A Special Lucky Leprechaun 5K

photo courtesy of Potomac River Running

Although I hadn't planned on running any races until I had rebuilt some of my lost endurance and speed, the Lucky Leprechaun 5K presented me with an opportunity I couldn't refuse.

I had the opportunity to run with a friend and experience her first 5K through her eyes.

Outlook for Fall Races

Four months ago when I wrote "Adrift in a Sea of Races," I never imagined that I would still be drifting in the middle of August. But I am. Here is the likely outlook for the fall.

The Voice in Your Head is Lying

Tuesday afternoon I found myself contemplating that evening's scheduled track workout. For a variety of work and personal reasons, I had missed the last few track workouts. Missing a few workouts makes it harder to stay on track (pun intended!), and the voice in my head was not helping me. It said:

Distance Training is Better with Friends

Reston DTP Superhero theme run - start planning your costume now!

Are you training for a fall mid-distance race?

One of the best ways to set yourself up for success is to join a training program.

And if you are in the DC/VA area, consider joining the Potomac River Running Distance Training Program (DTP). Here are the 6 top reasons:

Cherry Blossom Training Kickoff Party

Last night we kicked off PR Reston's Cherry Blossom Training Program with a happy hour/gear up party. It was a fun and informal way for participants to:

• Meet the coaches & other runners
• Ask questions about the program
• Receive a generous discount on gear and apparel
• Enjoy cherry blossom cupcakes 
• Register for the race using PR premium promo codes
• Preview the official race shirt
• Opt for a New Balance/PR Training shirt/hoodie/jacket from a previous year's program

It was an especially timely event since the impending "snowzilla" means we are almost surely going to miss our informal kickoff run this Sunday. We were able to assure everyone that missing this run would not impact the training plan (which doesn't officially start until Monday), and that we would alert them by email about Sunday's status. 

Cherry Blossom cupcakes and tasty beverages

A little socializing before the main event

PR Owner Ray Pugsley discusses the right gear for cold weather training
(photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography)

Race Registration

Almost all of the participants are in the "premium" program, which comes with a 2016 Cherry Blossom race bib. PR gives them a race code, and they use that race code to register for the race. We still have a limited number of registration codes available as of 1/22/16.

• To make it as easy as possible, we provided codes onsite and access to laptops and iPads
• We also had "visual aids" to show how the "upgrade" race shirt compared to the standard shirt and what the medal is like
• This helped with the registration process, when runners need to decide whether to opt for add-ons like the tech shirt and the medal

The blue shirt is the 2016 "standard" shirt;
The upgrade shirt is red and made of technical fabric;
The medal is from last year, but gives an idea of the size & style

New Balance/PR Training Gear

Each year participants receive a long-sleeve training premium from New Balance. It could be a shirt, hoodie, half zip, or jacket. We don't know what they will look like until they come in! 

This year's training premium won't come in for a couple more weeks, and participants were given the option of selecting a past year's premium if they preferred. For some, it was like "Let's Make a Deal" as they tried to decide between the jacket or shirt they held in their hands and holding out to see what will be behind door #2. 

Past year's training premiums presented some tempting options
(photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography)

Marti opted for a blue half zip with coral accents
(photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography)

Ready to Run!

We aren't going to let a little snow dampen our enthusiasm for starting our training. We may miss our informal run this Sunday, and we could be doing speedwork in a parking garage on Tuesday rather than the high school track, but we are ready to run and start our path towards making our Cherry Blossom race goals a reality!

2016 PR Reston Cherry Blossom Coaches, clockwise from left:
Jeff, Traci, Stacy, Kristen, me, Laura
(photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography)

Cherry Blossom Coaches Get Ready!

Potomac River Running's Cherry Blossom Training Program starts this weekend (don't even talk to me about the potential historic snowstorm that is coming...), and I am really excited. I'm the head coach for the Reston program, and I'm working with a team of five coaches who have so much enthusiasm and commitment that it is going to be contagious!

The team met yesterday to get to know each other, learn about how the program works, and brainstorm ways to make it fun while providing all the information our participants need to make their race goals a reality.

The Coaching Team!
Clockwise from lower left: Traci, Stacy, Kristen, Jeff, me, Laura

We are planning:

• Theme runs for Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, and St. Patrick's Day;
• Informational seminars on running form, strength training, fueling & hydration, and training smart;
• Coffee with Coaches sessions on technology and on everything you need to know for race day;
• And more!

Last year's Mardi Gras theme run
photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography

Most immediately, we are planning a kickoff event on Thursday evening at the PR Reston store for both registered Cherry Blossom trainees and potential trainees who want to learn a little bit more about the program. I'm looking forward to meeting this year's runners and starting their Cherry Blossom journeys off on solid footing. See you Thursday!

PS - it's not too late to join us! More details and registration information are here

MCM Training Week 15

Week 15 of Marine Corps Marathon training was solid, but generally unremarkable. I guess you can't have big newsworthy breakthroughs every week! Can you believe we are only one month away from MCM?

Source: the MCM Facebook page

It's All About the Toenails

Last year I learned the first law of toenails and running:

Always remember to cut your toenails.

Not cutting your toenails can result in pain, blisters, blood, even a lost toenail. I've been diligent about following this toenail law.

My second toes are longer than my big toes, and at distances over 16 miles, my right second toe ends up blistered at the tip and tender. I've learned to put body glide on the tip of my toe to keep it from getting blistered.

In an effort to further protect it, I trimmed my big toenail at a bit of an angle to keep it from poking my second toe. Big mistake. Additional laws of toenails:

Do not cut your toenails too short.

Cut toenails straight across. 

Since the 20-mile run, I've been dealing with what basically amounts to an ingrown toenail on my big toe. Really minor, but super annoying. I have become familiar with soaking my foot, antibiotic ointment and putting dental floss under my toenail to help the nail grow above the skin. It's almost grown out, and I'm hoping it gets there before next week's 22-mile run.

Learn from my experience - follow the basic laws of toenails!

I earned a new Fitbit badge this week for 5,772 lifetime miles.
It has nothing to do with toenails.
I just needed a picture to break up all the text.

Week 15 Statistics

I ran 3 times for a total of 20.7 miles. (This week was only 6 days; I'm back to Saturday long runs after the last couple of weeks with Sunday runs).

• Track: Short shakeout Fartlek: 20 minute easy warm-up followed by 16 repeats of 30 seconds on (AC pace), 30 seconds off (easy enough to recover for the next hard interval)  (3.6 miles)
• This was kind of a fun workout, different from anything I had done before.
• Easy run: 3.1 miles (I would have had a second, longer, run in a true 7 day week)
• Long run: 14 miles 
• We ran the first 8 miles at easy/long pace and the last 6 building to marathon pace
• Strength training: 3 times (my routine)
• Yoga: no yoga 

Onward to Week 16 - my longest training run, 22 miles, will be next week!

Read about previous training weeks: 

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 

Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 

MCM Training Week 12

Week 12 of Marine Corps Marathon training was a recovery/cutback week and I was grateful to scale things back a bit. I think I needed a mental break even more than a physical one.

Goals

I've been thinking about my goals for the race. The one that immediately leaps to mind, of course, is to finish. But that isn't my only goal. Here are my goals so far:

1. Get to the starting line injury-free
2. Be in the moment and really experience MCM
3. Beat the Bridge*
4. Cross the finish line
5. Time goal? Uncertain if I will have one. TBD...

* What is Beat the Bridge?
Runners must maintain the 14 minute-per-mile pace to reach the 14th Street Bridge and successfully "Beat the Bridge" just before mile marker 20. The 14th Street Bridge will reopen to vehicular traffic making it unavailable to runners after 1:15 p.m. Any runners unable to "Beat the Bridge" will be required to board the straggler buses and be driven to the event finish area. 

From the Marine Corps Marathon Facebook page - 50 days to go!

Week 12 Statistics

I ran 4 times for a total of 26.5 miles.

• Track: 5x1000 at threshold (T) w/ 200 (speed)walk followed by 1 minute rest (4.5 miles)
• It was very humid and I barely slogged through this workout. 
• My neuromas flared up for the first time in months during this run. I hope they don't make a return appearance anytime soon.
• Easy runs: 3.1 and 4.7 miles
• A big "thank you" to Roz who gave me sport beans during the 4.7 miler when I suddenly became ravenous. 
• I should have eaten something closer to the run or brought a gel. My stomach was empty.
• Long run: 14.2 miles 
• We started out too fast, running the first 4 miles closer to marathon pace than easy pace. 
• Although we slowed down for the rest of the miles, we were feeling the effects of going out too fast by the end of our run.
• We'll make sure not to make the same mistake next week when we run 20 miles!
• Strength training: 3 times (my routine)
• Yoga: 1 yin yoga class 

My MCM Vision Board

Onward to Week 13, and to running 20 miles in the "Revenge of the Penguins" race!

Read about previous training weeks: 

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 

Week 11 

MCM Training Week 6

Week 6 of Marine Corps Marathon training is in the books. It seems like time is passing so quickly - MCM is only 3 months away!

3 months until MCM! (source)

Treadmill

Much of my running this week was on the treadmill due to the logistics of my busy life. Lots of people complain about the treadmill, so I will share a couple of things I love about it:

• I have a custom program I created with my 3:1 run:walk intervals and the optimal pacing for my easy runs. The treadmill does all my thinking for me and keeps me squarely in Zone 2 where my body is learning to burn fat most efficiently.
• I can binge watch captivating tv shows. This week I thoroughly enjoyed Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix) and Catastrophe (Amazon Instant Video).

Tracking Calories & Macronutrients 

I've starting tracking what I'm consuming in MyFitnessPal (MFP). In 2013, I lost 15 pounds with the help of MFP and Fitbit. I'm a huge fan of both. I wouldn't go a day without my fitbit, but I did stop tracking in MFP for a while. Why did I start again? Two reasons:

• It's easy to get caught up in the mindset that you can eat whatever you want because you are running so much. I gained a few pounds last year thinking that, and it took some effort to get them back off again. Keeping an eye on my net calories (calories in from MFP - calories out from Fitbit) helps me be mindful about how much I'm eating.
• In addition to how much I'm eating, it's helpful to focus on what I'm eating. I tend to eat too many carbs and not enough protein. MFP keeps track of my macronutrients which reminds me to make sure I'm eating enough protein to fuel my training.

It's easy to see how many more calories I can eat and how I'm doing on protein

Week 6 Statistics

I ran 4 times for a total of 25.6 miles.

• Track: 8 sets 600 Hard, 200 walk, w/ 2 min rest between sets (4.8 miles)
• Hard effort is around 5k pace - faster than threshold (T), but not all out.
• I was aiming for 6 repeats, which was the minimum on our training plan. I was thrilled to pull off 8 repeats.
• Given the heat & humidity, Coach Adam advised us to start our repeats at threshold and build towards hard. My pacing was pretty solid, starting at 11:17 and building to 9:53. 
• Easy runs: 3.2 and 4.5 miles
• Both on the treadmill...
• Long run: 13.1 miles 
• I took Friday off from work and got my run in then, since Saturday we road-tripped to PA for my Grandma's 99th birthday!
• I ran 5.5 miles outside on the trail with my training buddies Catherine, Laura, and Natalie (thanks for coming out on a Friday morning, ladies!), and the rest at home on my treadmill.
• Strength training: 3 times (my routine)
• Yoga: One yin yoga class at the gym

Onward to Week 7...my long run is scheduled to be 14-16, so I am looking forward to a new "Longest Run" record on my Garmin. My previous record is 13.5 from the Philly Half Marathon. Yes, I know a half marathon is only 13.1...running the tangents is not my specialty!

Read about previous training weeks: 

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5

Double Age Group Awards! (& MCM Week 1)

Here I am, almost done with Week 2 of Marine Corps Marathon training, and I still haven't recapped Week 1 or my two races last weekend. I'm going to smush everything together into one post and try to be brief.

Two races makes for a busy weekend!

MCM - Week 1

I'm going to report on each of my 19 weeks of training to keep me accountable. Week 1:

• Ran 4 times for a total of 15.8 miles
• Track: 1600, 2x800, 4x400 w/ 3 minutes rest (4.2 miles)
• Easy runs: 3.1 and 3.5 miles - forgot to include strides at the end of one of them
• Long run: 5 miles 
• Strength training: 3 days (yay me!)
• Yoga: a couple of random poses most days, but didn't make it to a class

(skip ahead to Week 2 of MCM training)

Women's Distance Festival 5k

On Saturday, my long run day, I was signed up for the Women's Distance Festival 5k. This race is a small, women-only race held in Reston. It coincides with the end of the Women's Training Program and many of the WTP participants participate. For some of them, it is their first race! I'm very fond of this race and its supportive atmosphere. My current 5k PR of 32:24 is from last year's WDF. 

WTP Coaches (orange) and Participants (purple) at the WDF 5k
(photo courtesy of Brian Kent)

As excited as I was about the race, it posed a conundrum for my long run, which was to be between 4 and 7 miles. Two days before the race, the obvious solution hit me. I parked at, and went to, PR Reston where my Distance Training Program was meeting. When they went out to run, I headed in the opposite direction and ran 1/2 mile to the starting location of the WDF. After the race, I ran back to DTP, and ran one more mile with my training group, giving me 5 miles for the morning.

Since the race was part of my training run, I decided it was best to run it at a training run pace instead of going all out like I had last year. Mentally this was tough. Running the race at a 10:27 pace last year felt amazing. I honestly didn't know I had it in me! Running slower this year - partly because it was a training run and partly because I'm not in the same shape I was last year - felt discouraging. I finished in 38:17, a 12:20 pace. 

The finish line is in sight!
(photo courtesy of Brian Kent)

I tried to keep the bigger picture in mind - that I had made the full training run my priority and kept my MCM commitment to myself. And that I really enjoyed running with my friend Coach Norma and with Mary, who was running her first race in 17 years. Viewing the race through Mary's eyes helped me reframe my perspective.

Norma, Mary, & me at the start of the race
(photo courtesy of Brian Kent)

Run With Dad 5k

Sunday was Father's Day, and the Run With Dad 5k. My family has done this race the past several years; I run with my dad and Freddy runs with Rick. It's an annual tradition I look forward to. And it is generally pretty easy for me to run at my dad's slower pace so I don't tend to think of it as a race. 

BUT, as I mentioned above, I'm not in the same shape I was last year. And my dad is in better shape than he was last year. And he runs straight through until he absolutely has to walk, unlike my style of planned run/walk intervals. So I found the race, especially the first half, harder than I expected! Again, I had to focus on not getting discouraged and keeping things in perspective. I'm just starting my training cycle. My speed and endurance will improve.

I love this picture of me & my dad from the race!
(photo courtesy of Potomac River Running)

Freddy says he is done with 5ks for a while. Shorter distances for him for now!
(photo courtesy of Potomac River Running)

We were really excited that my dad placed third in his age group. He has placed in his age group before, but he tends to diminish the accomplishment by pointing out there were only three (or fewer) men in his age group. This year, however, there were five! I always vicariously enjoy it when my dad gets an age group award because I know that I am too slow to ever get one myself.

Who Said You Were Too Slow?

On Monday night we had the Women's Training Program (WTP) celebratory dinner. We celebrate our accomplishments over the past weeks and encourage each other to keep accomplishing more. 

There are also age group awards for the subset of WTP women who ran the Women's Distance Festival. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard my name announced as the winner in my age group. I almost cried. Really. My prize was a pair of socks that say "She believed she could...So she did"

I believe I can.

New Balance for the Race!

The =PR= Reston Cherry Blossom Training Group members had great races on Sunday, April 12th! Our New Balance representative, Samia, sponsored a final contest for them since we had such fun with our February and March contests. The winner (selected by random draw) will receive something "springy" like a New Balance tank, selected especially for them by Samia. Read on for the latest entries and the announcement of the winner...

Ranju, Shreya, and Manish ran the race as a family.
Shreya (in her NB training shirt)
was one of the youngest girls to finish the race!
This was her longest run ever!

Caroline says: Being part of a team means
wearing a uniform that helps everyone connect.
 Nota Bene (NB): I sported the uniform!
New Balance is more than just a name.
It is the concept of always, every day,
keeping yourself equalizing in every
thermocline the day throws at you, and
creating the next moment afresh for yourself.
 For all 9.55 Garmin miles of the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler,
I found new ways to "balance forward."

Here are Eric and Lisa just before the Cherry Blossom race.
They said their NB shirts were perfect for the race weather!
Eric was on track for a PR if the course hadn't been shortened.

Jen tested her New Balance Impact Capris
one last time before race day during
her shakeout run on Saturday.
Isn't the pop of color on the back fun?

Lynn loved her NB training shirt so much
that she bought it in coral from the NB
expo booth. She said the fact that it matched
her NB 1260 V4 shoes made it an easy decision
 to make it her race shirt. It was perfect!
 Long sleeves for when it was cool before
 and after the race, but thin enough with the
sleeves pushed up to be completely
comfortable during the race. 

Here are Paul and Patti after the race.
Paul took 8 minutes off his previous 10-mile record!
Patti looks great in her official New Balance
Cherry Blossom long-sleeve shirt!

Susan's New Balance shoes carried her through
training and race day beautifully!

Tracy's New Balance Heat Half Zip helped her complete
the Loudoun 8K four minutes faster than her goal!
We wish Tracy luck on the Pittsburgh Half on May 3rd!

Treasa's New Balance shoes and capris kept
her on track for a consistent, steady race.

Kris wants to thank New Balance for helping
her have her best run and time ever!

And the winner is...Caroline! Congratulations, Caroline. Thanks to everyone who participated - we hope to see you back in June for the =PR= Distance Training Program!

Show Us Your New Balance!

The =PR= Reston Cherry Blossom training group has stepped it up a notch as they continue to train for the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run on April 12.

We had so much fun with our last contest that our awesome New Balance representative, Samia, offered to sponsor another contest for them! Runners submitted a picture with their favorite New Balance gear and told us what they like about it. The winner (selected by random draw) will receive a New Balance half zip especially chosen for them by Samia! Read on for our latest entries and the announcement of the winner...

Kris says, "The luck of the Irish was with me
in my new green New Balance shirt!
I ran 9.5 miles in the rain!"

Christina caught her little Z-man in her
New Balance jacket..."Mommy said this jacket
is awesome. I wish this jacket fit me!"

Lisa wore her New Balance training shirt on the first nice day
after the giant snow storm. She likes that it is lightweight,
vented up the back, fits great, and coordinated well with her vest.

Here is Robert and his one-week old(!)
Her cuteness & cherry blossoms are distracting dad from his run.
He is wearing the men's New Balance training shirt,
which he says keeps his temperature perfectly regulated.

Tracy is wearing the New Balance Heat Half Zip.
It has been great for the chilly evenings as it is lined with
a thin fleece and has reflective markings.

Karen (center) said her green New Balance shirt is perfect for
having the Irish spirit. She test drove it on our Shamrock training run
before rocking it the next week at the Shamrock Half!

Bonus photo of Karen's Shamrock Half outfit -
it helped her score a PR in the race.Way to go, Karen!

I'm technically not eligible for the contest,
but I couldn't resist a shout-out to my 860v5 shoes.
New Balance gave me these as a thank you
for being part of the Cherry Blossom Blog Team.
They are fashionable and a great stability shoe!

And the winner is...Christina! Congratulations, Christina. Thanks to everyone who participated. Keep up the hard work - the cherry blossoms are right around the corner!

What's a Big Game Runch?

Training for my big spring race, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run (CUCB), began this weekend. I'm excited that training began, I'm excited to be coaching the training for Potomac River Running (PR) in Reston, I'm excited to be part of the official race blog team! That's a lot of excitement.

I'm also a little nervous about fitting in my long runs. Last year, I ran my long runs with PR training. This year, since I'm coaching, I will need to fit my long runs in elsewhere on the weekend. Fortunately, there are at least a dozen Reston Runners BFFs who are running CUCB and they are doing long runs on Sunday mornings. I am so grateful for the serendipitous scheduling (and my husband's flexibility and my dad's willingness to help babysit). Coaching on Saturday mornings and long runs on Sundays!

Part I - BFF Run 

Today I split my long(ish) run into two so I could enjoy time with the BFFs who started at 8 and the PR "Big Game Runch" which started at 9. I was grateful that Lynn was up for the double duty and joined me for the juggling of runs.

We are currently doing 2:4 walk:run intervals, so we did 12 minutes out and 12 minutes back with the BFFs before driving over to PR. It was nice to have some one-on-one time to catch up with Lynn while we maintained the conversational pace of an easy long run.

Part II - Big Game Runch Run

What is a Big Game Runch? It's a fun run, followed by brunch, to kick off Super Bowl Sunday. The festivities were co-hosted by PR Reston and Nike. Nike rep Ashley brought three kinds of shoes to test, including the soon-to-be-released Lunar Tempo. Since I'm a stability kind of gal, I stuck with the Air Zoom Structure 18. I was pretty psyched that Ashley had brought them in a size 6 for my Cinderella feet. I swapped the standard insoles for my Superfeet and thoroughly enjoyed running in test shoes for the second part of my run.

We stuck to 2:4 and did 18 minutes out, 18 minutes back. We covered the same section of the trail as we had run the day before during PR training, and it felt downright balmy after the frigid temperatures of the preceding day.

Ashley & new PR Reston employee Max show off the shoes

Jen & I display our test shoes.
Jen made a joke about baby shoe & mama shoe...

Marian, Jen, Lynn, me & Gina ready to hit the W&OD trail

After the run we got to enjoy the brunch. Beverages ranged from coffee & water to mimosas & Shock Top Belgian White. Coach Shannon noted it has an orange on the label, so it is clearly a breakfast beer. Food included bagels, scones, doughnut holes, a variety of fruits & veggies, and some cookies. It was quite a spread and definitely hit the spot after my back-to-back runs. In addition to the brunch, Ashley raffled off five prizes - that's a lot of prizes for a fun run! Three half-zips and two pairs of shoes.

My friend Gina won a pair of shoes!
(photobomb courtesy of Coach Shannon)

Unknown feature of  Nike "ninja" jacket: beer smuggling

Thanks to PR Reston and Ashley from Nike for the fun run, great brunch, and generous raffle prizes! It was a great way to start a Sunday.