Long Run Around the Lakes: My Feet Are So Wet!

Plan: Run 18 miles.  Don't look at the watch.  Take a salt tab every 5 miles. 
Actual Mileage: 18.77 miles.  How happy am I that I didn't check the mileage too much before hand?

Route: I went down to the creek, then up one side of Harriet, Bde Maka Ska, and Lake of the Isles, before heading back down the other side of said lakes, and then on the way back I took Lyndale up to 50th so I could run up and down the big hill there, before heading back along the creek and then back home.

Weather: This was one of those "weather channel says it's not going to rain" days.  For similar days see walking with the Dungeon Master and snow running.
It was 48* and raining when I left.  It was supposed to stop raining not long into this run.  What actually happened was it rained almost the entire run, and the winds out of the south were noticeable in the back half of the run.
There were lots of puddles, particularly at Isles and the path was flooded at one place along the creek (bike path flooded, human path kind of also flooded but sort of passable).  So, my feet got soaked.  As did the rest of me.

Wardrobe:  I wore a newer pair of shoes, Merrells that are the same model as an older pair I've worn and loved.  I wore shorts, a tech shirt, nathan race vest, wool socks, and a hat.  Not sure if the wool socks or the hat were more crucial today.  Both seemed pretty important for running in the rain.

Execution: So, here's an important thought process to know about: I'd been reading old blog posts about marathon training, and the speed at which I trained vs the speed I'd finish the marathon was much closer.  Today I was all "maybe I can push a bit?" So, I was faster than some of my previous long runs, but not super fast.  What is my race pace supposed to be?

Nutrition: I started with 3/4 of salted avocado before heading out.
During the run I took a chew every few miles, and I had a salt tab every five miles.  I also had one flask filled with water and one filled with half juice and half water.  So, there's some new stuff going on with nutrition.  I feel much better than I did last week.  Not sure how much of that was my brain calming down, and how much was actually getting the right electrolytes.  I'll take it, either way.
From today, I learned: I'm glad I pushed a bit harder on this run. I learned to stop listening to my head and start listening to my body a little bit. I also reached out to my coach, saying 'we've got to talk about a a run/walk plan for race day' becuase I know how I'm feeling after 18, and I know I want to start this race slow.
Bonus: I think I pulled something trying to take off my wet sports bra. Sigh.

Saturday Long Run: Here I am at the River. Again.

Plan: 17 miles, don't look at the watch.
Actual Mileage: 17.01 miles. 

Route: I actually started at home for this one.  The sidewalks have cleared enough for me not to have to worry about ice.
By Lake Hiawatha
Along the creek
Run the Ford/Franklin loop along the river
Run just a little extra distance on the St Paul side to make the mileage work. 
Run back along the creek
See Lake Hiawatha again
Go home.

Weather: The weather sucked.  Actually, it truly blew.
It was around 30* and 20mph winds out of the north, west, really they felt like they were coming from every direction.  I told my coach that I thought the wind was trying to knock me down.  I embraced my inner Des Linden trying to get through this.

Wardrobe:
Shoes: I wore my Prios.  Though I love them I've come to the conclusion they should not be my race day shoes.  Sigh.
Pants: Nike sweat pants
Top: Short sleeve shirt, jacket
Other: Nathan running vest, ball cap.
I was hot when running on the St Paul side of the river heading south.  Any time I was heading north or west, I was cold and wished I'd had long sleeves on under the jacket.

Execution: I mean, it's done?  I listened to Becoming again on this run.  I'm now to where the family has moved to DC and President Obama is being inaugurated.  It was good I had this book to distract me.
Dungeon Master called me at the end of the run as I was cooling down and agreed to come fetch me and take me to food.  Thank you!

Nutrition: Apparently, there's work still to do here.  I think I need to carry salt tabs, and you know, take them.  I had half a salted avocado before I left, and one gummy chew every few miles.  I drank water whenever I wanted.
From today, I learned: These shoes are not made for the marathon.  Sigh.
Bonus: Well, I'm starting to freak out and have bad thoughts about how slow I run and how race day will go. That's not really a bonus but I want to be honest that it's happening.

Long Run Sunday - Lake Harriet

Plan: Run 12 miles around the river.
Run to and around Lake Harriet!
Actual Mileage: 11.5 miles, and I'm okay with it.

Route: Down to the creek, along the creek, around Lake Harriet, back along the creek, up through Tangletown and down that super fun hill, then back home.

Weather: Started in the high 30s and ended in the mid 40s.  Cloudy and humid.  Very little wind. 

Wardrobe:
Shoes: Trail Crushers.  I finally just bought another pair of these, so I can run the marathon in a pair that does not have 500 miles on them.
Pants: Asics running pants.
Top: Short sleeve shirt, and a quarter zip that I had on for about a mile.
Other: Nathan racing vest; turns out there's enough storage to hold a quarter zip in there. And a buff on my head.

Execution: I'd headed out my door planning to run over to the river.  But I got about four steps and was all "I bet it's clear to Harriet and back, that'd be fun" I didn't look at my watch too much, just plodded along and had a nice time.
Nutrition: This run was fasted.  I am starting to think about actually doing the low carb or whole30 thing again, up until race day.  That will help the weight situation and also help dial in nutrition.
From today, I learned: Hills are getting more fun, and that is not a thing I thought I'd ever say.
Bonus: Did I tell you I ran in short sleeves!

Sunday Long Run: It's Cold Outside

Plan: Run 8 Miles.  Avoid frostbite.
Actual Mileage: 8.05 Miles

Route: This is my route into St Paul and back.  I haven't run it in quite some time.  Strava says not since January of 2017. 

Weather: Started around 18*, got up to mid 20s.  I literally had icicles in my hair.

Wardrobe: Running shorts, Brooks Running Pants, Wool socks, Wool under shirt, t-shirt, Blue Jacket, Altra Lone Peak shoes

Execution: I didn't feel good, but I was surprised at how 'not bad' I felt. It's just never going to feel good to wake up and walk out into the cold for a run, but I really didn't feel that crappy.  I didn't look at my watch, went totally by feel, took it slow on the hills, and actually had a nice time.  I haven't looked at my watch/splits yet.

Nutrition: I had a couple of gummy chews before the run.  I know, but it's what I wanted.  As I type this, I'm waiting for coffee to brew and heat me up.  Also, I'm waiting for my electric blanket to warm up.

From today, I learned: Listen to my body; it knows what it's doing.  Also, I can get away with crappy nutrition and not eating on an 8 mile run, but I'm going to have to turn it around soon for the longer runs I think.

Bonus: I took some pictures to send to my favorite people in Kentucky to see if the recognize the sites.  Before and After?

Hanging with the family part 2: The Boys Come to Town

Friday Night:  I left my house to pick up tacos.  The crew was gathering luggage and heading to hotel.  I came out of the tacos restaurant and it was raining sideways.  Then I had to drive a mile out of the way due to 35W construction.  So we've started off in a fairly Minnesota way.  I did have fun hanging out with everyone though.
Only in MN: Our own "taco tour" or Lake Street, and the adults had a Surly or two in the hotel lobby.

Saturday

Morning in the rain: Mall of America.  We surveyed the go carts and the rides and ultimately hit up Lego Land before abandoning.
Morning in the mostly not rain: Lock and Dam 1.  There are vary levels of comfort with being up really high in this group, so we all took this at our own speed.
Lunch: Punch Pizza

Afternoon: (the rain may have stopped, we are unsure)  Explored St Anthony Falls Visitor Center and the Upper St Anthony Falls Lock and Dam.  (Lower falls is still working and a bit harder less visitor friendly.)  Then we poked around Mill Ruins Park.
Quiet Time: We all took naps or "read" with our eyes closed.

Late afternoon: We poked around Minnehaha Falls Park until it became clear someone would go in the creek if we weren't careful.
Supper: Peppers and Fries is one of my favorite local burger joints.  We did the thing.
MOA again: The boys played laser tag.  Their Mom and I wandered the mall and visited.
Bed: I had a nightmare that I was late picking everyone up the next day.
Only in MN:  Mall of America.  Also, learning Dakota words like "Minnehaha" (it means falling waters).

Sunday
Pick up: 8:20am.

Morning: The hotel was by MOA, so we took the Blue Line downtown. We found the Mary Tyler Moore statue, though none of us remember the television show.  Breakfast was at Hell's Kitchen and we got to sit in the Far Side Room.  This is not related to the crazy chef on TV.
Part 2 of the morning was walking across the Loring Greenway and Loring Park to the Sculpture Garden.  There were varying levels of interest.  It was starting to really heat up at this point.  So we got on the bus and headed off to baseball.

Afternoon: We saw a Twins game, including what may have been my first in person grand slam.  (It was the good guys who got the grand slam.)   This is only my second time visiting the Twins Stadium.  Big Cousin has been there both times. After the game, we all had quiet time and several of us got to take showers.  I was hot and gross and I do want my family to continue to enjoy my company.

Evening: Tiny Diner was actually a request of Big Cousin and he remembered it from last time.  We had cheese curds as an appetizer. Then we went back to the hotel and the boys swam while the grown ups hung out.
Only in MN: Mary Tyler Moore.  Spoon Bridge and Cherry. Twins Territory!  And Cheese Curds.

Sunday Long Run

Plan: Get back in plenty of time to see Mom and Dad off.  No joke; this was the most important part of the day.  Secondary goal was to keep at or below MAF pace, but not super far below my MAF heart rate.

Route: I need to enjoy the 40th street pedestrian bridge before it gets taken down for 3 years or what will feel like 3 years, I'm sure.  So I headed west to Lake Harriet, around the lake, then followed the creek back home.  This route has some hills, which will be good for 10 miler.

Weather: Cloudy and cool.  I was okay with the clouds this morning, though they didn't make sunrise as dramatic as I'd hoped.
Wardrobe: 2xu shorts; an illuminite shirt since I left at 4:45am when it was still dark, and Merrell Trail crusher shoes, and a hat.
 

Execution: Win for both my A goal of getting back early, and my B goal of keeping things at/under MAF but not super easy.  I was back my 7am, and done stretching and inside by 7:10am.  (8:26am departure).  Avg HR 135, Avg pace 14:00/mile, including some hills and stopping to take pictures.
Nutrition: I am still full from last night.  I didn't carry water or food.  I am sad for marathon training when things will change.

Bonus: This Blue Heron was super close to me, and completely not bothered by my company or picture taking.

Sunday Not So Long Run

Plan: Totally didn't have one.  I woke up around 9am and went to the Farmer Market.  And had all of the thoughts:

• I was sick yesterday, do a shorter run today and swap mileage for later in the week.
• Then after the farmer market: It's still cool out, just go run, do your 4 mile for Tuesday
• Then: Oh no, Tuesday I have friends after work and an 8:30am meeting.  I don't want to do a long run that early in the morning.
• Then: Maybe you can do 6 today.
• Then: Maybe 7? Lake Nokomis? 
• Then: I'm at the point in training where I don't have to go 10 because I'm not worried about being able to go that far, now it's just keeping up the fitness... 
• By the time I was actually running, I decided I could do 8 no problem without food or water and I was basically right.

Route: This was also largely undecided when I headed out, but wound up being along Minnehaha Creek almost the whole way.  I had to cross paths with the Minneapolis Bike Tour twice which was fine. Ask me about the up hill at the end.

Weather: Low 50s when I started, high 50s or 60 when I wrapped up. A bit of wind from the west which felt good.

Wardrobe: Reflective shorts, short sleeve shirt, pink Altra shoes

Execution: I turned off my beeping watch around mile 4 because it was pissing me off.  This was mostly at MAF, and a solid run.  This was also a music assisted run.  I decided if I was going to run with music on race day, I should practice which ear buds etc at least once before hand.

Nutrition: I had a hard boiled egg before the run, carried no food and no water.  Lovely cup of coffee after the run was heaven.

Bonus: I bumped into a girl I went to social work school with at Lake Hiawatha.  We're neighbors apparently.

Long Run Sunday - Creeks and Lakes and Greenway. Oh my!

Plan: Run at least 12 miles.  Try to keep the heart rate low, but if it sucks just try to run.

Route: I headed down along the creek to Lakes Harriet and Calhoun, then back home along the Greenway.  Strava says I've done this route one other time, and that was a faster run that this one.  Sigh.

Weather: Yes, let's talk about the weather for a minute.  Because, WTF?!? It was 35* when I started, but warmed up to about 50* for the finish (which I was expecting).  There is no snow here, though some of the walking trails are still covered in ice and/or puddles.  The lakes are still covered with ice. Sort of.  Outstate, several lakes have had cars go through.  In Minneapolis, ice houses are gone.  I saw one or two fishermen actually on the ice today and that was it.  Not sure if they are brave or foolish.

Wardrobe: Capris, short sleeve shirt and a quarter zip.  The quarter zip was almost too much by the end, but I was too tired to take it off.  And sunglasses.  Because the weather.  I did not take pictures because I feel like I have pictures of most of this route, and I have all of the selfies from the past few days being outside.

Execution: I started this run really doubting my ability to go a full 12 miles (which was silly, I know) so I started off extra slow and restrained.  And slow.  Yes, I really was running that whole time.  I keep looking at this run saying "I wish I was faster".  I should be saying, "you just ran 150 minutes with a Z2-3 HR, that's great!"  This is the part where it's very hard to keep my eye on the ball.

Nutrition: I had a bowl of yogurt with chia seeds and pumpkin seeds before I left.  I carried two 6oz bottles of water and a bag of chews with me.  I took chews at miles 6 and 8.  I took water at 4, 6, 8 and 10 which is also where the hills are.

Bonus: I saved a runner at Lake Harriet.  The lakes have bike trails and pedestrian trails.  In the winter only bike trails are plowed and they become shared trails.  With all the melting, the pedestrian trails look deceptively clear right now. I am not fooled.  Some other poor runner was though, and she wound up on a solid sheet of ice where the running trail should've been.  So she tried to climb up a short but steep bank to the bike trail.  She got most of the way up, and then I grabbed her and pulled her up the rest of the way, because she looked like she was going to fall back down.

Long Run Sunday: Winter at Lake Harriet

Plan: Go for a run, then go for a burger with my training buddy.  Go at least 8 miles.  Hills would be a bonus.

Route: Down, along the creek to Lake Harriet, and then back home along the bikeway. According to Strava, I have done this route before, but not often and it's been a while.

Weather: It was 15* and 5mph winds when I started, crazy sunny, and warmed up throughout the run. I wore

• Fleece lined tights
• Wool Socks+sock liners
• Long sleeve shirt
• 1/4 zip
• My new red sweatshirt
• Ear warmer band, gloves

Execution:  Once I started running I didn't look at my watch once.  I kept it slow, but apparently not too slow considering the heart rate. I did keep it mildly aggressive on the hills.  Even on 40th up to Park Ave.  I hate that hill.  But all my races this year have mighty hills.  I was proud of myself for getting this done, and even more proud of myself when I realized the actual mileage versus my goal.

Nutrition: I had a bowl of yogurt before I left for the run.  I didn't carry food or water with me.  That was okay,  but this is about the limit of not bringing food and water on a run.  I was crazy thirsty when I got back.

Bonus: Everyone else was out today too.  I saw walkers, runners, bikers, hockey, and broom ball.  I didn't even know we did the outside broom ball.