177/1000 MILES

Angie and I took the mutts out for a 3.5 mile walk along the beach wall this morning...finished it off splitting tomato/basil/egg and ham/spinach/egg croussaints.

MBN - is your running group people you know or did you sign up to one? I'm kind of thinking about it but I don't know anyone else who runs. I've tried getting friends into it but it lasts about 3 minutes before one of them thinks they're going to have a heart attack. Do you all naturally run at the same pace or compensate for one another? I've always been curious about these running groups, a lot of people seem to benefit from them.

Another question for you ladies - do you hold water or have a belt or..? I never used to carry water but my 2 hour runs in the warmer weather require water. I tried carrying a bottle but it threw me off completely. Are the belts any better?

I have never tried to run with a belt but my runs are usually less than 2 hrs. It might be worth planning a circuit and leaving some water safely stashed somewhere you will run by.

My running buddy also belongs to a running group and one of the benefits is that the group provides water stops along the way of their long runs. She found hers through a running store.

sm---You are planning a marathon this fall? I am considering it! Is anyone else?

Ended up not doing a long run during this calendar week, so only 17.5 miles for the week as a whole. However, I'm doing 10 tomorrow and probably my next long run will be next Saturday, making it seem like I've really increased mileage!

260 so far! Woot. I'm passed the one-quarter mark!

6.07 miles for me today.

Diane - you seem to be really getting into it! Do you have any races planned?

midwife - Yes I have a full marathon in September. I've gotten pretty nervous since joining the runnersworld message board. They're so hardcore! When do you want to do one?

sm--You run in Toronto winters! You are hard core!!!! I am considering one in October here locally. It would be my first full one.....So I am starting to build up my miles!

4 miles today! (my usual distance is 3-3.5, so that's a start!)

sm - Yes, I want to do a marathon at the end of June, and I might do another one at the end of October. (I guess I ought to see how the first one goes before planning the next one, eh?) But I really like the feeling of increasing my distances, so I can't wait to see how I adjust to 20+ miles.

And if you run in the winter in Canada... I bow before your abilities! I hate the cold here in NoCal, where it doesn't generally get below 0 Celsius!

I did 3 miles on the treadmill and my shin splints acted up so I did the bike with strength training. I'm missing the days of being pain free ughhh.

Diane - that's soon! I'm kind of terrified of the 20+ mile training runs and just hope my body and mind can handle it. The marathon pretty much occupies my mind all the time, sooo much can happen in 26 miles. Are you as scared as I am? hahah

midwife - We'll be doing our marathons around the same time. I think (and hope) that we have an adequate amount of time to train. Is anyone running it with you? And running in -40 weather totally has benefits! I never took any walking breaks during the winter because if I tried I'd freeze in about 15 seconds, where as now I don't have the same motivation to haul my butt 100% of the time lol.

I found out about this group through one of my church friends who is a runner. We were comparing notes about a half marathon event, and she invited me to join her informal group. There are about 6 "regulars" (most are experienced runners), and we all are around the same pace, more or less, and train for distance events, so our long runs are compatible. We start together, in the dark, but then often split off after daylight to do our own thing (run faster/slower or go shorter/longer), so it's really flexible. I had considered signing up for one of the formal running groups or clubs, but they always charged for it, and the training times and locations didn't fit my schedule. The good thing about a formal training group or running club is they have different pace groups, so you can find what fits you best, and they do know their stuff on training to help beginners. Several years ago, I would have been too slow for my running group, so it wouldn't have worked.

And on your other question: I carry water for runs of an hour or more, I don't bother if it's less than an hour. I use a belt water bottle holder -- holds my water and has a pocket for other essentials like keys, a gel, a couple of dollars emergency money, chapstick/tissue, and my road ID. I prefer a belt pack, but several of my running friends like to carry a bottle in their hand or in the crook of their elbow. I hate carrying anything in my hands, so it depends on your preference. I had to find a waist pack that didn't shift around, so you have to try and see what works.

Good luck on your marathon training everyone! And yes, Diane, I would suggest finishing your first marathon before you totally commit to the second. Or leave yourself the option of running the half instead. Some races will let you switch between one or the other ahead of time if you change your mind, so see what the race policies allow.

After this weekend's runs, I'm at: 382.5 miles YTD. It's "off season" for me, so I'm just trying to keep a nice long run base of 10-12 miles. It's kind of nice not to have the race schedules to think about for a while. Had a very pleasant 12 miler yesterday -- we were all kind of dragging at first, but no one wanted to be the first to wimp out early. We perked up as we went along and finished strong with 12.3 miles under our belt. One of my running buddies has a GPS watch so we can track EXACTLY how far and fast we're going, not that we're OCD about it or anything.

sm--I think we do have plenty of time to train. Especially you, with the kind of mileage you have under your belt. I plan to work up to running an hr for my long runs (yea, yea, no comments from the peanut gallery!) and then adding 10 minutes to my long run each week. Or at least that is what my feverish brain is coming up with now. There are some 18 wk (I think!) programs online that can take someone with a fairly good base to a marathon. My running buddy will probably do one in September but I really want to do the October one cause my DD works the finish line with her XC team each year and I love finishing the race with all of the kids cheering for me (hee hee!).

+ 6.56 miles this morning...

2 miles this past Sat

5.55 miles for me! I did 3 at 8:20 tempo pace, and 2x800 at 7:30 pace and the rest easy. Tomorrow I'll take an easy and hopefully get a long run in this week.

MBN - when I tried carrying a bottle with me it completely threw me off! It was unreal. I couldn't focus, my shin splints were acting up on the side I was carrying the bottle and my form was horrible. Really I think it's all in my head, but geez it was bad. I'm excited about my "off" season! It will be after my full in September. I'm hoping to gain a lot of fitness and speed over the winter.

midwife - that sounds like a good plan. Using time makes you less OCD about the whole thing and sometimes I wish I could go back to my pre-garmin days when I wasn't obsessing about my speed etc. It kind of throws me off sometimes. I'm sure all of us will have a fun summer! And I'm sure having your DD at the end will motivate you, my dad is running all my races with me but will obviously beat me by hours.

About Boston:
Ryan Hall made the rookie mistake I knew he would and went out wayyyyy too fast, it was obvious about the first 10km he blew it. Kara Goucher played it really well but didn't manage to win, she cried and I really felt for her. I watched the entire coverage and I really saw how much of a mind game the marathon is, it's intense!
My dad finished in 3:07 which isn't his best but is good for Boston, usually his Boston times are his worst. I think they did different waving starts this year so that probably helped him. His half split was 1:29, I'm assuming the hills got to him and it got windy towards the end. I think he will PR when we run the Toronto full together in September, it's a flat course and if there's no wind I think he may be able to blast 3hrs!

4.38 miles for me today.