Back in the Saddle

Until a few years ago, I was an avid pedestrian, transit user, and bike rider. Growing up, I was transit dependent, which continued through college. When I started work after college, I rode my bike to work most days. Unfortunately, I began commuting to grad school in Davis by car, then lengthly road construction blocked the safe paths to work from home.

Well, the road construction ended mid-last year, and I have been complacent in my driving. I do often have meetings that necessitate driving, but I often have meetings where a bicycle would ease parking troubles. I decided, once my broken leg healed, to stop being a hypocrite and start being a bike commuter. I'm happy to report that I started in earnest two weeks ago.

So far, I've ridden to work three times, and actually have had meeting conflicts the rest of the days that made driving the only option. My schedule should calm down, and I plan to ride at least two days a week, with my goal being riding every day that I don't need my car to get to a meeting. Six miles each way is a piece of cake, and the weather has been so nice lately.

Since I haven't posted my running goals for the year yet (oops), I'll post a lifestyle goal:

In 2013, I will honor my values (sustainability, conservation, physical activity, health) and ride my bicycle to work, errands, and play whenever possible. 

Since I don't have a photo of my bike handy, here is a photo from the internet of a 1968 Peugeot UO-18, which looks remarkably like my bike. Pretty.

Photo Credit: PDXaero on velospace.org

The Elusive Pull-Up

I've been coveting the ability to do a real pull-up for a few months. Back when Julia was still in Sacramento, and teaching me to climb, she took me to the weight side and told me I should do pull-ups to help gain strength for climbing. Of course, I couldn't do one.

Photo credit www.usafa.net

Back in elementary school when we did the Presidential Fitness Challenge, I wasn't able to do a pull-up. Who am I kidding, I wasn't able to do most of the tests. I don't know that I've really tried to do a pull-up since, and I still can't.

When I was in San Jose in September, with a few months of climbing and a rapidly growing set of back muscles, I tried the pull-up again. (Side note: maybe one of the issues is lack of consistency) I still couldn't do one, but if I started on a box and jumped a little, I could do about five before being wiped out. Progress!

As I lamented in my last post, I am back to not being able to do a pull-up. It may be the lack of ability to get a jump start, or the fact that I'm on crutches.

I'm still fixated on being able to do real push-ups. I was a bit thrown off this morning when I saw this article in the New York Times Magazine (via the Twitter feed of @KatherineTarbox). The title immediately caught my attention: "Why Women Can't Do Pull-Ups." Hey, I thought, maybe I am just not meant to do them!

But I immediately thought of Julia, who can do pull-ups like a beast. As I read the article, my initial excitement faded. The article explains that short stature boosts one's ability to do pull-ups, as shorter people are stronger than taller counterparts, all other factors being equal. Plus the obvious factor of less length to pull-up.

Well, I'm short, but I can't do a pull-ups. Strength is one of the largest contributors to ability to perform the exercise, so maybe I just need to get a bit stronger. I'm working on that.

The final blow dealt by the article was the discussion of body fat. My favorite topic. Lower body fat increases one's ability to perform pull-ups, due to decrease in mass relative to muscle. It is basically the same argument for why leaner runners run faster. I'm keenly aware of how much faster I am when I approach my ideal weight (113 or so), than when I am closer to the higher end of my "fit" range (116-118).

The article said that men can get into the 5% range for body fat, where women bottom out at 10%. I would be a skeleton at 10%. I think in June when I was last tested, I was right around 18% (I honestly don't remember, but that seems right). I was also 113 or so then...

So the bottom line: strength training and getting leaner are my best options for pretty much everything I was to accomplish, including the pull-up. But they might not get me all the way there with the pull-up. I'm going to forget the article and still go for it. Being a girl shouldn't be an excuse.

EEK!

 I might actually be on track to attempt a 3:30 at CIM this year. I'd been told by a few Chips that I should be able to do around a 3:30 considering my training so far, and apparently my finish in the Urban Cow Half last weekend supports this theory. According to the Runner's World Training Calculator, it might be do-able. Now I just have to keep up my training...

Based on a half marathon race at 01:39:43, your projected finish times for the following distances should be:

1500m 6:03 the mile 6:31 3000m(3k) 12:37 3200m(about 2 miles) 13:31 5000m(5k) 21:42 8000m(8k) 35:42 5 miles 35:55 10,000m(10k) 45:14 ten miles 1:14:54 a half marathon 1:39:43 a marathon 3:27:54

These times are projected equivalents and are not a guarantee of performance or final race distance times. The Distance Finish Times calculator calculates a predicted time at a distance for you based on a time you provided for another distance. It uses the formula T2 = T1 x (D2/D1)1.06 where T1 is the given time, D1 is the given distance, D2 is the distance to predict a time for, and T2 is the calculated time for D2. The formula was developed by Pete Riegel and published first in a slightly different form in Runner's World, August 1977, in an article in that issue entitled "Time Predicting." The formula was refined for other sports (swimming, bicycling, walking,) in an article "Athletic Records and Human Endurance," also written by Pete Riegel, which appeared in American Scientist, May-June 1981.

Race Report: Urban Cow Half Marathon

I was a little nervous going into the Urban Cow Half Marathon yesterday morning. It is well into CIM training season, so this race would be a great test of my fitness. But have I trained enough? If my training is going well, I should easily PR, and potential break 1:40. But if my 7:51 average pace for the Buffalo Stampede two weeks ago is any indication, I would be hard pressed to PR...

I started the race, thinking about a 7:37 pace (to get in at 1:40). I ran the first few miles well under that, closer to 7:20. Early in the race, we took a left turn towards the Sacramento Zoo. A fellow Buffalo Chip mentioned that we were off-course, that we had turned onto the 5k course. Trusting the race organizers, I assumed he was wrong, until we rounded the last part of the loop, met back up with the rest of Wave 1, and saw a second 1 mile marker. Already, a little over a mile into the race, I knew I wouldn't PR due to the extra distance.

At first, I was pissed. I wanted the test, I thought a PR might be in the cards if my training has been as good as I think it has. But thanks to a mistake by someone else, I wouldn't get that test. This made me go faster.

After a few minutes, I realized that the race could still be a test. Usually I start to regulate my speed, after going out too fast, so that I can not bonk towards the end and slow down too much (which I tend to do). My plan became keeping up as fast as I could manage for the distance, without worrying about bonking. It would be a test of how far I could run around the 7:30 mark, or lower if I could manage. I stopped really checking my watch, or worrying about total elapsed time.

Despite the disappointment that I wouldn't end up with a comparable time or a PR, I enjoyed the race, and the challenge of a 14 or so mile tempo run. It is at least a good Sunday long run!

I came in strong, with a time of 1:44 for 13.85 miles (on my Garmin). After consulting a few Chips, most found a 4 and a half minute difference, which would have put my at a PR, and under 1:40. I was a bit disappointed that it wouldn't be official, but happy with my performance on my "test."

This morning, Capitol Road Race Management announced they had recalculated the times for Wave 1 participants based on the measured distance of 13.74. That made my time 1:39:43, a PR and under 1:40! While I would feel better about a PR achieved without calculations after the fact, I am happy to be the owner of a new PR, and happy that I achieved my goals!

Race Report: Zoo Zoom

When I started training for my first marathon, I pretty much threw shorter distance races out the window. Sure, I ran a 5k or two over the past year and a half, but I really focused on the half and full marathon distances. That strategy left me with a pretty old, and pretty dismal, 10k PR from two years ago. On Sunday, I corrected that.

I signed up for the Zoo Zoom 10k a while back, knowing that it would be an easy race about a month after the Rome marathon, and before running a short race on a Sunday would derail my long run plans. I didn't really train for it, but figured that I would PR if I showed up, since my last 10k was the same race in 2010. The good news for me is that I was right!

My old 10k PR, which earned me third place in my age group, was 49:33, or a sad 7:58 per mile. My half marathon PR is faster than that pace now! I did 7:20 per mile overall in the Valentine 4 Miler, so I figured the 7:30 to 7:45 range would be doable. My bottom line, after a PR, was to break 48:00.

I started out too fast as usual, doing my first mile in 7:23. I followed that up with 7:33, 7:43, then hovered in the mid-7:40s for the remainder. I finished strong in 47:42, at 7:42 per mile average. Apparently the field at this race has improved, because this finish only earned my 7th in my division (19-29 for this event), which netted me no hardware.

All told, I'm glad I have a respectable 10k PR, and hope to keep improving. I'm getting more serious about marathon training this time around, so that should help me improve in all distances.

Photo credit: John Blue, Sacramento Running News

Race Report: Davis Stampede

The Course
Last year, I did the half marathon at the Davis Stampede, and thoroughly disliked the course. While much of it wound through the Davis Greenbelt, a good portion followed the freeway, which meant less than ideal scenery and no wind (or sun) protection during the race. Because the date makes sense in my training, I signed up to try again this year.

Lucky for me, the Davis Stampede offered a new course for its' 30th anniversary run. The course started out the same, going east out of downtown Davis along 2nd Street, veering sharply to go into the northern neighborhoods. This year, runners enjoyed a more meandering tour of the north east side of Davis, going through a park and neighborhoods, then around the Wildhorse Golf Course. I could gripe about the gravel trail (I prefer paved ground for a road race), but I'll let it be.

Back south through Mace Ranch Park, the course crosses I-80 after the nine mile mark this year, when it previously covered this landmark much earlier. A quick jaunt through Willow Creek Park, and the course goes onto the Greenbelt, enjoying its' scenery (and some underpass hills) until it hits Research Park Drive around 11.5 miles. Then, it is a quick sprint by the Commons, skirting the University, and on to the finish line.

The new course is a big improvement on the previous course. I would still prefer not to go over the killer pedestrian overpass, but otherwise the course is relatively flat. The course support is decent, though the race does suffer from the common ailment of high schooler-staffed aid stations- inattentive beverage handlers all having the same drink or not paying attention to passing runners. I'd recommend it as a first of the season half marathon, or a marathon tune up run.

My Race
Now that I've given my two cents on the course, what do I have to say about my race performance? Well, I had a fantastic race, to be honest. I have struggled for the past year to live up to my 1:43:16 PR at the 2010 Urban Cow, and had started to think the race was a fluke and I wouldn't make it to that speed again. I hadn't even made it under 1:45 since that race, with my 1:46 at the 2011 Davis Stampede being the closest.

My lack of achievement in the past year was due to several factors. When I ran the Urban Cow in 2010, I had recently started speed training with my Fleet Feet CIM group, and reaped the reward at that race. After CIM, I slacked a bit. I went to Buffalo Chips workouts leading up to the Napa Marathon, but didn't stick with it for long. Then I tried to go for 1:40 at Urban Cow this year, burned out and got a 1:49.

Coming in to the Davis Stampede, I wanted to get back under 1:45. I've been diligently doing speedwork with the Chips on Tuesdays for months, though I have been a bit slow on my long runs until a few weeks ago. I figured I could do 1:45, so I started out with a goal of running miles between 7:40 (a bit over 1:40 pace) and 8:00 (1:45 pace).

I ran the first five miles between 7:43 and 7:46. Then came the gravel (I think), and I slowed a bit to 7:53 to 7:54 for miles six through eight. On mile nine I did 7:57, and during 10 I crossed the pedestrian overpass, slowing me to 8:05. I struggled to stay on target for a bit, going from 7:56 on mile 11, to 8:02 for mile 12. Then, for mile 13 I got back down to 7:44, and sprinted to the finish at a 6:32 average for the final 0.1.

Throughout the race, I was behind the 1:40 pace group, but far ahead of the 1:45. I felt strong, though I did struggle a bit after about halfway through. I was mostly able to keep on pace, though I did run a positive split for the last half.

I experienced something during this race that I rarely experience. In the last four or five miles, I actually passed  quite a few people. Usually, I am the one getting passed while I curse myself for going out too fast. Sure, I was still passed by maybe five people during that time, but that is a huge improvement over previous performances.

Overall, I am so happy to have been able to sprint to the finish with all I had left, and PR by 45 seconds!

My new half marathon PR: 1:42:31!

A New Year is Here!

This morning, John and I started 2012 right with a 12 mile run. We showed up at Fleet Feet, unsure if the Sunday group would meet. It didn't, but that was okay. We went out from the store, stopping only at Glen Hall and the Guy West Bridge for water and Gu, respectively.

Now that John has a Garmin, he is much more on top of our pace. We stayed between 9:00 and 9:15 for most of the run, which is faster than most of our Sunday runs. That will be good for our marathon training.

We're going to step it up, train hard, and maybe go for 3:50 in Rome! Yikes!

We are now official members of the Buffalo Chips, and John is going to do his best to come every Tuesday. We should both get much faster if we stick to their workouts.

In 2012, I want to do a few things:

PR the 10k 
PR the half, even if by a few seconds
Run a 3:55 (or-gasp-a 3:50) marathon
Generally, be more dedicated and run faster

Here we come, 2012! Watch out!

CIM 2011

End of 2011

It is the end of the year, so it is time to look back briefly before moving forward. This year, I accomplished a lot. Here are a few things I'm happy about:

I ran two marathons in under 4 hours.
I ran over 1000 miles, which was my goal.
I ran my first trail race, and placed first in my age group.
I achieved a somewhat respectable PR in the 5k.

There are also a few things I wish I'd done (but didn't):

Set a decent PR in the 10k (would have required running one)
Match my PR in the half marathon (1:43)
Break 1:40 in the half marathon

I think I will have my work set out for me later this weekend setting goals for 2012. I can already think of a few.

Here are my workouts for the last week of 2011:

Monday: 5 from Sutter's Landing, plus cross training
Tuesday: 6 with Buffalo Chips (warm up, 3x mile at 1/2 marathon pace, cool)
Wednesday: 20 minute elliptical and abs
Thursday: 4 on the Parkway from Howe
Friday: 3 easy on Stonegate, after cross training and abs
Saturday: Off

Sunday: doesn't count- it is in 2012!

Miles this week: 18
Miles in 2011: 1042

I'm lazy and don't post as much as I should

It became exceedingly clear to me that I'm lazy on Friday. I mean, I reached 1000 miles for the year (big deal, right?), and I didn't bother to post about it. What is wrong here?

Maybe it is work- I did work until almost 10 Friday night, then again all day Saturday. But I should have posted the instant I got on the computer. I'll do better next time.

Wait, I finally reached 1000 miles! I'm excited about that. I ran 783 last year, so 1000 is a big improvement. Plus, the year isn't over yet!

In other fantastic, but much less consequential, news: I came in third for the year for total miles run at the Fleet Feet Sunday Group! I ran 363 this year with the group. The farthest person went 555, then 510, then me, then 357. John came in fifth at 259 miles. I wonder if they still give out fancy long sleeve shirts for the 300 club. I've seen two guys wearing them, so I know they've done it in the past.

What else did I neglect to write about this week? My left knee still hurts a bit, and my left ankle is pretty bad. I hope it gets better soon, because I won't be able to run much more than ten miles until it does.

Here was my week:

Monday: Off
Tuesday: 3.5 through the Fab 40s with Fleet Feet- to see the Christmas lights
Wednesday: 3 on the treadmill
Thursday: Off
Friday: 2.5 outside in the morning, and boy did my knee hurt
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 10 with the Fleet Feet group/Holiday Classic Race

Miles this week: 19*
Miles in 2011: 1010

Race Strategy, Race Prep

Race Strategy
Ah, the all important time when I figure out what the *$#@ I'm doing in the race! I have been ignoring the fact that I have a marathon coming up for the most part- I've done my miles, but I've been taking it easy on pre-race strategizing so far. It is time for that to change.

Of course, I would like to PR tomorrow. Who doesn't want to PR in every race, right? To do that, I would need to finish in under 3:56:44. That means better than 9:01 per mile. But I really don't want to have that number in my head. I want a more ambitions number, with 9:01 as the top of my pace range.

The questions is, then, what is a goal that I would like to achieve, that isn't far from  reality for my training and my recent 2:55 finish (8:45/mile) at the Clarksburg 20? If I go with my Clarksburg pace, I would finish in 3:49:24. That would actually be fantastic. I would love to finish in under 3:50. I wasn't completely dead at the end of Clarksburg, so perhaps 8:45 is an achievable pace for CIM.

So here we go with goals:

Goal 1: Finish under 3:50 (8:45/mile pace)
Goal 2: Finish under 3:56:44 (new PR- 9:01/mile)
Goal 3: Finish under 4:00 (9:09/mile pace)

Are those goals ambitious enough? My gut feeling is yes. When I add in the fact that I could hardly swallow when I woke up this morning (which resolved with a full dose of DayQuill), I think those goals are just fine.

Here are splits for Goal 1.

Race Prep
Tomorrow will have a high of 60, low of 39, and it should be sunny. Shorts, short sleeve shirt, hat and sunglasses. I'll still have to figure out how to see in the morning, and have sunglasses with me (too dark to wear before sunrise), but I will manage I think.

The pre-race food plan is to eat when I get up- maybe toast or a waffle. Take a pre-cooked portion of  oatmeal with me, plus a banana. Eat that "real" breakfast around 5:45, when I should be just getting to the start on the bus. I think I'll take coffee with me on the bus, but I will need to find disposable cups to accomplish that.

During the race, I will have Gu at 2 miles, Gu Chomps at 7 miles, Gu at 12, Chomps at 17, and Gu again at 22 miles. I'll keep those in my water belt, which I'll use most of the time. Since it only holds 20 ounces, I'll use the aid stations as well.

Okay, I think I'm ready! Marathon 3, here I come!

Race prep

On Sunday, I'll be running the Urban Cow Half Marathon. It is supposed to be a race prediction/tune up race for CIM. The problem is, I've been a bit light in my speed training. I did well at Buffalo Chips last week, but was pretty slim in the speedwork department for the month or so of training before.

What does this mean? My first guess is that I won't achieve a PR, or perhaps even match my time from last year's race (my current PR of 1:43). After considering my training last year versus this year, I'm not as certain.

Last year, I took most of the summer off, and started the CIM training in early August at very low mileage. Plus, I had done a few half marathons and no marathons. I'd never done speedwork before.

This year, I've trained consistently (aside from March and April), run two marathons in the past year (December and March), and consistently kept up my weekend long run mileage at at least 10 miles. Plus, in the past two months I've done much more mileage than I had at this point in my training last year.

So am I better prepared, or worse? Only the race will tell.

Race Goal 1: Break 1:40
Race Goal 2: PR (Under 1:43:13)
Race Goal 3: Under 1:45

Bottom Line: Understand where I am in training, and how hard I need to work for the next two months.

CIM Training Week 8-ish Summary

I did a pretty good job this week! This was one of my easier weeks in my training plan (6 miles easy four time), but I didn't pay attention to that- mostly because taking it easy this week (before the Urban Cow Half) makes more sense. Here is what I did:

Monday: abs
Tuesday: 5.5 speed work with Buffalo Chips (warm, 12x200 at ~6:15/mile pace with 1 minute recovery, jog 5 minutes, 1 mile at marathon pace ~9:15, cool)
Wednesday: weights and legs
Thursday: off
Friday: 8.5 on the Parkway (in 85-90 degree heat)
Saturday: off
Sunday: 10 on the parkway

Miles this week: 24
Miles in 2011: 676

And as for my goal of running 1000 miles in 2011 (before CIM)... That means about 300 miles plus the CIM by the first week of December.Ten weeks, average of 30 miles a week will do it, and my training plan will get me there before CIM! Yes!