HRM part 2

Today has been a very long day. Woke up at 6am and could not fall back asleep. I've resigned myself to the fact that I am now a morning person, which really isn't a bad thing. Had my coffee and got my day started. Around 3, I started messing around with my new running accessory. Calculated my HRmax using two different calculations and got a range between 188 and 192.8. I set my zones according to the lower number, but I think that because I am on the smaller side, my HRmax tends to be higher (maybe I am just out of shape). I started my run and the monitor started beeping at me constantly. Took me until halfway to washington square to realize I had all the zones 'on' (smile). I need to do a little more reading on this, but my average HR was 177. Call me crazy, but I don't think I was running at 90% capacity for 6.2 miles. The run was good with the exception of the gnats that took kamikaze dives toward my forehead. Disgusting.

HRM

Bought a heart rate monitor yesterday. Can't wait to give it a test run later today.

Plan B

Woke up at 6am this morning to get to training by 7. The initial plan was to do a 9 mile run, but when I got there, the coaches had laid out 20, 18, 10 and 9 mile routes. I am not doing this training to make my life easier, so I decided that I needed to push myself to see how I would do on a 10. It's been awhile since I've done one and I have been feeling very guilty about it. So we headed out to stretch & get some last minute updates. I strategically positioned myself right in front so that no one would be running ahead of me. I did this for a couple reasons: 1) I wanted to see how I would keep pace with the marathoners and 2) I wanted to see where I would come in among the half marathoners. 40 of us were running this morning and it was pretty much split evenly between the two groups.

And then I took off....
Time: 7:40am

Only one person passed me after the first mile. She was a marathoner. I figure she had much more experience on me since it seemed she was running a sub 9 minute mile.

After mile 2, I had eased into my pace and a couple other people passed me. No big deal. They were also marathoners.

Mile 4 was the first water stop, I had already taken my first gu and was ready for some liquid. Grabbed a handful of jelly beans and continued on.

Miles 5 & 6 were spent chatting with one of the mentors about the coaching he gets from an elite runner. Somewhere around this time I hit the hour mark.

Just after mile 7 was the Eliot bridge water stop. By this time, about 7 more marathoners had caught up to me. I was hurting because I'd only had one gu and felt my legs screaming for more energy. Drank more liquid, had an orange and watermelon slice, grabbed a gu and a handful of pretzels. Took off thinking I was the 1st half marathoner heading down the home stretch.

This last part of the route was great - I knew I was almost done and my ego was huge thinking I'd left everyone in my dust. I know, I know. This isn't a competition.

Trader Joe's was the last water stop around mile 9. I asked if anyone else had come through and they told me that 2 people had already stopped by. How did I not see them??? Maybe they only ran the 9!

I headed past the BU bridge (which I now know is about a mile from the Mass Ave bridge) and saw the end in sight. I hit Mass ave, crossed the street and ran the last 1/4 mile to MIT. I ran up the stairs and into the building to see what time it was & who had checked in ahead of me.

It was exactly 9:30 am. That means I was out for 1hour 50mins. And yes, 2 people had already checked in.

The mentors said that the route was about 10.5m. Indeed it was. I am so ready for this half.

Thursday Night Run

Went for a 6.2 mile run tonight - fall is definitely in the air. I love this weather.
happy birthday mom.

Race Results

Click & scroll just over halfway down and there you will find me... *sigh*
Results

Run Like a Girl

Ran the Montrail Run Like a Girl trail race this morning. 8k of rooty (is that a word?) and rocky trails within the gorgeous Great Brook Farm in Carlisle. The thing I love about these races is that I get to see areas of Mass that I never knew existed. Carlisle is another gorgeous town that I could live in (or maybe have a summer home) when I make my millions...This was a hilly route and since we had a monsoon last night, the course was slippery and soggy. A couple racers took some nasty spills, I tripped on a couple of occasions and rolled my ankle once, without sustaining any injuries. At the end of the run, there were two enormous puddles that we splashed through to get to the finish...not too fun walking around in soggy shoes & socks. I imagine the shoes are going to be pretty stinky once they dry. Maybe I can wash them??? I managed to finish in 00:54:20-ish sans inhaler which I needed around mile two. Not the best time, but given the trail conditions and the fact that I had no idea what to expect out of it, I suppose I am satisfied. Ok, not really, but I'll live with it. I'll have to give it another try next year.

I am going crazy...

...because I haven't been able to run in 4 days! This has been torture.

Wednesday Morning: Took an 8am flight to Austin for work. Arrived at 11:30am - had lunch & wandered around the city for a couple hours. Interesting to note, my coworker got stung by a bee at the capitol building and for me, a consequence of the miles we walked (in my inappropriate shoes) was a nasty blister.

Wednesday Night: Had an amazing dinner at Fogo de Chao complete with a pitcher of sangria, creme brulee and of course, coffee. Got a message from my doctor with the dx...I have shin splints and need to take it easy with the running. Easy to do in Austin since it was a mild 88* with 70% humidity.

Thursday: The actual work began and lasted a few hours. Had some time to wander again and stumbled upon the river walk and dog run. Probably my favorite place in Austin. Fellow coworker and I decided to take the (in)famous bat boat tour and it subsequently rained guano...everywhere. Had another fantastic dinner at the 5* Driskill Grill (complete with eau de guano parfum). Spoiled (and stinky), yes.

Friday: Work commenced at 7am and was a success. Hit the road for the airport and headed home. Arrived in the evening and crashed.




Saturday Morning: It was pouring rain when I woke up at 6:30am, so I didn't make it out to the TNT run. However I did go apple picking with some friends in Harvard (rain had calmed down by that point), had a great lunch at the Fruitland Museum's Tea Room which, I might add, has a gorgeous view of the valley. I think I could live in Harvard.

Saturday Afternoon: Betty Crocker I am not, but I attempted to bake some pie with all of the apples we brought home. Tried a variation on the recipe - for the crust I used whole wheat flour and for the filling, I tried unbleached cane sugar. Let the tasting begin...

And the plan for Sunday: The Montrail 'Run Like a Girl' 8k Finally, I'll get my run in.