ISLAND BRIDGE RUNNER

Sunday I completed my 24th marathon. I ran 3:33:41 at the Estes Park Marathon. Good enough for a BQ to mark Colorado off my list. 14 states down. That time was also good enough for a second place overall female finish! There are the results, but how did it go? I chose this race because I love the Estes Park area. And, it coincided with a work trip. Well, I got it to coincide. I did not do my due diligence of scouting the race course at all. As this neared, I started wondering

I talked (wrote) a few weeks ago about journaling. What I do. Why I do it. A training log can be a powerful thing. This past week, I’ve found mine particularly useful. For getting through some of my struggles. Mental and physical. So, today, I want to share with you an expanded look at my training log/journal. And, some of the thoughts I didn’t put down in my journal. Training Log June 4-10, 2018: Planned, 70 miles. 69.4 miles for the week. Paces: BF = by feel; E (easy) = 8:0

I talked earlier about the problems with trying to define “healthy” eating (Nutrition Matters). For now, I’m talking about going sugar-free. Well, free from added sugar. Sort of. Since Monday, I’ve focused on not eating foods with refined, added sugars. What does that mean? I’ve been reading a lot of food labels. Avoiding added sugar is easy. Make sure the ingredient list doesn’t have sugar. Or brown sugar. Or high fructose corn syrup. Defining refined sugars can be a bit tri

These few weeks of training have been a grind. A necessary grind. The day-in-day-out logging of miles. Not a lot of variety in distance or pace. Just getting the miles done. The base built. This coming week I’m starting to add a little “speed” back in with a few workouts, so that’ll mix things up a little bit. As much as my body needs the rest of some easy miles, this past week it was a bit of a struggle to get it done. Mentally. You’ll see some slower-than normal paces becau

Literally and figuratively. The last two weeks I've started my new training plan. Beginning with a 12 week cycle of base mileage. It also was the start of an incredibly busy summer. Work. Travel for work. Travel for fun (a bit). I have very little “free” time between now and August. I knew this when I set-up the training plan. I figure not only does my body need a little rest, I won’t have time to train hard these next few months. So, it’ll work out nicely. At least I hope so

Before I get into my new training plan, I realized that I haven’t really covered the idea of training cycles. Both running and strength/stability fitness. This is an important point. As each specific run has a purpose, so does each phase of a training cycle. What I’ve shared so far jumped in the middle of my recent cycle. Heavy speed and speed endurance work for the last few weeks before the taper for Boston. My training cycles are generally 10-16 weeks. This last one was lon

Week two of not having a schedule for running. Or any exercise. Or eating. Kind of like during a taper into a race, this “reverse taper” time can be mentally tough. But, in a different way. I initially feel guilty for not running every day. I am an admitted mileage junkie. It takes me a bit to remind myself that it is time to give my body a break. Some much needed, and hard earned, rest. On the other hand, that extra half hour, or hour, sleep every morning gets pretty nice. A

The 122nd Boston Marathon. My 4th Boston, is in the rear-view mirror. For all the reasons detailed earlier in the week, I did not reach my goal time. Often after a goal race, the post-marathon blues can settle in. I’ve not very often felt it. But, a little bit this week. A flip-flop between disappointment and celebration. Disappointment in putting in all the hard training and not getting a real chance to go for my goal. Celebration for finishing in the toughest marathon condi

This race epitomized what I’ve said dozens of time about running having it’s ups and downs. The women’s champion, Desi Linden, in a post-race interview, said her plan was to “ride the wave”. The first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years! Her plan was to ride the wave. She thought about dropping out. Seriously sort of planned on dropping out. That gives some perspective to my race. I wrote much of this Monday after the race. Well after the race, a shower, som

Today is Boston Day. It has been five years since the marathon bombing. Lives lost. Many injured. Yet, somehow, in the aftermath of such a tragedy, perseverance. The city came together. Boston Strong. The running community came together. We will not let them take away our passion. This incredible unity that rose out of the tragedy is why I’m running marathons today. I met a guy this weekend who said he thought he’d run his last Boston Marathon well before the bombing. But, af

So, what is a taper? It’s the period of training immediately before a target race. During the taper, you decrease mileage to allow the body to more fully repair. Recover. Be prepared for the beating of race day. Some use ‘dreaded’ to describe the taper. Others talk about ‘taper madness’. There are reasons for this. Legitimate reasons. The science geek in me is fascinated by the physiology and psychology of it. The runner in me is just as irritable, hangry, and restless as eve

I saw a quote somewhere that read “Athletes don’t diet and exercise, they fuel and train”. Or something along those lines. It stuck with me. I don’t remember the last time I said that I “exercised”. But, I’ve used the word “diet”. So, why the different mindset? Not sure. This was my first realization that what you eat impacts overall performance. I now look at food from two angles. Other than it being yummy! One is nutrition. Meaning what you consume on a routine basis. The s

I mean, really. An race that I love. The Azalea Trail Run (ATR). Held every year near the end of March in Mobile, Alabama. A sign of spring. Perfect timing for a final really hard run before Boston. It’s a big deal. Rich in history and tradition. Boston Billy (Bill Rogers) was here last year. He won the race its first year. And three other times. I got a signed copy of his book. Joan Benoit still holds the 3rd fastest time for a woman at the event. Elites, sub-elites, and the

Okay, so not everything that isn’t running. But, the other exercise activities. In my intro blog, I called this aspect of training “cross-training”. The more I think about it, I’m not certain that’s an accurate term. Cross-training usually refers to activities done in place of running. I use it do describe things done in addition to running. So, maybe “fitness training” is a better term? Whatever you want to call it, some coaches, and many athletes, swear by it. Others say

(Photo credit: Bear Bait Ultras) Last week I mentioned the three aspects of my training: running, cross-training (or fitness), and nutrition. Today, I want to expand a bit on my approach to the running part of my training. I’m a relatively high mileage runner. And trying to be even higher. I believe that the closer my training mimics elites, the better I will be. Makes sense, right? Well, if they run 100+ miles a week training for a marathon, then I should too. Or at least tr

Welcome. As my first blog post, I’d like to introduce my goals and what you can expect (hopefully) from following my journey. Everything I’m about to say (write) is what I’m thinking now about how I’d like this page to shape up. No guarantees that this won’t change over time. That disclaimer out of the way, let’s get to it. Why do I want to share my running journey with you, the internet universe? Well, I joined some social media running groups a while back and found some gre