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April 29, 2005

Friday Morning Run - 9 miles!

I stayed up pretty late on Friday night working on a year long training plan for distance runners. Unfortunately, my work was foiled when my data did not save in the format that I expected, essentially I have to redo the entire job. Urgh.. I think I like the new format much better anyway. I tried to use an icalendar program and it was too limiting because I did not know how to use all of the features. Now I am using word and it is much easier for me and I have a lot more flexibility. Anyway, by the time the morning came I had forgotten what I wrote in my blog with regards to my lofty goals to run 15 miles this morning. I emailed Alison quickly last night to see if she'd be up for a morning run. My last sports medicine class was canceled so I knew I could sleep in a bit but I wanted to get up and run relatively early to get a jump start to my day. I planned to meet Alison at 8 a.m. which was great. When I met her she asked me if I was going to run 15 miles and I said, oh, no way. Did I say that? I had totally forgotten that I wrote that in my blog. Ha! Oh well, we had an awesome 9 mile run. As much as I'd like to say I am a creative runner with my routes I am not. I usually end up doing the same routes all the time once I get to like them. It's a lot easier and I don't have to think about it and I can compare my times with each other and it is brainless. Alison agreed to do the usual "9 mile" course because I was not feeling like getting wet in the trails and I find the 9 mile course goes by so quickly. I was dragging for the first five minutes but then felt great and the run went by really quickly. I am going to miss having Alison around next year. It just won't be the same. Our friend Caitlin is moving too. I am hoping to run with Alison every time she visits her family which might be a lot because she may be asking her parents to cat sit a lot every time she needs to travel. he he. We'll see. This afternoon I am going to definitely run three miles with the team and maybe I'll add another three miles on afterwards. We'll see. I am busy with my training plan all day long and tonight I am working at an end of the year party the athletic department is hosting for undergraduates in the field house.

Posted by mary at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)

April 28, 2005

Wednesday Night Run with Friends and Thursday Update

On Wednesday night I ran the usual 9 mile loop with Caitlin and Alison. It was awesome, so social and relaxing. I had not seen Caitlin in so long. She and I are both running the VT City marathon so I enjoy hearing about her training. I also love getting all of the running gossip from Alison and Caitlin who are up on the latest elite women/men news. Of course with my short term memory I only remember about 30% of what they tell me about and the names of the people but it is still exciting. I felt good and relaxed but by the end I was tired and felt like I could go to sleep for the night. I had a presentation to work on so unfortunately could not go right to sleep.

Thursday's Runs

This morning I got up at 7 and ran five miles with two of the distance runners. It was a beautiful sunny morning and I was so happy to be up and running before class. I always feel better if I can get an early run in before starting my day. The pace was nice and easy. We ran on trails for most of the run and got to catch up a lot.

This afternoon I ran a two mile warm up with one of the women on the team and then ran five 200's with her for her workout. We ran the 200s at 38,37,37,37, and 36. I wanted all of them to be at 36 seconds but it was very windy and I thought the effort was fine. We ran another two miles for cool down. I then met another athelte and ran her warm up with her for 20 minutes. I was going to pace her for her 200's as well but I was actually pretty tired so I just timed her. I then ran about 10 minutes with her afterwards for her cool down. I wanted to run about 20 miles today. Ha ha.. I was too tired. I am happy with about 13 or 14 miles. I have the morning off from classes tomorrow so if I am feeling ok I may get up and run 15 miles, that would be awesome. We'll see how early I can go to bed tonight.

Posted by mary at 8:41 PM | Comments (1)

April 27, 2005

Almost Done with the Academic Year!

It has been such a challenge for me to update this blog the last two months. I don't know why I have not just updated it every day. It seems crazy that I don't have at least five minutes to write down what I have done for the day. I am worried that I may not be able to update a lot this summer due to lack of an internet connection but we'll see. I will be spending most of the summer in VT and do not think I will have a computer with an internet connection where I am staying. I may have a computer at work in which case I can update from there. I will be doing some teaching and tutoring this summer at some schools in the Stowe area.

The last week and a half of training has been a little lack luster. I have been extremely tired due to lack of sleep and no down time except when it is time for me to go to bed. I am really excited to have a break and not have to do any work for the next day. My schedule is crazy until next Tuesday and at that point my academic work should be complete for the year and then I will just be coaching for another three weeks and can then begin my summer jobs which should not require any night time work. I am anxious to get back to a normal schedule of work so that my training can get back on track. I suddenly feel out of shape and not very ready for the VT marathon at all. I feel like I will have nothing to taper for at the rate I am currently going. Here is a quick summary of the last thirteen days or so.

Friday April 15th: 3 miles in the morning/8 miles in the evening.
Saturday April 16th: 9 miles with the team at UMass/Lowell - 3 three mile runs strung together
Sunday April 17th: 6 mile run and then an 11 mile bike race as part of a triathalon leg/41.44 for bike
Monday April 18th: 8 mile run with team easy
Tuesday April 19th: off - very tired.
Wednesday April 20th: off - very tired.
Thursday April 21st: 8 miles with student through woods - very nice.
Friday April 22nd: 7 miles in a.m. with four miles at 7 min. pace or faster, 5 miles in p.m. with 16 200's at 45 seconds
Saturday April 23rd: 9 miles with team in trails in Dedham, MA. Easy run.
Sunday April 24th: 20 mile run, first 6 miles with the team, good pace, felt great, last 30 minutes wanted some food, otherwise good.
Monday April 25th: 6 mile run along trails - very tired.
Tuesday April 26th: 7-8 mile run with Alison - very nice trail run great to get up early and run.
Wednesday April 27th: 5 mile run with team and about to go run with Caitlin and Alison

So.. my running has been really sporatic. Tomorrow morning I plan to run in the morning and do another run in the evening. I'd like to do another long run maybe next Monday. I may make tomorrow a 20 mile run by doing a 5 mile run in the morning and a 15 mile run in the evening, we'll see. As I said I have been very tired from not getting enough sleep so my energy level needs to come first until next Tuesday. I feel like from that part on I can be a more serious athlete. Until then, unfortunately, I feel like a tired under paid graduate student.

Posted by mary at 6:09 PM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2005

Another Long Overdue Update!

Saturday's Multi Run Day

On Saturday I was at the Williams Relay track meet and had to squeeze in the majority of my runs while I was at the meet. I decided to run the warm up and cool downs with the distance runners. They run a 20 minute warm up and cool down so I would run that with them and then add another 10 minutes to the run to call it about three miles. The running was great. There was a golf course right next to the track that was so beautiful and perfect for running. It was a great day to be outside, about 60 degrees and the sun was shining brightly. The meet went by quickly because of all the little runs I threw into my day. When I arrived back to campus Mark was there and asked me if I wanted to run three miles. I said sure and we ran the pond path for another three miles to my day. The pace was a bit fast, about 7 min. pace so I had to stop twice to stretch my quad. All in all I had a good day of running even though I broke my runs up so much.

Sunday's Easy 4 miler and 45 minute pool run

On Sunday I ran four miles on the cross country course with Mark. About half way through I sent Mark off to explore some trails while I stretched out my sore quad. We were running about 7 minute pace so my quad was tightening up a bit. In the afternoon we went to Mt. Holyoke and met Ellen for a pool run. I ran in the pool with Ellen for about 45 minutes and tried the aqua jogging shoes for the first time, they were great.

Monday's Day Off

On Monday I had a big exam to prepare for and was pretty tired from my Friday and Saturday runs. I decided to take the day off and be ready for some good running on Tuesday.

Tuesday's 8 mile run and Day of Lifting

On Tuesday I ran 8 miles with the team and we explored some new power line trails. The run was nice and easy. After the run we did about 45 minutes of lifting and then I had dinner in the dining hall with the team.

Wednesday's First Speed Work in a Long Time and Long Day of Many Runs!

On Wednesday I met an athlete for a workout. I warmed up for about 15 minutes and then paced her through 4 x 300's at 60 second pace. She had to run a 600 immediately after the 300 so I would run the last 200 of the 600 with her at 46 seconds. We then ran a 20 minute cool down.

In the afternoon I met another group of athletes for the same workout. I ran 5 x 300's at 55 seconds in the afternoon and then ran about 5 x 400 at 90 second pace. I was able to warm up with the athletes for 20 minutes and then I met up with my friend Caitlin after the workout and we ran another 8 miles or so. All in all it was a lot of running for the day but it felt really great to run so fast after avoiding track workouts for a long time due to my quad. I think I got away with the fast intervals because of the large amount of rest I got in between sets.

Thursday's Easy 5 mile day

Today I met up with Alison and we ran an easy 5 miles on the cross country course. The pace was nice and easy and we got to talk about the upcoming Boston Marathon and catch up on our weekends. I can not wait to watch the Boston marathon. I will be in Boston Monday morning and am looking forward to seeing the event. Right now I think I am going to go and lift. Last night was the first time in a long time that I have woken up sore from a workout. Crazy! I think I need to incorporate a little more speed into my training.

Posted by mary at 6:47 PM | Comments (1)

April 8, 2005

Friday's Double Session

Morning Run with Alison

This morning I ran with Alison which was awesome. It was really relaxing and a great way to start the day. I had about four hours of sleep so without Alison meeting me at 7 a.m. on campus there is no way I would have been up and running. As soon as we started running I was energetic and talking away, no doubt overwhelming Alison! We ran on the cross country course and then ran over to the bird sanctuary. I had forgotten that the road exiting the bird sanctuary was flooded so unfortunately we had to do a little bit of an out and back. On the way back we ran on a new trail for me that I had not run before. The trail cuts off a very busy road which is such a nice relief from the whizzing cars. The pace was really nice and we chatted the entire time. I definitely feel the twin connection with Alison because we always find great topics to talk about on our runs.

In the afternoon I ran about 4 miles with the team for the pre-meet run and did two of their strides with them. The run was nice and easy. Again we ran on the cross country course. Today is absolutely beautiful. It is about 70 degrees out. All of the students were lying out on their blankets around campus today and on the roof tops tanning. I can definitely feel spring fever coming on. After running with the team I ran a very easy six miles. I just stayed on the cross country course and then ran along the pond path. It may have even been less than six because I might have been running slower than 8 min. pace, hard to say. I wanted to do work tonight but I think I am going to do some quad exercises, take a nice long shower, eat some fruit and make some spring rolls for dinner, and then HIT the SACK. I need about 10 hours of sleep tonight. 10 hours is ambitious because I need to run before I go to the meet tomorrow. I need to get up at 6 a.m. for my run tomorrow so maybe if I can get to bed by 10 I can get eight hours which I will not complain about. The team is racing at Williams tomorrow. I am tempted to wait and do my run up there because we arrive so early but I always feel guilty leaving to do a run when I am there to coach the team (even though I run before the meet starts). Hopefully I will do the run before I go to the meet so I don't even have to worry about it. The area is really beautiful though so that is tempting but I hate being distracted at a meet so I'll aim to run before I leave.

Posted by mary at 6:15 PM | Comments (0)

Wednesday Run and Thursday's Day Off

On Wednesday morning I met Alison in Amherst for a very nice 9 mile run. It always takes a bit of inerita to get up and drive my car for the run but once I am there I love it. We ran on some nice country roads near some barns and along some quiet roads and then we hit the Amherst bike path. At one point when I commented how nice the run was Alison pointed out to me the proximity of the near by mall. That really made me laugh, I guess sometimes you see only what you want to see. The run was very comfortable and relaxing and I really enjoyed catching up with Alison. I secretly but it is no longer a secret since I am writing it on this blog wish that Alison still lived in Northampton so I could run with her more often. Of course if she lived in Northampton I would not get to do the new runs in Amherst. I realized that I am going to have to spend more of my time running with Alison over the next four to six weeks before I leave for the summer and before she moves to Boston. The run was a great start to my day. I was hoping to go for a second run later in the day but I became swamped with work, school work, and coaching at our home meet and bagged any second workout.

Thursday's Day Off

The best time for me to run on Thursdays is in the morning because my days are usually quite packed and in the evening I try to do something social or a little different to break up the monotony of my typical routine. This most recent Thursday I attempted to get up at 7 a.m. for a run and managed to hit my snooze button until I only had 15 minutes before my next class. I was really annoyed when I woke up so late and did not get my run in but knew that my body was really loving the rest. I had managed to get a very very sound eight hours of sleep which was awesome. In the evening I went to my parent's house and made lasagna for my parents and my Grandfather. I stayed at their house very late, until 1 a.m. and had a scary drive back to MA in the rain. I made it back by 2 a.m. and tried to get settled down so I could be ready for my morning run with Alison.

Posted by mary at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)

April 5, 2005

Doctor Update and Tuesday's Runs

This afternoon I met a former high school athelte of mine at noon who is visiting the area for her spring break. She is looking at some of the local colleges with her family but is not interested in women's colleges so I was able to run with her at lunch time. We ran a nice five mile run and got to catch up. The trails were a bit muddy but the weather was so nice. We were able to wear shorts and a t-shirt. It was very very nice.

Later in the afternon I went to Springfield to go to the New England Orthopedic Center. I went there to have my quad checked out. I have had a terrible quad problem for the last two years. I tore my quad two years ago in a race and have a bunch of scar tissue in the area. The scar tissue makes it very difficult for me to run faster than 7 minute pace most days. My quad tightens up and then my hip tightens up, then my calves, and then my foot. I wanted to see if an MRI would be helpful or if surgery would take care of the problem. Unfortunately, an MRI would not show any muscle damage and surgery would only create more scar tissue. The best I can do is to strengthen my quad muscles with lots of exercises and to massage it as much as I can. I have a stick which I really need to use and I have access to a ton of exercise machines and workout plans so I just need to get serious about rehab.

Early this evening I ran for an hour with one of the women on the team. We ran the cross country course and the pond path course. It was nice an easy. In the middle of the run we did a few 200's at 90 second pace to get ready for tomorrow's dual meet we have against Mt. Holyoke. I felt good in the run and really enjoyed the nice warm weather. Tomorrow morning I am planning to run with Alison at 7 a.m. because we have a home meet in the late afternoon. It will be nice to have my run finished with by the morning. Tonight I had dinner with the team at the dorm. It was quite nice not to have to cook and to be able to have a salad and full meal. In about a half hour I plan to go and do some lifting and do some quad exercises. There is no time like now to start my rehab.

Posted by mary at 7:54 PM | Comments (0)

Monday's Run

I was feeling pretty tired all day from an early rise this morning and was not sure how I would feel when I started my run. Originally I thought I'd run on the treadmill because it was a tiring day and sometimes I feel like the treadmill is easier because it just keeps going and forces you to keep up the pace. I however, feel like a hamster when I am running on the treadmill for 7 to 10 miles. One of the athletes I coach need another 3-4 miles after practice so I decided to do the campus loop with her. I felt pretty good and was excited to be outside. I decided to run another 7 miles and felt much better than I expected. I think I was running about a seven minute pace. It is about 4 hours later now and unfortunately I can feel my quad and hip aching which is not the best sign. I also did the gravitron machine three times. I wanted to also do some abs and a little more strength work but I had no time at all.

Posted by mary at 12:15 AM | Comments (0)

April 4, 2005

Training for the Vermont City Marathon

I have been absent from blogging for almost two and a half weeks now. I am ashamed that I have not been able to take the time to update my entries during this time. I have been absolutely swamped with work and a little burnt from training. I was supposed to do the American River 50 mile race in CA this past weekend but decided not to because of a busy coaching, teaching, and academic schedule here in MA.

I have a rough plan marked out for my April training to prepare for the VT City marathon. It is pretty simple but I wanted to write it down to make me more accountable for it and to make sure I do a better job recording my actual training runs. I'd like to basically concentrate on running 10 miles a day for the month of April with one long run of 20 to 22 miles. During May I will probably cut back the mileage and rest more so that I can complete some harder workouts. During April I'd like to do a tempo run at marathon pace, about 6.48 pace on the treadmill on Thursday mornings. This will be the hardest part of my training program but for now that is what I am thinking.

I have not run yet today but on Saturday April 1st I ran 9 miles, biked for 30 minutes, and pool ran for 35 minutes in VT with Mark. The 9 miles I actually ran in MA and the biking and pool running were in VT. On Sunday April 2nd I ran about 18 miles half on dirt roads and half on pavement in VT. I ran a pretty easy pace, around 8 minute pace. I felt great on the dirt roads and sore and achy on the pavement, not sure how much of that is placebo.

Oh, in a perfect world, in April I'd also love to do weights three times a week. I have no excuse because the gym is right here but I definitely know how to tire myself out with work and coaching. These are my goals, we'll see what happens. And I'd like to update my blog at least during the working week. I'm optimistic about my goals.. all except the lifting!

Posted by mary at 4:09 PM | Comments (1)