Trusting My Internal Clock
| January 11, 2012 | Posted by Lauren under Marathon Training, Running |
I’ve talked about this before, but Garmins can be a mixed blessing. The feedback from them is great. And sometimes, when I look down and see a number that I like (whether it be pace or miles), it can make me feel on the top of the world. But other times it seems as though the watch’s sole goal is to crush my running confidence. I look down and see a pace that seems too slow for how I feel – and then suddenly, I feel even slower and completely out of shape. Or I see one that seems way too fast to maintain and then freak out. It’s a bit funny how one little watch can have so much impact on how we feel about ourselves and our running.
Running without a Garmin on Saturday was one thing that made the race so stress-free
In the spirit of being less dependent on my Garmin, last night I tried an experiment. I have been running with the watch more often these days (now that the training hiatus is over, it’s time to start getting my butt kicked by that thing again), but I still don’t want to be obsessing over the numbers on every run. I respect the watch as a helpful training tool, but there’s something to be said about trusting your body to tell you how fast/hard you are running, instead of a little digital computer on your wrist.
So last night, as I stood shivering on the corner in my shorts waiting for my watch to find satellites, I concocted an experimental workout in my head. The goal would be to keep a comfortably fast pace, without actually looking at my watch to make sure that I was doing so. I was just going to run at the pace that my body felt was quick but maintainable. I don’t know about you, but for me this can be a scary thing. Do you ever have those days when you feel like you are pushing hard and yet find out that your pace is actually really slow? I was afraid that after a sick day on Monday, my legs were going to trick me into thinking I was running fast while I was really just slogging along.
But I squashed the doubts. After the satellites had finally loaded (and after getting the most disgusted look from a woman walking by who saw me standing outside in shorts in January – do my shorts disturb you that much?!) I was off. I settled into a pace that felt quick, but still relaxed. I turned on my music and got into the zone. I had no idea how fast I was running, but it felt great.
I kept that up for about 4 miles. At that point I went around a corner and was blasted by an awful headwind. I felt my pace slipping and wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold on for the 1.5 miles home. It was time for Phase 2 of my experiment.
I finally let myself look down at my watch and realized I was running a sub-7:30 pace. Even with the headwind. Seeing that number displayed was the extra motivation I needed to keep pushing through. At that point, I shifted how I looked at the watch. Instead of a device whose data stressed me out, this was something that was making me want to run faster. I wanted to see if I could beat the times it kept displaying for me. My goal became to speed up for the last stretch and finish strong.
It wasn’t my longest run ever, or my fastest run. But when I finally finished in front of my apartment, I was so excited. Because the pace had felt relaxed and almost easy the entire time. Without seeing any numbers beeping on my watch, I had just run a pace that felt great – and that pace was quicker than I had expected.
Not only that, but after getting home and seeing my splits, I was surprised by how consistent they were.
Mile 1 – 7:31
Mile 2 – 6:41 (this number is a little suspicious. I went under a spot where I sometimes lose satellite reception, so I guess the real pace is a little slower)
Mile 3 – 7:32
Mile 4 – 7:31
Mile 5 – 7:15
Mile 5.5 – 3:24 (6:46 pace)
Sometimes when I don’t have that constant feedback staring me in the face, I assume that my splits are going to be all over the place. It’s easy to start thinking that I need my watch to keep myself on track. Who would’ve thought that my body could do something like that on it’s own?
I will still be using my Garmin for Boston training. I want to be able to keep track of my training paces, and having a watch is a good way to ensure that I am running fast on fast days and easy on easy days. But it’s time to start trusting my body more. I want to start doing more of these runs where I let my internal clock set (and keep!) the pace. I think that after so many years of running, it sort of knows what it’s doing.
Joe Kleinerman 10K Classic Recap
| January 9, 2012 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
Otherwise known as the day I decided to run all races of 2012 in a veil.
This weekend was one of many firsts:
- First race of 2012
- First ever 10K
- First ever NYRR race
- First road race I’ve run with people the entire time
- First time I’ve finished a race hand-in-hand with someone (sorry EC!)
- First race run in a veil (because yes, there will be more)
- annnd first time run/walking a race (not counting marathons where I’ve walked through water stops)
If you had told me a couple weeks ago that I would walk during a 10K, I would have just laughed. If you haven’t noticed from any of my previous posts, I am a very competitive person when it comes to running. So competitive, in fact, that when I was younger I used to tell people that I hated competing – solely because I got incredibly upset when I didn’t do well. I know that I’m not going to win a big race or turn professional anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to bust my butt to run as fast as I possibly can when I get on that starting line. Even during relay races, which I do completely for fun, I take off as soon as I get that baton in my hand and don’t stop until I reach the exchange. I take pride in knowing that every time I run a race, I do it to the best of my ability.
So when I found out the night before my 10K debut that the plan was for Ali and I to run/walk this thing together with Emily, I can’t say I was super excited. A good friend would have said, “Emily, I am so excited to celebrate your return to running with a race. If you need to walk as a part of your recovery, don’t worry. I am here for you. We will conquer this thing together and finish excited about your awesome comeback!”
But I am not always a good friend. So instead, my reaction was more along the lines of “Are you serious?!” while simultaneously wracking my brain for ways to get out of it. What can I say – when it comes to running, I have a little too much pride. Luckily, Emily is a good sport and could take a little ribbing from Ali and I. Ultimately her excitement for her first race post-injury, combined with plans to celebrate my engagement on the run (literally) made me come around. And in the end, the entire experience made for the most fun road race I’ve ever done.
10 Reasons Why the Joe Kleinerman 10K Race is My Favorite Road Race of All Time
1.) An amazing carbo-loading dinner.
On Friday night, Chef Brian prepared us all a gourmet feast. Everyone knows you need lots of fuel before races, even when you plan on run/walking them.
2.) I received my shirt and race bib wrapped up as a gift. How often does that happen?!
Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue
Ali and Emily surprised me with a pile of gifts when I arrived in the city on Friday night. Each one was a hand picked “treasure” to celebrate my engagement.
They even drew me a picture of my dream wedding. Talk about some thoughtful friends.
In case you can’t tell, that’s me running toward the finish line/EC with packets of Gu lining the aisle while Emily and Ali toss cheese from the side. Complete with my #teamwatermelon wedding colors, of course.
3.) I ran in a veil.
You might think this would be annoying. But believe me – nothing takes the pressure off a race quite like having a tacky veil on your head, complete with a tiny bride and groom on top.
4.) Team Watermelon.
I’d say that this race involved the best execution of Team Watermelon race outfits so far. We were lucky that it was warm enough to wear shorts/skirts in January (I don’t know what is with this winter weather, but I’m definitely not complaining!). In our bright pink and green outfits, we didn’t exactly blend into the crowd.
5.) The great company.
Like I mentioned above, I don’t usually run an entire race with someone else. I’ve tried in the past, but the competitive nature of races usually means that we split up before the end. With Ali and Emily by my side, the miles passed by much faster than I thought they would…even though we weren’t running at a 10K pace and stopped to walk. I felt amazing and relaxed as I chatted and laughed with these girls the entire way.
6.) Our race strategy.
The plan was for Emily to be the sole “holder of the watch” and the official time keeper. That way she would tell us when she had to stop for a break, and we could trick Ali into running faster than she thought she could (mind over matter!). We started out weaving our way through a very congested crowd, and then just fell into a pace that felt quick, but relaxed. After 3 miles, we pulled over to the edge of the course for a quick walk break where we practiced our power walking skills. We tried not to push Emily and once she was ready, we started running again. We took one more short walk break about another mile later and then picked it up for a strong finish. Overall, we only walked for about 5 minutes, and ended up pushing faster than I thought we would during the running portions. Not exactly my normal “run until you want to puke your brains out strategy,” but it was 1000x times more fun.
Okay, so we may have badgered Emily to pick up the pace just a little bit. Fact: she is not the world’s best power walker.
7.) The crowd support.
I have never gotten more cheers during a race than I did during last Saturday’s 10K. It was so much fun to banter back and forth with our fellow runners. We received a wide range of comments. Anything from “Congratulations!” to “Good luck!” to “Don’t do it!!” And my favorite – a male runner telling Ali and I that “marriage is a beautiful thing” as we ran by hand in hand.
8.) Passing people in a sparkle skirt is awesome. Passing them in a skirt and a veil? Priceless.
(Yes, I realize that I got passed by far more people than I passed. But still…)
9.) Getting photographed for the NYRR website.
As we were walking back from the race, we ran into one of the official photographers. She was so excited to see us that she held her own photoshoot right there. Last night I checked the NYRR website, and saw that we made the gallery! My only regret is that she didn’t capture our entire watermelon outfits in all their glory.
(via NYRR Faces of the Race Gallery)
Added bonus: apparently she’s also a wedding photographer. A photographer that also speicalizes in taking race photos!? She’s hired! …if only I had actually gotten her name.
10.) The post-race celebration.
In what is becoming a great Ali-Emily-Lauren tradition, we got home from the race and immediately started celebrating with mimosas – a celebration that continued for the entire day. I may have woken up the next morning feeling way too sick for a scheduled 10 mile run, but a short jaunt through the park with Ali made it all better.
Even though it wasn’t my fastest race ever, overall I’d declare the Joe Kleinermain 10K a roaring success! Family and friends beware – I’ve already decided that I will be organizing a 5K for all guests on the morning of my wedding. I haven’t actually cleared this with EC yet, but who wouldn’t want to start the day with a race?!
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For anyone who is interested, my official time was 50:51 (8:13/mile). Which I suppose is technically my 10K PR. Hopefully there’s nowhere to go from here but up!
New Year, New Goals: 2012
| January 6, 2012 | Posted by Lauren under Motivation, Running |
One thing that is equally wonderful and awful about having a blog where you openly chronicle your running is that it keeps you accountable for your actions…both your accomplishments AND your failures. Even though I logically understand that no one really cares if I don’t run a certain number of races or get a specific PR but me, it still can be tough to publicly set the bar high and then fail.
But I also think that being open about your goals can be a great way to keep yourself accountable for them, even when motivation might be lacking a little bit. Plus it helps you track where you were and how far you’ve come. My big goal for this year was to run a sub 3:20 marathon, and I’m happy to say that I did it – twice.
So now, 6 days into the new year, it’s time to finally put my goals for 2012 down on paper the internet. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a pretty fantastic year on all fronts.
The Main Goal
First and foremost, my most important goal for 2012 is to marry EC. This may not seem like it would be a very hard goal to achieve at this point, but let me tell you – figuring out a date is proving harder than I originally thought! No matter what else happens, if I get to the end of 2012 married to my best friend, I will be one happy girl.
Now enough with the sap. Let’s talk running goals, shall we?
Running Goals
Run a 3:10 marathon. Deep down inside I know I’d be happy with anything under a 3:15. But I might as well aim high, right? A 3:10 would be a pretty big PR for me (for comparison, I PR’d by a mere 9 seconds in my last marathon – this would be over 8 minutes!) but I think with some quality training and lots of dedication, I can do it.
Plus, Susan has a custom-made frame all ready for her post-Boston PR photo, and I really want to be in it with her.
Photo stolen from Susan
PR in the Half Marathon. My current PR was run in the middle of marathon training, through the snow, while I was sick. I’d like to think that in better conditions I have a sub-1:33 in me. And if I really train, I’d love to see a 1:30:xx (or below!) on the clock.
Run faster/PR in shorter distance races. I know I’ve mentioned before that I want to focus on other races besides the marathon, yet when it comes down to it, the allure of the marathon keeps drawing me in. Since I haven’t been able to give up on this torturous distance yet, I would like to train in a way that helps me get faster all around. I know I can’t expect to PR in every distance I run, but I would like to start really racing the shorter races, just to see how fast I can actually go.
Increase my mileage (slowly and safely) I’ve talked about how I used to run much higher mileage than I do now, but then had to back off because of how prone to injury my body can be. And although I still maintain that you can run a fast marathon without running 50+ miles and 6 days a week (my current marathon PR came off my lowest training mileage to date), I think every runner reaches a point where they realize they need to do more if they want to continue to get faster. I could tell during MCM that my endurance was not even close to where it needed to be for a 3:15/3:10 marathon. I think increasing mileage this training cycle can only help me run a faster this spring. And when I say increase, I still don’t mean anything crazy. You won’t see this girl running 70 or 80 mile weeks any time soon. But I would like to shoot for a couple of weeks that are close to/at 60 mpw. If I’m smart about it, I hope my body can handle it.
Run a competitive relay. My sweaty friend listed this as one of her goals for this year, and I need to jump on the bandwagon as well. I love the 200 mile relay more than any other race, and I have fun running them no matter how fast we go. But I’m a competitive person, and there’s a huge part of me that would thrive on being a part of helping a team place in a relay.
Hold myself accountable for each training run. I’ve never been great about tracking my runs. I know most runners are a bit obsessive when it comes to recording their data for each and every run, so I probably sound weird when I say I just don’t care all that much. I usually just make a training plan and then keep track of what I did each day by looking at what the plan said. Last winter I got myself into the habit of logging everything into Daily Mile, but then I just sort of fell off the wagon. This became a problem when I tried to look back at my last training cycle to analyze what I did (and didn’t do) and a lot of the data was missing. I am making myself stick to regular tracking this time around.
Keep strength training/core work a regular part of my routine. Though I’ll admit this has slightly less to do with helping me become a faster runner than it does with a certain exciting day that’s coming up. And there you have it – my vanity out in the open.
Professional/Life Goals
Become a certified running coach. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. The year after I graduated college, I worked as an assistant cross country coach and have been thinking about ways to get back into coaching ever since. I finally decided to take the plunge and sign up for an RRCA coaching class this spring. If all goes as planned, I’ll have my certification by the end of March!
Find a new job Yes, that whole job hunt thing is still ongoing. Luckily, recent events have made it look like I might get a few additional months at my current position (which makes things a little less stressful), but it’s still only temporary. By the end of the year, I would like to not only have a new job, but one that I actually love (yes, I know, this may be idealistic, but a girl can dream, right?). Bonus points if it helps me move out of Rhode Island.
Start actually saving money. I love running. And racing. And buying new running clothes. The problem with all that is that it’s sort of expensive. Since chances are I won’t be winning the lottery any time soon, it’s time to start redirecting some of those race funds into a savings account. Unfortunately, when you have some persuasive running friends, this is easier said than done.
So there you have it – my main goals for 2012. While there are a few other things that I’m hoping to get/do within the year, those are a little more out of my control. More than any recent year, I’m really excited to see what 2012 has in store.
And as for something that’s more short term – this weekend I’m running my first ever 10K. It seems weird to say that I’ve been running for over half my life and have yet to actually race a 10K. (Can you tell I avoid them like the plague?) My goal for the weekend: to not die. As long as I survive the race, it’ll be an automatic PR. Win.
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What is the one goal you are working toward above all others this year?
Holiday Hiatus
| January 4, 2012 | Posted by Lauren under LifeontheRun |
Well hello there! Happy 2012! I’ve been neglecting this blog of mine for far too long now. As much as I love blogging, it’s funny how easy it is to stop updating once I fall out of the habit.
Ever since my Christmas vacation started unexpectedly early, I’ve been enjoying a nice long stretch of holiday celebrations. Which have included lots of eating, movie watching, and sister time. And did not include email checking, blog reading, or internet browsing (…for anything besides wedding related stuff, anyway…).
But it’s a new year and that means it’s time to get back into my regular routines – which includes regular blogging. And yes, I realize I’m about four days late on that declaration, but better late than never right?
You already know about my big announcement, but here are a few of the other things I’ve been up to over the past two weeks.
I celebrated Christmas with the entire {ontherun} family, including my sister’s new husband. It was the first time we have had an in-law with us for Christmas and I think he survived unscathed.
New Christmas Pajamas…and Koli
Santa gave me a nice new set of hand weights, so I no longer need to do my at-home workouts with containers of laundry detergent and bleach. I’m sure my shoulders will thank me.
I chickened out on one of my very last days of the Running Tight Boycott <hangs head in shame>. I never actually wore tights, but it was so cold and windy outside that I did opt to run on the treadmill instead. Yes, I know, a boycott is a lot less hardcore when you always have the option to run inside. But when you declare the boycott, you get to make the rules. And I didn’t run in tights for the entire month of December, so there’s that.
I actually still haven’t run in tights. But that’s also because I haven’t really run. I know in my last post I said that Boston training has begun, but things got really busy at the end of last week and I sort of faltered on that “jump right back into marathon training” thing. I chalked it all up to embracing my last few days of vacation and figured the new year would mean a new chance to start fresh.
Because of my whole “it’s my vacation, I’ll run when I want to” mentality over the holidays and my Mom’s fabulous cooking, I’m left feeling like my body is taking up more than its fair share of space on the earth these days. Which I guess is a little extra motivation to hit training hard over the next couple of weeks.
I found my wedding dress!! At the first place I went to! This is huge for me. I’m not a person who likes to make snap decisions. Instead I prefer to hem and haw for hours/days over something, and then painstakingly analyze each potential outcome. But I knew I wanted to go dress shopping with my mom and sisters, and I knew last Thursday might be my only chance. So…even though we have yet to pick a venue or a date, I do have a dress to wear.
This is NOT my dress…but it was really beautiful
I got lost driving to the airport to pick EC up for New Year’s…even though On Star was directing me. Note to readers: if you ever want to get to an unknown destination on time, don’t have me drive. Also, there are two addresses for the Pittsburgh airport. Contrary to what Google Maps says, it is not located in the middle of nowhere.
My entire little family…reunited again
On New Year’s Eve, I road tripped out to Ohio to help my sister pick out a new furball of her very own (she and EC drove). The latest addition to the {ontherun} family is easily the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. He’s lucky he has the face of an Ewok, since he spent the next several nights barking and crying all night long.
…and after all that, I got back to Rhode Island feeling sad that the holidays had ended. Luckily, talks of weddings and future {comeback} race plans with two of my favorite runners helped me get through that first painful day back at work.
2012 really is going to be an amazing year.
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I hope everyone had a great holiday! Next up: talk of 2012 goals and training plans…as soon as I actually finish making it, that is.
An Extra Special Christmas
| December 27, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under LifeontheRun |
This past week has been a bit of a whirlwind. I didn’t really plan to take a week long hiatus from social media, but right before Christmas, something completely unexpected and incredibly exciting happened.
On December 21st, EC took me up to a small town in Vermont that we both love and asked me to marry him.
The proposal was so perfect in every way. And the fact that it happened right before Christmas, my absolute favorite time of the year, made it even more special. I still get tears in my eyes when I think about it (yes, I’m a cheeseball). I was able to celebrate with EC for a day before making the long trek out to PA and celebrate with my entire family – who hasn’t been all together since my sister got married last June.
So this year, I’m feeling especially cheesy and excited about all the greatness that is to come in 2012. I am thankful for the many blessings in my life, and looking forward the new adventures of next year.
I know I don’t share a lot of my life details with all of you, and so for those of you that read Health on the Run to follow my rambles about training – don’t worry. This isn’t going to become a wedding blog. I may be chronicling some of the planning elsewhere, but we’ll see. The fact of the matter is that I can talk about running all day long to anyone who will listen. I can look at every day for the next 4 months and know exactly what I need to do to make sure that when I toe the line in Boston, I am ready to run my heart out.
But when it comes to planning a wedding? I’m clueless! I’m not one of those girls that has dreamed about her perfect wedding since she was 5 years old. I don’t even really know where to begin. All I know is that I want to spend my life with EC – beyond that, the rest is just details.
I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. Thank you for being such a huge part of my life this past year. I am thankful for each one of you who reads this blog, and excited to share the adventures of 2012 with you all.
Regular running chatter will resume soon. Boston training has begun!!
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