Coeur d'Alene half marathon 2011 race report



I finished

This may be the least informative race report ever. 

My day started out at 5:30a.  I woke up just before the alarm went off, immediately drank a large glass of water along with my supplements and ate some leftover pork loin, half an avocado, and some blueberries.



The biggest blueberries ever

The night before, I had laid all my clothes and gear out to make sure I wouldn't forget anything.

Just a little after 6:30a we drove down to Riverstone.  My husband dropped me off and I went to go mill around while he found a parking spot.  While he was parking I made a pit stop at the porta potties.  Luckily I was able to get in line right after the full marathoners left so the line was actually pretty short.  I was surprised at how long it took for the glass of water I drank to go through.  If I was doing it again, I definitely would have given myself a little longer between waking and leaving for the race.  The potties were not bad in the morning, but we passed by again after the race and people were opening doors and immediately closing them to look for another potty.  Use your imagination... or don't.

Amazingly, my husband and I found each other again while we were waiting to line up for the race start.  Not much later, it was time to line up and we said goodbye.  I took a place at what I thought was near the back, but as we got closer to our 7:30a start time, I went even farther back.  I had heard that you can get run over if you line up too close to the front and I definitely wanted to pace myself and not get caught up in the crowd or tripped or run over.

And we're off!  My husband says I am somewhere in here but I have no clue where.

I honestly don't remember if there was a countdown, or a bell, or what they used to start the race, I just know that it took about a minute to get from my starting point to the start line.  I couldn't see the front very well but everyone really seemed pretty courteous and I didn't see anyone fall, trip, or get pushed.  Even though I was consciously trying to stick to my planned pace I was surprised at how hard it was to actually do it. 

The trail narrowed off after about a half mile so we were packed together pretty tightly for awhile.  I saw a number of people walking 3 or 4 abreast, blocking almost the entire trail, and it took a fair bit of patience to get through the first mile and find a decent spot with other people who were going my pace.  There were a couple other sections where I had to pass through a dense crowd, but for most of the race I had plenty of room.

About a mile in?  Feeling strong!

I wish I had some sweet details or funny stories about stuff that happened during the race, but I couldn't have planned a more perfect race, really.  I felt great, I kept a good pace, nothing out of the ordinary happened (well, there was one thing that I was unable to plan adequately for, but it's kind of too much information to post here), and I don't think I could have run a better race.

Here are my stats, with commentary:

Chip time:  2:41:04
Avg pace (chip): 12:18/mi

Garmin moving time: 2:37:04 (I made two pit stops, slightly off course)
Garmin Avg pace: 11:46/mi (this is a significantly faster pace than any of my training runs)
Avg HR: 147 bpm (almost 10 bpm over my training rates)
Max HR: 168 bpm

As I said, I'm really pleased with how I did.  I came in 1146 out of 1412 finishers, which kind of made me chuckle.  Not too great when you compare me against the others, but when you consider that the goal was to finish, and I did that plus ran better than I trained, I'm quite satisfied  =)

Here are some more pics from the race:

Motoring along.  The runners had thinned out by this time

That chick in the purple was tough to get around, but she fell back after awhile.  She would walk and then when I tried to pass she would start running again.

Right before the turn around

Just passed halfway!  Still feeling good

Refueling with dates and coconut oil

Significantly after turnaround... feeling good and rocking out to music  =)

At the finish

Looking a little haggard

Tired, but happy

The dreaded ice bath.  Not as bad as I had anticipated.

Here are some of my best training/recovery tips:
- Strength train. Especially your legs. The course in this race was really pretty flat (I think my Garmin said there was a total of 320 feet elevation gain) so I didn't train for hills but I did squat and deadlift a lot and I really think that helped with the few hills I did encounter. Most of the people going my pace walked up the hills we came across, or they were really laboring to slowly jog up them. I was able to just motor up the hills with no problems, and I really attribute that to the squatting and deadlifting. Learn how to squat to full depth (erm... ass to the grass. Youtube is a decent resource... check out this video), and if you don't know how to deadlift then do lots of lunges and work up to lunges with weight. You will thank me!

- Ice bath after the race.  Maybe it's just me, but I did this, plus a contrast shower, and I was not sore today.  Fill the tub with cold water, dump in a bag of ice, and sit in it until the ice melts.  The water doesn't have to be high... just covering your legs is fine.

- Contrast showers.  It sounds crazy but there is science behind it.  After training, at the end of my normal shower I would just turn the water to cold and make a couple turns in the cold water, then turn it back to warm for a minute, then do the cold again.  I actually kind of started to enjoy it  =|   I did these after a lot of my training runs because they are really supposed to help with recovery.

- Do a short run the day after the race.  Getting some circulation going the day after the race will also help with recovery.  I felt good this morning so I did a 2.5 mile walk with a few intervals of slow jogging.

- If possible, have support along the course.  I initially told my husband not to worry about following me along the course, but he did anyway and I was so glad to see him!  I never really got a 'down in the dumps' feeling but it really lifted my spirits to see a friendly, familiar face and to hear him cheering for me.  He was so sweet to follow my progress, cheer, and take pics.  I love you, Aaron  =D

I'll post more tips as I think of them!

Intuitive eating experiment - FAIL! And sugar IS poison

Well, by the end of day one of my intuitive eating week, I failed and logged my food.  I think I've been doing it for so long by now it's just become habit.  It's sick.  Not sure where I will go next with this, but it's not a huge concern at the moment, just another time waster.

Annndd.... Yesterday and today I ate a few squares of 88% dark chocolate.  Today, binge-o-rama.   I demolished half a jar of sunflower butter and completely screwed my calorie deficit for the day (and then some!)  Obviously my body is unable to handle added sugar of any kind because when I have it, it triggers insane cravings.  I seem to do fine with dark chocolate before a run, and I actually find it to be pretty good fuel, but if it's not immediately before a workout then forget it.  Like Dr. Lustig says, sugar is poison. 

In other, less food related news running is going really well.  I struggled a little with hydration and fueling last week on my 7 mile run, but I'm going to pick up a hydration pack and make sure to get that straightened out before I run that far outside again.  My body is feeling good and I'm actually enjoying my runs most of the time.  When I get my recent stats loaded up I'll post them!

Finally... I acheived a bodyweight deadlift yesterday, woohoo!

Playing catch up

I hate to be one of those bloggers that says, "Oh, sorry I haven't posted in a long time..."  But, sorry I haven't posted in a long time.

I have still been running, still been keeping paleo, and am feeling pretty great!  Here are some quick stats from recent runs.  It seems I've been doing some pretty shoddy record keeping, but here's what I have:

3/22
3.5 mi run
Time: 55:57
Avg HR: 141
Max HR: 168

3/23
3x3 press and deadlift

3/24
3.5 mi run
Time: 45:10
Avg HR: 142
Max HR: 168

3/26
5.1 mi run
Time: 1:04:05
Avg HR: 137
Max HR: 164

3/27
3x3 bench press and squat
assitance work (squats and pushups)
clean and jerk skill work

3/28
5 rounds of
50 jump rope
25 kb swings 25#
5 60# c&j
3 pullups

3/29
4 mi run, no other stats

3/30
5,3,1 press and deadlift

3/31
4 mi run, no other stats

4/2
6 mi run plus 1 mile with husband later
Time: 76:03
Forgot hrm at home

4/3
5,3,1 bench and squat
50 sq, 30 plu
5 c&j 55#
40 situps, 40 back extensions

4/4
no workout recorded... can't remember if I rested or not!

4/5
4 mi run
Time: 53:09
Avg HR: 141
Max HR: 180

4/6
3x5 push press (55,60,65) and deadlift (105, 115, 125)
3 rounds of
30 lunges, 10 pullups
c&j - 55#, 60#, 65#

4/7
am 4 mile run
ran fasted, lost stats in my hrm but the run went really well

4/9
on vacation!
6 mi run
Time: 1:20:56
Avg HR:  146
Max HR: 172

4/10
took rest day

4/11
on vacation still!
ran/walked 3 miles, every 1/4 mile did 20 squats, 20 psu for total of 160 each exercise.  This was a good workout

4/12
4.5 mi run outside, felt great

Strength training wise, I've been keeping with Wendler's 5/3/1 program up until this last week where I decided to switch to mostly bodyweight exercises.  I was getting a little bored with the program, but the main reason I switched it up was because we were out of town this last weekend.  I am not sure if I want to go back to 5/3/1 at this point or if I want to work on some other stuff at this point, but I better figure it out soon since I have a strength workout scheduled tomorrow.

Twice in the last week or so I've experimented with some different pre-run fueling.  I did one fasted morning run, which actually went really well surprisingly, and two runs after eating a small dark chocolate bar.  I figured, the dark chocolate (Dagoba 87% is what I've used because the small bar is the perfect size) is high in fat and has a little bit of carbs.  Since I'm primarily trying to run using fat as fuel I though this might work out well.  It's also nice that dark chocolate has a little bit of caffeine.  I may experiment with this some more.

On our vacation I had the privilege to be in charge of most of the meals for myself, my husband, and my father in law.  I was also able to share some information with my father-in-law about the paleo diet, and it was awesome to actually have someone willing to listen, and maybe even a little bit interested!  The other thing that happened was that I ended up losing a couple pounds on vacation, weighing in this morning at 154.4, which is the lowest I've been in over a month.  Overall, I think we all ended up coming home feeling pretty good instead of run-down from eating a bunch of crappy food.  Well, my husband had a little too much sugar, but I think he knew what he was getting himself into.

My training schedule really starts ramping up now until race day, adding an additional mile every week.  Depending on how I feel, I may back off a little one of those weeks.  With the exception of some hip pain during our vacation I'm feeling strong and injury free.  I think the hip pain was due to sitting a lot during travel... Monday we spent 9 hours in the car!  Hopefully it will stay away from now on.

For those interested, I photo blogged just about every morsel I ate while we were gone, it's all over at my food blog.  I did succumb to a piece and a half of salt water taffy while we were gone.  It was good, but I know I feel better without it and I have to say I enjoyed the smoked salmon a lot more!

Saturday's long run

My training plan had me scheduled for 5 miles on Saturday.  I'm happy to say I completed it and dare I even say... it was easy?

Distance: 5.1 miles
Time: 1:05:48
Avg HR: 141
Max HR: 162

I didn't push the pace much, but the couple times I did increase my effort I found myself in a pretty sweet groove and it felt awesome.  A little weirdness in my left ankle, a little weirdness in my left knee and shin, but other than that I was pretty pain free.

In other training news, I'm on to my next cycle of 5/3/1.  The book suggests that people training twice a week should skip the deload week so I started again, adding 5 lbs to my military and bench press, and 10 lbs to my squat and deadlift.  It's definitely a little more difficult this time.  Near the end of this cycle I may consider switching strength programs but I haven't decided yet.

And now, bedtime!

Day 1 of Wendler 5/3/1 and some randomness

First day of lifting for this strength cycle, done.

Today's strength workout:
3x5 press  35, 40, 45#
3x5 deadlift  80, 90, 100#
20 pull ups, 60 push ups, 60 walking lunges, 60 abmat situps

We had a class at our church tonight scheduled for 6:30p, so I had planned to rush home, do my workout, and get dinner on the table before we headed out.  Well, it seemed like everything was conspiring against me today.  On the way to work this morning I ran out of washer fluid not even half way there, and there had been deicer sprayed on the roads so my windshield was sticky, which meant I had to go pick up a bottle of washer fluid before heading home.  Then, while I was at work we got several inches of snow, or so it appeared.  I work about 20 miles from home, and in between home and work there is what I like to call the Bermuda Triangle of weather.  At home, we got between 8" and 10", and the roads were (are!) covered in a sheet of ice, and there were multiple slide-offs on the freeway.

So, traffic was a mess and the roads were dangerous.  I finally made it home, quickly changed, and went into the uninsulated garage in about 20 degree weather to lift freezing cold metal things.  I was able to finish my workout in about a half hour, then went to prepare dinner.  In the middle of my preparations, and running later than I'd planned I got a call saying that our class was cancelled.  Thank God.  After that we were able to have a leisurely dinner and relax a bit.

That was a really long explanation, basically just to say that I was stressed and crunched for time, but still managed to get my workout in.  Whew!  I can't wait for the snow to go away!

Other than complaining about the weather, here's some of what I ate today.

b: chicken breast, broccoli slaw sauteed in coconut oil,
blueberries, and 1/2 an avocado.
l: chicken breast, roasted curried cauliflower and
carrots in coconut oil

Meat massacre and first two days of training

First two scheduled workouts down, many more to go!  Yesterday's mission was to find my 1 rep max for bench press, overhead press and back squat.  I ended up at 60, 55, and 95 respectively.  Then I did a quick 3 rounds of bodyweight stuff: 20 squats, 15 kb swings with 25#, 10 lunges with 10# and 5 assisted pullups.

Tonight was a 3 mile run.  Stats are as follows:

Distance: 3.1 miles

Time: 35:50

Avg HR: 154

Max HR: 171

Not too bad for a quick 5k.  Definitely an improvement over my first attempts at 3 miles.  And, even though I find the running boring, it's getting easier.  (Per the display on the treadmill) I was able to increase my pace comfortably, and I've noticed my HR is decreasing a little bit, too. 

After I got back from my run today I had a decent sized banana.  On Saturday I made the mistake of having some banana and water before my 3.5 mile run, and I found that I got a little heart-burny so I don't think I'll be doing banana before a run again.  Also, banana seems to be fine after longer runs, but my time is decreasing on these 3 mile runs and since my HR is right around 155-160 most of the time, I don't think I'm burning enough glucose to really need a banana afterwards.  I felt pretty darn good fuel-wise today in comparison to the first couple runs... I am pretty sure I basically bonked on the first run.  Lately I've felt comfortable at the level of carbohydrate intake I'm at.  Perhaps I'll save the sugary fruits for the longer weekend runs and stick to sweet potatoes after the shorter ones.

And now... the meat massacre!





Blood spray from tenderizing the meat!

 



Monday's lunch and breakfast: leftover salsa chicken on
zucchini, squash and onions.  Eggs and broccoli slaw,
avocado and blueberries.

I kind of messed up my Whole30 yesterday by marinating the meat in tamari.  I could've done without it, but I was trying to impress my husband (and he was definitely impressed with the flank steak)... so, not exactly sure where I'm going to go with that.  I'll have to consider it tomorrow and decide what I'm going to do!


My running history and thoughts on a training strategy

I have a love/hate relationship with running.  I have never been much of a runner and the longest race I've run is a 5k.

There.  That's my history.  This is the part where people might think I'm a little nuts for considering a half marathon.

When I ran my 5k, I was doing a lot of CrossFit and not much running at all besides a couple 400m runs a week.  I was thoroughly shocked to find out that cross training gets you in shape to run!  I was daunted by the 5k but I ended up running it in 35 minutes or so, and part of that was while team carrying a huge log.

After finishing the 5k, I continued to do CrossFit several times per week, and would throw in 2.5 to 3 miles runs occasionally.  At the time, my husband and I were travelling to western Washington fairly often to spend time with his family.  His mom was dying of cancer and it was a really stressful time for everyone.  Looking back, I can see that I was using running as a way to handle the stress, and through that time I started to enjoy hitting the trail in solitude in the early morning.

I haven't run much since then, and I quit CrossFit altogether in December 2009.  A few sprints on the treadmill here and there, one 2.5 mile session at the gym and one 3 mile session around the neighborhood last fall is all I've done.

Training wise, I've looked at a few half marathon plans and have found a couple that I like but I haven't settled on one yet.  I plan to run 3 times a week, strength train 3 times a week using Wendler's 5/3/1, and have at least one full day of rest.  I'm currently on a fairly low calorie diet to drop some weight (I've lost 35 lbs since September and have 18 more to go) but I'm looking forward to being done with that next month and ramping up the exercise.

Probably not many posts around here between now and February but I am excited to take on this challenge and will be back to document my progress!