I guess this is the first week of my actual training for the Pasadena marathon (90 days away) and I might have pushed it a little in terms of mileage. Ended up running about 5 miles more than I should have if I was following the proper 10% increase formula. But I was excited to start marathon training and next week is Christmas, which means lots of good food and a rest week as well (again...already...oh well).

This week I was working from home (kinda working) and because it has been pretty cold I decided to run late morning early afternoon. Seemed like a good idea, but it kind of caused some havoc with my eating schedule. Especially on Friday when I was doing a tempo run. Anyways without all the details I felt both breakfast (the coffee) and my snack in my stomach while I was running. Just another example of how in running it is best to stick to your patterns. Sure I can my schedule easily to accomadate early runs, but all changes take some time getting used to. I think that is one of the things I like about running, from a diabetic standpoint boring is good and running gives me an excuse to be boring.

Not much to say this week. My new (old) eating plan is working well. I think I am maintaining muscle mass a little better without gaining weight. Like I said last week I took Ted's advice and I am varying my daily distances and I like it so far. My speedwork this week went alright. Besides the horrible feeling in my stomach that is. I ran for the second time on the river bike path and it is very nice for tempo runs (flat and straight). I did an 18 mile long run (instead of the 16 I should have) and it felt pretty good. I am still having issues with the cold weather and I never really loosened up. But I felt pretty strong...probably could have made it to 20 at the pace I was going. Next week in Sacramento I will be bringing out all the stops (headband, long sleeves, gloves and dare I say tights) because it is going to be **** cold, and hopefully it will stop raining for like 10 minutes so I can squeeze some miles in.

Happy holidays!

Last weeks training:

• Tuesday - 10.05 Mile Easy Run - 1:25:08 min, 8:28 pace

• Wednesday - 3.09 Mile Easy Run - 25:56 min, 8:23 pace

• Thursday - 5.02 Mile Easy Run - 41:39 min, 8:17 pace

• Friday - 9.03 Mile Run w/ Tempo - 1:07:36 min, 7:29 pace

• Sunday - 18.26 Mile Long Run - 2:29:57 min, 8:12 pace

Shoe Mileage - Asics DS Trainer 13 - 279.01

Weight - forgot to check ={ 

RACE WEEK WOOT!!! So yeah it was finally race week, and I would say all in all it went very well. My training for the week was pretty easy. Two easy runs and a short, semi-fast tempo run. First time I tried a two day carbo-load, and it seemed to work pretty well. Pre-race meal didn't cause any problems. I actually tried something new for a pre-race/run meal(I know, I know that is the worst thing to do). I ate some whole wheat pitas from TJ's and a banana. The pitas are low fat and lower in fiber than most everything else I have tried. Another thing I tried for the first time today was 50mg Caffeinated Shot Bloks. I had 4 of them about 45 min before the start and I could definately feel the caffeine. I actually think the heavy dose all at once wasn't too bad (really got me going for the first 4 miles), but I would prefer to take them at intervals like I usually do. So that was everything leading up to the race, and I think my preparation went very well.

Now to the actually race. The race went very well, not quite as well as I wanted it to but for the training I did it was a great result. Looking at the data it seems like I ran a very stupid race. I had a severe positive split (around 45 min first half and close to 47 min second), but I don't look at it that way at all. My goal this year is to finish a half marathon in under 1:30, and I started the first two miles of this race right at 6:52 pace (which is right at 1:30 pace) and felt great. At about mile 2 I was trying to decide if I wanted to slow my pace to 7:05 or to just go all in. Well I chose the second and I don't regret it at all.

I maintained 6:52 pace until just shy of mile 7, or as the runners might remember the monster hill on Hyperion Bridge. That hill and the one going up Rowena slowed my overall pace to about 6:58. I brought the pace back down a little running past the reservoir and on Silver Lake Blvd, and felt very good. Then the hill going up Sunset killed any chance I had of breaking 1:30. By the time I made it to Echo Park I was at around 7:00 overall pace, and there wasn't time (or energy) to make up the seconds. Not only that but the final hill going up Bellevue really took a toll. I managed 6:50 pace on the last 1.5 miles, but I will say I was spent and running on adrenaline.

So a few lessons I learned. First is to train harder. My training program was designed for a 7:05 pace, so the program worked but not for breaking 1:30. Second is get proper gear. I have been having a little problem with my shoes where the toes on my left for have been bumping the end, so I think I need to step up a half size. Also, and this would have ****** me off if I was closer to 1:30, my left sock slipped a little bit down into my shoe and the exposed part of my heel was rubbing pretty bad. I actually stopped not once but twice to adjust my sock and it never really got better. So that cost me...maybe 20-30 seconds, but didn't cost me my goal so no harm, no foul. Last lesson is to train for the course. The last few months I have been strictly running near USC (and weekend long runs), which is very flat. The last two weeks I have ran elsewhere a few times (my parents home, and in Los Feliz) and I noticed that my strength for hills has dropped off quite a bit. Over the summer I was running hills a lot more and the ones in the race probably wouldn't have affected me so much, but I really wasn't ready for them.

Few other things. My blood sugar after the race was pretty normal. I felt a little weak at times during the race and I feel like I consumed a ton of Clif Shots. I have been using a fixed basal rate during morning runs and it has been working pretty good. I just need to bring it down a bit more for races. 

Race Result:

• Time - 1:31:45 (new PR thank you very much), 7:00 pace

• Place - Overall: 117 - Division: 15 - and only 4 Women beat me!!! (one of them was our own Shea, awesome job Shea!!!!)

Last Weeks Training:

• Tuesday - 3.68 Mile Easy Run - 30:35 min, 8:18 pace

• Wednesday - 4.86 Mile Tempo Run - 36:25 min, 7:29 pace - 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at 7:17, 1 mile cool down

• Thursday - 3.75 Mile Easy Run - 29:50 min, 7:57 pace

• Sunday - 13.1 Mile Race - 1:31:45 min, 7:00 pace

Shoe Mileage - Asics DS Trainer 13 - 196.84