Need for speed

I know, I know, I know. I've been absent since March. Truth is, I haven't had much exciting to write about in the way of running. It's been a lot of the same old, same old. Going to the gym in the morning before work and that's about it. Not much to write about really.

One thing I have been doing during those quick trips to the gym is working on speed. I think I mentioned this in an earlier post, when I was working toward a 5K. In the past few weeks I've been doing even more speed work. I convinced Jenna to run the Medtronic TC 1-mile with me. I figured it would be a good exposure to racing for her and she could definitely handle a mile. Turns out she more than handled it. More on that later.

Anyway, I've been wanting to get my mile time down low. Now, low for me is under 8 minutes considering I haven't run a single mile since my days with Coach Greeno in high school. Now, my time back then was probably around 7 minutes. Probably just over. I can't remember exactly. Oh how I wish it could be that again but alas, it is not...yet.

To work on short-distance speed (yes a mile is short distance) in my 3 workouts a week, I did speed work on Monday and Friday and longer "recovery" work on Wednesday. Mondays and Fridays consisted of a 5 minute warm up which usually ended up being about a half mile long. After the warm up I cranked the treadmill up and did a full mile at whatever pace I chose that day. Each day I chose a faster speed than the last. Usually about 2 tenths of a mile faster. Then, I'd typically crank it up again for the last 10th of a mile. By the time I ran my last speed workout prior to the race on Thursday, I had a 7:35 mile time. I thought that was pretty good and was excited to test it out at the TC 1-mile on Thursday, May 17.

Unfortunately, Thursday's weather was not all that favorable for running a race. It was 80+ degrees and the winds were sustained at over 20 miles per hour and gusting even more. The best part is that they were straight up headwinds. Not OK. As soon as I stepped over the start line, I knew it was going to be a difficult run. The buildings in downtown Minneapolis created one heck of a wind tunnel, a la the windy city of Chicago if you've ever experienced that. This run was a straight shot down Nicollet Mall. There wasn't much relief in terms of terrain so I guess that was good. That headwind though was the killer. My mouth instantly dried out when we started, and I'm pretty sure my entire respiratory system shriveled up, straight down to the poor little alveoli in my lungs. Breathing was a little challenging.

From this pre-race picture, you wouldn't know that the weather was not ideal for running. Also, don't laugh at my farmer's tan. I was at a wine tasting with my mom and sisters last weekend. It was outside and I didn't wear sunscreen.

Now the great thing about Nicollet Mall is that there are a lot of bars/restaurants toward the south end of the street. Most of them are situated in the last half of the course. This means that all of the normal patrons, plus the racers that finished in the earlier waves were sitting out on the restaurant patios having drinks or eating dinner. It provided instant cheer zones. Coming into the finish line was pretty exciting with all of these people around.

I ended up finishing with a time of 8:10. Pretty crappy for me. I was and still am pretty disappointed with that time considering I wanted to be under 8 minutes. Jenna finished not far behind me in 9:00 flat. That was actually a huge time for her. She'd been running her miles in over 9 minutes during training so something must have bit her in the ass and got her to move despite the weather. I wish it would have jumped 50 seconds ahead and bit me too.

Post-race, Jenna and I both experienced some serious wheezing and coughing. I have never had coughing this bad after a race. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. As we walked the mile back to the start line and our car, we passed a lot of people who had also just finished the race and were wheezing and coughing like mad too. Weirdest thing I've ever experienced. The cough lasted through Friday. I happened to be on one of the Minnesota running group's Facebook page on Friday and saw a post from someone else who ran the race. It said, "Is anyone else still coughing from last night?" And the entire string of responses was in the affirmative. I was really happy to see it wasn't just me and the symptoms were definitely caused by that wind. Chances are, the drying effect of the wind itself, plus the fact that it undoubtedly kicked up a ton of dust and allergens that we sucked into our lungs are what contributed to the smoker's cough we endured.

Overall, I'm happy I did that race. It was a good change-up from the longer distances, even the 5K's that I'd been doing. The best part is that a random 1000 of the 2500 finishers get guaranteed entry into the Twin Cities 10 mile on October 7. A race that I want to do but is entered by lottery. I'm hoping I'm one of those lucky 1000! Why wouldn't I want to run a 10-mile race on my birthday?

In June I start training for the 10 mile and half marathon I'll be doing in October. I'd like to throw in a 5K or 10K race in June or early July just to track some progress. I haven't been able to find any good ones though so we'll see if that happens.

Lastly, I am incredibly thankful that I did not sign up for a full marathon this fall. I had been a little regretful until I opened up my email on Wednesday. I found out that I was accepted into the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management MBA program for the fall. Between my full time job which will get CRAZY in September and October and starting the MBA program the week after Labor Day, I don't think I would have had time for those long training runs. I just don't know how I'd do it. Maybe next year when I've gotten a year of MBA training and my first year of fall events under my belt, it'll be easier. Here's hoping because I'd really like to take on Chicago.

Hopefully I'll have more to write about in the coming weeks. I'm planning to head outside for my runs now. There's really no excuse considering the weather. Also, my schedule at work will be changing into summer hours. We work an extra hour on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so we can have a half day Friday. This means I'm tacking my  hour onto the beginning of the day so early morning trips to the gym might not be as feasible. Stay tuned for more...

Racing Plans

Well, it's March, which means racing season is pretty much here. In Minneapolis we've been having outdoor road races since January so I guess it's been here for a while. Yah, we're pretty hardy here dontcha know.


So far I've done a 5K. I ran the 100% Irish for a Day 5K the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day. I've been itching to do another race but I really feel like I shouldn't be spending money on entrance fees right now. Taxes are due on April 15. YAY! :( Last year when we had to pay in and this year when we found out we have to pay in again, I at least found the silver lining and thought, "Well hey, at least I didn't give the government an interest free loan for the past 12 months." That's about all I've got for positive thinking and taxes. Back to running...


Since I don't think I'll be doing any more races this spring, It's been difficult to consistently get out and train. Apparently I'm the type that needs a goal. I think this is especially true since I've been prepping for the GMAT lately. That is where my spare time has been going. But despite the nice weather, I've been a little inconsistent in training. But, soon that will all have to change because I have some big race plans on the agenda. BIG!


First, I've decided that I'd really like to do the Twin Cities 10-mile. It's in conjunction with the Twin Cities Marathon, which I ran last year. In fact they run some of the same route, at the same time. The 10-milers just get to skip 60% of the marathon route. The unfortunate thing is that they share the most difficult leg of the route. The part that's all uphill. The part that practically killed me at the end last October. Joy. But, I figure that portion will be much easier with only 3 miles behind me instead of 19. Another unfortunate thing is that since there is such a high demand for entries into this race, you only get in by lottery. So, the lottery opens in July and I plan to enter. 


The race itself is on October 7. My birthday! This means that I'll actually start training just before I know whether or not I'm actually in. Why would I start training so early just for a 10-mile you ask? Well, because I have plans for a second race in late October. I am planning to run the Monster Dash Half Marathon. Halloween+Road Race must = Good time right? I think so. I'm just trying to garner some support in the form of a running partner or two. A friend from Chicago might join me, though I'm afraid she'll probably kick my butt. However, I know that if she comes up I'll really push myself and we'll have a great time! She'll get to see more of the Twin Cities than just the airport, unlike last time she was up. Did I mention this friend works for the National MS Society Greater Illinois Chapter and is a huge crusader in ending MS? No? Well now I did. She's pretty awesome! I love her gusto!


In addition to the Monster Dash Half, I think we'll be running yet another race together. This one won't be until January however. "January?" you ask. Yes, my friends. January. I will not be running in Minneapolis, or anywhere near the upper Midwest for that matter. We're doing a race in FLORIDA!!! Not just any race, a huge, crazy endurance, test-your-mental-not just-physical-stamina race. We're running...drum roll please...brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...RAGNAR! 


What is Ragnar you ask? Well, taken directly from the website, "Ragnar is the overnight running relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport. A team is made up of 6 or 12 individuals; each individual runs 3 legs. The legs of the race vary in difficulty and distance from 308 miles, allowing elite and novice runners to run together. Over 2 days and 1 night, teams run across 200 miles of the country's most scenic terrain. Pair that with crazy costumes, inside jokes, a great finish line party and unforgettable stories. Some call it a slumber party with out sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it Ragnar."

Yes, you read that right. 200 miles! Not only do we run that far, but we do it over the course of two days and one night! An overnight run! Are we crazy? Probably. But, it seems that there are a lot of crazy people out there since these relays happen all over the country, even near the Twin Cities. We aren't doing the Twin Cities one because I have a wedding to attend that weekend. Florida in January seemed like the next best option. 

Now, another reason we might be a little crazy is because of this:

You see that part just after exchange 12 and Florida City? That part where it's shaded a different color? Well, that's the Everglades. Hot, swampy and full of alligators. The route goes right through that. You know what the best part is? That leg is AT NIGHT on a rocky, gravel trail. I'm thinking if you trip and fall (which is likely since your route is illuminated only by a headlamp and occasional headlights from support vans), you're instantly alligator dinner, or midnight/middle of the night snack. But, you know, sounds like a good challenge right? I did a quick Google search today and didn't find anything about anyone getting attacked by an alligator yet during this race, so I think we're good. Either that or statistics are not on our side and our time is due. Hopefully it's the former. The other good news regarding the gators is that only two legs go through the Everglades. So as long as I'm not runner 2 or 3, I should be ok. 

As you can also see, once you exit the Everglades, you also exit mainland Florida and start running on US Highway 1, or the Intercoastal Highway.

Photo Courtesy of Bing

That's right, running on huge-ass bridges that connect all of the Florida Keys. Don't mind me, I'll just take a jog over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. No biggie. Now, I know this would make a lot of people's heads swim but it sounds like the coolest thing ever for me. That is aside from the lack of shade and high potential for blistering heat but seriously. Awesome. I've always wanted to simply drive over this highway. Running sounds even better. 

The race finishes in Key West and wraps up with a giant party. Don't mind if I do! Since the race is Friday through Saturday, I imagine we'll come home on Sunday. Perfect for soaking up a few rays while enjoying a Key West beach before heading back to what will surely be the frozen tundra of Minnesota in January.

Can you tell I'm excited for this? Erin already has 8 people recruited. We only need 4 more. What do you say, are you in?

Revelations and Races

Ok, I'm terrible. I know. I've been neglecting my writing duties. Mostly because I haven't had anything really worthy to write about lately, and when I have, I kind of put it off because I feel I have better things to do with my time. Even right now I can think of at least 3 other things I really should be doing such as washing sheets, grocery shopping and studying for the GMAT.

Yep, that's right, I'm studying for the GMAT. The test that gets you into business school. Since starting my job at the U, I've decided that I should take advantage of getting 75% off my tuition if I go back to school. I've decided that I'm going to see how the GMAT goes and if I can get into the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and complete an MBA part-time. Normally, I wouldn't worry about standardized tests and applications to schools. Historically, those things have always gone well. However, historically I've only taken standardized tests and quit applying to colleges after I transferred to Minnesota. After going through some of the math on the GMAT practice stuff, I realized that there's a lot of it I haven't done since I was 14 or 15 years old. I'm 26. Eeeps! So, I'm taking the test on March 31 and have to have all of my application materials in by May 1 in order to start in the fall. Another reason I'm not completely confident of my abilities to get in to the program is because Carlson is rated in the top 25 business schools in the nation. After writing this paragraph I realize I probably should be studying.

Going back to school might change how my running plays out. Working full time plus school part time might not leave a lot of time for training. But, for now I persevere. I've continued to go to the gym three days a week before work. since it's before work, I've just been working on speed. It ended up making sense since I had a 5K coming up.

One thing I really have learned in these early morning sessions is to not let my head get in the way of a good workout. There are a lot of days when I really struggle to pull myself out of my bed to get to the gym. While getting ready I often think to myself, "Maybe I'll just take it easy today. Maybe even just briskly walk." It's probably a good thing I'm fairly competitive with myself. As soon as I step on the treadmill, I can't let myself slack. And as it turns out, that on the days I'm feeling at my worst, I often work out at my best. Many times I run the fastest for the longest on these days. Something I've found to be fairly interesting. Now, for the rest of the day it often takes a lot of effort (and sometimes coffee) to stay awake at work, but I make it through.

The hard work has paid off because I've been able to significantly reduce my short-distance speeds. We have had some unseasonably warm weather lately. We're talking 50+ degrees in March. Usually there's still a significant amount of snow on the ground. Last week was the first time we hit those temps and I was able to get in my first outdoor run of the season. Now, it wasn't anything special. Just a quick 3 miles around my neighborhood. And it did turn out to be pretty quick. I was able to get through the 3 in about 27 1/2 minutes. About 9:10 mile time. Not awesome, considering I had this route down to about 26 1/2 minutes at the end of my marathon training this fall, but still pretty good. I'm going to keep working on it and see if i can get it down to around 26 minutes eventually. It might take a while but now that the weather is getting nicer, I'll be able to get outside more.

I was hoping I could carry this speed into a 5K I ran on Saturday. I sort of did. My 5K time ended up being 28:29. It was about the same speed as my training. Technically I should be running faster in races so that's a little frustrating. I think the most frustrating part about it is how most 5K's play out.

This race, the 100% Irish for a Day, was a 5K and a 10-mile. Clearly it's an event geared toward runners. I knew I'd only have time to prepare for the 5K. Now, in any 5K you've got your wide range of participants. You've got the guys/gals who are quick as hell and want to win. You've got the folks who are pretty good, but aren't going to win, there are then people like me, who are pretty much middle of the pack. Next are people who are slower than me. They run/walk the whole event and are often new to running or getting back into running/fitness. Lastly, you have the walkers. The people who pay $35 to take a leisurely stroll around the lake. Now, don't get me wrong, they completely have that right and normally I wouldn't care that they do that, until they really get in my way.

The race organizers place markers at the start-line that designate what speed you think you'll run the race. It's marked by minutes per mile. The intention is that you line up near the marker that aligns with your assumed speed. Thus, I lined up by the 9:00 min/mile sign. When the race began it took a good mile for it to spread out enough that I wasn't constantly bobbing and weaving through the crowd. I was like Ali ducking and dodging swinging arms. When I looked at my watch, it had taken me over 10 minutes to run the first mile. Over 10 minutes! WHAT?

Now you might be asking, why did it take you so long if you lined up next to the 9:00 min/mile sign? Well, because people that clearly run at a much, much slower pace lined up in the front of the pack at the 6-8 min/mile areas. COME ON! So, in consequence, a giant cluster-eff develops for at least the first mile. It's really quite irritating and there's not a whole lot race officials can do about it. Typically you can't tell by looking at someone what speed they'll run. So, if you plan on running any 5K's and think you're on the slower end of the spectrum (definitely if you're walking), please, for God's sake, line up toward the back of the pack. It's just standard courtesy to those who are actually going to try and make times.

Now, the race itself was great. it was a loop around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. I'm very familiar with this lake because I had spent a lot of time training for the marathon in that area. Now, when I was training, there were leaves on the trees and no ice on the lake. Despite the barren landscape, it was still great. The high for the day was in the 60's and at race time it was in the 40's. Pretty good running weather. There was a pretty good wind coming from the south. I didn't really notice it until the end of the race when it was whipping up from the frozen lake and hitting me crosswise. But, by that time I was pretty much done and really wanted to make time so I powered through.

The race ended with your standard race-fare. But this race, due to the St. Patrick's day theme culminated in a free glass of Finnegan's beer. Now, I only have select occasions when I drink beer in the morning. Gopher football games are usually the only excuses. But, this seemed like a good time to have a bump at 10 a.m. The downside was that since I ran the race alone, I didn't have anyone to share the beer with. They made us stay in a beer garden so I couldn't chat with Erich and his parents until I was done. But, it was good nonetheless.

Post race we drove to 3 restaurants before finding a place that could accommodate us for breakfast. Guess that's the downside to being in a city where the best breakfasts come from tiny diners. We ended up at The Citizen where I had the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had. From scratch cheddar chive biscuits and gravy with homemade sausage. Simply lovely. The icing on the cake was that the restaurant sources local and organic ingredients. Perfect post race meal.

Hopefully my speed work continues to get better. I'm going to continue my bouts at the gym in the morning and start getting my butt outside more. This week is going to be great for running with temps topping out in the low 70's. Adios winter!

Back in the game

I've been quite absent from the blogosphere lately. By quite absent I mean thoroughly non-existent and by lately I mean for the past 3 months.

As it turns out, even if you can, it's not actually fun to run with tendonitis. It also turns out that it becomes very difficult to run outside when daylight only lasts from about 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It seems that it's preferential for me to be at work during that time. Go figure. I'm not willing to run outside in the dark. It's not safe on many accounts.

I had put a freeze on my gym membership while training for the marathon. I just wasn't using it so it didn't make sense to pay for it. I held off unfreezing it because I wanted to continue running outside. Unfortunately that did not work out due to the above mentioned reasons I finally came upon the opportunity to unfreeze the membership when I started a new job in late December.

On December 21, I left my over 3-year position with the MS Society. After much deliberation and discussion with my husband, it was decided that I take advantage of an opportunity at the University of Minnesota. At this point, it's not for schooling (but eventually will be, more on that later) but for employment. I'm now working in Alumni Relations and planning events for the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. I am still staying in touch with my friends at the MS Society and am still planning to volunteer for them in the future. In case any of you were worried, I am not cutting my ties with the organization.

Starting up at "The U" opened an opportunity to carpool with a close friend. After a couple of days, it was decided that we'd start going to the gym before work. So, for the past 4 weeks, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we get up early (well before the sun) and make our way to LA Fitness.

Since it's morning, the time we have to workout is fairly minimal; around 30 minutes. We do still have to shower and get ready for the day. I feel that I really need to push myself during those 30 minutes and for the most part, I have. I've really been focusing on speed during these early morning sessions. I'm running a 5K in March (The 100% Irish for a Day 5K) so I'm hoping this pays off. A time under 27 minutes would be ideal. I'm fully confident this can happen. I was at that point in October. I should be able to get it back. The only outlier will be the weather. March is a finicky bitch when it comes to weather. You never know what she'll bring to the table. If it's really cold and windy, all bets are off for my time. But, if this winter is any indication of what to expect, I should be just fine.

Now, what has my esteemed gym-partner been doing all this time? She is on track for the Couch to 5K program. Now Jenna, like my friend, Jill, is not a runner at heart. In fact she doesn't really like it at all. How these people are such good friends of mine, I have no idea; but they are. She's been doing so fabulous and recently ran longer than she's ever ran in a single bout in a long time. So far she's 3 weeks into the program and is progressing beautifully. I'm really proud of her for sticking with it and for not getting grumpy or discouraged. Though, I'm not sure why she'd be getting discouraged considering she's been incredibly successful. She's tired at the end of a workout, and that's how it should be, but she isn't letting it get in the way of her goals. So, shout out to Jenna and her awesome work. I'm hoping she'll truly convert to being a runner. We'll see though.

In addition to our morning runs. We've been getting into strength training on the weekends. It's nearly impossible to fit in during early morning sessions and while I'd prefer to strength train more than one day a week, it's better than nothing. I can certainly tell that I haven't done strength training in about 9 months. I'm significantly weaker than I was and am sore longer. I know it'll come back though. I'm excited for that to return.

The upcoming 5K isn't the only race I have to look forward to. I have another planned for October. I will not be running a full marathon this year, however I will be taking on a half. I'll be participating in the Monster Dash Half Marathon. It's Halloween-themed so it should be incredibly fun. I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to the less crazy training. The new job will be a lot slower in the summer and I'm looking forward to having more time to relax and enjoy myself. I have a feeling the months to come are going to be a lot of fun and full of surprising challenges as I work to increase speed.