My last post recapped how my running fared in 2014, and I was beyond floored to share what an incredible, healthy, and fun year it was for me. It wasn’t so much a year about setting new PRs (though there were just a couple, by default of “I’ve never raced this distance before”) as it was about exploring my new home and the new-to-me trails here and kinda getting my bearings in the fine locales of the Bay Area.
Coming into 2015, I knew that I wanted to focus on two things this year: a springtime marathon PR (with a fuck, this-might-kill-me-in-the-making-but-I-feel-like-it’s-actually-somewhat-reasonable time of 3:15) and, if I played my cards right, a debut at the 50 mile distance sometime in the late fall/early “winter” here. Buuuuuuuuut, then…
As much as I love running and training and working my ass off day after day, year after year, and doing all this crazy shit that comes with marathon and endurance effort training–though my present descriptions of the work required is poorly selling how awesome it all really is–I’m reeeeeeeally fuckin’ stoked to be pregnant.
Really really really.
In the long-term scheme of things, there’s a shelf life to my fertility; on the flip side, I’m cocky enough to maintain that there isn’t one to my running. It makes the decision pretty easy.
To be honest, it’s a little weird to know with absolute certainty in January that 2015 isn’t gonna be my year to finally annihilate my marathon PR or get onto the 50 miler stage, but truly–that’s just fine. I’ve got bigger things–like, profoundly and exponentially life-altering bigger things–in store.
Tangential pregnancy explanations aside, when I was planning my 2015 race calendar, I did so a bit hesitatingly because we were trying to conceive. It made me even more excited to apply for and participate in races as a social media ambassador because I figured that I’d still be able to train for and actually race the events if I weren’t pregnant. Alternatively, if the stars aligned and I actually remembered how ovulation worked, if I were, in fact, pregnant by the time these events rolled around, I’d be happy to still help promote them in my communities. If I felt well enough to run ’em, I’d do that, too. Everyone wins.
I’ll save my “running while pregnant” commentaries for future posts because I’ll have lots to say about it, much as I did the first time around with A. At any rate, without further ado, my 2015 calendar:
March 1 – 408k Race to the Row (SJ, CA)
Super stoked to be returning to this race for a second year as a social media ambassador with the Represent Running krew. I kinda love 8ks, though I never actually train for them–I always just throw it in the marathon training mix–but they always feel to me like an interesting mix of the challenges of a speedy 5k with the work of a calculated 10k. If it’s anything like last year, this race will start outside the SAP Center downtown and wind its way through the city before ending up at Santana Row. There are tons and tons and tons of Wolfpack at this course, either running or volunteering, so please give a shout to your buddies in orange! RUNTHEBAY-EG will net you 10% off your registration costs, too.
April 26 – San Luis Obispo (SLO) Marathon
I’ve heard really great things about SLO and its races (a 5k, half, and full marathon), and getting to see another part of new-to-me California will be fantastic. It is fairly unlikely that I will still do the full that weekend, but we’ll see. GARVEYAMB will get you $10 off your 13.1 or 26.2 registration, and you can also register to be on my team (rainbows and unicorns… I’m all about the cheesiness). Aside from the fun that comes with being a social media ambassador and getting to meet lots of the other SM folks over race weekend, I’m also really looking forward to this race because Erica is coming in from Chicago to run the half as part of her Grandma’s training! I love that gal! And David from Chicago will be in town that weekend and following week as well to run Big Sur, so it’s seriously gonna be like a little Chicago runner reunion. Yay friends from the midwest escaping Chicago in late April!!!!
with Erica (far left) and company at my last run-the-entire-Chicago-lakefront run in Dec ’13. That might have been the last time I saw her!
old pic, but after the March Madness half in a Chicago ‘burb in March ’12! I ran that race with a horrendous sinus infection (protip: don’t do that).
June 20 – ZOOMA Napa Valley 13.1 or 10k
Again stoked to be returning to run in Napa in late June as a part of the ZOOMA Napa Valley social media ambassador gaggle of women. I ran this race so poorly in 2014 that I was hoping for a redux this year, but obviously that will have to wait. It really is a super fast and beautiful course though, so in case you need a reason to come to Napa in June, there you have it. 🙂 ERIN15 will give you 10% off your 10k or 13.1 race costs.
Aaaaaaand that’s it for my 2015 calendar. My due date is 8/21, and depending on the obvious factors like how I’m feeling and how the lil fetus is doing, I’d like to run through the entirety of my pregnancy again. Time will ultimately tell, of course. Maybe I’ll be able to throw in some more pregnancy races in there and some postpartum, or maybe some pacing efforts as well, but we shall see.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being pregnant before, it’s simply that, well, kinda like marathon training, there’s a lot you can control–as well as a whole lot you can’t. One day at a time. 🙂
Week 9 – 3 weeks out (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) – week of February 24, 2014
Hello, 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. 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.
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.
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. 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 peeing. no es bueno.
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. 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 of 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 🙂
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!
Super stoked to be returning to this race for a second year as a social media ambassador with the Represent Running krew. I kinda love 8ks, though I never actually train for them–I always just throw it in the marathon training mix–but they always feel to me like an interesting mix of the challenges of a speedy 5k with the work of a calculated 10k. If it’s anything like last year, this race will start outside the SAP Center downtown and wind its way through the city before ending up at Santana Row. There are tons and tons and tons of Wolfpack at this course, either running or volunteering, so please give a shout to your buddies in orange! RUNTHEBAY-EG will net you 10% off your registration costs, too.
