Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
I faced many challenges during this segment of my training, but…
week 4 – total mileage 30 miles
week 5 – total mileage 16.5 miles
week 6 – total mileage 13.66 miles
The first 3 weeks of training are done and I am feeling pretty good. I have decided to make some adjustments to this cycle of marathon training including spinning as my cross training. I will continue to do yoga once a week as well. My plan calls for running 4-5 days per week along with 1 rest day, so I may have to double up on some days. So, here are the paces I will be running during this training cycle. I have decided to put in my race pace at 9:50 which would result in a finish time of 4:17:49 [highly unlikely, but it is nice to dream!].
Week 1 – 1/25 – 18.32 miles
This was the most miles I have run since the week of 10/19/15 [last week of MCM training]. I am still trying to get comfortable in my new shoes. Using the Saucony insoles just does not work for me, but my favorite inserts are old and need to be replaced, so I have been switching out and trying the other two pairs I own.
Week 2 – 2/1 – 25.53 miles
This week included a strength training day, 4 runs including a race, and some yoga.
Week 3 – 2/8 – 21.5 miles
Spinning, yoga, and lots of treadmill miles this week for me.
Positives: I have increased my water intake by using my new Tervis water bottle, which was a Christmas present from my SIL, Allison.
Issues: nagging knee discomfort off and on as well as lower back tightness and soreness especially on longer runs.
When: Sunday, February 7, 2016
Time: 10:00 am
Where: Knights of Columbus, 177 Lynnfield St., Lynn, MA
My training plan sort of dictated this race as well as the next few. I quickly realized that there were virtually no races that would work [10 mile long run] with my plan. I was beginning to lose hope when I came across this one – third oldest 15K in the USA! I thought, why not? It’s a new distance for me and it fits with my plan. There was very little info about it online although he has a lot of history. This truly was a no frills race – no swag at all – none! I did have a bib with a timing chip and a start and finish timing mat, which was good. At $1/km, this race was a bargain! At the start, we were able to stay warm and use real bathrooms in the KoC hall and then at the start [Pondview Lodge] about 1/4 mile down the road.
The course description meant nothing to me since I am not familiar with the area and I could not find a good description of it. There was no elevation map either. We started out in some residential neighborhoods and made our way over to an industrial park area before crossing over 128 and into a commercial area. There were 2 water stops around miles 3 and 6 [I think] and it was an out and back course. It was 36 and sunny at the start which made for a comfortable run, but trending a bit warm.
What I remember most about this course was the hills! The residential neighborhoods were hilly as were the more commercial areas and they were not small, short hills either as you can see from my Garmin screen shot. The roads were better than I expected after the recent snowfall, but there were still some icy, slushy patches that had to be avoided. Luckily, the downhills were clear so I was able to make up some time.
We finished in the parking lot of the KoC where a small group had gathered. Here are a few pics from the photographer.
Since it was a new race distance for me, I automatically ran a new PR, which I was happy with. Here are the official results. My Garmin had me running 9.53 mi total with an average pace of 9:21.
170 18 Sandra Muldowney 44 F 12/17 F4044 merrimack NH 1:29:07 9:34
| Date: | Sunday, January 17, 2016 | |
| Time: | 9:15 am *NEW START TIME* | |
| Location: | Copper Door Restaurant • Bedford, NH | |
| Distance: | 3 miles | |
Sarah and I drove together and left home shortly after 8am. The traffic in Bedford was very heavy and it took a while for us to get past the light on 101 and be able to get into the parking area. There was a very detailed parking map given to us ahead of time which also included the shuttle bus stops on it. We parked easily and got on the first bus we saw, which literally took us out of the industrial park area and across 101, up the hill and to the Copper Door parking lot where the start line was located. As we were getting ready to head to the start line we saw many people taking the bus in the reverse direction and I wondered how they would make it back up to the start line in time. By the time we dropped off a bag at bag check, we had about 20 minutes to wait. We headed for the port-o-potties, which there weren’t many and waited in line. It was 34* and cloudy at race start and I felt like I was dressed perfectly for me. My hands did get cold and never really warmed up once I put my Saucony gloves on. Once we were done, they were making an announcement for everyone to head into the corral area. It was so crowded and I got stuck at the front of the 10:00-12:00 pace area. The race was sold out at 2,000 runners. The start was packed and it was very hard to run. I found that I was passing people for much of the race [except on the downhills]. The first 1/2 mile was tough due to crowding, which made it slow. There was a decent hill just past the 2 mile mark where i slowed down to 10:25 and was still passing people, but on the downhill, I did not make up much time because I was tentative. I was worried about ice and slipping and falling and so I held back and felt like my gait was off. Overall, I felt good, although my left was bothering me in the morning while getting ready. It wasn’t the most scenic course and I thought it was too tight for the number of runners. They called my name as I came across the finish line, which was cool. I grabbed a Gatorade and went to wait/watch for Sarah. I met a friend from my running club at the Y and we chatted. Unfortunately, I missed Sarah cross the finish line, but here we are on the other side shortly after she finished.
We did not stick around for the post-race refreshments because we were sweaty and cold. There seemed to be plenty of food and drink, but the area was quite crowded. Muscle Milk and Stonyfield were also there. Here is the only official race picture of me running towards the finish line.
Here are my results!
