My third week of marathon training is complete, and last week I actually stuck to the schedule. I am trying to follow Hal Higdon’s Advanced 1 plan. It is an 18-week plan, and I know it may be a bit ambitious considering the fact that I have not run a marathon yet. One thing that drew me to this plan is that it involves speed workouts. There are workouts such as tempo runs, hills, and 800s. Higdon’s other plans do not incorporate these kinds of workouts, but I am used to doing similar workouts and enjoy the challenge. In the past, I’ve been used to running around 4 days a week, 5 maximum. This plan will have me running 6 days a week. I’ve avoided that much running in the past due to persistant shin pain. Now that I have the problem under control a bit more, I feel like I’m ready to try 6 days.

I have never been good about truly following a plan in the past, and I’m sure I’ll tweak this one as I go. I really am going to do my best to stick to it though. The first two weeks of the plan were altered a bit due to triathlons each weekend. Of course I decided to start doing triathlons as I began marathon training…great timing. There is no cross-training built into this plan, so I’ll squeeze it in where I can. If I feel like my shins or something else may be a problem, I may take Mondays off of running. I’ll see how it goes!

This past week I was on vacation, which was nice because it meant all of my runs were done in the morning. I typically run in the late afternoon or evening during the week, and it can be brutal with the heat and humidity some days. Matt was on vacation too, so we ran together 5 out of 6 days. Here’s what last week looked like:

Monday: A slow and easy 3 miles on the Paint Creek Trail the day after my sprint triathlon.

Tuesday: 4 x 800 workout, 6.5 miles total. I haven’t been on a track for months and Matt and I decided to do this workout there. I’m glad we did because I tend to go a lot faster on the track. I thought only 4 repeats seemed kind of wimpy, but not at the pace we did! Matt paced me and helped push me. I figured I’d try for a 7-minute pace, but I managed to pull off more like 6:30-6:40 thanks to him!

Wednesday: 45 minutes of strength training followed by 3 miles on the trail.

Thursday: 6 miles at Stony Creek Metropark. It was warm and humid by the time we got out, but I managed to get through this better than I thought I would.

Stony Creek Metropark

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 6 miles in downtown Cleveland. This was supposed to be a pace run. I ended up hitting the pace overall, but we stopped a bunch of times to take photos. We went to the Tigers / Indians game the night before and took advantage of being able to run in the city the following morning. I love having a change of scenery and it’s fun to run through downtown areas early in the morning. We made a point of running by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the stadium where the Cleveland Browns play.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Running down by the water

A good chunk of our run went by a small airport

Sunday: 8 miles on the Polly Ann Trail. My legs did not feel great before this run, so I worried that it could be ugly. Once I got moving, I felt totally fine. It rained for the whole run which was nice in a way because it kept me cooler. It was kind of a relief compared to some of the warm runs I’ve done recently.

Total for the week: 32.5 miles.

I only did strength training once, and did not bike or swim at all. Vacation kind of threw me off of my normal workout schedule, but I managed to actually follow the Higdon plan for a full week without altering it. One thing I’m concerned about is my pace. According to the McMillan Running Calculator, I am capable of running a 3:35 marathon. This calculator has accurately nailed my 5K, 10K, and 25K times, so I do have faith in it. However, with this being my first marathon, I’m thinking my goal may be closer to 3:40 or 3:45. Of course the ultimate goal is to finish regardless of pace. 3:35 puts my marathon pace around 8:13, but I’m thinking possibly up to 8:25. I was supposed to run my 6 miles on Saturday at race pace, while the other runs (aside from the 800s) should have been at an easier pace. My marathon pace is what I typically run for any average run that doesn’t have a specific goal. I actually did that pace for my Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday runs too. I really have to work on slowing down. As my miles increase, I’m sure some of it will happen naturally. I need to make sure I don’t get hurt by overtraining and pushing the pace on days when I ought to be going slower. When I have 6 miles at pace next Saturday followed by 13 miles on Sunday, I’m sure that Sunday run will be slower!

– Janet

June 5th was National Running Day, and Matt and I were BOTH lucky enough to win free shoes from Merrell. On Twitter, they asked people to share how many miles they had run and gave shoes to 5 random responders. All we had to do was tweet and they gave us this awesome prize. What an awesome company. They surprised Matt by sending a pair of Mix Master Tuff shoes. We both have a different model of lightweight Mix Master trail shoes and love them. The Tuff model is a little bit heavier and more rugged. Instead of sending shoes to me, Merrell sent a certificate that allowed me to chose what I wanted. After seeing Matt’s shoes, I decided I wanted to try a pair as well. Merrell doesn’t make the Tuff for women though, so luckily they run just small enough in men’s sizes for me to order a pair. They came yesterday and I was anxious to go for a run to try them out.

Mix Master Tuff

The lugs on the bottom make them good for trails

I decided to try them this morning for an 8-mile run on the Polly Ann Trail. We had never been to the trail before but had talked about trying this rail-to-trail for a while. We started around Lake Orion and ran up to Oxford. The first 1.5 miles had the kind of surface we expected – small, crushed stones and dirt, which is similar to the surface of the Paint Creek Trail.

Polly Ann Trail

There was a stretch of about 1.75 miles that was paved, and these shoes did well on both surfaces. It rained throughout our whole run and the shoes were comfortable the whole time. I am always excited to try new shoes and I’m glad these seem to be a good addition to my collection. Now I just need to get out on the “real” trails to try them out.

In addition to new shoes, I also got a new bike last week. After doing two triathlons, I knew it was time to try something aside from my Schwinn mountain bike. It’s certainly not ideal for road racing. I don’t know much about bikes and wasn’t sure where to start. We went to a couple bike shops and I realized I didn’t feel comfortable on a road bike. The bike that felt the most comfortable for me is categorized as a “fitness” bike. It’s a Trek FX bike that has flat handlebars like I’m used to, but it has much thinner tires than my mountain bike and is good on the road.

My new bike

I’ve been a bit too busy this past week to give it a try, but I’m pretty excited about it. Hopefully I will notice quite an improvement in speed and I’ll feel like a speed demon the next time I race, haha.

– Janet

A week after my first triathlon, I was ready to try another. A sure sign that I’m getting hooked? Anyone Can Tri (June 30th) was another good one for beginners and was a regular sprint distance while my first one was a bit shorter. This one had a swim of 400 yards, 20K on the bike, and a 5K run. One thing that drew me to this race was a pool swim. I figured I’d maintain a better rhythm in the pool because I wouldn’t have to look up every few strokes to avoid crashing. I also heard that the area was very flat for the bike and run – bonus!

The race was held at Lake St. Clair Metropark, which is also known as Metro Beach. I’d never been there and was looking forward to checking out another metropark. All I knew about the place was that I often heard that the beach was closed due to E. coli. Good thing the swim was going to be in the pool! I had no idea there was such a big pool at the park.

A very nice pool at this park

Once again, Matt was willing to get up at the crack of dawn to come along. He took most of these awesome photos. We got to the park around 6:30 because the transition area was supposed to close around 7:30.

Possibly my last tri with the trusty old Schwinn?

I checked in then set my stuff up in the transition area. Unlike my first tri, this one had a ton of extra space on the racks and my bike wasn’t right on top of someone else’s.

A nice, spacious transition area

There was kind of a race meeting, but it was nowhere near as detailed as the one at my first race. We all gathered by the pool and they ran through who was going where and doing what – in addition to the triathlon there was a duathlon. They had the tri people line up in groups based on pace for the 400-yard swim. I figured I’d be around or just under 8 minutes, so I went with that group. Lanes were roped off with yellow flags, and we were to swim serpentine style – down one lane, duck under the flags and swim back down the next lane. The race started and the first person crossed the timing may and jumped in the pool. It was kind of weird to jump in like that and just go.

My turn to jump in!

Someone in my group had gone in the pool earlier and said it was really cloudy. As soon as I started, I understood. No crisp view down to the other end. Of course it was better than swimming in open water, but way cloudier than the pools I’m used to. Probably because this pool typically has a bunch of kids and needs to be loaded with chemicals! I realized halfway down the first length that I hadn’t started my Garmin yet, so I just started it late.

I figured I wouldn’t be able to pull off a flip turn and make it into the next lane without snagging the flags in the process. I saw someone else get tangled up and decided not to even attempt it. Soon, I didn’t have to worry about it because things got so congested it wasn’t an option anyway.

I may have made it through two or three lengths before things got crowded. Apparently staggering people 15 seconds wasn’t enough or people didn’t seed themselves right because a group of us got pretty bunched up. The lanes were wide enough to pass, but eventually people were swimming 2-wide in front and behind me and there was nowhere to go. I was at the mercy of the people in front of me, and people behind me were right on my feet as well.

The swim starting to get congested

I ended up swimming breaststroke at times so I could see where I was going and to prevent myself from hitting people’s feet with my hands. Several times I had to stop and kind of stand in line at the wall. It got too crowded to keep moving smoothly as people switched to the next lane. So much for the nice pool swim – it was kind of a disaster. At the end, we climbed out of the pool and ran over a timing mat as we left the pool area. It wasn’t far, and my pool split was 11:41. I knew I was capable of at least 8:00, so that tells you what a mess that swim was. Ugh! Luckily the rest of the race was much better.

Running from the pool to the transition area

I ran down the sidewalk to the transition area, where my split was 2:34. I struggled with my socks and was kind of slow. I took off on the bike for 2 loops down Metro Parkway. They closed the inside lane of the road for us which was nice. I glanced at my watch and realized something was off. It wasn’t in bike mode – I think it was in the second transition instead. I don’t remember what happened because I never think clearly during races, but I think there was possibly another timing mat as I went into the transition area. I think I hit my watch for T1 as I left the pool, started the bike on my watch as I actually entered T1, then it went to T2 as I started the bike. Who knows for sure, but I gave up on trying to track the bike on my watch. The route was totally flat which made it less of a struggle for me. I switched my bike to a lower gear at the end of the ride in hopes of having slightly fresher legs when I started the run. The bike took 47:05, or just under 16 mph.

Smiling because this bike ride was nice and flat!

T2 took 38 seconds, then I was off for the 5K. My legs did feel better than usual, though I felt it near my knees a bit. Maybe it also helped that I took two days off from running before this race. We ran down some sidewalks through the park, passing stuff like a big shuffleboard area and a playground.

Running past the pool during the 5K

We also ran on a very nice paved path along the water. I’m definitely interested in going back to this park for a long run now. In addition to the paths through the park, there’s a nice paved path along Metro Parkway that goes for miles.

Early on in the run, I realized my watch was still screwed up. It was tracking time, but not distance. I don’t know how I screwed up so bad. I’m glad signs were posted marking the miles, and I tried to pick it up at the very end.

Pushing it for the last 0.1

I finished the run in 23:00. That’s a minute off my 5K PR and I was pretty happy with that time. My final time was 1:24:56.

Tri #2 complete!

Race medal

There was a table with some fruit, bags of chips, and stuff like packages of cheese crackers. This race was all about getting people out to try a triathlon, so it was not competitive and there were not any awards. Once the transition area opened, people could leave. We waited long enough for the results to get posted then took off.

Following this race, I didn’t feel like it was as difficult as my first one. It was longer, but it was truly flat and it made a difference. Rather than just surviving the run, I had a good effort. My legs were a bit more sore afterwards though. I decided it was really time to get a new bike now that I know I’m going to stick with this. I don’t know how much the mountain bike has been holding me back, but I’m sure it’s a good amount.

After this race, I may be reluctant to sign up for a race with a pool swim again. That was such a mess. I also need to remember to start my watch and pay attention when I hit the transitions. I may consider another tri towards the end of July or in mid-August. The next step now is to master a new bike and step up that portion of my races!

– Janet

I’ve been toying with the idea of doing triathlons for a year or two but never built up the courage to actually do it until this summer. I did an indoor triathlon in March, and when I did really well I realized I should give it a try.

On June 22, I did my first real outdoor triathlon. I chose the First Try Triathlon because it sounded very beginner-friendly. I have the tendency to worry about logistics and lots of dumb stuff, so it helped ease my mind that most everyone else would be doing it for the first time as well. It was a “mini-sprint” that was just a little bit shorter than the typical sprint triathlon. The swim was 300 yards, the bike was 9 miles, and the run was 2 miles. This race was in Linden, MI – about an hour away from where we live. Check-in began at 6am, so we left the house around 5:30am…quite an early morning! Luckily my husband Matt was very supportive and willing to come along to support me and take photos. This post would have looked really boring without him. He got some great photos! By the way, see his blog at Faster Than a Turtle.

When we got there, I headed to the pavilion down by the beach for check-in.

Race t-shirt

After that, we headed back to the car to gather all of my gear to take to the transition area. By the time we got there, the bike racks were nearly full. Apparently I was too slow getting there. I managed to find a spot, but it was getting tight.

The transition area was pretty full!

I didn’t really know what I was doing – which direction to hang my bike on the rack, where to put all my stuff, etc. I looked for the super fancy tri bikes and figured those people knew what they were doing. After I got organized, I headed down to the beach. I hadn’t made a bathroom stop yet and of course there were long lines at the porta potties. Luckily I found a building with bathrooms down by the beach and the wait wasn’t long. The race meeting began at 7:30. I was thankful for that meeting because every step of the race was explained thoroughly. It was definitely beginner-friendly!

Everyone gathered for the race meeting

It was kind of cool to see people of all ages, sizes, and abilities. I was worried that I needed to have a wetsuit for the open water swim, but barely anyone had one. I had a 2-piece tri suit that I was trying for the very first time, but there were all different kinds of outfits too. Following the race meeting, a 3-piece band named Out of the Blue performed The National Anthem. Then it was time for the race to begin!

One thing I liked about this race was the wave start designed to help ease congestion. I had been really worried that there would be a lot of kicking and crashing in the water, but the wave start really helped prevent that. Various groups went off every 3 minutes, and I was with the females 30-39 about 12 minutes after the first group went. As our group went into the water, I realized it wasn’t that cold and I didn’t have to worry about the wetsuit so much. We had a few minutes in the water before they started our group. Then we were off!

My group starting the swim

I took off swimming right away and worked through a little bit of seaweed floating around in the shallow area. The trickiest part for me was that I couldn’t get into a good rhythm with my swim. I had never done an open water swim before and hadn’t really practiced “sighting.” The water was sandy and I couldn’t see anything, so I lifted my head every few strokes or so to figure out if I was on track. The buoys were huge and very visible, and kayakers were out to assist anyone who needed help.

The open water swim

From the shore, the swim looked really short – it was only 300 yards. At first it didn’t feel like it was so short, but I was at the halfway point before I knew it. I tried to keep the yellow rope holding the buoys in my sight so I wouldn’t have to look up so often. However, I realized I would probably crash into both a buoy and a kayaker if I stayed that close to the rope! I may have touched someone’s feet at one point, but there was no scratching or getting kicked in the face at this race…phew. I swam until my hands hit the sand, then I kind of jogged out of the water. I was done with the swim in 6 minutes which seemed way too short. From there, we had to run up a ton of stairs to get to the transition area in the parking lot. They had warned us in the race meeting not to book up the stairs and red-line before even starting the bulk of the race. I semi-jogged up the stairs, and most of the sand came off my feet along the way.

So many stairs!

The timed portion of the swim ended as we hit a timing mat on the way into the transition area. I was at 7:57 by that point, so obviously I didn’t get up those stairs too fast! In the transition area, I dried my feet and put my socks and running shoes on. No bike shoes for me yet. I wrestled my thick, wet ponytail through my bike helmet. I put my SPIbelt on that had my race bib attached to it, got my sunglasses on, then trotted with my bike to the bike mounting area. I knew I’d be slow in the transition, and it took me 2:17.

Trying (and failing) to be quick through transition #1

Then it was time for the bike. I usually bike a couple times a week, but know that it’s my weak point. I was using my good old Schwinn mountain bike that I bought at Meijer 8 or 9 years ago. Definitely no speed machine. I started out well enough, but I certainly felt even the slightest incline. As I passed one woman, she commented that it sure didn’t feel “pancake flat” like they told us! When I looked at my Garmin elevation map later, it sure didn’t look too hilly. It was a nice ride on the main roads which were not closed to traffic. We were spread out enough that it was easy to ride along the shoulder. There was a little bit of a climb as I approached the end of the ride, and it left me feeling winded. I jumped off my bike at the dismount line and finished the bike in 33:41 – around 16mph. Not too awful considering my mountain bike, which I am going to use as an excuse, haha.

I ran my bike through the transition area, racked it, swapped my helmet with a hat, grabbed my water bottle and took off. Only 51 seconds for that transition. Then it was time for the 2-mile run. I’ve done enough bike/run bricks to know that my legs feel extremely heavy when I start to run. I not only had to deal with that, but I was also totally winded from climbing the tiny hill at the end of the bike ride. My breathing was terrible and I struggled. However, I passed people here and there which helped me realize that everyone was probably feeling it and I was really doing okay. We went out on a paved path that climbed a little bit at the start, which sure didn’t help with the breathing problem. We reached a turnaround point by a soccer field, headed back and ran down a road, turned around there, then headed for a brief run through some trails. We finished up a grassy hill, where I managed to give a short kick at the end. I finished my run in 15:07, which is a bit slower than my 10K pace. Not great for me, but not too bad considering how bad I felt! At the end, Matt was there cheering me on and taking photos.

At the end of my bike and run portions of the race. A cool collage Matt made.

I had finished my first triathlon!

I did it!

My medal

Following the race, I got a bottle of water, some bread, a banana, and watermelon. The band from the beginning (Out of the Blue) was playing and sounded really good. This race had both the First Try race as well as a Fast Try race. The Fast Try was for more experienced people, and awards were given to the top people. The First Try was non-competitive. They did post results though, so of course I was curious to see how I did. I was second in my age group of women 30-39! I was 4th in my group for the swim, 5th for the bike, and 2nd for the run. It confirmed what I already knew – I’m a decent swimmer, okay biker, and the run is my strong point. I sure didn’t feel like a solid runner during this race though! My legs were so dead that I felt like I was just getting through the run and surviving it.

Since I didn’t have to wait for awards, I waited long enough for the transition area to open then I went to get my bike and other stuff. We took off after that, stopping to get Slurpees on the way home. They’re so good after a race.

This race was definitely a learning experience for me. For one thing, I don’t need to worry so much. Now that I’ve been through it, I have a better idea of what to expect. I realize having a wetsuit is no big deal and barely anyone used one. The water temperature was fine and I would have just wasted time trying to get out of the thing! I already knew this, but I need to work on my biking. It makes up more than half the race and I definitely do way more running than biking. Whenever I hit the slightest hill I told myself that I sucked on the bike. I’m hoping a better bike will help at least a little bit. I learned that even though the run is my strong point, I’m probably not setting any running PRs after all that biking and I need to accept that my pace will probably be slower. I also learned that I can definitely pull this off and I’m ready to try another!

– Janet

Welcome to my blog! I’ve thought about creating a blog for a while now, but hesitated because I wasn’t sure I really wanted to put myself out there, wondered who would bother reading it, and wondered how I’d have time when I never seem to have enough to do other things as it is. After completing my first triathlon, runner/Twitter friend Alexis (see her blog Get2Fit2Quit) said I ought to start blogging to share my training and experiences. That made me start thinking about it even more. I realized that as I begin training for my first marathon and venture into the world of triathlons, it’s probably the perfect time to start.

October 20th will be the date of my first marathon!

I know that I enjoy reading blogs that discuss training and race experiences, so hopefully at least a handful of people will find mine to be interesting as well. I have two short triathlons under my belt now and plan to write posts about both of those races soon.

After my first triathlon.

Since this is about all I’ve got for now, feel free to check out my list of past races and/or the “about me” section that explains the beginnings of my running/racing career.

– Janet