Rock the Parkway Recap Part 2

Okay race morning, I was up at 5:30 to fuel and caffeinate.  I was starting to get nervous but I kept telling myself that even I got 2:08, that would be a PR and a PB from last year.  It wasn't as warm as last year, but it promised to heat up quickly according to the weather reports.  I had elected to wear shorts with compression socks and a tech T with arm warmers.

We got to the start line and parked early and the sunrise was beautiful.  I didn't take any pics during the race, because I didn't want to mess with my phone.  That is probably the only downside to sticking to a plan, you have to concentrate on what you are doing 100%.  I also didn't do much high fiving of crowds, and I missed that as well.  Oh well, a PR is a great feeling too, so I will dwell on that instead:)  I had signed up for this race last year, when my PR was still pretty close to 2:10, so when I signed up for this race, I put that down as my finish time (I was still rehabbing an injury at sign up time as well).  Unfortunately,  that put me a wave behind the 2:05 pacers.  Waves were let go at 2 minute intervals, so I did believe i could catch up, and I did have a pace band as well for 2:05.  On the insistence of a few running friends, I moved up to Wave C corral (and felt super guilty for breaking the rules), but stayed at the back of that wave.  I could see the pacer's signs and made it my goal to catch up with them, but not kill myself in the process.

Mile 1-3 went very well (9:54, 9:42, and 9:35).  I was following the pace band paces, and they had us going out conservatively.  The hills started almost immediately, but I was able to stay strong.  Around mile 3, I caught up with the 2:05 pacers and put myself in the middle of the pace group.  I took my chomps at mile 4 and was able to hold with the pace group till almost mile 10.  Splits for 4-9 were 9:04, 9:25, 9:25, 9:18, 9:54, and 9:31.  Not sure why mile 8 was so slow, possibly because I did walk through the water station and did gel, which slowed me down a little.  Mile 8 on the pace band had us at a 9:43 anyway, probably due to the hills in that section.  This course was hillier than it looks on the chart for sure, BUT i will take the last few miles down hill any day as compensation:)
Around mile 10 or so, I hit a hill that just kicked my butt.  I started doubting myself and started negative talking in my head.  I had to repeat over and over, strong, strong, strong.  I was tired, it was getting hot out, and I was sweating salty.  More and more people were walking and I saw my first runner down being worked on by paramedics.  It was from then on that I took in water at each water stop, and also poured the remainder of the water over my head and down my shirt.  I think that helped me stay cool and finish strong.  I got my mental mojo back, and even though the 2:05 pacer was ahead of me at that point and my miles were getting slower, I was able to finish strong (9:41, 10:06, 10:01, 9:25).  When I started seeing 10s on my watch, I just reassured  myself that I would still get a big PR and that I was going to be super close to 2:05 something.

Official time was 2:06:00.  I WILL TAKE IT!  Huge PB since my last try was 2:15 something and another PR from my last half two weeks ago down from a 2:09:10.  I was SO excited to almost hit my goal.  I am not disappointed at all.  I gave it my all, every mile.  203 out of 564 in my age group, and 2173 out of 7 K overall.  YIPEEE!

I love this girl! We had so much fun shopping and eating and talking (and going to bed kidless, ah)  I am going to miss her so much as she is moving to the DC area this summer.  She is so supportive and so wonderful.  She did my first heartland series with me, and even though she couldn't do the half today(she is preggers), still came, walked the 5 K and cheered me on at the finish!  I met Amanda on FB through the I Run For program as she runs for a kiddo too.  Her son is a little older than my little red and super cute.  They live in manhattan, so we don't get together as much as we should but we try to do lunch and races together as much as possible.  

It will be interesting how next weekend will go.  While I would like to do better than I did last year at the Garmin Half, I do have to be smart about recovery.  I would like to try for a good time at Running With the Cows in may, so the smart thing to do is probably take it easy.  Well, here is to another week of recovery!!  Slow easy runs and a trip yet again to KC on friday for expo and race on saturday.  

Rock the Parkway 2015 Recap Part One

Sometimes running races is like childbirth, you kind of forget details about said race, because they were painful and uncomfortable and it's a good thing. You sign up and do it again and then remember the pain you forgot.  Let me back up a little and lead into the race (which ended up giving me a big PR, however painful it may have been).  I am going to break this into two parts by the way cause i have tons of pictures!

I took friday off again this week to get some work done on my van. I dropped it off at a local shop and headed to our local coffee shop to get a homemade muffin and delicious coffee.  All are down town which is only a few blocks from my house so I could walk around and didn't need my van.

Our little town is so cute this time of year.   They import these tulip bulbs from Holland every year and plant them.  The old bulbs from the previous year are dug up and sold for charity.  This weekend is the tulip festival and the tulips this year did not disappoint.  Our little city park was also lovely and ready for all of the craft and food vendors.  

I was riding with my good friend Amanda and she had to work friday morning, so we got on the road to KC around lunch time.  

Neither one of these guys wanted me to leave.  I kind of didn't tell little red I was leaving so he wouldn't get upset.  

The expo was small again this year.  Most of the cool stuff belonged to the KC running company that puts on the race.  I am once again regretting not getting a cool t shirt that they had.   I did pick up some cool shirts for my BRF and my coach.

Picked up my Heartland Series T and drooled over the giagantic medal I hope to be having post these three marathons.  It comes with the years engraved on it that you do the series.  PUMPED!

Also picked up my bib and my pace band.  Since I was in the wrong wave (totally my fault, never dreamed I would be running this fast), I figured I'd better have one so I could pace myself.  

After checking into our hotel (that had a suite, yippeeee), we headed over to the nearest Italian place for some yummy pasta.  Don't worry, I only ate half of this plate but I did eat a TON of bread and dipping sauce.  Holy yum.  I went over my calorie count for the day by 1000.  Whoops.  It was all in the name of carbs.  We also did some shopping and i got a new sports bra made by Victoria Secret.  I have heard good things about them (they have underwire which hopefully means good support).  I also found some Thomas stuff for little red.  

Got all of my stuff laid out and prayed for good weather.  I had decided even though it has been cooler than predicted temps to brave it out and go with compression shorts and a tech T along with my compression socks.  I kept trying to get nervous and was doing a great job of keeping the butterflies from fluttering.  I kept remembering how I had plenty of gas left at Wicked and how this course was flatter (HA, bad memory).  I slept really well and woke up at 5:30 on the dot to fuel and prepare.

Okay enough for now!  Part two coming soon.

Leading up to Rock The Parkway or my A race!

 I dread telling her she is staying home this weekend

T minus two days till the Rock the Parkway half!  EEEK!  I am SO excited!  Traveling down with Miss Amanda on Friday to take in the expo and get our bibs and shop.  I also get my heartland series tech tee at that time:)  I am so hoping for the perfect storm so I can get that big PR I am wanting!  I know that the Wicked half had the ideal conditions, light wind, cool temps and a home course with rolling hills.  When I did this course last year, we had record high heat for the spring (which none of us runners had trained in up to that point), it was my second half ever, and I honestly thought it was super hilly.  Now looking back I think it was the flattest of all of the halfs I did:)  I turned in a time of 2:15:something so anything better than that is a victory!  I did sign up for a slower wave as I didn't think I would be faster this time, so I may have trouble catching up to the 2:05 pacer.  Supposedly, you aren't suppose to move up to another wave, only back, and I am trying not to let all of that get into my mind and freak me out. I can get a PR without a pacer, and maybe chasing after that wave will not wind me, but help me stay on pace.  

last year with a younger little red

This last two weeks, I have scaled back my runs, 18 miles broken up into 2 easy runs and a long run two weeks before each half, and 12 miles broken up into three runs,  not counting the half the week of the half.  No speed work (other than the race itself) and no hill repeats, just nice easy runs.  I am enjoying  the easy runs, but feeling the pang of missing out on some good speed work endorphins.  If fact, just running three days a week has made me a feel a little out of sorts.  I have been kind of moody lately, and I think a huge part of it is not getting my sweat on as much as I use to (and also an extra family member that can't seem to find a place to live other than our guest room has something to do with it:).  I have been cross training in the form of biking and walking, which helps a tiny bit.  My ankle, while still ouchy on occasion, seems to be healing.  I have gone from all day pain and icing and advil,  to  icing and advil as needed.  

This next week after RTP will be a crucial week.  Last year, between Rock the Parkway and Garmin, I had two weeks to recover.  This week, I just have one!!!!   This should get interesting.  Then I have a three week break till my next half, Running with the Cows.  By then, my main goal may just be upright and to be able to complete the race!

Well, look for a recap after my race and keep good thoughts for me since this is my A race!

Running with your Dog Part Two: Running routes and safety

My running routes when running with my dogs:  I have had several incidences, all ending well thank goodness, with dogs coming after us on our runs.  Something about having a dog running with you just sends some dogs over the edge.  I have had to really change some of my running routes because of dogs that can clear fences.   We don't have a HOA in our neighborhood, so we have a variety of fencing material being used to secure dogs, many that are too short for sure.  We have two streets in our neighborhood that I will NOT run down because of this.  I know a lot of runners carry pepper spray or mace, but I am not comfortable using this product with my dog being in the mix.  My luck, the wind would be blowing towards me, and I would get a face full, or one of my dogs versus the dog we are trying to target.  What has worked the best for me when a dog comes after us is to stop, get between stella and the dog, and then start yelling sternly and stomping my feet.  I usually say at the top of my lungs repeatedly, "GO BACK HOME"  or "BAD DOG,".  If that doesn't get the dog to stop, usually the owner inside hears you screaming and comes out.  I am truly amazed at how many dog owners who live in the city and maybe 25 feet from a major road just turn their dogs out in their yards unsupervised.   I really don't know how these dogs don't get hit.  Because of this magnetic property, and the fact that I don't like running on sidewalks that are narrow and uneven (city of wamego, are you listening?), I tend to take my dogs more out on country gravel roads and rural areas. 

 I am very lucky that in my rural running routes, loose dogs are not a problem, although I have heard in other parts of the countryside it is.    

Two great perks to running on rural roads:  I can let my dogs run free for a bit, and I can run in the road versus on sidewalks.  I have found that the more in town side walk running I do, the harder it is to keep any dog from sniffing and or marking.  I tend to run in the road, off to the side and safely out of traffic, but I have to constantly be on the look out for inattentive drivers.  I also have found a similar problem on our limestone paved trail that runs around the town where I work.  Many people walk their dogs on this trail, due to the fact that it backs many housing areas, and it becomes  pee mail time on certain stretches.   I do have to say that my gravel roads I frequent are very flat. and I can see traffic coming WAY before it is to us so I can safely have my dogs leashed by the time it catches up to me. If that were not the case, I probably would NOT let my dogs off leash.  Also there are only 2 or so houses on this stretch, so there inherently isn't much traffic to begin with.  There also isn't any shade on this route, unfortunately, so when the temps become a little more toasty, stella and I head to the limestone trail which offers many miles of shaded running.

My advice to you if you are just starting out with your new running partner is to find the least stimulating route for your dog.  If that is a rural route or a country road, whatever works best to keep them focused on the task at hand.  I don't give any corrections per se for pulling or for sniffing.  The only feedback they get is my body weight against their pulling and my body weight against their stopping, which hopefully tires them out.  If I have a reactive dog, I will carry treats with me in my running pouch to reward no barking or lunging or looking at me.  Stella took a few runs to figure out the no pulling, and sometimes to this day if we are doing an out and back will pull a little on the back.  She also tends to pull a little more in races, especially races with other dogs present, but I am okay with that.  I DO NOT advocate running with a choke chain or any type of pinch collar to deter pulling.  Most dogs will learn after a while that what they are doing is tiring and will stop.  They are smart and will get it, it just sometimes takes repetition.  I really prefer running with a harness versus a collar anyway to keep pressure off of the neck.  Nothing makes a run tougher than listening to a dog choke the whole time.  

Happy Running with your dogs!  I am contemplating a part three based on common questions I get so stay tuned!

How to Run with Your Dog Part One: My running partners and your potential running partners

I know I did a blog post not to long ago about dog running accessories that you can catch up on here.  I don't think I ever really explained how to run with your dog or how to train a dog to not kill you while running with your dog.  Since I have a ton to say about these subjects, I am going to break these posts down into several parts.

Stella, Deuce and Stella's sis 7

I have had three very different running partners in Deuce, Stella and Harley.  All three were aussies but they all three have very different running styles as I like to call it.

Deuce is a sprinter and this is probably why he does so well in agility.  He is trained to go all out for 30-40 seconds with minimal stopping and then he is done.  It has been hard to teach him to pace like Stella.

Stella is a natural pacer.  She can go for miles and miles at the same speed and be happy.  She is a stronger bred herding dog that Deuce, so that also makes sense.  She was bred to work on a farm for hours on end, either in the field and or pen and have stamina to maintain this.  While she does gets in her moods and likes to pull when we are doing an out and back and are headed towards the house, she pretty much is an even keeled/paced dog.  She is perfect for other runners to borrow, and even my hubby loves running with her as well.  She prefers to be slightly ahead of you and will wear back and forth from left to right.  Deuce tends to be way out in front and will slip back to almost right in front of you or to your right as he tires.

Harley is a whole other story.  Harley has always been a marker.  Even though we neutered him before the age of 1, he has always wanted to mark on everything and this includes anything and everything during a run.  Add in that we commonly use a route that the humane society dogs are walked on and you get a nightmare for a run.  While I DO NOT advocate running a dog with a flexi lead, this has worked for making a run with Harley more enjoyable for both of us. I am super careful to keep it locked while in town and to keep the majority of our runs out of town where he can sniff and I can have the flexi lead unlocked and let him roam.  Now, I caution you on running with a flexi.  The thin flexi material can be dangerous and can cause a tripping hazard or burning hazard to you and your legs.  He is the ONLY dog I would trust to do this with as he doesn't take off suddenly so the risk of him pulling the flexi leash handle our of my hands is low.  You also run the risk of the dog running out to the end of the flexi and causing injury to their neck if on a collar or back/neck area if on harness.  This method worked for harley and I to have an enjoyable run, but is not a set up I would use for most dogs.  

All in all, dogs are like people, they have different personalities and different likes and dislikes.  I do believe that stella loves to work and running = work for her.  Deuce is more just a lover of me and if that means he has to run to be with me, he will do it  to be with me, but not necessarily enjoy running.  I take this into account and Deuce ONLY goes with us when the temperatures are not too hot and when we are running less than 5 miles.  Stella on the other hand goes on every run including speed work sessions (As long as they aren't on the track where dogs are not allowed) and long runs (unless I am running Konza where dogs are also NOT allowed).

There are tons of other breeds that also love to run including those in the herding and working groups.  I commonly get asked about how to pick out a running partner.  Quite frankly, I often advise to go to your local shelter and look.  If you get a puppy, you will need to wait at least a year or more before they are ready to run, and  run for long periods of time due to bone growth and development.  If you run a young dog on hard pavement or gravel for extended periods of time, you are asking for injuries.  Shoulder, elbow and hip problems all arise not only from genetics of certain breeds and lines, but also in dogs that are worked too early in their lives.  We see it in agility and you can certainly see it in dogs that were road worked at too young of an age.  I like getting shelter dogs because they are usually older (as in not puppies although you can find puppies at shelters from time to time).  Most shelters and rescue groups around here will let you try out a dog with your family in your home before making adoption final.  This is a great time to not only gauge how the dog will fit in with your family, but also to see if they will make great running partners.  Just know that it can take time for a dog to learn to run properly, as in not pull you around or constantly stop for sniffing.

There are tons of great articles out there about running with your dog and picking out a running partner of the canine persuasion.  Here is a list of some of my favorites!  Just click on the links and it will take you right to the article.

Runners World
 Competitor.com
Active.com
Howstuffworks.com

To conclude, treat your dog like you treat yourself when training.  My dogs start our with me as I start a training cycle, and both dogs I currently work with have a base of miles built just like I do.  I keep my dogs well fed and well hydrated and monitor their weight closely.  If I see any stress in my dogs due to heat or mileage, I always have my cell phone with me during a run and can call my hubby to come and pick them up.  I carry water when it is hot and have a temp I will not take even stella out in.  Both dogs have cool coats that can be wetted to help with the cooling down process post run, and I will commonly put water on their bellies before running (as well as keep their bellies shaved since they are a long hair double coated breed).  I also monitor my dogs for stiffness or lameness and will take them to the chiropractor or canine massage specialist if needed.  I treat them as well as I treat myself because we are both athletes and I want us all to have long running lives!

Easter recap

Happy Monday!  What a great weekend at the Coleman house!  I started out the weekend with a long run.  Remember I was given a choice of 8-10?  I headed out to do 10 and ended up with 10 and it was a beautiful day for a run.  I pretty much smiled the entire 10 miles.  I ended up sleeping in versus getting up early and I am glad I did.  It meant I had to deal with the crazy wind, but snuggles with little red are more important.  I even took a little detour off of my normal route to go say hi to the river.  I may have trespassed a little, but I have seen others go down this path so there.

I sure do love this route so much.  It's a little over 6 if you just do it as a loop from my house, or you can get 8 if you do 4 out and then do 4 back.  It's mostly flat and not shaded, so not my choice when the temps get hotter but for now, it's perfect.  It also allows no protection from the wind, so it can get dang challenging going into the wind at times.

The rest of the weekend was devoted to Easter.  I guess I should back up a little.  I had taken friday off because work is sort of slow lately (we go through crazy busy times and super slow times) and to chaperon a trip to the local retirement community for andrew's preschool.  I also needed to help the easter bunny pick out stuff for andrew's basket without andrew being present so this worked out perfect for this.  For Andrew's school trip, I drove these two cuties to the easter egg hunt.  The retirement center holding the hunt did not disappoint.  FOUR hallways FULL of eggs FULL of chocolate.  These two boys loaded up and had a super fun time.  I didn't get many pictures, because i was pretty much chasing after them, making sure they were letting all the other kids get eggs too.  Suprisingly, everything went very very well.  We only had one little spat over an egg (some of them were themed and that caused a little problem here and there),but overall the kids were super cute and super polite.  They even sang songs for the inhabitants and thanked them when we were done.  Very well behaved kids made for a very nice experience.

We did learn a very valuable lesson this weekend.  NEVER take a child hopped up on Easter candy to any situation where they have to sit still.  We had free tickets to the KSU baseball game friday night, and even though it was a little chilly, decided to take andrew with us.  Let's just say it was a short game.  After eating a hot dog and a cheese burger, he was done and ready to leave.  This was a pic of him trying to put my gloves on his hands and having a melt down because he couldn't fit his fingers into the glove fingers successfully.  Lesson learned!

 We slept in again Sunday morning and then all woke up to go see what the Easter bunny had left.  After inspection of the basket and it's contents and eating of some chocolate Easter Sunday morning, we spent the day playing out in the sun and cleaning up the yard of yard bombs.  Perfect sunday!

Deuce's new harness came in this week too so we put it to good use on our weekly walks.  Since I am trying to recovery and be smart about this racing season, and I still need to get out, I have been doing 3 mile or more walks and Deuce has been going with us.  My hubby even came with us yesterday on his bike while I pushed andrew in the jogging stroller.  

I hope y'all had a great weekend and a great holiday. Only two more days of running this week and then the big one Rock the Parkway, half number 2 of four this spring!  Getting SO excited!

Taking it easy

Boys sure do love dirt don't they?  We have a sand box but this kid prefers to just get down and dirty in the dirt pile by the house.  Thank goodness kids are washable:)

Stella always has to supervise the washing.  It is her favorite job after all.  Stella and I have been taking it easy this week.  Two runs, both slow and a little painful.  With recovery week also comes Kansas spring time wind.  Yeah for flowers and 30 mph gusts that threaten to knock you over and make you feel like you are running and biking in place.

With warmer temps and popsicle eating also comes spring storms.  Had our first one and it was a doozy.  Hail and tornado sirens all between 2 and 4 am in the morning.  So much for getting recovery sleep.

Stella also is perfecting her drafting skills, allowing me to run out front and block the wind for her.  She has been watching too many of the big races on TV, and says she has it figured out.  

We have focused on rest, biking and a little bit of running, per Coach Jenny's instructions.  I have done two runs that were a little over 4 miles each, both with warm up and cool down.  I plan on a long run tomorrow, but am undecided on the length.  I have been given a choice of 8-10, so will have to see how my body responds.  I am trying to be super smart about these next few weeks of racing/training, and not looking to hit any specific mile goals.  I am  happy to say that my ankle tendonitis (self diagnonsed:) seems to be calmed down, and I now back to doing minimal icing and advil as needed versus around the clock.  I am mentally ready to get back to training hard, but smart.  I have another PT session for next week, and am eager to see what he thinks (he was at the race so saw my striding).  In the pictures, my feet and striding look much improved and that makes me so VERY happy.  

I am still waiting to hear about Chicago, and am even thinking about maybe even a Tennessee marathon.  St. Jude's marathon is early december, which would allow me a break from my halfs, and a little bit of avoidance of the KS summer heat for training.  Still thinking and deciding.  If Coach Jenny paces me, it may be what ever fits into her long run schedule for fall.  

Well, Happy Easter weekend everyone!  I am off to help on andrew's class trip for an Easter egg hunt. I am a little nervous to take a whole class of 2 year olds on a free for all for chocolate filled eggs, but here goes nothing!  Wish me luck!