The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Whoever was the genius that decided cross-country season should be in
the fall really had it figured out! The hot, sticky days of summer are
over and the best days of running are upon us.

Fres and I attempted to go for a run at Fern Hollow in Sewickley, but
I couldn't exactly find it. Instead we headed over to the Montour
Trail and had a great run!

Sent from my iPhone

Luzerne

Luzerne was an easy enough place to run. There's a huge lake and there's a trail around it...pretty hard to get lost here. This is the view into town from the furthest point that we ran out to.
Mt. Pilatus in the background.
Crisp, Swiss mountain air in perfect running temperatures!
We even got to see a rainbow on our run!

Venice

Running on vacation is one of my favorite things! Not only is it a form of exercise, but its the quickest way to do a speedy site-seeing trip. One of the things they caution you about in Venice is getting lost, so probably you should multiple the chances by ten if you plan to go for a run. It happened. We got lost. But it was lots of fun to explore!
Water stop!
Running down the steps of the Rio Alto Bridge - it is VERY empty here. At midday you can barely make your way across this bridge; it is so crowded with people. That was the other good thing about doing an early morning run in Venice - no crowds!
View of the Grand Canal from atop the Rio Alto Bridge
An empty Rio Alto Bridge at 7:30 am.

Another great day at the track...

It took forever for me to get to the track tonight - it was almost 7 and the sun was about to set. I was not looking forward to my 12 400s... The workout started out pretty well. Point Park's CC team (??) was there again doing the same workout as me (same as last week too!) but by the time I finished my warm up they only had 2-4 repeats left. I never ran with them but would use them as something to chase or not get caught. That got me through my first six all between 1:30 and 1:32. Not bad...and pleasantly consistent. The plan called for a longer break halfway through, which turned out to be a mistake. My times tanked as my legs became lead. I struggled through four more (1:33-1:35) before I called it quits. Now that I'm writing this, I'm realizing that my times weren't that much slower - doofus. Oh well.
And as reported on FB - the coach who called me old left me alone today. But there was a big oaf watching his friends play soccer - and apparently was watching me too.... He said I was a strong runner (ha - he didn't know that I just skipped two laps!)...and then suggested we keep in touch. So I must not look that old afterall...

So things learned from tonight:
1) Arrive earlier so as to run with PPCC
2) Wear rings even with the phobia of falling will damage them more
3) Scam someone into coming too!

Run Around the Square

Do I need more junk food?

I actually got out of bed 'early' this morning to go for a run. 1) We are completely in the Dog Days of August and all the humidity that goes with it 2) Had my locks of love haircut this evening and want to try to preserve the style until tomorrow.
I attempted to run to the start of the Run Around the Square, run the course, and then run home for a five-ish mile run. I try to take advantage of "home-court" when I can. Well I took a wrong turn in the initial neighborhood which added a few blocks and a few minutes of time. But the worst part of the run was that I had ZERO energy. It took me 30 minutes just to do the 5k+ portion! I couldn't even lift my legs on the downhill part.
It was extremely frustrating because it was a simple five miles, no big deal. What made it worse was the last two runs (a track work-out and a very hilly 10.5 mile loop past Magee the morning after Claire was born), I felt the same way. There was nothing left in my tank.
I started to analyze what differences might have occurred that would be depleting my energy sources. And then it hit me - on August 1, I started my first 'diet' ever.
And by 'diet' I mean:
*no bagels/donuts in the morning from work
*no afternoon trip to the vending machine
*no fast food
*all 'rules' are out the door if it's a social event
So as you can see, it's hardly a diet - just a little bit better moderation of fats and sweets (my favorite food group). Regardless, my body depended on those calories for years and now I'm depriving it of its usual energy! Now I have to work in some better foods and fast because these bad runs are killing me!
I don't know if I'll be able to figure it out by Saturday but at least I'll be able to beat today's pace, if by only staying on the correct streets!

I'm Back! ...Finally!

So fortunately, I've been running fairly consistently since I last posted. I had an interesting time training solo for the first time for the Pgh Marathon. I was having a great week followed by a down week, pretty much the entire time...and I only got in three speed workouts (and rarely replaced them with another run). Somehow, on basically two runs a week and some cross-training I ran a sub-4 marathon. I don't think I'll be selling that plan to anyone.... But here's a photo from my long run on super bowl sunday (17 miles starting at the corner and running through the strip, past heinz field, south side, oakland...my shirt was quite popular in every neighborhood!)

So back to the heat and humidity of the summer....Things I've 'learned' this summer:

* I assumed training for a 5k would leave me unmotivated to get out the door for short/easy runs. It actually is much easier and enjoyable since I'm no longer intimidated by the long runs!

* When the humidity rises, always use Body Glide, no matter how short the run

* When the goal is a lazy Saturday morning, it is better to get up twenty minutes early to go run a quick 5k than to lounge around and end up doing 8 miles

* 5ks can be delightful at a run/walk pace - but ONLY with friends to enjoy the LONG time it takes to get to the finish

* My best runs happen after my worst work days (that one always amazes me)

* After June 20, the days get shorter. Going out for a run at 9 pm through Frick Park is still dark. Even though it seems ridiculous, I should consider bringing my head lamp.

*Even 1/2 marathon have long training programs. I should consider this well in advance before I'm more than a month late starting it!

That's it for now! Hopefully I'll be back soon!

A Run at Eaton Reservoir

We did a muggy loop around Eaton Reservoir this morning in North East.

Northville has Sidewalks!

Attempted to run at Maybury State Park where there is an old asylum
but the gates were closed when I got there. But Northville is full of
subdivisions with luxury estate homes and they are all connected by
convenient walkways - genius! Here is a photo of a model home that I
snapped. While there are some gorgeous new homes, most of the
subdivisions have lots of vacant lots.

The Great Allegheny Passage

Last weekend we embarked on a new endeavor - an overnight bike trip on the Great Allegheny Passage! Ian scoped out the landscape and did a lot of the logistics prep work (including biking an additional 22 miles, along with Grant, before the rest of us even started on Saturday). OK, we weren't quite hard-core enough (or quite light-weight packers) to do a true overnight biking trip, since we had a car waiting for us at the campsite loaded up with a cooler, air mattress, tents, etc., but we were all sore the next day and it was an accomplishment!

Pittsburgh Half Marathon

What a fantastic race in our hometown! We were very gracious for the Mylar blankets at the finish line. At this point it was rainy and breezy, so they helped keep our body heat in a lot!
We're almost at the finish line when we spot our fans Mom Troxell and Maggie.

Marathon Sleepover!

Want to…

Cheer on the Marathon Runners Sunday morning?
Encourage SPC’s Youth Director Tres Adams as he vies to qualify for the Boston Marathon?
Serve as part of the SPC team distributing orange slices to the runners who pass by Amberson Avenue on Fifth Avenue?

Wondering how you will get here with all of the traffic?

Join us for a Sleepover Retreat Saturday night at the church!

Bring sleeping bags, pillows, flashlights, snacks, and be ready to slice oranges.

Who: Church members and guests of all ages.
What: A festive time to gather and get the best parking spaces for the race!
When: Saturday May 2, 7:30PM until the roads open again so you can go home (probably around noon Sunday).
Where: Shadyside Presbyterian Church.
Why: Because we’re a fun-loving group of people and want to support the Marathon runners.
How: Email Ellen Allston indicating you’d like to participate and then show-up at the church Saturday evening.

We will be locked-in. The guys will sleep in the Richards Room and the girls will sleep in the Babcock Room. We’ll be able to watch movies, heat-up snacks in the kitchen, play flashlight tag in Parish Hall, have a flashlight tour of the church, and just have fun.

Sunday morning, we’ll join many other SPC volunteers (about 30!) to slice oranges and then set-up our distribution station on Fifth Avenue at Amberson.

All participants will receive a special SPC t-shirt. We will cheer the runners along Fifth Avenue and will give orange slices to those who need them.

We should be finished by 11:30 AM with the surrounding roads scheduled to open at 12 Noon.

“Run the straight race through God’s good grace. Lift up thine eyes and seek his face. Life with its way before us lies. Christ is the path and Christ the prize.”

I am so bummed that I a) can't do the Sleepover Retreat and b) won't even be running past the Church...next year either calls for not running at all and going all out on the spectating OR doing the full!

Pittsburgh Marathon Features

It's race week! I'll try to post the most interesting articles that I find on the marathon. Pop City Media always has well written articles and covers the 'burgh happenings so well, so they are first on my list:

• Run Wild: 10,000 + athletes expected to land in town as Pittsburgh welcomes back the marathon
• On your mark, get set...RAWR! Guess who's running?

Last Long Run

Nathan and I did our last long run (a ten miler) at North Park on Saturday morning. Nathan's dad (who plans to run as a bandit in the half marathon) and his sister Katie also ran with us. Katie was only planning on running five, but her dad guilted her into running another five. It was gorgeous out, though a little on the hot side. I think we are just about guaranteed that race day won't actually be that hot.

Orange slices - Rinded or Rindless?

I got a question from the person organizing the Shadyside Presbyterian Church's marathon support group about whether they should peel the oranges or not. Good question...glad he is thinking it through. I responded with a resounding - leave the peel on! As in the attached photo:

Central Park

A misty 7 mile run with Katie and Nathan in Central Park.

Tired Dog

Fresca after our 6 mile run this morning.

Playing Hooky

OK, so I headed out the door at lunchtime today into 56 degree air and sunshine overhead. The plan was to work half a day at the client's office and then half a day at home since I have to take Fresca to the kennel this afternoon. The gorgeous weather was just way too much to resist, though, and I had to come home and go for a run. Glorious!

Tube Socks

I have to admit that I did not run in the great out of doors during the streak of subzero temps earlier this winter, so when yesterday registered a "feels like" -1 degree, I could not drag myself out of bed. (The iPhone has a good/bad weather channel app that gives me the temperature while I am still lying in bed. Good in that I know how to dress...bad in that I can potentially justify staying in bed. Before the iPhone, all I had was our indoor/outdoor thermometer, which required me to actually get out of bed and even then, it wouldn't factor in windchill, so I was sufficiently dupped into thinking it was warmer than it actually was.)

Anyhow, I wanted to pass along one of the keys (I say "one of" because there are obviously many.) to running in temps below about 20 degrees. Tube Socks! The glorious tube sock eliminates any potential draft flowing in around the ankle area. This concept can also be applied to other running attire - you must have a shirt that can be tucked in to eliminate waist drafts and if it is really cold, you need a scarf to eliminate neck draft. (The picture I found of tube socks is cute, however, since my post is about eliminating drafts, you obviously can't wear your cute running skirt.)

To the extreme I rock the mic like a vandal

Ice, ice, baby! What else would else would you listen to while running on a sheet of ice? Fresh Prince's classic "Summertime" just wasn't cutting it, so I spent some quality time with Vanilla. When everything thawed around home, I went Up North to get one last round of cross country skiing in. The skiing was great...but for running I should have maybe checked out the race in Antarctica! After completing a shorty without slipping too much, and avoiding any injuries, I decided to save the longer run until I got home Sunday afternoon where I would only have to deal with wind and stray dogs!

Head Licking

This is the typical scene after our runs with Fresca. She LOVES to lick Nathan's salty head! Today we did 5 miles (the highest of our long runs so far). I'm about ready for it to warm up, but other than that, it was a good run. It was my first run w/ the iPhone since I just got an armband for it this week. Theoretically I can use the Map My Run app w/ the GPS function to track my runs, however, I wasn't getting a strong enough signal. It worked out well that I had my phone on me today, though, because we found a stray dog - Topaz - on our run. We called the owner, but she actually rolled up in her mini-van right as I was calling. Apparently her dog always goes to the bus stop (?) when it escapes, so she knows right where to look for it. After our run we had toasted Loafer's cinnamon bread - what else can you ask for on a Sunday morning!

The Amazing Women Behind the Pittsburgh Marathon

Link to article in Pop City Media

Our Own Paula Radcliffe

This morning on a chilly 3 mile run, Fresca decides to do her business right in the middle of the street - we're talkin' directly on the double yellow lines in the center of the road! (She must have really had to go, because normally she is picky about where she decides to do #2.) Nathan now calls her Paula Radcliffe...hahaha!

The Forgotten Shoes

Nathan happens to be in Key West right now (lucky dog!) and the plan was for him to take running gear and get in a 3 mile run and a 4 mile run. Unfortunately, he forgot to take his shoes! He was very distraught about it, so I'm pretty sure that he didn't actually do it on purpose. We discussed the option of overnighting them to him, but figured that we can both do the 4 mile run together when he gets home Sunday night.

In the meantime, Fres and I just did a 3 mile run in the frigid temps of lovely Pittsburgh, PA.

Media Coverage of Kat

Our co-coach for Girls on the Run last year is running a marathon in Antarctica! Check out the coverage she is getting:

• Post Gazette
• Pitt News
• You can also check out her blog at: Kat Runs Antarctica

Is That Fisk?

Since we do an out and back route for our 3 mile run, Fisk Street is both our 1 mile marker and our 2 mile marker. Since we run in the dark, it is sometimes hard to tell when you are coming up on Fisk Street, especially when you are coming back down California and every street seems like it is Fisk.

We had a succession of four streets that Nathan thought were Fisk this morning. "Is that Fisk?"...run, run, run..."Is that Fisk?"...run, run, run..."Is that Fisk?"...run, run, run..."Is that Fisk?"

"Yes, THIS is IT!"

We have since noted that there is also a large tree stump at Fisk. Possibly this will reduce the "Is that Fisk" inquiries in the future.

What a week!

Four runs and four different experiences this week checking to see how committed I am. I shed a couple layers early in the week, but still didn't expect to overheat that much in February. The rain on Wednesday and the 20mph wind on Thursday were a lot of fun. Then finished the week off with a 9 miler on a messy road mixed with fresh snow, ice, and leftover mud...not great footing, but I finished pretty strong. After encountering the variety of elements, my legs feel great and I'm excited for more. Also had a nice find at the local shoe store when they had a my shoe $20 off...Good week!

Wind Resistance

Nathan and I set out to do a "speed" workout this morning. The plan was to do it on a flatter part of our roads and do two minutes fast, two minutes recovery. The wind was absolutely incredible. During our warm-up across the bridge over Camp Horne Road Fresca was literally blown right into the guardrail. We had thoughts of turning back, but at that point we were already out of bed, so figured we should go ahead with the workout.

Nathan's speed is very fast at the beginning of the two minutes - like 100 yard dash kind of speed - but he can't maintain that the whole time, so we've got to work on pacing. We might lay off of the speedwork for a few weeks until we get a better base under our belts. The wind played a big role in giving us resistance as we ran west, but on our way back east, we got a nice push from behind! We also got to rescue quite a few trashcans from the middle of the road!

I am a Slow Runner

I'm realizing that I really need to run with other people to keep me moving. I can manage to run by myself and honestly it feels like I am running fast, but running today with Nathan on roads that I normally run on my own, I realize that I am a slacker when I'm by myself. He totally smokes me on the uphills!

Nathan and I have started the half marathon training plan! I sneakily made us do 3 miles on Sunday, but the schedule didn't really start until Monday, so we got in a run prior to the training - woohoo! The alarm went off at 5 am this morning and Nathan chipperly said, "OK, ready to go?" Good thing I was already laying down, cuz I would have fallen over if I had been standing up. I chimed in that I needed a little bit of snooze time, but we were up ten minutes later and then we headed out the door. Glad we beat the rain this morning - 39 degrees and rain is no fun.

Long time reader...first time poster!

Thought I would hop on here and say howdy before I spook anyone else...sorry Lisa! Thank you to Megan for allowing me to contribute to aid in motivation for training this winter/spring. I just did not feel right posting until I could honestly say I was "training!" So, I think I am back in the game after a couple weeks of getting out into the COLD consistently, although I have a long way to go! I am hoping to be running the full marathon, but will be listening to my knee over the next month as to whether it would prefer the half. Either way, I look forward to running with some of you in Pittsburgh in a few months!

Go Steelers?

12, no 13 miler

I've officially decided that this is my wimpiest running winter yet. I cannot comprehend how we would go out in sub zero temperatures every day...I did remember that Amber and I had unsuccessfully tried using some cheap (and tight!) balaclavas at one point that did not help with the breathing. I found a black fleece face guard this year and I love it - combined with my hat, only my lips and eyes are exposed. Normally I run at night or in the morning so people can't really see me anyways. But this sunny mid-morning I went out knowing that I would be miserable if I didn't wear it for the two hours of exposure. I was laughing for the first few miles as I pictured myself as looking like either a ninja or a power ranger....(and power ranger only because I was wearing red)...
The run went much better than I thought as I have a mental block of doing long runs by myself. It was also a run from the last marathon that I tried to do twice and never finished it (once due to the vintage grand prix) I ran past A LOT of other runners as well as two larger running groups and I couldn't help but smile as I'm pretty sure that most of us were training for the same marathon! The brief thaw left several inches of ice on the trails in both Frick and Schenley Parks forcing some small detours. I also thought it funny that the sun only came out as I was going downhill - all tough parts of the course were a bit gloomy! As I finished up, I was so excited that I was done for the weekend! No more procrastinating!

7 mile tempo

After finding the extreme temperatures a good excuse to cross-train like crazy the last week, I knew today I finally needed to actually go out and do my tempo run. I tried to leave work on time but realized it took me 15 minutes to change into all my layers (Thank goodness for my own office) before I flew out the door to catch the last hour of sunlight. I started at the trail head under the 16th street bridge and looped through washington's landing, the strip and downtown. I was really excited as I started out running next to the river as the 'glaciers' floated down the river. It was positively gorgeous and I even had to stop once or twice just to watch the river. That was the highlight of the first three miles. All other aspects were miserable. I had not really thought that the trails would be snow covered and that no one would take care of clearing the sidewalks on the 31st street bridge. Needless to say, it was difficult to manuever between icy packed snow and slippery slush (or both). The beginning took long enough that I could barely make out the lovely sunset over the Ohio as I ran through the Strip. I was bummed I couldn't make it to the Ft. Duquense bridge to see it but was very happy to be back out running again - AND very excited to do our track workout tomorrow! (yeah, packing eveything in at once!)

Just Me & My Husky Making the First Tracks in the Fresh Snow

I can understand the difficulty of climbing out of a warm bed in the wintertime to face single digit temperatures; however, when I hear the sound of snowplows in the morning I can hardly get ready quick enough to get out into the new, fresh snow. The sound of snowplows means that there's a fresh layer to make the first set of tracks in and I love the opportunity to do that. This morning, Fresca and I had a glorious trek through Emsworth enjoying the picturesque winter scene. It disappears quickly, though. By the time we were headed back, people were already venturing out to shovel their walks and clean off their cars.

Four Years Old!

Crazy Daisies is now four years old, which is kind of making ME start to feel old. I do marvel about those days back in 2006 that I actually went out in this frigid weather to do track workouts...seriously, WHAT was I thinking and WHERE did I find the time to do it? 2007 I was a slacker - brought clothes to Hermitage, but did NO running. 2008 - did some treadmill runs, but that was it. 2009 - I'm on pace w/ 2008, though if you note from a previous post, I DID use the incline function on the treadmill which is a big step (no pun intended) for me!

A Ponytail Workout

Guess what, I'm totally able to get my hair into a ponytail now! I'm up in Greenville and we hit up the Y tonight. Since I've just been running outside w/ a hat or headband, I haven't tried to get my hair back into a ponytail, so super excited that it works!

Also, I tackled the scary treadmill tonight...and I even did a program that used the incline. I had it up to an 11% grade - it is pretty tough!

Let the training begin!

It was an odd realization that we're all somewhat on our own for the Pittsburgh Marathon doing different training programs and even different races. Without the moral support (and organization) I almost missed the first week of training... But this morning as delays were being called as the snow covered the ground (Ok, only an inch or so), Geoff and I peeled ourselves out from under the covers and proceeded to do our "track" workout. (Now you're probably wondering why Geoff got up too...he promised to be my 'rabbit' for track practices. That way he doesn't have to run the whole thing, but I have someone to help me keep up my speed. So far he's made good on his promise!!).

The workout was 3 mile repeats with a one minute rest interval. (You can tell it's a hard program since there wasn't really a rest!) We did laps around the 1/2 mile block which made it seem so much faster. And it was fast, my times came in at 7:02, 6:56 and 7:13. That shocked me but maybe all my biking/rowing downstairs is paying off :) Ok, maybe it's just that I was chasing someone with much longer legs.

I have also decided that I'm only doing two 20 mile runs (vs. the 5 in the program) Mainly because one happens in Oregon and one in Hawaii....Don't think so! I am also going to try to do a lot of my long runs on portions of the marathon course. If anyone is interested to join, let me know!

P.S. Who is Mad Bomber? I just saw the name one day and it startled me.... :)

The First Run of 2009

I definitely let the holidays, Hawaii and busy workload excuses pile up since we ran the marathon, so I think today was just about my first day out for a run since the marathon. Fres and I did a frigid short run around the neighborhood.

I needed to get new shoes after the marathon anyhow, but I was definitely realizing that I needed to get new ones today because I trashed mine with red Hawaiian mud while hiking with Deb & Nick!