day. Yeah, I could have just sucked it up and pushed myself harder, but I like this way better.

Of course, it’s still all subject to change, based on day availability and whether I feel like running more. We’ll see how it goes! Saturday is already looking fun, there’s a training run on the Griffith Park Trail 10K course, and it’s just far enough from my house that if I get a ride there, I can run home and hit my 10 miles. Runmuting!

Summer Training Plans and Realities

I didn’t have any set training plan heading into summer. I knew I was going to lose access to my school gym, so I didn’t want to tie myself to a weights training plan that I couldn’t complete. And I didn’t know how well I’d handle the hot weather of summer (sweating is not exactly by best skill), or how much time I’d have to run with my summer job.

Luckily, not having a plan has worked out pretty well. I have kept my run mileage pretty steady over the past 5 weeks, and have even started to increase it a little bit. I generally pick a rough mileage for the week and keep track of what distances I’m running, but I don’t plan which days I’m doing which runs. I tend to focus more on monthly mileage, which I’ve gotten back up after it dropped in April and May during the end of grad school.

Summer Weekly Mileage

2012 Monthly Mileage

I also participated in the Runner’s World Run Streak from Memorial Day to the 4th of July, and managed to run (or walk) at least a mile every day during those days. But I’ve started to feel the effects of not strength training consistently, mostly in my knees and in my calves. The only strength program I’ve found that really seems to stabilize everything really well for me is The Female Body Breakthrough program, designed by Rachel Cosgrove. It focuses on heavy weights (for you), and low reps, and is pretty brutal. I haven’t made it all the way through the program yet, but her focus on hamstrings, glutes, and functional core training really seems to work for my running.

So my new summer plans are:

Start the Female Body Breakthrough program again, 3 weights workouts per week.

If I decide to run on weight days, stick to short sprints.

Increase run mileage gradually, hopefully peaking at 40-50 miles per week.

Start my 15 week training cycle for the Griffith Park Half Marathon on August 5th (I’ll post a training plan closer to the start date…it will include lots and lots of trail runs!)

Griffith Park Trail Run

It’s been really nice to not stress myself out about a specific summer training plan and just do what feels right in terms of temp and time.

12athon: Month Seven

We’re more than halfway through the 12athon!

Today was the hardest 12athon I’ve run yet. There weren’t any particularly gnarly challenges, but this is what the forecast looked like when we headed out:

The temperature had gone down about 3 degrees by the time we started, and it was very very cloudy. Almost no direct sunlight, which was nice, but we’ve had humidity like this all day:

So the run was very slow. About 3 hours for the full 12 miles, which included running, walking, breaks in air-conditioned stores to buy water, and general whining stops.

I am claiming the Naturalist points (6) for my fabulous shoes.

And many thanks to my ever fabulous running partner and husband for his water carrying, food encouraging, and ability to talk while running up hills skills.

I thought about doing the RUI (Running Under the Influence) challenge, but didn’t want to risk it with the heat. So now I’m going to go enjoy this:

and some salmon, bacon, avocado tacos. Mmmmm.

Wedding Anniversary – Year One

1 year ago today I married a man who is my friend, my workout buddy, and my partner in all things both nefarious and non. We met in high school, when he was a freshman and I was a sophomore, and dated for a year before going our separate ways. We got back together in December of 2007, and have been together ever since.

Our wedding was like us, non-religious, full of family and friends, and relatively unfussy. It was held in his parents’ backyard, with homemade mexican food, homemade bouquets, and a friend as a photographer. It was a perfect day, and the only party I can ever remember enjoying from start to finish (as an introvert, parties and I have a tenuous relationship).

For our first wedding anniversary, we decided that we would give each other a traditional gift (paper), which would by necessity reflect our tight financial situation. We also made each other homemade cards (made while sitting across from each other at the kitchen table and watching The Daily Show). We decided that a fun anniversary tradition would be to do something old (an activity we usually do), and something new (an activity we haven’t tried before).

Leo gave me a book I’ve been wanting for my collection, and the most hilarious card I’ve ever gotten. He also got a handmade card, and a guide to some of the best trail hikes and campsites in our area.

Bitterblue!

Card Front

Card Interior! I love it.

Then we went for a run (which we do all the time) to the new Crunch gym in Burbank! They let us participate in a group fitness class as part of a free trial. The gym was beautiful, and if I had the money for a membership, I’d be in there every day playing with the kettlebells and the nifty treadmills (you can go uphill, or downhill!).

At Crunch post-workout

We went to an “Ultimate Conditioning” group class, which used to be my mainstay back in college. I didn’t enjoy it as much this time, as I’ve gotten way too used to Crossfit style workouts, and this was way too high-rep, instructor speed. But We enjoyed working out together, and then ran home.

Bacon! And wine.

With a quick stop at Trader Joe’s first. Wine and bacon for dinner!

While not fancy or elaborate, it was the best first anniversary I could ask for, since I was celebrating it with my favorite person. Here’s to many more years!

First Dance at Sunset

12athon: Month Six

Because we’re halfway through the 12athon, and because I wanted a challenge, I decided to tackle Macchu Picchu (Machu Picchu: 12 miles up a hill. Can be the same hill, but the distance you travel downhill to run back up doesn’t count. 24 POINTS), and the Slacker’s 12-Hour Race (Slacker’s 12-Hour Race (AKA The 12 MPH): Run 1 mile during every hourly increment for 12 consecutive hours. 24 POINTS. 4 more points if you end at 12 p.m. (noon).). And because I was doing it anyway, I claimed points for Sunrise  (Sunrise: See the sunrise during your run. Find your local sunrise time on SunriseSunset.com. 4 POINTS).

Because we live very near a straight 1-mile stretch up a hill, my husband (who is awesome) came up with a great plan. We staggered the runs so that we started one on a “40” increment, and then started the next one on the hour. This allowed for around 1:20 between running legs, and still made sure I was running each leg within the allotted hour period.

During the Night Legs (first 6 miles) my husband took our car to the top of the hill, rode his bike down, and then rode the bike back up with me. This arrangement meant that I ran 3 extra miles (down the hill between legs) but felt safer in the dark.

During the Day Legs, he’d drive the car to the top, meet me there and drive me to the bottom, drop me off, and then drive to the top again. He was great about stopping partway up the hill to see if I needed water or any assistance.

Mile One

 

Mile Two

Mile Three

Mile Four

Mile Five

Mile Six

Mile Seven

Mile Eight

Mile Nine

Mile Ten

Mile Eleven

Mile Twelve

I managed to pull out a great split on the last leg, and it was pretty amazing to be done. It’s not that the 12 miles are hard (although the uphill is pretty killer), but being awake and having to run so frequently is mentally draining. We came back after every set and watched Big Bang Theory or Iron Chef America while snacking, so I wasn’t tempted to fall asleep and give up.

Elevation Chart for the Route

I’m so glad I tried these two challenges, and I hope I’m not too sore tomorrow! Video from my support crew will come when we’re not too tired. 🙂

12athon: Month Five

May 12athon started off odd, but was a smashing success!

I had planned on doing various different challenges. I was going to attempt the Slacker 12 Hour challenge, the uphill challenge, and was looking for a 3rd. But then I decided to go home for Mother’s Day at the last minute, and forgot my (husband’s) GPS, my hat, my handheld water bottle, and most of my running food. Oh, and my light and pepper spray, without which I was NOT running at 1, 2 and 3 am (even on Coronado Island).

 

So I just started out this morning, no hat, weird water bottle that I carried, my phone in my other hand. My sister ran with me for the first two miles, then handed off her Nike+ GPS, which we weren’t sure would keep working. Our first two miles were 10:19, and 10:08, which included some walk breaks, so I just kept running a comfortable pace around the island.

 

Until the voice from my armband said “3 miles completed, last mile split, 9:28.” I don’t usually run 9:28 anythings. So I kept running the same speed, or so I thought, because my splits kept dropping. I kept checking my phone to see if the time was right, and it was. When I hit 5 miles at 45 minutes, I knew I was in for a huge PR.

 

I stopped at my parents house at mile 7 to use the bathroom, grab some ice, and get my bottle refilled, and then kept running, hurting but determined to see how fast I could run 12 miles. When the little voice on my armband FINALLY told me 12 miles, my time was 1:42:19. That’s HUGE! My Half Marathon PR is 2:28. I can definitely drop an incredible amount of time next time I run a race.

 

So only 12 points for me this month, but I am so incredibly happy with the run. It was amazing.

Virtual 12athon: Month 3

This post is late, because school ate my life. Normally, I’m not one to mind schoolwork, but all of my classes this quarter have been closer to drudgery than usual. A 20 page paper on Andrew Carnegie is not my idea of a good time.

But, with only 1 paper left due (not until next Thursday), I wanted to continue memorializing my 12athon efforts.

I had all sorts of crazy plans for this run. I had gone through several permutations of challenges, added up all the various point options, but after writing two papers back to back, and with the LA Marathon coming up this weekend, I decided that I would do just a straight 12 mile run. Although, I ended up being late to class, so I also claimed the Stung By Bees point bonus.

I took all my marathon gear for a last trial, including my new running shorts (Lululemon…the hype is for a reason), and my compression socks, which I hadn’t tested on a long run yet. Still not sure about the hat…hoping to find my black one.

The route was a two-loop course, totaling 13.27 miles. It was hard, but extremely energizing to realize that I could now get up before class and run a half-marathon if I wanted to. Very mentally helpful for marathon prep.

I also finally discovered DailyMile, and started logging all my running mileage on there. I mostly love it for the statistics and graphs…I live for gold stars from the internet.

Virtual 12athon: Month 2

So begins month 2 of the 12athon! For this month I decided to tackle the:

Masquerade: Run in a costume based on a holiday in that month. Photo or video evidence mandatory! 8 POINTS. 4 more points if you run as Cupid on February 12! (I did not run as Cupid, because I didn’t want to deal with wings…but I did dress up!) and,

“That Guy”: Sign up for a 10K, cross the finish line, turn around and run the course in reverse (stopping at the 12th mile is optional). 8 POINTS (I didn’t stop at 12…ran 12.4!)

 

We headed down to Tidelands park for the race start at 8…after the bathroom line, I had about 2 minutes to make it to the start. This picture was taken before I dashed off and shouldered my way through the walkers. Note the candy colored outfit, and the Valentine’s Day socks I found at Walgreens at 10pm! My husband had planned to run with me, dressed in similar colors, but due to injury, he became my bike crew/film crew for the day.

The race started with a run under the Coronado Bridge, then we ran by the golf courses until we reached the Strand, before we turned around and came back the same route.

I tried to reign my speed in for the first 10K, and came in at a 1:03.14. I can’t wait until I can do another 10K and see how far I can actually get under an hour.

I got my timing chip cut off, so I didn’t confuse the poor computers (or race officials), picked up my medal (because they were awesome, and I didn’t want them to run out) and headed out on the course again! I got several yells of “wrong way!” as I ran off, but it was hilariously run to run against the stream of people. The course got pretty sparse, and race officials were actually breaking it down, but Coronado has huge, safe, quiet streets, so it was pretty easy to stay on the same course.

My second 10K wasn’t too far off the pace of the first, and aside from my break at the 10K and one stretch break, I didn’t walk at all. A first for me! You can also see in the video below that I managed to beat 2 people during my 20K journey…I wasn’t last. 🙂

It was one of the best run races that I’ve ever been a part of, and one of my best races…both ways. 12athon month two DONE!

 

Unbreakable: The Western States 100 @ the Santa Monica Public Library

Two of my favorite things: ultrarunning and libraries.

While in class one evening, I was surfing the web (yes, I multitask during class sometimes), and I found Anton Krupicka’s blog. I’d been hearing a lot about him, ever since Leo started his January experiment, since he’d done a lot of research into ultrarunning and ultrarunners. So I was curious to read back through some of his entries to learn about his training and mileage. I was scrolling through when I noticed that he’d written that he’d be in Southern California that weekend for a screening of Unbreakable: The Western States 100 in Santa Monica.

I’d heard about Western States through several running blogs, and I’d seen the trailer, but I hadn’t been paying attention to when the film was coming out. So I did a little internet digging and found a link to buy tickets to the screening, which just happened to be held at the Santa Monica Public Library.

As a library student, I’ve been hearing about SMPL since I started my grad program. It’s commonly looked upon as one of the best libraries in the area, and I was dying to take a look around. So I surreptitiously got my credit card and bought tickets (ok, that’s probably stretching the limits of multitasking during class).

It was a great event. We showed up early and wandered around the library for awhile. They have some cool shelves for their new book displays that really showcase the books, and are more inviting than regular shelving. I’d really like to see if they ever had older shelving, and compare the circulation numbers, because I’d bet money that the new shelving helps. The teen and children’s areas were also really well designed, with a top-notch collection and great technology integration.

The screening was held in an auditorium off the main library. We got started right on time, and the film was fabulous. Great soundtrack, great cinematography, and a good balance on the background of each runner and race footage. It was amazing to see people actually racing a 100-miler, as opposed to just surviving one.

The Q&A afterwards was also really interesting. The filmmaker answered some questions, and so did Anton and Scott Mills (Race Director of the San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run, and ultrarunner in his own right). Unfortunately, there was no one to ask my questions to (seriously, what do other female ultrarunners do for underwear? sports bras? bathroom stops?) but I loved the general information nontheless.

I managed to space and forget that my iTouch is also a camera, so no pictures, but I definitely want to get a copy of the movie and watch it for inspirational purposes. Nothing like watching someone run 100 miles to make your 10K look like a piece of cake.

Workout Week Wrap-Up: Week 5 (January 29-February 4)

Sunday (1/29): 6.2 mile run (Beach Party 10K)

Monday (1/30): 1.5 mile run with fitness challenges

20 burpees

20 star jumps

20 pushups

40 mountain climbers

50 high knees

20 tuck jumps

20 squats

Tuesday (1/31): 6.0 mile run on the treadmill in 1:05.00, 4.1 miles run at home in 55:00

Wednesday (2/1): Day off

Thursday (2/2): 1.5 hour dance class

Friday (2/3): Day off

Saturday (2/4): Day off

Weekly Mileage: 17.8

Year Mileage to Date: 100

This week, my singleminded goal was to reach 100 miles in the month of January. I had known I was getting close for awhile, but towards the end of the month was the first time it actually became a tangible goal. Tuesday was packed, but I managed to bang out 6 miles on the treadmill at school before coming home to finish out the month. I was really excited to hit the 100 mile milestone (ouch) and I can’t wait to see what my total mileage for 2012 is going to be.

Of course, after that I took several days off, but I needed a break from the insanity of January. I’m going to try to keep my nutrition going well, even though I’m running less. so that I can get back into it easily.

Oh, and no real race recap for the Beach Party 10K. It was a pretty small race, and not my best pace wise, so I wasn’t feeling the write-up.