Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

I eat Half-Marathons for breakfast…. January 30, 2010

Filed under: Marathons,Training — Kelocity @ 5:32 pm
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Today’s run was nothing short than perfect. I wasn’t sure how my shins were going to hold up. I’ve been doing a lot of icing, massaging and advil.

But I heard that advil is actually pretty dangerous to runners…. so I stopped doing that immediately. I have to research it a little bit more. But all week, I’ve been nervous to do a long run without Advil. I actually thought I would just do 3-5 miles and have to call it quits, but I went out there today and conquered those 13.1 miles!

I started out with some of my friends from the LA Racers. But they were all doing 16 miles, so I just put my new ipod on, and ran my own race. I actually kind of like running with music now. Why didn’t anyone tell me how great it is?! I’ve been a distance runner for 5 years now, and I had never trained with music before. I was dancing and singing the whole way. It was great! 

I fueled with some Orange Shot Blocks and a Vanilla Bean Gu. I was a little nervous to try the Gu, I actually waited until Mile 11 to try it (in case it had any ill side-effects! I have a sensitive stomach!) But I liked it. I couldn’t eat the whole thing, but it definitely gave me energy. 

I finished all 13.1 miles doing 5:5 intervals (my new favorite). 

Here are my splits:
Mile 1- 12:23
Mile 2 – 12:05
Mile 3 – 12:51
Mile 4 – 12:49
Mile 5 – 13:25 (refuel at the car)
Mile 6 -12:58
Mile 7 -12:16
Mile 8 -12:14
Mile 9 – 12:07
Mile 10 – 12:19
Mile 11 – 13:12
Mile 12 -12:26
Mile 13 – 12:05
Mile 13.1 -1:02

Total time: 2:44:11 (And for those of you keeping track, that’s a non-race half marathon Personal Record for me… by 3 minutes!)

I finished strong, sweaty and giddy!


Right after getting back to my car, I devoured 2 clementines!

Nature’s candy!

Tonight, I’m relaxing, icing and stretching….. and celebrating an amazing run. Half way there!!!

 

It just takes some time…. January 16, 2010

Filed under: Los Angeles,Marathons,Training,Uncategorized — Kelocity @ 11:25 am
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Last night, we went out to a British Pub down the street to celebrate JR’s birthday!

It was great! I knew I had to get up and run in the morning, so I kept it simple with a Seltzer and Cranberry. But check out Irving’s concoction! It was coffee, baileys and whipped cream. He had two! I was jealous. 


This morning, I set out to conquer a 9 mile run per my training plan. We headed to Griffith Park for a change of scenery and some hills. We met up with the lovely LA Racers, which is always a fun time.

I was representing my Dana-Farber team today!
 

In the background, you can see the Los Angeles Zoo! I love LA. 

I settled into a 5:5 interval (five minutes running/five minutes walking) and my pace was actually pretty close to what it is when I run 5:1 intervals. It just proves that a little extra walking is not going to kill my time… it may actually help my time so I dont get exhausted at the end. 

My stats:
Mile 1 – 11:54
Mile 2 – 12:34
Mile 3 – 11:50
Mile 4 – 11:47
Mile 5 – 11:49
Mile 6 – 19:29 (included a rest stop break at the car!)
Mile 7 – 16:10 (walked wth the hubby for a mile!)
Mile 8 – 12:16
Mile 9 – 11:22

Wow, that’s a lot of miles, huh? Not my best pace ever, but it was just so gorgeous out today, I really enjoyed this run.

Towards the end, It Just Takes Some Time by Jimmy Eat World came onto my Ipod and I was laughing at some of the lyrics:

Hey, don’t write yourself off yet…
Just try your best, try everything you can.
And don’t you worry what they tell themselves when you’re away.
It just takes some time,
little girl you’re in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine,
everything (everything) will be alright (alright).
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn’t matter if it’s good enough for someone else.

Those lyrics were totally keeping me going at the end. Everything will be alright. I felt like I could have pounded out a few more miles, but I didn’t want to push it. It was pretty rewarding. 

Next week, I go into Double-Digits!! My Boston Marathon race is 50% training and 50% fundraising for the amazing Dana-Farber. Don’t forget, you can support me here!

 

A Glorious Beach Run! January 10, 2010

Filed under: Los Angeles,Marathons,Training — Kelocity @ 1:31 pm
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I was a little nervous for my planned 7 miler today. It will be my first long run since the begining of December. But I knew I had to conquer it to get back on schedule for Boston. My group was meeting at the Becah today, and it was the PERFECT day for a run. I got there early and enjoyed the scenery for a while before everyone got there. 

Don’t you love my camera timer? I put it on the hood of my car to capture this. haha 

I really tried to stretch out my calves and my hamstrings so my shins wouldn’t hurt during the run. I now believe fully that tight calves were the reason for my shin splints. Lesson learned.

Stretch, stretch, stretch!…. oh and enjoy the scenery while you do it!

I did the whole 7 miles at 5:1 intervals to ease back into it, and it was PERFECT. I was able to maintain it and everything felt awesome. She’s back in the game!

My splits:
Mile 1 –  10:31
Mile 2 – 11:05
Mile 3 – 11:53
Mile 4 – 13:16 (Included a stretch break!)
Mile 5 – 11:58
Mile 6 – 12:43
Mile 7 – 19:05 (A cool down mile)

And what’s the second most important thing to running besides stretching?? ICING! And what better way to do this than nature’s ice bath! The Ocean!

After we finished, we plunged into the ocean to cool down our muscles! It felt gooooood!


(If you look quick, doesn’t that  look like snow? But it’s really the waves behind me!)

The girls who braved the cold in the name of muscle recovery!

I just love Los Angeles! You can’t beat this on a Sunday morning!

My shins are thanking me for this:

Team Spirit for the Los Angeles Racers!

Natalia got down in the sand! That’s dedication!

Afterwards, we found had to rinse all the sand off!

What a great run!

 

A little Behind… December 30, 2009

Filed under: Uncategorized — Kelocity @ 7:20 am
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I know I’m like 2 weeks behind on posts… but they’re coming, I promise….

Right now I’m debating going for a run, but my thin Los Angeles blood isn’t prepared for this:


I am totally making up excuses, but -1*? That’s crazy! I’d need to go out there with a full-on facemask and sub-zero bubble jacket! That is just not conducive to running. I’m such a baby.

 

Frustrated, Motivated and Humbled… December 13, 2009

Filed under: Marathons — Kelocity @ 12:06 pm
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I always think that training for a marathon just involves clocking milage, getting up early, and eating power bars, but it’s easy to forget that it also involves patience, mental clarity and the ability to see the bigger picture. Today was a lesson in all three. 

I walked out the door this morning with the intention of running 12 miles. My shins were screaming the minute I woke up this morning, but I tried to quiet them down by taping them up with athletic tape.

I ran the first mile with very sore shins until I realized that there was no way I was going to run 12 miles today. I have shin splits, and running 12 miles with them would only make them worse. 

So I had two choices… turn around and go home, or seek an alternative workout. So I turned the corner and headed to my gym and did a 5K on the elliptical (no impact training = happy shins). All in all, I did a 7 mile work out that consisted of this:

Mile 1: Run
Mile 2 – 2.5: Walk
Mile 2.5 – 5.5: Elliptical
Mile 5.5 – 7: Walk Home 

Let me tell you, those 3 miles on the elliptical were TORTURE! I hate the elliptical. It’s so boring. Plus I don’t have an ipod (hint hint) so all I do is watch the numbers slowly roll by. Plus it’s hot and steamy in there, and knowing it was 55 degrees outside made me mad I wasn’t out there instead.

But back to the other 3 silent factors of marathon training:

1.) Patience: Injuries need adequate time and space to heal, so in the meantime, I should keep walking, ellipticaling and weight lifting to help my legs get stronger.

2.) Mental Clarity: Appreciating the things my body still lets me do. I mean 7 miles is still a great workout no matter how you cut it. 

3) The Bigger Picture: If I pushed through these 12 miles, I probably would have done a lot of damage and/or pulled something in the process, and I still have 4 months of training left to do. I have to tend to this now to be able to push through when the milage matters most. My training wasn’t about this 12 mile run… it’s about crossing the Boston Marathon Finish Line happy and strong. 🙂 

Don’t forget that I’m running the Boston Marathon and curing cancer at the same time! Show your love and support here!! Your donations motivate me to keep on track!

Off to Ice my Legs!!