Half Marathon Training Week 3

Click below to see my 2015 Kentucky Derby Festival Half Marathon training recaps:

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

Week 3 was challenging. I did my first non-treadmill speed workout and pushed myself extra hard on my treadmill runs. My hip was KILLING me after my speed workout so I took extra time to stretch this week (something I should have been doing all along).

Monday: 3.5 mile run, check!

We work up to a winter wonderland in progress on Monday so it was back on the treadmill for me. I considered an all natural ice bath after my run, but  I went back inside and had 200 mugs of hot chocolate instead.

Time: 34:17 Pace: 9:47

Tuesday: 6 x 400 @ 5K Pace, check!
The Professor joined me for a 400 workout on the indoor track at the Centre Gym. It was SO NICE to be on the track (even though it was indoors). 400m was 3 laps around the indoor track which was interesting, but once we got going, I got used to it. I had initially planned on running at at 8:30 5K pace (2:06 400), but as soon as I ran the first 400, I knew I had underestimated myself. Running negative splits was rough, but I felt great when I finished the workout I ended up running just under an 8:00 5K pace for my 400s.

1 mile warm up

400m @ 1:59

400m @ 1:57

400m @ 1:55

400m @ 1:54

400m @ 1:51

400m @ 1:47

1 mile cool down

Wednesday: 3 mile run, check!
I stretched before and after my speed workout on Tuesday, but my hip was killing me on Wednesday morning. I did a lot of stretching and took my recovery run nice and easy...and enjoyed some more Harry Potter.

Time: 29:39 Pace: 9:52

Thursday: Rest Day, check!
I spent my rest day doing research on foam rollers and fall marathons. I'm trying to debate whether or not I should get a foam roller. I'm done debating on whether or not to run a fall marathon. The debate is now WHICH fall marathon I should run!

Friday: 3 mile run, check!
It was -10 degrees when I woke up on Friday morning, so, yea, more treadmilling. I timed my run perfectly with the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It better warm up soon. I don't know what I'm going to do when I finish my Harry Potter Run-athon :(

Time: 28:41 Pace: 9:33

Saturday: Rest Day, check (swap with Sunday).
I was supposed to do my 7 mile run on Saturday morning and burst into tears when I looked out the window and it was a sleety, slushy mess. It would not have been safe to run outside and the thought of 7 miles on the treadmill threw me into a tailspin. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real thing, people! I couldn't convince myself to run so I did A LOT of stretching and resting instead.

Sunday: 7 Mile Run, check (swap with Saturday).

I was in much better spirits when I woke up on Sunday. The weather was still crappy, but my treadmill actually looked inviting. I popped in HP6 and got to it. I've never run in compression socks, but my calves were tight so I gave it a try. I don't know if it was the socks or the stretching, but I'm not sore at all this morning. Also: I did get hit with a major case of the treadmills* in mile 6. I slowed waaay down, caught my breath, chugged some Gatorade, and then kicked my butt back into gear. I'm so glad I did because I finished strong! Splits: 10:07, 10:00, 9:50, 9:50, 9:41, 10:42, 9:33.

Time: 1:09:44 Pace: 9:58

A few thoughts on this week's training:

1. I'm chicken when it comes to the treadmill. Pushing myself this week showed that I've been training at an easier pace that I should have been. I'll be readjusting my goals moving forward.
2.  I did a terrible job fueling for my long run. I wasn't hungry before my run so I jumped on the treadmill without eating anything - big mistake. Also, I still can't take gus. They don't sit well in my stomach. Shot Bloks work well for me and I need to get some before my next long run. 
3. I need to live somewhere that's not covered in snow and ice while I'm trying to train for a half marathon because I'm starting to go absolutely nuts on the treadmill. 

*Case of the Treadmills: When you look down and see how far you still have left to run and suddenly feel like you're running at a world record pace and can't image running anymore so you slow down because you're a mental basketcase.

Case of the Treadmills: It's not pretty...

Weekly Miles: 20

2015 Miles: 67

Tell me about your best workout last week.

Indoor track: fan or not?

What's your favorite fall/winter marathon (October-December timeframe)?

Half Marathon Training Week 2

Whew! Week 2 in the books. In case you missed Week 1, you can check it out HERE.

I adjusted my original training plan by moving everything back 1 day so that I could have Sunday as a rest day. It worked much better for me so I’ll be making it a permanent adjustment for the rest of my training plan.

Monday: 3 Mile Run, Check!

I ran outside on Monday and felt awesome. I even added a 0.1 on there so I could get a baseline 5K time. It was still a little cold and since we were still at my parent’s, I borrowed my dad’s stylish toboggan.

 Time: 29:29 Pace: 9:30

Tuesday: 30 Minute Tempo Run, Check!

I was back on the treadmill on Tuesday (getting all of the answers correct on Family Feud) for my tempo run. Tempo workouts are made for the treadmill because you can set your pace and increase it incrementally (which is harder to do outside, in my opinion). I forgot I was supposed to run 30 minutes and not 3 miles so I went a tad long…

Time: 30:50 Pace: 10:16

Wednesday: 3 Mile Run + Strength, Sorta Check.

I squeezed in my 3 miles on the treadmill, but didn’t do any strength work. Nothing exciting to report about this run other than I finished the 4^th Harry Potter Movie midway through the third mile. I spent the last 7 minutes of my run reading movie credits.

Time: 30:37 Pace: 10:12 Pace

Thursday: Rest Day, Check!

This rest day was much needed. My calves were pretty sore.

Friday: 3 Mile Pace, Checkish.

I had planned on a 9:30 pace but as soon as I got on the treadmill I knew that was not going to happen. My calves were still really tight and I felt like crap for the entre run. I was so glad when it finally ended. I spent extra time stretching on Friday morning and took a few stretch breaks during the day.

Time: 30:17 Pace: 10:05

Saturday: 6 Miles, Check!

The Professor has been slacking on exercise lately and focusing on that little dissertation thing. He was looking forward to a break and joined me for the first 3 miles of my 6 mile run. I blackmailed asked him nicely to take some pictures of me for the blog. He’s such a good blog fiancé. Splits: 11:01, 10:41, 10:51, 9:53, 9:26, 9:27.

Time: 1:01:25 Pace: 10:14

Sunday: Stretch & Strengthen, Negative.

Does making 25,000 trips up and down to the basement count as anything?

I did a little better (but not much) at pushing myself on the treadmill last week, but it’s a goal I’ll continue to work on this week. Considering Danville is supposed to get 8-12 inches of snow today, I’ll probably be on the treadmill for most of my runs this week!

Weekly Miles: 18.1

2015 Miles: 47

What was your best run last week?

Any advice for pushing harder on the treadmill?

Which Harry Potter movie is your favorite?

Half Marathon Training Week 1

Last Monday was the first day of training for my Spring Half Marathon. One way I’m going to stay accountable is by posting my workout recaps on the blog. Natalie did this last fall over on Never Serious Blog and I’m borrowing her great idea. So here we go! Introducing:

In case you missed it: I’m using Hal Hidgon’s Intermediate training plan this time around. For the record - The Professor did not do these workouts with me, I just don't have a good solo running picture :)

Monday: Stretch & Strengthen, check!

 Admittedly, I forgot my training started on Monday so I googled some YouTube videos for a quick workout: 

10 minute stretching for runners - it's not the best, but it's the first one I found on google.

8 minute arms (this was hard. I’m a weakling)

8 minute abs (I probably topped out at 4 minutes)

Tuesday: 3 Mile Run, check!

This was my first treadmill run, post move. I was terrified that something would happen to my prized possession when they were moving it. I was relieved that The Professor got it put back together!

Time: 33:05 Pace: 11:01

I actually almost cried as they slammed it through the door frames.

Wednesday: 5 x 400 @ 5K Pace, Sorta Check.

I was planning on going to the track for my first speed workout, but I ended up having to do it on the treadmill. I had no idea what I wanted my 5K pace to be and I’ve never done a speed workout on the treadmill so I had to keep adjusting and this happened:

0.5 m warmup = 11:30 m pace

0.5 m = 10 m pace

0.25 m = 11 m pace

0.5 m = 9:40 m pace

0.25 m = 11 m pace

0.25 m = 9:20 m pace

0.25 m = 11 m pace

2.5 miles total

Thursday: 3 Mile Run + Strength, Sorta Check.

3 miles on the treadmill at my parent’s house. I didn’t do any strength, but I did spend 10 minutes stretching.

Time: 33:04 Pace: 11:01

Friday: Rest, Check!

Saturday: 3 Mile Run, Checkish.

I ran outside at my parent’s house (we’ve been staying here since Thursday). I thought I remembered a 3 mile route but when I got home and checked it on mapmyrun.com, I realized I had only gone 2.85 because I left out one of the turns…close enough!

Time: 29:00 Pace: 10:10

 

Pre-Run selfies are cuter with babies in them

Sunday: 5 Mile Run, Check!

Sunday’s run was awesome. 55 degrees out and I got to run in shorts. I have no idea what happened during the third mile, but overall, I was pumped about my splits: 10:34, 9:45, 11:47, 9:48, 9:32

Time: 51:29 Pace: 10:17

I also did a stair workout with this guy on Sunday afternoon. 13 steps, about 100 times. Whew…we were tired!

Clearly, I am not pushing myself hard enough on the treadmill. Since I will be doomed to a few more treadmill runs, I'm going to have to get better at that. Less Harry Potter watching and more running! 

What was your best workout last week?

Are you training for a spring race?

Half Marathon Training Plan

Right next to my wedding countdown on my phone, you will find a countdown to the KY Derby Festival Half Marathon. Only 93 days til race day!

If you’re a long time reader, you know that running is a huge part of my life. I coached cross country for a few years before I moved to Pittsburgh and in 2012, I ran every single day for a year! When I moved to Pittsburgh, running had to take a backseat to work and grad school and I was lucky if I got in one run per week.

This year, I’m making running a priority. I’m going to have a lot more time on my hands starting February 1^st and I can’t wait to use that time to wear out a few pairs of running shoes! I decided to use Hal Higdon’s Intermediate training plan for the half marathon (with a few alterations to accommodate some other races I have scheduled). It starts on February 2^nd.

I am so excited to have a plan and stick to it this spring. I'm going to have access to a track again so it should be pretty easy to get my speedwork in too!

I kick started my plan leading up to the training plan with a 5 mile run last Sunday on the treadmill and I have a 3 mile run planned for tomorrow.

Before I wrap this up: did you all see that Brooks is having a winter clearance sale? Check it out and stock up on your winter running gear. They have some great reflective stuff if you're still running in the dark after work like me :)

Enough about me - tell me about your running lately.

Are you training for a race or running just because?

What training plans have you used?

Are you a treadmill runner or outside runner in the winter?

KDF Mini Marathon Recap

I haven’t talked a lot about it, but I trained for and ran the Kentucky Derby Festival Mini Marathon two weeks ago. I knew training would be tough with work, class, and the winter weather but I decided to go for it. It was so difficult to set goals for this race. At first I was disappointed because I knew I would be nowhere close to the times I was running two years ago. It took a few pep talks before I realized that it didn’t matter what my time was as long as I did the best I could given my current situation and time constraints.

As always – it was great to be back in Louisville with the old running crew and be a part of all the usual race traditions.  We kicked off the weekend with some carbo loading at Rockey’s followed by a trip to the Expo. I usually try to avoid most of the vendor booths, but they made you walk all the way through. Your timing chip could only be activated by walking through the “exit” expo doors. Bummer. I did sign the “I Run Because” banner. It was pretty cool to read all of the reasons people were running before adding my own.

On race morning, I tried to eat before I left the house, but my stomach was not having it. I did manage to scarf down a banana while were driving to the course. I was MUCH more relaxed and excited once we got our warm up out of the way.

As usual I took the first mile out way to fast (8:57) but I settled into a grove after that. I was planning for a 10:15 pace but I was feeling really good so I decided to pick it up a bit. Just as I was starting to feel tired, I reached my favorite part of the course. My #1 fans(s) were waiting for me just before the 8 mile mark. My mom, dad, and Justin gave me the boost of energy I needed before heading into Churchill Downs (which is one of my favorite parts of this course!).

I held a 9:30 pace all the way through mile 9.5 and then I hit a wall….maybe not a wall…but definitely a very tall fence. The next 2.5 miles were rough! Of course I was looking my worst for the cameraman at mile 11…why couldn’t he have been at mile 5 when I was still feeling/looking great?! Right after the 12 mile mark (as I was giving myself a DO NOT QUIT pep talk), I passed my #1 Fan(s) again. I guess that was all it took because I got a burst of energy (which I NEVER have at the finish) and finished the race at a 9:30 pace.

My goal in life is to get a great finish photo. I was actually pretty happy with these J I’m not gonna lie – that smile lasted about 10 seconds. It was a rough couple hours after the race. I got back to my parents’ house and slept on the floor of their sunroom for almost 3 hours before feeling human again. I was super pumped with my finish time: 2:08:02. 

I actually had some pretty decent finish photos...which never happens! I might actually order one of these. My finish time was way faster than expected and gave me the motivation to sign up for a fall half. Now I just have to decide which one!

Here are my splits if you’re interested:

Mile 1: 8:57     Mile 4: 9:37     Mile 7: 9:29     Mile 10: 9:49      Mile 13: 9:38

Mile 2: 9:33     Mile 5: 9:39     Mile 8: 9:31     Mile 11: 10:07    Last 0.3: 3.22

Mile 3: 9:30     Mile 6: 9:34     Mile 9: 8:44     Mile 12: 10:31

My Garmin clocked mile 9 short and the last bit of the race as 0.3 instead of 0.1. I'm running with it (pun intended :)

Have you ever run the KDF half? Or full?

What is your favorite fall half marathon?

Somebody Get Me A Calendar

I can’t believe July is over! It seems like just yesterday I was figuring out my homemade pizza recipe and sharing it with you all. Then again, so much has happened over the past few months. I could write a 10 page blog post and still not cover everything! Let’s see…what were some of the highlights this Spring/Summer…

1)      In April, Justin ran and PR'd his first half marathon here in Louisville. I also had a PR this year! The KY Derby Festival definitely knows how to put on a great race. It was a fabulous event and I got to share it with some pretty fabulous people.

2)      May was a busy month. Justin & I both went to Derby for the first time (Infield was fun, but we’re doing it BIG next time J), we traveled to Chattanooga for a friend’s wedding on top of Lookout Mountain, and the Runner of the Year series kicked off for me.

3)      June was an extra athletic month. Cross Country conditioning kicked off, the Summer Running Series kicked off, I had 2 Runner of the Year races, and Justin competed in his first Triathlon. We got to stay in Indy for a weekend with my college roommate Claire which was so much fun. If I had one more weekend in every month, it would definitely be spent in Indy. I miss the city so much! We also went to one of my closest friend’s wedding in June. It was so beautiful and I am so happy for her!

4)      To recover from a busy June, we spent 8 days on the beach doing absolutely nothing but watching the waves and playing cards in July. It was the best family vacation ever. Before we headed to Orange Beach, we stopped in Panama City to visit Kevin. I hadn’t seen him since Christmas! I missed him like crazy & it was so good to finally check out where he lives. 

      Since we can’t sit still for too long, Justin took off for New Orleans and I was headed out west to Arizona. Another July highlight was dinner with the Dream Team. I miss my Zesto girls like CRAZY and it’s always fun to get together. Justin came to visit again the last weekend in July (3 out of 4 weekends this month…I’m getting spoiled!). Of course we spent most of the weekend watching the Olympics, but we did spend a lot of time with family and friends. More on this adventure later…but we also ran the Color Run in Louisville which was hilarious.

Looking at the calendar for the rest of 2012 is a little daunting! There is something going on pretty much every weekend. Between weddings, running, work & school…you’re going to have to check in often to Keep up with Kimberly. I promise I won’t leave you hanging as long next time J

Big Hit Half Marathon

They say it takes 2 weeks to recover from running a Half Marathon...apparently that's also how long it takes for me to blog about a running a half marathon...

Back in August I had a brilliant idea to register for a Half Marathon on October 30^th. It was the perfect plan…I’d be training with the Cross Country team so I’d be more than ready to run. Plus, it started & finished at Slugger Field and ran past all of the sports arenas/facilities in Louisville. Another cool reason to sign up – the age group awards were full size Louisville Slugger bats. I remember saying, “How cool would it be to win a bat?!”

So my Monday long runs turned into my Monday really long runs. I convinced my dad to ride his bike and be my traveling water station along the various 8-11 mile routes I ran around town. I invested in some gel packs and practiced choking them down without losing a second of time (not an easy feat for someone as clumsy as me!)

Side note: I recommend Hammer Gel, Montana Huckleberry. It’s actually quite good! I recommend staying far, far away from anything chocolate or vanilla flavored…yuk.

Then October rolled around and I started getting really excited…and a little nervous. My two main concerns – at what miles should I take my gel & what in the world was I going to wear??? In case anyone’s wondering – yes. It is possible to have hour long conversations…multiple times…about gel and running apparel (capris vs shorts vs tights – tanks vs sleeves & then what length of sleeves?? Gloves vs no gloves……Too. Many. Options.). Not to worry – I figured it all out and remembered to pack my bag the night before the race!

I have THE BEST running group. We met bright and early (except it wasn’t bright…just really early), piled into Chuck’s van, and headed over to the race. A  mile warm up, lots of stretching, a few last minute apparel decisions, some frantic chip & gel pinning, and we were ready to go!

I love the start of the race. So much adrenaline and chaos as everybody lines up and waits for the gun. The first 7 miles were great! I managed to successfully take my gel without stabbing myself with the safety pin or losing any time stumbling around. I even found my parents in the crowd (mom with her camera…trying to time the shots perfectly haha).

Then came the hill…no fun. Around 7 I could feel my calf getting tight and around mile 8, I was ready to amputate my leg. NBD. I slowed down a little and kept coasting through. No way was I not finishing…plus, I really wanted that bat! Luckily for me (him, maybe not so much haha), Chuck was waiting at mile 11 to run in the last 2 with me. He had to put up with me yelling for an entire 16 minutes (in my defense I forgot I had headphones in & thought I was talking at a perfectly normal noise level :) ). Thanks, Chuck!

The finish was the best part….cruising into Slugger Field at center field, rounding third base, and heading for home. I finished strong and in a pretty great time. Not my PR, but there’s always next race! I said it earlier, but I have to say it again, I have THE BEST running group. I love having welcoming committee at the Finish Line…especially my mom with her camera…"SMILE!” “Mom, I can barely stand up.” “Smile anyway!”

Check out these awesome results ==>

Big Hit ¼ Marathon (that’s 6.55 miles, folks):

Murphy – 38:25 – FIRST PLACE OVERALL. Come and get your bat!

Chuck – 40:18 – 2^nd Place overall & 1^st in age group. Come and get your bat!

Casey – 51:18 – 4^th Place overall & 1^st in age group. Come and get your bat!

Big Hit ½ Marathon:

Tim – 1:23:36 – 14^th overall & 2nd in age group. Come and get your bat!

Kari – 1:33:39 – 3^rd overall & 1st in age group. Come and get your bat!

Kim – 1:44:39 – 20^th overall & 3^rd in age group. Come and get your bat!

6 runners & 6 Louisville Slugger Bats. I think that now you’ll have to agree with me…I have THE BEST running group ever.