Halfway There

So I had one reservation when signing up for the Million Mile Run: I didn’t want my hip to become gimpy again. Well… here we are. 16 days and 37.36 miles in, and my hip is acting up. So how did this happen?

On Friday, I had a great 3 mile run with negative splits(!). afterwards, my hip felt tight. I stretched and then danced my face off at a dear friend’s wedding.

The “before” picture

Saturday I was still sore, so I did a flatter, hungover 5K, instead of the 5 miles I had slated. Later that night I was still sore – sorer than I’d like to be.

I reluctantly skipped my 11 mile run yesterday. I still feel guilty about it, even though I know logically it was the right move. This morning it was still sore, and I know for sure I made the right move (even if I still feel gimpy). Luckily you can both run and walk the miles for the Million Mile Run, so here’s my modified plan (the green being what’s already been completed):

 

1-Sep	10	Rest	Rest	5	3	Rest	Rest	18
8-Sep	9.3	Rest	3.92	Rest	3	3	3.14	19.36
	"race"		45 min temp			pace	easy
15-Sep	Rest	3	3	3	5	3	5	22
		walk	walk	easy
22-Sep	10	3	3	4	3	3	Rest	26
		walk				walk
29-Sep	13.1	2						15.1
	OCNJ 1/2 Marathon	walk

I’ve thrown in a lot more walking, to keep my mileage up by give my hip a break from all the high impact. I also knocked out the speedwork. I’ll get back to that when my hip is healthy. I also plan on using a lot of ice and taking more time to stretch – my least favorite part.  Also, I think this weekend I’ve had more junk than I had in the past month, so I’m also going to clean up my plate. I’m sure my hip would love me to be a little lighter.

 

Any other suggestions for keeping an apparently chronic injury at bay?

Atlantic City Race Series Discount!

So the Million Mile Run is in full swing! I started on September 1 with a hot, humid, nasty sweaty 10 mile run where I was cursing the world the entire time. Dan and I were in Syracuse, and I’m really impressed he didn’t push me right into the Old Erie Canal. I would have. I specifically wanted to go back there because we had such a great 20 miler there last year. Well it turns out that when you don’t start until 10:30 AM you lose all your shade, and that Mac & Cheese Hot Dogs are not the best for carb loading (but it was SO GOOD).

I took two days off instead of one because my legs were super sore from the run. Here’s how my mileage was for the rest of last week: 

Also, I wanted to share this great deal I was just emailed:

Run on the historic Atlantic City Boardwalk featuring ocean and bay views, music all the way and a finish line party and beer garden, the Certified Boston Qualifier is one of the best small marathons in the country! In 2012 the Atlantic City Marathon Finisher Medals were voted top 25 in the Nation by Marathon and Beyond Magazine.

Save 20% on any distance (5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon) usingthe code: MidAtlSAVE (expires 10/1/2013)

I’ll be doing the Half Marathon on Sunday, October 13. It’s my back up if I don’t hit my super secret time goal for the Ocean City Half Marathon on September 29. If you want to run with me, take advantage of that code – and maybe make your training miles count by signing up for the (free!) Million Mile Run as well. 

The Final Countdown

The Million Mile Run starts in five days. FIVE DAYS. In case you forgot, I’ll be running 100 miles in the month of September, also known as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Alex’s Lemonade Stand has issued a challenge – parents would go a million miles for their kids if it meant curing them from cancer. So why shouldn’t we?  I, personally, will be donating a dollar for every mile I run in September. Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer and the second overall leading cause of death of children in the United States. More than 10,000 children under the age of 15 in the United States are diagnosed with cancer annually. Please consider a similar pledge to help memeet my personal goal of raising $1,000 by September 30.

 

I am not a heavy mileage runner. 3 miles is usually perfect for me mid-week, and 6 miles for a long run is ideal (if I don’t sleep in instead). Gearing up to run 100 miles has required some training. So how have I been doing? 

August has obviously been the most dedicated. I had some tightness in my back that went away after some rest days, but I’ll have to keep an eye on that. So here’s how I plan on getting my miles in next month:

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Weekly Total
1-Sep	10	Rest	2.25	5	3	Rest	Rest	20.25
			9 x 400
8-Sep	9.3	Rest	4.1	5	3	Rest	5	26.4
	"race"		45 min tempo				pace
15-Sep	11	Rest	2.5	5	3	Rest	3	24.5
			10 x 400				pace
22-Sep	12	Rest	2.7	4	3	Rest	Rest	21.7
			30 min tempo
29-Sep	13.1	Rest
	OCNJ 1/2 Marathon							13.1

The highlighted days are days I’ll be in New York City for work. On September 8, I’m supposed to run a 15K race, but seeing as though they’re rare and I’m working, when I’m done work that day I’ll run the 9.3 miles as hard as I can. The mileage total right now is just shy of 106, so I should be “safe” in hitting my goal of 100 miles. This training cycle I’ve been trying to figure out speed work, so every time I’ve done 400 repeats or a tempo run I’m pretty sure I’m doing it wrong. My speed has been improving though, so I must be doing something right.

This is where I plan to get super annoying – I will be posting all my runs on Facebook and Twitter, so that I’m held accountable, and if you wanted to donate a set amount per mile, you’ll know how much to set aside that day. If you don’t care, this is your warning to hide me or unfollow me. ;-)

Are you looking for a free challenge to keep yourself motivated as summer winds down? You can register as an individual or a team and contribute to us collectively walking or running 1 million miles in one month to raise the visibility of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Remember, it's never too late to sign up - you can do so prior to September 1 or anytime throughout the month.  It's free to participate! Who doesn’t like free!? Register here now: http://www.alexslemonade.org/campaign/million-mile-run

Keeping this guy in my thoughts, today and always…

Five Weeks In

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged. Life has been so busy! Somehow it seems to go by faster every day. How is it less than a month until the Million Mile Run starts? Wasn’t I just in Chicago last weekend? What do you mean Chicago was almost two months ago?!

I wish I could say that it’s flying by so quickly because I’ve been running so much and so quickly. HA. I don’t think I’ve had a solid week of training since I “started” July 7. However, I’ve been able to fake it through most of the earlier weeks. All that running the past couple years has paid off for my current slacking!

That was, until Sunday’s run. I so did not want to do Sunday’s run. 7 miles. I wasn’t sure if I could fake 7 miles. 10K (6.2 miles) felt like it had killed me at the end. Somehow that extra 0.8 seemed like it actually would. I put off the run as long as I could that morning. I had to empty the dishwasher! I had to take care of the cats! I had to clean the shower (really – like that couldn’t wait until later). Eventually I ran out of tasks, so out the door I went. It wasn’t that hot (for August), but it was sunny. Mile 3 felt great.  Mile 4 felt impossible. Mile 5 I swore I was quitting… and then I saw vultures and had to gettheheckoutofthereASAP. At that point might as well go for 7 and get it out of my life.

 

Here are my very uneven splits. Talk about an awful hour and a half!

 

Other things I forget before going on the run:

• Sunscreen. I always forget this. It’s usually not a problem (for me) when I start before sunrise, but starting at 9:30 AM? Stupid.
• Body Glide. Two nasty spots on my back can attest to that.
• How annoying a water belt is – no seriously. Annoying.  So much easier for me to run with Dan and have him hold the water.
• That I’ve lost a little weight, and things fit differently now. In particular, the shoes I wore during the marathon are too wide now. Awkward blisters as a result. Time to send them to pasture.

The run, however, was a reminder that I can’t fake it anymore. I need to start taking training seriously if I want to hit my (super secret) goal time for this half marathon. It’s also time to start putting down the junk food, because it never tastes so good when you’re running after that meal.

Next week I'll be on vacation in Ocean City, NJ. Excited for some great runs down the shore!

All Too Familiar

One of the things most inspiring about Justin was his faith. There’s no question about it, that little boy had more faith than anyone I know, and inspired so many around him.

For those that don’t know, Justin’s father, Jeff, was diagnosed with duodenal cancer. He's had surgery, and they were able to remove the whole tumor, but we don’t know what will happen next until the pathology reports come back. It is a tough surgery with a long recovery period. I am hoping he won't need any chemo or radiation, but it never seems to be that simple.

First Kerry with breast cancer, then Justin’s brain tumors, now Jeff. If you were inspired by Justin’s faith, please take a few moments to send your prayers, thoughts, juju, good vibrations – whatever you believe in – to the Alvarez family.

I know they say when it rains it pours, but I mean it’s been 7 years this family has been battling cancer in some form or another. The Alvarez family has really earned some sunshine, don’t you think?