It’s going to be a long one…

Sorry I have been MIA and to make up for it this will be a very long post! It’s been a crazy busy last two weeks with work and running. After the 18 mile week, I ran 43 and 45 miles over the last two weeks. Not where I thought I was going to be one week out before taper for the Chicago Marathon, but I guess I will have to take it.

P.S. (I know this is supposed to be at the time): Vote for me for the TCS NYC Marathon Challenge!

New running shoes

I needed new running shoes for the marathon but I struggled with which ones to buy. As much as I loved the Saucony Rides, I felt like I was in between sizes. The size 6 were too small and the size 6.5 were too big over time (yes, I have small feet). I ran with the Asics Cumulus for most of my long runs so far and they’re okay. I know it’s a horrible idea to switch running shoes completely in the middle of a training cycle especially a month or so before a marathon but I didn’t feel particularly comfortable with purchasing the same pair of shoes. So I embarked on a zappos.com shopping spree two weeks ago (thank you one-day shipping!). After trying on 6 different pairs of shoes, I fell in love with the Saucony Kinvara 5. They are a natural (and neutral) running shoe that is uber light. The forefoot is snug but still roomy for my wide feet and as soon as I put them on, I felt like I was walking on clouds. I already ran speed work and a long run in them and loved them so much that I bought another pair yesterday. When I run in them, I feel so much lighter and my form feels better. And this morning, I ran the 18-miler in the second pair. A detailed review will come. Just in case I change my mind about them, I also have a back up pair of the Asics Flux.

A lot of running

There has been a bit of running in the last two weeks… totaling almost 90 miles. From a long run through a part of the NYC Marathon course, reservoir loops, hill work, 800 meter sprints, and a couple of races, I’ve been all over the city by foot. I’ve had mental and physical ups and downs. The day of the reservoir loops, the temperatures were close to 90 degrees and very humid and my body didn’t agree with the intervals. I felt mentally drained this past Tuesday night during our 800 meter sprints. I needed a couple of strong runs to build my confidence and this weekend did that for me. Yesterday, I raced the Fifth Avenue Mile. I think the last time I ran a timed mile was in middle school during the Presidential Fitness tests which I failed miserably at. I was pretty antsy about this race since I didn’t know what to expect or how to pace but as soon as the gun went off, I didn’t have much time to think but run fast. I ran my first timed mile in over 15 years in 6:48! While that is not terribly impressive to some, I  was surprised I was able to break sub-7 minutes.

Today was the TCS NYC Marathon Tune-Up 18-miler. My goal for this long run was to finish feeling strong but try to get some marathon goal pace (I’m aiming for a sub-4 hour marathon, roughly 9:09 min/miles) miles in if I can. Three full loops of Central Park is very monotonous and hilly but in some ways nice since you know exactly what to expect. The first mile was spent dodging people but I fell into my groove by mile 2 and ended finishing the race in 2:44:09, 9:08 min/mile pace. My watch shows that I was inefficient at tangents and ran an extra 0.25 miles, so technically I guess I ran around 9:01 min/mile pace but regardless, the splits did vary, I was a little slower on the hills but more than made up for time on the downhills. I ran a couple of mile around 8:30 pace and then some at 9:15 but overall I felt strong throughout, though tired by the end. I also experimented with drinking more Generation UCAN before the race today which worked out well since I didn’t need to take any extra energy supplements during the run. I’m excited for the successful weekend to help power me through this upcoming crazy week of work travel and what is supposed to be the peak of my training for the Chicago Marathon.

Random thoughts

When I bought my new shoes yesterday, Nick Symmonds was signing copies of his book, Life Outside the Oval Office: The Track Less Traveled. I honestly don’t know much about the book but I guess I will need to read it (and provide a full review) but it was cool to meet Nick Symmonds. I get so tongue-tied when I am around famous people that I lose my words. I’m pretty sure I rambled gibberish to him about whether or not he would be running the Fifth Avenue Mile later that day and the 18-miler I had. I’m just so nerdy like that…

What do you do when you’re trying to rest your legs before a long run? You spend two hours of your life watching the Apple Special Event broadcast from earlier in the week. I’m completely obsessed with the new iPhone 6/6-plus, Apple Pay, Apple Watch, and all the new health and fitness features built into these devices. I am such a nerd for the latest technologies and clearly give too much of my money to Apple.

Fueling is important of course. My post-long run rewards to myself the last two weekends: 16 Handles and Luke’s Lobster. I think the lobster rolls at Luke’s Lobster are the best ever and they can make it without mayonnaise.

Sorry for the long post and all the words! If you make it this far, I really appreciate the patience and dedication to my blog post! 🙂

What’s on tap for your upcoming week?