{Wisconsin Marathon Training-Week 14}

Posted in Wisconsin Marathon Training by sneaksandstilettos

After this past week’s training we have a month to go-four more weeks. It seems so close and the second guessing and doubt is starting to creep in. By now I know this is totally normal, but for first timers it is such a mix of emotions.

This week the foot is feeling awesome, but I’ve come down with a mother of a chest cold. Despite not feeling awesomesauce, I pushed through and ran some good mileage. Ryan, too. Weather temperatures were all over the place. There was rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, and sunshine. There was wind and there was calm. We ran it all this week.

Yup…we’re at this spot!

Monday-5 miles

Today should have been a rest day for me since I ran 15 miles the day before (first run in 11 days) and I was sore! I am helping coach middle school track on Monday’s though and it was just too nice of a day. I ran a couple miles with the kids and ran a few more when I got home.

Thursday-5 mile

We were making our angry and sad faces at the cold and sleet and snow. I had to take a break half way through because I couldn’t stop coughing. This only caused more coughing, but I do believe it helps break up some chest congestion.

Saturday-6.7 miles (trail run with walk breaks)

The weather was great (50 degrees and sun) and I was anxious to hit the trails for the first time since the snow has started to melt. We headed to a nearby state forest to run some trails. I might have jumped the gun a bit as there was a fair amount of snow in places. The open spots were wet, muddy, and awesome. Smelling leaves and spring was so rejuvenating. There were plenty of walk breaks though because this chest cold gets me coughing and very out of breath.

Sunday-18 miles (Sarah) and 12 miles (Ryan)

Since easing back into my long runs after my foot injury Ryan and I are on different pages with our long runs and that is ok. Today’s run was ok. My chest is filled with junk so I cough regardless of whether I’m running or laying on the couch so I chose running. Plus it was too nice to sit inside (60!)

My legs felt strong and the foot good. I ate a GU at mile 5, a sweet juicy pear at mile 11, and another GU at mile 15 because I was hungry and felt I needed it. It feels great to be back! I have to say though the past few months have been rough between the hurt foot and the chest cold. Even though it feels great to be back, I’m not saying the runs themselves have been really great. Every run has felt challenging or frustrating since I hurt my foot in mid-February. Once this cold is gone, I’m expecting to fall hard for running again-in love that is!

Tip of the Week: If you are sick know when to sit out a few days and when to run. If you are running a fever I usually recommend taking the day off from running. No fever, means you can run! If you truly feel terrible, then a day off will help you bounce back faster. I felt like I had a bit of a low-grade fever mid-week and felt zapped for energy. Later in the week, I was starting to feel better but still had the lingering and annoying hack going. Since I knew I didn’t have a fever, I didn’t let a cough become an excuse to sit out again. Get lots of rest, drink lots of water, and eat good foods to help your recover or ward off sickness in the first place.

Total Weekly Miles: 28.7 miles (Ryan) and 34.7 miles (Sarah)

Happy Training!

1Jan2014

{3,2,1…Happy 2014 Goals}

Posted in Uncategorized by sneaksandstilettos

Here they are…my fitness related goals for 2014!

{#1-Run my first ultra marathon}

So this is a big one for me (and a scary one)! I’ve been thinking about going longer for a few months. Registration for the Kettle Moraine 100 opens Tomorrow and I’m signing up. I’m not totally cray cray though…I’m signing up for the 50k (31 miles) in honor of my 30th birthday the weekend before. I’ll save the 100k and 100 mile races for when I really lose it.

{#2-Run more trails}

This goal goes with goal #1 since most ultra marathons are on trail systems and the 50k is no different. I’ve been liking the trails more and more for the private conversations with nature (not literally) and their scenic beauty. Getting state park passes for Christmas from the in-laws seemed like the ultimate sign. Plus with our amazing road trip this summer I have a feeling there will be some great trail runs!

{#3-Cross off two more states at minimum towards reaching my 50 in 50 ultimate goal}

I’m registered for both of these races. I’d love to run more than two this year, but alas I don’t have an unlimited racing and travel budget. Without a sugar daddy for a husband, I will be content with the great places I do get to visit this year.

{#4-Complete a Century ride}
After injuring my ankle and rediscovering biking after a ten year absence, I realized how much I enjoy cross training on the bike. This summer I plan to ride the entire La Crosse State bike trail to the Sparta-Elroy trail to the 400 trails end in Reedsburg…exactly 100 miles in a day!

{#5-HIIT workouts after short runs and yoga once a week}
I was very inconsistent with HIIT workouts last year. This year I’m scheduling them after my short run days. I started doing yoga this year and want to make sure I do it at least once a week. More would be great, but I need to be realistic, too.

{#6-Train and Pace my husband to finishing his first marathon}

I put this one last because I don’t think he needs that much help, but I did make his training plan, buy him running clothes and fruity GU for Christmas, and will be running with him so it counts for something.

Those of you who have ran a marathon before probably remember all the questions and uncertainty you had while training for your first. I’m going to document what it’s like to train with your husband along with all those first marathon experiences in a new post each week. If you’ve never ran a marathon yet or are training for one, join us! Stay tuned!!

When the champagne has worn off start thinking about YOU! What are your 2014 fitness goals? You only get one body…how will you take care of yours?

Happy 2014!

10Apr2013

{Trailbreaker Half Marathon}

Posted in Race Reports by sneaksandstilettos

On Saturday my husband and I had a surprise party to attend in Milwaukee. After RSVPing yes to the party a few weeks ago, I checked http://www.runningintheusa.com to see if there were any races to run on the way and there was!

The Trailbreaker Half Marathon was Saturday morning in Waukesha. The weather was not supposed to be so great. When I went to bed the night before the forecast said there was an 80% chance of rain and 20 mph winds on the docket for race time. Lets just say I had about ten outfit combinations ready to go!

Ryan and I got up early and headed east. The weather was cloudy and windy, but luckily rain was no longer in the forecast. I wore my only wind repellent jacket which was great for blocking the wind that morning. Per the usual, we arrived at packet pickup and the race three minutes before the start of the race. Ryan dropped me off and headed to find a place to park and nap. With windy, cool weather and no great places to view me running by, we had decided he might as well catch up on some sleep while I ran. I hurried to get my race bib and shirt, and was still pinning on my bib when the race began. I took the shirt with me and hid it behind a column of a restroom in the nearby park when we ran by. I was disappointed to risk losing the shirt, but did not want to run with it for 13.1 miles. I hoped it would be there after the race.

The first mile of the race I was crabby about running behind, having to hide my shirt, and not having time to get ready before the race. It was also hard to get around people because I didn’t arrive early enough to move ahead. I felt frazzled!

All that thinking and talking in my head, made the first mile fly by. The first mile took us through a park in town on some bike trails and then headed to the Glacial Drumlin Trail. A couple miles in a light rain began. I was not too disappointed by the rain because it wasn’t raining hard and it enhanced the experience by making it smell like SPRING! I’ve been soooooo looking forward to winter ending, and I’d really missed that smell. This brightened my spirits and made me forget all about being late.

mile 1-9:34

mile 2-9:10

Miles 1-2 on course.

mile 3-8:50

mile 4-8:48

Glacial Drumlin Trail

The bike trail was fun to run on. I love being out in nature and enjoy both big city races and runs on trails away from it all. This race was perfect for letting the mind wander and enjoying outside after months of being trapped indoors (except for running). The course was an out and back route with a turnaround at mile 7. This threw me off and made me scared thinking that the race might end up being 14 miles. I pictured the course map in my head and thought I might have remembered seeing this longer out part, but it was concerning.

mile 5-8:33

mile 6-8:34

mile 7-8:32

On the Glacial Drumlin Trail

Once I’d reached the turn around point, I decided to pick up the pace a bit. I couldn’t believe how good my legs felt considering I’d felt terrible on all of my runs last week. My legs wanted to go faster which was an awesome feeling. I love how once the weather warms up it seems the legs want to go faster.

mile 8-8:19

mile 9-8:06

mile 10-8:23

I hadn’t been doing much running this past six weeks, and the runs I did go on were not long. I ran just short of 7 miles a week ago, which was my longest run since my double weekend in mid-February. I felt good considering this. I had some major muscle memory action going on. Despite this, I did start feeling tired during the last three miles. By the finish line, I was glad to be done.

mile 11-8:17

mile 12-7:59

mile 13-8:07

mile 13.1-7:24

I loved this race. The city and trails were beautiful. The packet pickup, race, aid stations, and finish were so organized and easy for runners. Running near the river and the parks were great with spring finally here.* I’d highly recommend adding this race to your spring calendar. It is always hard to find races early in spring and this one was great. They also have a full marathon which goes off the paved paths. I’d love to try that one someday. Visit http://www.runthetrailbreaker.com/ for more information!

Trailbreaker Half Marathon
Time: 1:52:27
Pace: 8:35
Overall: 158/588
Gender: 40/329
Age Group: 18/91

The supportive husband and I.

*I wrote this post on Sunday after grilling out. I thought spring was here. The Weather Channel forecast has made me rescind my previous comment about spring being here. I guess the word is still out on that.