20 Miles. #Megsmiles

On Tuesday evening, I dropped Susanna off at her dance lessons and headed out for 14 miles total, including an hour with =PR= at the track.  I'm so used to running near the Vienna metro, which is very runner friendly with plenty of light even at 5 a.m., wide sidewalks, and pedestrian crossings at all intersections.

Well, Reston isn't like that.  There was absolutely no sidewalk on Sunset Hills Road, which I have to run on in order to reach the track.  My headlamp wasn't bright enough to see the ground, and once I hit South Lakes Drive, I had the choice to run on a pitch black trail in the woods, or on a road without any sidewalk.  I chose the road, thanked the Lord I was wearing reflective clothing, and was quite thankful to get to the stadium lighting at the track.  I don't love running in circles, but it was better than the roads in Reston.  When track ended, I had exactly 25 minutes to get back to Susanna's class, almost three miles away.  I ran along the road, some parts without a shoulder, and prayed the cars would see me.

That night, I sat down to check email and Facebook and saw something someone posted about running in memory of a woman named Meg, a runner killed by a drunk driver.  I hadn't heard of this, so I clicked on the link.  And then I couldn't look away.

She was 34, just a year younger than me.  She lived in Ashland, VA, just 80 miles away.  Like me, she was training for the Boston Marathon.  I put her name into the "search" box, and her profile popped up.  She had a daughter about the same age as Susanna.  Her wall, like mine, was full of pictures of a recent trip to Florida, pictures of her children on Santa's lap, comments from friends just days prior.

On Monday morning she set off on a 13 mile run after her children were in school.  She only made it about one mile from her home before a driver, a doctor on his way to work and still apparently intoxicated from the night prior, swerved off the road and hit her as she ran along the shoulder.

I couldn't stop thinking about her.  Her children.  Her husband. How in one moment, everything - EVERYTHING - about their lives was altered.

I couldn't stop thinking about how that could have been me, just hours before.  There are plenty of people who have too much to drink at Reston Town Center, think they are okay to get behind the wheel, and drive home.  I had just been out running on roads with no sidewalks or shoulders, during Happy Hour for crying out loud, with a headlamp that wasn't really working.  I was at home with my family.  She was out in broad daylight at 8 a.m., and she will never go home to her family.

My thoughts turned to August 2012 when I learned of Heather Boyum, the teacher and mother of two whose life also tragically ended too soon when she was hit by two intoxicated drivers during a Sunday morning training ride.   We had raced together two weeks prior.  We were both out on training rides that Sunday.

I never met these women, and I don't claim to know them.  All I know is that like me, they were runners who had children to whom they were THE ENTIRE WORLD.

On Saturday runners around the world came out and dedicated miles to Meg to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.  On Saturday I ran my first 20 miler since my injury.  On Saturday I thought of Meg, and of Heather, and of all the runners and cyclists whose unarmored bodies were no match for a vehicle operated by a drunk or distracted driver.

Meg, we are all thinking of you.  Rest In Peace.

#Megsmiles

BOSTON TRAINING BEGINS!

Somehow, I'm already in week 4 of my Boston training program!  After last winter's "choose-your-own-adventure" training plan ended in the worst injury of my running life, I've decided to stick to the tried and true Pete Pfizinger "up to 70 miles a week"  program I used for California International.  I guess the average is about 62 miles a week over 18 weeks if you count the buildup and taper, though the middle months are all at or close to 70.  This is the first week I'll hit 60.

Runs were pretty easy to get in over the holidays, especially during our Christmas in Saint Augustine, FL. The beach, coupled with perfect morning running temperatures of 55 degrees, were pretty motivating.  Our last day finally had clear skies and I got in the most beautiful sunrise run.

Now I'm back in Northern Virignia, and it's, well, not 55 degrees.  I have a really hard time getting up to run solo in the freezing cold.  I'm even worse in the ice.  However, I've really got no excuses.  I have great winter running gear.  And check out my shoes:

On Saturday my long run was on the ice covered W&OD rail trail.  While most people were slipping and sliding, I was able to run comfortably.  I have YakTrax, but this seems to work better, especially when the surface terrain changes.  Plus you don't need to worry about walking up your ice covered townhouse steps into your tile entryway, forgetting to take the Yaks off, and falling flat on your face.  (Of course, I'm not speaking from personal experience.  On three separate occasions.)  Total cost of sheet metal screws in a pair of old shoes?  About $4, cheaper if you share the 100 pack with a friend.  

I still ended up on the treadmill yesterday.  I prefer to do my speedwork on it, since I can control the pace.  I also use it as one of the few times in the week I can watch mindless movies on Netflix. I am going to try to limit myself to two days a week on the mill, maximum... my running injuries have only ever occurred in the winter, and I've read some articles lately that point to high mileage on the treadmill leading to hip flexor issues... hmmm..... 

Today the ice has melted and the temperatures are in the single digits.  Although my childhood in the midwest saw many winter days like this, I live in Virginia (the south?), and they have cancelled school.  I don't really understand why, but I'm going to take advantage of the daylight and get my 14 miles in this afternoon.  

So the general schedule is:

Monday - Speed/ Tempo.  Treadmill.  I so far have failed every time at getting up early enough to get in the full mileage and get back to my house in time for Jamie to leave for work, and end up running laps around my townhouse to finish up.

Tuesday - Mid-Long Run (12-15 miles) OUTSIDE in the evening.  I can't say enough about the new DROP OFF KIDS ACADEMY OPTION at Lifetime Fitness in Reston.  Susanna can play in the child center or enroll in classes and I can run outside!  She takes tap dance from 6-7, so I can drop her off between 5:15-5:45, get in my mileage (partly with the =PRR= Reston Distance Training Program), and then grab dinner with her after her class before heading home.  

Wednesday- Easy recovery miles before work.  Strength training during Susanna's swim class.

Thursday- Longish (9-11) run OUTSIDE in the morning.  I am hoping to find regular company for these!  I usually get in 8-9 before Jamie leaves for work, then run laps around the townhouse until 7:15.  That might sound a little tedious/ crazy but it is preferable to a treadmill and/ or getting up any earlier than 5am.

Friday- Easy recovery miles before work, or on the treadmill while Susanna has Zumba class.  I am guessing that if I don't have some pre-arranged company, I'll end up on the treadmill.  This Friday, I do have some buddies to make me accountable!  And that means I can get in strength session #2 during her dance class.

Saturday- Long runs with =PRR= Reston Distance Training Program.  I'm in my first season with them as an assistant coach, so I am running with the participants.  I'm having a great time meeting new people, all of whom have different goal races, and there are a few ladies training for Boston that are on the same mileage schedule as me, so it's been good to have some company.  

As far as tune-up races, they need to be on Sundays since my Saturdays are now with DTP.  I think I did too many tune-up races last year and it lead to my injury, so at this point I'm just planning to do one half marathon or ten-miler and possibly a shorter race in March. 

2013

A year ago, I sat down and posted about what an amazing running year 2012 had been.  About how I'd accomplished all of my goals, set new PRs, run 2000+ miles, and was excited about what 2013 had to bring.  I jumped right into a high mileage, high intensity training plan with the intention of breaking the 3:30 barrier at the Shamrock Marathon, and admittedly, running consumed me.

And then I couldn't run at all.

It has been 10 months since February 28, 2013, when I began to limp after finishing up a tempo run.  In that time, I spent 2 months without any answers and questioned if I'd ever run again, then another two months knowing I had suffered a pelvic stress fracture and doing all I could to stay sane.  Today I got onto Daily Mile to look what I'd done these past 12 months.

January and February - I ran every single day, with the goal of running every day in 2013.  No rest days, high intensity runs at least 3 times a week.  I slept very little in order to get in most of these miles before my kids woke up. 

March - Obviously injured, I kept attempting to run but stopping after the pain became excruciating.  I had my first ever DNF at the Shamrock marathon.  Aside from these 15 random test miles, I gave my legs a break from the pounding and started swimming again after the marathon that wasn't.  Started physical therapy at the end of the month, 3 times a week.

April - 1 mile test runs on the treadmill at PT every couple weeks indicated that I wasn't even close to healed.  Lots of PT, lots of swimming.  Started cycling on the trainer.  Insisted on an MRI at the end of the month, which showed a clear stress fracture of the lower pelvis.

May- NO running, but lots of swimming and cycling!  I figured I could do a triathlon at the end of the summer, skipping the run if I had to.

June- Started running on the antigravity treadmill.  Woot woot!

July- X-ray on my birthday clears me to run, almost four and a half months after the initial injury.  SUPER SLOW, but I ran 104 miles in July and decided to sign up for the Skipjack Triathlon.

August - Lots of cycling, swimming and running!  150 miles of running, still not up to speed, but just thankful to be out there!  I also did the Reston Century Ride.

September - First race since February!  My run was definitely slower than it would have been with more months of training, but I was thrilled to complete a half-iron-ish distance triathlon.  After that I put my bike and goggles away and set my sights on a half marathon PR.  

Ocober - Averaged 50 miles a week!   I also ended up running the Ragnar Relay at the very last minute (I found out the team I had originally planned on running with had an injured runner and made the decision to join them the day before the race!) which turned out to be one of the best running experiences of my year.  I met some great ladies who were serious about running but also a ton of fun.  We ended up winning the women's division as well as the team spirit award.  I think I could become addicted to relay races!
November - My goal was to break 1:40 in the half marathon.  I ended up with 1:40:36, which got me second place overall, a nifty age group win plaque, and 37 seconds to get rid of for my next goal. After that, I spent the rest of the month running with no real purpose other than running.  Jumped on long runs with my marathon training friends (18 miles when you aren't training for anything?  Why?  Just because!)
December - Took one down week (only 30 miles) and started to go a little crazy -- insomnia and restlessness -- how did I ever go four months without running at all?!?  Halfway through the month I started my BOSTON TRAINING PLAN!  I'm following the same program I did when I PRed at California International.  I think the rest day and mostly easy days were key to me staying injury-free, even though the mileage is high.  Hopefully this will prove true!

Total miles run in 2013:  1541.

Challenges:  Pelvic Stress Fracture.  'Nuff said.

Highlights:  PRs in in the 10 mile and the Half Marathon.  Ragnar Relay!  Skipjack Triathlon.  Registering for the Boston Marathon.

Goals for 2014:  I'm not making any, since you never know what life or your body is going to throw at you.  I'm just going to work hard, train smart, and take it as it comes.

Race Report - Chseapeakeman Endurance Festival - Skipjack "75.2 more like close to 77.5"

All in all, I was very impressed with the race.  This was my first  with TriColumbia, and they put on a great event.  The race director was fantastic when I emailed her back in April about being unsure if I'd be cleared to run in time to train for this, and was willing to let me choose to either Aquabike or do a tri distance the week of the event (which I finally decided on for sure, oh, last Tuesday.... )  Everything was very well organized, the volunteers were outstanding, the expo was easy, the on course support was great, wonderful post race food... and they even had showers at the finish!  Score -- got to go home clean!  

The ONLY complaint I have was that the course was long. It was advertised as a 64 mile bike, and at the pre-race meeting some guy pipes up and says "Is the bike course the same as it has been the past two years?"  The race director says "Yes it is."  Some Guy:  "So it's really 66 miles."  RD:  "What?"  Some Guy:  "66 miles.  As verified on my GPS the past two years."  I didn't really believe him, until my GPS registered over 66 miles.  So... yeah.

THE SWIM was in the brackish water where the Choptank River feeds into the Chesapeake.  AND that means... jellyfish.  Little sea nettles.  Apparently this was a light year.  If this was a light year, I'd hate to see a bad year.  I had on a full wet suit, and was wearing Sea Safe Jellyfish lotion all over my face, neck, hands, and feet, but I think it had mostly worn off about 30 minutes into the swim because I then got stung on my nose, lips, neck, and wrist.  The first half of the swim went pretty well, but the second half we turned towards the sun and I had lots of trouble spotting so my form got all screwy. My final time was 43:23 which was ten seconds slower than last year.  As I was getting out of the water, I remember thinking that I was so glad I didn't do the Aquavelo, because that would have involved another loop in the water, and there was no freaking way I was doing that.

T1: Went in the changing tent and ripped off my wet suit, put on my helmet, socks and shoes, and biked out.  Somehow it was three minutes, which seriously, again, why I am so slow?  

THE BIKE was mostly pancake flat with an out and back on a highway and then a loop that went through some nice marsh land.  I felt fairly comfortable holding a 19-21 mph pace until we got slammed with headwinds.  I couldn't get much above 17-18 mph at that point, but I felt pretty good overall. Parts of the ride were beautiful, in a wildlife refuge with lovely marsh views.  The last 15 miles or so were completely out of the wind, and I was able to make up some time with a solid 22-23mph pace.  My GPS hit 64 miles and T2 was no where in site. Guess the guy was right.  It hit 66 and we STILL weren't there.  I GMapped the coursemap and this is what it says:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6091011
Yes, that would be 66.2 miles.  So although the race results claim I biked an 18.4 mile per hour pace, it was in fact 19, like my trusty Garmin reported.  (They also had the wrong distance on The Bugeye Classic  -- the 25 mile bike, according to GMAP, was 22.5 miles.  So I guess if you take away our two and a half miles and add them to the Bugeye, you'd have the correct distance for both?)

T2:  1:40.  That is definitely a record for me.  Go me.  And go my awesome volunteer who handed me the run bag in 2 seconds flat.

THE RUN... oh the run.  I took off too fast, and realized a half a mile in that I was running a 7:40 pace... okay, I probably am not going to be able to hold close to my PR 10 mile pace after swimming 1.2 and biking 66.  I slowed it down and the first mile came in at 8:15.  The second and third mile went pretty well, but then it all started to fall apart.  My legs just weren't having it.  My pace slowed to about 8:40 for miles 4 and 5, and then I got passed by a girl in my age group. I was pretty sure I had been winning my age group up until that point, since I hadn't seen anyone else pass me the other way on the out and back course, and I think once she flew on by at an 8 minute pace that I had no hope of holding, I just mentally gave up.  Well, I tried to catch her for awhile during mile 6, but gave up halfway through (that clocked in at 8:35), and then I was really hating life from basically mile 7-9.8.  7 was 8:57, then I stopped and walked for a minute, poured about three cups of water on my head (it was 80 degrees with no shade, which isn't terrible, but I still felt pretty hot), and started counting to 100 over and over.  Mentally I just couldn't think of anything else to do.  Each tenth of a mile felt like eternity.  I couldn't see anyone ahead of me or behind me.  Finally Mile 8 clicked off at 9:15, and I then I got a side stitch. "YOU LOVE RUNNING!"  I told mysezlf. "YOU DIDN'T RUN FOR ALMOST 5 MONTHS AND YOU HATED EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T RUN.  YOU ARE RUNNING NOW, AND YOUR BODY FEELS AWESOME (sides stitch excluded)! "  Then my dark side said "This is ridiculous.  Why do you do these races?  They feel awful.  This is torture.  You are an idiot."  Mile 9 clicked off at 8:55 and some lady heading out on mile 1 told me I was almost done as we passed each other.  Yeah, I guess I was. So I tried to convince myself I was just doing mile repeats, and this was my last one.... tried to get some kick. Finally I saw the finish.  I turned in and made my way to the track.  I thought I just had to go over the timing mat, but oh no!  The volunteer told me I had to run around that track.  I happen to know that they are 400 meters and I really didn't want to run 400 more meters.  I was the only person on the track.  As I made my way to the straight away, I heard "GO GRETCHEN!"  What?  Oh, it was Brittany (who, by the way, did the Bugeye won her age group in her first ever triathlon!)  And Stephanie!  People actually were cheering me on!  Mile 10 was 8:35.  So overall, the run wasn't too bad, even though it felt awful.  Overall pace was about 8:40, which is probably about right for where my run fitness is right now.  Last summer, when I could hold a 7:40 pace for a standalone 10 miles, my Half Iron run pace was 8:27.  I have no idea how fast I could run ten miles (without the whole swim/ bike thing) right now, but I am sure it wouldn't be anywhere near 7:40s.

Great weekend and race, gorgeous weather, and now... I think my triathlon season has come to a close.  As much as I love the it, the double workout thing just doesn't work for me during the school year.  And so, Dora the Explorer will go back on the basement bike rack (but may emerge for some fall group rides) and the goggles and swim cap will probably not get much use until late spring.  

Race? WHAT?

I haven't raced since February.  That was the race where I broke my hip.  After 2012 gave me PR after PR, and I've dealt with a major injury, I've been afraid to race again.  Afraid of another injury.  Afraid of a time that will kill my confidence, with paces far slower than where they were in the past.  Afraid of disappointing myself, because really, who else cares?

So.... I've got a triathlon on the calendar.  Next Saturday.  It's basically a Half Iron, except I"ll be biking 65 miles and running 10.  It seemed like a good distance because I've been biking more than running.

Some random thoughts on my training:

1.  I haven't really followed a plan.  The swimming started soon after the injury.  The biking was the best way for me to get cardio when I couldn't run.  Since I"ve started running again, I've slacked a bit on the long rides.

2.  I did do a century three weeks ago, and an impromtu 100 mile ride the week before we left for the beach.

3. I think I have done one brick, and I only ran two miles afterwards.

4.  I haven't done any tune up races.  In fact, I haven't done a triathlon since the Ironman.

5.  I have done one open water swim in total since 2012.

6.  I haven't used my wet suit in over a year, since none of my races were wet suit legal last year.

7.  Despite marked improvement in swimming this winter, I seem to have forgotten how to swim.  This seems to have happened when we went on vacation to North Carolina.

8.  My taper kind of started 6 weeks ago, when we were in North Carolina.

9.  I did run 20 miles in one day a few weeks ago.  Not all at the same time.

10.   I ran a half marathon for fun yesterday (did not race it, and kept the pace completely conversational for all but the last two miles) and still finished in 1:55, and that included stopping to call 911 for a fallen runner and waiting with her for awhile.  I'm guessing my overall pace was 8:30, which surprised me.

11.  I pulled my hamstring ten days ago, in what was supposed to be "peak week."  I didn't run for 3 days.  It seems to feel okay now, just a little achey.

12.  I finally bought an aero helmet.  I still have a ridiculously entry level bike without race tires.

13.  In consideration of my husband, I abandoned the double long ride/ long runs weekends.  I usually did one or the other.  Because, really, training for a triathlon properly when you work full time and have two children is recipe for a divorce... no one should be stuck with the kids that long.

So.  We will see how this goes!

Boston Marathon Registration Opens THIS WEEK

 

Reminder to self... register on Friday.  :)

GRETCHEN LIECHTY LYNCH

2013 Reston Century Ride

Reston was my first century ride, back in 2010, and I was excited to do this one again with a little more training under my belt.  I didn't have a blog back then, but my friend Katie wrote a very detailed report of this adventure where I think she nearly killed me for convincing her to ride 105 miles on this notoriously hilly course (in my defense, I didn't really know it was that hilly.)  3 years later I have incorporated sections of the course into many weekend long rides, and was ready to try the entire thing as my last big training ride before Skipjack (the one and only triathlon I have on my calendar this season.)

I had purchased new racing tires for my bike to use at Skipjack and thought I'd break them in during the century.  So while watching TV with my kids, I took off my old (incredibly worn after thousands of miles) original tires and tried to put the new ones on.  And tried.  And tried some more.  I could not for the life of me to get them on the rim.  We had a birthday party to attend, so I put them aside until we got back.  So it's 10 p.m. and my wheels still don't have tires on them.  Jamie and I tried together to get them on.  For an hour.  I tried to get it on with a tire lever and punctured the tube.  Jamie did the same thing.  Two tubes down.  I had four tubes left. An hour later, we had puntured two more and still didn't have the tires on.  It was midnight.  I hadn't put on my handlebar tape.  I gave up and we put the old tires back on the bike with the two remaining tubes. I didn't have the wheels back on the bike.  I still didn't have any handlebar tape on the right side.  I didn't know where my wallet or waterbottle was, for crying out loud.  I texted the girls I said I would start with that they would likely need to start with out me, I texted Tuan (who yesterday decided, spur of the moment, to do the Reston Century with me despite the fact that he did Ironman Sweden a week ago) that I was having a bike disaster and would likely need his help in the morning, and I headed to bed - three hours of sleep is better than none.

(Sidenote:  At 4:30 a.m., an hour and a half after I got to bed, I woke up to loud music.  I peered out my window and there was some guy parked in front of my townhouse with his windows down, pumping music, and reading a magazine.  Seriously.  I turned on my light and stuck my head out the window and he looked up at me and then drove away.  What the?!?!?  So I didn't even get three hours of sleep.)

At 6am Tuan showed up and helped me put my bike back together.  We arrived to the start around 7:15 and took off.  I was feeling great, and the weather was gorgeous.  We were almost to the first rest stop when we ran over some pebbles, and I promptly flatted.  That's right.  Mile 9 of 103.5 and I have a flat front tire and no tire tubes.  But never fear - we were only about 400 yards from the bike mechanic tent!  I picked up Dora (the Explorer, my bike) and asked if I could buy a 650c tube for my tire.  Um... no 650c tubes.  This promptly brought flashbacks of my first triathlon after Jack's birth when at the expo, no one sold 650c tire tubes, and having flatted on a practice ride, I called 7 bicycle shops in Indianapolis and ended driving an hour -- yes, an hour -- to the only shop in this so-called metropolis that carried tubes in my size.  I now really hated these 650c wheels.  The bike mechanic called every other pit stop on the course, but no one had my size.  It was not even 8 in the morning, and every bike store did not open until 10.  So Tuan and I discussed the options.  He could ride back to his car and pick me up, and we could call it a day, or we could wait until the stores opened at 10 and continue the ride, or we could risk using a 700c tube.  We finally asked the mechanic if he could try that, and fold the tube over.  Yup, it would make a little bump every time the wheel revolved, require more energy, make hills a little dangerous, and very possibly result in a flat somewhere along, say, mile 75 in the middle of nowhere.  The mechanic pumped up the 700c tube, gave me another tube to put in my saddle bag, and wished me the very, VERY best of luck.  We head off on the very hilly route, knowing full well that we weren't going to be able to hammer down hills at 40mph in the aero position because I knew if I hit anything I was very likely to end up flying off my bike with a new flat.

So yeah, the ride is a little hilly.  Here is the course elevation:








There are three very steep hills, the worst being from Taylorstown to Stumptown.  We passed the 7-11 in Lovettsville around the halfway point, and I was pretty sure I was going to need a pina colada slurpee to get through that mother of a hill, so we stopped and I bought one.

So that evil hill in Taylorstown.  I did it once last summer, and I never wanted to do it again.  It is one of those hills that goes on forever, is straight up - a 600 foot climb - and if you stop to rest you'll never be able to start riding again and you'll just have to walk your bike up (which would probably have been faster.)  I got in my granny gear, did a lot of standing, and somehow made it to the top.  That hill was OPTIONAL the last time I did this ride.  OPTIONAL!  Sheesh. Even Tuan said it was hard, and he never admits such things.  We got to fly down the hill, except I was holding on to my breaks for dear life and praying my front tire wouldn't give out on me, and then we had yet another mother of a hill at mile 73.

We ran into our friend Ed at the next rest stop, and he took this lovely photo around mile 79.   I am smiling because I think those mother hills are over.  I forgot about the one at mile 82.  Ed says to me "You don't have any handlebar tape on your right side."  I just glared at him.

Ed, Tuan and I rode for the next 15ish miles together.  Really, I just sucked on Ed's wheels. 

Tuan and I skipped the final rest stop (we only hit two on the course, plus the 7-11), but I waved to the mechanic who had changed my flat and yelled "Great job!  Still going strong!"  Then we hammered a bit for the last 9 miles.  (Well I hammered.  My hammering is Tuan's easy pace.)  I was really hungry.  Finally at about 2:55 we pulled up to the Reston Town Center.   I was very excited to see the ice cream truck.

So all in all, a great day.  Great weather, great views, and great company.  I think I will try to do a couple more organized rides this fall.  With my new tires, installed by a professional (I am not a professional, apparently.)  And some spare tubes.  And handlebar tape.  (Don't even ask about the blisters all over my right hand. )  And a few more hours of sleep. :)