CIM Training Journal #2: Hills and Valleys

This continues CIM Training Journal #1.

This training block is a step in my journey, regardless of the outcome, and I am enjoying it.  I have big goals for CIM, but it's not the be-all end-all of my running.  Whether or not I hit my goal, I will still love running, and this build will help me with future builds.  God-willing, there will be future builds!

A day in the life (Meet the Teacher Night)

August 8, 2017
I had a tired break-down last night where life, including training, just got overwhelming. Sleep has improved my perspective on things (as it always does), but I sometimes feel like I am doing so many things that I'm not doing my best at any of them.  These include working, Mom-ing, training, maintaining a home, weekend activities/memory making, etc.

After a power-packed weekend during which we hosted 5 family members (including 3 children age 5 and under), I awoke sleep deprived on Monday morning to run and strength train.  Then I worked my usual 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. workday, and while I was working my husband took my daughter to buy school supplies since we hadn't had time to go over the weekend.  They also bought her an early birthday present of fish tank and accessories.  I felt like I missed out by not being a part of any of this (I was also mad that he didn't ask me about the fish tank first), and then after I spent an hour that evening catching up on cleaning and laundry, I started noticing that my house's baseboards needed cleaning, the cabinets needed wiped down, the blinds were dusty, etc.  I waited until too late to eat dinner and got hangry, then stayed up until 10:00 p.m. (too late for my 4:50 a.m. alarm).  I was also coming off a sub-par training weekend, and it all suddenly just became too much.  I felt like I had too many balls in the area and I was dropping them all.  I don't feel like I'm doing a lot of things I can "give up" (the irony of writing that on a blog; I could give up blogging obviously!), but for that evening I felt like pursuing a 2:45:00 was just too much.

Today I'm feeling back on track, and I had two solid runs; both were just base runs, but my 8.1 miles this morning was 6:58 average pace while keeping it easy, and I am always pumped when my relaxed pace dips under 7:00 (some days it is closer to 8:00; I really try to go by feel).  Strava also informed me that the route I did on my second run (4.2 miles) on was "trending faster", so I looked to find out that run was the fastest I'd ever run that route, which I've only ever run on second easy runs.

So, another hill and valley.  I once read a quote about running hills that made me laugh:  A hill is like a break-up; eventually, you'll get over it.  Marathon training is not the top priority in my life, but it is my top leisure pursuit and undeniably a major personal goal.  I can't do it all, in training or in life, so I guess I will just wait until they add more hours to the day and I'll be able to come closer.

August 10, 2017
The joy is in the journey, and I am very much enJOYing my miles with friends this week!

August 14, 2017
Last week was my 6th consecutive week of mileage in the 60s!  I looked back at my training logs from my Phoenix build, and I had 5 weeks total that were in the 60s, so I have already surpassed that.  Provided I can stay healthy, this is very confidence-boosting since I am still 16 weeks out from CIM. This mileage is the highest I've done, although I often have whomp whomp moments when I realize that others who are marathon training are running triple digit mileage!  But don't let comparison steal your joy, right?!

August 16, 2017
Today's tempo was a grind, and felt far too much like the Dam to Dam half marathon for my liking!  I probably should have adjusted my expectations for the workout based on the weather (71*, dew point of 70*/96% humidity, breezy, storms in the area), but I didn't.  I wanted 8 miles at 5:59 or better, but I got 8 miles at 6:07 via 6:09, 6:07, 6:00, 6:05, 6:09, 6:08, 6:15, 6:08 (also no pretty negative split!), and I had to fight for it the whole way.  Although it wasn't what I wanted, I was glad to just hang on and to keep all of the miles except for mile 7 within my goal pace range of 5:57-6:10; it was good practice gutting it out when I wasn't feeling it.  I was ready to stop the workout at the beginning of mile 4, and at mile 6 I was really done, but I'm not going to quit if I go through rough patches or can't maintain goal pace during races, so this was practice at doing the best I could with what my body had to give today.

I also reminisced on an 8 mile tempo I did in 2010; I remember it well because I could not even hit my goal marathon pace for really any of the miles that day, but a month later I ran a marathon faster than that goal pace. Compared to that workout, this 8 mile tempo at 1 second/mile slower than goal half pace was not that bad (although mile 7 was bordering on marathon goal pace!)!  I think my confidence is in a much better place now than it was a couple of months ago, because in spite of this off day I still feel good about my overall trajectory.  For awhile, I was fragile enough that one sub-par performance made me feel like I would never run anything good again!  I know I have more to give on a long tempo, and when I run my 10 mile tempo I'll get the chance to show it!  I am also aiming to appreciate what I got out of this one, which was practice hanging on when not feeling good; lucky for me I hadn't practiced this in my previous 3 tempo workouts.

August 19, 2017
Well, this week contained the previously described non-stellar tempo, then a fantastic long run.  I had an 18 miler, which was my first long long run of this training cycle -- I consider 13-16 milers long runs, but not long long runs.  It was a base pace long run across the board (no workout or fast finish), with the goal of having most of my miles between 6:57-7:07, or goal marathon pace + 40-50 seconds. My coach told me to think in terms of mode vs. mean on pace, because my first 1-3 miles will probably be slower as I warm up, but then I should try to keep the others miles in that pace range. My go-to easy pace isn't quite that fast (at least not in 70* and 98% humidity), but I knew I could run it, particularly running with Zach, who is faster than me.

I ended up with 18 at 6:57 average (even though I was instructed not to worry about the mean, hah)! My splits were:  7:39, 7:27, 7:10, 7:09, 7:15, 7:07, 6:59, 6:57, 6:53, 6:57, 6:55, 6:49, 6:51, 6:48, 6:39, 6:40, 6:36, 6:30.  Although I could feel that the final 4 miles were faster, they were still conversational, and being able to carry on a conversation at 6:30-6:40 is a relatively new thing for me.

I felt very strong, and afterward I realized that if I'd have run 8.2 more miles at an average of 6:38 pace, I could have run a sub-3:00 marathon in training.  I got really excited about this, because I believe if I'd fueled I could have done that (this was an intentionally fasted run; I did not fuel before or during aside from nuun in water, which is hydration/electrolytes but not calories). Last summer, I was training for a sub-3:00 marathon as my goal race; currently, I could do it in training on a rolling course.  On the other hand, since I'm currently training to run 15 minutes faster, I suppose a sub-3:00 should be fairly easy.  Whomp whomp.  #neversatisfiedsyndrome  Nonetheless, this made me very happy.  I also had a 66 mile week (week 7 in the 60s)!

I'm looking forward to testing my fitness in a couple of 10Ks in early September (one will be run un-rested, but the other will be slightly tapered).

August 26, 2017
I had another solid long run today! 17.2 miles at 7:01 average per my watch/6:59 average per Zach's (so clearly I am going with his).  My splits were a little more even than last week; after 2 slow beginning miles almost all were 6:50-7:06 (the final mile was 6:47, so we did not fast finish, which is good since I was not supposed to).  It was really confidence-boosting because it felt relaxed the whole way and it flew by.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I failed at my track workout on Tuesday - basically I ran one good 1600 m. (5:42) and then quit.  I got the chance to re-do it on Thursday, but on tired legs (13 miles with a double on Tuesday, 12 miles in a single on Wednesday).  I couldn't hit my goal range of 5:35-5:40 (I did 5:48, 5:44, 5:46 for full miles on the road because I couldn't mentally get myself back to the track either; 3:00 jog recoveries between), but considered it a success that I got back out there and tried.

I need to write a complete post about this, probably titled "If you don't believe you can do something, you're probably right," because I really mentally defeated myself over this workout, twice.  A friend told me that it's only failure if you don't learn anything, and I suppose what I learned is that I am not ready for a sub-18 5K - at least not un-rested!  I could not have run 3 miles straight at the pace I did these repeats.  Otherwise the day confirmed what I already knew:  I'm stronger at tempos and long runs than at speed work and 5:4X pace is HARD!  5:55 is fairly sustainable for me, but when I have to drop 10 seconds off of that I am DYING.  Whew.  I tried not to let this workout get me down too much, and in the end I don't need to be able to run good mile repeats to run a good marathon, but it worries me for my upcoming 10Ks.  Luckily I am not trying to run 5:45 pace in them (I need 5:57 to break 37:00 and PR), but it is hard to believe in myself when I can't hit my workout times.

On to the next - still trying to dream big, even on days my legs are sloshed!

This was how I felt about the mile repeat workout

CIM Training Journal #1: One way or another

Embarking on what's going to be a lengthy build to the California International Marathon on December 3, I decided to keep a little journal about my thoughts.  I keep a detailed running log with my precise mileage, workouts, paces, and little relevant notes about the weather, my health, etc., so I'm surprised I've never done anything like this; my monthly or weekly training recaps on here are the closest I've come.  So much about accomplishing big goals is believing you can, so this is me working on that component.  I'm not exactly sure how often I'll publish these or what direction they will take, but here goes nothing!

Tuesday, June 20, 2017
This felt like my first official day of the training block since June 19 was a non-running day (although I did bootcamp, as typical for Mondays).  I ran an easy 8.6 miles in the morning and 3.4 miles in the evening.  I didn't feel too chipper starting out in the morning, as I was suffering from a "vacation hangover" and fighting off catching my husband's post-vacation sickness, but every mile got better.  About halfway through the run, which was solo, the song One way or another came on the radio, and I realized what a perfect theme song it was for my 2:45 pursuit.  "One way or another, I'm going to get you, 2:45!"  It may not be at CIM, but I will try and try again -- either until I get it or until the qualifying window closes in January 2020.  If this goal is not accomplished, it is not going to be for lack of trying; it will be because it is outside of my ability and/or I get injured trying.

I'm not feeling very fit or fast right now, and the reasons for this are:  1)  summer is here, 2) I recently ran 6+ minutes slower than what I thought I was in shape for at Dam to Dam, 3)  I haven't done any real workouts since May 30, 4)  I just had 2 weeks of relatively low mileage (e.g., a recovery phase).  I'm working on accepting that I simply won't run as fast in hot and humid weather, but it's sure not as fun to go this direction as it is when paces start dropping in the cool weather of the fall! I feel like I am so grossly far off of the fitness I'll need to run a 2:45, and I'm feeling like I'll never get there -- but I'm trying to focus on doing what's scheduled day to day and trusting that the results will come in time...easier said than done.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017
It's a lot easier to perceive a 2:45 marathon in the realm of possibility soon after running a 2:49:20 than 4 months later at the beginning of summer...

Sunday, June 25, 2017
I read a quote from Arthur Lydiard about big training cycles, and it was something I needed to hear! "You will be running in last when others are running in first.  But, when it matters most, you will be passing them."  You can't be in PR form all of the time; peaking at one time usually comes at the expense of something else.  You have to pick the right time to be 100% and accept that the times when you're not are part of the process.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017
It's impossible not to play the comparison game, so I am trying to play it in ways that are optimistic; comparing where my fitness is at now to where it was in June 2016.  I may not be PR-sharp right now, but I'm way ahead of where I was in June 2016 and I'm farther from my goal marathon (then I was under 4 months out from an early October race, and now I'm over 5 months out from a December 3 race).

Monday, July 3, 2017
Training to break 3:00 last summer was less stressful, and I think that's because I'd come close (3:01:45) in a race that I classified as so-so.  For a 2:45:00, I need to find 4:20 (260 seconds) more than I had in a race that was pretty much perfect (Phoenix and CIM courses are supposed to be similarly fast, which is a very good thing).  I'm doubting myself every day and kind of wondering if I shouldn't try.  It feels like too much pressure and like I'm not good enough.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017
The 2:45:00 B standard is official and I ran a 5:53 average on my 4 mile tempo!  It was a very promising running day!  It sounds crazy or pathetic, but I almost cried when I got the news that the standard was set at 2:45:00 officially and not any faster -- a blessing for sure!  I've had 2:45 in my mind for so long, even a standard of 2:44:00 would have shaken me, and something like 2:42:00 probably would have stopped my dream in its tracks.

Monday, July 24, 2017
Balancing being happy about improvements with striving for more is hard!  I ran the Access to Health 5K 15 seconds/mile faster than in 2016 (5:57 vs 6:12), which I was stoked about.  However, I also think I *ought* to be able to run a lot faster than that for 3.1 miles if I want any chance at running 6:05 pace for 13.1 and 6:17 pace for 26.2.  Oy!  But then I felt super strong on my long run the day after the 5K, running "out" around 7:20 pace and coming back around 7:00 pace, and feeling effortless the whole run.  I told my coach that I always feel much stronger on long runs than on 5Ks, which I suppose is a really good thing!

Tuesday, July 25, 2017
My 6 mile tempo today has me feeling like building up to running 13.1 at 6:00 pace is a real possibility!  Still a terrifying possibility, but if your pace goals don't scare you, they aren't fast enough, right?

Friday, July 28, 2017
I set a fast finish long run final mile PR today with a 6:05 at the end of a 15 miler.  Now, to replicate that at the end of a 24 miler and at the end of CIM!

Tuesday, August 1, 2017
My coach told me NOT to try to PR every workout after I sent him last week's runs, which included a workout PR 6 mile tempo and a PR fast finish mile in my long run (both mentioned above as big confidence-boosters for me).  My first thought was, "But I should be running workout PRs since I am trying to run a marathon faster than I ever have before (not to mention a 5K, 10K, and half marathon along the way!)", but I have since acquiesced that I will stick precisely to the pace ranges he gives me and not try to dip under.  We all know that I am a pro at over-training, and he doesn't want me to do too much too hard too early.  I also have some fear about peaking too early, so I will listen to his expertise.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017
I came close to staying exactly in my pace range on my 3 x 2 mile split tempo workout today with tempos in 11:53 (5:57, 5:56), 11:47 (5:51, 5:56), and 11:43 (5:52, 5:50), only a tiny bit under my range on 3 of the mile splits.  I finished feeling like I had another repeat in the tank.  That is technically how you are supposed to finish workouts, to maximize training gains while minimizing stress on the body, but it's easier said than done because I love pushing.  This was still a workout PR, within following coach's orders, so yay!

I just read back over the beginning of this log, and what a difference 6 weeks can make!  I'm now feeling much better about my fitness and progress towards my goal than I was on June 20, and I'm also feeling fully adapted to sticky summer weather conditions (although I've had some pretty nice weather for my past couple of workouts).  I know I'll wax and wane, have bad workouts when I don't feel fit, and have many days where a marathon PR seems impossible, but I'm happy with my progress and also believe the recovery phase in June did me good.  Regardless of the outcome, I believe that God places dreams in our hearts and goals in our heads for a reason, so however CIM goes, there is a reason for this build.

Saturday, August 4, 2017
Today I got my "bad" long run of the training cycle out of the way, cutting a 16 miler at 13 due to serious stomach issues (the first time in my life I have ever thrown up during a run).  Since this was a novel occurrence, I've chalked it up to something I ate while traveling for work on Thursday and Friday disagreeing with me, and am moving on.  I've actually surprised myself with how non-upset I've been about it, but since it wasn't a key long run or workout, it was good timing to have a bad day.  I was supposed to have a shorter long run next week, but now I'll call this my cut-back one and do the 16 next week, provided my coach is good with that.  I was torn between going back out this afternoon for the extra 3 miles or adding it on tomorrow in order to keep my weekly planned mileage, and I decided on the latter since I only had 6 scheduled for tomorrow (now 9).  I'm feeling depleted but mostly okay now, I think.

I've decided this one is long enough that it's time to hit "publish"!  Until part 2...

Facing my Fear: Access to Health 5K

The short:
I came very close to skipping this race; I had a terrible run at the event last year and kept stressing about repeating that.  I'm glad I sucked it up and got out there; I managed sub-6:00 pace (5:57) on a hilly course in a heat advisory, plus I won some cash for second overall female.  I'm doubtful that I will ever love the 5K race distance, but I enjoyed this event; maybe some day I will even stop beginning every 5K race report with, "I came very close to skipping this race", bahaha!

Beautiful scenery, eh?

The long: 
I put this race on my schedule because it's a local event that offers prize money, and I had no other July races planned.  My coach included it within a 64 mile week -- and since my "long" run during this 64 mile week was only 12 miles, it was the biggest week I've ever done as far as day after day mileage.  Training through the event was fine (in the name of bigger goals), but last year I'd also trained through it and had an awful race.  Those details are on Saturday here, but I'll just note that it included a 6:31 final mile, which is slower than my PR marathon pace!  Because of that experience, I got scared of this race and decided I wasn't going to run it after all (a local 5K is not worth the worrying I was doing about it!)...then the day before the race I decided I needed to (wo)man up and do it, mainly to help myself in a 5K I'm targeting in August (I use the term "targeting" quite loosely, because I am actually doing absolutely zero focused 5K training).

From running the race twice before, I knew the course was hilly and a bit long, plus we were in a heat advisory on race day, so I was also concerned that my streak of 5Ks in the 18's was in jeopardy.  I knew to keep my time at 18:59 on this course, I'd need to run about 6:00 pace.  I recently ran a 4 mile tempo at 5:53 pace, so I thought I should have it in me, but my tempo course is much easier than this race's course and I ran it at 5:30 a.m., which is much cooler than 7:30 a.m.!  My warm-up did nothing to make me feel better about the whole pursuit; doing short strides at 5:50 pace was far harder than it should have been!

My fast friend Jamie was racing as well, and I'd asked her if I could try to hang onto her.  She agreed, and then on the starting line she said, "I think I'm going to go out at 5:40 pace for the first mile; what do you think?"  I laughed and told her I would not be starting with her after all, as I planned for a first mile of around 6:00.  There were cash prizes for the top two men and women overall, so I hoped to slide in behind Jamie for 2nd.

Start

I was dripping sweat on the starting line even though I shortened my typical 5K warm-up to 2 miles (instead of the whole race course) in the name of staying a bit cooler.  The race starts up a hill, so I didn't feel fantastic from the gate, but I didn't feel awful.  Jamie was out ahead of me from the gun, but I was in a solid second female for the entire race, with some high school and college-aged boys in my vicinity, but mostly I ran alone.  After the first uphill, the course rolls until a decline from around 1.5-1.9+, and I told myself to soak it up, because then it loops around 1 block west and goes back up the corresponding incline for 0.4+.  Last year that incline nearly killed me, and this year it was not easy by any means, but it was easy in comparison.  Then the course rolls again before finishing down the hill we had to climb at the beginning of the race, making for a fast final quarter mile.  I never felt amazing during the race, but I never felt horrible either.  That was a relief after last year's debacle!

Coming down the final overpass hill that we started up

I ended up finishing in 18:48 officially, so even with the course being 20-30 seconds long I kept my 18:XX 5K streak going!  My conservative Garmin had my average pace at 5:57, and for that course and the weather I was pleased with that average.  Afterwards, pessimistic Jon told me that he felt confident that I could run 10 seconds/mile faster on a flat course with a little rest before, and I hope he is correct (I think I also need 50* though).  I am 100% satisfied with this one, though.  I ran very consistent splits (5:56-5:59) and conquered the fear that I had all week leading up to it!  My average pace was 1 second/mile faster than in the Sertoma Duck Waddle last month, but that course was far easier and that day far cooler, so I feel this performance was stronger, regardless of what my official times say - official results are here.  Jamie really rocked it, averaging 5:40 pace or a touch under!

Impeded clock shot

I also looked back to see how long my 5Ks in the 18s streak is, and this race last year was my last one in the 19s (and would have been in the 19s even if the course wasn't long since I ran 19:36)!  That surprised me because I struggled to break 19 forever.  Also file this one under the prize money exception in my Certified in '17 pledge!  All but one of my remaining planned races for the year are certified (and the uncertified one is a 3.35ish mile "5K" with prize money; I'm not counting it against the 5Ks in the 18s streak and last year I ran it in the 20s!).

Onto the next!

Swag/awards (the card is a free pasta meal!)

Follow the rules: Don't take outside aid during a race

I read a lot of running blogs, and my favorites to read are those written by women who run around my same paces, women who have run or are training for OTQ marathons, and women who balance working and/or Mom-ing with running.  I love reading training week re-caps to see what others are doing, and race re-caps to learn about how others pace, strategize, etc.  I'm not a big fan of running blogs with a bunch of involved recipes (because I'm a lazy cook), and I also don't enjoy running blogs by men nearly as much as those by women.  I could go on, but that isn't the purpose of this post!

I love reading race reports, and recently I've noticed that several runners don't know that per USATF rules, competitors aren't allowed to accept nutrition that doesn't come from official aid stations during races.  The pertinent competition rule is:  "A competitor who collects refreshment from a place other than a refreshment station is liable to disqualification by the Referee."  See item (g) on page 132 in this document (which is actually page 140 of the PDF viewer pages).

It certainly doesn't hurt to be familiar with all of the USATF rules on road racing, and they make up a very small portion of the cited rule document, plus many rules are more related to race organizers' duties, making the whole thing much quicker reading than you'd think at first glance!

I've read a number of race reports in which runners have described taking nutrition from their families on the course, from friends who "jumped in" to run a few miles with them, from their significant others on bikes (having someone run or bike with you during a race is an additional issue for several reasons), etc. -- and I genuinely think that most people just don't know that this isn't okay.  I did not always know either.  If you are competing for overall or age group awards in any USATF certified and sanctioned event, you should be vigilant about taking only the nutrition offered on the course and what you carry yourself.  Of course, everyone participating should follow all of the race rules, but those competing for top placings have more to lose. 

Wouldn't it suck to win prize money in a race only to be disqualified because you took a gel from a spectating friend?  Wouldn't your win feel like cheating if you had extra fluids provided by a family member on a hot day, and went on to win by a tiny margin over someone who didn't get those extra fluids?  Don't we all dislike dopers and course cutters?  Just don't break the rules! 

And honestly, I wouldn't be too happy if someone beat me after being paced by her husband on a bike with him carrying fluids for some or all of the race when I didn't have a bike escort.  Luckily I've never been in this situation, as it would be tricky to navigate.  But, I do have plenty of tips for preparing to use the available course nutrition and for carrying your own during marathons -- I do a combination of the two.

Follow up questions:
Do you personally disregard this rule?
Have you seen people break this rule?
Would you report someone violating this rule?

I got you that time, sub-6:00 tempo -- and the 2:45:00 standard is official!

July 11 gave me news to celebrate -- USATF announced the official 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon Qualifying Standards!  It's been presumed that the women's B standard would be 2:45:00, but it wasn't official until it was official -- and today it became official!  This is great news for me, because there was always the possibility that the standard could be faster, like 2:42.  A 2:45:00 will be a strrrrrrreeeeetch, because everything went awfully well for me to run a 2:49:20, but I am ready to give it a go.  If the standard was 2:42:00, I would more likely be ready to give up.  So not feeling the need to give up something I've been dreaming about is fantastic news!

Whoop whoop!

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I've recently had a little beef with 6:00 pace on my tempo runs.  In May 2017, my 4 mile tempo ended up being 6:01 pace and my 6 mile tempo was 6:00 pace.  Back in December 2016, I did a 4 mile tempo at 6:01 pace as well.  Last week, I did a progression 10 mile run in which I ran the last mile in 6:01.  I kept saying, "I'll get you next time, 5:59!" 

Last night as I was mentally preparing for today's tempo, I starting wondering if I was ever going to stop saying, "I'll get you next time" to 5:59.  I haven't been unhappy with 6:00-6:01 tempo averages, because they were PR tempos and towards the lower end of my goal pace range from my coach, which is currently 5:57-6:10 (and on the progression run, my last mile was scheduled at 6:10, so I was under my goal).  But who wants to run 6:00-6:01 when one can run 5:59!?

Well, today I didn't get my 5:59 average; I got a 5:53 average (splits below)!  This was at 72* with 88% humidity (dew point 70*), so I am also officially heat/humidity adapted.  I felt smooth and strong throughout, and it just clicked.  I had company for the first time in over a year on a tempo; Jessi, Missouri State's top distance runner, who I am doing some training with over the summer, did this workout with me, and having her along was extremely helpful and probably the complete reason for the success.  When we came through mile 1 in 5:57, that pretty much sealed the deal on aiming to be sub-6:00 for every split (my initial aim was to start at more like 6:05 for the first mile), and I ended up with a beautiful negative split, which is the only way to run tempos after all.  I finished feeling like I'd run hard, but with some left in the tank -- again, a perfect tempo.

It took me a few tries to get that sub-6:00 average, but I didn't give up.  I am going to try for that 2:45 with the same abandon.  I hope I can get to that 2020 starting line, God-willing, and that my friends with this goal can too!

All the compression socks

I am obsessed with a huge fan of compression socks.  I like to run in them and recover in them; the latter has much more research-base supporting its effectiveness, but I think they help me during my runs too -- even if that's a placebo effect, believing I'll perform better can't be a bad thing, right?  I also think they're helpful when traveling and in other situations where I'm sitting for longer than normal (e.g., attending a conference or meetings during which my standing desk is not an option!).  Here are my thoughts on the five different brands I own, in alphabetical order.  I do not receive free products from any of them (although I wish I did!), so this is unbiased.

CEP
Size:  womens II
Pros:  thick in the toe and heel areas, perfect tight fit
Cons:  pricey, lack of cute patterns, slightly too long for me
When I choose these:  marathons in which maximal blister protection is needed (warmer temps, net downhill)
When I wouldn't choose these:  when I'm being frugal (the main reason I don't own more pairs than I do currently) or when I want fun patterns
Related story:  I wore these for my first sub-3:00 marathon and for my first (and only, so far) sub-2:50 marathon

Crazy Compression
Size: XS
Pros:  great fit, super cute designs including holiday/seasonal patterns, frequent discount codes offered, thinner fabric is nice in warmer weather
Cons:  thinner than the other brands; I have never gotten a hole in them, but I also haven't had mine that long
When I choose these:  in warmer weather and when I feel like looking playful
When I wouldn't choose these:  since I haven't run over 17-18 miles in them yet, I wouldn't wear them for a marathon at this point, but I will be testing them on more long runs
Related story:  I wore these for the Rock the Parkway half, and had many, many people compliment me on them during the race!

Newzill
Size:  womens S
Pros:  thicker overall, feel well-made and durable, a few cute patterns, free shipping and/or discount codes frequently offered
Cons:  thicker fabric is not ideal in warmer temps, only a few colors and patterns are currently available, no XS option, slightly too long for me in the foot and calf, not quite as tight-fitting as I prefer (i.e., I won't buy any more until they start selling XS)
When I choose these:  in cooler temps
When I wouldn't choose these:  in warmer temps
Related story:  My training partner Danielle, who is a 3-time USAT Duathlon National Champion, is a brand ambassador for Newzill and also the reason I ended up with a few pairs of these.  I've had these less than 2 months, and it's been warm, so I haven't worn them that much yet.

Pro Compression
Size:  XS
Pros: perfect fit for me in tightness and height, many cute designs including holiday/seasonal patterns
Cons:  not as thick as CEP and Newzill in the toes
Disclaimer:  I own by far the most Pros, because I buy them on eBay for under $10 a pop.  They are marked as irregular in pattern only (not in fit), but I've never been able to find anything actually wrong with them, and if you know how picky I am that's saying something.
When I choose these:  most of the time, because I own so many pairs
When I wouldn't choose these:  for a marathon when maximal blister protection is desired; I have worn these for marathons with temps in the 40s-50s and in half marathons at all temperatures with complete success, but wouldn't run a 70 degree marathon in them
Related story:  I wore these the second time I broke 3:00 in the marathon, and for my PR half and second fastest half marathon.  I guess I meant business in those races, because I wore solid colors for them, but I've worn the heart, Christmas, and clover patterns for other races, many of which had no relation to actual holidays, haha!

2XU
Size:  XS
Pros:  perfect level of tightness, plain black available that works under work clothing better than patterns/colors
Cons:  different "models" are confusing, more expensive than most (but still cheaper than CEP), a bit thin like Crazy Compression
When I choose these:  for work
When I wouldn't choose these:  I don't run in my one pair of these, because I "save" them for work, but I think they'd work under most circumstances except for when extra blister protection is needed.
Related story:  Sorry, no fun facts about these!

For reference on the fits noted, my calf circumference is 12.5" at the widest point, I am 5'7", and I wear shoe size 9-10.  If your calves are smaller than mine, I would not recommend any of these brands, because I buy the smallest size available in all of them.  The upside is that the smallest size works even with my large feet!

From L to R: Newzill, CEP, Crazy Compression, Pro, 2XU

Dam to, Damn that was hot!

The Short Version of the Dam to Dam Half Marathon:

The heat and humidity won this one!  I adjusted my pace goal going into the race since it was terribly sticky (70s with 92% humidity), focusing more on my secondary goal of placing in the top 10 in the competitive field.  I knew the conditions would slow me down, but I didn't realize how much!  I nabbed my top 10 spot with 8th overall and won the 35-39 age group with a 1:26:19; a time grossly off what I'd trained for but that represented all that I had that day.  Even though I was disappointed to be in PR shape yet come nowhere near a PR to show for it, I had an amazingly fun girls' race trip with my friend Missy, and we both took comfort in learning that everyone was 4-9 minutes off their times that day.  The race itself was amazing, the city of Des Moines was great, and Missy and I planned our return to the event in 2018 on the drive home!

One should always celebrate another God-given day & run!

The Long Version:

The Dam to Dam half can be summed up as:  heat, humidity, headwind, and humbling!  I revised my goals for the race several times.  For most of the 8 weeks or so leading up to the event, my goal was to PR.  My workout PRs in May confirmed that this was a realistic goal, the point-to-point course looked fast and is my favorite type, historically the field has been thick and competitive, and last year it was 58* for the race.  My other goal was to place in the top 10, which past results indicated would take me running a PR or close to it to accomplish, but my primary goals are almost always time-centered because I can control my pacing strategy, but I can't control who else shows up.  Plus, my biggest competition is always myself!

As race day neared and the forecast got worse and worse, I knew that my main goal was out.  I knew with high humidity, temperatures in the 70s, and a headwind on my favorite type of course, there was no way I could better the PR I'd run under nearly perfect weather conditions.  I was in better shape, but not THAT much better, and at this point it's splitting hairs on pace goals to PR (e.g., 6:10 vs 6:12).  I also started getting more and more scared because a week prior to the event I ran a short long run with the Iron Horse 5K in the middle, and I suffered that day; in that 5K tempo I couldn't quite match the pace I'd just run for twice the distance in a 6 mile tempo at 55*.  I remembered how much harder 70* is in May than in August (or maybe I'm just getting worse at running in warm weather, I'm not sure!)!  All of my key workouts and long runs had been in much cooler temperatures.  Wednesday before the race I ran in long sleeves at a temperature I'd usually run in a sport bra only in (63*) for one last ditch effort at heat acclimation.  I struggled with my attitude about the race too, at one point telling my husband that I might as well not even go since I knew I wouldn't PR.  I love running so that was a ridiculous proposition; however, it was a difficult paradigm shift since I'd been focusing on this as a PR-attempt race for quite some time.

My training partner Missy and I were accepted into the elite field for the race, and we made a fun girls' weekend out of it.  We drove up to Des Moines on Friday morning, checked into our hotel, attended the race expo (including hanging out in the elite athlete welcoming room with a meal), and explored downtown Des Moines on Friday afternoon and evening.  The elite coordinator was extremely nice and helpful, and overall the hospitality was amazing. 

Downtown Des Moines

Downtown Des Moines

While I had a hard time giving up my pace goal, I knew I needed to start off slower or I'd blow up.  I settled on 6:25 as a goal pace; 15 seconds/mile slower than the 6:10 pace I was going to aim for at 55*.  That would put me in at 1:24, but honestly I hoped I'd be able to negative split and come in at 1:22-1:23...not a PR, but a time I'd be very happy with.

Race morning

Elite charter bus

As I ran my warm-up and pre-race drills, I tried to convince myself that it didn't feel "that bad" out.  I ran in as little clothing as possible (sports bra and shorts, no compression socks even) and planned to dump water on myself at every aid station and to drink sports drink along the course.  Typically when running for under 90 minutes I don't even take water!

Dam 1

I stuck to my 6:25 pace plan almost exactly for 5 miles, with some fluctuations based on elevation changes.  I also stuck to dumping water on myself at every aid station, but none of the water was cold, even early on.  I passed the course mile 5 at 32:06, which is exactly 6:25 average.  I never felt like I was running hard or fast, but I never felt like I could speed up any either; it was an odd feeling.  My split for mile 5 was 6:29 but it felt like about 5:59 effort, so I decided I was done looking at my watch -- so the rest of these splits I didn't look at until after the fact.  I tried to stay positive, but I could tell I wasn't going to negative split and that the second half the race was probably not going to be pretty.  I was pulling up on another female during mile 6 and just focused on reeling her in, reminding myself that everyone else out there was hurting too.  My mile 6 split was 6:20 because of gunning for the woman, and in retrospect I wish I'd have looked at the split during the race, because I think it would have given me a little boost since I thought I'd slowed down.  I passed the female and tried to look ahead for another.

Miles 7-9 were the toughest part of my race (splits of 6:37, 6:52, 6:31).  There was a gradual but very long hill in mile 8, and we got to run down it after going up it, but going up it just ate me up.  My legs felt like they had nothing and I was really concerned that soon I was going to have to choose between dropping and finishing at 7:30+ pace.  I kept thinking about how horrible I'd feel to drop after receiving all of the elite perks, but also wondered which was worse - dropping or completely bombing?  I also reminded myself that it could turn around; I've felt bad early on in halves before and been able to come back or at least to rally for an okay finish. 

I then passed an ice station the race had set up.  They'd been issuing heat/humidity warnings for a couple of days prior to the event and even announced at the start that everyone should slow down a minute per mile, so I bet this was a last minute addition.  That ice station saved me!  I took the cup of ice and shoved all of the ice in my sports bra, then spread it out so it was all around my torso.  I believe that the cooling effect I got from doing that is the only reason I was able to finish this race not at 7:30 pace, and I sure wish they'd had more ice stations!  My pace was back into the 6:30 range (although it felt much slower, which is why I didn't look because I thought I'd be super discouraged), and once I got past mile 9 I knew I could make it in.  I also passed another woman before mile 10, which gave me a boost.

Course elevation

Miles 10 and 11 weren't awful (of course they weren't good; no miles in this race were good), and I split them in 6:36 and 6:37.  I still felt like I was slowing, but I was confident about finishing, and at the mile 10 course mark I looked at my watch time and calculated that I'd run a 1:25 if I maintained 6:30ish pace.  Then right before the mile 11 aid station, I was hit with an awful side cramp.  It was similar to what I experienced during the Prairie Fire spring half in 2015, and towards the end of the Prairie Fire fall full in 2016.  I've narrowed the causes down to running against the wind or consuming electrolyte products that I'm not used to, or some combination of the two.  Both factors were again at play at Dam to Dam since I drank sports drink at some of the aid stations, and when that cramp hit I realized that finishing in 1:25 certainly wasn't guaranteed.  Having dealt with similar cramps before, I knew I could keep running, but I've always slowed down some with them.  I worked on breathing it out and also slowed to drink at that aid station (I came very, very close to walking through it but did not let myself out of fear I would never get started again).

The cramp never went away, but it let up slightly, and I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.  I couldn't see any other females in front of me, and I told myself that if someone came up on me I would go with her (I am not sure if I actually could have and I am glad I didn't get to find out!).  To add insult to injury, the end of the race was uphill.  The only reason miles 12-13 weren't as bad for me as miles 7-9 was because I was much closer to the finish.  My final two mile splits were 6:41 and 6:48, and then I mustered a finishing kick of 6:12 (ironically, slower than my good weather goal pace for the entire 13.1).  It was a long journey to that finish line, and by the time I got there I was just glad the clock read 1:26 and not 1:46 -- especially considering that it felt like I'd been out there about 2:46!

After finishing I was pulled aside to the elite tent, where the coordinator told me that I'd placed 8th overall female.  I welcomed that news and what it meant -- it meant that everyone was off their game, because I'd been one of the slower entrants in the elite field of 20-some women; most had PRs under 1:20.  I went back to the finish line to cheer Missy in, and I saw elite women continue to come in at 1:29, 1:30, 1:31.  Missy finished in 1:32, and from training with her almost every day I can tell you I know she is in shape for a 1:24-1:25.  The final elite female in crossed at 1:38.  Considering that to get into the open elite field, you had to have a qualifying time under 1:24:00, these times speak to the poor weather conditions we had.  I've never heard so many people say, "I couldn't even hit my marathon pace!" after a half (I was among these -- humbling!).  One of the elite men we'd talked to said he was 5 minutes off his goal of 1:02 (ah, to be that disappointed with a 1:07, right?!).  The ladies who finished behind me in 9th and 10th have run 1:18-1:19 halves.  So here are all of my excuses and asterisks by this 1:26, but the bottom line is that I just didn't have anything more that "dam" day.  Official results are here.

I was thrilled with my 8th overall placing and resultant cash prize, and I also won the 35-39 age group.  Missy was 2nd masters female and won age group 40-44!  Just like at Rock the Parkway, I hit/exceeded my place goal with a time that shouldn't have placed anywhere near what it did.  Darn Midwest weather...apparently I need to stick to racing in Arizona in the winter.  Although it's a bummer to have workout PRs not lead to anywhere near a race PR, I hope that knowing I ran the tempo and repeat times I did helps me in my next training cycle and lets me build from there (plus the workouts were a blast!). 

I learn things from every race, and sometimes I learn more from the bad ones.  The obvious take away is that adding 15 seconds/mile to my goal pace wasn't enough under those weather conditions when I wasn't yet acclimated to them (perhaps in August it would be enough).  Another is to stop comparing times run under poor conditions to times run under perfect conditions.  I ran a half in May 2015 that much like this was among my first hard efforts of the season in warmer temperatures, and I ran a 1:30 then.  I ran a super sticky one in June 2015 in 1:31.  In 2016 I was wise enough not to run any hot halves, but I did bonk in a July 5K with a 6:31 final mile!  So I am choosing to compare Dam to Dam with those times instead of what I've done in ideal weather.  I'd like to think I can perform no matter what the weather is like, and it seems like some people can -- but I simply can't. 

I also fully realize that a disappointing race time is such a first world problem, and I'm always thankful for how "easy" such problems are.  On the day of the race, this was the Bible verse I got in my daily verse email:  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." - Isaiah 43:2

I'll get you next time 1:19-1:20!

Thankful for a strong training partner & one of my best friends

I drank it AND poured it over my head (AND considered that ride to the finish!)

The race TOLD me not to PR!

Commence Heat Training: Iron Horse 5K

I hate last minute changes in plans except when they involve adding races!  We'd been planning a trip to my in-law's for Memorial Day weekend for several weeks, but I didn't plan on running the Iron Horse 5K until a few days before the event.  My sister-in-law was running it and her oldest daughter was running the Kids K, Albani wanted to run the 1K as well, and I figured there was no reason for me to go to the race and not run it, since I'd of course be running that morning anyway.

I had a 12 mile relaxed long run on my schedule, so I asked my coach about running the 5K as a tempo effort in the middle of it.  I have a goal race next weekend (June 3), so I didn't want to push too hard; I find I have a hard time gearing up to race all-out two weekends in a row, even if one or both races are short.  I used think I could do this just fine, so I am not sure what's changed, but I sure learned a lesson from stacking the Wash U 10,000 m and the Rock the Parkway half (both races I wanted to PR in, although the weather said "no ma'am" to that in the latter anyhow) back to back earlier this season.  My coach said the tempo plan was fine, but that I might not feel fresh for it coming off of Tuesday's tempo.

I was more enthusiastic before I started running

On race morning, I was so glad I wasn't planning an all-out race or PR attempt, because it was sticky!  It was 75* with 92% humidity, and these conditions are always much harder for me in May than in August.  I'd run in long sleeves twice during the past week (44* and 46*), and aside from a couple of easy 3-4 mile second runs at 70-80* recently, I haven't run in anything over 60ish.  In short, I am not heat adapted yet!  I'm typically a decent heat runner, but I need a couple of weeks to get used to it, and my first runs in it are always a battle (I'm not sure high humidity ever gets easy either!).  It's also ideal to ease into running in the heat with easy efforts, as opposed to running hard or long workouts in it right away.  So I did the logical thing and started with a long run that included a hard effort, hah.

Ugh.

On my warm-up, I knew the race could be a struggle!  During my uptempo warm-up mile, 6:31 felt much harder than it should have; I was thinking "How on earth did I run a marathon averaging faster than this pace?!" and "Am I even going to run this 5K under 20?!".  Originally my tempo plan had been to start at 6:00ish, and then step down to 5:57 and 5:55 for miles 2-3, but as I ran my warm-up I started doing the math on what exactly I needed to run to do an 18:59 (6:06 average is the answer).  I also ran the course and realized it would be difficult to negative split on because of the decline in mile 1 and incline in mile 3.  I timed my warm-up to go pretty much straight into the race so I wouldn't split up my long run mileage, so I drank some nuun and lined up, already drenched in sweat.

Here we go!

Very serious at the start

As usual, many runners started out too fast, and I spent the first half mile or so moving up as everyone sorted out.  After that I found myself behind 5 men, 2 of whom were in tri suits so who were clearly doing the duathlon that was also taking place (5K run/20 mile bike/5K run).  I paced with one for a bit but felt him slowing so moved along.  I passed the other duathlon guy shortly after the 1 mile.  I then leap-frogged with another guy for the remainder of the race; he would go on to out-kick me -- he was 15 years old so there was never any hope for my kick bettering his!  After mile 1 I knew I'd be lucky to keep it at 6:00 pace and would probably not be dipping under.  During mile 3 I found myself wondering, "Exactly how slow can I run this last mile and still be in the 18s?" -- and my estimate was 6:15, which was pretty accurate; usually my math is not that good during races.  I wasn't in the mindset to kill myself during the final mile so I didn't.  I finished in 18:52 (6:03 average), first overall female with three men ahead of me.  Official results are here.  Luckily for my sweat-drenched self, part of my award was an electrolyte replacement drink mix!

Clock shot

Awards

Awards minus the re:play

Since this was a workout race, I was fine with it -- although admittedly I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't even quite match the tempo pace I held for almost twice the distance on Tuesday's 6 mile tempo run.  But I guess that was the difference between 58* and 75*!  I also ran a positive split (5:56, 6:04, 6:09, final bit at 5:44), but I blame the course mostly for that because we dropped 52 ft over a gradual decline going out, and then came back up the incline coming back; it was gradual so deceptive, but I was glad to see it in my Garmin elevation data because I sure felt it in mile 3!  This calculator says in the conditions I had, I should plan to slow from 6:00 tempo pace to 6:10 tempo pace, so that's encouraging and perhaps my effort was more like 5:53 pace (it sure felt more like 5:53 pace!).  It was also another good reminder that my coach puts my schedule together much better than I do; my plan wasn't set up for me to race on this day, and I didn't feel race-ready, but when he has me scheduled for a race I typically feel ready to go.  This doesn't mean I won't add any more last minute races like this (because they are fun!), just that I will add them knowing I won't be at my best for them.

After I finished I drank some more nuun and headed out for what ended up being 5.2 more miles.  I then watched Albani run the Kids K (1 kilometer).  She had a fun time and didn't complain about the weather at all, so I tried to take a lesson from her!  Her race wasn't timed, the finishing clock was on the duathlon, I didn't think to start a watch for her race, and Jon forgot to stop the timer he started, so we are bad parents and have no idea what time she ran.  Luckily all that mattered to her was the finishers medal!  Photos of her race are below -- I also ran out on the course with her to get some shots.

Overall it was a nice event and very well organized.  I've never run it before, and may not have the chance again for awhile, because I typically attend the Applied Behavior Analysis International convention over Memorial Day weekend -- so I'm glad I gave it a go!  I raced a 5K as a tempo within a long run in June 2016 in similar warm and humid conditions (also a pretty similar course), and I did that one in 19:35ish so it's nice to know that my times under similar circumstances have dropped (except I did go to bootcamp the day before this time, I guess in an effort to make sure my legs were totally shot, bahaha!).  I spent 2015 striving to break 19:00 in the 5K and always coming up short -- almost always with 19:0X (and not actually hitting the 18's during a 5K race until a low-key one in October 2016)  -- so that made me thankful for this one too.  I just can't think about how my big dream 5K goal is to run 57 seconds faster (that's a ton in a 5K!)!

 

"I got you 8 miles for your birthday" & a solid tempo

I can't express how much I love our women's training group!  Although we now have men who run with us (less consistently than the women, I will note), I'm still calling us the competitive women's group.  We literally and figuratively run the farm roads (that's what country roads are called in Missouri, e.g., Farm Road 165).

May 25 was Danielle's birthday, so we celebrated by giving her 8 miles, donuts that no one ate, a celebration sign, and some photo ops!  It's truly a party at 5:30 a.m., right?!

Pre-run

Beautiful scenery & it's so light at 6:00 a.m. now!

Post-run in the parking lot where so much magic happens

Photo of a photo op plus pup Macy

On May 23, I ran a 6 mile tempo run.  My goal pace range was 5:57-6:10, and I'm supposed to start at the slower end of the range and get faster as the run progresses...thankfully, because I think know I would crash and burn if I started at 5:57!  I ended up hitting it in 36:03.8 (precisely, hah) via 6:08, 6:09, 6:02, 5:57, 5:55, 5:51 (6:00.6 average, precisely, again, hah).  Last week I ran my 4 mile tempo at 6:01 average, so I felt great about running 2 miles farther at the same pace -- even though the 6 miler was on a nice road course vs. the 4 miler on a dirt loop with some crappy footing, but I'm not bursting my bubble!  Although if you know me at all you also know I was kicking myself for not running 4 seconds faster for a 35:59!  Since I'd started closer to 6:10 I had no idea I'd be so close to breaking 36, but now I have a clear goal for next time.

This was a great confidence boosting run going into the Dam to Dam half marathon on June 3.  My previous best 6 mile tempo (which was the last time I ran a 6 mile tempo) was at 6:09 pace on 12/20/16 -- although I ran an 8 mile tempo at 6:06 pace on 1/3/17, so the final 6 miles of that one would have been faster than 6:09 average (technicalities).  I also looked back at my 6 mile tempo in summer 2016 to find that I ran it at 6:24 average and was really happy with that at the time, so I'm stoked that I improved my pace by 24 seconds/mile in 10 months.  Granted, I'm sure the July 2016 one was in warmer temperatures, but it was about 58* and humid for this one so also not perfect.

Anyhow, the Dam to Dam race comes at an awkward time in my training cycle, so my coach told me to go for a PR there because he knows I want to and it's not unreasonable, but also to not be disappointed if I don't get one because of the timing.  I think a lot of it will come down to the weather too; I don't think I'm dumb enough to try for it if it's 70* and humid, or if we have a headwind on the point-to-point course.  But if the weather is good I'm going all in, and if I crash I crash knowing I tried!  In the final 2 miles of this tempo I pretended like I was running the final 2 miles of Dam to Dam and that I needed to run them at 6:00 pace or under to break 1:21...which is why I probably pushed the last mile too hard, but eh.  My legs were still fine enough for a 7:20 pace cool down and a 7:30 pace shake out run 5 hours later, so I didn't trash them with the push.

My Garmin told me I ran a 5K best of 18:19 during this tempo (the final 5K, clearly), which made me believe that I actually can race an 18:18 5K on a hilly course.  It also re-affirmed that I need a lot of warming up to run decent 5Ks.  I'll get you some day, 17:59 5K (possibly unrealistic).  I'll get you some day, 5:59 pace tempo (more realistic)!

Splits

Best 5K per this Garmin

Bandit warmed up my clothes before the run