Happy Monday! This was definitely a crazy week of training for me (both good and bad) with different workouts thrown in, staying in a different place so running in new areas, an injury, a rapid recovery, and a race! But it always works out and the craziness makes it meaningful! On Thursday I ran my speedwork on the treadmill and hurt my back a little over halfway through. I tried stretching and icing, but the icing seemed to aggravate it more and I wasn't sure what that meant for my long run. After some research, I decided to try heat instead of ice and that worked like a charm. Additionally, I applied my KT Tape and the heat/tape combo worked wonders. I ultimately skipped my long run on Saturday and pushed it to Sunday, because while I was feeling better by Friday night, I wasn't quite good to go. By Saturday afternoon the pain was gone and all I had was a little tightness. I continued heating and I'm pretty sure what happened was a spasm, rather than an actual muscle strain because of the rapid onset and the way the pain just disappeared once it relaxed. Other than the injury, I worked in hill training, speed (until I hurt myself), abs/quads, and a race to turn my long run into speed work. It actually worked out to a pretty good week overall. Tuesday Since I raced on Sunday after a long run Saturday, I took Monday off to give my body some rest. I did make sure to do an quad workout and an ab cycle. When Tuesday came around, I started off with 1.5 easy miles with the dog I was watching, and then dropped her off to do 3.5 more on my own. The place I was staying was super hilly, which made for some good uphill and downhill training. Wednesday - On Wednesday I decided to really make use of the hills and use the 1.5 mile loop I found that was half uphill and half down hill to really get in a good workout. My legs were tired from the day before and from the ab and quad cycle that I repeated on Tuesday, but I knew this would be a good way to work hard on tired legs. I did 3 loops and then a little extra to get it to 5 miles total. Thursday - Speedwork Ah Thursday, the day I hurt myself. I had a crazy morning so I wasn't able to get my run in until later in the day and it worked out to be about 90 degrees and 100% humidity. I knew my speedwork would be terrible and I was risking dehydration in that heat if I went outside. "Oh, I'll use the treadmill, it'll be perfect! I've done a 14 miler on a treadmill, I can easily do speedwork." As it turns out, speedwork on a treadmill is quite different from regular treadmill running. The plan was to do a 1 mile warmup, and then 10x800s, alternating the 800s between fast (7:00/mile) and slow (8:00/mile). I got through the 1 mile warmup and then 6 of the 800s and at the tail end of the last one, my back started cramping. I ran out the 10th of a mile I had left and stopped, knowing I might hurt myself if I pushed on. I tried to stretch out, but it got progressively worse and I called it a day. By some miracle, I could still do a side plank, so my steak stayed alive on day 153! Sunday - Hat Trick Race/Long Run Speedwork I didn't want to do my long run alone and I also didn't want to go out half way and find out the pain came back and be stranded, so I looked for a race. I found a unique race called the Hat Trick race. I was a 5 miler, followed by a 5k, followed by a 2 mile. Perfect! 10 miles and I knew I would do them a little faster than a usual long run, with the option to drop if there was any pain after a race. I showed up and registered that morning and then ran about 1/2 a mile to see how my back felt. I had no pain or tightness but I still had KT Tape on just in case. The deal was you had to switch out your bib between races and the 5k would start an hour after the 5 miler, and the 2 miler would start 45 minutes after the start of the 5k. The 5 miler had its own course and the 5k and the 2 miler shared a course with the turn for the 2 miler (obviously) being earlier. If you ran all three, you got a hat to celebrate completing the "hat trick" and there were awards for each race. We started the 5 miler and I felt good. I noted that we ran downhill for about the couple miles and told myself we were going to go back up it, even though I wasn't sure of the course. I was holding about 7:35s and passing runners as I went. My plan was to run the same way I did at the last 5k because I ran a nice negative split there and felt good. At 2.25 miles we turned onto trails. I don't do trails and needless to say, I was not thrilled. It was all uphill on dirt trails for about half a mile. At that point, one female runner passed me as I backed off to 7:50s, not knowing how long we would be on the trails or going uphill. I was so happy when we got on the road, but then the hot sun was bearing down on us as we made our way back. I gladly took water at every stop, and told myself to just hold 8s and push through. The humidity was rough and I was not enjoying myself by mile 4. At 4.25 we had to do a loop through a parking lot to get some additionally distance and for some reason, that made me feel good. I guess because I saw how far ahead of the next closest person I was. When I had the finish in my sights, I heard someone behind me and I dead sprinted for the finish. I wanted that AG award and knew they were big (10yr) ages. It turns out it was a guy, but I was grateful for the push at the end. It worked out to about 7:55/mile average for the 5 miler. I had about 20 minutes to grab some watermelon, water, Nuun, and a gel to get ready for the 5k. When I got on the line for the 5k, I told myself I would take this one easier (ha!). I set off at about a 7:45/mile, and you could tell that people were tired from the first race because they dropped off quickly. I was hanging with a man in neon compression socks, using him as a pacer. When I hit about 1.3 miles, the lead man passed me on his way back, and the other leaders started coming through. I started to notice that there were no girls. When I was about .1 miles from the turn around I saw a girl on her way back and a second not to far behind her, and then no more. "I'm in third!" I looked behind and saw no girls and I kicked it up. When I rounded the turn, I noticed there was another girl about 2/10s of a mile behind me. I kicked it up to 7:35s and then once I hit a mile to go, 7:30s. I kept looking over my shoulder and for a while, I could see a guy, but no girls. I pushed it to 7:20s and then 7:15s and I saw no one behind me. When I crossed the line, I looked at the race director and mouthed "3rd?" and he said yep! It worked out to be about 7:45/mile for that race. I grabbed more water and Nuun and chatted with the guy in the neon socks until the next race. We were so deep in conversation that we almost forgot to switch our bibs and I managed to stab myself with a pin while frantically changing mine. Again, I said, "okay, 2 mile cool down". We took off and I settled into a 7:45/mile pace. I let the three girls ahead of me go, deciding not to race. But as we got going, I felt pretty good and I could tell 2 and 3 were struggling. By the time we got to an uphill, I passed them and they dropped back. I figured they'd catch back up but I never saw them again. I had 1F within a tenth of a mile of me, and I kept her in my sights as we hit the turn around. With about 3/4 of a mile to go we were next to each other. We hit the downhill and she went slightly ahead, but then on the uphill, I shot ahead of her and she high fived me as I went by. We were down near 7:20s at this point with about .35 to go. I held the lead for a while but around .15 to go, she went ahead. I pretty much let her go at that point, but went with, keeping her in my sights as we dropped down to 7:05s. We finished close together, with her getting me by a couple seconds. 7:35/mile for that one. I later found out that she was 15, so I'm happy about holding with someone 10 years younger than me! Ultimately I worked out to be 1st Female 20-29 in the 5 Miler, 3rd Female in the 5k, and 2nd Female in the 2 miler. 10.1 Miles at 7:45/mile and it was a fun way to get my long run in and to do it for speed. Most importantly, no pain!! Oh and I got my hat for completing the hat trick! Was it a crazy, different week of training? Yep! Was it still a good week, that ended in a way I never saw coming after an injury on Thursday? Definitely! Long mileage coming up next weekend, and I'm ready to tackle it after a confidence boost this week!
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So yesterday I ran the Lake County Captains' Grand Slame 5k and I had a blast doing it! This race is a 5k through the area surrounding the minor league ballpark, where the last tenth of a mile is on the warning track, finishing behind home plate. Additionally, the race directors were able to book Carlos Baerga (former 2B for Cleveland Indians) to hand out medals, and to do a meet and greet after the race. The race was only $25 to enter and all participants got a shirt, a medal, a meet and greet, a ticket to any Captain's home game, burgers/hotdogs/beer, and discount tickets for their friends and family. For me, I had a 15 miler the day before, so I knew I would not be trying to run a PR! I talked with my running partner, and he told me "no faster than 7:30. But that doesn't mean you have to do 7:30 if you aren't comfortable. No racing." When I woke up on Sunday, I actually wasn't that sore, so I was feeling like I would be able to push through it at a decent pace. I met my mom at the park (she was walking the race because she is a huge baseball and Indians fan, and loved watching Baerga play) and we went inside to check it out. I saw the finish line on the field which looked exciting. I ran into my Insta-friend Steph and talked to her a little, and then I ran into Veronica, another insta-friend and talked with her a little as well. When it got to about 10 minutes to go, I headed to the start line and found a place about 5 or 6 rows back. I then saw a Cleveland West member, Hasani, standing near the front and I went to talk to him. He's ridiculously fast and was running this as part of the NERC racing series. Apparently they caught our conversation at the start in a photo! I headed back to my spot with about 5 minutes to go and loosened up my ankles like I always do. Carlos Baerga came out to greet us all and counted down from the last 10 seconds. The horn went and we were off! I really was checking my watch because I am notorious for taking off too fast in a 5k. Sure enough, we were at 6:45/mile and I backed down as people went zipping by me, telling myself that they would all be coming back to me in no time. I settled in at about 7:25-7:35, which felt comfortable. Sure enough, halfway through the first mile I was passing people who went out too fast. By the first mile, I was at 7:35, which I knew was pretty comfortable. I stuck with it and continued passing people, feeling pretty good, and around 1.5 miles, I really loosened up. There was a slight hill, on an otherwise flat course, from about 1.7-1.9 miles. I used it as an opportunity to pass more people, because I tend to handle hills better than most. Mile 2 came in at 7:40. The first half of mile 3 was mostly down hill and when we rounded the corner at .4 miles, I knew we were on our way back and started to kick it up a little. I passed a couple more people and suddenly I was pretty much alone, with a pack far behind me and a pack far ahead of me as we turned into the parking lot for the ballpark. We looped around the back of the park and I realized I had begun my kick too soon and was getting worried if I could maintain it, but then we suddenly turned and headed down the ramp onto the field. My watch dinged at 3 miles and I saw it was a 7:27. Being on the field was awesome and I started my final sprint in and around the track. People were cheering and the announcer was awesome and I sprinted across the finish at 23:29 (7:34/mile). Not a PR, but pretty solid for the day after 15 miles! After I got done, I talked with Steph, whose boys won their age group! And then I talked with Hasani who rocked it with a new PR of 18:53 (told ya he was fast). Then I waited for my mom to cross the finish. When I saw her walking in on the warning track, I yelled run in! And she actually did! We then grabbed some food and made our way to the autograph line to meet Carlos Baerga! The line was very organized and moved pretty quick and we were able to get our stuff signed and take a picture with him. He was super nice and just happy to be there, congratulating all runners on a great race. All in all it was a great race, with a super flat (PR -worthy) course, and lots of fun! Definitely a great value race too, but what else would I expect from Lake Health Running? They always put on great value races. Happy Fourth of July! And good luck to anyone racing today!
Last week ended a big week of training for Big Cottonwood and included a lot of new workouts, which ultimately made my long run quite the challenge. I have started my strength workouts for my quads so that they will be able to handle all of the downhill and this was the first week of me really putting the speedwork in. I also ran a race yesterday (5k) which was interesting the day after the long run, but actually seemed to be helpful for loosening up my muscles. So let's get into it! Monday - Speed work This was my first speed workout of my new training cycle and I was honestly hesistant, because I really hadn't gone fast since before the Cleveland Marathon. This training cycle, I am working on slightly slower mile repeats but with less recovery in between. Therefore, the miles themselves should be about 7:10-7:15, with about 1:30-2mins off in between. 1 Mile Warmup - 8:15 3x1 Mile Repeats - 7:15, 7:15, 7:25 (7:17 avg) .25 mile walk to cool down. I was planning on 3 repeats, but it was so hot and humid that I thought I might only do two. But after the second, I knew I had enough left in me to try for a third, and I was mostly in the shade at that point so I went for it. I was definitely a little tired on that one, but still pulled out a 7:25 so it wasn't too bad overall. This workout tested my confidence, because I never felt tired in the miles, but I kept doubting myself the whole way. I pushed through and got it done. Followed up immediately with 30 squats and a 6 minute plank. Tuesday - I intended on Tuesday being a recovery longer run, but it ultimately ended up being 6 miles at 8:24/mile. It was another hot and humid day and that definitely got to me a little as the last half mile I began to dog it out when I was passed by two other runners. The combination of not liking to get passed and feeling that if they could push through, so could I got me through the rest of the run. I drafted off of them for the rest of the way, holding a 7:45. We ended up talking at the end and they told me that I helped them too because having me at their heels pushed them to the finish. Wednesday - Hill work I met up with Harness Cycle to run the bridges because you can't ask for a much better combination of up and down hill training than this group run. I got there early and logged 2.5 solo miles before meeting up with the group. When I set out with them, I really tried to keep the pace slow, because I really wanted that recovery paced run and I know I tend to go too fast with them. I did better than usual, because I kept it to an 8:40 for the first mile and a half with them, but once we hit the downhill, the pace picked up. When we got to the second killer uphill bridge, I was impressed at how good the hill felt and let myself push it up the hill at 7:55. I ended up with 6 miles at 8:30/mile. Thursday I really took this run easy because I knew my legs needed it. My goal was to go visit the new Cleveland sign at Edgewater park, because I was dying to see it and I knew it would be a perfect 4 mile run. It came out to be 4 miles a 8:42/mile. Later that evening I did 60 squats and 30 lunges, which became a problem for my long run... Saturday - 16 mile....well, it became 15 miles, long run When I woke up on Saturday, I was seriously sore. My hips were locked up and my quads were tight. DOMS. The squats probably didn't cause the problem, but the lunges did. I was a little worried about how the long run was going to feel but I knew I had to get it done. I met my running partner early for 6.5 miles before the club and once we got about a mile and a half in, everything started loosening up and felt fine. However, after we met the club and took off again, all of the soreness was back and I was super tight. By about 9 miles in I was really sore and tight. I could tell my running partner was hurting too because of his injury from earlier this year. We toned back the pace a little. What was really killing me was downhill, which, on the upside, means I am training the right muscles! At 11.5 miles, by quads really cramped up on me, which I recognized as low electrolytes (because it happened to me in Cleveland and Detroit) and so I stopped, and downed all of my Nuun and massaged it out. That seemed to help and we were able to keep going and even kick up the pace. My running partner tried to make me call it at 13, knowing I was running a 5k the next day, but I negotiated him up to 15. Once I had replenished the electrolytes, I was really able to push on, and the last mile ended up being close to 8:24/mile, with the last quarter being under 8 and my final kick was 6:45. 8:58/mile overall. Sunday - Grand Slam 5k On Sunday, I ran an awesome 5k which was at one of the minor league ballparks, finished on the field, featured a former Cleveland player (Carlos Baerga) who put our medals on and signed autographs, and let us hang out with burgers and beer in the park! I'm going to write a recap on the race, so I won't say too much now, but I was happy with how my legs handled the race the day after a long run. I was told to go no faster than 7:30s but to go on feel. I ended up running a 7:34 comfortably and it seemed to loosen up all of the soreness! Another solid week of training, with 38 miles logged. I will definitely be more cautious in throwing in workouts close to the long run, but hopefully, my body will react to them better now that I have a base. Happy Fourth of July!!
So it's been a while because I have been bogged down with bar exam studying and celebrating my city's first championship in 52 years (GO CAVS!!!!), but my running hasn't suffered at all, because Big Cottonwood training started a couple weeks ago! I am definitely going to get back to posting my weekly training updates, but for this week, since I am a little behind, I thought I would kick off my discussion with an overview of how training has gone in general so far. So in general I have been slowly ramping up the mileage, but being careful not to do too much, too fast in order to avoid any injury. I was careful last training cycle about how I ramped up my weekly mileage, and I was rewarded with feeling strong, and getting to that start line injury free and healthy. I'm currently at a hair over 30 miles per week. I also have been cautious about adding in too much speed early on to prevent injuries close to my last marathon. I'm currently maxing out with my fastest runs being slightly under 8 minute miles. I'm finally recovered and feeling good, so next week will begin the speedwork and I will start making 1 run a week done at 7:30-7:40 average. I have been throwing in some hill work already to make sure that I am really working on that down hill training to get prepared for my race. The core training and quad training will begin next week as well. Finally, I have been consistently making sure to nail my negative splits as I really would like to try to run a negative split in my marathon. The final thing that I have been throwing in is improving my diet. Post-Cleveland Marathon, I got a little close to falling off of my healthy eating track, and I have really been working to make sure to get back on track. This involved making sure I stick to my list in the grocery store (to keep the crap out of my house) and making sure I have complete and filling healthy meals to prevent unnecessary snacking. But, because I believe in balance, of course I have my post-long run pizza :)! See the pics below for some of my healthy, filling, and delicious (and all gluten free!!) meals and snacks that I have been cooking up! So how did this week go training wise? For the most part, it was pretty good, although the long run was a little rough because I tend to get in my head when I do "short" long runs during marathon training. Monday - I started off the week with 4 miles at 8:25/mile and a 6 minute plank. In the future, this will probably be my speed work day. My focus this week, however, was to make sure my legs were really ready to go for next week and to not push too hard. I did make sure to do a negative split for this run (8:45, 8:30, 8:20, 8:05). Tuesday - I was able to run in a new-ish spot on Tuesday as I am watching someone's dog this week. I have ran in this portion of the Metroparks before, but last time it was the dead of winter and I was running the Green Jewel 50k relay, so it was quite different. I kicked up the pace a little, holding 8:11 for 5 miles and making sure to get my negative splits in. I also ran the first 2.5 uphill (gradual) and the second 2.5 gradual downhill. Wednesday - The place where I am staying has pretty much no sidewalks so I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that most of my run was on gravel or grassy shoulders which were uneven and all downhill one way and uphill back. It definitely made for a difficult run where I was working harder than usual. I did 5.5 miles and then took a .5 mile walk up a huge hill (seriously, I've never seen one like this before) and then worked on running downhill. I definitely would advise my future self to do the portion of the hill at the beginning of my run, rather than the end, because I seriously wasn't even sure I could walk to the top. But the downhill felt great and I was able to hold a 7:30-7:40 for the down hill portion. 6 miles at 8:31/mile overall. Friday - While I usually take Fridays off, I was really aching on the side of one foot and on my shins from all of the slanted, uneven surfaces on Wednesday's run. So I shifted things around a bit and headed out for a Friday morning run. The run felt really good overall and I was able to work in a negative split. 4 miles total at 8:31/mile. Saturday - 12 mile long run I headed out early with my running partner to log 6.5 miles before meeting the club so we could save time and beat the heat. I could tell as soon as we took off that I didn't like running the day before (although he suggested it was because the Friday run was too fast for the day before a long run) and I could tell this would be one of those short long runs where I was in my own head the whole way. Luckily my running partner picked up on those vibes and got me talking the whole way to the club to distract me with good conversation. After we met the club, we set back out for 5.5 more miles. The first couple were fine, but I could quickly feel myself getting in my own head. I really used this as an opportunity to work on getting out of my own head. The last mile and a half my running partner really helped to talk to me out of my funk, even yelling at me when I called it a terrible running, which I really needed to hear. We got it done. 12 miles at 8:53/mile. All in all, not a bad week of training and a week full of opportunities to learn and improve. I can't wait for this week of training to really get into it!
I'm back! I took a little time off from blogging post- Cleveland Marathon because I wasn't training or racing and I've been crazy busy since I graduated law school a couple weekends ago! It's been a whirlwind of graduation, family stuff, wrapping up work, and knocking out pre-bar exam review study assignments, but I feel like I am finally starting to settle in and get back to a routine. I did end up running a four miler on Memorial Day as a last second decision (since I needed a four miler anyways) and I ended up taking my age group (20-29) and running decently fast 2.5 weeks out from the marathon (29:47; 7:28/mile). Now I'm solely focused on bar exam studying which means I have a solid routine back in place, which is a good thing because I've picked my fall marathon! I will be heading off to Utah to run the beautiful and fast Revel Big Cottonwood Marathon on September 10th where I will be trying to BQ! With the help of my running partner, we've found a training plan (that he and others in my club have successfully used) which will hopefully push me to that Boston Qualifier on a course which routinely produces qualifiers. The temps and humidity have been rapidly rising here in Ohio which has made for some rough runs, which means I'm going to have my work cut out for me and I'm going to need to start my runs early in the morning or late after the sun starts to set. The next few months are going to be intense, which is why the rest I have been giving my body was key, but the results would be worth it when I punch my ticket this fall! The plan I will be using is an old (1996) but still good Runner's World training plan created by Jack Daniels, who coached Joan Benoit Samuelson and Alberto Salazar, and has devised a plan which can be applied to any runner of any ability. It is a 12 week plan with multiple components, which are Long Runs, Threshold Runs, Easy Runs, Marathon Pace Runs, and Races used as testing. It allows you to pick your pace for your training runs and workouts, based on your goal marathon pace, calculated from your pace in shorter distance races. What this plan does different is that some of my longer runs will involve a couple quicker miles thrown into them and additionally, a couple "long runs" early in the plan will be done at marathon pace. Also, my speed work actually be slower than my past cycle, but there will be less recovery in between the miles. A typical week on this plan will involve two workout runs (depending on the week it will be 2 speed or 1 speed and 1 hill), one long run, a mid-week longer run, and 2-3 easy runs. It should work out to 5-6 days a week of running and mileage around 45-50 miles/week. I will peak my long run at 22 miles, which I always do. Unofficially, I've already started training, although really, I'm not paying attention to pace or weekly mileage, but I did run 12 last week and 10 the week before, which is typically how I start off a marathon training program. Once this Friday rolls around, I will be out of recovery (26 days), and I will be safe to really start the workouts, which times up perfectly with Saturday being my first marathon training run. Additionally, I plan to run 1-2 half marathons in the training for the full marathon as shakeouts and tests of my fitness. Right now, I am leaning toward the Erie Half Marathon in mid-July, and potentially 1 half in early August. My other goal in training for this marathon is to really work on cross-training and other aspects of fitness to really make sure I am as ready as I can be to tackle the 26.2 at a BQ pace. My course loses almost 6000ft of elevation as we run, so I will need to strengthen my quads, back, and knees to be able to handle that change. Additionally, I will need to take on several runs which simulate elevation change (both downhill and uphill). So here are the keys to my marathon training that aren't focused on speed and long runs: 1. Hills - This is an area that I have usually ignored in my past training, other than running 2 big ones in the middle of long runs. I plan to get in some solid hill work/repeats, and to run a park we have near me called Hinckley, which is 10 miles of one hill after another of down or up hill. 2. Core strength - I plan to keep up my planking but to work in other core work in the form of exercise ball obliques and tucks, v-ups (weighted and non), among others. The key will be focusing on deep obliques and abs, rather than surfact abs like crunches, which do little for runners. 3. Quads and knees - For these, I will be going back to squats (weighted and non), wall sits, lunges, and burpees. 4. Arms - Runners often overlook arms because many people forget how key arm strength is in running. When you pump your arms, it propels you. My planking helps, but I will also work in assisted pullups, pushups, tricep dips, and curls. 5. Recovery workouts - Swimming and Spinning. Both work wonders to reset, provide a good workout with no impact, and boost endurance. So that's where I'm at with my training officially kicking off next weekend with a 14 mile run. Obviously, new workouts could be added and others removed, but this is my game plan right now. The fact that I'm only studying right now gives me a lot of time to work in my training so I'm excited to see what I can accomplish with a lot of time to dedicate to training. 14 weeks till race day!!
Since I can't run this week because I am recovering from the Cleveland Marathon, and I am feeling a bit of post-marathon depression, I am keeping myself occupied by figuring out what my next race will be. Obviously my big goal is to still try to get to Boston in 2017, I am looking at races prior to the cut off date, which is really difficult at this point since Boston has yet to announce their cut off! Once I know that, I will be able to pick, and if it's late enough, a few more options may open up. But until then, I am looking at the ones which I am sure are ahead of the cut off. As a result of my searching, there are two marathons that I am seriously considering. The first is (obviously when you realize that I live in OH) Presque Isle Marathon in Erie, Pennsylvania. The second is (significantly less obvious) Revel Big Cottonwood just outside of Salt Lake City Utah. Both are very different races, but both come with a reputation for producing a large amount of Boston Qualifiers and are always before the cut off. Presque Isle, Erie PA After watching several friends try to qualify for Boston last year, all I heard about was the Erie Marathon and I watched several friends qualify for Boston at the Erie Marathon. Quick Facts: When: Sunday, September 11, 2016; 7 am - 1 pm Where: Presque Isle State Park, Erie PA Numbers: 2200 Cap; No Half Course: Flat (less than 250ft elevation change), paved surface, shade, moderate climate and plenty of aid stations on a double loop course Qualifiers: More than 30% qualify Why I'm Interested In Erie: 1. It's flat! Need I say more? A course as flat as this nearly guarantees a PR. 2. It's scenic. It runs through the state park and has beautiful lake views. 3. It's a loop. This is good because it guarantees that my mom can be at the half with my second supply of gels and Nuun. 4. Lots of people will be trying to qualify. People run this race to qualify for Boston and it will be helpful to have people trying to run my pace and everyone in the same boat brings a good energy. 5. It starts early. It is easier to beat any possible heat when it starts that early. Why I'm hesitant to run Erie: 1. The park shuts down for the race. I need to see people when I run, and I need to see people I know. Since the only way in and out of the course is the road we run on, it is unlikely there will be spectators on the course. 2. The views are likely the same throughout. No, I don't know this for sure, but I'm guessing that the views throughout the park are not much different throughout the course. 3. It's VERY small. I don't like small races. I don't like running alone out on the course and 2200 is tiny. This means I will likely be alone or with very few people. 4. It's a loop. Yes, this is on both pros and cons. I am not crazy about running the same course twice. When I get into the second part, when the race really starts, I need distractions and I don't think running the same part a second time will be the distraction I need. Revel Big Cottonwood, Salt Lake City UT I didn't realize this race was before the cutoff until I started searching, but I have heard nothing but good things about this race organization, this race, and this location. Quick Facts: When: Saturday, September 10, 2016; 7 am - 1 pm Where: Big Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake City, Utah Numbers: 1300 in Full Last Year; 2500 in the Half Course: Incredibly fast and remarkably beautiful from the forests and canyons of the Wasatch Mountains to the foothills of Salt Lake City, Utah. Featuring a speedy downhill slope (-5255 ft) and spectacular scenery. Qualifiers: Fastest marathon in the state. Avg time of 4:08. Why I'm Interested In Big Cottonwood: 1. The downhill. After the 20 mile drop went so well for me, and I had no problems with my knees, I feel like a course like this has the potential to be a great course for me. 2. The views. I don't think I could ask for a much more beautiful course than to wind my way through this canyon with gorgeous scenic views. 3. The average finish time. A lot of people would be happy to run a 4:08 marathon. So considering that that is the average time, that says a lot about the potential for this to be a very fast course. 4. Point to point course. I love point to points because there is no duplication. Additionally, this course does not involve a single out and back anywhere on the course. 5. Swag. Okay, so maybe this isn't the most important thing. BUT, if I am going to pay $110+ to run a marathon and travel across the country to get it, it's nice to have a nice expo, to get free race pics, have the race negotiate discount hotel rates, and to provide you with gloves and mylar blankets before the race even starts. 6. Past Participants. The people who have run this race seem to really love it. They rave about it and tend to return for future races. Why I'm hesitant to run Big Cottonwood: 1. Training. I live in Ohio. We do not have 5255 ft drops to train on. While I ran the 20 mile drop without issue, that was only about a 750ft drop. I'm not sure how the additional downhill could affect me. 2. It's VERY small. Same issue as Erie. While there are a decent amount of runners while the half marathoners are out there, once they are gone, it is going to clear out. 3. It's closed off from traffic until mile 19. Same issue as Erie. My crew won't be able to meet me anywhere on the course until mile 19. That could be intense for me and it means I won't be able to get my typical handoff at the half. 4. Past runners have complained about 19-26.2. Apparently there is a stretch of flat, out in the hot sun with traffic whooshing by once you hit 19 and apparently this is difficult to handle after all of the down hill. 5. Cost. Clearly this race is going to involve a plane flight and multiple hotel stays in addition to the fact that the race is more expensive. While that alone wouldn't deter me, it seems silly to not factor that in. So those are what I'm considering right now. Obviously everything could go out the window depending on the cutoff date announced by Boston, and additional races could come into the mix if it is late enough. Depending on the date, I have a few others that I have in the back of my mind:
1. Airforce Marathon - Dayton, Ohio 2. Huntsville Marathon - Huntsville, Utah 3. Capital City - Lansing, Michigan Have you run any of these? What did you think? Or are you looking at another option for qualifying in the fall for Boston 2017? Let me know what you are looking at! Yesterday was the big day! The result of 5 months of hard training with big goals in mind. The race weekend started up on Friday with me knocking out the last of my taper runs and heading to the expo to get my packet and buy some race swag! I met up with my run club that night for a party and got lots of advice and learned the locations of all my club members on course. I made sure to get a good sleep on Friday night since that was the night where sleep mattered. On Saturday, I met up with my club to drop off supplies which they would hand off to me on course, to chat and have coffee, and to plan race morning with my running partner. I then headed home to eat lunch and take my pre-race walk. Since it was pouring, I walked through my building, through the halls, and down to the ground floor. I relaxed most of the day, other than gathering up my stuff, and I ate my standard pre-race pasta with red meat and sauce, and toast along with a glass of Nuun. I prepped my music, read through my favorite running quotes, and headed off to bed early. Race Morning The morning for me started at 4am since I like to get my food in 3 hours prior to the race. I ate my typical 3 pieces of gluten free toast, banana, nuun and coffee. I KT-taped up, and sat there checking the forecast. It looked pretty bleak with temps around 38 degrees that would only climb to about 42, 80% chance of rain, and 18 mph winds. I finally settled on wearing my singlet with my arm sleeves after I stood on my balcony for a while in the weather to see how it felt. My running partner picked me up at 5:20 and we headed for downtown, dodging the road closures along the way. We went to his office to hang out and use the private bathrooms and then left for the start line at 6:20. It actually stopped raining on the walk and the temps didn't feel too bad. I handed off my drop bag and we headed over to the corrals. I said hello to a few people I knew, listened to the national anthem, and got into a good place in the corral. They brought out Mayor Jackson to do the count down, and then the gun went off and Cleveland Rocks! started playing. We worked our way up to the start from corral B and we were off! Miles 0-9 I started off with my running partner Mike (gray shirt, blue shoes) and another club member Rich (Blue t-shirt over green shirt with blue sweats). The plan was for Mike to hang with me for the first 13.1 (at least, because he was coming off of an injury) and then hang with Rich for the rest (because he was aiming for a 3:30-3:35). Having the two of them with me was amazing. Because they both are former (and still) speedsters with over 40 marathons of experience between them, they were constantly guiding me and giving me tips. It was split to this side of the road, don't round the corner too tight or you will hit a puddle, drink now, gel now, your pace is fine, don't worry about catching the pacers. I didn't have to think, I was just running. At mile 1.69 I saw my mom and she snapped pics of us. We continued on and right around 2.50 miles it started to hail. Yes, hail! I have never ran in hail before and I actually started laughing because I was like, of course, I wouldn't expect anything else from Cleveland! The wind was also picking up (later we would find out it was 25 mph-28mph winds), but I reminded myself that I had trained in this wind and to push on. The hail continued to fall as we crossed the Lorain-Carnegie bridge, which is a subtle but sizeable gradual hill and has been challenging in the past. The difference this year, was that I trained on this bridge. I charged up the hill at 7:45/mile, somewhat losing Mike, but he caught back up on the downhill. When we entered Tremont, I saw members of Moms Run This Town that I know and they cheered me on. I kicked up the pace and Mike came along. Rich had stoppped to lose a layer at that point and I was unsure of where he was. As we worked our way through several turns in Tremont, Mike reminded me of the hill out of that part of the city and to prepare myself for it. We came to the hill and the streets were lined with people and I was able to cruise up the hill. At that point it was raining and we were around mile 5.5. I recognized the point in the course last year where I hit the wall early in the crazy heat and felt fantastic that I was feeling good. Rich caught back up as we headed down a big hill and onto a road called Train Ave. It can also be called a road I never want to run again. This was about a 2 mile stretch which was isolated, had no houses, no spectators, was a nice wind tunnel, and was a long uphill. The hail picked back up and it was actuall painful as it hit me in the face and eyes. The headwind made it difficult to push up the hill, but with Rich at my side, and Mike hanging closely behind, we pushed through, on pace right at or under an 8 minute mile. When we got to the top of the hill, I knew Mike was no longer with us, but I didn't look back to see how far, and Rich and I pushed on. It was about mile 10.5 and we hung a right onto Detroit Avenue, and we were just blasted with a headwind blowing hail and rain into our faces. I had to look sideways as I was running and I was just trying to stay upright. Rich fell behind and I pushed on, holding pace. That stretch was miserable and it was just me and one other girl out there running together. I knew I would see my mom and my run club members with my Nuun and my gel at mile 11 and I used that as motivation. Soon I saw a pink sign and I threw my arms up in the air and so did they and I knew it was them. They cheered for me and I ran to them and they made the handoff and I took off down the street. Miles 11-18 The half marathoners were gone at this point and I was alone without Mike or Rich. I knew I wasn't going to see anyone I knew until mile 15 and I knew I was going to pass my building at mile 13.5 which was going to be rough since the wind was intense and the hail/snow mix was still falling. I pushed myself to get to 13.1 and (on my watch) I broke my half marathon PR by about 20 seconds. We were on Lake Ave. at that point and it was a wind tunnel and we were fighting a head wind, hail, snow, and rain. Additionally, my music cut out at the half because my phone got wet and it switched from shuffle to play in order and once my playlist ended, so did the music. I couldn't get the music back on because my gloves were soaked. I tried to use Siri but my phone was in airplane mode so that didn't work either. I pushed on without it. Around mile 15, I saw the motor cycles coming and I knew it was the lead runner on his way back. I whooped and jumped up and down cheering for him and others followed along. I kept that up for about the first 5 and then for the 6th, I saw my insta-friend Joseph cruising! I pointed at him and cheered and he pointed right back at me. Soon, I saw the lead female and I cheered for her yelling You Go Lady! and she looked humbled and waved and smiled back at me. Shortly after, I saw my club members and they cheered for me as I passed by. After that I focused back in on my race and noticed my quads were trying to cramp and I pulled out a tiny plastic bag where I keep my race meds (immodium, alleve, and a nuun tab). I tried to get the Nuun tab out (so I could chew it and have instant electrolytes) but with soaked gloves on the run I couldn't do it myself. I ran up to a random man and asked him to help and he undid it for me. I grabbed it, gratiously thanked him, and pushed on, throwing the tab into my mouth. I must have looked like a rabid dog because my mouth was foaming, but the cramping stopped almost instantly. I was around mile 17 and I knew I was still on pace for my BQ, but even though the cramping stopped, my legs were still stiff and my hips were locking up in the cold and wind. I pushed on, recognizing the course from my training runs, and we finally turned onto the bridge to Rocky River and I knew we were nearing the turn around and the wind would be at my back. Near 18, the 3:35 group passed me (as I was beginning to expect) and I decided to just stay on pace for my PR and maybe try to pick it up later. I then saw members of my run club and my mom, which gave me a big pick up and I knew I'd see them in about .2 miles because I could see the turn around. The hail and wind were awful at that point but once we rounded the turn, it was at my back and I felt so recharged and began to pick it back up. Miles 18-26.2 On my way out of Rocky River, I saw my running partner holding right around the 3:45 pace group and he yelled to me to focus on a PR. Shortly afterwards, I saw Jonathan (another club member) and we cheered for each other. A little later, I saw his wife, Jessica and we cheered for each other too, and I knew she was on track for a PR based on where she was. I was feeling pretty good at that point with the wind at my back and the hail stopping. As we crossed the 30k and then mile 19 it started raining again. I told myself to push, knowing that my club members were waiting at mile 20. By the time I saw my club at 20, I was hurting because my stomach was starting to churn up on me. They told me I looked great and only 10k to go. I pushed through and kept going and soon I was passing my building as the rain and hail continued to fall. It was so tempting to go inside to my apartment. Around 22 I saw another Instagram friend, Jill, and she cheered me on, which helped me power on a little further. However, at that point, my stomach was seriously unhappy and I knew I had to stop. I found the portapotties right at mile 22.5 before we got onto the shoreway. Both were full and I waited about 2+ minutes for them to open when finally, volunteers came out of both of them. ***RANT --- I'm sorrry but I really don't think volunteers should be taking up the only two portapotties for miles at the same time when the main pack of runners are trying to come through**** Anyways, I was in and out in probably under a minute and I picked it right back up as we headed onto the shoreway. The bathroom break made me feel a lot better and I pushed on, knowing I would see club members at mile 24. I pushed on to them and they cheered me on as I kept going. I finally got my music back on because it finally stopped raining and my gloves were somewhat dryer. I held my phone in my hand so I could easily switch songs if necessary. Having the music helped me to push through the last couple miles even though the wind became instense in the last mile out on the open highway. As I headed down the last hill off of the shoreway I saw Maureen, a club member who did the half, and she cheered for me and snapped a picture. Seeing her picked me up. I hurdled a dead rat (lol) and rounded the corner and could see the finish line as I crossed mile 26. I let the crowds lift me up and allowed the other runners to pull me in. I managed to kick it in the last tenth of a mile and I crossed the finish at 3:48.13! That was a 7 minute PR for me. I also felt good after crossing, unlike in Detroit where I cramped up and needed the medical tent. I got my finisher medal, space blanket, and tons of bananas and food and made my way to my family. Afterwards I hung out after by the finish and waited for Mike to come in. In the meantime, I ran into Will, another instagram friend, who came in shortly after I did. We snapped a pic together. Soon after, Mike came in and we hugged and celebrated our finishes. I ran into a couple other friends, Denise and Craig, from the 20 mile drop, and we congratulated each other. I headed over to get changed with Mike, Maureen, and another club member, Dave. We weren't sure where Rich was, but we needed to get changed before hypothermia set in. My mom literally had to change me because my hands were so numb and Mike had to give me a pair of socks to use as gloves since my were soaked. We then headed over to grab our free beers and lounge in the sun that had actually come out! Rich texted me to let me know that at 13, he turned back and turned the race into an 18 mile training run. We hung out for a little and talked about the race and then everyone headed home, and we planned to head to Rocky River Brewing Company to celebrate at the post-race party thrown by Second Sole Rocky River. While I didn't come out of the race with my goal of qualifying for Boston, I am in no way unhappy. I battled some of the toughest race conditions that I have ever had to face in a race, especially in a full marathon. It rained, snowed, hailed, sleeted, and the temps were in the low 30s with the wind chill plus the 25+mph winds. Yet, I came out on top with a 7 minute PR and I broke 3:50, which means I am whittling away at my qualifying time. Additionally, I was on pace for a BQ through mile 18, which tells me a lot about how close I am to what I want to do. Finally, I learned I was the 94th female, which is kinda cool because I cracked the top 100 women! There was a lot out of my control in this race, between the weather and my stomach issues, but that is the beauty of running a marathon. You just have to tough it out, push through, and try to do your best. I'm definitely on a high from this race and I can't wait to start running again, but I will be taking some good time off to let my body recover because I need to be fresh before I start training again!
T-minus 2 days until the Cleveland Marathon and the taper-crazies are in full swing! Insane hunger, cravings, race nightmares, lack of focus, phantom injuries, mood swings, just to name a few. I'm in full glycogen depletion mode right now, and tomorrow I will start adding them back in. I decided I would share my meals this week to show how I carb deplete for races. Day 6 (Monday) - Breakfast: 3 egg whites with spinach and 2 turkey sausage links; Lunch: Greek Yogurt, Veggie Burger, Cheese Stick, Apple, Pretzels; Dinner: Spinach Salad with shrimp, black beans, corn and cheddar cheese Day 5 (Tuesday) - Breakfast: Greek yogurt and a spoonful of peanut butter; Lunch: Greek Yogurt, Spinach Salad with chicken sausage and black beans, Cheese Stick, Apple, Pretzels, celery and peanut butter; Dinner: Black bean burger, guacamole, two corn tortillas; Snack: Cereal Day 4 (Wednesday) - Breakfast: 3 egg whites with spinach and 2 turkey sausage links; Lunch: Greek Yogurt, spinach salad with chicken sausage and black beans, Cheese Stick, Apple, Pretzels, celery and peanut butter, Cheese Stick, Apple, Pretzels; Dinner: Burger on gluten free toast with spinach and avocado; Snack: Luna Bar Day 3 (Thursday) - Breakfast: Greek yogurt and a spoonful of peanut butter; Lunch: Greek Yogurt, Spinach Salad with chicken sausage and black beans, Cheese Stick, Apple, Pretzels, celery and peanut butter; Dinner: Balsalmic Chicken, roasted broccoli, baked sweet potato fries; Snack: Luna Bar Day 2 (Friday) - Breakfast: 3 egg whites with spinach and 2 pieces of toast; Lunch: Greek Yogurt; Spinach Salad with chicken sausage and black beans, Cheese Stick, Apple, Pretzels, celery and peanut butter; Dinner: Pasta with Chicken Day 1 (Saturday) - Breakfast: 3 egg whites and toast; Lunch: Rice with chicken; Dinner: Spaghetti with red sauce and ground beef; Snack: Cereal The expo is tomorrow and I can feel my wallet hurting already. I've definitely been working hard on my mental game this week since this is the point where doubts try to kick in. So I thought I'd share some things I have been working on during taper to prepare myself for the race! The 12 Mantras I will be repeating during the race when things get rough: 1. Your mind will quit a thousand times before your body will. Feel the fear and do it anyway. 2. Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes 3. Even when you have gone as far as you can and everything hurts, and you are staring at the spector of self doubt, you can find a bit more strength deep inside of you, if you look closely enough. 4. It's going to be hard, but hard is not impossible. 5. 6. In training, you listen to your body. In competition, you tell your body to shut up. 7. Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing. Just do it. 8. When I reach my breaking point I tell myself that the race begins here. Every step I take now is what really counts. 9. Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call upon your spirit, which fortunately functions independent of logic. 10. Today I will feel the burn in my legs. I will fight the urge to want to quit. I will breathe heavily and become so sore where it hurts to walk. I will give it my all and my everything. I willput in 110 percent effort and no one will stop me. 11. The thirst you feel in your throat and lungs will be gone minutes after the race is over. The pain in your legs, within days. But the glory of your finish will last forever. 12. I also thought I would share my top 12 power songs. I have a lot of favorites on my running playlist, but these are the ones with lyrics that always push me through when the going gets tough.
1. Till I Collapse - Eminem ("Cause sometimes you just feel tired, Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength. And just pull that $*#! out of you and get that motivation to not give up. And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.") 2. Just Like Fire - P!nk ("We can get 'em running running, running...Just like fire, burning out the way, If I can light the world up for just one day") 3. Bang My Head - Sia and Fetty Wap ("Though I feel light headed, now I know I will not fall, I will rise above it all") 4. Dream - LeCrae ("So I dream, I Dream, I dream...") 5. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore ("Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over, So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us") 6. Let It Go - Frozen ("it's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through..") 7. Stronger - Kanye West ("N-now th-that that don't kill me, can only make me stronger") 8. Heart of a Champion - Nelly ("Ain't no way they can stop me now, cause I'm on my way, I can feel my ring comin, it's the blood of a champion.") 9. Centuries - Fall Out Boy ("Some legends are told, Some turn to dust or to gold, But you will remember me, Remember me for centuries.") 10. Alive - Sia ("I'm still breathing, I'm still breathing, I'm alive") 11. Remember the Name - Fort Minor ("This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill Fifteen percent concentrated power of will, Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain, and a hundred percent reason to remember the name.") 12. Fight Song - Rachel Platten ("My power's turned on, starting right now I'll be strong I'll play my fight song, and I don't really care if nobody else believes, 'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me") And the song I will be starting the race with? Till I Die by Machine Gun Kelly because it's about Cleveland! That will probably be it for me on here until after the race! It's been a long training cycle, but I'm ready and I know I will have my training partner with me for at least 13 miles of it, plus some other people strategically placed to meet me. The weather looks pretty good as of now. Only thing left to do is to get my packet and take on 26.2 miles! That's it! Yesterday wrapped up my training for the Cleveland Marathon! Just 3 short taper runs this week and only 7 days till the race. This week was a lot lower in mileage, although it still had some hard workouts and was pretty fast overall. Looking forward to babying my legs this week and taking it easy. Monday - Mile Repeats Even though I did mile repeats on Monday, I only did a couple as my last speed work of the training cycle. Four miles total with 2 repeats under 7 minutes/mile. 1 mile warm-up at 8:20/mile, 2x1 mile repeats at 6:45 and 6:50, 1 mile cool down at 8:13. 7:30 average for the whole thing. Followed up with plank streak day 87: one 8 minute plank and one 2 minute plank. Tuesday - 6 Easy Miles Okay, so they weren't as easy as they should have been but they weren't too bad either. This was due to the fact that I did the whole thing on the marathon course and that pumped me up. 8:24/mile and I ended my run at the 21 mile marker on the course. Plank streak day 88: one 6 minute and one 4 minute plank. Wednesday - 4 Miles at Race Pace I was supposed to do my four mile run at race pace (per the instructions of my running partner) but I ended up a little too fast. 7:48/mile average. The helped boost my mental confidence by reminding me that I'm comfortable at race pace, but can still kick it up if necessary. Plank streak day 89 - two 5 minute planks. Thursday - 4 Miles at Race Pace Set out for another 4 at race pace on Thursday which would be a good test of back-to-back race pace days and trying for race pace on tired legs. I was pretty accurate on this one with 4 miles at 7:55/mile. Plank streak day 90 was 5 minutes. Saturday - 10 Mile Long Run - Negative Split The goal of the "long" run this week was to take the first half easy and kick it up on the way back. My running partner and I had different plans when we started though, taking the first half faster than expected (most were 8:26-8:30 except the first mile which was closer to 9). We decided to hold to that pace and just notch it up slightly. We ended up coming back at 8:20-8:30 with the last mile right at 8:00. It was a great workout to end the training cycle. Plank streak day 92 was 5 minutes. So that's a wrap! 28 miles at 8:09 average to round out the week and 1 hour of planking! I will be starting my carb depletion tomorrow and I will be getting all my marathon essentials and pre-race routines together! I have some big goals for the Cleveland Marathon and it's time to put all this hard work and training to the test!
Happy Sunday! It's finals week for me, which means that 2 exams stand between me and graduating from law school! EEk! That's so crazy for me to believe. But it also means that we are only 2 short weeks away from the Cleveland Marathon and that I have officially entered taper. This week still was pretty high in mileage but with less speed work and easier runs thrown in. Next week will definitely bring some lower mileage. I also hit a new plank PR of 14 minutes. This week also wrapped up the month of April for me with 163.2 miles and 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 30 seconds of planking. Monday - 7 Miles Monday was a stressful day for me so I ran on feel and wanted to burn off that stress. I knew that meant logging a few more miles so I ended up doing 7 miles at 8:25/mile. I also hit plank streak day 80 for 10 total minutes. Tuesday - Speed On Tuesday I wanted to work in speed and hills. I set off with a 1 mile "warm up" around an 8 minute mile. I kicked up the next 4 miles, holding beteen a 7:40 and a 7:50, and throwing in several long gradual hills (i.e. what I will face near the end of Cleveland) at mile 4-4.75 and again at the end. Mile 5.5-6.2 I slowed back to near an 8 minute mile. ^.2 miles total at 7:50/mile. Plank streak day 81 was 8 minutes. Wednesday - I wanted to run on comfort on Wednesday, so I just kinda set out to explore some new routes. It was nice and sunny but pretty chilly with serious headwinds for the second half of my run. I ended up finding the 30km mark for the Cleveland Marathon which was exciting and also stressful because it reminded me how close we are. I ended up with 6.2 miles at 8:21/mile and plank streak day 82 was 11 minutes total. Thursday - Easy Miles I made myself stay on the treadmill again on Thursday so that I would have to run slower and not overdo anything. I did 6.2 at 8:44/mile with a negative split, kicking it up a little at the end. Plank streak day 83 was 6 minutes. Friday - Rest Day and Plank PR Took my weekly rest day on Friday and while doing plank streak day 84, once I hit 10 minutes I decided to try for a new PR. I ended up getting a new one of 14 minutes. I also need to start using my yoga mat more because my elbows have started bleeding from planking on carpet. Saturday - 16 Mile Long Run For my long run, my running partner and I started early and logged 7 miles before meeting the club at about 8:20/mile. Once we met up with the club we did about 4.5 with the club at about 8:45/mile, before they turned off. We then wrapped up the last 4.5 miles at about 8:55/mile, with the last mile at closer to an 8:15 and my finishing kick was 7:45/mile. This run brough great conversation with my running partner and the club. It also sounds like I have officially convinced him and others that I am capable of my goal time in Cleveland. So that was how the last week of really hard training wrapped up! 41.6 miles at 8:31/mile and 1 hour and 3 minutes of planking. Bring on the taper!!
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