marathon training

Boston Marathon – It’s the final countdown!

April 16, 2014 by Asia

From Sports Illustrated

Boston Marathon is just 5 DAYS AWAY! It’s the final countdownnnn! (Cue music.) I woke up like a giddy school girl and immediately checked the 5 day weather forecast in Boston. (It’s looking good!) I’ve received my Runner Passport, bib number (17397), wave assignment (Wave 2, Corral 9, 10:25am EST), read the Mile-By-Mile Guide to The Boston Marathon, and received all necessary information to make it to the starting line on April 21st. I am ready to run my heart out!

Reading up on all the deets after a long run

Physically…

My foot is doing sooo much better thanks to my new custom orthotics, so I’ve been able to get back to my regular training plan with Coach Beth. (YAY!) Sure things still popped up that have made my marathon training less than ideal, like business trips to Mexico & Chile, but it turns out I had very similar challenges last year with a bum foot and a busy schedule. (And I got to go to Mexico & Chile this year! Exciting, right?!) I went into my Training Peaks file and read my comments from March-April 2013 when I was training for Eugene Marathon, and it was like deja vu. “Experienced foot pain today.” “Struggled to hit my paces on this tempo run.” “Tired from all the travel.” “Felt great today!” “Ran 6 miles at my marathon goal pace and nailed them!” It was pretty encouraging to see how much my training fluctuated even during preparation for my fastest marathon to date. Life happens!

This training cycle, I’ve been sidelined for 5 weeks with an injury, run some great runs (6’52/mile pace on my 1,000s), and some not-so-great runs (8:30/mile pace on a failed “tempo” run), but that’s how marathon training goes. I’m coming to terms with the fact that it’s OK not to be fast alll the time. Consistency is something that I’m continuing to work on as a runner and I know it will come with time and practice. 3 years ago, I thought running a 9:00 min/mile was really fast, and today I think a 7:00 min/mile is fast. It’s all relative.

Long run shenanigans . Recovery fueled by Vega.

Long run shenanigans with Nicole.

Mentally…

I’m SO EXCITED I could puke, and my last month of training has been encouraging. There is nothing more gratifying than finishing a long run completely spent, knowing you gave it your all. Two weekends ago, I had a LR with Nicole that included 10 miles at marathon pace. (Ouch!) My target was 8-8:10 min/mile, but I only hit that a few miles. I was much slower uphill, and melted down the last 2 miles. Did I let it get to me? Nope. I was running my ass off, pushing as hard as I could on tired legs, and spending time with my BFF Nicole. Last weekend during my taper, I ran 11 miles, 3 of them at Marathon Pace, and NAILED THEM. Nicole was with me again, and it was the perfect last long run to send me off to Boston. Ups and downs!

When I start to visualize the race, or read articles about the Boston Marathon, I get emotional. Boston Marathon coverage is seriously everywhere you look, and I’ve been obsessed with reading articles, watching videos, and looking at pics. I’m a very anxious person in general, so before a race, I can really work myself up. I’m trying to stay calm, focused, and positive. I will probably cry happy tears before, during, or after the marathon, but I hope I can hold it together until I cross the finish line. This is going to be an emotional race for the city of Boston.

Over 10 of my family members are coming to support me, and we’re all staying at my Nana’s place in Boston. Family support means the world to me. I am seriously pumped! I wish I had a running buddy by my side, but I plan to make friends with strangers on race day. After all, we all have 1 very big thing in common. (We’re running BOSTON!)

My plan…

In a nutshell, I’m going to start off at 8:00 min/mile, hold on as long as I can, and see what happens. 🙂 While I typically run to get a personal best, I am here. At Boston. I’ve already achieved my goal of a Boston qualifying time, so technically the pressure is off to get that sub 3:35 BQ again. I want to find a balance between running my ass off and enjoying this historic race. Even if I’m in the pain cave or off my goal pace, I need to remember to open my eyes, look up away from my watch, and take it all in. Boston Marathon is a reward for all the training and hard work, and this year is going to be a year unlike any other. There has been a lot of build up and anticipation for the 2014 event, and I am honored and grateful to be a part of it.

I leave for Boston tomorrow, so tonight I will be putting the final tweaks on my marathon playlist and packing for the weekend ahead. 5 more days of taper and then it’s GO TIME!

Race ready manicure!

Competitor Magazine sums up race week beautifully: “…in the end, remember that surviving race week comes down to trusting your training. Running the race itself is just a reward for all the hard work you’ve put in since you decided to sign up for this event many months ago. Don’t let those deceiving doubts take away from the enjoyment of the experience. Develop a pre-race plan, stick to it and have the confidence that you’re ready to run your best on race day.”

What’s your biggest piece of advice for race week?

Boston Marathon Training Continues!

March 12, 2014 by Asia

Boston Marathon is 39 days away!!!!! When did that happen?

baa.org

The past 3.5 months of training have been quite nontraditional for me:

Approximately 80% of my runs have been verry slow using MAF heart rate training (Previously I always tried to get out of HR training bc I have a very high HR and I would easily become frustrated)
I haven’t gone farther than 13 miles on a long run (I probably would have gotten to 18-20 miles by now if it wasn’t for my foot…)
I had 2-3 training races planned, but only got in one 10k due to injury

Cardiff Kook 10k. 1 week into foot injury.

I was was running slowly using heart rate training, building my base, and working on consistency when I encountered a foot injury at the end of January. It took over 5 weeks of modified training with my coach and new custom orthotics to address it, but I’m finally on the mend and running consistently again! Those 5 weeks were frustrating because I always wanted to do MORE, and that’s when I was really supposed to start peaking for this race. I wanted my legs to be ridiculously sore and tired from my long runs, but I never made it past 2 hours, and while I was injured, part of those 2 hours was in the form of aqua jogging and ellipticalling. All running was done slowwwly, and there were no more hills or tempo runs. There was daily icing, elevation, a lot of ibuprofen, and ~~minor~~ temper tantrums. (I even tried to get extra foot rubs from Jeremy!) There was also a lot of spinning and cross training, so while I wasn’t running my typical 5 days/week, I was still training 6 days/week and getting stronger. My coach commended me for my positive attitude and dedication to recovery, but I started seeing my original goal (to break 3:30 at Boston) fly out the window. Where was my speed going to come from without my speed sessions!? How was I supposed to push it at the end of the marathon if I wasn’t running farther than a half marathon distance!? Coach Beth told me not to worry, and we’ll come up with a race plan that’s right for me in a few weeks once we get closer to race day.

I worked with a PT and had new custom orthotics made. I started running in them last week, and now my foot pain is nearly nonexistent! VICTORRRYYYYY! I did my first track workout of the season last night (4×1000), and was surprised to see the speed that was still there; I guess it was just in hibernation. I ran “5k effort” hard, by feel, without looking at my watch and noticed my splits got progressively faster (7:10 min/mile pace, 7:00, 6:52, 6:54.) That’s a good thing.

I’m putting both feet in a bucket of ice water after each run because I’m afraid I might hurt the right one again, or that my left foot might start hurting, even though it hasn’t caused me any issues this training cycle. Boston is 39 days away, and I need to make sure my feet stay happy and healthy until I cross the finish line. Therefore, I’m addicted to the ice and 7-Eleven is getting my money because of it. (Note to self: Get a fridge with an ice maker when I’m all grown up.) I’m also building up slowly just before the marathon taper. I won’t be cramming in a 3+ hour run anytime soon. Not worth the risk.

I am VERY excited to run my first Boston next month! Even though my training has been allll over the place for this marathon, I’m still optimistic that I can have a great race, no matter what the time, whether it be 3:29 or 3:59. I know it’s going to be memorable for many reasons, and I am very fortunate to have my family coming out to support me. They did the same thing when I did my first Ironman. They’re the best. I can’t wait to push my limits, and feel the energy at the spectator friendly, but very challenging, marathon course that is BOSTON!

Signing this last year at Eugene Marathon as a tribute to Boston 2013. We heart Boston.

At Eugene Marathon expo (April 2013), sending love to Boston after the tragedy. We heart Boston.

Have you ever trained for a full marathon with a nagging injury? How did you modify your workouts and/or race day goals?

Time to get honest. Marathon training with a foot injury.

February 17, 2014 by Asia

~~I think~~ I have a foot injury. There. I said it. I started developing pain on the inside of my right foot above my arch on Saturday, January 25th. On Sunday January 26th I did a long run anyway, and didn’t mention a word about the gradually increasing foot pain that developed towards the end of my run. Then, on Monday morning January 27th I woke-up to a visible bruise on the spot of the pain. Shit. And this is how my foot injury developed.

See that bruise on the top of my foot there? Yeah. That.

I haven’t said a peep on here since Christmas. At first it was because I was so busy loving and living life! I didn’t make the time to sit down and blog about Boston Marathon training, working with a new coach, living life as a fiancée, or wedding planning. I still want to blog about all the joyous things in my life, but I’m going to save that for another day. Today, I’m ready to admit I have a problem. A foot problem.

Week 1: Denial. Inner monologue: Oh just a bruise from my new custom orthotics. I ran really hard and fast on Saturday, and I probably got a bruise from all the pressure I was putting on my orthotics which weren’t allowing my feet to collapse like they wanted to. A bruise is no big deal. At least it’s not a REAL injury like last year.

My coach told me to take 3 days off from running and then reassess because taking 3 days off is better than taking 3 weeks off…

Week 2: Worried…but I only skipped certain runs. I still did a 10k. I just ran through the pain the last half because it “wasn’t that bad”. Sound familiar? (I’m an idiot.)

Cardiff Kook 10k

Week 3: Panic. I finally decided to call it an injury and I’m not running until the pain goes away. I got my foot looked at by a professional, and have been rolling it on a frozen water bottle and popping pills to reduce the inflammation. I’m RICE’ing, spinning, ellipticalling, aqua jogging, strength training, massaging, stretching, and resting. I’m also stewing. Whyyyy is this happening to me, again?

Foot pain isn’t new to me. If I think back to my very first marathon in 2011, I remember experiencing foot pain a couple of weeks before the race. Luckily it wasn’t serious enough to keep me from the start and finish line. Then in 2012 when I was training for what turned out to be 1 full marathon, and 2 Ironmans, my foot pain got serious. Luckily I had a coach to keep me on track and I filled my time with other workouts and ART sessions. 2013 guess what? Foot pain resurfaced, but I still managed to train through it and PR at Eugene and achieve a Boston qualifying time, even though my coach cautioned me that I would probably hurt myself. Yep. I was in 1 million pieces once I crossed the finish line, bawling my eyes out, and I could barely walk for several days after that. (Whatever. I PR’d!!) Late 2013 I finally invested in pricey custom orthotics (thanks mom!) after much persuasion. In 2014, orthotics caused me to develop new foot pain. Different spot. Different foot. WTF? My feet hate me. (Long story short, my feet are hyper-mobile and kinda cray cray.)

So now what?

First of all, I’m updating my custom orthotics because those clearly aren’t working for me. I’m training without any orthotics in the meantime, and I can tell it’s making a difference. Definitely less of that “bruised” feeling.

Mentally, I’m going back and forth between optimism (I can still break 3:30 and PR at Boston! All this rest is good for me!) and severe pessimism (I’m not even going to be able to finish Boston because of severe foot pain at mile XX.) Physically, I have no idea if I’m doing enough to nurse my foot back to health (RICE, stopping running) while simultaneously trying to train for my first ever Boston Marathon which is now only a short 2 months away. Looking at the BIG picture, if I don’t PR, it won’t be the end of the world. If I can’t even make it to the starting line due to an injury, however, well that will be an entirely different story, so I’d prefer not to think about that.

If you’ve ever suffered an ongoing injury, I’m sure you can empathize with me right now. It feels like taking time off from running is the worst thing in the world. But when I start to get down, I try to fill my head with positive thoughts to put things into perspective. (I’m getting married this year! I already qualified for Boston, and I get to run it this year! Life is good!!)

Thanks for listening to me get honest and admit that I have a foot injury. Same story. Different year. Different foot. Training with a chronic injury is a real problem that so many runners face, even though I really wish it wasn’t. So what have I learned this time around?

Don’t push through the pain, no matter how insignificant you think it may be.

Back to my RICE, and hopefully, the road to recovery!

What do you do to keep yourself sane while sidelined from running due to an injury?

This dishes holder is actually much better served as an ice bucket

Mentally & Physically Prepping for Eugene Marathon

April 4, 2013 by Asia

T-minus 25 days until Eugene Marathon! How did THAT happen? Over the next few weeks, Nicole and I are #EatingCleanUntilEugene and I’m also trying to get extra rest since I can never seem to find enough hours in the day for that.

Here are my April goals to keep me on track until race day!

1. Sleep at least 8 hours each night.

2. Eat healthy to fuel my body with what it needs.

3. Avoid alcohol.

4. Don’t neglect ice, the foam roller, or stretching.

5. Think positive thoughts! (I WILL qualify for Boston! Pain is temporary! I am an Ironman! I can do this!)

I have been traveling and extra busy/stressed the past few weeks, so I’m considering this a reboot.

Jeremy & I bought a new Jeep last weekend and took an epic road trip!

Feeling “the hurt” during the last 10k of Surf City marathon in 2011. Ahhh memories.

How do you mentally and physically prepare for a BIG race?

A New Approach to Marathon Training

January 15, 2013 by Asia

My first week of post-Ironman-Boston-qualifying-marathon-training had some ups and downs, but I’m proud of myself for getting out there and putting in the work. For starters, it was very challenging to get excited for my 5:45am cold, dark, San Diego winter runs. (Some of my runs were in the mid 30s which I consider to be cold, ok!?) I also started off the week with some kind of chest infection which I took antibiotics for. (Hot.) Overall, I’m verrrry happy to be focused on running again, but I just wish that my runs had some sunlight involved. Ahh the beauty of winter training…

Early morning running. I got my headlamp from Home Depot.

I got my headlamp from Home Depot! Industrial strength, baby.

I’m officially training with Coach Trevor again, and I am grateful to have the support. My marathon training structure is much different from my Ironman training structure where every workout was laid out for me, however, so I’m still getting used to it. Heck, it’s even different than my last marathon training plan where I followed a pre-set training schedule and everything was based weekly mileage. Here is what it the structure looks like so far:

1. “Key workouts” (tempo runs, long runs, etc.) spaced out in Training Peaks over a few weeks
2. Run and swim “tweener workouts” which I do in between my key workouts, depending on how I feel.
3. At least 1 rest day per week.
4. At least 1 swim per week (recovery or tougher hypoxic workouts).
5. Max 5 days per week of running.
6. Incorporate strength and mobility sessions.

If it sounds confusing, it was for me too initially, but it makes sense in the grand scheme of things. I’m trying to ramp up to race Eugene marathon on April 28 at a BQ (Boston Qualifying) pace, so I’m asking my body to do a lot very quickly. The last run that I raced was Surf City marathon in January 2012 (3:49:30). After that, bking and swimming were my priorities so I could become an Ironman…and my long run pace suffered. Now, I’m ready to focus on running again and get FAST!

This marathon plan is set up so that I can do workouts based on how I feel. If I don’t feel recovered or healthy enough to do a key workout, I will replace it with a tweener workout or take a rest day. If my legs are shot, I will swim or do the easiest tweener workout (which is a 30 min easy run). A common mistake that I’ve made, and I know plenty of other endurance athletes make, is push myself to do too much, too quickly, thus not reaping the full benefits of my workouts. Recovery is important so that I can push myself harder and progress faster!

I’m very type-A so Trevor knows this type of flexible plan is challenging for me, and during week 1, I made some mistakes…
1. I ran 6 days. Oops. One of those days I felt kinda sick. Double oops.
2. I didn’t swim. At all.
3. I added in a random strength training class 4 hours after I completed a tough run. Needless to say I was spent after that.

I was honest with Trevor, so this week, I am going to limit my running to 4 days, and make sure to incorporate at least 1 swim. (I haven’t been in the water since my Ironman in November!) Week 2 is not going to be as reckless as week 1. Eugene marathon is 14.5 weeks away, so I don’t have any time to waste!

Marathon Training Week 1
M: Tweener #1 – Easy 30 min run
T: Key workout – Intervals
W: REST
Th: Key workout – Up-Tempo 85%
F: Tweener #3 – 1 hour run at 75%, Strength class
Sat: Tweener #1 – Easy 30 min run
Sun: Key workout – 90 min run with 10 one minute fartleks

Total workout time: 6 hours 15 minutes

What kind of flexibility do you allow for in your weekly training plan?

Ironman Training Day 5

December 10, 2011 by Asia

Day 5 – Saturday 12/10/11

Morning
8:30am – 16.5 mile run around Mission and Pacific Beach. (My old stomping ground!)
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 2 waffles w/ peanut butter & agave nectar = 400 calories(?)
During Run: 2 vanilla Gus, 1 shot block serving, and 1 scoop Vitalite mixed with water = 340 calories
Post Run: Big brunch! Scrambled eggs w/ spinach, mushrooms, and cheese, potatoes, onion bagel, fruit, coffee

Feeling hungry after my long run!

Ok – So this run wasn’t exactly for Ironman training. It’s for my marathon in Feb. We’re really starting to get up there in miles! Many triathlon experts will warn you not to do a marathon before or during Ironman training because there is a high risk of injury and a long recovery time after runs lasting over 2 hours. I definitely understand that, but I hope to stay strong and healthy during my marathon training. I want to do another marathon to break the 4 hour mark. (I hit 4:01:59 on my first one in June 2011.) It’s a great challenge, and I felt so incredible crossing the finish line. I LOVE running. It’s my favorite part of the triathlon.

I felt strong on the run today. This was definitely my best long run by far. My average pace for 16.5 miles was 9:15min/mile which is getting close to my marathon goal time. My hip didn’t bother me today which was HUGE because it hurt a lot during my recovery run last week. I am trying to pay extra attention to my hip (or IT band?) because it has been bothering me for a while. Today, however, the “pain” was pretty standard after the 1/2 marathon mark – sore knees, ankles, hip flexors. Nothing limiting. I did finish with salt all over my face…My face was pretty white, so I need to take in more sodium on my next run. Nicole and I had a lot to talk about and were both feeling like we had a good long run day. Now I’m feeling very optimistic about the marathon which is only 8 weeks away! There’s still a few spots available for the Surf City Marathon if you’re interested!

How I Conquered the La Jolla Half Marathon

April 17, 2011 by Asia

We did it! La Jolla Half Marathon 4/17/11

I just got my PR at one of the most difficult half marathons in the US – La Jolla! I am bursting at the seems, I’m so happy right now. I finished with a time of 1:55:08! That’s nearly 20 minutes faster than my last half marathon in August, and 5 minutes faster than the goal I had set for myself of finishing in under 2 hours. How did I do it? Allow me to share my training journey with you.

I ran my first half marathon, Silver Strand, in November 2008 and absolutely hated it. I was miserable starting at mile 3 and said I’d never do one ever again. My time was around 2:17…Fastforward to 2010. I started running again and was craving a challenge. It had been 1.5 years since my only half marathon, and I figured I’d give it another try. My new friend Amber was a runner and triathlete, so she inspired me to get back into training mode and we started running together. Then, Nicole started running with me. We did some training runs for America’s Finest City and all ended up running at a different pace on race day. I was the slowest, barely beating my 2:17 finish time in 2008. I felt like I started off way too fast, so I slowed down after 5 miles, and the hill got me at the end. 2:13:50 was my time. I was happy to have finished, and definitely felt less miserable than my first half, but I still wasn’t satisfied. 3 minutes off my half marathon time from 2 years ago just wasn’t enough. If Nicole and Amber could run so much faster than me, I was convinced that I could too. I just needed a different approach.

With AFC behind me, I decided to introduce a new training program in my life. That program was P90X – an extreme at home fitness program based on muscle confusion. (You can find more info on it here: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/SDFITNESSDIVA .)
I give so much credit to my boyfriend for researching it and committing to do it. I was intrigued and asked if I could join him, so we started Day 1 together and stuck to the 90 day fitness program and nutrition plan. Over the next 90 days my body transformed into a very lean, mean, fighting machine! I toned up and was able to do pull-ups for the first time. My strength improved so much after P90x that we decided to do it again.

Results from the first time doing P90X

After 2 months off, in February we started P90X for a second time. That has been a huge part of my training regimen. We also joined the Vavi marathon training group which was huge for accountability. We run together 2x/week, and we’re supposed to do 2 runs on our own. Our coaches are very supportive and designed a great running program for us to follow. I layered marathon training of running 4 days/week on top of P90X 4 days/week (it’s normally 6 but I had to cut down), and the result was a PR at La Jolla Half Marathon! Not only was it a PR – I went from running 10+ minute miles to sub 9 minute miles – a huge improvement! It feels great. I am very proud of my boyfriend, Jeremy, who finished way ahead of me at 1:36:19! He hadn’t run much since our 2008 half marathon, but 2 rounds of P90X did a body good, and he had a killer time. Our good friends and couple Nicole and Mike started doing P90X around the same time we started it for a second time. They were impressed with our results and also wanted to become faster runners. Nicole finished in 1:54 and Mike 1:34. I am SO proud of all of us for PR’ing on such a tough course! The hills were still tough, but after passing several people on the steep upgrades, I knew my legs were more than ready.

Look who was waiting for us at the finish!

Key P90X leg workouts for improving your running time are Legs & Back and Plyometrics. I’ll admit that I didn’t do Plyometrics the second time around because I was running 4 days a week, but I kept in Legs and Back, and the other total body workouts, including 90 minutes of yoga, leading up to La Jolla. We’ve been working out 8 times/week, but our bodies are so much stronger because of it.

It’s hard to believe we only have 2 weeks of P90X to go! I’ll keep incorporating P90X workouts into my marathon training as we approach the 26.2 mile mark in June. I’d say the two programs work quite well together, wouldn’t you? Now, it’s time for a cheat meal and tasty treat!

Sprinkles Cupcakes - A Delicious Treat!