Earning It

Posted on September 21, 2014 by scoopsontherun

The past few weeks have been tough training-wise, well and in other areas of my life as well. I have been so busy that it has been very difficult to head out for my weekly training runs. This makes for not so great marathon training. The one good thing is that I have been able to get everything single long run completed these past few weeks. They haven’t always been easy but they’re done.

Along with the lack of consistent training has been inability to improve on my pace. It was at this time last year that I started on an amazing tear and my pace just kept steadily improving. There is still time and I’m still going to go for my overall marathon goal but will be ok if I don’t. I’ve had an emotionally up and down year so I’m not surprised that my training is mirroring this.

But today brought some pure enjoyment.

Way back in July I signed up for the Paine to Pain Trail Half Marathon. This one had been on my to do list for the past few years but I always shoed away because of my marathon training. Obviously I said,” screw it.”

But, when I did sign up I had this idea that I would be back to where I was last year with my pace and feeling great conditioning-wise. Ha!

Soooo, going into this week I had no other plan than to finish this, my first half marathon on the trails, and just enjoy this. And this is exactly what I did.

This was one race where I really earned this medal and very proud for doing so. (c) Stacey Cooper

This was one race where I really earned this medal and very proud for doing so. (c) Stacey Cooper

There was some high humidity today and my quads have not been happy so the climbs on this course were a bit tough for me.

But this was an amazing course! It reminded me about why I love running the trails every once in a while and the fact that these trails are in my neck of the woods is a huge bonus.

I run many races that give the finishers medals and while I have earned every one, there is that occasional medal that holds more weight and this is one of them.

As I made my way along the trails and teamed up with a few other women along the way I never felt down on myself or disappointed in my time. I finished about 15 minutes slower than planned but I’ll gladly take it today!

There is a certain camaraderie when running the trails that is a bit different from road runners. We support each other out there, offer words of encouragement, and even water and gels. It’s what goes on the woods. We’re all in it together and appreciate the journey.

This was a tough first trail half marathon for me but one that I am so proud that I did. These are the type of events that you feel as though you really earned that medal, and chocolate milk, and yes, even the hot shower at the local high school!

I’ll be back next year!

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A Hitch in My Giddy Up

Posted on August 20, 2014 by scoopsontherun

Last week’s training went very well until I headed out for my long run on Sunday.

You see I’ve got the tendonitis thing on the top of my left foot. It started bothering at mile 17 of the 2010 NYC marathon. I have had PT and other treatments for it but the truth is that it may be a lifelong recurring injury.

It comes and goes. Last year it did not bother me at all after my first 18 mile long run which was great since that was when I was putting in all of the high mileage and you know running that darn marathon. But for the most part is that when it acts up it only does so when I walk not while I run. Conclusion — keep running.

All KT Taped up and no where to go. For the time being at least.

All KT Taped up and no where to go. For the time being at least.

This year it started bothering me early on. I applied the KT Tape and for the most part it was good. When I started having problems falling asleep at night and started taking Advil PM there seemed to be enough of an anti-inflammatory in that where the pain went away altogether. Yay!

Until Sunday.

About a mile and half into my long run the top of my foot started to hurt while I was running. I tried to ignore it. Tried to not put so much pressure on it but then that started to make my quads hurt. A little over three miles in I had to call it a day.

I am a firm believer that we are due at least one bad long run per marathon training cycle. Maybe even two. What happens when you have more is a separate post all to itself or you can just look back at my training for the New Jersey Marathon. In short, I did not run the New Jersey Marathon so you sort of get it.

I put this one in the bad long run column, hopped on the subway, and bought some breakfast for the ride back home.

As soon as I got home I iced it, elevated it, and watched TV before settling in for a nice nap. Then I applied heat and some KT Tape. It hurt on Monday morning but started to feel better later in the day. Walking can still be somewhat painful especially when I wear not-tendonitis friendly flip flops.

I had vowed that instead of running this week I would just ride my bike every morning and give the foot a whole bunch of rest.

Well I slept in on Monday and Tuesday so no bike ride. I did ride my bike this morning and because I was feeling antsy ran this afternoon but on a treadmill and not a whole lot of miles. The good news is that the foot feels fine. But again this is just on a treadmill. If it feels good tomorrow I’ll run on the treadmill again and do the same on Friday. Again, if all is good then I’ll hit the street on Saturday and attempt my 15 mile long run on Sunday.

I’m optimistic and so anxious, in a good way, to start logging these miles again!

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Back on Track

Posted on August 12, 2014 by scoopsontherun

Sometimes hitting the reset button is just what we need.

After a week of not being able to get out form most of my training runs and decided to flip my upcoming recovery week and the week I sort of screwed up. While most times I am a huge proponent of the, “You can’t make up a missed run” crowd I did know that I was still early enough in my training where making this flip would not hurt me.

I still got my recovery week and the weekly mileage increases are in the normal range for me, especially when they are in the range I would normally do for half marathon training. My body is used to doing 12, 14, and 15 mile long runs three weeks in a row so no big worries on that front. I’m also decided not to do any speed work last week to play it a little safe.

So the flip/reset of my training worked well. I focused on scheduling my training runs to make sure that nothing conflicted with work or other plans. I made sure I got to sleep at a decent hour on most nights and I paid more attention to my nutrition this past week.

It all seemed to pay off. I have my two weekly cross-training bike rides that absolutely make my week. I knew I would enjoy getting back into cycling again but I cannot tell you how much I enjoy getting on my bike on a Monday morning and getting the cobwebs out of my system.

I was able to get every single bike ride and run completed to its full distance on its scheduled day and what a great feeling of accomplishment it was.

My original plan for my long was to run with my running club on Sunday but just needing a few extra hours of sleep took priority so I took the opportunity to run through my neck of the woods. This meant a few extra loops around a park but it also gave me the opportunity to run along some streets (with giant homes!) that I normally don’t get to see. It provided a nice change of pace and some additional hills. It really gave me a fresh look on an old route plus let me fantasize about the type of home I’m going to get if I win lotto.

Please lord let me win lotto, I promise to buy a really nice home and not a tacky one either!

So getting back on track with my training has given me a nice little momentum to keep things moving forward in the right direction.

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Life Happens

Posted on August 5, 2014 by scoopsontherun

So all was going so well with my training and then that darn thing called life got in the way and threw a wrench into most of my training plans for last week.

After coming off a really great training week I had sleepless nights caused by an overworking brain caused by a hectic work life and topsy turvy things in my personal life. I can’t believe I just wrote “topsy turvy” in a blog post. This translated into very little running.

I had really wanted to put a string and serious effort into last week’s training by continuing my commitment to accomplishing my marathon goal time. One missed run turned into two and then the hope of salvaging the week with a good long run just did not happen.

At mid-week I was frustrated about this and even somewhat after my race on Saturday. But while on my extremely abbreviated run on Sunday, the solution came to me. Switch weeks.

This week, week 6 of my plan, is technically a recovery week. But since that is what week 5 turned into I’m flipping them. So the distances I was supposed to cover last week I’m covering this week. While this is not something I would normally recommend, especially as you get further into a training plan. I can get away with it now. I already have a solid base where running 12, 13, 14 miles in consecutive weeks is something I’m used to. Plus it’s still early in the plan. I may not have done this where I have weeks of 17, 18, 13, and 20 miles in a row.

So life happened last week. I still got in a few good workouts but not everything I wanted. It happens and I’m now able to let go of that disappointment. I’ve needed to remind myself to be a bit more flexible and relax. I say this as I’ve been playing with my stress ball at work.

This week is off to a better start with better planning on my part. I’m making sure I get to bed at a decent hour for those early morning training runs and making sure I schedule things around work stuff. I’ll still have to work on not getting disappointed when other things get in the way but at least I know I can figure things out.

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With Feeling

Posted on July 29, 2014 by scoopsontherun

Now that the first recovery week is over, I’m finally getting into the meat of the training program, which I have to say, is my favorite part. It’s that part of the plan where I finally get to start adding some serious mileage and get into a nice steady rhythm of the training.

A hilly and curvy bike ride. Five miles of pure joy.

A straight, hilly, and curvy bike ride. Five miles of pure joy.

This past week included some cross-training with a nice bike ride and yes, I did that stupid yoga for runners DVD. I enjoyed the bike ride and then realized how tight my quads were right into the beginning of Hero’s Pose.

But what really made me enjoy this week was the running. For me, the first few weeks of the training plan felt as though I was just coasting along. As I looked back at those logged miles I just didn’t feel that I was putting in the proper effort. So this past week was about getting serious for this marathon.

I pushed when required and finally felt as though I found my groove with my first two-a-day or technically three-a-day workout. Because of my schedule, I’m not always able to run more than five miles before work and last year I broke these up into two runs. One in the morning and one during my lunch break. The morning one was outdoors and the lunch run was on the treadmill. I found that this really helped me in so many ways last year and I just felt that it helped my legs prepare for the miles and that my legs really liked this.

This past Wednesday was that split run. I ran better in the morning and felt even better running during lunch. It was such a huge mental boost that I surely needed. My legs felt great after both runs and that was what really mattered. I ended the day with my Deep Water Running class where I could give myself an intense but low-impact workout.

My Sunday long run took me over the George Washington Bridge and into the Palisades Interstate Park. This was my first time venturing into this part of the world and I absolutely loved it!

I had three people from my running club running with me or in close proximity so it was nice to have people to chat with and make those miles go by quickly. This helped me keep my promise to myself to keep a steady pace and push myself when I needed to. The fact that I did this on a hilly course was incredibly satisfying.

This is what scenery looks like. (c) Stacey Cooper

This is what scenery looks like. (c) Stacey Cooper

Then there was scenery — I actually noticed it. There is a ongoing commentary that I have with my best buddy/running wife about how when we run together I’m always very serious and focused on the task at hand. This isn’t to say that my running wife isn’t taking the run seriously but she takes some time out to enjoy the scenery. I should also point out that just because I’m all business when I’m running doesn’t mean that I’m not enjoying it.

Since my running wife has been injured I have desperately missed running with her. She’s a faster runner than I am and I know that is one of the big reasons why my race times improved so much last year. There were several times during the long run when I thought about how much she would love running here. I even took out my  headphones and just enjoyed listening to the sounds of the birds and running water. It was pure bliss and yes, there were several times when I looked up at the trees and enjoyed looking at the scenery.

But overall, this is a great feeling to have when you get into the serious part of training for the marathon. The next key part is to maintain and remember this feeling as the month of August approaches and we all get tried.

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The First Recovery Week

Posted on July 21, 2014 by scoopsontherun

When people ask me how many marathons I have run, I always have to think about it. You see there was the Hurricane Sandy year when I completed all of my training but never ran it. So in my mind I always want to say four marathons but in reality I trained for four but have only completed three and am now in my fifth training cycle. It’s so confusing.

Since that has all been explained above I can now go on to say that since I am in my fifth training cycle there are certain patterns to the training plans, no matter which one you use, that are very similar. Those are the recovery/step down weeks. Most of the plans that I have seen all have you increase your mileage for two weeks and then have a recovery week after that. The idea is to help your legs recover so that they are fresh for the next round of increasing miles.

I typically love these weeks and appreciate that my body often realizes that I need these weeks before my brain does. There is, however, one recovery week that always drives me a little nutty and that is the very first one.

It’s hard for me to consider the two long runs during the first two weeks of my plan as long runs simply because they are not double digit long runs. The first week on my plan has a seven mile long run and the second week has a nine mile long run. These are distances that I can do without much work so having a recovery week of six miles for me long run always throws me for a loop.

Mentally, I’m ready to get into the meat of the training plan but physically I had to take it down a notch during this past week. In some ways it was frustrating. I just started to feel as though I was getting my marathon training legs under me when the recovery popped up. My legs felt achy and tight all week, although maybe the mid-week wine and lack of water had something to do with that. Oh, and maybe the lack of sleep too.

But, like I said above, sometimes my body knows I need the rest before my brain. I think I realized that this weekend. That tightness in the legs could mean, not just that I need to hydrate better but also that I need to do other things to help my legs. Three weeks into this plan and I remembered that my legs felt much the same way during the first week.

I’m trying to do more of the cross-training regularly. Even though I missed by bike ride last Monday, I went out for an easy ride on Friday morning. I also missed the ride this morning because of a late night and needing to get at least five hours of sleep. So the plan is to get to sleep at a better time, get up tomorrow morning and ride my bike, and then run my three miles during lunch.

This is going to happen again. Oh, dear.

This is going to happen again. Oh, dear.

Then tonight I will take out the dreaded Yoga for Runners DVD. You all remember that experience from a couple of years ago, right? If not, let this refresh your memory. It really is a good DVD, I remember being in pain because my muscles were so tight, and I remember fast forwarding through all the meditation and namaste crap.

So while the first recovery week annoys me it has served the additional purpose of reminding that I need to get serious about my training and get my game face on if you will. No more crazy late nights, no drinking during the week, and sticking to this plan.

Let’s do this.

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Anxieties or Week Two of Marathon Training

Posted on July 14, 2014 by scoopsontherun

So yes, the second week of my marathon training is in the books.

The week started off well with my first official cross-training bike ride. I survived! I’m still getting used to my new bike, Betty. She is really a nice ride but it has been quite a while since I have done some serious cycling and it may take me just as long to get used to serious cycling again. At some point during this time I became afraid of high speed and going down hills. I can’t pinpoint when this started since I haven’t really been cycling in some time but I do know that when I start planning routes I’m actively thinking about potential hills that I think I can climb and then ride back down, then I start having a mild anxiety attack.

I had planned a different route for this morning with fewer cars but it rained a lot last night and the roads were still very wet. Enter anxiety issue number 2. Since I’m still getting used to the bike I decided not to head out this morning for fear of crashing. I’ll try to get out later this week if only because I already miss riding Betty. (hmmm, that didn’t sound quite right.)

Running as been fine. I’m still not at the pace I would like to be at (anxiety issue number 3) but then again this is really my second week of running consistently in some time. I have to remember that it is going to take some time to get back to where I want to be.

But overall, I’ve just been feeling anxious about so many things this past week and just haven’t been able to just relax and process everything that I’m feeling anxious about. Normally running would help with this but my anxiety levels have been so high that running is only bringing them down a less-anxious level instead of helping me relax. Count this as anxieties 4, 5, 6…

It’s hard to feel settled when you come into work on a Monday morning and learn that one of your volunteers died suddenly the day before. Sad and disturbing when you were hoping a new week would bring fresh perspective. I wish I could pinpoint everything that is causing the anxiety but right now a good deal of it is a mystery. Some I do know and will keep that from the blogosphere so that I can deal with it properly. But I just really wish I would be able to relax a bit.

In the meantime, I’m just plugging away with my running and it feels as though my legs are getting back into the swing of things. My hope is that if I can at least get one thing in proper working order other things will follow.

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Feeling Nostalgic

Posted on July 11, 2014 by scoopsontherun

I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic these days. I’m not quite sure what has brought it on but perhaps it has a lot to do with my contemplating moving out of the village that I live in. I’ve also been missing my mother a lot this week and it’s still very hard to deal with those feelings.

The house I live in, an old home I inherited from my grandparents, is slowly falling apart and some nights I’m just ready to walk away from it without looking back. But lately it seems like the house and the property know I’m leaving and are giving me reminders of my time that I spent here as a child. Almost like it’s a parting gift.

The first reminder was how the neighborhood smells. I can’t describe it at all but it’s something that I’ll always associate with how I knew I was in Port Chester by the smell. Those of you who know Port Chester can stop your snickering. I mean this in a good way. It’s the way the trees, flowers, and grass smell all combined into one. I just remember being out for a run and it hit me. I haven’t come across that scent in a very long time and it did make me stop running just so I could inhale it and embed it into my memory.

In many ways it’s like how I remember the certain scents of El Paso, Texas where I grew up. There is nothing like a scent of an approaching rain storm in the desert or the smell of the greenery and lakes and ponds in Hiwasse, Arkansas.

Then there are the roses that bloom every summer in my yard thanks to absolutely no care from me. My grandmother planted these roses and took care of them on a daily basis when I was little. Yet somehow without me doing a thing they come back year after year amazing strong and vibrant. In some ways it’s like my grandmother is still caring for them. One of my favorite things is when I’ve finished a run and am heading home and I can see their bring petals welcoming me. It is incredibly comforting.

Perhaps the most wonderful and hardest memory to hit me happened last Sunday. I had just arrived home on my brand new bike and went to my back yard where I sat down for a bit to send a text message. When I looked up, that’s when I saw them — raspberries. They haven’t been in the yard in decades.

Growing up, my grandfather would go out by the vegetable garden behind the shed and bring in small cupfuls of raspberries every day. They were most wonderful smelling and tasting fruit you could imagine. After he died in the early 90s so did the raspberry bush. Then this summer they have reappeared and not where they used to grow.

Through tears I picked as many as I could and smelled them. It was the most wonderful smell in the world and now everyday when I come I pick my raspberries and am so grateful for some of the things this house and area is giving me right now. It somehow knew that I needed these perhaps final and good memories of the house instead of the bad ones.

I still don’t know what my final plans are but I’m glad I’ve got these few reminders of how much fun and joy I had spending time here.

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Week One

Posted on July 6, 2014 by scoopsontherun

I apologize for that very lame and pathetic blog title but I’m sleepy after my first week of marathon training for this year’s NYC Marathon.

Back in my happy place. (c) Stacey Cooper

Back in my happy place. (c) Stacey Cooper

So yes, week one is in the books. In some ways it’s like the first day of school. There is that excitement combined with a little anxiety.

It has been great seeing all of my buddies’ posts about their first week of training and very exciting to get my own training underway. But at the same time those usual bits of anxiety creep in. Do I have a solid enough base to start out on this plan? Will I  be able to handle all this mileage again?

Having done this a few times already and using this plan last year I know the answers are all yes. But there is still that tiny little voice that questions everything.

My first week went well. I never look at it from too much of time/pace type of week. It’s more about getting into the rhythm of the plan. Last week was bait tricky here in New York as we started out with very humid conditions and a lot of severe thunderstorms in the evening. But every mile that was supposed to be logged got logged and I’m very happy about that.

This is my new Trek Lexa C. She has yet to be named but I'm working on that. I love her dearly. (c) Stacey Cooper

This is my new Trek Lexa C. She has yet to be named but I’m working on that. I love her dearly. (c) Stacey Cooper

I’m also happy that my plan for doing my cross training portions of my training plan are well underway. I think I can only say this because I’m not attempting to do anything that involves strength training. I still have yet to walk to side of the gym since I only joined that for the treadmill during the winter months. I’m trying to be realistic about what will work and what won’t for me. So, this has meant sticking to my Deep Water Running class during the week and now I have my new bike!!!!!

I ordered her last week and was able to pick her up today. After my final fitting at the bike shop by my house I rode her home and man is she a nice ride. She responds well when I shift gears and brake and just feels like I have been riding her forever. This is pretty great since it has been about six years since I have seriously ridden a bike.

Her arrival coincides just in time for my official cross training day in my training, which is every Monday. I’ve got my route mapped out for a decent distance that involves a few hills and get me back by the time my early morning runs are done. We’re going to have a fabulous summer!

It’s these little things to start off your training that give you the mental boost that you are indeed going to have a great training season!

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It Gets Real Now

Posted on June 30, 2014 by scoopsontherun

Today is the first day of training for the 2014 NYC Marathon. It is a rest/cross training day. Ponder that for a moment. You are starting a new training plan for a marathon and your first option is to take a rest day.

For most plans that I have looked at over the years I’ve noticed that most most start with this rest/cross training day option. It makes total sense when you actually get into the plan and know that your long runs will most likely fall on a Sunday. Besides, who really wants to do a hard workout on a Monday? Cross training it is! See how I skipped over the rest bit.

Once again, I’ll be using Hal Higdon’s Intermediate I Marathon Plan. I used it last year, and if you recall, I had major anxiety attacks for the first few weeks. Then I got into the rhythm of the plan and realized that my legs really liked how the weekly miles were arranged. I found it much easier to follow than his beginners plan if only because it can often be hard to run 10 miles on a Wednesday night after a long day work.

Ha, but just because I’m familiar with the plan does not mean I won’t have anxiety attacks this year! This is me we are talking about. So here goes my annual advance gratitude and apology to all my friends. First, thank goodness most of you are also runners so you get it. Second, my entire social calendar will be almost occupied by running. However, I will always make room for brunches (and Bloody Marys) post-long run. Third, I will most likely only talk about my marathon training. If you can put up with this again, you are a superstar and know how grateful I am for your support!

So yes, there are no more excuses for missing a run, it’s time to log those miles and get serious about my goal of a sub-5 marathon. I know what has to be done to get there, I just have to do it. Oh dear, now that just caused a minor panic attack.

Does laundry count as cross training? Kidding, but not really.

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