Back to School, and Back to (Sort Of) Training

In the midst of all our summer adventures (which ended yesterday, when the boys went back to school), I've also been running - quite a bit, actually.

Last week, without realizing I was running so much, I ended up with 42 miles total for the week!  For someone who typically doesn't run more than 30 - 35 miles, that's a lot.

Part of the reason I've been running so much is that I hated to drag the boys to the gym too often during their final two weeks of summer vacation. They have friends there, and it's not that it's not fun for them to go, but it is getting a little harder for Gabe and Dante to find stuff to do, and they have much more of a tendency to get themselves in trouble if they're bored, so I find it's better if I only bring them once or twice a week.

Troublemakers : )   Two of the three are back to school already - the third starts next week!

And as any runner knows, there is no workout quite as convenient and easy as just slipping on your sneakers and heading out the door for a run, so that's what I've found myself doing more often than usual on many an early morning.

It hasn't been all easy runs, though. I've been good about getting in my weekly track workouts, and despite it being August in New England, we've been treated to some stretches of cool, dry weather, which has made those track workouts much more pleasant than I expected them to be. Although I don't really like that it's felt like fall (so not ready for summer to be over yet!), it definitely has had a very positive affect on my running.

Last week's mile repeats came in at 6:51, 6:37, 6:30, 6:31.  And this morning's track workout (in the pouring rain), although a little more humid, included a 6:43 mile, and a 1:30 quarter, so I'm definitely getting some speed back, which feels nice.

Tempo runs haven't been quite as regular, as I've traded a few of them in favor of easier runs with friends, because once school and afterschool/weekend activities begin, it's much harder for me to coordinate schedules so that I can run with other people, so I want to take advantage of the opportunities while I have them!

The tempo runs I have gotten in have gone great, though - my tempo pace is right around 7:15, which is exactly where I expected it to be. And holding that pace for a tempo run has me feeling good about trying for a PR at my October half.

So I've shifted from going out and just doing whatever to running with a little more purpose, but I wouldn't call it full-on training. I'm saving that for December, when Boston training will begin.

This is kind of my in-between half training/half fun spot, and I think it's one of my favorite spots to be in. I can push myself and work toward goals, but I don't feel too guilty if I trade a tempo run for an easy run with friends. And I don't feel too guilty if I run 12 miles instead of 14.

And summer has been the perfect time to be in that spot, because summer is not a time of year where I want to be tied to a strict schedule. I love routine, and I love schedules, and I love having a training plan, but everyone needs a break now and then, and I've been enjoying mine thoroughly.

After seeing last week's mileage total at 42, though, and after feeling some aches in my knees and my feet (bunion-related, I suspect), I do need to be more careful about not turning 8-milers into 11-milers, like I did one unusually cool and dry and perfectly gorgeous morning last week. That's the only danger with not having a schedule - it's easy to cut runs short, but for someone like me, it's just as easy to extend them far beyond what you planned on doing.

So this week will be a cutback week, and I'll be a little more conscious of keeping my mileage in check a bit, because I have some fun fall races planned, and don't want to risk getting injured and not being able to do them. 

First up is a local 5K put on by some friends, with the proceeds going to support the local track teams, so I'm happy to contribute and take part.  I've been really focusing my speedwork on longer intervals to get ready for the half, but I may throw in a couple weeks of shorter repeats to see if I can't pull off a PR at this 5K.

Chipping away at my 5K time has gotten progressively more difficult as I've gotten my pace into the low 7s, and then the sub 7s. I still have that sub-20-minute goal in mind, but I'm 99.99% certain that won't happen in September. Never say never, of course, but I haven't trained to run that pace, so I'm not anticipating it. But even if I can shave a few seconds off my current PR (20:51), I'll be happy.

Next up after that is a new race - the Ocean Road 10K. I'm really looking forward to this one, as it will be my first ever 10K!  Nearly 80 races under my belt, but I have never run a 10K in my life. And this is going to be a great one - the course runs from the Pt. Judith lightouse up to Narragansett Town Beach. It's basically a straight shot along the ocean, and not terribly hilly at all. So as long as the wind isn't in our faces the whole way, I should be able to run a pretty decent time. Whatever I do, though, it'll be an automatic PR : )

The start of the Ocean Road 10K - gorgeous, right?

I need to hold back a teeny tiny bit, though, since the following weekend is the half in Newport, where I really want to give it my all and hopefully get myself closer to my ultimate 1:35 goal. I'd love it if I could pull off the 1:35 at this race, but I think it's a bit of a stretch, given that I'm not fully committing to serious training. I feel like 1:36 is within my grasp, though, so I'll be happy if I can get there.

And then my last big race effort for the fall will be up in New Hampshire - a half-marathon built into a fun weekend away with friends!  We weren't sure if we were going to do a weekend away this year, and it all came together very last-minute, but I'm glad it did - and glad we registered just in time, because the race ended up selling out!

Looks like another very pretty course!

After that, I'll be laying low and skipping hard workouts for a month, to give myself a little downtime before Boston training begins. I've had great success with the Run Less, Run Faster plans for my last two marathons, but for this year, I think I'm going to be my own coaching guinea pig and create my Boston training plan myself. I haven't thought too much about my goals yet, but as the fall arrives, I'll start doing some number-crunching and see what I think I should aim for.

As of the past few weeks, my long run paces have been in the low 8s (and even a 7:55 average pace for this past weekend's 14-miler), so I feel like I should be able to break 3:30 this year, but what I need to figure out is how far under 3:30 I can be. Something to ponder a little more....

The majority of my running this summer has, luckily, been incident-free. I have had three reactions recently, but they were much more minor and manageable - which, given the freakish nature of this condition, is a really good thing.

The first reaction was just a few days before the Blessing, and started with the typical itchy hands. I stopped almost immediately and called Scott to come pick me up, and with some Benadryl, it was under control very quickly. The key, clearly is to stop running right away - a lesson I've unfortunately learned the hard way.

The other two times were different, though - I felt fine the whole time I was running, and it was only after I had stopped that I got itchy. And it wasn't my hands that itched - it was my lower legs and ankles. Bizarre. One time I took Benadryl to calm it down, but the second time I waited a few minutes and it subsided on its own.

While I'm glad that the last two incidents were so minor, and that they didn't happen until after I had finished running, I'm more baffled than ever, since there seems to be virtually nothing at all predictable about these reactions. Just when I think I maybe understand something about how to 'manage' them (a relative term), something happens that totally throws all my understanding out the window.

While taking the Allegra every day isn't preventing the reactions from happening, it does seem to have lessened their severity (for now, anyway), so I'm going to stick with it. As I tell myself often - I'm still able to run, and for that, I'm very, very fortunate, so I can't complain - there are far worse things I could be dealing with.

I'll just continue to do what I can to stay on top of it, and hope for the best. And keep running.

Comments

[Jen @ milesandblessings]

Congrats on your 42 miles!!! That is awesome. The begining of that race does look beautiful!!! Good luck with the training

[Laura @ Mommy Run Fast]

You have a lot of great goals! And your speed is definitely coming back. I have a feeling it's going to be a really good running season for you. :)