Love Me Some Yasso

Since my resignation of running the full New Orleans marathon, I have been embracing my new found freedom. More time on the weekends, shorter runs during the week, and quicker recovery all around. Since I am running less miles, my focus has turned from quantity to quality.

One thing that was left behind in my marathon-training-dust was speed work. I simply could not recover enough from my long runs in time to bust out speed sessions; my legs were just unable to handle the demand. But now that my longest runs are 10-12 miles, I can easily complete a recovery run the next day with speed work in the days to follow.

A workout that I have fallen in love with is the Yasso 800s. This speed work was invented by Bart Yasso, who is one of few that has completed races on all 7 continents, countless ultra marathons (50+ mile races), completed the Ironman five times, and cycled, unsupported and by himself, across country twice. This man is a monster.

Yasso 800's are incredibly simple:

The intervals should consist of 800 meter runs (or half a mile/ 2 times around the track). If you're aiming for a 4 hour marathon finish time, then run your 800 meter interval in 4 minutes. Jog for another 4 minutes and then repeat by running another 800 meters in 4 minutes. Do this until you can do 10 total repetitions in a given workout. After 2 or 3 months of Yasso 800's, along with your typical marathon training schedule, you should be prepared to charge the marathon and complete it at your target pace based on the Yasso intervals. -Source-

My speed work this week, which I completed on the treadmill, looked like this:

1 mile: Warm up jog
.5 mile (aka: 800 meters): 8:50 pace
.25 mile: Recovery walk
.5 mile: 8:50 pace
.25 mile: Recovery walk
.5 mile: 8:50 pace

.25 mile: Recovery walk

.5 mile: 8:50 pace

.25 mile: Recovery walk

Total miles: 4

I completed each 800 in 4 minutes, 25 seconds. The goal is to push yourself, but for it not to be insanely difficult. Each week I'll add another repetition, making it a little harder each time. 

Even though I am not running the full marathon, the concept still applies. If the Yasso theory hold true, once I am completing 10 repetitions by the end of my training schedule, I should be able to meet a goal time of a 2:10 half marathon (and a 4:20 marathon...someday). 

The downside? I just started these so this will likely not affect my pace during the New Orleans Half Marathon. I've come to terms with the fact that, since I have not been doing any sort of speed work over the last 15 weeks, I will probably not set a PR. But oh well, whatcha gonna do?

Tell me if you attempt any Yasso 800's this week and let me know if you love them as much as I do!

Confession

I've been dreading writing this post. Avoiding it like the plague. Pretending like it didn't exist. That I could just ignore it and no one would notice. Maybe no one will. That would be nice...

For the past 15 weeks I have logged over 240 miles training for the New Orleans Rock N Roll Marathon. I started off training in October super excited about the possibilities before me. Quoting myself (can you do that?), "Food will be for fuel. Sleep will be for recovery. And I will be counting the waking hours until I can pull on my Asics and hit the pavement."


I had some great runs:
10 solo miles where I pushed myself to go further than scheduled, and

proving to myself that I can run faster than I think.


I even proclaimed that 2012 was going to be the Year of the Marathon.

But oh, how the mighty have fallen.

It is time to confess that I am no longer running the full New Orleans marathon. I have given this countless hours of thought and consulted multiple people. While advice and opinions vary, my feeling towards running the full 26.2 miles has not.

Training for this marathon has been less than stellar. Early on, sickness and a minor injury set me back and I've been playing catch up since. I haven't been running the weekly mileage I should have been and my training has felt rushed.

Additionally, these past few weeks of running has been tortuous. I've been dreading all my runs and it was no longer fun for me. Although I am already logging 18 miles for long runs and only have 3 weeks to go until race day, forcing myself to do something that I dread will only result in injury or burn out.

Despite my long runs being accomplished (and productive)

they haven't been efficient or acceptable in my book. I realized I didn't want to "merely finish" my first marathon. I saw myself run/walking the last 6-7 miles solo and that seemed purely miserable.

I'm downgrading to the half and I am completely stoked about it. I'm not saying I will never run a full marathon, but now is not the right time. I miss loving to run and I feel completely relieved to have the pressure off of me.

Say hello to the new, carefree, running Alex. It is so very nice to meet you!

Weekend Monotony

Lately, when I talk to my friends and family from my home town, the first thing I am asked is "What have you been up to?" Although I understand the reasoning behind the question (and I always ask the question back), I hate answering. I don't enjoy answering the question because it makes my life seem dull and monotonous.

The response is usually something like "Oh, you know, same old stuff: working and running."

While that may seem rather boring to some people, I actually find my day-to-day life 100% enjoyable and packed with things I love.

This weekend was no different.

Friday I went out to eat with coworkers for a much needed evening of relaxation and laughter. After having a semi-stressful work week, it was nice to have fun with people I truly enjoy working with.

The best therapists in NWA fighting over a huge bowl of perfected quacalome

My Saturday looked like the same Saturday I have had for the past 12 weeks. I had a relaxing morning and a hardy breakfast, then completed my long run of 17 miles. This is hands down the longest I've ever run. Luckily, Josh ran the first 8 miles with me; the last 9 miles I tackled solo.

And while your running around Fayetteville for 17 miles, you might as well run errands while your out.

Hello massive-looking arm and tiny-sweaty head.

Our Redbox drop off is only 2.3 miles away. Having a purpose for the run made it feel a little different. Problem was, I didn't have quite the mission the other 14.7 miles.

But it was a successful long run nonetheless: total time- 3:04 with an average pace of 10:48. Not speedy, but I'll take it. One thing I've learned about marathon training is that I can't worry about my time. As this is my first marathon, my primary goal is just to get it done. So if I have to skip, hop, or crawl all 26.2 miles I will. And if it takes me 6 hours to complete, awesome. I just want to finish!


On Sunday, after church, Josh and I spent some quality time together grocery shopping and cleaning- oh so romantic.

Josh looking quite dashing. 

Sorry that I posted this honey. Wait, no I'm not.

Later in the day we kicked off the first meeting of the semester for our community group. We are starting a study called Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscoll. We are really excited about this study and what God has planned for our marriage. I'm also super pumped about getting to know the other couples in the group. There is something so special about getting together with other believers to encourage and support one another.

So, while my weekends may have the same theme over and over again, I wouldn't choose to spend them any other way. I love the consistency in my life!

What did you do this weekend? Do you find your weekends consist of the same activities? Do you love it or do you desire some more spontaneity? 

I'm back

Guess what?! I got to run 14 miles this past weekend! And while it ended with this:

 it was fantastic!

But lets back up a minute. After my awesome 12-miler, I had some strange inner hip/groin pain for a few days and I was afraid I either pulled a muscle or created a stress fracture. To avoid injury, I thought it would be smart to take time off. Since I had built in some cushion in my training plan, missing my long run was not going to set me back.

Then the Friday before the following week's long run, Josh and I went rock climbing. Look how cute Josh looks in his climbing gear.

 And here I am. Excited and ready to climb!

Too bad I am also a super clumsy and majorly stubbed my big toe, which left me unable to climb and limping for days. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating the pain; I could not put any weight on my toes and running was obviously out of the question. Luckily my toe wasn't broken, just badly bruised. (And still isn't back to 100%).

So, after missing two weeks of long runs, I was nervous to jump back in. But, with my marathon only 8 weeks away, I had no choice. 

I coordinated to run parts of my run with some of my favorite running buddies. After running four miles on the Fayetteville trail, Rachel met me to run three nice and easy miles.

Who wouldn't want to run with that face?!

Then, I scheduled it perfectly so as Rachel and I were finishing our three miles, Jessi showed up to run three more with me.

This is not a picture of us running. But we are laughing and having fun, which is how we feel when we run. Sometimes.

Hey Jessi. Let's go to Mojitos again. We had a lot of fun there. Maybe after this weekend's long run? Awesome.

After Jessi and I finished our three miles (in case you've lost count: 4solo miles + 3 with Rachel + 3 with Jessi= 10miles), I was feeling pretty defeated. My knees were aching and my IT bands were furious. 

Despite the pain, I was determined to finish all 14 miles. During the last four solo miles I kept envisioning crossing the finish line in New Orleans and it gave me enough strength to push through until the end. These miles were not pretty and I use the term 'running' very loosely (more like using momentum to move forward while I scuffed my feet...I'm sure fellow trail-users were jealous of my stellar form) but 14.00 beeped on my Garmin and that is all that matters! 

Even though the run wasn't pretty and ended in an ice bath,

and then even more icing that evening,

I consider it a complete success! It re-ignited my excitement for finishing my first full marathon. So ladies and gentlemen, I'm back!

Long Run Surprise

Is it already Monday night?! These past few days have flown by. Between last minute Christmas shopping, cleaning of the house, and quality hubby time, I haven't stopped. Luckily, I've been getting out of work early each day so I've had plenty of extra time to get things done. 

Last Friday night was spent catching up with friends over dinner, then hitting the sack early for my long run Saturday morning. I had plans to meet some people from the local running club, Northwest Arkansas Speed Association (aka: NASA), at 8:30 to tackle 12 miles. I was super nervous because 1) these girls planned to average a much faster pace than I was use to, 2) meeting new people makes me nervous, and 3) did I mention these girls were fast? 

Eek! I basically introduced myself as "Hi, my name is Alex. Thanks so much for inviting me to run with you guys. I'm really slow, so you don't have to wait on me."

Yea, steller first impression. I really know how to talk myself up.

The girls were super nice and welcoming. They said they were in no hurry and planned to just take it easy. Ha! This sentence replayed over in my head a few times during the run as a cruel joke. Such a mean thing to say to this slow runner.

But you know what happens when you set the bar low for yourself? You are very impressed when you do better than expected! 

Exhibit A: 

Mileage: 12.00; Time: 2:01:48; Pace: 10:09 

Booyah!! During this run, I beat my 5K and 10K personal record, and would have stomped my half marathon personal record if I would have ran 1 more mile! It definitely wasn't easy, but it felt SO good! 

Here is the mileage broken down:

Mile 1: 9:41

Mile 2: 9:01

Mile 3: 9:23

Mile 4: 9:25

Mile 5: 9:49

Mile 6: 9.57 <--Turn around point. Start the slow incline.

Mile 7: 9:29

Mile 8: 10:17

Mile 9: 10:23

Mile 10: 10:52 <-- Walked a few times. Getting way too tired.

Mile 11: 11:15 <-- Nasty hill. So over this run.

Mile 12: 12:14 <--Longer nasty hill. Get me outta here!

Ouch. Okay, so the splits aren't amazing. But look at those first 7 miles! Yep, those are 9's at the front. Rocking. 

I was able to keep up with the group during the first 7.5 miles, but after the turn-around spot at mile 6, the trail was slightly uphill the rest of the way. I slowly started to lose them and then the last 2 miles had some nasty, unrelenting inclines. Yay for hills at the end of a 12 mile run! 

So, while I started to bomb toward the end, my average pace still rocked. And this makes me super happy. Apparently what "they" say is correct: Running with fast people make you a better runner. 

I may start making this a habit. Hopefully no one will mind the slow girl tagging along.

Solo miles

I have officially completed 4 weeks of marathon training. Crazy how time flies when you're having fun! 

Before this week, I had practically hit all my goal mileage for each week. However, due to holidays, travel, and plain laziness, I wasn't able to get all my runs in, putting me -2 miles below my target. I know it might sound like I am being a little too nit-picky about it, but those two miles mean a lot! I try to follow the rule of 'no more than 10% increase each week' to prevent injury, but it looks like I will have to bend the rules a little bit. 

Here is what the first 5 weeks looked like. The red indicates the changes I made that day.

I have already adjusted Week 5 to bring down the mileage a bit. Originally I was to run 5 miles on Tuesday, making the total milage 21, but that would be increasing my mileage by 23.75%. Yikes! Now that it is set at 20 miles, it is only a 17% increase. Not great, but much better. (You can thank my smart husband for all that math)

To look at the full 18 week marathon training schedule just click on the link below:

NOLA Marathon Training Schedule (Google Document)

So this morning I had 9 miles to tackle. My husband's legs weren't feeling up to par and all my trusty running buddies were out of town for the holidays. That left me to face the miles solo. Boo.

And on top of that, the weather didn't look so inviting either.

So I put on my happy face and mentally prepared for the worst run ever. 

(Even though I felt like this...)

But you know what? The run rocked! I blared my music, smiled at everyone I passed, and thanked the heavens that it didn't rain one drop. 

And to put a cherry on top (even though I don't like cherries) I ran an extra mile because I felt so good! Bam! 10 miles with a 10:27 average pace.

Here's the breakdown:

Mile 1-10:38

Mile 2-9:48 

Mile 3-10:29

Mile 4-10:26

Mile 5-10:01

Mile 6-9:59

Mile 7-10:23

Mile 8-10:46

Mile 9-11:17 <---continuous incline with crazy headwind

Mile 10-10:39

I am so happy that I pushed myself to not only run by myself but to do more than I had planned. Who I am?! 

Have you ever surprised yourself with your abilities, when you didn't even want to do it in the first place? Do you hate running solo as much as I do, or do you enjoy the time to yourself?

A Not So Halloween Surprise

Happy Halloween Folks! 

Josh and I celebrated Halloween by attending the Leonard Halloween Extravaganza; however, I'm a horrible blogger and didn't take one photo. Boo. I really wished I had because Josh dressed up as Richard Simmons, and boy was he wearing some short shorts.

Sweatin' to the Oldies

And for the Surprise ...

I don't know if you knew this, but I am very goal-oriented, and this is especially true when it comes to exercise. I work best and I am much more dedicated when I have something to achieve. So, before I even toed the starting line of the St. Louis Half Marathon, I signed up for another race.

And not just any race. If you caught this post, you might know what I'm talking about...

I signed up for MY FIRST FULL MARATHON!

Eek! I'm totally pumped and ready for this new and exciting challenge. I'm especially even more excited that my family is planning on making the trip down to New Orleans to cheer me on.

This will be me in 18 weeks:

Except I definitely won't be starting with the Kenyans.

So I apologize in advance if posts tend to be more 'running oriented' because my life will be consumed with marathon training for the next 126 days. 

Food will be for fuel. Sleep will be for recovery. And I will be counting my waking hours until I can pull on my Asics and hit the pavement. Aka: Running will be my life. And call me crazy, but I can't wait!

Stay tuned for my New Orleans marathon training plan.