marathon training Archives - Page 24 of 53

ashleyd / August 20, 2012

Healthy Living Summit Day #2

Yesterday was one of those jam packed day that leave you exhausted and energized at the same time!

I woke up for the 2nd time this week before 5am in order to get in a morning run without missing out on any fun. A small group of us met at 5am in the Hyatt hotel lobby to head out for 13+ miles before Healthy Living Summit kicked off. It was earlier than we originally planned but we wanted to have plenty of time to shower, stretch and eat breakfast before the sessions.

I had the pleasure of running with Valerie, who was attending Healthy Living Summit on behalf of her company, Porter Novelli, and participating in the Blogging with Brands session with a few of us bloggers Saturday morning. It turns out that Valerie is my dear college friend Robin’s best friend back in Washington, DC! It truly is a small world and it was so fun to connect the dots this weekend and finally get to know the lovely lady of whom I’ve heard so much over the years from Robin.

We kept a great pace for the first few miles along the lovely Charles River, chatting and enjoying the morning scenery. Unfortunately Valerie wasn’t feeling too hot so we parted ways around mile 7 and I continued along the river on my own, jamming to my music and missing my rowing days as I watched skulls glide past me on the river. Around mile 9 it started to drizzle which was wonderfully refreshing and just added to the perfect running weather, cooler than my normal sticky NYC runs and a scenic change.

After a quick shower and a breakfast beyond my wildest dreams, thanks to Wild Harvest and their blogger recipe competition, I was fueled and ready to begin a day of learning from fellow bloggers, brands, fitness groups, and experts from some of our favorite brands and PR firms!

The morning kicked off with a get to know you ice breaker in small groups of 15 or so people. It was so much fun to get to know the new and old faces alike over such topics as AIM screen names and favorite books. In case you were wondering, my answer to the below question is Anne of Green Gables and The Bible.

After the opening we had a chance to break a sweat with the local Crossfit gang and learn the basics behind the workout and some of their favorite moves, such as air squats and jumps. There were over 150 people in the tented space lined up in rows so the instructors could monitor form and give pointers. They had an awesome soundtrack for the workout and were so upbeat that you couldn’t help but smile while you squated low.

The next session I attended was Holding a Virtual Challenge, hosted by the lovely Amanda from Run to the Finish! I’m going to provide details around this session in this week’s Tuesday Tips but let me just say that I learned so much and was inspired to do my own challenge in the near future.

Next up, was the moment I’d been worrying about all morning, Blogging with Brands, a session that brought together three brand and PR aficionados (Kelly Olexa, Valerie, and Laura Stanton along with three bloggers (Theodora, Anne, and myself) to share tips and thoughts about working with brands.

I was honored when Lauren asked me to join the panel and looked forward to not only contributing but also learn from everyone participating. Theodora did a great job recapping her thoughts in today’s post. (picture via Theodora)

While we didn’t have a formal presentation, Lauren prepared questions for each person to answer and then we took Q&A from the crowd.

It was great because almost every topic allowed for both a blogger and brand to share their thoughts which exposed the audience to multiple opinions and schools of thought. I think the live tweeting summarized the highlights better than I ever could since the things that are Tweeted tend to be the most noteworthy and effective. Here are the highlights from the #HLSBrandtalk twitter feed.

The session went wonderfully and our bundle of nerves was over faster than anyone wanted! The packed house had great questions and I can only hope that they gained at least a few useful tips.

After our session we were able to laugh again and enjoy a delicious lunch which proved that the Hyatt really knows how to cater for large groups. The meals this year blew the socks off all of us! Tender chicken that was served moist versus dry. Dishes served in Le Crueset? Amazing flavors?

The rest of the afternoon was spent in more sessions and networking with brands until around 5 when we couldn’t wait to toast Meghann and the gang for all their hard work! (bottom pic via Gretchen!)

While the HLS sessions were done, our day wasn’t over. I’ll be back tomorrow to share our epic dinner at Evoo thanks to the folks at Chobani!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Follow:

ashleyd / August 15, 2012

Training for the London Marathon

I’m so excited about this week’s Marathons+Moderation guest post that I actually wanted to post it sooner than Wednesday! Last week after watching the women’s marathon with Meghann, we both were talking about how much we’d love to run that marathon one day. We weren’t alone either. Twitter was buzzing with London Marathon excitement after the Olympics and I’d be surprised if their entry rate at this point isn’t higher than normal already. Much to my elation, Charlie reached out to me via email to see if I’d be interested in letting her share her London Marathon story through Marathons+Moderation. Heck yes!

Hi Healthy Happier Bear readers, I’m Charlie and I blog at The Runner Beans. I am so excited that Ashley has let me share my first marathon story with you. This April I ran the London Marathon 2012, and was thrilled to achieve my goal of finishing in under 5 hours!

I actually trained for the London marathon in 2011, but had to pull out due to an ITB injury. Thankfully I was lucky enough to be running for a great charity, MIND, who allowed me to defer my entry and sponsorship money to the following year.

When starting marathon training for the second time I decided to do things a little differently, so here are my tips for first time marathoner:

Your plan has to work for you… Having a training plan that worked with my life; both work and social schedules, meant that I stuck to it. If I had been overambitious with the number and distances of my runs, I can imagine that I would have found it overwhelming and may have been tempted to quit. I kept my mileage low during the week, sticking to 3-5 miles during three weekday runs, only upping my mileage, gradually, on my weekly long runs. This worked really well for me, especially for my first marathon where my main goal was to finish. It meant I could easily fit my runs in before work and could squeeze in other workouts. Be realistic and work out a safe, achievable plan to get
you to marathon fitness.

All the gear…Whilst running is a very accessible sport where you don’t need too much equipment to start, the most important thing to get right is your shoes. This year, unlike the last, I went and had my gait analysed at a shoe store in London, running on a treadmill whilst being filmed to check the degree of pronation in my feet when I run. It turned out that I overpronated quite a bit, and was given very supportive shoes to protect my feet and improve my running style. This definitely helped with the pain in my knees and feet after long runs. Other than shoes, you can kit yourself out with as much or as little as you want/can afford.

Cross Train… During training this year, I didn’t JUST run. The previous year I was new to running, and just getting back into the exercise game, and I didn’t really think about incorporating strength or cross training into my routine. I ran 4 days a week and that’s it. This year, I included weekly yoga sessions plus some weight and circuit sessions in and felt my whole body getting stronger. It took some of the pressure of my knees, improved my core strength, and allowed me to retain a little flexibility.

Have a cause… I originally signed up to run the marathon in memory of one of my best friends, raising money for MIND, a mental health charity. Having such a worthy cause ensured that I stuck to my training plan as I didn’t want to let his family down, or my friends and family that had donated to the cause. Every time I wanted to put off a run, I’d think about why I was doing it, and lace up my shoes and get out there.

Practise makes perfect… This year I signed up for three half marathons and a 5k. I found it far easier to complete long runs that were scheduled races, plus the appeal of a medal and goody bag never gets old! I ran two of these half marathons with my friend Emily, who I was also planning on running the London Marathon with. It was great to work out our goal paces and our race day strategies together. These half marathons were brilliant practises for the big one. During one of my half marathons my ipod was dead leaving me music-less for all 13 miles, and during another half,
my garmin decided to switch off halfway through. These minor setbacks during my half marathons, ensured that I didn’t make the same mistakes on the big day. Plus I realised that I really like running half marathons! (I’m doing another in 2 months time!)

You don’t have to do it alone… I ran the whole of the London Marathon with Emily, and don’t think I would have had as much fun during the race, nor would I have been able to finish so strongly without her. Hitting the wall at mile 20 was miserable, but having Emily by my side telling me I was strong and had to keep going, that she wasn’t leaving me, kept me running. Without her, there is a very real possibility that I would have stopped and walked.

Enjoy your race… This is one of the most important pieces of advice I was given. You will only run your first marathon once. You may run other marathons, but nothing will ever feel quite like the first time you cross the finish line. I loved (almost) every moment of the London Marathon. The course itself is so impressive, running past huge London landmarks. One of my favourite moments was running across iconic Tower Bridge, marking about the halfway point. We also ran through areas of London that I had never been to before, including the Cutty Sark. The crowds on the day were amazing; it was great having so much support from the thousands of people lining the streets, something that we wouldn’t have had in a smaller race. I also hugely appreciated the support of friends and family on the sidelines, a huge benefit of running a race that’s local to you.

I crossed the finish line in 4.54.59 hrs, holding Emily’s hand with a huge smile on my face.

“One day you won’t be able to do this, today is NOT that day.”

Question: Have you ever run a marathon in a different country?

Follow:

ashleyd / August 11, 2012

Not Every Run Goes As Planned

Last night after reading and napping most of the afternoon, Bo and I spent the evening watching one of our favorite yet often forgotten movies and enjoying thin crust pizza.

I went to bed still sniffling, coughing and fighting off tears from itchy eyes. Seven hours later I felt the same, frustrated that the medicine and a good night’s rest didn’t leave me feeling better. I texted Leticia letting her know that I was still game for a run and figured that I’d give it everything I had.

I put on a lightweight wicking outfit which I knew wouldn’t chafe or get so heavy that it drooped, like some of my summer running tanks. I packed my breakfast so I could eat it on the way to the subway station and even remembered to put a wrist band under my Garmin to protect it from sweat.

At 7am I met Leticia at 77th Street where we planned to start our run so we could enjoy the full Summer Streets route. This was actually our first time running together since she’s been sidelined due to injury the past few months. The great thing is that on a good day, we’re about the same pace. There is no awkwardness, wondering who is holding who back, and the conversation always flows easily between us. While I don’t think it’s necessarily a good thing to do every long run with someone, I am sure that we’ll make great training partners as the weeks progress.

It was already sticky and quite humid when we started but we focused on the conversation and pop-up events along Park Avenue instead of wining about the heat and humidity, which will only make us stronger and faster come Fall.

As soon as we hit about the one mile point I knew this wasn’t going to be a great run. My cold/allergies were making it hard to breathe regularly and my nose was running constantly. While my legs felt okay, the rest of my body wasn’t happy. I just felt drained; which is a clear sign that my body is using the rest of its energy to fight off illness or repair. Instead of being stupid and pushing myself too hard or holding Leticia back too much, I parted ways with her around mile 5, just short of the Brooklyn Bridge. I took a few minutes to take some water, talk with a very nice police officer who was amazed at the number of runners, and enjoy some deep breaths. I popped my headphones in and focused on Bossypants, Tina Fey’s hilarious autobiography, and zoned out for the next 32 minutes. I jogged down to the turnaround point and then back home, rounding out the run for just about 7 miles of actual running time.

When I finished, I was on the verge of tears. During the run I had the pleasure of seeing a number of my friends including Jess, Abby, Rebecca, and Meghan. They each looked happy and at ease. Seeing them and thinking about all I have going on in the next few months, made me seriously question the marathon. Is this the right year to be running my 3rd marathon? Am I going to put too much pressure on myself along with the other stressors I can’t control right now?

I went into this week, really hoping for a strong long run. In the back of my mind I have a fear about this year as I start the travel season again. This week’s cold is definitely a setback both physically and emotionally. I know there are still exactly 12 weeks until the marathon which makes me feel better and worse at the same time. Instead of making any rash decisions or letting my emotions overtake me, I’m going to listen to my motivating and ever optimistic Twitter followers and give myself until the end of the month. There are 3 more long runs between now and Labor Day, plenty of time to figure things out.

So at the end of the day, it’s true. Not every run goes as planned and the tough runs make those great ones all that much better. I’m going to invest in a new pair of shoes since it’s clearly time, work out the knots in my legs and lower back with a deep tissue massage, and focus on next week versus letting the negative thoughts get me down.

You know what’s great after a bad run? A fun afternoon in the kitchen, prepping for our Mexican Fiesta dinner party tonight!