DOMS

Its time for a training week fortnight wrap.

Since the last training update I have managed to get some longer runs under my belt and I am starting to feel ready for this half marathon!

Thanks to the September Miles Madness I have been motivated to tack a few extra Ks on all my sessions and not just my long runs and this has seen me achieve my highest mileage week EVER!

With the exception of some specific 'post baby' soreness (apparently all the kegels in the world don't strengthen you for DISTANCE running) my body has adapted well to the higher mileage.

The Hill sessions on the other hand completely shocked my body and left my hamstrings screaming. I chose very gentle hills, did extra long warm ups and kept the reps low. Even though I felt like I didn't push very hard IN my hill sessions my legs talked about divorcing me for days after. Given how much of a shock the hills have been I am only going to squeeze two more hill workouts in between now and the race. I certainly don't want sore tired legs like that close to the race. Its been a long time since I have experienced DOMS and in some sick and twisted way it sure felt good to know that I pushed my legs in running.

When Sunday rolled around I was planning on heading out for 90 minutes on my own while Big A took care of Little A. But cuddling up with Little A on the bed (in the morning when he is just ALL smiles) was just too much fun... how could I leave this little guy behind???? So I suggested to Big A that I take the stroller and he come along on his bike. We decided to run/ride in to the City and have breakie along the River Torrens and run/ride home. Running home on a "big breakkie" and a belly full of coffee was a bit rough but it certainly was a nice way to mix my running up and squeeze some more time in with my two favourite people!

Tempo and Intervals are going well. I had a great Interval session last week in which I attempted 3 minute 30 second Ks. I failed. My fastest was 3 minutes 35 seconds. How amazing are these Olympic female athletes... they run 42.2km at a pace that I can't even maintain for 1km!!!

This morning my Tempo Run included 30 minutes at 15kmp/h which is another personal best for me... Suddenly a sub 20 minute 5km seems possible and dare I dream of a 40 minute 10km!?!?!

All in all I am mentally and physically in a great place for this half marathon. Now the only problem is making sure I am geographically in the right place for this half marathon... an unexpected trip away might mean I wont be able to race the McLaren Vale Half. Fingers crossed though! Anyone know of any Virtual Half Marathons on the weekend of October 14th? I need a back up plan!

The last HooRah

Little A is just shy of 6 months which means I have been back running for 5 months already. There is nothing like having a baby to make time fly! I have well and truly made my "comeback" and can now shift my focus from regaining strength and fitness to building on and growing it.

Post baby my goal was to regain my fitness as efficiently as possible.
Enter Speed Work!

5 months of running with a program built around Tempos and Intervals has paid off and now I feel ready to crank up the Ks!

And crank up the Ks I will do as I am only seven weeks out from my next goal... The McLaren Vale Half Marathon.

So whats the plan going to look like now?

Well you may remember me saying that I want to become a Stronger Runner?
Enter Hills!

It has been nearly 2 years since I have ran a hill session. I'm not expecting these to be fun but I am looking forward to pushing myself in a new way.

I am also going to keep two "easy" runs but do these with the stroller. I am finding stroller running physically quite challenging but I know it is making me a better runner.

I will also keep one "speed" session each week and will alternate these between tempo and intervals.

Finally of course there is the long run in which I will build up my distance. My longest run since Little A came along has been 80 minutes. In the next 7 weeks I would like to increase that by 30-40minutes. So all up for the next 7 weeks my training plan will look something like this:

Easy
Tempo or Intervals
Easy
Long Run
Hills

With 2 rest days thrown in there too I should be able to comfortably manage this load.

So why the last HooRah?

After this race I'm not going to train for anything. I may or may not race but I wont be following a training program. Runs will be done when and if I feel like them for as long or short as I feel like. There's a few reasons for this change of approach:

1) Little A will be nearly 8 months and summer will be just around the corner. I can't wait for our first summer together... trips to the pools, walks to the playgrounds and runs to the beach. Bring it on! I know we are going to have a blast and I know there will be lots of physical activity in there and lots of Ks put on the pram but I want our activites and days to be dictated by the weather and what WE want to do not my running program.

2) I have never really done much "unstructured" running. Generally I have been training for something and following some program. I want to learn to embrace running without striving for a race or an achievement.

3) The BIG reason for the change - Big A and I have made no secret of our desire to grow our family. The last 6 months have flown by and I know the next 6 months will too. When that time comes around I want to be ready physically and mentally. Breastfeeding, Pregnancy and Running individually are all demanding of the body. For me I am finding the combination of two of them an energy burning fest(!!!) and would dare not attempt all 3 at once (Honestly I don't have time to eat & drink anymore). As I am not ready to wean Little A from feeding just yet I am going to wean the running first. Hopefully I can find my "sweet spot" where my body can manage running and baby growing responsibilites.

4) Finally mastering "unstructured running will be essential if I choose to run through my next pregnancy. Running while pregnant requires you to listen to your body and each run will be taken on a day by day basis (if at all!). I suspect following a plan would be futile.

So here goes my last HooRah before I attempt to master "unstructured running"!

Any unstructured runners out there? Whats the secret?
Did you run through pregnancy?

Adelaide Marathon 10km Race

Pre - Race
Like all races these days I try not to think about them or more specifically get excited about them until its the morning of. Mostly because now I have this little guy who is completely dependant on me and quite frankly "unpredictable", I know that there is always a chance that something may crop up and I will have to forgo a race.

"Go run Mum, I'll look after daddy"


So as I walked to the start line with Big A and Little A, I had a mini-panick attack. I had no race plan, I hadn't even spared this race a thought! Arriving at the start with only 5 minutes to go didn't leave much time to do anything either. I said goodbyes to the boys and made a dash for the loos. Cutting it fine .... I know!

I made it back just in time for the count down. Usually I would join the back of the pack but today I was going for a PB and negotiating traffic can chew up precious seconds so I nestled in to the middle of the eager to start (it was about 9 degrees!) pack of runners.

My race plan was formulated in the first 500m. I was going to run at a pace that I thought I could JUST maintain for 10km and then give anything I had left in the last km. A 10km race pace for me is running at about 7/10 for perceived effort. In the first Ks I glanced at my Garmin and was a little freked to see the number 13 on my speed screen... but I felt comfortable so I went with it.

This turned out to be the perfect plan.

My Time
I crossed the line in 46 minutes and 22 seconds. My race pace must have been smack on as my splits were very even:

4.39
4.41
4.40
4.38
4.39
9.24 (oops missed a km marker! average = 4.42)(2.06km)
4.27 (.95km)
4.36
4.34

The Course
Do you remember me saying that I was scared to run the Adelaide Marathon because of the twisty turning course. Well the 10km still had some loops and turns (but nothing like the marathon). I think the course was inspired by the London Olympic Marathon course with its 111 turns!

Despite the winding nature of the course and nearly colliding with a pole in the middle of the foot path AND nearly being taken out by a runner who didn't see the fountain in the middle of the path, I loved the course. The South East corner weaved through the botanic gardens and was all new running territory for me.

The last 200 meters came off the road, up a path and into an oval. It was awesome to finish a race along a path lined with supporters and friendly faces.

Highlights
Looking back on the race there are so many things that make me smile. Here's just a few:

1. Shaving 13 minutes and 38 seconds of my last 10km time in just 17 weeks! I know this is largely thanks to the massive "returning" to running gains after baby but I still put in all the hard work and clearly my training program (written by me!) wasn't too shabby either!

2. How in tune I have become with my body and pace in all things running. To achieve those (almost) EVEN splits on "feel" I was pretty happy!

3.Seeing hubby and bubby at the 9km marker. Even though I had arranged to meet the boys at the finish line. Big A surprised me a couple times along the course. The 9km sighting was completely unexpected and gave me that final kick I so needed!

4.This was my first race in which I have associated myself with a charity and run for a reason. It added a whole new dimension to the experience and I thank everyone again for their support. It sure feels good to mix my passion with giving back to the community.

Final thoughts
I have to confess I didn't go into the race confident of achieving my goal. In the 2 weeks leading up to the race Little A had been teething and quite unsettled. This meant that a lot of my runs were done with the stroller (at a slower pace). Having not ran much at my desired race pace I was a little psyched out as to whether or not I still could. Turns out the thing that "did my head in" actually makes me a better runner. But I'll tell you all about that in another post dedicated to the wonderful BUT challenging world of "stroller running".

So now that I have achieved my 10km goal whats next? Well this is worthy of another post too so stay tuned to hear about the next training goal and race in 7.5 weeks... my last HooRah!

I'm a mixed breed

I have always enjoyed my tempo and intervals sessions but despite my love of speed sessions I have never considered myself a "short distance" runner. Although I would do shorter distances I always thought I was a half marathon runner who was trying to become a marathon runner.

Then Little A came along and my focus changed from quantity to quality. I knew 2-3 hour long runs wouldn't be on the cards for a while. What I didn't know was how much I would enjoy the shorter distances. Or more importantly that I can achieve more over these distances than I could in the longer.

Problem solved... Become a short distance runner! But its not that easy!!!

Despite absolutely loving my current training I just can't shake this nagging desire for a marathon. I ache for that 42.2km. Adelaide only has one marathon each year which happens to be this weekend. So any desires for another marathon would mean travel. Shorter distance races though are much easier to come by with at least one suitable race each month.

When looooong runs were out of the question it was easy to focus on the shorter distances but now that we have reached a point where training for a marathon is possible I feel torn. Little A and I are now running together in the stroller which gives me a lot more flexibility for length of runs. Intervals and Tempo Runs on the other hand are a bit more a challenge with a stroller (or at least they are for this beginner!).

At the end of the day the problem is I love it all. I loved the 5km, the marathon and everything in between. I wish I was a "pure" short or "long" distance runner but I'm not.

Marathon Runner Vs The Sprinter



For now though my focus is the 10km race this weekend. If I achieve my goal time then it will move to a half marathon in 8 weeks. If I don't achieve my goal time then I will do another 10km in 8 weeks instead of the half.

After that... I don't know.I have 8 weeks to work it out. What I do know is this:

- I want to become a "stronger" runner
- I want to have peak health to grow our family when we choose to
- I want to continue to enjoy running without it ever becoming all consuming
- I want my training to be efficient... if I am going to be away from my family, then damn it I will make it worthwhile.

I'm not sure what distances and styles of training will best suit these goals but I will let you know when I do!

Are you a short or long distance runner?
Do you ever want to do it all?

Re - jigging

I have re-jigged my training program . . . AGAIN!

My goals are still the same (see here), I'm not injured and I am getting amazing gains. Why change?

I am a big believer that how many "hard" sessions you can manage in your training is very individual. Age, injuries and fitness level etc all play a role. Since Little A arrived I have focused on the speed work to try and regain my fitness quickly. This has meant that I have had 4 hard sessions each week and 1 easy session with 2 rest days. For a "seasoned athlete" I'm sure this would be a breeze but I definitely don't fit in to that category. But even as a recreational runner I am very pleased with how my body has handled the higher intensity training load. All the speed work has seen me not only achieve pre-baby paces but far exceed them. But now I feel its time to back it off a smidge and for this reason I have decided to trade one of my "hard" sessions for an Easy Run.

How did I know it was time to back it off:

- Niggles are brewing. They are not injuries (yet) and they can easily be managed with stretching and foam rolling but I don't have copious amounts of time to spend on my recovery so I need to keep niggles at bay in the first instance.

- I was struggling to space an easy session or rest day before each "hard" session. There are so many other factors that dictate which run I can get in on which day and changing the ratio of hard and easy sessions will help me to go into my hard sessions adequately rested.


So what does an "average" week of training look like now:

Easy Run
Tempo Run
REST
Long Run
REST
Easy Run
Intervals

Of cousre I may have to change the order of these sessions around each week as need be to fit them in around the mummy and wife duties but I am just happy these days to complete my planned sessions (read all about that here).

So that said its time for a tempo run. . . here goes!

All over the place

My running these days is all over the place. I can get my sessions done but just not in an "ideal" order. Even though I am following a program I do have to shuffle my sessions around a LOT to fit in with life. This week there was plenty of shuffling and the result was something that would make any running coach cringe. A speed session after a long run. A 5km time trial after my intervals. My two rest days were back to back and not spread out before or after my hard sessions.

There was a time in my life (ohh a distant memory now) when my life could be scheduled around my running. When I could spend time and money on recovery and nutrition. These days its just a bonus if I get to stretch and foam roll after a session! There are no special diets, no weekly massages or walks in the ocean to recover the legs. At most I'll slip my compression pants on but even those take 20 minutes (that I don't have) to put on so that rarely happens.

I know if I could find an extra 20 minutes a day to invest in my running and recovery or re-arrange life to get the right runs out on the right day I could optimise my training.

It occured to me the other day that even though I am not doing high mileage I am shooting for PBs on every front and am striving to get the fastest times out of my legs to date, yet I am spending the least amount of time and effort in my training and recovery. Ordinarily this is the point where I would re-adjust and make more room for all of that. But not this time. . . I love my new casual approach to my running and I love not being completely and utterly consumed by it.

On Friday I woke up with a massive craving for runny eggs. . . not the greatest "just before a run" meal but I wanted it. Did it repeat on me? YES. Could I have performed better on say a piece of toast and a banana? PROBABLY.

I LOVE running. I dream about it. I spend lots of my "spare" time reading about it and I look forward to my sessions (99% of the time!). But running does not define me, it is just an enjoyable and important part of my life.

For that reason I am happy to miss out on all the benefits that could come from an "ideal" schedule and all the bells and whistles that go with training. For this mummy just running and giving 100% when I do run is enough for me. I'll try my best to provide the right training, nutrtition and recovery for my running but not at the expense of something that does define me like being a mummy and wife (and food lover!)

I am PASSIONATE about Health and Fitness
I LOVE Running but
I AM a wife and a mother

Training week wrap up

A week of running - YAY! I am anticipating the first 2 weeks to be the hardest so I am celebrating being half way through the real hard stuff now!

First week back saw 4 sensible and "intensity appropriate" build back runs. 2 on the pavement and 2 on the treadmill. 2 of my runs were cut short by Little A but only by a smidge. I will get better at planning my running around his sleeps I am sure (or even better, in a few months we'll be running together!!)

Yesterday I did a 1km warm up and 3 x 1km intervals at 5min pace with 500m recoveries and then a 1km cool down. It was a great session to end my running week on. The first 2 intervals were manageable but the last one was a struggle. I was thinking how tough it is coming back to running after such a long break and then I realised...

Intervals are meant to be tough! If you aren't giving your all in your speed work and pushing your limits then how will you improve? So I stopped feeling sorry for myself and told myself that eventually this pace wouldn't be so hard and when that happens I will up the speed again until it IS hard again.

I love speed work. I am in my element in a speed session but it did take me yesterdays run to get my mental game on again for this higher intensity stuff. . .but I am back baby!

At the moment while I am trying for quality and not quantity I have 4 "hard" sessions and a run dedicated to each of the following:

Aerobic Conditioning (Long runs. . .not that long yet!)
Aerobic Capacity (fartlek)
Anaerobic Conditioning (tempo runs)
Anaerobic Capcity (speed work)

"Junk Miles" will be a luxury that will only happen when I can fit in an extra run. So my long runs will be my switch off time because the other 3 sessions are mentally demanding!

Little "monster" is waking.... must go!

The first few Ks

It happened! The much anticipated first "Post Baby Run". I've thought about it non stop I've dreamt about it and now I have finally done it. You couldn't wipe the cheesy grin off my face all day...

The Gods were kind and gave me perfect running conditions. A beautiful autumn day, 19 degrees with a soft breeze. I started out steady and gradually picked up the pace for the second half. I'm pretty sure you can't talk about "negative splits" when its a 4km run but hey it felt like a marathon to me.

I Finished with an average pace of 6min29 and with that in mind I have set the paces I am hoping to be hitting in 6 weeks:

Long run pace - 6min
Tempo run pace - 5min30
Intervals (100s -400s) - sub 4mins

After that first run I feel that building up the distance is going to be harder than reaching the speeds and since my goal is to focus on quality and not quantity I think these targets will keep me on track. That said, speed or no speed, I am just enjoying being back and will be grateful for each and every run and remember that this is not the year for PBs but just to enjoy running and motherhood (see New Year Resolutions)

Treadmill Time

After a solid 10 hour sleep Little A wakes at 5.30am for a feed before settling back down for another couple of hours. Once he's down I slip on my sneakers and escape out the back door while hubby and bubby snooze. When I return I enjoy a nice hot shower, have breakfast with Big A and pack his lunch. Then a happy and well slept little A stirs from his cot... and so my day begins.

IN MY DREAMS!!!!

As much as I would like to fantasise about such mornings the reality is 90% of my mornings wouldn't resemble anything like this! Firstly newborns don't sleep for 10 hours straight but even if and when he does I doubt his waking and sleep times will magically align with my ideal training and showering times. At the moment I am just grateful for a shower time!

So that coupled with the fact that apparently you aren't meant to leave babies at home unattended while you go for a run means I am going to have to do some treadmill time.

Treadmills are not my favourite way to train by a long shot but a treadie run is better than no run. While Treadmill runs are a bit "boring" and speed workouts just aren't as good on them I am still grateful for treadmills and here's why:

1. I will get to run when I otherwise could not
2. Rain, hail, shine you can always run on a treadmill
3. You can watch trash TV and rest assured you are still being productive!
4. You don't have to wait for your Garmin to charge if you forgot to plug it in the night before
5. You can wear your ultra daggy comfortable training clothes in the privacy of your own home
6. You can lie down on the warm belt post run for your stretch...REALXING!

So even if I don't get many "ideal" mornings in the next few months I can still be clocking up the Ks thanks to the trusty Treadie.

The Comeback Plan

The other day I enjoyed some last minute baby shopping & lunch with a gorgeous friend and mother who inspires me very much. After lunch she asked me if I had a plan and timeline for returning to training post baby...

OH DO I HAVE A PLAN!!! I have spent every spare minute reading up on and writing a training plan for my running "comeback" post baby. Actually I am on version #3 and I am sure there are more versions to come. Each time I finish another book I have some new ideas and training principles that I want to try and so this plan is constantly evolving and being revised.

However, no matter how good the plan I know some of the hurdles of my return to running can't all be all be addressed with a good training plan. Here are some of the big challenges I am anticipating I will face and need to overcome:

Bits will wobble
For a sginificant period of time the body I return to running with will be very different to what I am use to. Even though I honestly believe it will all strengthen over time and return to its former glory I know that I will have to be patient with it and work with what I've got while I go from incubator to a performance machine.

Back to absolute basics
I have no balance, I am clumsy and my running muslces have been on an extended vacation. You would think after months of carrying around the extra weight I would come out the other end stronger but honestly I feel completey unstable around the hips and pelvis and can't imagine pumping out speed sessions without some serious basic strength training first. I honestly took for granted how "structurally sound" my body was. Now after the the transformation my body has gone through to grow and birth a baby I will have to really focus on building back strength and balance that can handle the intensity and speed of my desired training.

Contending with boobs
To date I have been very fortunate to be able to throw on a sports bra and not have to worry about anything after that in this department. I dare say feeding will bring about some new challenges for running, namely; support, milk supply, lactic acid in the milk and just the overall comfort of the whole thing. Hopefully there are some fantastic maternity and feeding sports bras out there to help me in this area. Keep an eye out in the review section. Also my training is going to have to have the flexibility to fit around my feeding responsbilities. So as much as I will try for routine its not going to be a given and I am just going to have to make the most of the opportunities I get.

Pelvic Floor Muscles
I don't think I need to elaborate on this one. Suffice to say I could write a whole post on Pregnancy and the Pelvis. Thank goodness the muscles can be trained like any other so there is hope! Kegels here we come!

Emotions
On the odd winter morning when my husband has looked so snug in bed I have struggled to tear myself away but otherwise I generally find it easy to slip my sneakers on and escape for my run. I don't doubt for one second that having a gorgeous little new born at home will tug at the heart strings when I am trying to get out the door. But I honestly believe that taking this little bit of time for me and my health (mental and physical) will make me a better mother and I hope that focusing on that can keep me on track. Not to mention its going to be a great time for baby and daddy to have together!

Well, it will be interesting to return to this list of things in a few months and compare it to the actual challenges I have faced. What challenges did I not anticipate and what things will be easier than I thought?

I think a good plan is always a good starting point but for this particular goal I know it is going to take more than that. I will also need determination, patience and tenacity to overcome many new challenges... simple things that I have just taken for granted in the past.

So here starts the joy of being a running mummy! Wish me luck!