My Ode to Long Runs

March 8, 2022 by 24 Comments

(Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2012.)

Long Runs…

….at times, a confidence booster,
and other times…..an ego crusher

….show you how far you’ve come,
or how much farther you need to go

….a chance for mental cleansing,
or a time for “chatter brain” to be unleashed

….time to connect with running buddies,
or much needed “me” time

….done just as the sun is rising,
or chasing the sun to bed

….allow you to shed all the roles you wear in life,
except for one….runner.

Which do you prefer, short or long runs?

I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.

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Filed Under: general musings, long runs, Tuesday Topics

A Run in Numbers

March 29, 2014 by 3 Comments

9 — miles

42 — degrees

5 — hills

2 — ponds along the route pond shot

1 — train tracks crossed

6 — friends who beeped when they passed

1 — “Go mom!” yelled by my son as he and J drove by on the way to lacrosse practice

3 — very courteous drivers who actually held up traffic for me

multiple — signs of spring peaking through  sign of spring

1 — Happy Runner!

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Filed Under: by the numbers, long runs

Monday Motivation: Week 13

May 6, 2013 by 11 Comments

Try

Had a good week last week including a massage, time on the track, a return to my favorite yoga class and a great long run on Saturday! I had 12 miles planned and my running buddy E offered to join me for the final 6. I ran an out and back for the first 6 then met her in her driveway and we went out for another 6+ mile loop around town. I’m so glad I had her with me – she kept me laughing and moving when I was starting to fade.  It was a great run and despite tired legs I finished strong – nice  way to cap a week of training for sure!

So now it’s week 13…and this week will include my last double digit run before my half marathon. On the plan this week:

Monday: 6 with negative split on the last 3

Tuesday: Cross-training

Wednesday: 4 mile Fartlek

Thursday: 16 x 400m repeats, plus yoga class

Friday: rest!

Saturday: 12 with last 6 at RP

Sunday: Cross-training

I feel a good week coming 🙂

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Filed Under: half marathon training, long runs, Monday Motivation, week ahead

Monday Morning in Bullet Points

October 22, 2012 by 9 Comments

It’s Monday, I haven’t had coffee and I started my morning in a school gym with 40 very energetic kids…it’s a bullets kind of morning!

  • Saturday’s 12 miler was my last double digit run before the Chilly Half Marathon. Just 3 weeks to go!
  • I did go and check out the race route yesterday…let’s just say, sometimes ignorance is bliss! The good news is the course winds through some lovely neighborhoods in the picturesque town of Newton, MA. The bad news…I’ll be rolling through the hills once again.  Could someone please remind me to check the course elevation before registering for another half 🙂

  • I’ll be running the Canton Fall Classic on Sunday. This is a great local race that I’ve run the last couple of years. I haven’t run a 5k since the Jingle Bell Run last December and I haven’t “raced” a 5k since this race last year when I PR’d! This race is always a good time so I can’t wait!
Saucony Triumph 10
  • These lovelies showed up on my doorstep at the end of last week – Yes those are the new Saucony Triumph 10s (due out in November)! It took great restraint to not deviate from my training plan and go run in them immediately! But I’m off to take them for a spin now….review to come!
Happy Monday!
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Filed Under: Canton Fall Classic, Chilly Half, long runs, Saucony, Triumph 10

Figuring out the final tweeks

March 6, 2012 by 16 Comments

My long run Saturday was 12.25 – my longest training run to date. It was a solid run despite running 3/4 of it in a downpour. I loved the look I got from a woman in her car as I waited for the light so I could cross – she literally shook her head at me as the rain was blowing sideways. I just nodded at her and smiled – “Yep I’m out here baby and loving it!”

I felt more solid on the hills than I had the previous week. The play list still needs fine tuning (no pun intended), but it’s coming together nicely. The one thing that didn’t go so well was my fueling – I ran out of gas in the ninth mile and it became a mental bargaining game from that point to the end.

Looking back on it I think I would have done better to take GUs at 4 and then again at 8 — I’ll try that this Saturday and see how it feels. I’m also going to need to make a decision about whether or not to wear my hydration belt. While I’m still not in love with wearing it, I have done all of my long training runs in it. When I ran Philly last fall I wore it and given the congestion at the water stations I was glad to have it. I didn’t use it for the Wampanoag 10, but then again it was a significantly smaller race. RnR USA is sold out so given the potential numbers, I’m leaning towards wearing it.

I’m too far out to start checking the 10-day forecast and obsessing about the weather. Which means the race day attire is still up in the air – not a huge problem I suppose since I know better than to wear anything new without testing it out first. I just know how unpredictable DC weather can be…but I have no control over it so I need to let it go.

OK I’ll stop obsessing for now….my five mile run calls!

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Filed Under: general musings, long runs, RnR, running dilemnas, weather

Me and Mother Nature on a long run

July 24, 2011 by 8 Comments

After seeing the forecast for Friday, with temps in the 90s in the early morning and climbing to 100+, I decided to do a tempo run and shift my long run to Sunday. I’m all for training in it if you’re gonna race in it…but there are limits!

While the oppressive heat had subsided, Mother Nature was still clearly in a mood this morning. It was in the mid-70s with matching humidity by 6. Fine…bring it on! Slow and steady was pretty much the approach – today’s run was just about getting the miles and focusing on form.

Around mile 7, the rain started – a good steady shower. Fine…bring it on! I’ll take running in the rain over the heat any day. Well…Mother Nature must have known was I was thinking because just as I got to around 9.5 miles, the sun came out in full force. I thought – I’ve got a mile and a half to go…Fine…bring it on!

In the end 11.27 done and all in all it was a good steady run. I was surprised how quiet it was on the roads today – for most of the run, I saw no one else except for the occasional cyclist. There finally a few runners towards the end….unusual.

While obviously not ideal conditions, I’m so glad out I got out there today. Only 2 weeks to go until R’n’R Providence – hopefully this past week of heat-running will serve me well on race day!

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Filed Under: Half marathon, long runs, RnR, weather

A Good Morning

July 15, 2011 by 3 Comments

Ran 10.25 miles this morning.

It was a perfect summer morning – still cool, a slight breeze, the sun bright but not intense yet. There were lots of runners out taking advantage of the break in the humidity — everyone I passed seemed to be enjoying the morning, enjoying being a runner…there were a lot more “Morning” ‘s today and the runner’s wave…even some smiles…better than the grunts and pained looks I’ve seen on recent runs. Saw a couple of friends out running too and chatted briefly – always a pick me up to see friendly faces!

I love that I still get a little giddy when I see that double-digit on my Garmin. I remember where I was last summer, when getting to 6 was a huge deal. I love that sense of accomplishment (both then and now)…hope that feeling never goes away!

Hubs took on getting the kids ready and off to camp – I actually had the luxury of stretching and foam rolling post-run instead of the usual mad dash! So now it’s me, the dog, a cup of coffee and a quiet house – perfect way to start a Friday 🙂

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Don’t forget my McDavid compression sleeve giveaway ends Sunday!

Have a Great Weekend!
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Filed Under: early morning runs, giveaways, long runs, McDavid USA

Thursday Thoughts (aka 3 Things)

June 30, 2011 by 6 Comments

Crazy schedule wrapping up the school year, plus taking a a few days off after the race turned June into one of my lowest mileage months this year.

With school finally done, we’re settling into a summer routine around here and I’ve been pushing the alarm clock back to get those early morning runs in – must be working cause I woke up at 5:30 this morning without the alarm…only problem was today’s a rest day.

I loved reading everyone’s comments about how fast to do a long run. I have 10 miles on the plan for tomorrow. This will be the first time going back up to double digits since the race so I’ve decided to just run by feel and see where I come out pace-wise — should serve as a good benchmark. I’ll also be testing out my Nathan hydration belt.

Can you believe tomorrow is July 1 already?!?!
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Filed Under: 3 things, early morning runs, long runs, Nathan hydration belt, Schedule vs Training

How fast is your long run?

June 25, 2011 by 9 Comments

While training for my first half marathon, my main goal during my long runs was to basically “survive” the distance and try to get comfortable with the concept of being on the road for a couple of hours at a time. I tried to run each weekly LSD without stopping, and while there wasn’t much attention to pace, I was always well ahead of the suggested pace from Smart Coach. On the other hand, there was very little difference between my “easy” run pace and the long run pace.

But, as I’ve started to get into my long runs for my next half, I’ve been wondering what’s the best way to get the most out of these runs. Unlike before, I now know I can do the distance – yet, Smart Coach still suggests a pace 1:30 slower than race day pace. And when I googled long runs, it’s amazing the collection of differing opinions put out by different running coaches. Some argue that the goal of the LSD is just to build mileage, to get time on your feet without straining and risking injury. However, other coaches/programs have target paces that are far from leisurely.

Of course, every runner is different and what works for one won’t necessarily work for another — but I am curious to know:

                How do you treat your long run? 
                Does it change as you move through your training and get closer to race day? 
I’ve got 4 double digit runs left between now and the Providence R’n’R, (combined with tempo runs, track work and easy runs), and I’d like to get the most out of those runs as I can if a PR is possible.

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Filed Under: long runs, Smart Coach, training

Double digits

April 15, 2011 by 12 Comments

When I first put my training plan into Smart Coach weeks ago, today was a day I circled. Today would be the first time I’d hit double digits!

While I was out running this morning, I kept thinking about where I was almost a year ago – working my way through the Couch-to-5k plan, finding it hard to believe I’d ever get to 3 miles….and anything beyond that was just crazy talk. But there I was this morning, cruising along to my new playlist my youngest son helped me together last night, watching the miles tick off on my Garmin and feeling pretty good, (by the way, music planning with a five year old is always interesting!). Today there were no walk breaks, even the traffic lights cooperated. And, while definitely windy, it was a beautiful day for a run and hitting a new distance. Great feeling to look down at my Garmin and see that 10 miles!

Now I’m ready for another jam-packed weekend! I’m really looking forward to heading out to see part of the Marathon on Monday. Gotta send a huge Friday Shout Out to all the runners heading to Boston this weekend – congrats on all of your hard work to get to this point…now enjoy the final ride!

Enjoy Your Weekend!
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Filed Under: firsts, long runs, Shout-outs, Smart Coach