Tag Archives: boston marathon training

Boston Marathon: Taper {1 week to go}

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The Sunday before a marathon I usually do a 13 mile run. While I know this is slightly unconventional (longer than most plans), it has always worked well for me. As I’m waiting until Tuesday to test out my hamstring, this morning I begrudgingly decided to head to the gym and elliptical the distance in order to fit in some last minute distance training.

Before I left I had a date with sunflower butter and 1/4 piece of bread (don’t ask me why there was a 1/4 left in the bag?) with cinnamon raisin pb, walnuts, and chia seeds. I also drank a few sips of blueberry kefir and some water before heading out the door.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it on the blog before but my new gym has the fancy equipment with personal tvs (or this might be more common than I think?) Well, I usually watch the news or a sitcom like Friends if I’m at the gym in the evening but today I figured I’d flip through more of the channels to see my other options. Guess what gem I stumbed upon? 80′s pop music! Let’s just say music videos like the following kept me entertained for awhile ;)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqIidDuOuZQ]

The singer is really creepy right? Please tell me I’m not alone on this.

Around mile 8 my right calf started to cramp up and while it wasn’t causing any pain and I could have powered through the 13 miles, I decided not to risk it and said goodbye to my 80′s music after 9 miles. Luckily, I brought my bathing suit with me and I decided to swim a few laps to make up for the shorter than planned elliptical session. A few laps quickly turned into 800 yards and then 1,000 yards and before I knew it, I’d finished a mile.

Breakfast was consumed quickly after arriving back at the apartment.

I toasted two gluten free waffles (one with cheese on top) while I scrambled two egg whites and cooked 1 strip of veggie bacon. When the eggs were cooked and the waffles toasted, I spread fig jam on the non-cheesey waffle, added the egg and bacon, and put the waffle sandwich on my George Foreman to get a nice press. I also had mushrooms with tahini for some saltiness (I always crave salt after a long workout).

Here are my weekly workouts:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: 45 minutes AMT
Wednesday: 45 minutes elliptical, 1 mile swim
Thursday: 45 minutes elliptical
Friday: 45 minutes elliptical
Saturday: 40 minute walk
Sunday: 9 miles (approx 1:10) elliptical, 1 mile swim

This wasn’t my best week of cross-training but I chalk that up frustration with injury and the fact that it’s taper time. There’s not much more I can do for Boston now.

Totals
Elliptical: 3.5 hours
AMT: 45 minutes
Swim: 2 miles

Thoughts:
I never want to see an elliptical again. That is all.

The rest of Sunday was spent baking, shopping, snacking, doing some homework, and watching X-Files. This weekend wasn’t a quarter as productive as it needed to be but I’m waiting on some e-mails and can’t procede until I hear back. I figure if I can’t work I might as well relax and get some rest in preparation for the craziness that is to come.

I also rarely go shopping and haven’t bought new clothes in like 5 years. I’m bad about holding onto things forever. Anyway, has anyone been in Gap lately? I usually struggle to find things I like there but today I found a ton. Their spring line is very cute, I suggest you all go check it out :)

In order an attempt not to buy out the store I told myself I could have two items so I bought this top in white-

(source)

And also these pants, I love the green color!

(source)

I also picked up some compression calf sleeves to use next week (fingers crossed running is pain free) as well as after the marathon.

Dinner was a variation on the tuna couscous salad I made the other night and dessert was a messy and unphotogenic red velvet cupcake in a jar.

I’m not a big red velvet fan but this cupcake blew my mind. I’m forever using this cake recipe when I need to make red velvet!

And just like that another weekend comes to a close. It’s hard to believe that next Sunday night I’ll be prepping for the Boston Marathon!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Boston Marathon: Taper {16 miler}

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I woke up at a shocking 5:45 a.m. today and put on my running clothes. After sleeping in for 4 weeks, being up so early felt rough and strange. While my sports doc had told me that I could run 20 miles this weekend, I didn’t think it was smart for either my heel or my legs in general plus I had a meeting with my new gym at 9 and couldn’t devote 4 hours to a 20 miler. 16 on the other hand felt do-able.

I fueled the same way as usual with half a piece of toast, sunflower butter, raisins, and walnuts and then headed out the door.

I knew my run was going to be tough and that there was a chance I might not finish so I brought my iPhone, public transit card, and cash. I wanted to be prepared for any situation. I also kept telling myself to run slow. My goal today was to finish the distance, not work on speed.

I’ve noticed since starting to run again this week that I actually feel like I’m in better CV-shape and can run faster than I could previously. However, my legs aren’t there right now so keeping a slower and steady pace is key.

My legs felt fresh off the bat and I let my pace get a little out of hand. With much effort I slowed myself down and felt pretty good until around mile 4 when my quads started to tighten up. This lasted until about mile 8 when the tightness shifted to my calves, I couldn’t win. When I was moving I felt fine but when I had to stop at crosswalks my legs were locking up. I fueled with half of a medjool date at mile 10 and the other half at mile 14. I kept myself moving and thankfully didn’t feel any alarming pain so I pushed and completed the entire 16. Whew!

Obviously this run wasn’t my best but I am so proud that I was able to complete one more long training run. I feel a lot more confident about my ability to run and finish Boston after today. Mission accomplished :) , training is so incredibly mental for me! Hopefully in the next 2 weeks my legs will continue to re-acclimate to running and it will continue to get easier and easier to bust out miles.

Also, I want to reiterate that if I didn’t have the marathon looming in the future, I would not have pushed my body 16 miles today. Unfortunately, the date of Boston is out of my control ;)

After my run I had to go to my new gym for an orientation aka pitch for personal training. I didn’t have time to eat anything between my run and the meeting so I grabbed a water at a 7-11 and headed over. When I left an hour later, my stomach was growling!

Breakfast when I got home was speculoos cookie butter baked oatmeal with banana sauce. Obviously I was so hungry that I dug in before I could take a picture. Oops!

I’ve spent most of today relaxing and watching X-Files with Ian, we have big dinner plans and I want to make sure I’m well rested :)

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!

Boston Marathon: The Would’ve Been Start of Taper

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16

Yesterday would have marked my last 20 miler before taper for the marathon. Obviously due to my heel injury, my long run didn’t happen :( . However, tomorrow is the first day I can run and if all goes according to plan, I’ll be able to fit a long run in next weekend!

I also didn’t even get a good hard workout in yesterday. As I mentioned before, my mom was in town and I wanted to spend time with her rather than the gym. Also, my legs and lower back were bothering me from all of the walking and standing at the museum on Saturday so a lighter workout was definitely what my body needed. I ended up swimming 1,800 yards and calling it quits out of pure boredom.

My Workouts for the Week:
Monday- OFF
Tuesday- 45 minutes elliptical & 15 minutes bike
Wednesday- 1 hr cycling & 1 mile swim
Thursday- 45 minutes elliptical (a.m.) and 1 hour cycling (p.m.)
Friday- 50 minutes elliptical
Saturday- 30 minutes elliptical
Sunday- 1,800 yard swim

Totals:
Elliptical- 2 hours and 50 minutes
Cycling- 2 hours
Swimming- a little over 2 miles

Mentally
I’m so excited to run this week but I’m starting to feel scared. What if my heel hurts after a couple of miles? Does that mean I won’t be able to run Boston? I’m also nervous that I’ll be out of shape. I’ve been cross-training pretty hard but I haven’t run in a couple of weeks. Ahhh!

Physically
My heel feels almost normal but I’m still babying it a little bit. I’m going to have to be careful that I stride normally when I run and don’t try to avoid pressing on the heel. I don’t want to create any new injuries!

Next Week
My goal is to have a pain free week of running + cross-training. I’m hoping to get in three runs during the week and then a longer run on the weekend. I’m not sure how long I’m going to shoot for butI was originally told by the doctor I could go as far as 20 miles. I’m starting to second guess that suggestion though, I don’t want to push too hard and risk re-injury. Any thoughts?

Dinner Last Night
After my mom left I ended up crashing on the couch for 2 hours. I must have needed some sleep! When I woke up I was disoriented and a little crabby. I really didn’t want to make anything for dinner and Ian was craving sushi, so I suggested we check out Nori, a sushi spot Ian’s been wanting to try. We ordered a couple of apps and then two rolls to share.

It was all very good :)

On our way home we made a pitstop at Argotea for a warm beverage, the temps are dropping right now!

Just the fact that Argotea has an almond milk option is amazing, but they also know how to froth it really well without the milk curdling! Yum!

When we got home I wasn’t quite in the mood for dessert, but I had bought some ingredients (i.e. heavy whipping cream) that were going to go bad if I didn’t use them, so I made a bowl of imitation Magnolia Bakery banana pudding and of course had to taste it to make sure it was okay…

Don’t worry, it tasted just fine ;)

And just like that, it’s back to the daily grind. Here’s to a week of pain-free running and healthy eating (I’m a little sick of restaurant food right now), have a great Monday!

Boston Marathon: One More Week Until I Can Run

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I know I usually do these posts on Sundays but I spent most of my “blogging time” last night looking into why non-Wordpress users can’t leave comments on my blog anymore. Well turns out its not just my blog, but all WordPress sites. They have changed the settings so that only WordPress or people with Gravatar can comment. I REALLY hope this changes soon, there seems to have been a huge backlash against WordPress but until then if you want to comment you can sign in with twitter or Facebook or use your Gravatar following these instructions. Sorry about all of this!

Anyway, as I posted yesterday, I woke up early, had a piece of toast, and then headed to the elliptical for a 20 mile session.

It honestly wasn’t AS bad as I though it would be. Yeah, I watched a lot of the news and got a couple of stares from other people but I was expecting much worse. I ended up doing the first 10 miles and then getting off the treadmill, eating a date, going to the bathroom, and then hopping back on. I also had to get off and stretch my feet every so often because my toes were falling asleep! Does anyone else have this problem? I must have looked ridiculous walking in circles around the treadmil!

While doing the elliptical is most definitely not the same as running, I can honestly say that yesterday’s workout was the next-best-thing a 20 mile run. I finished in about 2 and a half hours.

My Workouts for the Week:
Monday- OFF
Tuesday- 45 minutes elliptical + 15 minutes bike
Wednesday- 1 hour cycling class + mile swim
Thursday- 45 minutes elliptical
Friday- 45 minutes elliptical + 15 minutes bike
Saturday- 30 minutes elliptical + mile swim
Sunday- 20 miles elliptical (2:30)

Totals:
Swim- 2 miles
Bike- 1 hour 30 minutes
Elliptical- 5 hours and 15 minutes

Mentally
I can’t wait to get out there and run but I’m getting much more used to being at the gym. Also, I don’t dislike the elliptical as much as I used to. I think I’m learning to appreciate it’s likeness to running. Unfortunately, I found out this week that my gym is closing for good, so I need to figure out if I’m going to keep my membership but go to another location, or if I want to find a new facility.

Physically
I’ve had relatively little to no heel pain this week. I’ve actually been forgetting to ice it because it just doesn’t hurt. This makes me happy but also really scares me, what if it starts hurting the minute I start running?

This week I plan to keep up the crosstraining with swimming, cycling, and ellipticaling. I am on “Spring Break” which is much more like work/catch up on school work time, but I hope to go to more cycling classes than last week and get some more time in the pool.

Dinner Last Night
Last night Ian and I made Tina’s Pasta with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Red Onions.

We made two batches, one with real bacon for Ian and one with veggie bacon for myself and we used a veggie pasta from Trader Joe’s.

I loved it, it was really flavorful but also light.

Breakfast
Today I had a sunflower-a-dilla with bananas, raisins, and a few grinds from the chocolate, coffee, and sugar grinder.

It was really good but while a warm breakfast sounded good, it was really hard to eat in such a warm apartment.

Fingers crossed that management turns on the AC today!

Boston Marathon: Two More Weeks Until I Can Run

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Today should have been my first of two 20 milers. It was torture not to run this morning, the sky was clear, the sun was shining, and it was a glorious 54 degrees outside, perfect long run weather!

Instead of getting up super early to run, I slept in for a bit and ate a piece of toast with peanut butter, pumpkin butter, walnuts, and raisins with blackberries and komquats on the side.

In an attempt to imitate a 20 miler, I arrived at the gym a few minutes after they opened and hit the pool for a mile long swim. After swimming, I changed and went to the 9:15 cycling class (gotta get the HR up) and then followed that with 30 minutes on the elliptical. It sounds like a lot but I don’t feel half as tired as I ususally do after a long run (duh). My arms have been pretty tired the last few days though but I’m assuming this has everything to do with swimming + ellipticalling.

My workouts for the week went as follows:
Monday- off
Tuesday- 5 miler 45 minutes elliptical, 15 bike
Wednesday- 10 miler 1 mile swim, 1 hour cycling
Thursday- 5 miler 45 minutes elliptical, 1 hour cycling
Friday- 7 miler 50 minutes elliptical, 10 bike
Saturday- 4 miler 30 minutes elliptical, 1200 yards swimming
Sunday- 20 miler 1 mile swim, 1 hour cycling, 30 minutes elliptical

Totals:
Elliptical- 200 minutes or 3 hours and 20 minutes
Cycling- 3 hours
Swimming- 4500 yards or 2.75 miles

Mentally:
I’m more than ready to run, especially with the warm weather we’re going to have this week. I’m also growing incredibly bored with the elliptical (already!) and I think that half of my boredom could easily be solved by dragging one outside so I could soak up some Vitamin D while I work out. Do you think I can convince my gym to do this? ;)

I’m also just trying to go to every cycling class that I can. I’m not used to “working out” (I’m a runner!) and it’s so much easier for me to do so when I’m in a class environment. I’m even bringing cycling stuff with me all day as motivation to go to the class, so far it’s worked!

Physically:
My foot still hurts but not as badly or frequently as before and rarely when I’m working out. It hurts the most at night after I’ve been on it all day but icing seems to take care of most of the pain. Unfortunately, I can’t avoid walking places (and I love to walk errands etc), so it’s impossible for me to be completely off my foot all day.

Next week I plan to keep on cross-training like I have been and hope for the best. 1 week down and 2 to go until I can run again!

Back to the books- I have a midterm and an incredibly frustrating homework assignment due tomorrow.. Happy Sunday!