Iron Turkey 5K and 10K Recap

Yesterday I did my first ever combined race-- A 5K and 10K combo to become an IronTurkey!

The Ann Arbor Turkey Trot is a 5K and 10K race at a gorgeous park. You can run either event, or run both for a medal and glory at the end. As a final long run before the Philly Half, I chose the latter :)

The morning started out like every other- toast and coffee. In retrospect, this probably wasn't enough food-- I got so hungry!

We made our way to the park in the cold Michigan morning. For the 5K, it was about 35 degrees. Brr! I took off for the 5K and had a hard time pacing myself for the shorter first part of the race.

Mile 1: 8:59
Mile 2: 9:28
Mile 3: 9:27
0.16: 9:04 pace
5K time: 29:16

The park is really gorgeous and the course was one big loop throughout. There was a nice mix of rolling hills, bridges, forest and river. Just lovely.

After the 5K, we had about half an hour to wait around before the 10K started. I didn't feel like eating anything, but really wished they had gatorade besides just water.

Then the 10K started. The beginning was alright, but I quickly started to feel a little crummy. Because of injury, this would be the longest I've run in about 2-3 weeks, and I definitely used up a lot of energy during the 5K.

Mile 1: 9:49
Mile 2: 9:36
Mile 3: 9:33

After running the loop again, we still had one more lap to go. I was so tired at this point and wished for some sugar or gatorade! But pressed on with a little bit slower pace.

Mile 4: 9:34
Mile 5: 9:49
Mile 6: 10:24
0.25: 10:26 pace
10K time: 1:01:18
IronTurkey total time: 1:30:34


Finally the finish was in sight! I attempted to sprint.. but didn't quite make it. I crossed the finish line and was immediately handed the IronTurkey medal. Awesome!

This is the first race I've ever run with no pressure-- no previous PR or time goals. It was fun to just run, enjoy the course and my fellow runners.

Plus, a medal at the end of a long run doesn't hurt either ;)

Holiday races are so fun! Are you planning on any turkey/jingle bell races this season?

Snow

SNOW.

I know that doesn't look like snow but... it's there.

I'm from Michigan, but every year seeing the first snowflake is pretty amazing. After working most of the day in a windowless lab, I made my way to departmental tea and looked out the window for the first time since the morning. Snowflakes!! I actually cheered for the snow.

Most of my friends hate it though: many come from warmer climates or just get sick of all of the cold and cloudy days. But... I really love winter. Fall is beautiful and summer is hot, but winter is truly awesome. The world becomes a frigid place and running, biking and hiking in it is amazing.

Running through the wintery city or the snowy forest is unreal. The crisp air and quiet make me happy to be out on a run. I cannot wait for winter.

Right now, the snow won't stick. Right now, I'm pretending it doesn't sometimes snow on April 18. But soon...

It's going to be a winter wonderland :)

Philadelphia Half Marathon Training Week 10

12 days until the Philly Half Marathon! Let's see how training is going...

but first, a look back:  Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9

To be quite honest, training is not going very well at all. After another injury, this past week was discouraging. Top it off with a nasty cold and I didn't get much done.

I laughed out loud when last week a friend mentioned she read my blog and was "all caught up on my feet" (because of the injuries). So this week.. no more! Here's a pretty picture of campus instead.

Anyway, I managed to squeak out a few workouts even though I couldn't run:
M- off
T- strength training for runners
W- 9mile hilly bike and PT
R- 1600yd swim
F- off
S- off
S- 2.2 mile run (pain free!!)
total: 9 bike miles, 0.9 swim miles, 2.2 run miles

So obviously my mileage is super low for this point in the training cycle. It definitely makes me nervous heading into the half marathon being slightly underprepared. I'm back to running now, albeit carefully, and will be trying to slowly ramp up mileage again before next Sunday.

I'm hoping for one last long run before the race. Of course this depends on the ol' injury and what the physical therapist says, but I'm confident I'll cross the finish line happy in 12 days :).

How are your workouts going?

Philadelphia Half Marathon Training Week 9

Sorry for the late recap! We're just 18 days away from the Philly Half Marathon, and things are getting rough.

But first, a look back: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8 

This past week started out great with a 10 miler at a 9:29 average pace. I ran with a fast friend and we kicked butt!

Riding on that high, I pushed through some pain I probably shouldn't have for a speed workout on Wednesday. After that, it was time to face reality and take responsibility for another injury. The inside of my right heel flared up and really hurt for the rest of the week, so I took time off running and focused on cross training.

M- 10m long
T- strength training for runners
W- 9x400m @ 7:45min/mi pace
R- 1000yd swim
F- off
S- off
S- 2.75m elliptical
total: 15 running/elliptical miles, 1000yd swim


I've said it before and I'll say it again: being injured sucks. Even after taking a bunch of rest, my foot still hurt quite a bit on Sunday. I tried out this space-age elliptical at the gym and found it gave a pretty good workout with no impact.

And then, I got a cold. It seems like one roadblock after another over here! The good news is that after almost a week off, the foot pain has gone away. I have another PT appointment tomorrow, and then hopefully will attempt my first run in a week. Assuming things go smoothly, I'll try to get back on track!

With all of the setbacks, I'm even more unsure of hitting my target goal pace for the race. But I know that taking a little time off now is far better than having to take months off later for a worse injury. Perspective is important.

How do you stay on track when your body isn't feelin it?

Double Injury

((sadly not as cool as a Double Rainbow))
Injured again. And it sucks.

Backstory: ran my first marathon, a week later sped through a 5K, developed peroneal tendonitis on my left foot. Went to physical therapy, got stretches/homework to do at home.

Unfortunately, this time the injury is in my right foot. After a 9 miler last week, I got pretty intense pain (only when walking) on the inside (calcaneal area) of my right heel. It faded last week, but after 10 this week flared up again.

Source

I'm not sure what's wrong with it, but it feels like tendonitis. Again.

The physical therapist told me that a very common cause of foot pain is tight calves. When the calf muscle tightens up, it pulls unevenly on the foot tendons and causes injuries. Because of this, she recommended I pick up a Step Stretch.

The Step Stretch is basically a piece of plastic that rocks back at an angle and gives a deep calf stretch. It's intense, but really loosens up your calves. Hurts so good.

Between using the Step Stretch and doing other balance exercises, I wonder if my current "injury" is just my foot tendons becoming used to correctly balancing my weight when I run.

Regardless, I'm icing, stretching and reducing my mileage drastically. The most important thing I learned from my first injury experience: running through pain is always a bad idea.

So today, instead of a 5 miler, I hit the pool. Not as much fun, but alright nonetheless.

How do you deal with injury/setbacks when working out? I'm sick of being out of commission!

Philadelphia Half Marathon Training Week 8

Last week was one of complete insanity. It was wonderful but incredibly busy. I once again managed to stay relatively on top of my workouts though.

Previously on PHMT: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7

This week I started out strong with a solid 9 miles all over Ann Arbor. I kept a great pace and the weather held out. Hopefully tomorrow is just as nice when I tackle 10!

Remember how last week I was babbling about quality workouts? Well this week was less than quality. It was pouring rain, so on Wednesday and Thursday I hit the treadmill. Even when running tempo runs, I never feel as spent after a treadmill workout.

M- 9m long
T- light strength training
W- 4m tempo (2m @ 8:57-9:02 pace) treadmill
R- 3m treadmill
F- off (skipped yoga)
S- off
S- 4m fall run
total: 20 miles

I'm glad I even managed to squeeze in the two treadmill workouts. This week was straight up absurd for science work. UM hosted a microbial pathogenesis conference this weekend and I worked my tail off to get ready.

It was an amazing conference, much bigger than the last one I went to. There are so many fantastic scientists and students in the midwest and I feel like I learned so much. I also got great feedback on my project and am excited to move forward.

Luckily the warm weather is coming back a little bit, so the 10 miles should be smooth tomorrow. Only 4 weeks till the race!

Happy running and studying :)

Philadelphia Half Marathon Training Week 7

Sorry for the late posting! Grad school is totally kicking my butt lately-- but I kinda like it :) Let's take a look back at half marathon training for Week 7...

Previously: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6

After running the Big House Big Heart 10K last Sunday, I wasn't sure what to do about my long run. Should I do another, just a few days after the 10K? Skip it entirely? I ended up making my workouts up a little on the fly, but it worked out.

M- 4m arboretum run
T- strength training
W- 8x400m @8:00min/mi pace, with w/u and c/d for 3 miles
R- 5m hill run
F- yoga
S- 3m trails
S- off
total: 15 miles 


While my overall mileage was a little lower last week, I definitely got in more quality workouts. Wednesday I hit the track for a speed session with 400m repeats. I felt awesome after! Then Thursday I tackled one of my hilliest routes today and rocked it out.

Often times I'll run a flat or net downhill route because it's a lot easier. But I find that I don't get as good of a workout, or improve as much as I should week to week. With the race drawing closer (less than 5 weeks!) I'm going to make a conscious effort to focus on my training. In short, 15 miles of hard workouts > 20 miles of flat routes!

And with that, I'm off for another week of classes, work and running in Ann Arbor. There's a microbiology conference at UM this weekend, so I'm working round the clock to get ready. My lab bench tells all:

complete insanity.

happy running and studying!

***Shout-out to all of my friends who rocked 13.1, 26.2 or otherwise this weekend! Including: Linnea, Clare, David H, Keith W, Ariell, Mallory, Pat, Corinne and Ann Marie! What a bunch of champions :)