Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

I'm getting psyched up for the Rumble this Saturday. I did Yasso 800s on Friday and am planning to do it again before the run. I'm not doing a marathon, but Yasso 800s are supposedly a good predictor of your marathon time.

Basically, you run 800m several times with 400m cool downs in between. You then convert your average minute:second time into hours:minutes in order to predict your marathon time. For example, I averaged 4 min 10 seconds for the 800s, so theoretically my marathon time would be 4 hours 10 minutes. I would be stoked to do that well. I'm hoping to break 4 hours this Sat for 19 miles, so we'll see...

Here's a throwback to the '90s. That's right - Jock Jams. You remember how awesome it is.

I'm a Card-Carrying Member of the NTER

I love waking up early to run.

And by "early" I mean 6:30 a.m. Hey, when you are a college student staying up till 1:30 in the morning to work on a statistics project, 6:30 is early.

Today I had a good run. I did 16 on the elliptical at 9:57 pace and did negative splits, meaning that I ran the second half faster than the first. Pretty respectable. Last week I did 12 miles at 9:53 pace.

Why did I do the elliptical machine, you ask? A few reasons:

1. Time. I still have to finish that Stats project, read a marketing case study, do my finance homework, study econ, and bake blueberry muffins for Bible Study tonight.
2. Entertainment. You get to see all sorts of crazy people at the gym on a Sunday morning, especially on Halloween. Of course there are those people going to classes who are wearing a crazy wig or witch's hat. But then there are the really scary people - the ones who aren't trying to be. One fairly buff guy in his mid 40's was on the elliptical in front of me. He was doing all sorts of twisting and what looked like tai chi. He set the machine to max incline and then tried to go really, really fast while maintaining an intense expression. I was amazed he didn't fall off. And the get-up he was wearing was pretty hilarious. I tried to take a picture, but it didn't do him justice. There was also another man who was in his 60's - he was wearing a white tank top, what looked like thin pajama shorts, and flip flops. Definitely didn't take a picture of him.
3. Pride. There's something so exhilarating about spending 3 hours on the elliptical. You're better than everyone there and you know it. Plus, you get the best parking spots when you show up before 7am.
4. Keeping my NTER membership current. What on earth is NTER? It stands for North Texas Elliptical Runners. In January, my dad will be doing a 100-mile ultra-marathon on the elliptical at 24 Hour Fitness. (The PR campaign starts soon, so be watching for updates!) Now, my dad and I are both members of North Texas Trail Runners (NTTR) and my dad, somewhat jokingly, decided to start his own club when he was forced to run indoors due to back problems. So, I'm just logging my miles to keep my membership current. ; )
   

I've got two weeks of tapering ahead of me. Going to shoot for less mileage and higher intensity.

P.S. Here is my new favorite video - Things We Say Wrong. It just confirms the fact that I'm also a secret member of the Grammar Police - much to the chagrin of my roommate (who happens to be an English teacher).

Running Changes Everything

Running has been interesting lately.

I am slated to run Rockledge three weeks from Saturday. Am I ready? Good question. School has taken it out of me - so many tests, projects, papers, meetings...

Two weeks ago, I had a near meltdown: "I'm failing at life!" "But Katie," my parents asked, "Haven't you made A's on just about everything so far?" "Well, yeah. But I haven't run in a week!" I wailed.

Doing a solid 12-miler last Saturday sure brightened my spirits. I haven't logged anything so far this week, but maybe today. Here's the schedule:

• 15-16 miles this Sat (weekly mileage: 22)
  
• Start to taper next week - increase speed work (weekly mileage: 10-12)
• Taper more - do more speed work (weekly mileage: 6)
• Rockledge 30K!

And if school takes over and my world implodes, I can always drop down to the 15K - that's only 9.3 miles. ; )

I need calories.

I had a freak-out moment earlier this week. I looked at the calendar on Monday and realized I only had 6 weeks till the Rockledge Rumble. Only 6 weeks till I'm supposed to run 30K (about 19mi) and I'm not trained for it!

So I was motivated to run this week and maybe increased my mileage too much. I did three 4-mile runs, which is respectable. Then yesterday I ran @ GV Lake from MADD to Fargate - roughly 8.5mi. Apparently I didn't fuel enough. I did fine on the run - no problems; I even ran & chatted with fellow NTTR member Fred Thompson for a while. But by the time I got home and showered, I could not stop shaking. I ate really well the rest of the day - high protein, good fats, some carbs - but was still shaky by the time I went to sleep. I was also an emotional wreck. Not good.

Moral of the story - I need calories. Specifically, I need calories at the right time. That is, I need to eat before the run, periodically during the run (i.e. more GUs and Perpetuem), and for recovery after the run.

Oh well, next time...

Just a'runnin' barefoot

I had a really good run on Sunday! After I overslept and missed church I decided to go running at a local high school track. After three miles I found my rhythm and felt good. I ran 5 miles (mainly just cruising with one all-out sprint thrown in there) and then did 1.25 barefoot on the grass. First time to barefoot run & I thought it was good!

I need to bring a towel next time though. ; )

Evolution of a Goal

Let's face it - I'm fickle.

At the beginning of this year I had decided to do the Longhorn Half Ironman. I was all psyched up last Christmas when my dad got me a sweet bike - a white & pink, carbon fiber Orbea with Ultegra components. I knew I could handle the run/swim, but as time went on I grew intimidated of the 56 mi bike ride. There was also drama at work and a lot going on at home with my brother.

So, nix the Half Ironman. I'll shoot for the Nike Women's Marathon and be a mentor for Team in Training. ...But then I moved to Louisiana. So, nix that one, too. Instead, I will train for the Dallas White Rock Marathon! And then summer hit. Have you ever experienced a stiflingly humid West Monroe summer? Ugh. I trained, but not enough to prepare for the full.
After months of deliberation - What about a sprint tri? Trail run? Half marathon? - Here's what I've decided:

30K trail run @ Grapevine Lake

Dec. 5 - Running & training for the half marathon with my friend Lauren

Next Year's Goal - Olympic-distance tri or Half Ironman, and possibly the Hotter'N Hell. That's my story and I'm sticking to it - at least for today.

Successful Ride

Yesterday I had a great 40-mile bike ride with my dad! We went up to Sanger and rode around Lake Ray Roberts. The weather was wonderful - in the 80's with a slight breeze. More importantly, I didn't wreck, fall down or get a flat.

Let's recap my cycling experiences for the last month:

• Bike wreck - Totally wiped out at the end of a ride. I had 2 flats, dragging breaks, a large bruise on my hip (I still can't lay on my right side), and a scuffed up elbow.
• Another flat - Went for a ride with my roommate half way into it I got a flat. Luckily, a nice guy named Chuck helped me change my tube.
• Bike fail - Started to go on a ride and nearly wrecked while going down a hill... My hands were shaky & I couldn't keep the front wheel steady. It was a nice thought though...
  
• Bike fail (reprise) - My roommate and I got all ready for our bike ride; we were in the car literally pulling out of the apt complex and I looked at the clock. "Ah man! I have to meet my parents in Lewisville in an hour. There's no way I have time to ride right now!" So we turned around and I did the ride on my CycleOps.
• Pre-ride flat - With my luck, my dad said I needed a spare tube before we went for our ride. So that morning, I stopped by Richardson Bike Mart to pick one up. While I was there, they noticed that my tire was fraying in one spot and said I needed a new one. "It's only $20 and I can change it right now." Okay, no problem. Bike fixed - off to meet my dad... By the time I took my bike off my bike rack, the tire was completely flat and would not hold air. What the heck? So I went into Bluebonnet Bicycles (where I was supposed to meet my dad) and they said the guy must have pinched the tube when he put the new tire on, because there were 3 holes in it. Seriously?!? So, I got another new tube. Just in case, I now have 2 spare tubes.

In light of all this, I am really glad the ride went well yesterday. I was beginning to think I was fated to never ride again! Phew. Dodged that bullet. So next Saturday I'm planning to ride with Richardson Bike Mart's beginner group - that is, after they refund the pinched bike tube.

Trail Running 101

Trail running is amazing. But before you begin, here are a few tips:

1. Don't sweat it - it's just a trail run. Trail runners are a lot more laid back than road runners. They are typically an older crowd and are more concerned about distance than time.
2. Get used to peeing in the woods. Ladies, if you're going on a long run, stuff some toilet paper in your pocket.
   
3. Know when to take walk breaks (aka. "old man walking"). Short 30 sec - 1 min breaks can help you increase your distance. One rule of thumb: Walk up any hills you can't see over. Also, there is no use in trying to run through some terrain (i.e. sand/mud pits).
4. That said, keep up the pace on walk breaks. You can lose a lot of time by walking slowly.
5. Take advantage of the downhills. Keep walk breaks for uphills.
6. Hills - Don't break when running down hills or you'll trash your quads. Don't lean forward when climbing hills or you'll strain your back.
   
7. Know your trail running etiquette. Bikers have the right of way. They will usually let you know if there are more bikers behind them or if it's "clear back." Also, leave the trail the way you found it (don't litter the trail with your empty GU packets).
8. Be friendly. As I said earlier, trail runners are a laid back crowd and are usually pretty friendly. So give a friendly wave and say hello with a smile.

Standard Running Tips:

• Kedge. Kedge is a nautical term meaning "to haul a vessel by means of a light anchor." Simply put, you need a race goal in order to train well. As the soon-to-be Grand-Slam ultrarunner Drew Meyer puts it, "If you don't have a race on the horizon, you're not training.
• Hydrate & fuel. Hammer Nutrition offers a great line of products - including the HEED sports drink and Hammer Gels (the equivalent of GUs).
• Pace yourself. Especially if you're going for longer distances, be sure not to go out too fast.
• Train with a group. Running with other people always helps.

Free Running

2nd Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival

Nancy has been sooo excited about this. We got up super early - Nancy, Ryan, and me - and went to the Highland Village baseball fields in hopes that the balloon race wouldn't be canceled again due to high winds. We weren't able to take the $10 balloon ride, but 3 of the 15 hot air balloons took flight! So exciting!It was over by about 7:20am and we were hungry. We made a Walmart run and each bought a pint of the ice cream and headed back to Nancy's apt for purple pancakes. While she was cooking, Ryan and I broke open our ice cream (before breakfast!!) and I proceeded to eat the entire pint of Ben & Jerry's Milk & Cookies ice cream. It was the best darn ice cream I've ever had in my life! lol

So later that morning, I went to kickboxing, got on the elliptical and did crunches to offset the 1,100 calories I had just consumed... All in a day's work.

Road Rash - a.k.a. Bragging Rights

Evidence of my first bike wreck - one minute I was on the sidewalk, the next minute I was in the air falling in slow motion - hit the ground - skid, skid, skid. What a trip - literally. I only regret that Adam didn't get it on video!

My bike was fine, but the back break now drags and BOTH tires went flat. Looks like I'll be visiting the guys at the bike shop again... At least this all happened near the end of the ride - we did about 17 mi through Grapevine and it was great!

Grasslands Half Marathon

My brother Ronald and I are running the Grasslands Half Marathon this Saturday. Woot woot!

History: The Grasslands Trail Run was my first full marathon and it was an AMAZING experience. A month after Grasslands I ran the OKC Marathon, which was...memorable (terrible weather and the most challenging thing I've ever done).

I'm excited about the half marathon this Sat though and it will be interesting for a two reasons:

1. We have had beautiful weather this week, but on Sat it's supposed to get into the 40's and rain from 9am - 1pm. The half starts at 8:30am and I'm expecting to be out there for 3hrs (trail runs are a little harder and usually longer than they say). Grasslands may turn out to be Mudlands.
   
2. Ronald and I aren't trained for it. He has been home a week and has done very little cardio over the past 4 months and my run volume has been pretty low so far this year.

But as my Grasslands pacer Tom Crull said last year, "This is no big deal. It's just a trail run. Time doesn't matter." And that's really true. It is just a trail run and I can walk it if things get bad - it's only 13.1 miles.

Okay, I just think this is hysterical

Adidas "Runners, Yeah We're Different" Ads
http://chayden.net/Runs/Adidas/

My Next Big Thing

There's nothing like a 5:30am run, right? I haven't been to track practice in about a month (due to GMAT), but I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up to my alarm (on the second go-around) this morning.

Daylight savings comes this Sunday, but the days are already beginning to get lighter. About 3/4 of the way through the practice, it was as if someone flipped on the light switch. From total blackness to the early stages of dawn, the Little Dipper faded into the gradually lightening sky. It was a good workout.

I enjoy running with the Dallas Athletes, but I may start up again with Team in Training (TNT). They are gearing up for the Nike Women's Marathon in mid-October, which is on my list of must-run marathons. Everyone I've talked with always raves about it. It's in San Francisco - that alone is enough to make me want to go. Though it's the Nike Women's Marathon, men run it, too. Most runners are there to have fun and celebrate, not for a PR (personal record). It's somewhat of a hilly course (it's San Francisco), but you get chocolate at Ghiradelli Square and a Tiffany & Co. finisher's necklace awarded to you by the San Francisco firefighters. ; )

That said, if anyone wants to make a vacation out of it, I would love a running buddy or a fan section!