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Oakland Marathon 2014 training: 1 week out!!!!!!!!!!

Oakland Marathon 2014 training: 1 week out!!!!!!!!!!

Week of March 10, 2014 – week 11 – 1 week out

OakMarathonLogo

Hard to believe that I just wrote “one week out” in my title, that my 22nd marathon is less than a week away, but it’s **almost** that time, guys! Pretty wild and exciting stuff.

Last week ended on a bit of a crappy note with me getting ill and deciding to pass on my 17 miler, my last real LR, though I knew it was the wise choice. This week, I slowly but surely felt like I was regaining strength, even with the reduced volume that comes with the territory of a marathon taper–and finally getting off all the cold medicines that made me feel like I was floating above myself helped, too, no doubt. It’s a bit bizarre because before I got sick, I was feeling pretty invincible about everything–not like this marathon was in the bag (because, newsflash, that never happens…) or anything, just a good, solid feeling of confidence–and once I got sick and was pretty much on my ass for a couple days, suddenly I had this ridiculous crisis of confidence and wondered if I’d even be able to finish a marathon, without any regard whatsoever to time goals.

Part of this so-called crisis is just taper nonsense for me, wherein my emotional and my rational sides duke it out in the confines between my ears, but typically, if I start to freak out about anything, I just think of what I would tell my running family if they told me the same stuff… and I generally tell myself to STFU, though (usually) in nicer terms. ๐Ÿ™‚

I should write a separate post about this stuff, but suffice it to say that a week out from Oakland, I’m feeling well–healthy, strong, confident in my training, and really pretty eager to see what’s there. Oakland is a bit of a mystery to me because the race has only been around for five years now, I don’t personally know anyone who has run it, and I can only glean so much from what I find online, from people’s blogs (and of course, the quality control is all over the place)… so unlike before NYC (and many other races), when I felt like I knew everything I needed to know about how to pace myself, what the course/topography was like, and all the secret little ins and outs of how to run a successful marathon there, Oakland is a bit more of a surprise. It’s fun that way, maybe a bit unnerving, but mostly just fun. I’m beginning to get tangential, so I’ll cut myself off now and take you to this week’s training!

Monday, March 10

p: rest

a: rest

Like a champ.

Tuesday, March 11

p: GA + speed – 8 w 6x100m strides

a: GA + speed, 8 w 6x100m strides (8:24 pace)

This run was much more mentally and physically taxing than it should have been. It was also my first day of running after 48 consecutive hours off (a rarity for me), and my legs felt gelatinous, I felt like I was going to keel from dehydration (it wasn’t hot; it was 5am and probably high 40s!), and though I was feeling a lot better from my cold that sidelined me over the weekend, I just still felt meh. This was also my last day of being on a cold medicine cocktail which, if I can help it, I want to avoid in the future. No doubt the medicine helped, but I hated the way it made me feel.

Wednesday, March 12

p: recovery 5

a:ย  recovery 5, 8:33 average

A rare afternoon run for me. We’re a sharing family, so by this point in the week, the cold that sidelined me for a couple days, and was an annoyance to my toddler, was full on rockin’ out in my husband (hence the afternoon during-the-kid’s-nap run). Lots of mental nonsense still about the race, though I was feeling a lot better overall and finally off medicine.

Thursday, March 13

p:ย  VO2 max 8 mi with 3x1600m at 5kRP; recovery jog bt

a: VO2 max – 8.58 with 3x1600m at 5KRP; 3 min RI (avg for 1600s: 6:40, 6:41, 6:34ย  [goal: 6:40])

Just what I needed, both physically and mentally. This workout usually smokes me because I pace myself poorly and end up just about death-marching it in. I vowed I wouldn’t do that today, and it helped tremendously. I’ve also never done mile repeats on a track (only on the LFT back in Chicago), so that was a bit of a change as well. I managed to squeak in most of these before the school day began near the PCP track I was using, but a PE instructor was out there with his class and ended up shouting my splits to me each 400m, which was kinda fun and made me nostalgic for track season.

Anyway, I was THRILLED with this workout. Just thrilled. It has to be the only time I’ve done this that I actually succeeded in realizing that which I wanted to, and it was nice (read: reassuring) to see that one cold, that took me out of commission for a LR, didn’t totally deplete my fitness or somehow squelch any remote possibility of running 26.2 here in a couple days now (as ridiculous as that all sounds to admit). Awesome. And with this workout, the taper was officially official.

Oh, and I got some pretty pictures from the track and the sunrise. If you see my stuff on IG/fb/twitter, you might have noticed this lil photo-a-day thing I’m doing as part of the ZOOMA Napa promotion. It’s fun. ๐Ÿ™‚ The photo prompt that day was ‘favorite,’ so I wrote that my favorite time to run was with the sunrise.

PCP track (on the way there, anyway), then Chicago, Chicago, Chicago :)
PCP track (on the way there, anyway), then Chicago, Chicago, Chicago ๐Ÿ™‚

 

After the mile repeats, my gal and I headed down to the aquarium in Monterey and oogled over jellyfish for the better part of an afternoon. That has nothing to do with my training this week, but dammit, jellyfish are really pretty cool.

we're fans
we’re fans

 

Friday, March 14

p:ย  recovery 5

a: recovery 5.03 (9:03 average)

I’m totally embracing the easy recoveries and keeping them as easy as possible. My levels of vertical oscillation are probably horrendous, but the pace sure is fun. ๐Ÿ™‚ Not a whole lot else to say about this one.

Saturday, March 15

p: GA + speed, 7 mi with 10x100m strides

a: MLR 13.07 (8:21 avg)

Little switcheroo with putting my LR on Saturday instead of Sunday. For a change, I drove over to the section of the GRT where I first began running here, when we were in temporary housing on the north side of the city, so it was hard not to be nostalgic (even though it was just two months ago!) for a while. Started pre-dawn on a path lit only by my headlamp and the light of a really gorgeous full moon… and it was just all kum-bah-ya. This MLR was also one of the only times this cycle where I’ve run by myself without having my phone jammin’ to some music; I didn’t want the musical distractions to interfere with the birds chirping that I wanted to hear more. ๐Ÿ™‚ย  Anyway, kept the run nice and easy, and once I hit halfway, I allowed myself to do a little mini-progression but not quite approach GMP, going a lil somethin’ likeย 9:07, 8:47, 41, 45, 47, 40 for .47 – screwed up my watch when I dropped off my headlamp at the car (moron), 8:41, 25, 7:59, 53, 53, 49, 47, 33 for .6 .

Again, rationally, physiologically, I know there’s no benefit or no adaptation that’s going to occur that will give me any sort of competitive edge a mere 8 days out from my race, but emotionally, it can be hard to tell myself to calm TFD sometimes about this stuff. ๐Ÿ™‚

pre-dawn on the GRT with the big full moon over the new stadium
pre-dawn on the GRT with the big full moon over the new stadium

 

the sunrise, as seen from Alviso
the sunrise, as seen from Alviso

 

doesn't do it justice, but the fog rising from the riverbed was really cool...and kinda looked like a bunch of ghosts
doesn’t do it justice, but the fog rising from the riverbed was really cool…and kinda looked like a bunch of ghosts

 

Pretty fun (and early) run though before the family and I trekked into SF to meet-up with my first supervisor post-undergrad (read: one of my first ‘real world’ job supervisors). We had a great relationship when I worked for him, and he has long been a source of awesome encouragement and motivation, both in my personal and professional life, and I always feel like I leave our get-togethers feeling super charged and ready to just take on the fuckin’ world. That’s a pretty good feeling to have before your first marathon of the year, folks…

yay mentors!
yay mentors!

And, how cool is this– he was also a D1 hurdler back in the day, has also run several marathons, and has been a lifelong vegetarian (and vegan, for a while). Maybe it’s not so coincidental after all that we jibe as well as we do.

Sunday, March 16

p: MLR 13

a: GA 7.0 (7:57 avg)

Very awesome day for the running community. I was jazzed all morning and day from my friends’ race reports comin’ in from all over the country, and while I had planned to run pre-dawn, my 4am alarm came and went… as did my 5… and before long, I got to go over to volunteer as a course marshall with some other Wolfpack runners at the Go Green St. Patrick’s Day half marathon/10k/5k in Los Gatos, about 20 minutes from home. It was a beautiful morning for a race, and being a course marshall so early in the race, between miles 2-3, just rocked. I had a ton of fun cat-callin’ to all the racers, and they seemed to appreciate my nonsense.

and the view wasn't too bad, either
and the view wasn’t too bad, either

It wasn’t until I got home, then, and well after brunch, and after I fell asleep in my daughter’s bed waiting for HER to fall asleep… and after I came this close to not running because I awoke to her totally cuddled up in my arms… that I ran. 2pm, 79 degrees, unadulterated sun, and about 15mph winds from the north. It made for an interesting run, that’s for sure; I typically am running in temps that are nearly 30 degrees cooler, so my body was a lil’ WTF about the drastic change.

And that’s a wrap, folks. On to race week! Let’s go, OAAAAAAAAAAKLANNNNNNNDDDD!

This week’s mileage

p: 47

a: 46.79 — damn, so close!

How ya doin’?!

Oakland Marathon 2014 training: 3 weeks out

Oakland Marathon 2014 training: 3 weeks out

Week 9 – 3 weeks out (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) – week of February 24, 2014

OakMarathonLogoHello, March — and heeeeeeeeeeeello, RACE MONTH!

This week was my final peak week, and I’m ready for it. It kinda blows my mind right now that the bulk of my training is over for Oakland–how has 9 weeks already passed?–and, related, I have no idea how my family and I have lived in California already for over two months now. I think it’s still a little premature for me to look back at my training this cycle–forthcoming–but I found myself internalizing things a bit on many of my runs this week because we’re in race month, folks, and I’m beginning to think a lot about failure.

Yup, failure.

Like I wrote about on The San Francisco Marathon’s blog, about going after crazy-ass goals, when you publicly admit your goal–crazy-ass or not–you’re really putting yourself out there and, to an extent, putting a lot of stuff on the line, like your ego, pride, all the good stuff that can really build a girl up or knock her straight on her ass. In my humble opinion, public proclamations make the pursuit of the goal(s) that much more… visceral, I guess is the right word for it… yet the heightened stakes from folks knowing what you’re going after can also be a bit anxiety-inducing.

The hell am I talking about?

I’m going after a 3:15 this year (hello, sweaty palms), a good five minute-ish PR from my current 3:20:06. I’ll go after it in Oakland, which, for perspective, I’ve read that Boston has nothing on Big Sur, and Big Sur has nothing on Oakland, in terms of course profile. I’ve not yet run BS, so I can’t testify to the accuracy of that claim, but it’s definitely in the back of my head. Anyway, since I’ve proclaimed to the world that a 3:15 is my big goal this year, I have been thinking a lot about it and what I need to do to get there… and how I define failure. Will I have failed myself or my training if I don’t go sub-3:20 in Oakland? If I don’t hit 3:15? I have no idea, and really, I don’t know when or if I’ll have any answers to these questions.

I write this only because I think it’s enormously important to not only talk about this stuff and be real about it but also because it–doubt, anxiety–comes with the territory of marathon training and going after a goal, a crazy-ass one or not, that matters to you. Though I’m beginning to get a little jittery about this stuff, I’d probably be more jittery if I weren’t in the first place (catch that? complicated sentence structure).

Getting through our doubts and anxieties about realizing our goals is part of the ‘mental callousing’ or ‘mental training’ that’s paramount to marathon training. This stuff, this mental business, as unsexy and a bit unsettling as it is, is an important element to this marathoning game.ย I’m all for being confident in your ability to realize your goal(s), but I think it’s also important to train your mind to deal with doubt and anxiety, those little voices that make you second-guess yourself. Brain-training FTW, folks. The pros do it, too.

Despite everything I just said, though I likely sound incredibly doubtful of virtually everything, training has gone GREAT. I am absolutely stoked to race my favorite distance in just a few weeks.

And with that… training!

Monday, Feb 24

p: rest/XT

a: rest/XT

Nice lil’ rest day.

Tuesday, February 25

p: recovery double: 6 a.m.; 4 p.m.

a: yup, recovery double: 6.01 in the a.m.; 4.01 in the p.m.

Felt pretty well post-long LR on Sunday, but it was nice to have a recovery day so early in the week. I took a different route in the morning and found myself at Costco in the pre-dawn hours–interesting–and also was quickly reminded why I go my usual routes when streetlights were non-existent and not all sidewalks were ADA-compliant. Those factors, plus the issue of my slowly-dimming headlamp (that I didn’t realize at the time), necessitated that I literally tip-toe on the run because I couldn’t see for shit… which got old quickly… but otherwise, a nice run. In the p.m., I just ran big loops around my neighborhood and, in the process, was momentarily chased by an off-leash Chihuahua. I love animals just as much as the next vegan, but that little effer was lucky a car or I (which, to a small dog, probably feels the same) didn’t run him over. Anyway, nice easy runs.

Wednesday, February 26

p: VO2 max 11 miles with 6x1000m at 5kRP with 2 min jog recoveries

a: MLR 15.03 (8:30 average)

Midweek quince that got bumped to early in the week thanks to the weekend’s 8k I’d be subbing for my speed. This run was a bit rough because of multiple pit stops (late dinners are bad ideas for vampire runs) and fierce-for-SJ wind. It was definitely a morning where the effort didn’t match the watch, but it’s all good. It was nice to run on the GRT during the week and in the early morning hours for a change, too. Oh, and besides seeing 10 feral cats, I tried to convince a chicken to stop crossing the street by SJHS so she wouldn’t get slaughtered by cars, but despite my clapping and yelling, she insisted on just running deeper into the intersection. Natural selection, you win.

Nice knowin' ya
goner

Thursday, February 27

p: MLR 15

a: 11.1 miles GA + recovery (8:47 average)

In the interests of not doing double-days of speedwork this week, I changed the VO2 max workout to just a GA 11. I made a deal with my legs (you do that too, don’t you?) that we’d run the first 8 as a slow GA pace and then the final 3, in big loops around my ‘hood, as a recovery. On the final .5, I included some strides to freshen things up a bit, and those felt good. It was challenging to not get mentally discouraged about downgrading part of a GA run to a recovery, but it was also one of those instances where I knew that listening to my body was a must — and especially during peak week and especially so close to my marathon.

Today’s bonus: getting my Chicago Marathon ’13 official results book and seeing our BRC name in print for winning our division.

doesn't get old. such a cool accomplishment.
doesn’t get old. such a cool accomplishment.

Friday, February 28

p: GA 8

a: recovery 6.05

Another easy recovery run around the ‘hood in the predawn and very rainy hours. I was soaked by the time I was finished, and it continued to rain here for almost the entire day. #whatdroughtCA?

Saturday, March 1

p: recovery 6

a: LR 20 (8:10 average, 9:14, 8:37, 57, 35, 39, 44, 25, 23, 00, 09, 01, 759, 51, 812, 751, 805 for .11, 751, 43, 35, 22, 714 for .89)

Final 20 for the Oakland cycle! Originally, Stone and I were going to meet up for this 20 here, but when work schlepped her off, I was on my own. I decided to return to Hellyer/Coyote Creek as I did a few weeks ago, and the morning was a bit of a clusterfuck with me leaving nearly an hour later than I planned–toddler issues at 4:30am–and some fierce-for-SJ winds and sideways-blowing rain. I had a hearty headwind for the first half of this, and the rain persisted until mile 14 (wherein I immediately saw, and then ran under, a rainbow– SO COOL!!!). I figured I’d probably go for a fast finish on this run, but I wasn’t really committed to anything; I just wanted the miles and the time on my feet.

Anyway, at times the wind was just laughable–that type of wind where you take 3 steps forward and feel like you get pushed 2 steps backwards–and rather than fight it, I just went with it. I managed to get to Hellyer, and then leave, right before a half marathon there began. An ankle-deep puddle on the trail necessitated an early turn-around, but not before I accidentally flashed some race hikers when I dropped trou, one of my finer moments for sure.ย  I’ll take running with friends over sola pretty much every day of the week, but I think all this nonsense was sufficiently entertaining that this 20 actually kinda went by pretty quickly. And! most importantly! Even with the fast finish, I felt like there was a good bit left in the tank–and I felt really good for the rest of the day, even with standing on my feet to volunteer at the 408k packet pickup all afternoon. WIN.

the ankle-deep, inescapable puddle at my turn-around. also, where I was spotted.
the ankle-deep, inescapable puddle at my turn-around. also, where I was spotted peeing. no es bueno.

 

swoon
swoon

Sunday, March 2

p: LR 20

a: 3.05 mi WU & CD; 8k (4.97mi) Run to the Row (35:06, 7:03 average)

First time racing in SJ, first time wearing the Wolfpack singlet in a race, finally running one of the races I was a local ambassador for… just a very fun morning. The course began at the SAP Center downtown and wound through some ‘hoods before the final ‘Mariachi Mile,’ that had about 5 different Mariachi bands — very cool — and finishing at Santana Row, a shopping district. I was really excited for the race and entered it with virtually no expectations besides just getting some semblance of speed in this morning. Of course, I always want to PR–who doesn’t–but I focused more on keeping this effort honest and as-speedy-as-I-could-muster on peak week legs that already had 65 miles on them, twenty of those being fewer than 24 hours prior.

Pre-race, Bernadette, another 408k ambassador and local leader of a moms’ running group here, and I hung out for a bit before I connected with Coach Lisa and other Wolfpack runners. I love race day mornings because the positive energy is just palpable, and for a very short time, the race suspends reality and seemingly (or actually) allows runners to rule the streets. I totally felt like the new kid at school because I knew nothing about where we were running and virtually nothing about the course, but that’s part of what made the race so fun. Uphill? Downhill? Hairpin turns? Sure!

True to form, I remain pretty outrageously horrible at pacing shorter stuff (6:43, 703, 10, 22, 26 for .97), even if I think I’m doing it satisfactorily, but I’m happy with how this went. We had another windy-for-SJ morning with some almost-rain, but it was a nice morning for a jaunt.ย  I enjoyed running a new-to-me race and meeting so many Wolfpack teammates in the process; these folks are FAST. Immediately seeing C and A once I finished was a treat, too, and apparently, they saw me cross the finish line (but I didn’t hear them yelling). All told, I was 5th in my AG and 13th woman OA (out ofย  612 and 4,577, respectively). It was my slowest 8k in a while, but post-20 miler? I’ll take it. I’m thinking bigger picture here, folks.

love my fan club :)
love my fan club ๐Ÿ™‚

I wouldn’t necessarily advise anyone to try to race the day after a LR, but this fit into my schedule pretty nicely, and getting the ambassador gig was a treat as well. I will likely do the other two events in the Run the Bay series that Represent Running hosts, but they’re not until much later in the year.

So! Another week down, another week closer to Oakland, and best of all: TAPER TOWN!!!

Week’s Totals

p: 70

a: 70.22

What say you? Do you think about failure when you’re training for your goal race? Do you think it’s important to do so or mostly just depressing? What ‘rainbow,’ real or otherwise, did you see this week on your runs? Tell me everything!