July 17, 2013

Nike Women’s Marathon SF: Week 2 training recap

Let’s call this one the “PDX edition.” 🙂

Remember how I talked about experimenting with mid-run fuel? Well, I’m pretty sure VooDoo Doughnuts and Stumptown Coffee don’t count, but ‘when in Rome,’ right?! Besides, I got up super early to get my workout in and beat the pre-work lines at these two hot spots, so I figured I deserved a treat (or, um, two).

Now THIS is what I call carb-loading!

Here’s what the schedule looked like for Week 2:

Tempo run – 5 mi
Track workout – 4 x 1200s
Long run – 12 mi

Tuesday’s tempo run was a 5-miler around the Portland waterfront, which was nice and close to our hotel. I got off to a speedy start (no doubt due to the caffeine/sugar rush) before my pace slowed significantly about three miles in. Lesson learned!

Why, good morning, Portland – well worth the 6am wake-up call

Thursday’s track workout was, well, track-less…so I improvised by mapping out a 1200m stretch along the river and running it back and forth four times. The morning was gorgeous, and whatever the route lacked in accuracy it more than made up for in terms of scenery, so I couldn’t complain.

A stretch of my makeshift “track” along the river.

And, of course, I made sure to get in some more good “carb-loading” at dinner that night (sensing a theme here?). Hey, one of the first rules of training is to reward yourself for all that hard work, right?!

Good weather, good friends, good beer…what more can you ask for?

By the time Saturday’s 12-miler rolled around, we were back home. And rather than mapping out a whole new route, I decided to just tack on an extra two miles to last week’s 10-mile route, which took us over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Not only was the weather more cooperative this week, but I had some great company in the form of my hubby, Ben, and a friend of ours, Kevin. They kept me on my toes pace-wise, and our conversation made the miles fly by.

Never underestimate the power of good running buddies!

Plus, we got to take in some more fun sights that way – especially since the America’s Cup races are now taking place in the San Francisco Bay. These guys were really flying out there (the picture just doesn’t do it justice); the new AC45 catamaran, for example, hit speeds in excess of 20 knots, right out of the box, when it debuted earlier this year.

America’s Cup boats racing with Alcratraz in the background.

The one mid-run hiccup was when my GPS watch decided to stop working around mile 8.4. I didn’t notice for about 10-15 minutes, though, so by the time I was able to stop and re-set it, we had to guesstimate the remaining distance. It’s a bummer because we weren’t able to find out our average pace for the whole run, but if that’s was the biggest challenge of the day, I’ll take it.

Onward to week three!

Posted in marathon, Nike Women's Marathon, Portland, Running, San Francisco, Training
2 Comments

July 9, 2013

Nike Women’s Marathon SF: Week 1 training recap

One week down, 15 to go!

In line with my “older and wiser” training approach, I’m following this “Less is More” marathon plan from the folks at the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST). Their train-less-run-faster claim is actually backed by the experiences of real runners who followed the program and got results (myself included, having PR’d in my last half marathon using the program).

Here’s what the schedule looked like for Week 1:

Tempo run – 3 mi
Track workout – 8 x 400s
Long run – 10 mi

I knocked out the Tuesday tempo run with a quick jog around the neighborhood after work, but Thursday’s track workout posed more of a challenge. Tracks, while plentiful out in the ‘burbs, are few and far between here in the city.

The closest option open to the public is Kezar Stadium at Golden Gate Park (former home of the 49er’s), so my husband, a friend and I decided to venture out for an early workout on the 4th of July. We got off to a bit of a rocky start by having to scale a fence to get in, but then we had a blast doing our laps alongside people practicing their sprints, hurdles, long jumps and relay team hand-offs.

Post-track workout soaked tee. So much for sweat wicking!

Saturday’s long run took us around the Presidio and across the Golden Gate Bridge. I’m sure that dodging tourists threw us off a tad from our goal pace, but the views are always a welcome mid-run distraction. And as you can see in the pictures, the weather wasn’t cooperating; it was super cloudy, windy and cold!

View of the Golden Gate Bridge toward Marin

View of the Golden Gate Bridge looking toward Marin

Looking back at San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge

Now that weekend runs are getting longer, I’m starting to experiment with mid-run fuel, too. Heard about hitting ‘the wall?’ Well, I’d prefer to avoid it altogether by making sure my glycogen stores are topped off.

For a quick energy boost, energy chews are the way to go because they’re easy to carry and easy to digest. The general rule of thumb is to take in about 100 calories after an hour of running, and then another 100 calories every 40-45 minutes after that, but I tweak it based on individual workout duration and intensity.

I’m partial to Sharkies (love the watermelon flavor, but they come in a range of fruity options!), which are electrolyte-spiked chews made from organic and vegan ingredients. One package is 140 calories and provides 110 mg of sodium, 30 mg of potassium and 17 g of sugar.

Essential energy for those long runs!

Sharkies were created by a triathlete (so you know they work), but the best part is that they’re free of high fructose corn syrup, which means they won’t hit my sensitive stomach like a ton of bricks as I’m running. Aside from being a little sticky on my teeth, they’ve been working well (and have gotten glowing reviews from my running buddy crew, too).

Stash a pouch in your belt (or in my case, sports bra), and you’re good to go!

They even come in cute shark shapes 🙂

Posted in marathon, Nike Women's Marathon, Running, San Francisco, Training
5 Comments

July 3, 2013

Nike Women’s Marathon SF: Ready or not, here I come!

Last Friday felt like Christmas morning with tens of thousands of us waiting in anticipation for the results of the 2013 Nike Women’s Marathon San Francisco random lottery draw.

Inspired, in part, by the tragic events at this year’s Boston Marathon, I had entered on a whim, thinking it would be cathartic way in which to show my support and solidarity by running for those who cannot.

And then, at 10:34 a.m., I saw this in my inbox:

Gulp.

My initial elation at the thought of being able to cross the finish line was followed quickly by a wave of anxiety: Only if I’m able to get to the starting line this time.

See, my brain loves running…but my body? Well, that can be an entirely different story.

Short distances never posed a problem during my high school track & field and cross country days. But whenever I decide to step up the distance, I seem to get schooled in the darker side of endurance running.

My first (and last) successful attempt at 26.2 miles was the Chicago Marathon in 2002. The goal was just to finish the race, and even with a few unplanned pit stops (thanks to a small bladder, plus a propensity for runner’s trots, ugh), I crossed the line in a respectable 4:27:13.

Fast forward a few years, add in an overzealous attempt for a personal record (PR) and a serious lack of stretching and cross training, and little did I know, I was creating my very own recipe for marathon disaster.

Sure, I came out of the training gate with a bang…but it all ended with a whimper a few weeks before what I hoped would be my second marathon in New York City. What started as a sharp pain in my hip culminated in a visit to the doctor’s office where I was told I could run the race, but in doing so, I’d most likely break my hip.

So I took some time off. To heal, yes (both physically and mentally), but also to get back to the drawing board about what it would take to again tackle the 26.2-mile monkey on my back.

Since then, I’ve developed a new-found appreciation for overall wellness, which includes complimentary (read: non-running) forms of fitness, better nutrition and a more balanced approach to training – and living, really.

So my plan this time around? Taking on 26.2…on my terms.

Training starts this week, so I invite you to follow along over the next four months or so as I embark on my journey back to the starting line.

Stay tuned for my training plan, the low-down on those long runs, experiments with nutrition and gear…and more!