My Boilermaker 15K training plan.

My next race has totally crept up on me! I've been so busy basking in my post-marathon and new-5K-PR glow that I failed to pay attention to the fact that the Boilermaker 15K is a mere 29 days away.

29 days?!? And I haven't even started to train . . .

In fact, my mileage has been hovering right around 20 miles a week pretty much since the marathon. I need to pick it up.

Because, of course, I have a time goal for the Boilermaker. And there is no way that I'll hit it without some work. So, my training starts today: 4 miles of hills while pushing my 29-lb toddler in the stroller.

Tomorrow: 9 miles with friends. Sunday: 5 miles easy.

And then I've put together this 4-week 15K training plan:

T: easy 4 miles

W: speedwork (6 x 800 @ 5K pace)

Th: easy 4 miles

Sat: 10miles

Sun: easy 4 miles

T: easy 4 miles

W: speedwork (4 x 1mile @ 10K pace)

Th: easy 4 miles

Sat: 12 miles

Sun: 4 miles, w/2 @ race pace

T: easy 4 miles

W: speedwork (4 x 1mile @ 10K pace)

Th: easy 4 miles

Sat: 10 miles

Sun: easy 4 miles

T: 4 miles with 1-minute pick-ups @ race pace

W: easy 4 miles

F: easy 4 miles

Sun: RACE!

(Since the Boilermaker is hilly and I happen to live in hill-central, almost all of my miles will be hilly ones.) 

So, that's what the next month looks like for me. I'm kinda happy to have a plan in place. Although I've enjoyed this free running for the past month, it will be good to focus a little on results again. Let's hope so, anyway!

Now, I'm off for that stroller run! Have a great weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

Post race.

Ah, post-race let down.

Such a weird feeling and always combined with the question of "what's next?"

Three days post-race and I'm feeling fine. I went for an easy, slow run on Monday and my hamstrings definitely felt tired but that was about it. Then, yesterday, I did a half-hour Athletic Agility program on Exercise TV. That was different. Have you tried it? Hmm . . . it was a good -- but odd -- workout and I'm really feeling it in my shoulders today.

So, basically, my body feels good after having run a tough half marathon on Sunday. That, to me, means that I was well-trained to run at that pace and for that distance. OK, good. I should have been, considering I followed my training plan fairly well, except for when I missed some runs because of a little cold and the Lyme disease.

So . . . now what?

My friend Bridget was disappointed with her race on Sunday and is dying to run another half marathon -- a redemption race of sorts. I'm not sure I'm up for that right now. I am checking out other races and right now I'm toying with the idea of a 5K on 10/15 and then a 15K on 11/13. Our local running club's winter series starts in December so I'll try to run a few of those races and have already committed to the Winter Marathon Relay with Amanda and Suzy at the end of February.

Beyond that, I'm not sure. I'm contemplating another half marathon in the spring so I can go after my 1:46 again. I'm also contemplating running a full marathon, either in the spring or fall, but I'm really not sure if I have it in me. The months ahead will tell.

In the meantime, I plan to just run for fun for a while and enjoy the fall weather. I've been in "training mode" for several months and although the results have been positive I think that running without a plan for a bit will do me well.

How long do you take off after a big race before you start training again?

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Thoughts on the Boilermaker.

From the vantage point of a few days post-race, I have some thoughts about my training and what worked and what didn't.

Obviously, for me, it was a great race so there must have been a lot that worked. I'm not getting any younger, but I posted a PR on Sunday (1:13:59) in what many consider a tough course to PR on. I would agree. There are some challenging hills and a fair number of twists and turns. Plus, the Boilermaker is a big race with about 13,000 runners so the first two miles are pretty congested.

But, my running has been going well this year. I feel that I've come back post-baby stronger than ever. I beat my goal time in the half-marathon in April, set a 5K PR in June and now a 15K PR. It's all coming together.

Not by chance, of course. This year, I've run a good balance of endurance- and speed-building workouts. My endurance increased significantly during half marathon training and then I added speed on to that during 5K training. Although I wasn't the best about sticking to a 15K training plan, I believe I was able to hold on to a lot of that endurance and speed that I gained, simply by remaining consistent with my runs.

So what worked for the Boilermaker? Was it that I only had about 3 hours of sleep the night before? Doubt it. Was it having to drive for almost two hours to get to the race. Nope.

I believe that what worked for me was actually pretty simple:

1. Rest. Sure, some of it was forced, like when I was sick and missed a few planned runs. But rest is SO key to success!
2. Hard long runs. I didn't run long as much as I would have liked but when I did, I ran fairly hard. I ran over hilly routes, keeping my pace steady and fairly quick, and speeding up at the end.
3. Easy, enjoyable regular runs. When I wasn't running long or doing some speedwork, I was thoroughly enjoying running easy.
4. Cross-training. At least once a week I've been doing a different workout. My favorite right now is Jillian Michaels' kettlebell workout and I really believe that the improvement in my core, arm and leg strength has helped my running.

Basic stuff. Tried and true. 

I'll probably think more about the race as I put together my half-marathon training plan, which I really need to do since my training starts on Monday! In the meantime, here are some of my race pics:

And, yes, I am biting that bottom lip again! Old habits die hard . . .

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Boilermaker 15K race report.

"The Boilermaker course boasts panoramic views, challenging hills, the MOST water stops, the best entertainment, and the greatest overall FUN of any race event." -- race organizers

I've run a lot of races -- probably close to 30 -- but never one as FUN as the Boilermaker. It was a great race! 

Nevermind that I had to wake up at 4 a.m. to pick up Bridget at 4:45 so we could get on the road and drive for about an hour and a half to Utica, NY. And I'll skip right over the part where I where I slammed into my husband's car as I backed out of the garage (yes, it was awful. yes, the cars need to be fixed. yes, I should have been paying more attention. but, it was 4 freaking 45 in the morning! and I had hardly had any coffee...)

I'll get right to the good stuff. 

Bridget and I made our way to Utica with no problems at all. Parking was stress-free. Finding the start area and hooking up with our friend Elisa, who had our race bibs, was smooth. Using the porta-potties before the race was gross, sure, but easy enough. Everything was smooth, but we got a little nervous anyway. 

Bridget, showing how her nerves were making her feel like she had to puke!

Fortunately, neither of us puked. 

We did drink a little last-minute water and then wish each other well before splitting to line up in our corrals. I was in the yellow corral, so I was basically in the middle of the pack but it only took about two minutes for me to get to the start line. 

Running such a packed race was interesting. I did a bit of bobbing and weaving in the first two miles so it took me a while to get into a rhythm. But once I did, I fell in love with the race. The first 4 miles are all uphill, but it isn't really as bad as you would think (says the runner who runs on hills pretty much all the time). There was music throughout the race (they said there were 27 music stops) and the crowd support was incredible. Cheering people lined both sides of the road for more or less the entire course. I have never been in a race with such support! And there were 20 water and ice stops, which made it so I was never battling thirst.

Once I got into the groove, I thought to myself, "I love this!" and that thought NEVER went away. I felt great the whole race and was just having fun. I even managed to chat a little with some other runners, which is something I never do. I'm usually so focused on a goal that I wouldn't dare to waste energy on talking. But in the Boilermaker, I did. I gave high-fives to the cheerers. Thanked every volunteer who handed me water or ice, and laughed with my fellow runners.

I also ran faster than I thought I would. And that my friends is probably the best part of the race! 

Yup, my A goal was a PR, or 1:15:18 or better and I totally beat that with a time of 1:13:59. Wildest Boilermaker dream . . . achieved!

After the race was over, I downed two red popsicles and set out to meet up with Bridget and Elisa. It took a while (there were over 11,000 people in the race) but we eventually found each other. Bridget and Elisa both ran great races, too -- for Bridget, it was her first 15K, so an automatic PR!

And then it was time to head home. The drive was tough because my right leg started to tighten up but after rolling it out and using the tennis ball on my hip last night, I feel absolutely fine today. And, I'm still happy about my PR!

Elisa, Bridget and me before the start of the 2011 Boilermaker!

Race stats:


Official time: 1:13:59
Overall pace: 7:57/mile
Overall place: 1826 out of 11,055
Female place: 316 out of 5,073
Age-group place (40-44): 28 out of 590

Mile splits:


Mile 1: 8:13
Mile 2: 7:57
Mile 3: 7:56
Mile 4: 8:31
Mile 5: 7:07
Mile 6: 7:35
Mile 7: 8:10
Mile 8: 7:46
Mile 9: 7:52
Last .3: (7:03 pace)

Now, I'm already thinking about next year. I will run the Boilermaker again in 2012! Who's with me????

Have a great week, everyone!

~ Felice

Best. Race. Ever.

I ran the Boilermaker 15K this morning and it was seriously the best race ever. Ever! I absolutely loved it. Didn't hurt that I PR'ed . . .

net time: 1:13:59

7:57 pace

Couldn't be happier!

Race report to come . . .

~ Felice

You are registered. Registered. Registered.

Aaaah . . . yeah!

I just registered for my fifth race for this year: The Boilermaker! This comes on the heels of registering for the Mother's Day 5K (5/8) and the Freihofer's Run for Women (6/4). The Boilermaker 15K will take place on July 10th so it looks like I've got a race a month thing going on.

I'm very excited.

I've wanted to run the Boilermaker for ages but it has just never worked out. This year? I'm in! And I'm happy that my pals Bridget and Amanda are running it, too. Yahoo! Anyone else running the Boilermaker? 


Planning, planning. Training, training. That's my mode.

I figure if I'm hardly sleeping, I might as well be training. Oh, I know. I said I would stop complaining about my lack of sleep but, people? It's gotten bad. My little guy was starting to sleep better but then he regressed. I blame teething for keeping him up all night. But, whatever it is it isn't doing me any favors. My brain is mush. My body is feeling the fatigue.

Wah, wah, wah.

So, bring on the training! Boilermaker, here I come!

Have a great day --

~ Felice

HMRRC Winter Marathon Relay 2011 race report. Part 1.

Note: I've never broken a race report into parts before but this one was getting too long so I decided to just go for it! Here's part 1!

After Sunday's race, I know what it is like to run 9.2 miles when the temperature is 16 degrees, but feels like 3.

This was the weather on Sunday (thanks, Suzy!):

16 degrees. And windy -- don't let the 12mph fool you. When it "feels like" 3 degrees and you're running into the wind, that 12mph "feels like" 50. No lie.

Yeah, the weather was the talk of the day but it didn't define it. Awesomeness did. Running the Winter Marathon Relay with Team Pink Ladies for the second year in a row was capital-A Awesome! For real.

But it didn't start out that way.

First, there was my sleep. Which lacked. Yup, the one night I really wanted some solid, uninterrupted sleep was the one night that everyone woke me up. Repeatedly. Life of a breastfeeding mom . . . 


Who needs sleep anyway, right? Not me, apparently.

As I've said before, I'm dealing with the less-than-ideal sleep so it wasn't a big deal. I got up, had a breakfast of two pieces of toast with peanut butter, a big glass of water and some coffee. And then a little more coffee. I had packed all of my gear the night before so I was more or less ready to go. But there was one glitch -- Conal woke up with a slight cold (sneezing, runny nose) so that botched the morning plan for the boys and meant I had to unexpectedly rush around before heading out the door to go to the race. And once I did get out the door -- later than I had planned -- the car wouldn't start. What the what?!?!?


I almost screamed. Instead, I ran inside and got Owen and he started the car, promising me that it would start fine later, and then off I went. I rushed and rushed but ended up getting to the race late and flustered. Fortunately, my friends were all there and all helpful. As I mentioned on Friday, the relay was shaping up to be a bit of a running party with so many of my friends running and it really was great to see them when I got there.

I was running the first leg of the relay so being late wasn't cool. Sure, Suzy or Amanda could have taken my leg if I didn't make it there on time but that would have been incredibly lame. Who can't make it to a 10:00 start on time? Fortunately, I made it, bag o' nerves though I was. And with Suzy's help, I pinned my number on my jacket and was ready to go.

First, of course, we had to make time for some group pics. Since I was so flustered, I didn't take any photos but Suzy busted out her camera and let me steal use her pics.

THE TEAM!! Suzy, Amanda, me.

Our team . . . with some of the competition :-)

(Amanda, Suzy, me, Janis, Bridget)

Pics done, we headed to the start line, which was not too far from the nice indoor gathering space but felt like it was miles away because of the cold (did I mention it was cold out?) wind.

We lined up with the rest of the nutty relay racers and the even nuttier full marathon racers. The relay is broken into three legs: 9.2, 5.7 and 11.3 miles. I was running the first leg, 9.2 miles. A decent race distance for this point in my half marathon training. I decided to use this as a tune-up race to check how my training really has been working and to see if I could hold my half marathon pace for the 9.2 miles. In my head, I've been thinking that I should be able to run at an 8:45 pace for the half. With 6 weeks to go until the half, I figured that if I could hold that pace over the 9.2 I would be in great shape to hold it over 13.1 miles. The most important thing would be to not start out too fast, since I'm prone to fast starts and end-of-race fades. Before the start, I told myself I didn't want to have any miles under an 8 min/mile pace. I drilled myself on that. Pace yourself. Pace yourself.

Here I am trying to stay warm before the start:

Futile efforts, for sure.

Just before the start of the race, we turned into uber-huggers and started sharing them all around. Then we lined up and listened to the barely audible instructions and the (no kidding) verbal call of, "On your mark. Get set. Go!"

And with that call, we were off . . .

Next training plan.

After a week of just running to run (and enjoying it a lot!) I'm itching to start training again. Luckily for me, I've been planning to run the Stockade-athon 15K on November 8th. So, with four weeks to go before the race, I'm back to training!

This time, however, I'm not going to stress myself out. I'll train as hard as I need to but I am not going to focus so narrowly on a goal, like I did for my last race. That, apparently, does not work for me. Instead, I'll follow my Take it Easy 15K Training Plan. Which looks a little something like this:

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri		Sat	Sun
1: 10/12-18	easy 4m	easy 4m	hill repeats(6x) (~7m total)	easy 4m	Rest		8m run	Rest
2: 10/19-25	easy 4m	6m tempo	easy 4m	easy 4m	Rest		5K race+ (~6m total)	recovery 4m
3 10/26-11/1	easy 4m	Rest	hill repeats (8x) (~8m total)	easy 4m	Rest		10m run	recovery 4m
4: 11/2-8	easy 4m	6m fartlek	Rest	easy 4m	Rest		Rest	15K race (~11.5 total)

My total mileage for each week will be: 27 for week 1, 28 for week 2, 30 for week 3, 25 for race week.

I'm doing hill repeats instead of speedwork because there are killer hills in the Stockade-athon. The biggest one comes just before the 10K mark and it is tough. I want to be prepared to run strong up that hill and the ones that will greet me after it. Hill repeats here I come!

That's the plan.

* * *

I was out of town over the weekend at a cousin's wedding. It was a blast! Just a total blast. Here's a pic of Owen and me at the reception (the dress was a last minute purchase and I got it for a total steal so I'm one happy mama!):


After the weekend away, today has been a catch up day. Catching up on cleaning, running and the blogs. There were some big races and I need to see how everyone did!

And, hey, don't forget that today is the last day of my Solixir giveaway. Check it out and you might just win a case of Solixir!

~ Felice

The week and month ahead.

This is my last week of training for my 5K PR. That's right, folks. At long last, the race that I've been going on (and on and on) about for the past six weeks is almost here. On Saturday we'll know whether I'm really a strong muthah runnah, or whether I've just been playing one here on the Internets.

Cross your fingers for the former!

Here's my schedule for this week:

Mon: rest
Tues: easy 4m
Wed: warm-up, 30 min tempo @ 8min pace, cool-down (about 5 or so)
Thurs: easy 2m
Fri: rest
Sat: RUNNING A 5K PR!!!!
Sun: recovery 4m

Total: about 20

And that's all I can do. I'll make this week count and hope that my hard work pays off on Saturday.

Then, I'll look ahead, which I've actually already been doing. I am planning to run a 15K on November 8th and I may run another 5K on October 25th. I haven't done a 15K in a few years so it will be fun to finally run another one. I don't think the distance will be too much of a problem for me because my Sunday "long" runs have been 6-7 miles so adding on a few after the 5K should be easy enough.

My best 15K time is 1:15:16, a bit over 8min/mile, and I'd like to get that down to under 1:15 -- preferably 1:14:30 or better. So once I'm done with Saturday's 5K, I'll put together a plan for the 15K. I'm already getting excited for that race!

~ Felice

PS: RunToTheFinish is having a salsa giveaway. Check it out here!