That Girl Runs

This past Monday was the day of the Boston Marathon! The Holy Grail of all marathoning, the Nirvana for marathoners! I ran Boston in 2006, and yes, it as spectacular as you imagine, only better!!! And running from the start in Hopkinton to the finish line on Boylston Street in downtown Boston makes you feel as special as you dream about as a runner. You are part of a selective group of runners that are actually qualified to partake in this running extravaganza. I can tell you that it is an experience that makes all the pain, sweat, and possible tears you had to go through to get there well worth it.

In honor of “Boston”, which is really what the running community calls it, the Runners Lounge is asking us to publish the training plans that have worked for us. 

I ran my first marathon with Team in Training, and although I had been running for a couple of decades by the time I signed up for the 2004 L.A. Marathon (the year we had an unusual heatwave in early March – but that’s a story for another day), I was really a rookie when it came to marathons and training for it and therefore quite happy to leave anything related to a training plan up to our coaches. They gave me my running regimen for the week and I followed it. During the week I mostly ran by myself and/or with Nelson, on Saturdays the team would meet up at 7am for the long run. Since I had never really trained for anything I welcomed the camaraderie on Saturday’s runs especially as they got longer.

Team in Training bases their marathon training on a 16 week training plan and our coach had us run by time, rather than mileage, and the longest runs never exceeded 3 hours, 15 minutes. At first I found this odd, looking back it was actually a great approach especially for beginners. It truly took the pressure off of running a certain mileage in a certain time and kept beginner runners from pushing themselves too hard and possibly get injured. We started with a 30 minute run on the first weekend and every week added ten more minutes until we got to 1:20. We then tapered back to 1 hour and the following week ran 1:30. Once we reached the 2 hour mark we never ran less than 2 hours for the rest of the training season, even if we tapered every three to four weeks. Our coach also insisted on a rest day before the long run, something I really had a very hard time getting used to.

This training plan really set me up for of subsequent marathons and as I got faster and more experienced my coach never had me run more than 2:45 for my longest runs. I trained by time rather than mileage for all my marathons, including Boston. It has helped me get faster and avoid injury while gaining more experience. Training for San Diego Rock ‘N’ Roll this spring is really the first time I am running by mileage. Based on my previous training plans and experience I am following this one from Runner’s World. I do have to qualify though that I do not go over 20 miles on my long runs so during week 10 I ran another 20 instead of 22. 

So far I have been doing well with this plan, and except for being sidelined by a cold of epic proportions that left me flat on the couch for two days, I have not skipped a workout. I do the Quality runs on the treadmill to pace myself properly and I usually add a track workout on Wednesday nights with my running group where we run Fartleks for 4 to 5 miles. 

I have another 5 1/2 weeks to go and will let you know how it all went.

I think the most important thing to keep in mind during training is to avoid injury. Over the years I have seen many people who push themselves too hard only to suffer from the consequence of being completely sidelined and having to stop training all together. Listen to your body and do not ignore nagging aches and pains that won’t go away. Normal muscle aches are common during marathon training but if you have lingering joint pain back off and have it checked by a professional. Giving your body the proper rest to recover and get ready for weekly long runs is also key to successful training, no matter what plan you follow. You actually gain strength on your rest day and will be much better off when you head out for your run the next day. Fuel and hydrate properly and if you feel worn down or sluggish, take an additional rest day. 

See you at the finish line!

Today’s Running Tip: Follow your Training Plan!

Once you have found a training plan that works for you, stick with it! You can always switch out workout days if life gets in the way but you want to follow the basic weekly workouts in order to get the optimum benefit from your training.

1. Barack Obama

2. triple digit temperatures

3. long walks at dusk

4. scoring free tickets to see “The Soloist”

5. peppermint tea

This morning the 113th Boston Marathon took place. Congratulations to the winners, Deriba Merga of Ethopia who finished in 2:08:42 and Salina Kosgei of Kenia who finished in 2:32:16. Our very own Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall came in 3rd with a finish time of 2:32:25 and 2:09:40 respectively.

It has been three years since I ran Boston and to this day it remains my most favorite race. Of all the marathons I have run this is the only one I can remember mile by mile. Anyone who has run with me knows that I totally zone out on long runs. I have been known to pass water stops that I myself had put out before a long run. While training for Pier to Peak one year my friends who were responsible to put out the water that morning placed a brightly dressed up bowling pin on the side of the road to mark the water stop for me. I ran right by it…

But when I came to Boston I was determined to take in the race. It had taken me three marathons to get there and I was not going to just let it pass me by. Boston is a happening place during marathon weekend and the atmosphere alone is something every runner should experience at some point in their life. The air is literally charged with excitement. Three of my best friends, including my coach, had also qualified and we all had our families with us. Our pre race dinner took place in restaurant in North End, Boston’s Italian Quarter, where the owner served us a family style feast that prepped us well for next day’s event. 

The next morning Hubby drove us all out to the start in Hopkinton. It was definitely a special feeling being in the presence of runners who we knew had to have run a previous race fast enough to qualify. And all of us knew what that entailed. According to a recent article in Runner’s World only 10% of American marathoners qualify for Boston and as any serious marathoner can tell you, it is a sought after goal. So yes, we did feel special.

Boston is a mostly downhill course and if you think that this would make running 26.2 miles easier you are quite mistaken. Training in Santa Barbara we are used to hilly terrain and at first the downhill seems to be favorable. By mile 14 I had changed my mind however when I had a felling that my quads were separating from my femurs. Any time you read about the Boston Marathon, the Newton Hills are being mentioned. Well, I could not wait to hit some uphill stretches!!! At Heartbreak Hill I wanted to lean down and kiss the road but I had gone over it before I could fully enjoy it. 

Turning the corner onto Boylston Street and seeing the finish line in the distance was one of the most breathtaking moments of my life. Thousands of people were lining those last few yards to the finish line, cheering and waving their flags and it was absolutely mesmerizing. My goal had been to run finish in a time that would qualify me again and I had made it.

I have not run Boston since mainly because of all the other races I would like to run, but in spirit I will always be in Beantown on this third Monday in April, and one day I will be back!

Today’s Running Tip: Qualifying for Boston!

According to Runner’s World the following races had the highest number of qualifying times: 

Bay State, Lowell, Mass. (34.1%), Oct. 18 
Mohawk-Hudson River, Albany, N. Y. (33.4%), Oct. 11 
Inland Trail, Elyria, Oh. (29.7%), Nov. 1 
Last Chance for Boston, Columbus, Oh. (27.8%), Feb. 14, 2010 
California International, Sacramento (26.6%), Dec. 6 
Tucson (26.2%), Dec. 13 
Newport, Ore. (24.8%), June 5, 2010 
Tallahassee, Fla. (24.6%), Feb. 7, 2010 
Run for the Red, Poconos, Penn. (24.5%), May 16, 2010 
Wineglass, Corning, N. Y. (24.2%), Oct. 4 

(source: Runner’s World May 2009)

It all started a few years ago when, at work and bored out of my mind by sheer accident, I came across the online diary of one Heather Armstrong. When I came across her blog on that rainy afternoon so many years ago she was pregnant with her first child, and after reading the first paragraph of her entry for that day, I was immediately sucked into the vortex that is her absolutely brilliant writing ability. I was glued to her archives for the remainder of the afternoon and evening, and continued to catch up on all of her musings the next day, and the day after, until I had literally read every single sentence she had ever published. 

Ever since I took that first step into the world of blogging I have been quite fascinated with the amount of personal information people are willing to share with total strangers in cyberspace. Over the years I found a few blogs I stuck with and read on a daily regular basis and some I only read a few times before leaving them behind. And even though I have been an avid runner for a couple of decades I only recently ventured into the world of running blogs and became a blogger myself. I had thought about it for quite some time but I just never got around to sitting down and actually starting it. The sun was too bright, it was too rainy, the dog needed walking, I had to go to the gym/track/trail/Starbucks, dinner needed to be cooked, friends to be visited, and on and on, until one day I just sat down and did it. Not unlike that gray November day in 1987 in Chester Springs, PA when I laced up my tennis shoes for the first time with the sole intention of going for a run. 

Hubby had been nice enough to set up the basics for me on WordPress and I had run out of excuses. Of course when your introduction to the Blog World is Heather you will have an endless hill to climb in order to even come remotely close to her standard and anyone could give up before they even started. But I am stubborn and persistent, which has helped me reach the finish line a few times and even got me a nice collection of medals for placement wins. From the beginning it had never really been my intention to write a blog that was totally focused on running. Although I could talk endlessly about the infinite details of running with my running buddies I understand that those amongst us that don’t share this addiction passion could easily fall into a boredom induced coma when they have to listen to us runners discuss finish times, pace goals, and splits. Besides, there are plenty of other subjects I deeply care about. And it feels good to get them out through writing in this most public of forums. For all to see. 

I do have a couple of regular features that keep my blog title honest: my personal running/exercise log (updated daily) and the “Today’s Running Tip” (updated with every new post), and then of course there is the weekly Runners Lounge TiART post. It all helps keeping me on track and making sure That Girl keeps on Running and writing about it and other things nobody wants to hear.

Today’s Running Tip: Join the Runners Lounge!

Become a member of the Runners Lounge to connect with like minded people, get your running related questions answered, and share your own experience and wisdom with others.

This past weekend the White House announced that our First Family had found a dog to bring home. First Puppy “Bo” is apparently a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy, a long time fan of Portugese Water Dogs. As a dog lover I can only imagine how excited Malia and Sasha are about the arrival of their much anticipated furry friend and how much joy Bo will bring to his new family.

And yet… I dared to venture out into the open ended shark infested waters surrounding Foxnation (I really cannot bring myself to link to it) and the more tempered waters of ABC where George Stephanopoulos apparently had the audacity to blog about the new First Puppy yesterday… It was once again eye opening and as much as I knew what awaited me in the comment section it never ceases to amaze me. Ever! It is so truly unbelievable that a lovely creature like Bo and the happiness of two young girls and their family would bring about such hatred and ugliness: 

• Nothing like getting a gift from a drunk murderer like good old Teddy.
• Yeah, we are held hostage by four idiot terrorists in a lifeboat – that we really don’t want to offend of course….but we got a puppy. We always need a ‘puppy’ or some other cute story to keep peoples’ minds off what is really going on.
• I know why that dog was picked. It starts!!!!
• And he didn’t get an Arab dog from the King after his famous bow to his bosses?
• They don’t even like dogs. It’s all for show.

What kind of person would write such vile and inappropriate comments? If they get this worked up about a pet how do they treat their fellow citizens who might not have voted for the same candidate and party, their neighbors who don’t agree with them, their own family members who have a different opinion? It is frightening and disheartening. Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not and whether you agree with his policies or not, to sink to such a low level putting forth whatever agenda it is you have is pretty steep. Using a dog, that two young girls have been waiting for and are excited about, as political banter and to show your hatred is as appalling as it gets. But! Your words speak for themselves and I was happy to see that the positive comments (at least on George’s blog, I had to stop reading Foxnation) outweighed the ones of those who are surely a breed on its way to extinction. 

Today’s Running Tip: Running with your puppy!

If you want to start running with your puppy consider his age and breed. It is recommended that you wait until he has completed his first year’s shot schedule so he’s protected from the environment and other dogs. Also, since puppies are still growing they need intervals of training and rest to build stamina and give muscles and joints time to strengthen and rebuild. Just as you should check with your doctor before starting to run, check with your veterinarian for specific needs and timeframes for your furry friend.