Top of the Bell Curve

Next Race: Seacoast Half Marathon! November 14th

2010-08-17T21:23:00.002-04:00

So I did it! I pulled out my credit card and signed up for the Seacoast Half-Marathon today.

And yet another a few months pass...

2010-08-15T12:51:00.003-04:00

...without writing on my blog. I realize having a more mobile baby makes it hard to type when she wants to "play" with mommy's toy (the laptop).

I also haven't written much because I haven't run much. I looked at the calendar and realized that Reach the Beach is just a month away! Yikes! I better up my mileage if I am to run the race and live to tell about it.

This past week is the first week that I have been somewhat consistent with running. I really got discouraged a couple weeks ago when I could barely do a four mile loop - I even had to stop and walk a couple times - with my friend. I decided after a bout of self-pity that I just needed to get out more even if that means having to wait until after dinner, bathing the little Z, and putting her to bed at 8PM. Or getting up a little earlier in the morning (somehow that doesn't seem to work out as well). Fortunately, the big Z is very supportive and can usually handle the bedtime routine while I head out the door.

Today I did 5+ miles with some serious hills without stopping or walking. I forgot just how great a really good run can feel. It was so freeing just to be a runner for that hour that I was on the road.

Now, I am looking for next half marathon to run this fall...

The reason why I haven't blogged in a while...

2010-05-19T13:23:00.012-04:00

This is my daughter, little Z, who was born on September 30, 2009. As you can tell, she is enjoying the finisher's medal from the Great Bay Half Marathon.

Although I tried to keep up with running while I was pregnant, I gave up somewhere around the middle of second trimester. Not that couldn't do it, I just got frustrated because I would get winded from going a couple of blocks. So I kept in shape by walking and doing yoga.

Alas, I was itching to run about 4 weeks after she was born. It's been a slow progression back into running since then. The question is no longer how long I will run today but if I can even fit a run in today.

While I was still on leave in December, I decided to sign up for Great Bay Half Marathon in April. I was feeling pretty good at the time and managed to fit a run in most days either before the big Z went to work or when he came home. I thought I could handle a half by April. I forgot to factor in one big component into my schedule : WORK. I returned to work in January and lost the ability to "sleep when the baby sleeps". So by the time I got home, I would be exhausted and be in no mood to run. She was still not sleeping through the night so the days were just one endless cycle of getting up, going to work, getting home, nursing her, eating dinner, nursing her again, getting her to sleep, throwing in a load of laundry, going to sleep, waking up a few hours later, nursing her, getting her to sleep, going to sleep, and getting up again for the morning. Throw in a few night meetings on a top of that, it became next to impossible. Finally, we got into a better rhythm, she started sleeping longer, and I was able to get out a couple times a week plus fit in a semi-long run on the weekend.

I still felt ill-prepared as the race date neared but I knew I could do it. I kept the following quote as my mantra from Dean Karnazes' book, Ultramarathon Man :

Run when you can
Walk if you have to
Crawl if you must
Just never give up.

Except for crawling, I did exactly that and made it to the finish. I purposely didn't time myself because my goal was just to finish. Although not the best race time-wise, it was certainly one of the most rewarding :-)

Off to a good start...

2009-01-03T14:09:00.006-05:00

This morning Z and I headed out early this morning to go over to our good friend and former TNT Coach D's house for a group run. To prove you can't keep an old man down, D is running a marathon a month this year (well, he actually started in September last year). So just about every Sat. morning, he coordinates a group run out of his house in Amherst or T's house in Hooksett. It's been a real motivator for us to get out of bed knowing that there is someone waiting to meet us.

Today was definitely a lot warmer (warm meaning about 20 degrees) than New Year's Day. I did about 8 miles over the rolling hills in Amherst. I am hoping that I keep this motivation up for the coming year.

Happy New Year's

2009-01-01T16:40:00.004-05:00

It's been a while... I've been bit busy getting married and honeymooning but now my sights are set for the upcoming year of races and other fun ventures.

I kicked off the New Year by completing the Peanut Chip Chase 5K in the small town of Temple, NH. This was the third time that Z and I have done this race and it's become a tradition for us. It was blustery 8 degrees out but that didn't stop us or the other running fools that showed up. It was definitely tough to breathe and I was also recovering from a cold (which was better than last year when I was recovering from some New Year's Eve revelry). Again it's one of these fun NH races where they like to put the hill at the last 2/10's mile of the race. Considering all this, I pulled 28:14 better than the previous two years although not my best 5K. As always, the homemade soup and cookies made it all worth it.

Next up is the Hyannis Half Marathon... and most likely the Whidbey Island Marathon

Now, I am baking Deena Kastor's pumpkin lasagna for dinner. I have made this a few times before... very yummy.

I broke the 2 hour 1/2 marathon mark!

2008-10-28T08:25:00.012-04:00

Z and I did the Hampton Rockfest 1/2 Marathon on Sunday. I started off diligently obeying my heart rate monitor, keeping it at the 80% level but got tired of hearing it beep and having everyone pass me at about mile 4. I turned off the alarm and started to pick up the pace. I was able to catch up to the 9 min/mile pacer and had him in sight for most of the way. At the water stop at mile 10, I actually passed him. That moment didn't last long, as I heard the tromping footsteps of the pace group right behind me and they proceeded to pass me. I still kept the man in the yellow hat in sight, but he started become more and more on distant horizon. As I approached mile 11, I looked at my watch at recognized that even if I slowed to 10min/mile pace, I would still make under 2 hours. So I relaxed a bit but I was starting the feel the stress on my body and I was cursing the fact that I decided on the long-sleeve instead of the short-sleeve shirt. When I saw the finish line, I dug deep and pushed myself to the end even though I felt like collapsing. Then I saw the clock at 1:58 something and I knew made it. Actual chip time was 1:58:49. Z came in at an impressive 1:41:53, a PR for him.

As predicted, we didn't stick around long enough for the band but opted to go to Portsmouth for lunch where I satisfied my craving for a grilled cheese sandwich and fries :-)

Another Hot One for Chicago

2008-10-14T12:04:00.006-04:00

The Chicago Marathon has been on my to-do list for a while. I am glad that I didn't make it this year either although it was a little better than the debacle from last year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/sports/othersports/13marathon.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Centerpieces are done!

2008-10-11T13:04:00.002-04:00

Totally unrelated to training but I wanted to share my craftiness. I can't believe the wedding is less than a month away. No wonder I haven't blogged in a while.

Why I Love the Fall Season

2008-09-25T18:11:00.007-04:00

Yes, I know I can get candy corn year round these days but it doesn't seem right without the original colors.

On the mend...

2008-09-18T22:13:00.007-04:00

The shin is feeling a lot better and I am hoping to start running again this weekend. I made a lame attempt (meaning I went to the gym once) to do some cross training this week but I just really want to run. I have a dress fitting on Saturday so I am hoping that the lack of exercise and junk food this week won't do me in.

Even though I said I shouldn't do another race before the wedding, I am contemplating doing the Hampton Half and Rockfest .One of my favorite bands, Entrain, is scheduled to play after the race. It always seems so cool when there is a band and post-race party when I sign up for these races but most of the time I just want to head home, shower and take a nap after a race. It's far enough ahead that I have time to train up for it despite this setback and I'll have two weeks to recover before the wedding. May not be such a bad idea...

Ouch!

2008-09-15T19:54:00.005-04:00

As I mentioned, I completed the Reach the Beach Relay over the weekend with 11 other crazy running friends. I am normally conservative in my running but I must been overcome with all the excitement of the race and I went out too fast on my first leg. This was also my hardest and longest of the three legs (8.6 miles) that I was assigned to run. This was not my brightest idea. I ended up feeling wasted in my second leg and hobbled through the my last leg. My right shin for some reason decided to act up. When I got home, I showered and went to bed only to wake up at 3 AM in excruciating pain, to the point that I was in tears. Z feel asleep in front of the TV and it took all my power to make it down the stairs. Even though I woke him up, Z was very attentive. Neither of us was really sure what to do. Do I go to the ER? Can I tough it out? Well, I opted for the latter and thankfully some RICE, TLC, and Advil PM helped. I felt a lot better after I slept and even better today although I still have some tenderness. I learned my lesson here about how not to run a relay... and maybe hold off any major races until after the wedding

Reach the Beach Recap

2008-09-14T14:30:00.025-04:00

Reach the Beach has come and gone. Reach the Beach is essentially a race you do with 11 other friends that are crazy enough to run 200 miles collectively and continuously for 2 days. It's like a roving party with a little running and, if you're lucky, some sleep, thrown in.

Z captained a team, The Colbert Nation, again this year. Overall, I think it's the smoothest relay that I have done (two RTB's and one Green Mountain Relay (GMR)). I think the relay veterans on the team got this relay thing done to science including how to get the marker off the van windows before returning them to the rental place (diaper wipes work really well).

The race organizers revamped some of the logistics to stagger the runners going through the transition areas (TA's) a little more. That meant that our start time, 11:40 AM, was about 3 hours later than the previous two relays. There was definitely concerns about getting to the finish "before the chicken got cold". We actually did very well with an overall time of 30:39:30 (8:47 min/mile pace), about hour faster than last year even with the additional 6 miles this year. Of course, the time is not all that important.

Third Place in Francestown

2008-09-02T15:18:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, Labor Day, Z, B, and I did the Francestown Five race. Z and I have done this race for two out of the past three years and are charmed by this small town race. It's a challenging but scenic course that winds through the woodlands and farms of the town. This course is infamous for the uphill finish. I think race directors in New Hampshire get a kick out of planning uphill finishes for some reason. In any case, it ends at their annual Labor Day festivities in the town center. As I was coming into the last mile, I was very happy to realize that I was going to finish at sub-9 min/mile pace

At the finish, we were replenshing ourselves with baked goods and water and chatting with other folks as they announced the winners of the race. None of us were paying attention until they announced my name as the third place winner for a female in the 30-39 age category. Not only that, Z won third place in his age and gender category, too!

Now, how does this fit into being in a top of the bell curve? Well, I looked at the times at home and found out that I placed 3rd out of 6. So that does put right smack dab at the top of the bell curve. Not too shabby for this adult onset athlete.

I feel old...

2008-08-28T08:34:00.008-04:00

I woke up Tuesday morning and felt a shooting pain in right hip. I did manage to run that night although I just felt like I was shuffling along like an old lady. Yesterday morning, I woke up feeling pain in every part of my body, even my stomach didn't feel quite right. I went for my run; I was scheduled to do five miles at easy pace but I only managed to do have half the mileage.

Later on, I went in for my gum graft. Essentially, the periodontist takes gum from the roof of my mouth and then transplants it to my front tooth where the gum is receding. It as much as fun as it sounds. This was my second round, so at least I knew what to expect this time around. I have one more to go. My diet for the next few days will consist of soft foods like pudding and creamed corn.

Hip pain, receding gums, eating mushy food... I feel so old.

Ultramarathon Man

2008-08-25T09:19:00.007-04:00

I just finished reading Dean Karnaze's book Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner. Most people know Karnazes from his most recent endeavor in 2006 which was running 50 marathons (one in each state) in 50 days. The book is bascially a memoir of his early running years up to the completing a 199 mile relay race by himself. Karnaze's may be an amazing athlete that repeatedily pushes the envelope on human endurance but his writing style is rather banal. Some of the andecotes are amusing (like projectile vomiting after his first 50 miler and ordering pizza in the middle of nowhere) but the book lacks any depth or inspiritation. Instead of feeling inspired to push beyond the 26.2 mile distance, I was just left the thought of "wow, this guy has a real Type-A++++ personality". I am quite happy with my Type Y (not quite a Z because I manage to some things done) lifestyle, no ultras for me.

I am so cool

2008-08-25T08:41:00.006-04:00

On Friday night, I jogged down to the high school track which is about a mile from my house which is perfect for a warm up and cool down when I do my speedwork. As I entered the road that leads to the high school, there was a group of girls that I passed. One of the girls said "that is sick, I want one of those" as I passed. She was referring to my super cool Fuel Belt that I was wearing. If you are not hip on today's lingo, "sick" means cool these days. Yes, I am very cool.

Marathon Times

2008-08-21T09:16:00.002-04:00

I have completed four marathons in the past couple years. Since I have another big event in my life (my wedding) to plan for this November, I decided not to train for a fall marathon. Instead I decided that a more attainable goal would be run a half marathon time under 2 hours (my current PR for the half is 2:01:31).

Anyway, here's my marathon times:
10/1/2006: Maine Marathon (Portland, ME): 4:58:11 (11:23 min/mile)
4/28/2007: Country Music Marathon (Nashville, TN): 5:14:03 (11:59 min/mile)
11/4/2007: Manchester Marathon (Manchester, NH): 4:45:48 (10:55 min/mile)
5/4/2008: New Jersey Marathon (Long Branch, NJ): 4:34:48 (10:37 min/mile)

To qualify for Boston, I would need a run a marathon in 3:45 (a pace of 8:35min/mile). I have a way to go. As you can see, with the exception of Country Music (where I was running on sprained ankle - not smart), I have continually improved my times by 10+ minute increments. I just have to keep chipping away at it.

Poor Deena...

2008-08-20T13:41:00.007-04:00

I watched the women's Olympic race on Sat. night only to be disappointed that Deena Kastor was out of the race with an injured foot at 5k mark. Click here for the complete story.

On the upside, the winner, Constantina Tomescu Dita from Romania is 38 years old, the oldest ever to win the marathon at the Olympics.

So, there is still hope that Deena will make a comeback in the 2012 Olympics. Heck, she's the same age as me (34 years young), maybe I can make it too :-)

Heart Rate Monitor

2008-08-18T08:34:00.002-04:00

I am starting a new tactic in my training which is part of the reason for this blog. In the past few years, I have been continually improving, setting new PR's in different categories of races but I wanted to take my training to the next level. My far reaching goal is to actually qualify for the Boston Marathon.

My chiropractor advised that I start using a heart rate monitor and loaned me a couple of books on how to actually use one (as opposed to just wearing a chest strap under my boobs for the fun of it). One of the books, Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot by John L. Parker, Jr. is now my bible.

The whole concept behind using a heart rate monitor in training is to truly measure your aerobic effort so that you run your easy days easy and hard days hard. The problem with trying to do this unaided is that most people simply do not know how much they need to slow down on their easy days and end up working harder on those days. When the true hard day comes, they already hit the "wall" sort of speak. In any case, the book explains a lot better than I am doing right now.

This is my fourth week into it. I have to say it's harder to do the easy days simply because I have to sometimes stop and walk to bring my heart rate down to below 70% of my max. heart rate. It's very frustrating to not even make a 10 min/mile pace on those days. But I am determined to stick with it and hope to see the results.

Top of the Bell Curve Explained

2008-08-17T11:05:00.000-04:00

The idea of this blog actually came from my chiropractor, who also happens to be a former coach for Team in Training triathlon events. I was mentioning how I was out of a job at the moment and I was joking how I now can seriously train and get corporate sponsorship (yeah, I don't think Nike will be beating down my door for me to sign a contract). He then said I should put a blog up about how my training to get to the top of the bell curve on my next race. My goal is not to be at the top but to be dead center of the pack that they can't even announce my name or take my picture since so many other folks are running through the finish line at the same time. It's all about attainable goals.

In the beginning...

2008-08-15T09:08:00.000-04:00

I have been an active runner for the past 4 years. It all started innocently when I turned 30 and realized that my body could not keep up with all my weekend warrior activities. I had no interest in running. In fact, I hated running. I just figured that since running is faster than walking, I would be able to get the same benefits in half the time.

At the same time I started running, I met my now soon-to-be-husband and he was also into the idea of starting to run again. So, we started off at Mine Falls Park in Nashua with my sneakers from TJMaxx and Z in his cargo shorts and away we went. Back then, the goal was to make it a whole 20 minutes without stopping. Believe me, that was a huge accomplishment. I also discovered a group of runners in Nashua, the Gate City Striders. I started going to their workouts with no interest in racing at the time. After a few workouts, the group finally convinced me that doing a race would be fun... plus you get a free T-shirt. What could be better? So Z and I signed up for the Halfway to St. Patty's 5K in Manchester and a new way of life began. Several races and T-shirts later, running has become a central part of our lives and we hope that our knees will hold up for many more years to come...