Heading into the Richmond Marathon I feel....

1. Lazy!  My goal this week has been to get to bed early, sleep as much as possible, and to push morning workouts to the afternoon in lieu of more sleep. My incentive to hit the hay early is that's when I curl up to re-read Marshall Ulrich's book, Running on Empty, documenting his run across the US. It puts a "mere" marathon into perspective as he was doing 60-70 miles a day on some beat-up legs at age 57.

2. Dialed into my capabilities. I've had enough runs of moderate to long distances to have dialed into my predicted marathon pace, which is in the ballpark of previous marathon paces. On Sunday's short MP run, I was super consistent and within 1-2 seconds on each mile. Of course, the stuff after mile 20 is still relatively unknown territory which is the fun and the mystery of it all.

3. Armed with a mental approach. My goal with this race is to demonstrate to myself and my coach that I have the discipline to hold back in the early miles and through the first half of the race. I had one really standout run this fall where I ran marathon pace for 14 miles then was asked to run two miles about 10-15s under marathon pace. I had this indescribable feeling of pent-up anticipation and found a whole extra gear, running the next mile 25 s under and the next mile I flew at 1:05 under (around my 10k pace), then settled easily back into MP.  My incentive to hold back in the first half is the hope that I will get to experience even a tiny bit of THAT feeling again.

4. Sound. As opposed to "lame"....horse term. I generally feel pretty good from head to toe other than a slight shin splint on the left that doesn't seem to be a factor during the run but I sometimes feel it for a day after a run.

5. Like I live in a petri dish. Both kids were home sick Monday with respiratory infections. They sound like they are coughing up a lung especially at night. So I keep reminding them to cough away from me! It's hard not to think/imagine if my throat hurts, ears feel funny, etc. Am I really just lazy or do I have a touch of what they have? Ackkk!!!

6. Excited. I am coming into this race feeling pretty mentally fresh and not broken down. I really liked the training approach which included more frequent but not-as-long runs. That decision was a function of my injury history and short time frame to train.

Marathon week can really play games with your head, but if there is one thing I have learned from the packed racing schedule this year, it's that you just have to go with the flow and have confidence that the body will know what to do on race day.

Due to the way the fall race schedule worked out, I am not as trained up for this race as I expect to be for Boston. So although a PR would be nice, my real goal is to run a disciplined and controlled race and to enjoy and be grateful for the ability and opportunity to get out there and do this.

There are SO many people from my town running in Richmond, that's part of the fun of training for it. I'll be lining up with my two good friends, Carla and Michaela. It's Carla's first marathon and I think the seventh Richmond Marathon for Michaela.  EFRT teammate Laura Bergmann will be there tearing it up too!!

A Few of my Favorite Things

Six favorite things pictured here!

I can't believe how quickly the holidays are approaching. We are just 17 days away from Thanksgiving, then comes Christmas. Ackkk!!! We keep the holidays simple and try to avoid getting caught up in the consumerism aspects. In fact, my older son was browsing around Netflix yesterday and entirely of his own choosing watched the documentary The Commercialism of Christmas: What Would Jesus Buy. Even I was a little shocked. I hope I have not made the kids too cynical because there IS something magical about the holidays -- but as a time for family and friends, gratitude, slowing down, and observing beliefs and traditions. (Oh and the Christmas day run!)

It will be a lean Christmas around here, but no one really needs or wants much of anything. And honestly, what we define as "needs" are almost never truly "needs" but are instead, wants. We don't save up our happiness for gifts or vacations, but seek happiness each day. Or we try!

So rather than a list of things I might want, I give you my UNChristmas list of ten treasured training related things that I already have. Note: this does not include favorite books, favorite DVDs, or most importantly, favorite people. Or my bikes!

1. Waterproof iPod shuffle - It's pricey, but after several failed waterproof cases this really is unmatched in swim tunes. I've had this for nearly a year with no issues, although it does rankle people to see you clip an iPod on your goggles and dive in!

Lifting straps

2. Asics arm sleeves - These are inexpensive, comfortable, versatile, and easy to wash. These are good for cool morning runs in the 30's or 40's or if I just need one more layer under a long sleeve top. Yes, I'm one of those who unapologetically sports the tank top and arm sleeve/glove look.

3. Pink lifting straps - I'm not a big pink fanatic, but these do give me a bit of girl power in the gym. (these are used for exercises where grip strength could be a limiting factor...they loop around the wrist then are wrapped around the bar, dumbbell, or handle.)

4. One-on-One running cap - it's a Headsweats brand hat, weighs nothing, and goes through the washer time and time again just fine. Plus it gives a shout-out to my great coach!!

stretchy stay-put Xtenex laces

5. Xtenex shoe laces- I'll never use anything else in my running or triathlon shoes. They are comfortable, stretchy, and require no adjustments after you get them in. My kids are big fans too. Who wants to waste valuable time tying shoes?

6. ISM saddle - I have the Road model on my road bike and the Race model on my tri bike. I discovered this unique brand when I worked a support station on a century ride and saw a girl come through with the ISM. She sang its praises and now I do too!

7. Three-year-old Adidas running gloves - This was the first running-related thing I ever bought so they have a lot of meaning for me. I've had to sew them up numerous times. I don't wear them in races because I'm afraid to lose them!

8. Garmin devices - I have the Edge 305 for the bike and Forerunner 405 for running along with the cadence sensor and foot pod. They are a few years old but still dependably deliver all kinds of data to delight this engineer.

Petzl!

9. Petzl Tikka headlamp - This is what allows me to run before sunrise. I love the freedom it affords me, and it's lightweight and comfortable. I wear it over a running cap or winter hat to keep it from sliding.

10. Training Peaks - This is an unparalleled online system for workout scheduling, logging, and reporting. It provides easy communication to/from coach, excellent accountability, and great analysis for a numbers junkie like me. I don't consider a workout done until it's been uploaded and commented upon in Training Peaks!


What are some of YOUR favorite things?

Coaches bring order out of chaos

Today I met with Coach Jim to review the marathon plan and to do some preliminary planning for 2012. He had told me after my last triathlon to put it all aside until after the marathon but it's like when someone says not to think about elephants and you immediately think of an elephant. It didn't help when I'd listen to triathlon podcasts on long runs (here we go with podcasts again).

I like plans. I had no plan. Then the Virginia Triathlon Series race calendar popped up. Now I felt behind! In November!

So I put my thoughts to paper (Word file actually) and filled two whole pages (no surprise there) that I emailed to Coach to ponder. That helped to empty out my head until we could meet today. I had sections for the 2011 recap of positives and negatives, 2012 goals, potential races, and random thoughts. Ideas were scattered and unclear. After some discussion and analysis of bar graphs and line graphs (best way to communicate with an engineer) we honed in on a plan for 2012 including a race calendar and training goals. I am filled with focus and purpose and rarin' to go!! Seriously. Excited.

The 2012 race calendar is now on the blog sidebar. The foci are: Boston, Age Group Nationals, and Worlds. As much as I'd like to get redemption at the half-iron distance this season, jumping around distances is not ideal so I'll stick to sprints and Olympics and do mostly VTS races for my third season.

My job is to (1) stay healthy and on two feet and (2) continue to bring my best effort to workouts and races. I really want to see what I can do.

Anyhow, I just wanted to sing the praises of my coach, and all great coaches, who bring order out of our chaos. After over 2-1/2 years with Coach Jim, he knows me very well, and in some ways perhaps better than I know myself.

Coaches direct our efforts, hold us accountable, offer encouragement, reassure, and provide perspective. They raise the bar and challenge us but are there to remind us things don't always go according to plan. Coaches listen and can read between the lines to know what we need before we sometimes know.

Anyone who thinks coaches simply "tell you what to do" has never had a great coach.

To my coach (coaches, really since this goes for Kurt too), and coaches everywhere, THANKS!!!

Coach Jim teaching a winter seminar

Part of team One-on-One last May

Gatorade's Inside Endurance Series, Sponsorships

Yup, me and my long-run podcasts....Endurance Planet recently featured Ryan Sutter-- he was the "winner" from the Bachelorette and the firefighter who married "bachelorette" Trista Rehn.  But more importantly, he's a triathlete! I heard on the podcast that Gatorade is doing an online video series with him called Inside Endurance that features him training for and competing in a range of endurance events including triathlon, Xterra, and a marathon and working with expert coaches in the field. It's a fun series to watch. That means a lot coming from me and my limited video attention span.

Then from the world of cool coincidences, I got an email the same day I heard the podcast from a Gatorade rep noting my blog and telling me about the series! So of course I promptly emailed back saying yeah I had just heard about it and asking if Gatorade was looking for a dynamic age-grouper to sponsor. Not so much, but I did get a sample pack of the Gatorade Pro Series products to try, so that was cool. I'm anxious to give it a whirl.

I'm in the early stages of putting together a fundraising plan to get myself to ITU Worlds next year. Our family finances are stretched about as far as they can go so I'd like to find a way to finance the trip with sponsors in some kind of mutually beneficial way. So I am offering myself up as a fitness "billboard" to local companies. Custom bike jersey, running singlet, gym top....YOUR LOGO HERE!!  So far I am 0 for 1.

Gatorade, you can still change your mind!!!!  I look good in "G"!!!

What determines our running speed?

I was listening to the Simon Gowen Triathlon Show podcast with Dave Scott, 6-time Ironman World Champion (Oct 27, 2011), last weekend on my long run. Dave was describing his marathon at a 6:02 pace as just a "bit more than aerobic" with a heart rate in the 140’s. Aerobic at 6:02!!

Later that day I spoke to a friend who just signed up for her second half-marathon and she was very nearly apologizing for the fact that she’d be running 10 minute-per-mile (mpm) pace. I reminded her that she would be putting forth a similar effort as compared to others racing their best at a 6 mpm pace or 8 mpm pace so how does that make it any less? There’s no sense comparing or despairing because there’s probably nothing in the world that would allow either one of us to run a marathon at a 6 mpm pace (short of a jet pack or moving sidewalk). The point is, we are each doing our unique best.

I've always wondered, does our running have a genetic “set point”? What are the limiting factors? How much can we boost our speed and how do we do so?

It seems we may have an individually determined range of speeds that would be difficult to exceed. In my own 3-1/2 year running “career” thus far, I saw quite a bit of improvement in the first year but the returns have become increasingly more difficult to get. I'm still getting some and I'll never ever stop trying for more! Yet I'm pretty consistent - my 5Ks are always around the same and heck my two marathons, a year apart, are within 30 seconds of one another! Why is that? What determines my speed or your speed?

I combed through the databases of peer-reviewed journal articles at our library and the best I could do was to identify some basic factors that may contribute to our running speed and potential ways to increase speed. I did not find the review articles I was hoping to read to get the big picture (please let me know if you have leads for this). So I have knit this together the best I could, keeping it short:

Factors in individual speed: 

• Ratio of fast-twitch to slow-twitch muscle fibers 
• Amount of force that can be exerted on the ground 
• Amount of time foot is in contact with the ground 
• Stride rate (cadence)
• Length of stride 
• Individual biomechanics – limb length, muscle insertions 
• Energy systems 

Possible ways to boost speed: 

• Improve running form or running ‘economy’, body position, arms 
• Speedwork 
• Plyometrics
• Parachutes (i did not make this up)
• Increase cadence
• Strength training 
• Core strength 
• Flexibility 
• Decrease bodyfat (less mass to propel) 
• Footware – lighter shoes, shoes that encourage midfoot strike 

Naturally things like general levels of fitness and endurance, nutrition, and recovery are major factors. The mental aspects - ability to tolerate pain, to focus, to self-manage – can’t be discounted either.

I’ve been training for the Richmond Marathon (November 12) and my coach and I have been tracking my pace and normalized graded pace on long runs to hone in on a race strategy. I thought about it some and figured on my best ever day I could go at MOST maybe 2% faster (about 10 seconds per mile) racing as compared to my "race-paced" training. Maybe. On the flipside, if things go bad, I could go a heck of a lot slower too…30%? 50%? So there's a tiny upside and a huge downside!

Honestly, I’d be tickled to hit the same kinds of paces I have dialed in on in training. It's always a bit of a crap shoot though from mile 20 onward!

Weyand et al (2010) garnered quite a bit of attention last year theorizing that based on muscle contraction speeds, humans could be capable of speeds up to 35 or 40 miles per hour. How’s that for perspective?!

Regardless of the whys and wherefores, I will never stop trying to eek out every little bit of speed I can. It's all part of the fun and the madness!

(Comments WELCOME....I am no expert on this....)

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References

Murgia, C. (2008). Separating Fact from Fiction: Increasing Running Speed. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 79(8).

Weyand, P. G. , Sandell, R. F., Prime, D. N. L., and Bundle, M. W. (2010). The biological limits to running speed are imposed from the ground up. Journal of Applied Physiology.