Chicago Marathon Training – Half way point

August 11, 2019 by 30 Comments

Chicago Marathon training week 9 is in the books which means I’ve officially reached the halfway point! Say what now?! This week definitely challenged me! Here’s how things went down.

Chicago Marathon Training Week 9

Monday — Rest day.

Tuesday — 4-mile run. I wasn’t feeling so hot in the morning so this became an afternoon run. And, given how stressful work was, this road therapy was so needed!

Wednesday — 6 miles and a glimpse of the start of a new day.

Thursday — 6.25 miles. While mile 1 was a sluggish mess, things quickly settled down and this ended being my best run of the week!

Friday — Rest day.

Saturday — 14.2 miles and a new personal distance record!

Sunday — A 4-mile recovery run is on the schedule for today, but my left knee wasn’t feeling so great this morning so I may opt for either a walk later or some yoga – or both.

Total miles for the week – 30.45
Total miles on the road to Chicago – 195.6

Week 9 is done and I'm halfway through Chicago Training! #runchat #running #mychicagomarathon #marathontraining Share on X

Managing the long runs

Saturday’s run went much better than last week’s 12-miler. I did a much better job of managing my fueling for this week’s long-run – though there’s still room for improvement. It also helped that the humidity of the past few days broke and temps were in the mid-60s for a majority of the run. Just like last week, I did the run in two parts: an 8-mile loop stopping at my house for a quick bathroom break and then on for the final 6.

The struggle bus started tailing me around the 10.5-mile mark, but thankfully I crossed paths with my oldest son who was out running 6 and he helped to “pace” me. While I couldn’t keep up with him, I made it my goal to just keep him in my sights and it really helped to have him to focus on. Self-doubt started to really creep in at 12-miles – I was starting to feel sore and tired, and the thought of two more miles felt like too much. Hearing my Garmin beep at 14 miles was just the sweetest sound!

Having tried a few different fueling options over the past three weeks, I’ve had the best results so far with SIS Salted Strawberry, along with Tailwind. So I’ll be ordering more SIS for the weeks ahead.

Overall, I’m really happy with the way my training’s been going so far and I’m ready for the next 9 weeks

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Chicago Week 8 and August Goals

August 4, 2019 by 26 Comments

Each month I like to set a couple of monthly goals to help me stay on track. So with July now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to share some goals for August.

But first, a quick run down on week 8 of Chicago training.

Chicago Marathon Training Week 8

Monday — Rest day with mini golf, bowling, and arcade games on the side as part of my youngest son’s birthday celebration.

Tuesday — 5-mile run and a much-needed massage!

Wednesday — 6 miles. With this run, I hit 107.65 miles for July!

Thursday — 5-miles.

Friday — Rest day.

Chicago Marathon training wk 8 and some August goals #WeeklyRunDown #MyChicagoMarathon #MarathonTraining #Runchat Share on X

Saturday — 12 miles. I ran the first 6-miles as an out and back, which felt pretty good. But the next 6 miles were just plain u-g-l-y! It’s clear I still have work to do to figure out my pre-run and mid-run fueling because I felt like I had hit a wall by mile 9. The last 3 miles were just hard and I’m so grateful my husband had joined me for the final 6 miles.

Sunday — 4-mile recovery run. I was surprised at how fresh my legs felt, even on the hills.

Total miles for the week – 32
Total miles on the road to Chicago – 165.15

August Goals

  • Figure out my fueling and hydration strategy
  • 10 minutes of daily core work
  • Develop a consistent recovery routine — the key word here is consistent!
  • Continue to focus on self-care — massage, acupuncture and getting enough sleep!

I am really happy with the way my training went in July. Hopefully, these goals will help me to stay on track in August as the mileage grows.

How was your week? Any goals for August?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, goals, marathon training, Weekly Run Down

August Coffee Date

August 2, 2019 by 8 Comments

Hello August!

It’s the first weekend of the month and time to catch up over coffee. I’m joining Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

August Ultimate Coffee Date

Over coffee, I would tell you about the sheer chaos going on at my house at the moment. The painters we hired back in May have finally started working on our house. Thanks to a ridiculously rainy spring, they have been way behind schedule and were just able to start work here last week. After agonizing over paint colors, I cannot wait to see the final product!

Over coffee, I would tell you that the back-to-school drumbeat is starting to get louder and no one in my house wants to listen! I have started to quietly nag suggest that my boys start diving into their required reading books. But, I admit I cannot bring myself to brave the school supplies aisle at Target yet.

Over coffee, I would tell you that I’m really looking forward to taking some days off at the end of the month! This summer has just flown by far too quickly for me. There is still much left on my summer wishlist, so now the trick is to maximize my days off and still feel rested come Labor Day.

What would you tell me over coffee? Do you have any time off planned?

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Filed Under: Ultimate coffee date

Chicago Week 7 – Just Running

July 28, 2019 by 36 Comments

Is it possible to feel on one hand like the days are flying by, but on the other hand feel like this past week was the longest week ever?!

Well, that pretty much sums up my past week. It was a stressful work week, but training kept chugging along. I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down. This is a great link-up for motivation and inspiration!

Chicago Marathon Training Week 7

Monday – Rest Day!

Tuesday – 5-mile run. It was raining hard when my alarm went off so I pushed my run to the afternoon and was rewarded with a break in the heatwave!

Wednesday – 5 miles with Coach Marc. I always enjoy catching up with Marc for a run – it gives us a chance to talk about how training is going and I can work on my chi running form cues. As always, we spotted a lot of wildlife during the run, but seeing this little guy (and his friends) crossing the road stopped us in our tracks!

Thursday – 6 more miles plus yoga.

Friday – Rest day and a trip to the acupuncturist.

Saturday – 10 miles. This was just a hard run from start to finish. You know those days where you’re just not feeling the run – yeah that was this day for me.

Sunday – 3 miles. My husband and son decided to join me for my recovery run this morning – but truth be told, my son left us in the dust fairly quickly. He opted to do 4, we stuck with 3.

Total miles for the week – 29
Total miles on the road to Chicago – 133.15

I stuck with my plan for short strength/pre-hab workouts this week along with core work. As the miles increase, I think this will prove to be the best way to fit in some strength training.

So that’s my weekly run down! How was your week?

 

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Sharing some July Runfessions

July 26, 2019 by 12 Comments

It is hard to believe we’re coming to the end of July already! Marcia has opened the runfessional and I’ve got a few things to share.

 July Runfessions

I’m sure this comes as no great surprise but I runfess that I am heat weary! I was pretty pleased that I was able to marshal through and stick to my training plan during last week’s heatwave. I am also certain that I did not have it in me to do it again! Thankfully temps have dropped this week.

And speaking of running in the heat – remember that idea I had to run a race each month this summer – yeah well I’m officially over it! I runfess that after facing scorching conditions for both the BAA 10K and the Gansett 10K, the idea of taking on a half marathon in August is just so unappealing to me right now. Luckily, I was smart enough to have held off on registering.

I runfess that my first attempt at running 5x/week wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated. I think the key for me was really as simple as just taking it one run at a time and not thinking about “all the miles”. Since all went well, Coach Marc is going to have me stick with this approach for the foreseeable future.

Post-run recovery is going to be uber important as the miles continue to increase and I runfess that I’m very hit or miss in this department. I more often than not tend to blow this off largely due to time constraints. So the question becomes, just how early do I need to get up to fit it all in?!

So what are you runfessing? Are you good about post-run recovery?

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Filed Under: Runfessions

Chicago Marathon Training Week 6

July 21, 2019 by 34 Comments

The theme for this week was heat, humidity, run, repeat.  Week 6 of Chicago training is in the books! Here’s a recap of how it all played out.

Chicago Marathon Training Week 6

Monday — 4 miles plus plank series. A nice, uneventful early morning run.

Tuesday — Strength training. After missing my strength session last week, it felt great to get in a solid workout focusing on hips, glutes, and abs.

Wednesday — 5 miles, at tempo pace plus plank series.  Just like last week, this mid-week run was the highlight of the week. I hit my target pace and felt strong despite the rising dew point.

Thursday — 4.25 miles plus plank series. Tired, just tired – it was a slog from beginning to end. Thankfully, I had a massage scheduled in the afternoon – so needed!

Friday — Rest day!

Saturday — 8 miles on scorched earth!

Post-run deep breath!

Sunday — 8 miles on the treadmill

Total miles for the week — 29.25

Total miles on the road to Chicago — 104.15 (My son had asked how many miles I’ve logged so far so I thought I’d start keeping track)

Running 5x’s in a week

I ran 5 days this week and survived! Week 6 of @Chimarathon training is done! #weeklyrundown #mychicagomarathon #marathontraining #runchat Share on X

Last Sunday Coach Marc sent me an email saying that he wanted me to try running 5 days/week. I will admit that I was a little nervous when I saw the week’s plan, but I’ve said from the beginning that my goal with this training plan has been to 1) – trust the plan and 2) be willing to get out of my comfort zone.

All-in-all, running 5 days wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. My strategy was to just run the mile I was in and not worry too much about what was coming next.

The weather, of course, added to the challenge. Mother Nature seemed to up her game daily in the heat & humidity department and took things to a whole new level by the weekend. Overall, I feel like I managed Saturday’s run pretty well, but it was clear to me by how drained I felt Saturday night that I was just not up for a repeat performance. So, for as much as I am not a fan of treadmill running, it proved to be the lesser of two evils this morning.

Thankfully, this heatwave should break by Tuesday and logging miles should hopefully feel a little easier.

How are you holding up in this heat?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, marathon training, Summer running, Weekly Run Down

Narragansett Summer Running Festival 10K Recap

July 16, 2019 by 11 Comments

Last Saturday I ran my second race of the summer – the Narragansett Summer Running Festival 10K!

Narragansett Summer Running Festival

The Narragansett Summer Running Festival is a two-day event held on the Stonehill College campus. The 5K and 10K were held on Saturday and the half marathon on Sunday. Runners also had the option of running the “Beat the Heat” challenge – combining either the 5 or 10K  with the half.

Knowing that the access road into the campus could get a little congested, J and I had planned to meet my brother by 6:45. I love that this race was just a 25 min drive from my house and we breezed in and parked with no issue. We took a short walk down the hill to pick up our bibs & t-shirts and then went back to the cars to hang in the shade & stretch.

No medal but a cute shirt design

About a half-hour before the 5K start, we made our way down to the start area. Despite having about 15 porta-potties there were just two really long lines. With the clock ticking, one of the race staff finally got the lines reorganized into multiple lines and things moved a lot better.

The Race

The 5K was set to go off at 8, with the 10K starting at 8:30. Final announcements were made, a recording of the national anthem played, and the 5K started right on time. The sun was already intense and we did what we could to hide in the shade of the buildings for as long as possible. The 10Kers were called to line up by 8:20, took a group photo (I kid you not), and we were off promptly at 8:30.

The course was a winding loop through the campus – a mix of paved road, gravel, grass, and even a couple of wooden bridges. Without any form of self-seeding, the start was a bit jumbled. To get out in the open, I knew I had definitely started out way too fast, and would probably pay for it later. J’s hamstring was giving him trouble so he dropped back to take a walk break while my brother and I continued on. As we circled back to the start area, we reached the course’s only hill which led to the finish line and the start of the 2nd 5K loop. We powered past runners on the hill and could hear the music coming from the race’s after-party.

I will admit it was tough to see many of the 5kers already done, enjoying the after-party, and knowing we had another loop to run. By now it was getting really hot, and the second loop became a game of “run for the shade”. At about the 4.5-mile point, we were once again out on an open field and I was ready to be done. We both took a short walk break before making another push. We fell into conversation with a woman named Katie who we had been leapfrogging along the course. My brother was feeling pretty good and when I took another short walk break I encouraged him to keep going. I had hoped to catch up with him but didn’t see him again until the finish line.

Katie was still with me as we approached the hill and one of the race staff told us we only had 600 yards to go. I made one more strong push up the hill and passed a couple of runners as I made the final turn towards the finishing chute. I was happy to finish 3 minutes faster than last month’s 10K. We waited for J to finish and then it was time to hit the beer tent!

All smiles post-race!

Each runner got two beer tickets and there was a choice of 5 beers. I opted for the watermelon shandy which was so refreshing! There was live music and a small collection of vendors, including a massage therapist offering free rubdowns. With plenty of shaded areas to sit and hang out, no one seemed in a rush to leave. Katie and a friend of hers who had also run found us and the five of us hung out for a while enjoying the beers and trading running stories.

Final Thoughts

Race organizers did a great job with pre-race communications. Parking and bib pick up was super easy. And, despite the winding course, it was well marked and there were enough volunteers at all the key points to avoid confusion. The volunteers were also super friendly and encouraging.

While I wasn’t a fan of running over the gravel, the course is fairly flat, with just the one hill at the end of each loop and the Stonehill campus is really pretty which made for a nice backdrop.

My only criticisms are that it would have been helpful to have one volunteer stationed at the porta-potties earlier to avoid the long lines, and I would have preferred some form of self-seeding at the start. Post-race it would have been great to have more food options other than granola bars.

Overall, this race had a fun atmosphere and was really well organized, and I definitely look forward to running it again!

I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.

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Filed Under: family running, Narragansett Running Festival, race report

Chicago Marathon Training Week 5

July 14, 2019 by 23 Comments

Could someone please find a way to slow these days down a little?! While the summer heat is making running a challenge, I am by no means ready to wish away the season.

And, speaking of days flying by, it’s hard to believe that I’ve now finished 5 weeks of marathon training. Here’s how the week went down.

Chicago Marathon Training Week 5

Monday — 4-mile run.

Tuesday — Spent all day at a conference for work so this was a “rest” day.

Wednesday — 5.25-mile run. This run was the highlight of the week! There was a break in the humidity, and everything just seemed to click.

Thursday — 5-mile run. Oh, what a difference a day makes! The humidity came roaring back and this run was just a miserable slog.

Friday — Yoga.

Saturday — Narragansett Summer Running Festival 10K (recap to come)

a total sweat fest, but so much fun!

Today was all about hanging at the beach!

Total miles for the week — 20.45

Week 5 of @chimarathon training is in the books! #runchat #mychicagomarathon #marathontraining #keepshowingup Share on X

Despite the humidity, the miles rolled along. I knew it was going to be a challenge with my schedule to fit a strength workout in, so I switched things up and went with daily core work and that worked well. Coach Marc wants to try 5 days of running this week so I may stick with shorter strength workouts. I want to keep up the core work and key exercises focusing on my hips and glutes. I’ll be curious to see how I feel running for 5 days.

How was your week? How many days a week do you typically run?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

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Filed Under: Chicago Marathon, marathon training, Weekly Run Down

Chicago Week 4: Who turned on the furnace?!

July 7, 2019 by 32 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

So summer weather showed up in full force this week. Heat and humidity were on a constant high. But, until I can figure out how to train for a fall race without running during the summer, there was no choice but to get out there. Here’s how Week 4 went down.

 Chicago Marathon Training Week 4

Monday – Rest day.

Tuesday – 4-mile run.  It was tempting to sleep through my alarm since my pup had decided to alert the whole house about something he’d spotted in our yard around 3 a.m., but it wasn’t too bad once I got out the door.

Wednesday – 5-mile run. Humidity levels hit 83% – just why?!

Thursday – Spent the morning getting plants into the garden, before enjoying the holiday with family.

Friday – Strength training. I have been slacking on strength training lately so it felt good to get this one in. I had planned to hit the gym but at the last moment decided to take my workout to my back deck instead before it got too hot.

Saturday – 7-mile run. This run was such a battle both mentally and physically – just so freaking hot! It was one of those runs where you knew before you even stepped out the door that it was going to be a rough one. I had wanted more miles but considered it a win to get the 7. I’m so glad my husband J joined me – we really kept each other going!

Sunday – 3-mile shakeout run. Mercifully, the humidity broke!

Total miles for the week – 19

While my total mileage was not as high as I would have liked, the weather forecast is looking a bit better for the week ahead so that should help. I am happy that I got some strength training in,

Testing New Gear

After runfessing that I need to figure out my hydration plan for Chicago, I did some research and ordered a new handheld – the Nathan SpeedDraw Plus Insulated Flask.

And, since I’ve struggled with carrying a handheld in the past, I also decided to order a new fuel belt to test – Nathan Peak Insulated Waist Pack.                         I got to run with them once each this past week and will keep using them on runs over the next couple of weeks to see if one emerges as the favorite.

How was your week? Do you run with a handheld, belt or vest?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down link-up.

In case you missed it:  Recapping the BAA 10K over coffee

 

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Filed Under: marathon training, Nathan hydration belt, Summer running, Weekly Run Down

Recapping the BAA 10K over coffee

July 5, 2019 by 22 Comments

I hope everyone (in the States) had a great 4th! I was so happy to get to this extended long weekend to just kick back and unwind a little. So as I laze away on my deck, it seems like the perfect time to join Coco and Deborah for the Ultimate Coffee Date!

Recapping the BAA 10K over Coffee

Over coffee, I would tell you that I cannot believe that it’s been almost two weeks since I ran the BAA 10K! I know, I know, how many times can I mention how fast time is flying by? But it really is!

Over coffee, I would tell you that my goals were simple – beat last year’s time, conquer the long hill through Boston University’s campus, and have fun! Check, check, and check! Given how cool, rainy, and mild the temps had been, the heat on race day was super tough – especially with so little shade on the course. So my brother and decided to walk each water stop (thankfully there was one every mile!) and just try to keep a nice steady pace. We did see a couple of people go down around mile 4 – the heat was no joke!

Over coffee, I would tell you to run this race if you get the chance! It is super well-organized, and even with 10,000 runners, it never felt too crowded. The volunteers, especially at the water stops, were awesome and super encouraging! And the course itself is a great little out and back tour of Boston’s Back Bay, Kenmore Square, and part of the BU campus. The Boston Athletic Association always puts on a great race and this one did not disappoint.

Great to see Jose from @Andsoitburns working one of the water stops!

Over coffee, I would tell you that I had so much fun running this race with my brother! When we did this race last year, I was seriously hobbled and had urged him to run ahead and not let me hold him back – so it was especially enjoyable to run together this year. This was my third time running this race and I’ve already got it penciled in for next year!

Do you have races you love to run again and again? What would you tell me over coffee?

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Filed Under: BAA, race report, Ultimate coffee date