by smuldowney | Oct 12, 2015 | Training
Monday – 3 easy miles + 7 strides on NRRT – 61* cloudy – average pace was 9:47 with final mile 9:17 – felt good
Tuesday – Rest Day
Wednesday – 4 miles with middle 2 @ race pace [9:53, 9:49] – average pace was 10:19 – neighborhood loop with Brian joining me for the first [almost] 2 miles
Thursday – 4.55 miles on the treadmill – 20min. wu, 6×1 @ 8:34, 10 min. cd – this was a tough workout which included 2 bathroom trips due to stomach cramping – Fritos are not a good pre-run snack!
Friday – 4 easy miles on the treadmill were not easy and I needed to take walk breaks at the mile markers. average pace was 12:00
Saturday – Rockingham Recreational Trail – 9 miles – This was my first time on this trail. It varied in width, surface, and surroundings and crossed many roads.
Sunday – Rest Day
by smuldowney | Oct 10, 2015 | Race Recaps
First off, why run a half-marathon 3 weeks before my goal race [MCM]? It was cheap [$48.70 total]. I had to run 10-14 miles according to my training plan. I like getting tech shirts and race medals. The big question was: Do I run or race it?
On race morning (Saturday, October 3, 2015), my alarm went off at 5am and I found it easy to get up. I had all my things laid out and ready. I was not sure how cold it would be so I put on a light long sleeve shirt, but took a short sleeve and arm sleeves just in case. I decided to try a different breakfast (bagel with PB) since I needed to practice for MCM, since I cannot make my typical (oatmeal with chocolate, almond butter, seeds) at the hotel. We left home at 6am and I ate at 6:30. We arrived at the middle school around 7:15. Packet pickup was at 7:30, but we were able to go right in and get mine in the NMMS Cafeteria.
The Half Marathon started out past Sculptured Rocks in Hebron. I got on a school bus at 7:45 which shuttled runners out to the start. I sat with a high school soccer coach who graduated from college in 2014 and lived in Dover, NH. It was her first half marathon and we chatted much of the way. They offered a baggage check to half marathoners, which was nice, since I wanted to keep my hat and gloves with me. We left our belongings in our LABELED runner’s bag on the bus that dropped us off at the start. All bags were brought back to where we checked in and were available for us to pick up in the Middle School Cafeteria. Near the start, there were 8 porta-potties and a small table with some food. I quickly went to the bathroom since there were no lines. [I think we were the first bus.] Then, I went to stand by the side of the road in the sun. I talked with the girl from the bus as well as an older man from PA whose goal was to do 13-14 half-marathons this year.
Our bibs had a timing chip which tracked all runners finish time as we crossed the finish line mat, but the start time was off of the gun as they did not have start mats down. At 9:00am, the gun went off and I started in the middle of the pack. At the start, I was still not sure whether I would be running or racing, but at the 1 mile marker, I realized I was racing when I saw my pace was 9:05. There were water stops every few miles but these did not coincide with my nutrition plan which was every 3 miles, I would take a gel. I took 3 of my 4 gels and stopped at 3 of the 4 water stops. I ran the entire way except for slowing down to get cups at the aid stations. I really liked the point-to-point course and the beautiful views of the lake and countryside. I did not stop to take any pictures, but others did.
I felt strong and did not feel as though I was pushing myself. The hills were there, but mostly in the first half, although there was one last one with about 2 miles remaining. I tried to push up the hills at a consistent pace and crest the top before settling into my typical pace. This seemed to work for me because I often passed folks on the hills.
In the end, I pushed it across the finish line, with the thought that I definitely had PRd, but what I did not realize was that my previous best was 2:06:17 – not 2:07:??. I achieved the same pace as Wallis Sands [9:39].
109 12/33 F4049 2:06:20 9:39 Sandra Muldowney 44 F 558 Merrimack NH
by smuldowney | Oct 5, 2015 | Training
Monday – fun workout – I decided to go to yoga at the Y, since I had not been in a while. WOW – was I tight!
Tuesday – Rest Day
Wednesday – 3 easy miles – I did my usual loop in the neighborhood and felt great. pace @ 9:48
Thursday – tempo run 1-3-1 was a challenge. My average pace was 11:11 on this treadmill run.
Friday – Rest Day
Saturday – long run – 13.1 miles – NH half-marathon – average pace 9:39 – more details to come in my full race recap
Sunday – Rest Day
Overall, this was a good week with only 3 days of running for a total of 21.1 miles.
by smuldowney | Sep 29, 2015 | Training
Monday – Negative split run – 3-3-1 – afterwork evening run in Nashua felt great – 66* and sunny
Tuesday – Rest – Red Sox game
Wednesday – 3 easy miles – Merrimack loop – 75* and sunny
Thursday – 3 easy miles – on the treadmills – sore and tired knees
Friday – Negative split 4 miles – NRRT – 2-2 – 64* and cloudy
Saturday – Rest Day – Brian completed the Seacoast Century ride.
Sunday – Long run – 20.25 miles – The weather was perfect although a bit chilly at the start – sunny 52* and 66% humidity at the start – sunny 68* and 38% humidity at the end. I fueled every 3 miles [Cliff gels and shot blocks as well as Sport Beans] and used Gatorade Endurance [lemon-lime]. I felt amazing on this run and unlike my last 20 miler, I did not have multiple stops to chat with hubby or a bathroom stop. I only stopped once with 4.5 miles to go when I ran into Brian who was at the beginning of his run. My ankle, lower shins, and knees were all fine. I wasn’t feeling great at the start due to some cold/allergy symptoms, but the run seemed to actually help the symptoms. I finished my audiobook – If I stay during part 1 of my run, listened to AMR podcast 2 and 3 during parts 2 and 3, and listened to music for the last part [4].
** tired and sore, achy knees
Total mileage: 37.25
by smuldowney | Sep 20, 2015 | Training
Just RUN
This week was a cut back week and I only ran 3 days for a total of 16 miles. I did do yoga twice and had 2 rest days. I definitely listened to my body when I came to Friday. I had woken up with such a bad sore throat which only got worse throughout the day. I was exhausted after working my first 5 day week since school is back in session and decided not to run an easy 3 miles. By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was lie down, which is what I did. For those of you who know me, you know that is not like me. It was the right decision and I woke up on Saturday feeling much better and had a great run. I only took my hand held water bottle with NUUN and no other fuel since I was only doing 7 miles.
I think I have my race day outfit chosen – Reebok capris, Team Beef tank, Old Navy bra, and Jockey cotton undies.
I continued testing my new sneakers on the treadmill for the first 2 runs. I had initially just switched out the inserts from the Ride 6 to the Ride 7, but the shoes are different and the fit was off. I finally decided to switch out the inserts and put those from my New Balance in the Ride 7. Good news – they work! I finally decided to use them outside for my long run and had no issues. I am glad I have the next 5 weeks to break them in.
Saucony Ride 7
