Tag: marathontraining

Asking the Right Questions: Be a Student of Your Sport

John and I were pretty clueless when we first started in endurance sport. How do we train for a triathlon or marathon? What type of fueling works best, what gear do we need? And that list of questions went on and on and on. We aren’t the type of people who like to revel in ignorance, so we asked questions of more experienced people. A lot of them. We bought books, subscribed to magazines, scoured the web, went to seminars, hired coaches, eventually became coaches ourselves – everything we could do to learn as much as we could to prepare ourselves for …

33rd Annual Atlantic City St. Pat’s 10 miler: Race Report

I look forward to the annual Atlantic City St. Pat’s 10 miler as the “official” start to my race season each year. Community, friends, positive energy, and running to raise money for a worthwhile local charity–the Donny Fund. Whatever the reason, this event is a perfect way to start the season. With a 10 a.m. race start on Sunday, March 12, there was no need to set the alarm for the O’crack hour of the morning. (I told you: PERFECT!) This “late” start allowed us to wake up naturally, which is a nice change from most race mornings where the …

The Caped Cruise-aders Cruise the Cape to Gate Relay Race

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The Cape to Gate 44-mile Relay Race, held on Saturday, February 25, was my first “race” of the season. I use the term “race” very loosely, as our team– alternatively named Team Gimp, Team BQ or Caped Cruise-aders–did not plan on racing at all. Our team runners consisted of Tracy, my sister-in-law (you may remember her as my pacer for the VT50), Carole Donohue, our new running buddy, and myself. Our team also benefitted from having a head cheerleader, sherpa-in-charge Mrs. Regina Jenkins, my lovely mother-in-law, who chauffeured our stinking asses 44 miles from Cape May, NJ to Margate, NJ. …

Treating a sore ankle with angst and ice: 6 tips

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I woke up one morning about 3 weeks before I was to run the Philadelphia Marathon with a sore ankle. Damn. I had just completed a 21 mile run a few days prior, and despite a few rough patches, the run went well. But, when I woke up two days later, the ankle was officially sore, and I was officially in a terrible mood. An injury or pain that keeps me from running–even for just a day–is enough to turn on the wicked witch switch. I had plans to do about 7 miles of speedwork on Sunday. But, my ankle hurt just …

Storms, treadmills, and perseverance

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I woke up to 20-30 mph sustained winds with 40 mph gusts and torrents of rain. My backyard had been transformed into a pond, and the streets were strewn with tree limbs, puddles and downed power lines. This situation did not square well with the workout listed in my training plan: a 20 mile run. A run of this length is difficult enough. Add tropical storm force winds, rains, and live power lines and the challenge increases greatly. I’ve run in the rain, snow, ice and wind before. I’m not a fair-weather only kind of runner by any means. So, I …

Enjoy what the body can do

I read a profound statement in my friend Lorin’s blog the other day (VeganAsana: Adventures in Veganism and Yoga): “Wouldn’t it be great to always be in that place – to just live in the body and enjoy what it can do and be instead of critiquing what it is not?” I’ve been touched by the line since I read it, and have thought much about it. It’s reminded me about my long history of trouble with body image–and the lessons I have learned about my body from exercise and endurance training. I have had body issues of varying sorts since I was a young …

Running home: Atlantic City Boardwalk Run

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For today’s long run (18 miles), I headed to the Atlantic City Boardwalk at 5:30 a.m. Last summer, I ran all of my long runs on the Boardwalk; this summer, I’ve done all of my long runs in the Pine Barrens, where my Half Ironman will be set. But, you know, I missed the Boardwalk. There is so much more to Atlantic City than casinos, and when I run the boardwalk I can feel a positive energy that makes me want to move. I feel like a runner when I’m cruising down the boards. For long runs, I travel on foot …

Marathons are a gateway drug

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This time last year, I was about one month into a marathon training plan. I was preparing for my first marathon, the Atlantic City Marathon. Prior to this experience, I had only raced in a 10 mile event and maybe one or two 5Ks for charities that I supported. But, for the most part, I just ran–and had been a runner since I was 13 years old. I didn’t compete. It was what I did to stay fit, and I really enjoyed the peace and fulfillment of a good run. As we grow older, we may begin to take the …

I’m an “endurance monster”

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according to an article in the September 2009 edition of Running Times. Greg McMillan, author of the article, defines endurance monsters as any runners who enjoy “long runs, marathon training, tempo runs and any workout slower than 10K” (p. 18). Yup, so far I fit the profile. He goes on to say that a monster “finds it very difficult to get her legs to go fast. Short, fast training like 200m-400m track workouts and hard fartlek runs leave EM feeling deflated” (p. 18). Yup, got me again–and today’s speed workout really emphasized my speed weakness, and my preference for strength …