Many A Run Has Been Had

Many a run has been had since September.
Many a run, indeed.
But while we've been running, I've not been blogging!
A point to which I concede.

Russell and I have increased our run times.
We now do 10:1, 10:1, 5
We warm-up and cool down and focus on finishing
And gosh, do we feel alive!

And as for myself? I'm back with my group.

Though not as much as I should.

I'm keeping my fitness through simple, short runs

Up to 10k, which is good.

I'm enjoying the nice relaxed runs that I do

With no racing goals in my sight.

For now it's for fitness and fun and for social

And right now, this feels just right.

The Edmonton weather has thankfully warmed
No longer in winter are we.
We're enjoying a brief spout of autumn for now
We'll run til it's cold, then we'll see.

For winter is coming - oh curse that cold darkness!
I doubt I'll run this year through.
I've had enough frostbite in 2018, thanks!
And there's other fun things to do!

Russell's Baseline Running Test

Today was the day we chose to do Russell's official "baseline running test". Russell was reluctant to get out the door until later this week, but the threat/promise of snow tomorrow was strangely motivating.

I suggested that instead of trying to figure out a specific distance (e.g.: 3k), we do a loop near our house. An easy loop to replicate in future as a fitness test!

After a 5 minute warm-up in which the dog thankfully pooped so I could drop it home and not carry it (good boy, Brizzy!), we set off.

Total distance: 2.69km

Total time: 21.14min

Average pace: 7.54 min/km

Run Interval # 1: 7.09min 907m, 7.54min/km

Run Interval # 2: 12.44min, 1.66km, 7.42min/km

Brizzy was a lot more settled into the idea of not getting as many sniffs are p-mail stops, but he continues to struggle with the concept of running with humans.

Next Steps

Have a husband watch a race, and he'll watch you run a race.

Teach a husband to run a race, and he'll join you in a race!

I think that's how the saying goes.

And so it is without surprise that Russell & I have started what I will call my "post-marathon goal": teach Russell how to run [consistently].

 For the next 4 weeks, here is the plan:

5 minute warm-up

20 minutes of "run until you're tired; walk until you're recovered; repeat"

5 minute cool down

On week 5 it will be time to bump it up. My initial thought is to bump it up by 5 minutes (of running), but we'll see how the next few weeks go.

We were meant to start this great new plan yesterday, but right as we were getting ready to go an over-excited 20lbs pup did an exuberant leap into my bad knee and as a result I hyper-extended it rather badly. All I can say is, thank goodness this was after the marathon!

But today was a good day to start! My knee was still a bit sore, but only when I extended it fully so running looked to be okay.

Distance: 3.54km
Time: 31.00min
Average pace: 8.46 min/km

Run Interval #1 - 5.04min, 685m, 7.25min/km
Run Interval #2 - 5.05min, 664m, 7.41min/km
Run Interval #3 - 7.02min, 940m, 7.30min/km

Woot woot! Brizzy joined us as well and he was delighted about the whole thing - except when we wouldn't let him stop and sniff at all the p-mail along the way!

I was surprisingly tired the entire run. Ignoring my sore knee (thanks, Brizzy!) I was surprised at how fatigued my muscles were. This was my first run post-marathon and I thought that with a solid 9 days of vegetating on the couch I would be much more energetic, but I guess I'm still recovering. That's a good enough reason to keep eating lots of cookies, right? After all, recovering muscles need lots of energy...

Edmonton Marathon: Personal Best

All I had to do to get a personal best (PB) in the full marathon was get across the finish line. That's because it was - of course - the first full marathon I would have ever done.
Sure, I'd done a trail race a few years ago that took me about 4.5 hours (and everyone who had done marathons previously said that they were within 15 minutes of their marathon time), but I'd never ticked that bucket list goal of completing a MARATHON. The race that everyone knows about and compares to, but few people attempt. I say everyone compares to, because how many people have used the expression, "I had a marathon study session yesterday", or "I had a marathon workout" to indicate something that took a long time.
Well, I can tell you that "marathon" is so much more than a long day of hard work. "Marathon" is months of planning, and preparing, and sacrificing that leads up to the day itself. "Marathon" is running in the heat, rain, snow, ice, and even freezing cold. It's running when you're sick and running through exhaustion and pain. It's persevering when you are filled with doubt, and running even after you think you can't take another step. It's running, pure and simple. Even when putting on your shoes and getting out the door is the hardest thing you do that day.
After all that, the day itself is really just another race. But what a race to run!

Marathon Day. 

The race was thankfully not cancelled. The week before Edmonton had been choking in smoke from all the horrific B.C. wildfires, but the winds changed on Saturday to clear away most of it - just in time! I had been watching the weather forecast for race day change almost daily: from lots of rain, to a little rain, to very hot, to - in the end - a high of 21C. Perfect conditions to run in, in my opinion!

Picking up my race package the day before. Thanks to a timely change in wind directions that cleared the smoke, we didn't have to run in that. (See below).

I woke up at 5am to give myself enough time to digest breakfast, and make sure I'd used the toilet so I didn't need to pee during the run. Russell and I got to the start line about 6.30am, which gave me half an hour to prepare. Russell said it was cold outside at 7C, but my nerves kept me toasty warm as I lined up in the starters corral. I met up with my pace bunnies and two of my Running Room friends (and fellow first time marathoners!).

At the start line:St Albert Running Room represent!

I don't think I could quite bring myself to terms with the journey I was about to embark on. I could only think of it as another half marathon race...with a second half marathon tacked onto it. At 7am, the gun sounded, and we were off.

The Edmonton Marathon is in 2 "loops" that are more like two out-and-backs. You start on the east loop that goes out and back 21.1k, and then a west loop that goes out 21.1k. The half marathoners would only do the west loop, and start an hour after us (8am). The 10k group would do some of the west loop, and start 3.5 hours after us (10.30am). I honestly didn't care what the 5k group was doing since they were not starting until 11.30 which is around when I wanted to be finished.
At first, I stuck right with the pace bunnies. There was a large group with us! Maybe 30 runners. I knew that by the end of the race, there would be a much smaller group, and I just hoped I was one of them. Briefly, I thought about joining the 4.45 pace group instead, as I wasn't sure I could pull off a 4.30. But a race plan is a race plan, and I was not about to renege on the plan at this stage of the game!

A few of my favourite signs I saw along the way from people who came out to cheer us on:

Good luck, random stranger!

That is a lot of work for a free banana!

Where is everyone going? Is there a SALE?!

There is no app for this! Keep going!

Best marathon I've seen all day!

You think your legs are tired? My arms are killing me; I've been holding this sign all day!

Run like someone called you a "jogger".

Stop and give me a burpee!*

Touch here to power up! (with a picture of a target)

A few of the AWESOME people who volunteered their time to come out and support the racers

By 5k, one of my water bottles had fallen out of my race belt twice. In all the months of training, this had never happened. And now it happened twice in the first 5k. The first time I didn't even notice it until another runner in the group ran up to me and offered it. The second time I felt it drop and turned around - and again another kind racer picked it up for me. At that point I decided enough was enough. I would carry the stupid thing! But the good news is that there is often something that goes wrong on race day. Normally I get a horrific stitch in my side from the stress, but a malfunctioning water bottle was no biggie. I would carry it until the halfway mark (when I would cross paths with my support crew) and then drop it off.

After about 10km I realized it was easier to be "near" the group than "with" the group. First, when you're running right behind someone it is harder to watch for hazards like speed bumps or rocks/cracks in the road. Second, there were times were I felt stronger and could go a bit faster, and times where I was more tired and felt the need to slow down.

Two of my wonderful support crew! My friend Steph made the sign and drove up all the way from Calgary, and my incredible husband Russell went Above and Beyond husbandly duties to help me out the entire weekend. Not pictured: Russell's awesome parents, who gave up their morning to stand outside for hours and cheer me on as I ran past!

I was feeling strong and capable as we got to the 21k marker. Knowing that my wonderful support crew of cheerers was hanging out at the 22k mark, I surged ahead to look for them. They didn't disappoint! I had thought about walking with them for a bit, but I decided I didn't want to stop. I had enough time to give my husband a quick awkward kiss and drop off the water bottle. He offered me some fresh ones, but I was stopping for water at all the aid stations and my other two bottles were full. I decided I didn't need it so declined. One of my friends came up all the way from Calgary to support me, and she ran with me for the next km or so. I was tired when she joined me, and not in the mood for much talking, so asked her to talk to me. Talk about putting someone on the spot! But she obliged and offered encouragement. She waved me on shortly after, and we moved forward.

Wo-oah! We're over halfway there! Oh-oh! Living on a prayer!

Give me a kiss, we'll make it I swear. Oh-oh! Living on a prayer!

-Adapted from Bon Jovi

At 24k I started to get into trouble. My heart said go and my legs said NO! Every few steps my quad muscles - mostly in my right leg - would seize and give out on me, forcing me to stagger a little so I didn't fall. I tried shortening my stride, and this worked for a while. But then my stride would lengthen back to it's normal reach and again my quad would give out on me and I would stagger. Through sheer grit I kept up despite this. My next support crew was the water station at about 33k, and I had told them I would be with the 4.30 bunnies and to look for me. I had to keep up with them at least to that point!

But at 30k, I finally had to concede and let the pace bunnies go ahead of me. A well intentioned half marathoner saw me dropping back and told me, "don't fall off the pace now! Just stay with them!" I knew his heart was in the right place, but honestly I wanted to smack him. I was working my absolute hardest and my heart was sinking as I watched the pace bunnies get ahead, and someone tells me to run faster? Don't you think I would if I could?

But I knew that wasn't fair; it was the fatigue getting to me, and he was just trying to be encouraging.
I ignored him and kept going. My new goal: keep the pace bunnies in sight.

Unfortunately, with the nature of the second loop, this quickly became impossible due to all the twists and turns. By 31k I had lost them completely. And it was here that I entered a dark place. Demons whispered to give up now, because I already could envision what would happen: first the 4.45 pace bunny would pass me. And I would try to keep up with them, and fail. Then the 5 hour pace bunny would pass me and it would be the same story. And what was the point, really? I might as well walk it home from here. I didn't just hurt, I hurt. The only sensible thing to do would be walk it in. If I power walked, I could probably finish the whole stupid thing in under 6 hours. And that's all that mattered, right? Just to finish?

But somehow I found the determination to keep going. My new race plan: keep with the pattern of doing the 10:1 run:walk ratio, and walk through the aid stations to drink water.

I had forgotten that the next aid station I saw would be filled with friends. I didn't even notice them until I was upon them. With bright smiles, they either didn't notice or didn't care the black attitude I had, and offered me cheers and encouragement, telling me that I wasn't far behind the 4.30 pacers. It lifted me up a little, even if I didn't believe them. Surely the 4.45 bunny was breathing down my neck by now. But by golly I was going to make it difficult for her to catch up!

One foot in front of the other.

I came upon one of my running friends on the course around that point who was also struggling, but I couldn't find the energy to get myself out of my black place to say hello or ask how she was doing. She was a better person than I and offered me a hello, and I think I grunted an appropriate response. We didn't stick together too long as I don't think either of us had any desire to do anything than run our own race and finish the awful thing.

Every minute of running felt like 3 minutes of running. I kept checking my watch every few seconds and chanting to myself "7 minutes to go; 7 minutes to go; 7 minutes to go" and did this for every minute until I could take that walk break. Without being able to break 4.30, I knew I just wanted to be able to say that I kept to my 10:1 the whole way through (excepting to chug water at the aid stations), even if my running was really slow.

And then I hit 38k. For whatever reason, whenever I have 4k left in a race that's when it hits me that I'm close. I mean, except for a 5k race, of course. But for every half marathon I've ever run, the last 4k is when it finally feels like the end is in sight. And the last 3k really feels like the end!

As I crossed the 38k marker, I started to pull myself out of my black place. I realized that a) I was almost finished, and b) I was still under the 4.45 pace! At the rate I was going, I might even make it closer to 4.40! This cheered me considerably, and I forced myself to go a bit faster.

I took my last walk break at 4 hours 24 minutes and geared myself up for the finish.

You can see the happy anticipation on my 

face as I approach the finish line!

At 40k I looked at my watch and knew that if I kept my pace I would finish under 4.40. Adrenaline surged through me and I picked up the pace even more - not too much, as my silly quads kept wanting to collapse on me if I went too fast. But adrenaline does funny things. Like lessen the pain of your legs. And I couldn't stop smiling at the thought that I would finish under 4.40. I waved cheerfully to my  support crew, high fived some of the random strangers who had volunteered to come out and cheer us on, and pumped my fists in the air. I couldn't see the finish line, but I could hear the announcers voice come through the speakers as I made my way into the thicker crowds.

A quick glance through the running corrals had me dip to the right to enter the marathon chute. I crossed the finish line in a respectable 4.38.25min. And I knew that I could not have gone a single step faster. I had run - for me - a near perfect race. I had kept running even when the sensible part of me wanted to give up. I had picked a perfect race plan, because if I had chosen to run with the 4.45 pacer, there is no way I would have picked up my pace that much at the end to finish so quickly. And if I had run the whole thing on my own, it would have taken a lot more mental discipline and planning than "stick with the pacer" and then "try to keep up with the pacer" and then, "run your 10:1 as fast as you can manage".

This is my favourite picture because it captures

the emotion both my husband and I felt at the end.

Pictured: hydrating post-run! 

Not pictured: the fact that I struggled greatly

to step on and off a curb.

Split Times - the number in the bracket is my pace between the two split time markers, not the overall split time from the start.
10k: 1.04.33min (6.27min/km)
21.1k: 2.15.16 (6.22min/km)
30k: 3.09.06 (6.02min/km)
35k: 3.46.41 (7.31min/km)
42.2k: 4.38.25 (7.10min/km)

Total time: 4.38.25
Total distance: 42.3km (hmmm, does that make me an ultra marathoner if I ran over 42.2km? 😜)
Average pace: 6.35min/km

*this sign was from a crew of volunteers representing a gym. I don't know if anyone outside of the crew themselves actually did the burpees, as this was the final water station 3k before the finish. I was tempted to do one just to be silly, but I was worried I wouldn't get back up afterwards.

Race completed. A journey that was worth doing.

Once.

The Last Slow Distance

6k! How refreshing! I can't remember the last time 6k felt so good. With a goal to go "not too fast", three of us set out for our 6k. It was social and fun, and I didn't even mind the wet, cool morning!
I got to sleep in, and show up relatively unprepared...no water, no fuel, no worries about "did I eat early enough and make sure I digested everything properly before tackling the run".
Out and back with plenty of energy to spare. And time! I was home within 75 minutes, which counts the commute, the pre-run chatter, the actual run, the stretching, and the post-run chatter.

2 runs left before race day!

Trial Run

16k "race pace". This was - in my opinion - the last run scheduled that really matters. I treated it like a race morning, including what time I got up, what I ate, what I brought with me, etc.

Here we go!

I still haven't solidified my race plan yet, so I wanted to try something other than 10:1 for the race pace trial. I ended up doing a 100m walk after every 2k. Too lazy to drive elsewhere to do it, I wound the way around my neighbourhood. The goal: 6.10-6.15 pace for the km that was purely running, and a 6.30-6.35 pace for the km where I had 100m walk tacked into it. It was nice and easy, which was good! I found myself constantly running a bit too fast, and I had to temper myself on the km where I walked not to catch up too quickly to my 6.35 pace. (My goal was to get there by the 800m mark, but consistently I was there by the 300-500m mark, meaning I was going a bit too fast).

In the end, I felt that keeping this pace was quite attainable. Certainly for 16k, and it should be easy enough to maintain for 21k as well. As for 42k? … I'll know shortly!

Let the Tapering Begin!

With my last 32k out of the way, this week has been about cracking down on maintenance.

Tuesday - a 7-ish km run with my running buddies, after a very motivating talk from last year's marathoners. Message: you can do it!
I admit, I wish I had been the one talking about having done the marathon rather than the one about to do the marathon. A few pieces of advice I did take to heart, though: 1) it's going to hurt. It's a freaking marathon, so YES it's going to HURT. 2) Try taking some anti-inflammatories before the race to see if it helps (the jury is supposedly out on this one).

Wednesday - 10k fartlek. I did a fartlek how I usually do fartlek's; easy pace, with someone in the group calling out a speed (either 'medium' or 'fast') and a landmark to do said pace at, then pulling back into an easy job until the next call-out. My heart was in it, but I did something to my knee in the very first speed call-out, which sucked. Nothing fatal, but it sure did hurt! Unfortunately this meant that the rest of the run I struggled to go any faster than the 'medium' pace. Anything faster than that caused some serious pain.

Saturday - as my knee was still bugging me in the morning, I opted out of my own personal "ABCDSprint" routine that I've been doing.

Sunday - group run! 4 of us met near downtown Edmonton so we could run half the race course. I don't know if it was the shorter distance (21k!), the knowledge that I'm now tapering, or the joy of running with other people, but I was glowing the entire time. It was the first run in a long time that was purely fun. No focus on my pace, or on my heart-rate, or anything training wise. I just went out with the team and had FUN.

In just 2 weeks, the three of us gals will be lined up here for the start of our first marathon! (I'm on the left)

Oh, and I also got to see what I'll be running for km 21-42, which is also good to know. No knee pain also helped the fun feeling considerably.
And I did take an anti-inflammatory before this run, just to make sure it didn't affect my tummy. But no worries! I should be safe to take it on race day, should I choose.

Not a Moment Too Soon!

Finally, finally, finally I had a run without needing to use the facilities*! And not a moment to soon! That was the good news.
On the not so good news, the 32k was a struggle. It started off fine. I was even considering doing the same thing as last week in terms of running the last 3-5k at my race pace. But at the 17k mark, it really started to hit me, and I decided that if I just finished that would be good enough. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe it was fatigue from yesterday's 50min speed session (just me) + 3 hour canoe paddling on Big Lake with my husband. In either case, I really started to suffer. At 18k I filled up my water bottles at a public restroom. I also guzzled a glass of water while doing so. I desperately wanted more, but I was afraid what all that sloshing water would do to my stomach when I was running, so I limited myself with effort.
And for the next 14km, all I could think about was chugging down a glass of cold water.
Every walking break saw me re-start the run with a shuffling hobble (close to a limp) before my muscles started working properly again. The minutes counting down to my next walking break took forever; and I found myself glancing at my watch more and more frequently in disbelief that time could move so slowly. I had to constantly remind myself to straighten up - my shoulders wanted to slump and I wanted to stoop at the hips because my lower back didn't feel like it had the strength to hold me upright any more.
Step by step, I pushed through. The temptation to take a short-cut back was so, so strong. I honestly don't know where I found the strength to keep to the route, but my fear that my "short cut" would get me lost and force me to run for even longer helped.
As soon as I finished, I beelined for the cold water that the Running Room offers and gulped it down until my heart rate slowed.
The exhaustion stayed with me the rest of the day, and it was an effort to stretch out my tired limbs. After my run, I found more chafe marks than I've ever had before - and I was even wearing body glide! Thank goodness I could only feel one of them during the run (the one from my heart rate monitor).
Not a demoralizing run, but tough, tough, tough!

Distance: 32.3km
Time: 4.00.48
Average pace: 7.27min/km (this does include walk breaks and a few red lights; my running pace mostly stayed around the 7min mark).
Average Heart Rate: 141bpm (73%)


*or the "faciliTREES" as it were.

Trails & Trials

Tuesday: a group run around St Albert. A lot of it was through trails that I haven't seen since winter! How refreshing to be able to run up some of those steeper sections without having to use the handrail to prevent from sliding backwards on the ice! We even got to do some single track, which was a refreshing reminder of why I used to love running trails so much. Any runner who has done both will be able to tell you that there IS a difference between running on the pavement and running on single track...even the muscles you use in your legs feel different.

It was really nice to run with the group again. I've been missing that aspect with all my long, lonely runs!

Total distance: 6.84km
Total time: 40.31min
Average pace: 5.56min/km
Average heart rate: 154bpm (79%)

~~~

Wednesday: speed work. But not just any speed work. We did speedwork up hills. As in, hill repeats. I was not happy. I think the others thought all my grumbling was a joke, because normally I adore hills. I really, honestly do! But with our weeks of hills behind us, I had really been pumped up to do speed work tonight, and changing that up to do hills was wretchedly disappointing for me. Especially when I had to make extra special effort to get there, and had a back up plan in case I didn't make it. Had I known what we were in for, I would have done my back-up plan instead. Maybe. Probably. I forced myself up that big, steep hill*. And then I forced myself up it 5 more times. I admit, by the 4th repeat I started walking up the last section. What can I say? I hadn't eaten since lunch and was low on energy. And the top section of that hill was very, very steep indeed!

*a much different beast than "Hospital Hill" that we had I've been running for all of 2018! This hill is the same height over half the distance...so, much steeper. And on grass, rather than sidewalk.

Total distance: 4.61km
Total time: 37.28min
Average pace: 8.08min/km
Average heart rate: 146bpm (75%)
Maximum heart rate: 183bpm (94%)

Another Day, Another 29k

This 29k was much, much better than the runs I’ve done in a long time. Maybe it was taking the focus off my heart-rate; maybe it was the cooler weather, or the fact that I did a short sprint session the day before. Whatever it is, I felt strong and capable the entire way through! I frequently found myself holding back to slow the pace down. In the last 3.7k I even made the plan to run a bit faster than race pace to see how I felt running at my pace on tired legs (my current race pace goal is 6.15, so I ran at around a 6.00 pace). The only thing I don’t currently have figured out is my bathroom timing! I used to be so smug about my long runs because I was never a person who would need a washroom break! But now I feel like I’m reaching a mental stutter when it comes to running over 3 hours that I constantly have the need to stop and use the facilities. Often within the first 3k of the run! I’m not sure if I’m getting up too early before my runs, or not early enough. Or if it’s simply that the thought of running for 3.5+ hours has my nerves sending awkward messages to my brain about my need for a pit stop just as I’m getting started.

And it’s made me realize that if it gets down to race day and I need a port-a-potty stop along the course, so be it! Far better than the alternative, anyway…

But other than that, I’m starting to gain confidence in the upcoming race! My nutrition is sorted, my knee pain has diminished almost completely (knock on wood!), and I only have 2 long runs left before the big day. Things are starting to get real!

Total distance: 29.7km
Total time: 3:31:17
Average pace: 7.07min/km
Average heart rate: 146bpm (75%)

Speed Work

We're into the final slog of the marathon training: speed work. Where maybe (hopefully?) it will help me get a bit faster!

Tuesday was at the track, where the focus was on speed drills and 3x200m sprints.

Tonight was a 10k 'fartlek'. We set out as a group at a decent pace, but as the faster people got to the front of the pack the pace ticked up and up and up. Admittedly, I was a little happier to have this challenge. After so many weeks of trying to hold myself back for heart rate training, it was nice to sort of "let loose". Finishing the last 3k of the 10k at a 5.30 pace made me feel a bit better about life.

A big thank you to everyone for reaching out to me in encouragement!!! This is HARD. Much harder than I had thought it was going to be. And setting out with what I thought was a reasonable and realistic time goal only to have to recalculate it to be much slower has been rather demoralizing. Still, one foot in front of the other until I cross that finish line! And then I can either buck up and say, "now I've learned something so I can improve for next time" or shake my head and say, "never again".

Self Doubt

The self-doubt is creeping in.

Today I ran 23km. I can't say I was feeling super excited; it was more of a 'grit the teeth and get through it.'
I couldn't bring myself to go by heart rate, so I ran by feel instead, aiming for an easier pace.

Total time: 2.54.25
Total distance: 23.02km
Average speed: 7.35min/km
Average HR: 141bpm (73% of max)

It was a bit of a boring route. I just made it up as I went, but the trails by the store were not as long as I could have wanted, so I did a lot of extra "let's get in those miles" sort of detours. The last 6k especially felt like a really big slog.

But my biggest struggle of today was with self-doubt. I have 3 long runs left. Three. And then it's my marathon! But I find that even when I run at an easy 7.35 pace, I tucker out by 19km. How on earth am I supposed to manage a much faster pace for more than twice that distance?!

Ask me to do a 10k, or a half marathon, and I know I can churn it out no problem. But I'm feeling woefully unprepared for this full marathon. Do I expect to finish it? Yes. Do I expect to make it in the timeframe I've been training for? Not even close... I've been trying to give myself some prep talk and some "who cares what time you run it in? What matters is finishing!" talk, but today is not one of those days where I'm believing it.

Speed Goes Up; Speed Comes Down

Last week was a bad week.

Between spending an unexpected Monday night visit to the vet resulting in this*…

*Brizzy hurt his eye playing fetch with his ball, but happily he is now fully recovered!

And fighting off a cold, I was not feeling highly motivated this week. The thunderstorm on Tuesday night decided me: I was staying home!

On Wednesday I went out to do my 6k run. I had to work late, but I was motivated by the thought by the free hat thought of seeing my running friends and going out for a 6k tempo run. So I skipped going home and instead drove straight to the store for my run. It just so happened that the Running Room was having their annual “20 minute challenge” on that night, which meant discounts in the store and a free hat for everyone who signed up.

The route picked out for us was a lovely 3.1km circuit. I was undecided if I wanted to follow it or do my own route, but somehow I started at the front of the pack and – not wanting to add to any confusion – I opted to do the circuit in question. Twice. Geez, was I slow! Depressing that the speed gains I had started making with my heart rate training have sunk right back to where I was at the beginning.

Total distance: 6.41km

Total time: 38.28min

Average Pace: 6.00min/km

Average HR: 167bpm (86%)

But I guess you can say I did it! The best part was being reminded that it was free slurpee day at 7/11 stores! An wouldn’t you know it?! There was a 7/11 store right next to the Running Room store! Talk about convenience! I can’t remember the last time I had a slurpee but after a 6k run in 30C heat I was game for one. What an incredible way to turn my mood right around.

The Heart Knows

Tuesday was much slower than the week before. I thought it was because - after hiking up to the top of Mount Goldie (22km, 1474m elevation gain), I was still recovering.
   

View from the top of Mount Goldie. We started down in that valley. Way, way down in that valley!

     Total time: 36.03

     Total distance: 6.09km

     Average pace: 5.55min/km

     Average HR: 166bpm (86%)

Wednesday was tough. Normally on hills I feel fairly strong. But every step of every hill was a mental and physical struggle. I finished all 9 repetitions, but it was hard!

     Total time: 1.29.21

     Total distance: 14.13km

     Total elevation: 192m

     Average pace: 6.20min/km

     Average HR: 170bpm (Max HR: 190bpm)

Then on Friday, I woke up with the start of a cold. It makes me wonder whether I was truly "still recovering" this week, or whether my increased heart rate and feelings of sluggishness were rather the first signs of getting sick.

But despite how I felt, 32k is 32k. And today was my day to get that distance under my feet!
As it turns out, it wasn't my day. Not really. 1k into the run I realized that my elevated heart rate gave me two options: 1) stick to the HR training and start my run at a 9.30min pace (which would have me finish my run in about 5.5 hours), or 2) Do my run by pace/feel even if it meant a higher HR, but finish in around 4-4.5 hours.

I quickly opted to run by pace/feel!

And let me tell you, I was not feeling good. At 2km in I realized that I had to return to the start to use the bathroom. (Ugh!!! That's TWO long runs in a row where this has happened! I need to start getting up earlier before I head out!).
After using the bathroom - which was thankfully unlocked! - I returned to my route, where strong reflux plagued me for the next 10km. It was bad enough that I found myself spitting out bits of my breakfast every 20m or so. Every step was a struggle, and I thought numerous times of giving in. But around 12km things started to feel better. My reflux died down, and my heart rate settled out. I even saw some beautiful deer to make me smile!

Because I wasn't running by heart rate I knew I would need walk breaks. And because I hadn't set up my watch for 10:1 splits, I had strong doubts that I would be able to remember the math for the split times accurately as the distance crept upwards. So I opted to do a 1 min walk break at every 2km. These walk-breaks became such a mental and emotional lift for me after the 19km mark!

At 27km I returned to the car, swapped out my empty water bottles for full ones, and continued on the final stretch. Stubbornly, I opted to do 33km instead of 32km just to prove to myself I could. I lied through my teeth and pretended that going out another 3k on the second loop wouldn't be that hard.

By 30km (at the turn-around), I began to chant to myself:
Come on Legs, You can do it!
Not long now; Just get through it!

Every step I repeated this mantra to myself. Since none of the other park users gave me weird looks as I went by, I'm presuming that I didn't actually say this out loud.

     Total time: 4.21.14

     Total distance: 33.50km

     Total elevation: 141m

     Average pace: 7.49min/km

     Average HR: 141bpm (73% of max)

So I can safely say that while today's long run didn't start out as a great day, at the very least I stuck with it and made it through to the finish.
   

Reaching for the Max

Tonight was a struggle. My body did NOT want to run hills. But since there was nothing seriously wrong, I had to fight the little mental complaints: my right hamstring felt tight; I was tired; my legs felt heavy; and blah, blah, blah.

Only one of my fellow marathoners showed up, so we tackled the hill together. 8 repeats, plus a long jog there and back. I was really curious about my max heart rate, so by the 3rd repeat I was focussed on trying to see how high it would actually go. I noticed that with every repeat it became a little bit higher and climbed a little bit quicker.
Hills are a mental game: if I sat there and thought about the 8 repeats, I would have felt defeated from the start. Instead, I focused on breaking it into 2 sets of 4 hills, and I made my goal to reach my max heart rate (or close to) every time. I found that I didn't get close until the second half of the set.

Total Time: 1.23.06min
Total Distance: 13.00km
Average Pace: 6.24min/km
Average HR: 162bpm (83.5%)
Max HR: 191bpm (98.5%)

Pretty close! I hope this doesn't mean I should lower my max heart rate calculations.

Improvements

At last! Improvements I can sink my teeth into!!!

I almost couldn’t believe my watch last night! After stagnating for a couple of weeks at a 5.52min/km pace for the 6k tempo run, I’ve finally surged past that!

Total distance: 5.98km

Total time: 33.30min

Average pace: 5.36min/km

Average HR: 170bpm (88%)

Comparatively, on MAY 1^st I ran 7.09km at a 5.28min/km pace and pretty much the whole way through I felt like I was going to die…I struggled almost every step of the way for that one! But now – at only 8 seconds slower per km – I am feeling much more in control. I looked at my average HR and that didn’t change significantly (from 176 to 170bpm), but the BIG difference is how much stronger and easier this run felt. Instead of gasping for breath and feeling like I was going to collapse at any moment, I was feeling strong and felt like I was holding myself back. It makes me wonder what time I would run if I wanted to do a 10k race…PB anyone? Soooo tempting to test myself right now! Feeling pumped and feeling good right now. Nothing like seeing improvements to build my self-confidence.

Poorly Started but Nicely Finished

From the moment I parked in the parking lot I knew I was off to a bad start, because I really had to pee. And of course the Running Room store was closed for another 30 minutes!

Fortunately, I knew of a public place to go 1km down the road. So shortly after we set off as a group, I veered to the public restroom and wished the other runners a farewell. I knew I wouldn't be keeping up with them as I wanted to run much slower than last week, and I didn't want them waiting for me at the cost of their own training!

But alas, the restrooms were locked.

What's a girl to do? That was the only restroom I knew of for the next 15km...and it was locked. Ugh!
I had to go with Plan B, which involved a side-trek into some bushes. Not the best, I know! But what's a girl to do?! Well, if that didn't set my heart rate a-pounding....It took me quite a while to calm it back down and settle into my pace. Because yes: I was in the heart-rate training way of things.

The day was hot, and at around 15km I re-filled my water bottles in that other public restroom that I knew about. I wish I could run with more water, but my back problems make it limiting for me, and I carry only about 800mL of water. Or, more specifically, 500mL of electrolyte drink mixed with 300mL of juice (for calories and carbohydrate).

At around 19km, I could feel my energy starting to fade as my heart-rate began to jump higher, forcing me to slow down. These seems to be my fairly typical "slow down" point on the LSD days.

At 23km I really stopped caring about heart-rate at all: I opted to keep it under 75% (rather than under 70%), and was doing really well with it staying around the 72% mark. I was feeling pretty grim, and the distance was really starting to slog on me. I kept chanting down the mileage as I went, trying to think of how long it might take me.

At 26k I crossed paths with a friend from the Running Room. After quickly giving our run plans, she opted to turn around and join me. The pro: it really lifted my spirits and helped the last 3km fly by! The con: it also lifted my heart-rate, as we compromised on our pace: I ran a bit faster (going from an 8.30 to a 7.45 pace), and she slowed down. It was such a delight to have someone run with me those last few kms and give me the chance to stop focusing on myself. I didn't have the "break down in tears" moment of some other long runs I've done in the past when I finished, but that's okay with me! Nice to end it well when I had such an awkward start.

Total Distance: 29.5km
Total Time: 4:00:28
Average Pace: 8.09min/km
Average HR: 139bpm (72%)

It's a bit scary, thinking of how exhausted I felt today, when for the marathon I'm planning to go almost 13km farther at a much faster pace! T-(Minus)-8 weeks to go.

Chapters in a Book

When I first ventured into the strange world of “running”, I hated the thought of running with other people (“I’m too slow!”). Then I started running with other people, and I hated the thought of running on my own* (“It’s too boring!”). Heart rate training, by consequence, has made me into a selfish runner. (“I’d LOVE to run with you…but only if you go at MY pace.”). I love, love, love it when I find people willing to go at my pace, but I appreciate that in a small group that is an unreasonable expectation. I’m sort of wondering…if this is a new chapter of a runner’s life, what would it be called? And where in the runner’s book would it be? Beginning, middle, or end?

Tuesday night was one of those nights where it happened! I had low expectations due to my disastrous Sunday LSD. But apparently I was recovered enough that – despite the heat – I was able to keep up with some other running pals. Okay, I was able to keep up right up until the last 500m when they surged ahead and I had to slow down due to climbing heart rate. I didn’t even reach the top end of my training zone, which was nice and comfortable. What do I mean by that? Well, because I’m heart-rate training, I’ve been ‘testing’ myself to see if I can notice improvements. To test myself, every run I aim to keep my heart-rate at the highest end of the zone possible without going over (e.g.: when I’m in Zone 4 training, I keep my heart-rate at 4.8-4.9). While some may argue that this may not be the ideal way to heart-rate train, my response is hush! It’s the only way I can measure improvements to keep me motivated.

Total time: 35.33min

Total distance:6.02km

Average Pace: 5.54min/km

Average HR: 166 (86% of max)

*Races excepted, of course! But the energy from a race is vastly different from that of a training run.

PS - I can name the Chapter of my Wednesday night run! "Seven Hills...Where Laura Kicks Some Ass!"