Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Seven

Welcome to Week Seven of our journey to the Portland Marathon! If you have just discovered this Hub, then let me bring you up to speed. My sister and I are training for our first marathon in October 2008. The Portland Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, October 5, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. It is considered to be one of the best marathons for first-timers, as well as an iPod-friendly event, for runners that enjoy racing "plugged in." Here is a history of our progress so far:

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week One

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Two

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Three

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Four

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Five

Training for the Portland Marathon - Week Six

I've been running since college (over 20 years), and my sister Jeanette just started the sport last fall. Both of us have been training consistently over the past 2 months, logging miles and following a marathon training schedule. Jeanette also has been working out with a Team-in-Training coach, who has offered us some invaluable tips!

This week, we are focusing on injury prevention. When you are putting in a lot of miles, there is always a danger of getting hurt, no matter your age or the shape you're in. Runners often stretch their muscles to help keep them supple and to prevent strains. In addition, joints such as knees and ankles can become stressed or injured if you are not careful. Making sure you have the right footwear (shoes and/or inserts) is crucial. This can be accomplished in many situations by going to a reputable sports store for proper fitting and gait analysis. Also be sure not to overtrain. If you are not a runner, don't expect to start putting in 4-6 miles per day. Even if you regularly run, putting in too many miles too quickly is not wise. You'll end up on the sidelines faster than you can say "personal record," if you're not careful. If and when injury occurs, be sure to see a physician who can properly diagnose and treat your symptoms. Check out the box to the right to see what the most common injuries are.

Two of the most obvious things you can do with many of the common injuries is to take ibuprofen (brand name Advil) and to ice the injury. Elevation (above the heart) and rest also help tremendously. Of course, any injury should be diagnosed and treated by a physician. Do not attempt to self-diagnose on the Internet.

Stretching for runners is a personal exercise. Some do it religiously. Others, not so much. But to keep your muscles taut and limber, some kind of stretching is advised, particularly if you are a regular athlete. Oftentimes, runners will run a short distance (1-2 miles) and then stretch when their muscles are warm and more receptive to stretching. When you are running a race, stretching beforehand is required because there will not be enough time to get it in later. You may see some people running to warm up before a race even starts. Of course, after a run or a race, stretching may help with muscle recovery. Lactic acid build-up may occur, which may leave you stiff and sore. Careful, long, deliberate stretches after a run may help prevent injuries over time.

I will be honest that stretching has not been a regular part of my routine. But as I put in more miles, I am discovering that stretching is not a "waste of time," that simply adds minutes onto my exercise routine. Instead, it is a critical part of making sure that I stay healthy enough to run 26.2 miles in just over a month. My recovery times are shorter and I am feeling better, particularly during long runs. So, I advise you to become a convert, if you do not already take the time to strech before or during a run!

Now its time to turn to our running logs, to see our progress in the past week:

Sunday 8/10- Today, I ran my first half-marathon!! Whew! It was out at Shevlin Park, in Bend, Oregon, the location of a forest fire about 15 years ago. The course was steep, requiring us to run up 1500 feet (the better part of a mile). There were times when I felt like I was running up a mountain! Of course, it was a lot slower than a regular run. At 5.3 miles, I gasped (the second aid station). I could have sworn we were at least 7 miles in. Same thing when we got to the third station at 7.8 miles. Nonetheless, I finished in a very respectable 2 hours, 13 minutes (and 1 second, to be precise!) I finished 175 in about 375 entrants. I didn't place for my age division, nor would I have placed in the 40-44 year old group. They all finished under 2 hours! However, I noticed that several of the younger girls in the age 20s groups finished slower than me! I received a finisher's medal and a cap. When I got home, I took a shower and saw that my second toe on my right foot was purple on the top. I got cleaned up, did a little bit of work on the computer and then promptly laid down for a nap. I was exhausted! :-) Now, I feel good. My calves are a little tight, but other than that, we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Monday 8/11 - I am feeling great this morning! Well rested and not sore. I'm bringing my running stuff to the office today so I can get out around noon for about a 5 mile loop. Ordinarily, I would take the day off, but we're heading back up to Seattle this week with the kids and I think I'd better save a "day off" just in case. So... I just did my run today. I should have run a lot earlier. It was hot by 2:45!! I wanted to run 5 miles, but only made it 4.8. I was definitely feeling tired after the half-marathon yesterday. I may have done better if I had run in the cooler morning, but I can only guess. I double-checked the results from the race yesterday... I tied for 15th place in my division, out of 50 entrants! Not bad for my first big race!

Tuesday 8/12 -I ended up taking the day off today. A good idea as my body needed the rest after the run on Sunday. I had a 2-hour meeting for Bend 2030 in the morning from 8-10. Then, a lunch meeting at the office, then another 1:30 meeting. Just no time to get a run in during the day. By "closing time," it was 90 degees outside and I still needed to pack Matt and Joe for our trip to Seattle. Unfortunately, it will be delayed until Thursday morning, but I still need to finish getting organized. I have to be at the TV studio for a brief taping at 6:20 a.m. Early, early early!!!

Wednesday 8/13 -Woke up extra early today (good practice for tomorrow morning) and got ready to run outside. I was revved up for some reason. I forgot to mention that I finally got my iPod, which I used for the first time during the 1/2 marathon on Sunday. It definitely helps to run to the beat! Also, I bought another pair of shoes at the Nike outlet at the Oregon Coast - the shoes in which you put the running iPod that "talks" to the wristband. I figured that the little sensor was not staying flat enough attached to my other shoes and that was screwing up the synchro. The shoes were cheaper than investing in a Garmin.... (LOL). It worked!! Just slightly off on Sunday - I ran 13.1 miles and it said that I ran 12.5 miles, so I adjusted the data. I used it on Monday to run 4.8 miles, and then today, I did my regular 6.3 mile loop and guess what.... it is actually a little over 6.5 miles!! Wow! Even better, I now have reliable data on my pace. Today, I clipped along at an 8:37 pace! Tomorrow, I will have another day off. So, watch out Jeanette. Friday morning, I could be speedy again. *grin* Of course, I did down the Coffee Rockstar this morning too!

Thursday 8/14 -So today, I made my TV debut in Central Oregon. At the early morning hour of 6:20, I arrived at the BendBroadband studios for a taping of Good Morning Central Oregon with Kristie Miller. Of course, there is no way any human would have squeezed in a run before that. And afterwards, I hustled home to get the kids in the car and head up to Washington for a visit with the cousins. More than 6 hours later.... around 2:30 p.m. - we arrived at the pool. Hot and humid in Washington State! Afterwards, we headed back to Jeanette and Kurt's house for a big celebration for my niece, Hailey's, 3rd birthday. We quaffed a few and called it a night.

Friday 8/15 -The next morning, Jeanette and I vowed to set out bright and early before the sun got too hot. Seattle is in the midst of a heat wave and the humidity was high, as well. Out the door around 7:15 or so, we thought we would be OK. Nope..... It was a slow, sloggish run and we both had to stop to go to the bathroom. A bit too much partying the night before, I guess. Or just a bad day. Or both. LOL.... I think we ended around 6 miles.

Saturday 8/16 - My dad convinced us to head down to the Lake House in Olympia for a day on the water to cool down. I took my 4 kids, and Jeanette's oldest son, Brandon. Leslie and her 5-year old, Jackson came along, as well as baby Charlie. It was a fun day, playing outside and getting plenty of sunshine. That - after all - was the major point of my trip. We drove back in the late evening after KFC for dinner on the deck. I didn't get another run in today, but it was a busy week, and I did run the half-marathon on Sunday after all!

Stephanie's Week Seven Grand Total: 30.2 miles

Sunday 8/10 - So, we packed up our gear, the kids and the dogs and headed home today. Once home, I headed straight inside to catch up on some work. Between all the fun with Stephanie in town and the camping last week, I have gotten way behind in some of my work projects. Of course, everything took longer than I planned. By 6:45 I was finally ready to head out for my long run. Several months back, I ran a route I wanted to try again today. I headed out from my house, down Merrimount Hill, and then around West Mercer and East Mercer Way. I headed back up Gallagher Hill (it's a killer) and to my house. The last time I ran it I didn't have my Garmin, so I had to estimate the mileage. Today I calculated it precisely at 10.33 miles. I was aiming for 10, so that's great. I ran it in 97 minutes (so a decent 9.4 minute mile). Certainly not a half-marathon, but fairly decent for a Sunday evening...

Monday 8/11 - Following my schedule, I took today off. Kurt is taking the week off for "vacation", so we spent the day working around the house. I did a whole house clean -- it needed it! I'm on the board of Brandon's preschool, and the whole board is coming over for our monthly meeting tonight. The meeting concluded around 8:30 p.m. and then I had a couple hours of work to finish, so I didn't really have much time for a run today.

Tuesday 8/12 - Today I have a full-day CLE, so I'll have to go for an evening run when I get home. This is probably for the best, as it's sunny and hot outside. The forecast for the week is hot, hot, hot, so Stephanie and I will have to get up early for our runs when she's here! So, I ran this evening after my class. It actually clouded up a bit, so it was nice and a bit cooler. I ran from my house, down the Shoreclub Drive to East Mercer/West Mercer to my parents house. A tidy 5.95 miles in 53 minutes (over 6 miles if you count the huge hill up to their house). I changed the settings on my Garmin to show average pace, which was really helpful. It kept me super motivated and I finished with a 8:59 minute/mile. Smokin' for me! But I was also huffing and puffing...I couldn't have chatted with Stephanie during this run!

Wednesday 8/13 - Today was a busy, hot day in Seattle. Tomorrow is Hailey's third birthday and we're having a big party here Sunday for her, so I spent the day running to the party store and getting her a few gifts. Of course, we squeezed in a trip to Red Robin with one of my best friends, who's daughter turned three yesterday. The girls had a ball getting their sundaes and having everyone sing to them! I also had a hair appointment late in the afternoon, so the day was really shot. I was tempted to nix my run by the time I got home, but set out at 8:30 p.m. like a good little runner. It ended up being a great decision -- it had finally cooled down enough to run. I got in 5 miles with an average pace of 9:02. Steph and I may be forced to do this again tomorrow night, since she won't arrive until afternoon when it's 90 degrees!

Thursday 8/14 - I'm glad I ran yesterday, because today it was just too hot and too busy to get my run in. Between Hailey's birthday, spending the day at the pool to keep cool, and Stephanie and the kids arriving into town, the day was packed! We had a busy day with all eight of the cousins playing at the pool, then a BBQ at our house with cake and presents for Hailey's birthday. And lots of wine for the grownups!

Friday 8/15 - The Seattle forecast for today was for the temperature to hit 96+ degrees. As Seattle is surrounded by water, this makes for a fairly humid day. To beat the heat, Stephanie and I got up early and headed out for a 6 mile run at 7:30 a.m. We ran to the southend of Mercer Island (made a potty stop at Starbucks) and continued on down to West Mercer Way and back to my house. West Mercer Way is a road that circles Mercer Island -- it's very hilly and curvy. We were both a bit slower than normal (our average pace was 9:35) and we were definitely feeling the effects of the heat and the wine! But we still finished the 6 mile run and vowed to swear off the booze tonight!

Saturday 8/16 - With another hot, busy day in Seattle, neither Stephanie nor I was able to get a run in today. I zipped over to the Foot Zone this afternoon to talk to them about my toenails and the problems I was having with my 10+ mile runs. They checked my shoes and suspected that the issue was that I needed one size up. Of course, they wouldn't exchange my shoes (despite the fact that they fitted me and recommended these shoes) because it had been more than 1 month since I bought the shoes. So, I left in a huff vowing not to give them my future business. I came home, read up on all the reviews of the new Brooks, Asics, and other good running shoes, and bought a nice new pair online. They'll be here shortly and I can test them out then. After the sun went down, Kurt and I took Hailey out for a quick 4 mile walk. A little bit of cross-training I guess....

Jeanette's Week Seven Grand Total: 31.33 (counting my 4 mile walk)