Run

29 April

Run: Pike's Peak 10K
------------------------------------------------------
Run--Two quotes are appropriate for today's race. Indulge me, please.

"What we have is based upon moment-to-moment choices of what we do. In each of those moments, we choose. We either take a risk and move toward what we want, or we play it safe and choose comfort. Most of the people, most of the time, choose comfort. In the end, people either have excuses or experiences; reasons or results; buts or brilliance. They either have what they wanted or they have a detailed list of all the rational reasons why not." ~ Anonymous

"We will either find a way or make one." ~ Hannibal

I did not start out too fast. I did NOT. The gnomes staged a huge rebellion today in the lower abdoman region, yet again. Not happy about that. Pathetic thing is, I know how to prevent it from happening. But I neglected to take care of the problem and paid the price in an easily PR-able race and PR conditions. Lesson learned.

Splits
6:48 (just where I wanted to be)
7:01 (slowed down, eventually wanted to shoot for 6:59 avg)
7:04 (slight uphill)
7:22 (gnomes are thinking about it)
8:44 (AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! So much stomach pain)
7:11 (still paranoid that I would aggrevate the gnomes)
1:15 (0.2 mi, 6:15 pace)
Total time 45:29, total pace 7:19

Frustration set in because I KNOW I am capable of more. I need to think like Hannibal above and make things happen.

Kindness--Last night I chaperoned a sleepover for my youth group. I was SO tired, and slept about 4 hours that night. But I don't regret it at all. The party was my farewell from the chapter. I am really going to miss those kids. They really are special.

Kids' Race--After the 10K, I volunteered for the Toddler 50m Dash and the Kids 1K Fun Run. I had a GREAT time! I was a heat manager, AKA crowd control. I took TONS of pictures of them for my running club, since we sponsored the race.

Volunteering at the Kids' Race with MCRRC!

Bike

28 April

Bike: 30 min
------------------------------------------------------
Bike--Rode LUCKY on the trainer while I did my laundry (yes, on Shabbat... *sigh*). I own ONE pair of tri shorts and ZERO pairs of bike shorts. I think it's time to buy some more.

Fun--I met my high school orchestra teacher, who was also my double bass instructor, on the National Mall. He was visiting from South Dakota. This man is so influential and inspirational to me. His excitement and passion for music still fuels me today. He helped me go to some top-notch music festivals when I was in high school, and I was accepted to some pretty good music schools because of his instruction and drive. I still play the bass, definitely not as often (or as loud!) as I want to, but music will forever be a part of my life. What a great day, to be in the presence of an extraordinary human being.

Rest

24-27 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--Ugh, one of the hardest weeks I've had since I've been here. I drove over 700 miles during the week, attended a laser/radio frequency radiation safety course, finished the final draft of my thesis, helped plan a huge youth group event, and ate about 8 meals in that timeframe. I slept less than 4 hours each night. We all have weeks like this. And we all survive them, luckily!

Run, Core

23 April

Run: 3+ mi
Core
------------------------------------------------------
Run--I went on a run to relieve some frustration. My legs are still pretty tired from Boston, but it was a pretty good run nonetheless. But when I got home I cried anyway. Sometimes we just need to let it all out...

Bike

22 April

.

Bike: 25.6 mi

------------------------------------------------------

Bike--A leisurely ride with the Gesher City cycling cluster on the Rock Creek Trail on SPOOKY. It was a fun ride, and we were out there for a while. More sunblock next time! Snacks too.

.

Life--Even after Boston and my thesis defense, things haven't slowed down one bit. It's nice to use tri training (and recovery!) as an outlet. It's time to figure out how to better balance everything life seems to be throwing at me.

.

Races--I know I am going to be in San Antonio for training from August to November, so there may be some tri's coming up (Thanks for your support, Ann!). 10 milers are hard to find, so it might be worthwhile to focus on another race, as I am eyeing a fast half marathon in November in Florida with my mom. I would like to have a challenging goal to go after while I'm in this training program.

Cycling group at Lake Needwood (I'm in the helmet)

Bike

21 April

Bike: 24.7 mi
------------------------------------------------------
Bike--Skipped Shabbat services (all of them!) and rode SPOOKY through Rock Creek Park for a while. The brakes are a little too far away from my fingers, so I might take him in for a tune-up so they can fix that. It was a fun ride! Last 10 mi averaged over 17 mph, even on my mountain bike.

March in Review

Swim: 4400 yd
Bike: 39 mi
Run: 82.8 mi
------------------------------------------------------
Swim--I blew off swimming a lot in March. I didn't go while Colin was in town, and then I went to Israel. Then I blew off swimming so I could work on my thesis. It was a deliberate decision I made.

Bike--Same reasons as above. I did commute via SPOOKY every day, but I just don't keep track of that mileage. I missed riding LUCKY on the trainer though... My cycling was going very well for February, and then I just fell off the horse. Time to move the riding outside now!

Run--I did manage to get all the long runs in, and I skipped an entire 5K (which was surprisingly difficult). The workouts I did do were right on track and were all quality. I'm confident that after I recover from Boston, I can jump into quality workouts at the same speed and intensity. Those workouts were worth their weight in gold, and then some. Those are going to become a staple over the summer in preparation for Boston next year.

Goals--Are these excuses?
1) I DQ'd in the 200 fly, feet came apart pushing off the wall. Now, I practice turns while swimming fly. There are no more swim meets. Do I just take this off the list and move on?

2) I haven't run a 5K or anything longer yet.

3) I ran 7:19 pace for the 10 miler, which is slower than 7:15 pace. I learned to start further in front of my corral. Do I just take this off my list again?

4) I am moving somewhere this summer, but the Air Force hasn't decided yet. Therefore, I cannot sign up for an olympic distance triathlon race simply because I don't know if I can be there. Was this a reasonable goal? Do I take this off the list?

5) Again, I don't know where the Air Force is going to send me, and I could move as soon as next week. I don't have the funds to sign up for races I can't participate in. Do I take this off the list too? Do I start another list? I am confused!

It's time for some new goals.

Bike

20 April

Bike: 13.8 mi
------------------------------------------------------
Bike--I cleaned up both my bikes today (LUCKY my flippant road bike and SPOOKY my most awesome, amazing, crazy, favorite mountain bike). Then SPOOKY and I went on a little cruise through Rock Creek Park and parts of Bethesda. It was nice just to spin my legs out and not worry about distance/time/speed/etc. I love riding SPOOKY! Actually, I still have my bike helmet, bike shorts, and bike shoes on.

Goals--Still thinking about goals, and I want to run a fast marathon. "Fast" is faster than 3:15. I want to run for the Air Force Marathon Team. Do I have what it takes? I do have it in me, especially based on the improvement of my speed even over the past 4 months. Am I willing to make the sacrifice? I love running. But am I willing to take this to the next level?

What is required of me:
2x/day workouts some days
Getting up early before work to run
Running a LOT on the treadmill in the winter (esp if I move to Utah)
Ice baths
Controlling weight more
High mileage AND quality workouts
Regular, consistent strength and stretching program
Sacrificing social time
Going to bed earlier
Saving money for races
Maybe hiring a coach ($$)
Lots of money on shoes
Running even if my mind says "no"
Training with a core group of runners (a MUST for me)

Rest

19 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--The body needed one more rest day! It was a great opportunity for me to prepare for my training program this summer, which is to become a Bioenvironmental Engineer in the Air Force in addition to my Health Physics duties.

Reflection--I have been thinking a LOT about my goals after Boston: running, triathlon, military, general life, financial, career. Am I ready to really put the rubber to the road? What is it REALLY going to take, and am I willing to make the sacrifice? Thoughts and answers are going to start spilling over in this blog...

Rest

18 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--Spent the day taking it easy, slowing down, reflecting, resting. I had the most amazing lesson with the rabbi today. Gotta get him to run a 3:20 so he can go to Boston!

Rest

17 April
.
Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Trip home--Here's the post-finish line timeline:
2:30 finish the race
3:30 head down to the airport
4:00 check in for 5:00 non-stop to DC, flight is cancelled, must go standby
6:20 flight to DC (last one) is delayed until 11:10
10:00 I move from #3 on standby list to #8
11:10 standby passengers #1-7 make it onto the plane
11:15 Steph is sore, still hasn't showered, and calls boyfriend's brother begging for a place to stay, told to come back for 6:00AM flight to DC
12:00AM arrive at boyfriend's bro's house after meeting them for the first time
.
Next day--More flying fun
4:45AM leave for airport after ~3 hours of restless sleep
5:00 go through security, flight is oversold
5:30 am told to "volunteer" to be bumped or I would be "voluntold"
5:31 accept $250 voucher, rerouted through Raleigh, NC back to DC
8:30 board flight
12:30 eventually land in DC (through NC)
2:00 arrive at home from Metro (slooooow walk!)

Thoughts--I had a GREAT race. Given the weather, my experimental training plan, my crazy schedule, etc, I am SO happy with my time, and I had fun. That's the important part. Travelling... well, that's another story!
.
21+ hours of travel. I am FRIED!

Lonely bag after not getting on the DC flight!

Happy to be on my flight home... FINALLY!

Run

16 April

.

Boston Marathon, 3:43:46

------------------------------------------------------

Night Before--I usually eat sushi with lots of soy sauce. And ice cream. And gatorade. Unfortunately I couldn't find any of these things, and I didn't eat very much, especially electrolytes. For some reason I had a hard time preparing myself mentally for this race too. Weird.

.

Pre-race--A very nice Canadian man rents a van every year to drive to the race start. I rode with these guys last year. I paid $15 to drive with these guys to the race and sleep for an extra 2.5 hours! It's wonderful! I ate a lot of oatmeal with walnuts, a cup of hot chocolate, and half a bagette. Once we arrived at the race start, it was pretty tough trying to figure out what to wear and how to stay as dry as possible. The weather said rain, wind, and temps in the high 40's. I went with a visor, no glasses (ugh!), long sleeve tech shirt, short sleeve tech shirt, spandex capris, and gloves. Then we started heading out to the start line.

.

Race--The weather wasn't too bad. Some parts were pretty windy, and it was wet but there were a few moments it wasn't raining. I would rather have had yesterday's weather rather than the hot weather from 2004, 2005. I ran extremely conservatively, trying as hard as possible to hit the half at 1:50:30, and then running as fast as I could for a 3:40:59, to requal. The race was really, really fun, and I was doing pretty well, until HORRIBLE leg cramps at mile 22 to the end. I have NEVER had leg cramps before, and this was unbearable. It's weird not having control of your legs. Because of the wet weather (and having to pee from mile 1), I don't think I drank enough fluid, which may have caused the cramping. I think I sweat more than I thought I did too. I was a complete mess at the end of the race, but I really had a great time. Boston is so special!

.

What went well:

Boston PR by 9 minutes!

Almost even splits--1:50:58, 1:52:48 even after Newton hills!

Had FUN (i.e. smiled at the graveyard at mile 22-ish)

I left it ALL out on the course

Pretty good performance on less-than-ideal training

Transportation to the race with my Canadian runner friends

Writing splits, gels, motivation on my wrist

.

What went wrong:

Major leg cramps at mile 22

Hormones going crazy

Need more mileage! This plan didn't work!

My body was destroyed by the end of the race

I would rather have worn a hat rather than a visor

A super-busy month just before this race

Not looking at my old running logs for lessons learned

No super pre-race getting-into-the-zone time!

.

Lessons learned:

Eat a LOT of salty foods before the race

Eat a LOT before the race

Get some good sleep on Saturday night

I need a plan where I run at least 5 days/week

Speedwork helped tremendously

Boston training needs to be specific for the Boston course

I am going to take a year off of marathoning

Reebok shoes are a winner!

Writing on hand/arm = awesome!

.

Splits

9:16

8:41

8:48

8:28

8:53

8:15

8:23

8:17

8:18

8:21

8:17

8:03

8:02 (1:50:58 half)

8:09

8:05

7:53

16:46 (2 miles)

8:08

8:40 (welcome to the Newton hills)

9:12

7:47

8:59 (debilitating leg cramps)

8:58

11:35 (1.1 miles)

9:25

Total time 3:43:46, total pace 8:32

First half 1:50:58

Second half: 1:52:48

Splits, gels, motivation on my hand

A wet, soggy potty line

Ready to run!

Colin's sister-in-law, Steph, Colin's bro at the finish!

It was all worth it!

Rest

15 April

Rest

------------------------------------------------------

Rest--I flew out from DC in the afternoon straight to Boston for the Boston Marathon, went straight to the race expo from the airport, picked up some food, and spent the rest of the night in the hotel. The plan was to fly to Boston, spend the night, run and then go to the airport right finishing. I fit everything I need for the night and the race into one duffle which fit into the race day bag! It's an art.

Being stupid waiting for the Metro on the way to the airport

Staying dry on my way out of the Boston Marathon Expo!

I can't believe all of that fit into my carry-on bag! Which all fit into my race day bag!

Lucky coins from Colin

Bike

14 April

Bike: 40 min
------------------------------------------------------
Bike--A nice spin on LUCKY on the trainer in the afternoon while watching "Thank You for Smoking" (funny movie). Packed for Boston. Plane leaves at 12:25 from Washington Reagan on Sunday. Monday is going to ROCK! Bring on the rain and wind!

Rest

13 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--Accomplished a great deal. Legs wanted a day off. So I listened and obeyed.

Bike

12 April

Bike: 50 min
Other: Air Force Physical Fitness Test
------------------------------------------------------
PFT--Physical Fitness Test had arrived! It's a waist measurement (30 pts), 1 min of pushups (10 pts), 1 min of sit-ups (10 pts), run (50 pts). I did pretty well considering I was so insanely ill a short time ago. Since my birthday (#25) was last Monday, I moved to a new (slower) age group. I scored 100%! My goal is to score a 100% on every fitness test throughout my entire Air Force career. So far, so good, as this was my 3rd PFT in my career so far. It seems that officers should do that.

Bike--A quick spin-out on LUCKY on the trainer to shake things out. I really love riding that bike!

PFT Scores
Waist 25.5" (to max out points is <29.5")
Pushups 50, with 15 sec left (to max out points is 41)
Sit-ups 60 (to max out points is 47)
Run 9:56 for 1.5 miles, 6:37 pace (to max out points is 11:24)

Boston--Time to get psyched!!!

Rest

11 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--In the middle of the night last night, my abdomen hurt so bad that I called the ER. I couldn't lay down, sit, stand, crawl, anything. I even threw up a few times because the pain was so bad. Then I passed out on my floor from sheer exhaustion. Needless to say, there was no running today. And I have the Air Force fitness test tomorrow. Rest is important.

Run

10 April

Run: 3 mi (?)
Bike: 40 min (?)
------------------------------------------------------
Run--I really don't know how far I ran, but 3 mi sounds good. I didn't wear a watch. Running for the sake of running, which was fine by me!

Bike--I followed up with a spin-out on LUCKY on the trainer after returning home. Mean Girls was playing yet again.

Food--Passover is OVER! I am sad that the holiday is over, but matzah was starting to do a number to my body. Time to achieve balance again.

Thoughts--I was thinking again about the 10 miler last week. I no longer feel disappointment. I am actually happy that through the winter months in the midst of wrapping up my graduate thesis work, the fact that I ran only 14 seconds slower than my time last October really proves my training meant something. The fact that I am somewhat disappointed in my time shows that I still have something to prove. That will be the spark to fuel my more aggressive tri and running training after Boston! I will be faster!

Motivation--No, the past week is not the schedule of a marathon runner, particularly one who is running Boston on Monday. I don't regret it at all, actually. I feel grounded in Judaism and my observance, which takes priority over everything. I wanted to hang out with my friend who visited all the way from South Dakota, the motherland. I really, really, really wanted to earn my masters degree!!!! Boston isn't going to be the fastest marathon ever, but it certainly will be satisfying.

Run

9 April

Run: 9.4 mi
------------------------------------------------------
Run--Monday was my birthday, so I decided to (finally) run a nice easy long-ish run. I felt GREAT! The weather was gorgeous, and I was so happy.

Perfect Day--I had the best day: 7th day Pesach services at the shul, opening some birthday gifts that were mailed to me from my family, receiving lots of phone calls, going to dinner at a friend's house and eating surprise birthday cake.

Pics--Joan and I went to the Hirshhorn Museum of Modern Art during her visit a few days ago. We had a great time. The pictures speak for themselves.

Rest

8 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--Joan and I went down to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Man oh man, was it COLD! But we survived and took some fantastic pictures. We also saw some Japanese archery. My favorite part of going down to DC was visiting my favorite museum--the Hirschhorn Museum of Modern Art. We always seem to have a great time in art museums! Pics will be posted later!

Joan and Japanese archery at the Cherry Blossom Festival

I am attemping to be a blossoming cherry tree

Our attempt at being artistic

2nd attempt!

Wow, it was FREEZING!

Rest

7 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--Joan and I went to the University of Maryland, where Joan applied for graduate school. It was freezing, but we had a great time. She really, really deserves to go there. Keep your fingers crossed for her!

Fun--Then we went bowling in the evening after Shabbat was over. Joan bowled a 130! Again, pics will be posted later. Much fun was had!

Whoa, part II

Aw, isn't this adorable!

Wow, who knew nature could be so mysterious?

I wish this tree was Colin!

Look, a huge distracting thing!

STRRRRRIKE! (She bowled a 130!)

Why do I look so stupid? Can't help it. We had fun!

Kicking butt and taking names!

X-Train

6 April

X-Train: Hike on the Billy Goat Trails at Great Falls
------------------------------------------------------
Thesis--I have a masters degree!!!!!! My thesis was accepted on Friday, which makes me SOOOOOOOOOOOO happy!!!!

X-train--Joan and I went on a hike at Great Falls to celebrate. Then we had some sushi and soy ice cream for dessert while we watched Borat (most messed up movie EVER).

Joan is the BEST! She is #1!

Trying out a "yoga" move

Uh.....

What do I see here?

This one is called "Wonder!"

Whoa!

Rest

5 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--Getting ready for the thesis defense which meant: Costco, Target, BX, grocery store! The key to an awesome oral defense is to distract them with delicious food. They LOVED Joan's chocolate toffee matzah!

Rest

4 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--Joan and I wandered around downtown DC for a while: Freer Gallery, Native American Museum, Botanic Garden, Postal Museum. In the PM we had boba and watched Mean Girls.

Rest

3 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--Read Torah in the AM at services, prepared ALL DAY with Joan for the second night seder at my apartment... with NO water! Yes, we're that good. And we were panicking. But everything turned out ok. We weren't tired of matzah, the taste of freedom, just yet.

Rest

2 April

Rest
------------------------------------------------------
Rest--The entire day was spent preparing for Passover! And one of my best friends Joan came from South Dakota to visit!!! This was the beginning to a loooooong week...

Run

1 April

.

Run: Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run

------------------------------------------------------

Run--1:13:12 total time, 7:19 total pace. Frustrated is a good word for how I feel about this race. I just started way too far in the back of my corral. BUT it was GREAT to meet up with a fellow MCRRC runner and blogger! Give him a huge shout-out!

.

Lessons from the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run

1) If the corral is huge (i.e. 4000 people), start at the FRONT

2) Assume people are too stupid to seed themselves in the corral (including myself)

3) Being patient really isn't efficient for a 10 mile race--too short of a distance

4) It's really, really, really hard to make up time in a 10 mile race

5) Eat more for breakfast

6) Bring an extra shirt for after the race--brrrr!

7) If you start too far back, you'll be passing people continuously for 8 miles in a 10 mile race

.

Splits
7:59

7:35

8:06 (1.1 mi, 5K split 23:42)

6:24 (0.9 mi)

7:09

7:10

1:29 (0.2 mi, 10K split 45:56)

5:59 (0.8 mi or 7:28 mi, not sure why this mile was slow)

7:04

7:08

7:03

Get psyched for the race!

Run

31 March

Run: 2+ mi
------------------------------------------------------
Run--A short prep for the race the next morning. Strides make a WORLD of difference. It feels like all the kinks are worked out of my entire body when I do strides all over the place. It's beautiful.