How to Fail a Long Run

Saturday I was scheduled for a 9 mile long run during our cut back week. I did not complete that 9 mile run. Not for lack of trying... ish. But I also failed along the way. I was so excited. *ONLY* 9 miles! Cut back week! NBD distance! I love that our training has gotten to this point where a 9 mile run is NBD. But apparently I should've respected the distance a bit....

Things I Did Right:

• Hydrating heavily Friday night and Saturday morning. I drank so much water I had to pee all through my yoga class Saturday night. I thought about leaving them in a lunge for 3 minutes but decided that'd be rude.
• I went to bed early. A friend was in town, but we both planned to go to bed early, so I was in bed by 10pm. I only had a glass of Champagne instead of the six that I would've liked to have.
• I packed all of my running things so I had no excuses to skip the run after yoga class.
• I checked the weather, and it was supposed to be lovely and cool all day, so nbd that I pushed my long urn until after yoga!
• Yoga before running. Ahhhh bliss.
• NOT drinking my beer after yoga at the brewery. I didn't even take one because I knew it would upset my stomach or lower my interest in running.
• Foam rolling Friday night. My quads and IT band have been slightly annoying lately, so I spent some good time foam rolling them, as well as my calves and working on my feet.

Things I Did Very, Very Wrong:

• I went on an impromptu walk with one of my college BFFs, in sandals that maybe weren't the most supportive, resulting in swollen legs/feet and blisters.
• Not eating breakfast. Not bringing a snack for after yoga. Attempting to run 9 miles on one singular luna bar at 1:15pm after teaching a yoga class.
• Not running at 6am as originally planned. If I had gone, I would've been fine with not eating beforehand! My GUs would've gotten me through, and I would've been able to take a glorious post long run nap after yoga.
• I skipped my epsom salt bath Friday night because I wanted to hang out with my friend who was in town. Had we not gone on a walk, it would've been a-ok. But going on the walk and having tired legs, spelled disaster....

So do as I say, not as I do. Drink a lot of water, get good sleep, fuel properly, and don't except your body to be able to perform if you're not setting it up to do so properly. Duh.

How NOT to Execute a Long Run

Bemidji will be the 7th marathon I attempt, and seventh marathon cycle. I've learned a few things about what to do and what NOT to do. But occasionally laziness/cockiness/don't give a poop-ness comes in to play and I throw all that knowledge out of the window.

So take some tips on "what not to do" courtesy of my suck-fest long run on Sunday.

• Fail to hydrate the day and night before, especially in the summer. When it's hot as hades out.
• Even better, have a couple of beers with dinner. That'll help the hydration process. They're wet, right??
• Stay up really late (ok 11pm is really late for this girl, sue me) with your honey bunny hanging out watching TV.
• Decide to set your alarm for 6:30am instead of 5am.
• Finally get out out of bed at 6:45, eat breakfast, and then crawl back into bed for just 5 minutes of snuggling before your long run starts. 
• Bonus failure points if your loved one and pug sandwich you in a snuggling cocoon, forcing you to fall back asleep.
• Finally FINALLY get out of bed at 8:30am. Don't bother eating breakfast again.
• Quickly drink a bunch of water, because UH OH it's warm out. 
• Extra points for sloshy stomach.
• Leave for your ~3 hour summer long run at 9:45am.
• Forget to apply sunscreen (it would've sweated right off, let's be serious).
• Bike 30 miles, fairly vigorously 2 days before. Fail to do any sort of shakeout run between the long ride and long run.
• Don't foam roll either.
• Only bring the minimum amount of GUs along.

I think that about covers it. Luckily I started off the run at a casual 10:30-10:40 pace, so I was smart there. But as the temps increased, and the shade disappeared my pace crept up to the 11-11:15 pace. During the last two miles my heart was beating so erratically, I was forced to walk/jog to let it calm down, which really slowed my pace down.

Ollie has been instructed to punch me in the nose with her paw next time I try to delay my long run. We'll see how that goes.

Goal Race Training Recap Weeks 1 + 2

Week 1 (again?) Goal Race Training Week 1? Week 14? I dunno.
March 31-April 6

Monday: Super easy 3 mile shake out run before teaching, before my regular work shift. Somehow that day flew by. I'm guessing the run helped.

Friday: 6.25 miles with 5x800 m hill repeats.

I thought it was warm enough for shorts, but my bright red legs will tell you otherwise. The repeats were pretty decent, but I thought my legs were going to fall off during #4. I had the crazy leg lock thing going on. Uff da. Run felt great and I was on cloud nine.

Until.....

Sunday: Jillian Michaels workout video. I had planned to do my long run before I left for Vegas, but my hip had been bothering me since my speed work session. Like, hurt to walk on, pain. So instead, I did a strength video and just modified the one cardio move that simulated running and aggravated my hip.

April 7-13

Monday through Wednesday I was in Vegas. I probably walked ~5 miles each day, but those aren't running miles. Dominique and I optimistically brought along running clothes and as the days in Vegas went on, we laughed at the idea that we thought we'd get in some runs. Now I'm kicking myself because we always say how much we wish we lived closer because we'd be ideal running buddies. Whoops.

Thursday and Friday I was on catch up mode. Catch up on sleep, catch up on work (I worked extra long hours to lessen the amount of vacation time I had to take for my Vegas trip, meaning Ollie was left all by her lonesome even longer since Kyle was also out of town), by the time I got home from work, the last thing I wanted to do was put Ollie back in the kennel so I could get in a run. Is this mommy guilt? I'm not sure.

Saturday after a regular ol' 8 hour work shift, I came home, took Ollie on a nice long walk because it was gorgeous out. The vet said Ollie needed to lose even more weight, so we've cut down her meal sizes, and we're working on her endurance levels again. She hit her spring 2014 distance PR on this walk. Whoop Ollie girl! Instead of the Hal Higdom walk/run program, she has implemented the "shuffle really fast and then stop for a minute to huff/puff/catch breath." It seems to be working for her. Look out Hal!

Since she was somewhat wore out after the walk, I didn't feel bad about getting out and enjoying the gorgeous weather. I flirted with the idea of just tackling my long run right then and there, but I hadn't eaten since lunch and spent more time guzzling coffee than water during my work shift. Spoiler alert: I should've just done my long run!

I had the most amazing run ever. I took a rolling hill route and it was beautiful out, and the pace felt effortless. I was shooting for a recovery paced run as I was planning on 13 miles on Sunday, and it was quite a bit faster than my recovery runs typically are. So yayzies I guess for a gorg day.

Sunday I woke up to what seemed to be a tsunami outside. I was actually somewhat concerned for what the wind was going to do to our poorly constructed apartment (have I mentioned we're moving? I hate this place). The winds were in the 30-45 mph range. It was 20 some degrees out and rainy. Eew. Maybe it'll be nice after work, I thought positively to myself.

Nope. Just as bad. Worse probably.

I decided to buck up and run long on the treadmill. Armed with the last two copies of Runners World, a bottle of Nuun, two GUs, my iPod mini with BJ Novak's audiobook on it, my regular iPod with tunes on it, should I get bored of the audiobook, my iPhone for texting enjoyment, and Shalane Flanagan's 60 minutes special coming on the tv before too long. 

All necessities for a successful long run right? I started out and felt great. Like I could run forever. Which is good because I assumed this would take forever. I had planned on easy paces for the first 9 and then trying to speed up to hit GHMP for the last 3. Well I didn't get that far. I started to have pain in my left hip again shortly before the end of mile 3. Ugh. I know my form isn't great on a treadmill, so I figured there was no sense in pushing it and risk not being able to race at all in less than two weeks. Eeeps! Two weeks! So I called it quits and did core work and my hip exercises. Womp.

But then Kyle came home, whom I hadn't seen for over a week, so I quickly forgot about my failed run. Except for now when I'm having to bring it up and obsess over it all over again. Thanks a lot Jerky Blog.