Shamrock Run 15K Race Report

What a great March day for running! Yesterday it was 40 degrees and sunny for the noon start of the Shamrock Run. We began and finished at Woodridge HS in Cuyahoga Falls. The first few miles took us down, down, down, into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and then of course we came back up out of the park. There was a 5k in addition to the 15k, so there were hundreds of runners. Minus the blister I noticed on my left arch around mile 5, I was very pleased with how the day went.

Total Time - 1:29:05
Average Pace - 9:30

Mile Splits
1 - 8:36
2 - 8:54
3 - 8:50
4 - 9:20
5 - 11:21 big uphill
6 - 10:01
7 - 10:00
8 - 9:42
9 - 9:39
.32 - 2:39

Avg Heart Rate - 173

This is the first time I got to wear my Garmin for a real road race. I loved seeing the graph of information that I downloaded after the race. I am able to compare the elevation, to my pace and my heart rate.

Race season officially begins in March

I'm still seeing the chiropractor one to two times a week, but compared to the day I hurt it while shoveling, it's MUCH better. So, my big focus for the last 2 1/2 weeks has been running. I've had a little knee pain after running, but nothing ice won't cure.

My long runs have gone according to my plans, so tonight I signed myself to run the Shamrock 15K next Sunday, March 7, which starts at Woodridge HS in Cuyahoga Falls at 12:00 noon. I've been told by a few people now that it is a very hill course (which makes sense since we'll be headed down in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.)

I have NOT been training on hills at all this winter, so that will be my biggest challenge. I've never run a 15K, but of course I have run some 10 milers and some 1/2 marathons. The milage should be fine. I'm now keeping a close eye on the weather. Being a noon start time should help. It currently looks like it should be in the upper 30s. I'm not looking to set a PR (although as long as I finish, I will set one; cool.) I'd just like this to be a good training run with lots of other runners. :-)

Six day after this race is the St. Malachi 5 Miler in Cleveland. I am looking for a good time that day! I was just happy to finish last year, since I had taken a good deal of time off from running with knee pain. This year I'd really like to improve my time!

Weekly Workouts for Feb. 22 - 28

Mon - Bike 50 min

Tue - Run 7 miles

Wed - off

Thu - Bike 1 hr 15 min
Fri - Run 3 miles

Sat - Bike 1 hr 47 min and Swim 1300 yds

Sun - Run 8.12 miles

Workouts in review

Feb 8 - 14
Mon - off (back pain still from shoveling)
Tue - off
Wed - off
Thu - Run 3 miles and Elip 10 min.
Fri - Bike 1 hr 10 min
Sat - Bike 1 hr 55 min and Swim 1200 yds
Sun - off

Feb 15 - 21
Mon - Run 3 miles
Tue - Swim 2000 yds and Lift
Wed - Bike 60 min and Run 2 miles
Thu - Run 6 miles and Lift
Fri - Swim 1000 yds and Lift
Sat - Bike 1 hr 53 min
Sun - Run 3.22 miles

Workout BEAM giveaway from Monica

On Saturday February 6 I tried to shovel some snow off the deck for the dog, but instead I hurt my back. :-( The chiro was closed for the day, so I made an appointment for first thing Monday. I went, and I got a little better. I went again today, and again it's a little better, but I still can't bend over to put my shoes on my feet. Grrr.

Also, at these appointments I found out our new insurance company doesn't cover my chiro. So I had to pay a lot of money for these few visits. I'm happy to say, they called me back after today's visit to say they'd like to keep me as a patient, so they offered to only charge me $5 more than my co-pay was! (instead of me leaving and finding a new doc.) I really like this place: good location, good equiptment, and a great staff. So, I'm happy to be able to stay at the Stow Kent Chiropractor. :)

On another subject, my friend Monica is having a neat giveaway offer on her blog: http://www.monicaonthego.com/

It is a workout BEAM. See: http://www.beamfit.com/ for all the information.

Maybe some good CORE workouts on this beam will help my back!!! :-)

My back, my bike, and my "bleeping" skin

Today will be my 4th day in a row without a workout. Friday I had a doc appointment (which is a story in itself...) in the morning, during my normal workout time. That evening I wasn't motivated either, so no running. Saturday I woke up to a foot of snow. While trying to clean the snow off the deck for the dog, I hurt my back. I can't even bend over now. The chiropractor was closed for the day, so I couldn't go until today (Monday.) I'm hoping to feel good enough for a workout by tomorrow morning!
Matt took my bike to Bike Authority today so they can add my new computer to it! (My Christmas present from Matt.) This computer will tell me what gear I'm in without having to try to look down there! It will also show my cadence. Fun stuff. But, I'll have to stick with trying to run or swim until we get it back.
Now, the doc appointment from Friday... I haven't been to the dermotolgist since we moved out of Dayton in March '08. I'm supposed to go every 6 months for a full body check because of my history / skin type. I wasn't looking forward to this, and with good reason. Sure enough, there's another spot on my back that needs to be cut off and stiched up. The doc was ready to do it right that minute, but I wasn't! I asked about how she felt about waiting until next fall (after my half ironman.) She didn't seem to like the idea, but agreed to it. The stiches have to stay in for 6 to 10 days - with no swimming, biking, or running! Plus, I already hate all the scars I have from the other spots being cut up. My back already looks like it went through a knife fight. :-( The problem with putting it off though, is that now I'm going to be thinking about having to go through that for the next 8 months. Yuck.

Weekly workouts for Feb 1 - 7
Mon - Run 6 miles
Tue - Bike 60 minutes
Wed - Swim 1300 yds
Thu - Bike 1 hr 30 min
Fri - off
Sat - off (back pain)
Sun - off (back pain)

Last Day

Today was the last day to sign up for a few races before the fees go up. I've been debating for a few days about when / if I should sign up for a full marathon this fall. My MAIN goal for the year is to complete the REV3 70.3 at Cedar Point in September. So, I just signed up for two half marathons - The Spirit of Columbus Half on Aug 28 (two weeks before Cedar Point) and the Akron Half on Sept 25 (two weeks after Cedar Point.)
I'm still debating about the Columbus Marathon in October. I don't know when the fee for that race goes up. ?? I also don't know if my legs, knees, and / or hips can handle all that so close together.
In family news, we made reservations for a trip to Disney World in April. It will be the boys' first trip on an airplane and their first trip to Florida (and Disney!) We're all very excited! :-) I'll do my best to run and swim while we're there because my official half ironman training will have started before we go.

Last week's training:
Tues - bike 1 hr 30 min and run 1.5 miles
Wed - bike 1 hr and run 3 miles
Thur - off
Fri - off
Sat - bike 1 hr 50 min and swim 1200 yds
Sun - swim 1050 yds, bike 20 min, run 3.3 miles

Online workout log, weight, food, and workouts

I checked out a web site someone mentioned last week, and so far I really like it for keeping track of my triathlon workouts: www.ontri.com I enter in my distance / times, and it tells me totals for the week, month, and so on, and it computes calories burned (I entered in my height and weight.) Plus, it's free! And it will tell me what workout to do every day starting April 12. (5 months til Rev3 from that day.) I found it while looking for 1/2 ironman workout plans. I have a few plans already that I can play with and combine into one I like, but I just don't like how they say to "Run for 40 minutes" or "Run for 90 minutes." I rather be told how many miles to run. I think I'd feel more confidant that I'm running far enough that way. When it comes to race day, I need to be able to run ALL the miles, not just so many minutes!

Do any of you use ontri? What web sites or plans do you use for 1/2 ironman or full ironman training???

Now, my weight. It's not bad for this time of year, but it's not where I wanted to be yet. (The really low # on the scale from a few weeks ago only showed up that one time. Guess I was dehydrated.) I'm doing quite well on avoiding junk (except for the doughnuts my husband brought home last week.) I've also been doing really well with buying and preparing healthy meals and snacks. The problem is that I just can't stop snacking. It's healthy food, but I keep eating and eating it... fruit, whole wheat crackers, yogurt, cereal, cottage cheese, potatoes leftover from beef stew... I feel like the more I work out, the more I need to eat. But clearly that's not helping me lose the 10 lbs or so that I'd still like to see disappear.

My last workout report took me through Jan 4, so here's the update since then:

Jan 5 - 11
Tue - Run 6 miles and lift
Wed - Bike 1 hr 50 min.
Thur - 1700 yds, Run 2.5 miles, and lift
Fri - off
Sat - off
Sun - Run 3 miles, Snowshoe 4.3 miles
Mon - Swim 2000 yds

Jan 12-18
Tue - Bike 1 hr 16 min, Run 1.5 miles
Wed - Bike 1 hr 30 min
Thur - off
Fri - Run 3 miles
Sat - Bike 1 hr 50 min, Swim 1500 yds
Sun - Run 3 miles
Mon - off

Jan 19-25
Tue - Swim 2000 yds and lift
Wed - Run 5 miles and lift
Thur - Bike 1 hr 40 min
Fri - Run 4.25 miles and lift
Sat - Bike 1 hr 55 min, Swim 1250 yds
Sun - Run 4 miles
Mon - Swim 2000 yds

Progress

For the last week I have become used to seeing a nice new number on the scale in the morning. It's a number that makes me happy. So, you can imagine my delight when I saw an even lower number this morning. Then, my husband (of course) suggests weighing myself without my clothes. I figured, naaa, what difference would that make? BUT, after I thought about it and I was changing anyhow, I did it. AND saw a number I haven't seen in 5 years - not since the summer after having my second child. Yippie! Progress is a great motivator!

Along those same lines... Somehow it has ended up that I'm always doing my "back" lifting on days that I swim. (and I lift AFTER I swim.) Well, I've seen some good results from lifting, but the other day it was really good. I was running, so I started with my lifting, which was "back" that day. I was doing pull ups (on the machine with some 'weight' that helps lift you) and it was too easy where I usually set the weights. So, I took off 5 lbs. Still too easy. I took off 5 more. Wow! I even got through that set just fine. Yet again, progress is a great motivator! Now I just need to get back to where I can do pull ups with NO assistance!!!

A couple of days ago I added up my running mileage for the last week of Dec, the month of Dec, and for all of 2009. I'm happy to say I ran more miles in the last week of the year, than any other week of all of 2009! (the treadmill at home has been a life saver!) I also ran more miles in Dec of '09, than any other month of my LIFE - AND, more miles in all of 2009 than any other year of my life. :-) I know I don't run as far as most of the runners I know, but I'm proud of myself for the improvements I've made.

I'm now officially signed up for 3 races this year: the Cleveland 10K, the Greater Cleveland Triathlon - Olympic distance, and the Rev3Tri 70.3 at Cedar Point. I also just renewed my CTC and USAT memberships for 2010. I hope this year is my best one yet. :-)

2010 is officially here, and so is the SNOW. Thankfully, I now have a new treadmill in my basement to go along with my bike on the trainer. Now I can do duathlons without ever leaving the house, which is great for these very snowy days. We've also inherited a Bowflex machine, so I can even do some lifting here at home. :-)
Eating better as of Dec 26 has been so-so. I haven't had any REALLY bad days, but I have had too many little junk food snacks that I said I wasn't going to eat AT ALL. (like leftover peanut butter fondue and angel food cake.) So, I still need to do better there. I've been buying even more fresh fruit and veges and doing a good job with my meals, now I just have to make sure no more junk food comes into the house!
I've been working out like crazy lately, which has thankfully been enough to get my weight down a few pounds, but of course I'm not where I want to be yet. I'm not worried though, I still have a few months to get there and stay there.

For anyone interested here's a round up of late Nov through now:

Nov 27 - Dec 4
Fri - Bike 31 min
Sat - Run 5.4 miles
Sun - Bike 45 min
Mon - Swim 2000 yds and run 3 miles
Tue - Bike 50 min and Lift
Wed - Run 4 miles and Lift
Thur - Bike 40 min, Run 1 mile, and Lift

Dec 4 - 10
Fri - Swim 1500 yds and Run 3 miles
Sat - Bike 1 hr and 23 min
Sun - off
Mon - Run 5 miles and Lift
Tue - Swim 2000 yds and Lift
Wed - Bike 1 hr and 12 min
Thur - Run 5 miles and Lift

Dec 11 - 17
Fri - Swim 1250 yds and Run 2 miles
Sat - Bike 1 hr and 31 min
Sun - Bike 42 min
Mon - Run 5 miles and Lift
Tue - Swim 1250, Run 1 mile, and Lift
Wed - Run 5 miles
Thur - Bike 30 min and Lift

Dec 18 - 24
Fri - off
Sat - Bike 2 hours and Swim 500 yds
Sun - Run 5.5 miles
Mon - Run 3 miles
Tue - Swim 2000 yds and Lift
Wed - Bike 60 min and Lift
Thurs - Run 3 miles

Dec 25 - 31
Fri - off
Sat - Bike 1 hr and 57 min and Swim ~1500 yds
Sun - Run 6 miles
Mon - Bike 30 min and Run 1 mile
Tue - Swim 1500 yds, Run 2.5 miles, and Lift
Wed - Bike 60 min, Run 1 mile, and Lift
Thur - Run 5 miles and Lift

Jan 1 - today
Fri - Run 3.1 miles
Sat - Lift
Sun - Bike 60 min
Mon - Swim 1600 yds and Lift

The more I can post on here about my eating, my weight and my workouts, the more accountable I think I'll be.
I need motivation to keep working hard. Having others know my goals and what I've really been doing should help me do that.

Making lists...

While reading everyone's blogs these last few days, I decided that I needed to change the header on my blog. Some of you have photos there, but I had no idea how to do it myself. So, last night I spent a couple of hours playing around with my photo program and this blog site. I must say that I'm quite amazed that I figured out how to add my own photos. I'm not so sure I like how it came out, but at least I know a way to do it now.

I also just found these fun symbols in the font options. :-) This one reminds me that I had to ride on my trainer at home today. bbbb Y

So, I'm a planner. I like to make lists for everything.

• what needs cleaned
• places to visit someday
• errands to run
• food to buy
• meals for the week
• what food is in the house
• races I could do
• races I've done
• movie to see
• shows to watch
• projects to do
• books to read
• clothes the boys need
• workouts to do
• workouts I've done

I think I could go on and on here...

Currently, I've been working on a list of races to do in 2010. So far, I've only signed up for one: the Rev3 Cedar Point 1/2 on September 12. I made a calendar so I could visualize and count the weeks and begin laying out a training / racing plan leading up the half. Here is a "maybe" list right now:

• Malachi 5 Miler
• Hermes 10 Miler
• Silver Springs Du
• Cleveland 1/2 (or 10k)
• Clay's Park Tri
• Deer Creek or Maumee Oly
• Sunday in June 50 Miler
• Milton Man Oly
• Fairport Pirate Tri
• GCT Oly
• Rev3 1/2
• An October Full Marathon (would be my first ever)

The other big thought on my mind right now is my weight. I've been pretty good with my running, but I haven't been on my bike outside in two months, and I just finally got back in the pool after about two months of avoiding it. On the positive side, I have been lifting weights for the past two months. I hate to admit it, but this is really the first I've used the weight room, regularly, here in NE Ohio. I was really good about lifting when I went to a YMCA in Dayton, but there's big scary men at the Nat. I'm doing pretty good about just staying away from them and acting like I know what I'm doing. So, back to my weight issue. I hate to put a number on it, but I think I'd like to be racing about 10 to 15 lbs lighter next year. My meals are usually pretty healthy, but I love junk food and snacks. It's difficult for me to avoid them since I keep them in the house for my boys. Right now I'm trying to be 'good', but I'm going to cut myself some slack for Thanksgiving and Christmas - I'm not skipping the pumpkin pie! However, I think that starting Dec. 26, I'm going to have to be very strick to get to where I want by racing time.

Well, time to call it a night.