The Pro's and Con's of Taper! ~~I'm in a taper slump!~~

 

Since Angie and I are training for a 50k and a Marathon this spring, we are at quite high mileage and h ave been training since Christmas.  We are also going to do a birthday run for Angie tomorrow.  Being the lady that I am, I won't tell you how old she is going to be. . . . but I will reveal we have a 30 miler planned for the day!  Since we have a very long run planned for tomorrow, we have tapered over the last few weeks.  Last weekend our long run constisted of only 10 miles.  Our week day runs over the last week were only a 4, a 3 and a 2 miler.  In a sense, the two miler seems like a waste of clean running clothes!  Is working out for less than 20 minutes really working out?

 

Angie and I had to run our last few long runs solo as we both had some things going on which kept us from doing our runs together on the weekends.  When I ran my 10 miler last weekend I was tired and didn't really feel like running, so I just picked an out and back on a nice trail that we've been waiting to open up all winter.  The trailer is paved, so it is essentially road running, but it's fairly hilly which will be helpful for our 50k training.  Although it was simple and I didn't have to think about it, the run was challenging because of wind and hills.  I ran into the wind on the way out, so the way back was much more enjoyable.

 

 

 

Can you see the hill involved here?  It's a bit of a climb!  This is a portion of the route from a 1/2 marathon we did last year.



PRO'S:

I know taper is great for my body.  To force myslef to take it down a notch and allow for some recovery is essential in injury free long distance running.

 

Taper also means more quality time at home with our kiddos.  Since Angie and I are both full time working moms, we have learned to take advantage of the time we have with our kids.  Running does cut into that time on Saturdays, especially when we are at high mileage.  We are gone much longer!  

Secret Agent Jackson, protecting me through Hobby Lobby!

Jackson and his cousin Lydia swimming!

 

 

 

CON'S:
Althought I felt ready for a taper to free up some time and have a little bit of a break, I have been taken over by an enormous amount of exhaustion and inability to get myself motivated.  I have studying to do for a test at work and I had some free time this weekend (since I didn't run at all) and I could only manage to squeeze out about 2 hours of studying.  I find it terribly difficult to do anything but lay on the couch and watch crap tv. . . . not only do I feel tired and unmotivated, but then when I realize how unproductive I am, I feel even worse!!  I am a task oriented person, so when I do nothing, I feel awful.  Knowing that I did nothing yesterday or today I can hardly imagine running 30 miles tomorrow.

Today I'm exhausted from doing nothing. . . . . tomorrow I will be exhausted from running 30 miles.  I'd rather have he later of the two. . . .honestly!

Angie and I have been obsessing over the weather for tomorrow (not that we ever do that!), and it's supposed to be total crap. Cold, Snow, possible sprinkles and WINDY. WTF? I've just about had it with this weather. Back in January we thought there was NO way the weather would still be our biggest challenge in April.  Say a prayer to the running Gods for better than expected weather!  This is supposed to be a fun Birthday Run!

Proud of Mama's Race Medals "Mom, I winned!". . . . I took them away after this so they don't get broken before I get them hung up!

 

What do you find is the best and worst part of tapering?

 

If you know her. . . . wish Angie a Happy "30 mile" Birthday run!  I'm excited to spend many hours with my BRB. . . we haven't seen each other much so we have LOT'S to catch up on.  I'm exctied to get out of this taper slump and spend Angie's birthday together.



 

Happy Running

~Brooke~

22 Miles Of Hill Repeats (kind of!)

Finally..... Great weather for a long run!!!!  We had temps in the low 30's which felt like a heat wave.  Considering we had a weather forecast of snow and rain, this sunny low 30's was fabulous running weather.  Despite a little wind on part of the run, the weather was pretty darn perfect.  The only thing better than Friday's weather would be slightly warmer to wear shorts and tanks, but no complaints here!

Angie and I met between her place and mine and then drove out to the Kettle Moraine Forest.  We parked at the Ice Age Visitor Center in hopes of an open bathroom.  We got ready and set out for a nice run.  We planned on going out 5.5 miles and turning around, then stopping at our car and the visitor center for a bathroom and fuel break and then doing the same in a different direction.  We did have to use mother nature for one bathroom break a few miles in but after our first half, the visitor center was opened and we had a nice little break.  That strategy worked wonders on the mental part of running 22 miles.  The "out" part of the second half seemed the longest, but I think breaking the run up the way we did was an amazing way to conquer the miles!

We stopped here to look for some knock-off purses, but the vendors were still sleeping. . . . .

If you know anything about the Kettles, you know it's pretty much hill after hill.  This was one of the hillier routes we've run, especially this round of training.  Since we have our 50k trail run coming up and we haven't been able to actually get out on the trails, we figured this was the next best thing for training.  22 miles of practically all hill repeats.  We ran ALL over the place.  At one point, I saw this sign and thought. . . if we are just getting into Sheboygan County (where we live!), where the hell were we?

Angie was pretty excited to be running through a few counties. . . she even mustered up the energy for this leg lift!

 

 

Not to be outdone, I did a leg lift too, and almost got a cramp in my hip. . . . this didn't last long!

Shortly after we left Fond Du Lac County, we were close to our "turn around" point, but we were at the top of a hill.  Angie suggested (as I was about to) to just turn around at the top of the hill and not go back down the other side of the hill.  As you know, what goes down, must go up.  So, we cheated the hill and turned around.  We planned it so that we had a little bit of walking recovery at the end before we got back to our car, so this seemed like the logical plan.  BUT . . . . . when we neared the end of the 22 miles, we were on the last 1/4 mile completely UP HILL.  And not just a teeny tiny incline. . . it was a HILL.  And to top that off, I looked at my Garmin as we were almost complete and realized we were within about 45 seconds of finishing under 4 hours.  So, we sprinted the last 20-30 seconds, which doesn't sound long, but the last part of 22 miles is tough to sprint.  We finished with about 10 seconds to spare!  WHEW!

As you can see, it was fairly windy, luckily we had tree cover for much of the run.

Cheers!  Us crazy Mother Runners celebrated with a clank of our chocolate Milk Jugs after a 22 miler!

 

 

I brought along my "stick" to get as much muscle recovery as possible since we had about a 30 minute drive home so we each got a little recovery in and headed home.  Thank goodness for a great runners high, or I would have fallen asleep driving home.  22 miles of hills is exhausting, but that runners high just kept me going!  So exciting!  I even did some Target shopping Friday afternoon.  No wonder I crashed at 8:45 and didn't wake one time until the morning.  What a great workout!

Compression socks are a MUST for me after a long run! 

 

 

Friday's run was a challenge.  I actually felt really good yesterday.  My legs were slightly fatigued, but nothing compared to what I was expecting after a hilly long run.  I was hungry like I normally am post long run, but not terrible.  I can't say I'm ready for another super long run right now, but after a few weeks of recovery and shorter runs, I'll be ready for our next challenge.

Angie and I agreed this was a great way to change up our routes.  We have been running together for over 2 years now so we have done quite a few course repeats.  It's exciting to have some new routes to keep us occupied.  Although, this route takes up much of our day due to driving further, it was worth it on a Friday!

What do you do after a long run to ensure better recovery?  It's foam rolling & compression socks for me! (and usually a good snack!)

Hopefully everybody is getting a lot more "enjoyable" running in now that the weather is getting better!

Happy Running!

~Brooke~

20 and 20

 



As we all know (at least us mid-westerners), this winter has been the toughest in history of the world...... . . well, for as long as I can remember anyway.  Last year Angie started training for our spring marathon a few months before me so she was running all winter and I picked up in March.  Neither of us ran one single mile on the treadmill for our spring marathon.  I didn't even have mine set up last year.  This year, we started earlier since we have a 50k coming up and we have both spent way more time on the treadmill than I ever thought possible.

 

 

It's March and we are still dipping into frigid cold temperatures. . . . . . .

 



Last weekend, Angie and I switched our long run to Sunday due to scheduling conflicts.  It worked out just fine.  The weather was equally as bad every day, so holding off until Sunday was no big deal.  The problem was, we were scheduled for a 20 and the temps were about -15 with the wind chill.  We were going to just "toughen up" and get it in, but when we woke up and saw the temps that cold, we realized that was never going to happen for 20 miles.  Not safe, not fun.  This running stuff is supposed to be enjoyable. . . right?  Not at -15 degrees.  So. . . next best thing?  Treadmills at work, together.  We just set up shop in our fitness center at work and ran 20 miles next to each other. 

TV on mute for something to look at, a few fans & my BRB to make 20 miles possible on the TM.

The most I ran on a treadmill up to this point had been 10. . . . and for Angie it was 7.  I would say 20 miles on a treadmill certainly gave us more mental strength.  Many days it's tough to imagine running 5 miles, let alone 20 on a treadmill.  The treadmills at work stop after 60 minutes (there is a reason for that!  You should NEVER have to run more than an hour on the treadmill!), so we did our run in 60 minute increments.  I just stopped after 6 miles, took my break to refill water and then hopped right back on.  The last round for me was only 2 miles. . . and it was torture.  Angie was done because she came in a bit before me to get a head start. . . . she was worried about not keeping up with me on the treadmill, so she finished quite a bit before me.  I made her tell me any story she could think of when she was done to occupy the time!  It was tough, but we did it!

I took my little buddy on a lunch date the other day. . . . he was people watching here. . . can't say I blame him!

 

 

Yesterday, Angie and I met at her house to get another 20 miler in.  Since we didn't end up getting  20 in the previous weekend and we only ended up finishing 12, we had two 20 milers back to back.  Normally, we run on Saturdays, but since our last run fell on a Sunday and this long run fell on a Friday we had less time to recover.  We also both ran on Thursday which we normally don't do before a long run.  I guess it's great 50k training since we will be really going further and having far more difficult terrain than the treadmill or even road running. 

 

The 20 yesterday were  difficult despite awesome weather (above zero!).  It was 30 degrees out.  We had a few miles in the wind which was uncomfortable, but the rest was pretty awesome.  It was so nice to be able to hydrate.  I drank about 20x more than I have for any run recently because my water and Gatorade never froze!  It really makes me think about how poorly I was hydrated for all of our long runs this winter.

 

This is what happens after a 20 miler, unless I fuel properly throughout the run!

 

 

I will say, I fueled far better yesterday than I did the week prior.  Our run yesterday was more technical, of course because we weren't on a flat treadmill.  The extra effort results in more calories burned, which results in more Runchies!  We both consumed around 600 calories while we ran yesterday, which is a lot!  We burned approximately 1600 calories (rough estimate as I didn't wear my heart rate monitor).  I'm usually have the appetite of a 16 year old boy after a long run, but I did pretty good yesterday.  I had a couple pieces of pizza for lunch and cereal for dinner with no snacking!  (Weird)  --I'm feeling the effects today and having some rebound hunger!  

 

 

 

I hope this is a step in the right direction of better weather.  Hopefully we can start getting some better outdoor running done without 3 layers of clothes, hats, gloves, trax, and hand warmers.  I'm so excited to run outdoors with shorts and a tank on.  Soon .   . . . very soon!

 

Question: What is your favorite post long-run "treat?"  Mine is pizza!  Jacks Natural Risers -Pepperoni. . . . .  I'm drooling thinking of it! :)

 

Enjoy the rising temps. . . . and outdoor running!  I know I will!

 

Happy Running!

~Brooke~

 



 



Planned for 20 but pleased with 12



Reporting back on our  "dreaded 18 miles" two weeks ago; It actually went pretty good.  Sorry that I've been super busy and too swamped to let you know how it went.  Angie and I decided that given the wind, a point-to-point run was better than trying to run out and back, or a large circle mainly on open country roads.  So, wind at our back it was!  Angie (the funny girl that she is) mentioned that she thought we were cheating by running with the wind at our back most of the run!  Ummmm... Running 18 miles in 5 degree weather w/ negative temps due to the wind chill is NOT cheating. . . no matter what  you do! 

Our 18 miler, while not simple because it's still 18 miles went pretty well, we are still facing terrible weather.  Angie and I agreed today that it's starting to decrease our "excitement" for running right now.  It's certainly not going to stop us, but it sure takes the joy out of something we love.  I'm glad we have had enough decent weather running experience to continuously remind ourselves why we are out running through this ridiculously cold winter.

I've been asking myself this a lot lately.







It seems that when I am leading up to a long run in bad weather, I obsess and stress about it.  After a night of tossing and turning along with running nightmares, we set out for another long run this  morning.  Our goal was 20 miles.  Only one other time have we cut our mileage short (planned the day of, or the day before --and that also was weather related).  Today, we headed out and ran into the wind, 30 mph winds mind you, for the first two  miles.  Before we even hit 1.5 we both said, 20 just isn't going to happen today!  Have you ever run directly into 30 mph winds?  If so, how far did you go?  It might have been one of the most miserable running experiences of my life.  Very seldom do we start a run without talking.  Usually, our silent miles are towards the end when we are completely exhausted and just need to finish.  When you start your run off in complete silence, you know it's just not the day for a 20 miler.

Normally, I would be disappointed with running 12 out of a planned 20 miler, but honestly, I feel great.  I feel like we pushed ourselves to get out and run on a day when cars were having difficulty because of high winds.  We went outside and ran when it would have been much nicer to watch TV with a hot cup of coffee and some trash TV (at least that is what I'd do with my time!)  I was extremely tired after 12 miles, which proves we had to put forth a ton of effort to get those miles in.  We also ran a lot of hills, so we certainly had a tough run and that contributed to my exhaustion.  If the forecast would have been better tomorrow or Sunday, we would have switched our plan, but the weather just is not cooperating right now.

Next week is a planned cut back week, and despite running 12 versus 20 today, we are going to stick to our plan of a cut back week next week.  We have some speed work planned for Sunday, so that will give us another challenge!  While running today, we discussed the concept of having to cut a run short.  Angie and I are both very dedicated individuals that stick to a plan at all costs.  We weren't disappointed today because we still had a tough workout and ran more than 1/2 of our intended miles despite awful conditions.  Not going out to run at all would have been failure, but we still did what we could without hurting ourselves.  We have plenty of time to be trained for the 50k and our first marathon, so a tough 12 today was certainly enough!

hahaha. .  love this!

 

 

 

Now, after an exhausting run, my weekend looks like this! Super fun!

 



 

Is anybody else getting burned out on winter running?  Honestly, I'm not sure how much more I can handle..... it's dumb!

~Brooke~

DREADING a run!

As you may have gathered. . .   . I'm obsessed with running.  I eat, sleep and breath running.  I love it.  I live it!  But once in a while I do dread running.  Lately, it's been a little more often.

Here is why:

You see that?  a little bit of wind and a LOT a bit of cold right when we'll be running tomorrow.

All the neat running gear, warm gloves, cool hats, trax on your shoes and cute outfits in the world can't make a run in negative temps fun.  Especially 18 miles of that.  I'm not going to lie. . . .I'm down right dreading our run tomorrow.  The only thing that I'm looking forward to is being done on Friday and not having to do it on Saturday.  I'm going to sleep in (aka 6am) and then drink my hot coffee and relax on Saturday morning.  I'm not going anywhere or doing anything.  That's the lazy side of me talking.  My lil sis & her baby Otto are coming for a visit. . . so we can stay inside and relax and watch crap tv all weekend.  I hope she doesn't mind!

Angie and I are very dedicated people.  When we decide on a goal, we both work so hard to reach that goal.  When we have a race scheduled and a training plan in place, we stick to it as close as possible.  It's quite rare that we would cut a couple miles off of a long run, or skip speed work, or miss cross training.  We are very goal oriented people (with the exception of keeping up with ab workouts for me!) and we have very high expectations of ourselves.  I will say though, that this weather is pushing my "I don't give a damn" feelings to the surface.  I'm so glad to have the Best Running Buddy ever to hold me accountable and suffer through the cold miles with me.  This awful cold winter should make spring and early summer running so easy.  At least, that is our hope.

Have you been good about sticking to your workout goals despite this record cold winter?  How do you stay motivated when there are so many great excuses to skip?

Happy (despite being cold) Running!
~Brooke~

RUNNING, The most Expensive Free Sport on Earth!

Recently I had to retire 2 pairs of shoes at once since they both had 350+ miles on them and my arches have been bothering me a bit.  I also lost one of my "yurbuds" ear buds for my iPod.  I bought them at my Grandma's Marathon Health Expo, so I don't even know what size/model to buy.  I even said to Angie one day, hey, I should really write this down in case I lose one or both.  Well. . . . . the time came where I lost one and now I can't find the other one I set aside for safe keeping.  Doh!

I just ordered 2 new pairs of shoes, new gloves for the frigid weather and new yak trax.  Now I'm going to have to order new ear buds.  With a 50k entry fee, 2 marathon entry fees, and all of the fun running gear to make it possible to train. . . . I'm going to need a second job!  If you've ever heard that running is a free sport. . . you are sorely mistaken

You know what they say . . .  If you like something, buy it in every color . .   So you can easily rotate & track of course!

I've got over 1000 miles to run in these babies before I'll need to replace!!! Yay!

I like to rationalize my expensive Hobby with the fact that I'm healthier than I have ever been, my stress levels are more manageable since I'm working out regularly and my Migraines are virtually non-existent.  (HUGE life change! Well worth the money spent on Gear!).

"Hi Mom, this is a Heart because I Love You!"

In case you don't live in WI and you were wondering, it's STILL fricking cold out.  It has been in the negative double digits for the past two days.  Honestly, I quit looking at my Weatherbug when it gets below zero.  I'm starting to get a little cranky with this weather.  Angie and I have a 17  miler planned for Friday.  It's supposed to be a balmy 13 degrees outside.  Nice.  We're probably going to suffer the consequences of Frozen Nipples (water bottles of course!).

YES. . . it IS that cold out! 

Do you have expensive hobbies that you can totally justify? 

I bet a snot rocket would freeze before it hit the ground. . . try it & report back!  I'm interested to  know!

Oooops I did it again.

Oooops, I registered for another marathon!  Lakefront Marathon, here we come!  Angie has had her sights set on this marathon for quite some time and it fills up fairly fast, so she registered right away.  She's a real persuasive gal. . . . so I signed up for that Marathon too!  We'll have a few months between Grandma's Marathon and the Lakefront.  Just enough to taper and then get right back to high mileage and serious training.  It's also a back up plan for a BQ if I don't qualify in June at Grandma's.  I have the 50k first, which is trail running, so if I sustain any type of injury or aggravation, a BQ in June may be impossible.  I'm just going to work hard, hope for the best and enjoy all the miles.

 

If you have kids. . . . you know what a constant battle it is to keep a clean house.  Especially as they age and they have the ability to play with a gazillion toys each day. . . . .and some of those toys are big, and some are tiny and make for even more messes.  With working full time, having to cook, clean, of course get in a lot of miles every week and of course, trying to spend quality time with my little buddy, it's tough to have everything picked up all the time.. . . . despite how much the mess may annoy me.  

 

 

 

I have a 4 year old. . . . . this mess drives me nuts!  I often just close the door!

Solved by a 10 mile run by 6:30 am, I'm too tired to care abiyt all the toys laying around the living room!

 



 

Angie and I had to throw up the white flag for a run together this weekend.  The weather has been terrible.  COLD, snowy, WINDY. . . . just plain awful for long distance running.  It may be easier if we lived in the same city, but we don't so, highway travel is part of our training.  The weather was terrible yesterday so we couldn't get together and run.  I got up at about 4:30 today, maybe earlier (that is without my alarm clock too!) and just got right to it and pounded out (aka: my ass dragged) for 10 miserable miles.  If I haven't mentioned it before, I really dislike the TM.  I had to put a towel over the screen today so I wouldn't watch the mileage tick away.. . . .ever so slowly.  I also couldn't get myself to run any faster than a 10 min/mile.  I ran my last marathon at an 8:40 min/mile pace. . . . so it's sad to me to not be able to run faster right now.  I hope this is not a detriment to my pace for the upcoming race season.  I guess I just do what I have to do to get it in.

Have you ever seen what happens after 99

minutes on a treadmill?  It just turns off! WTF

 

 

This pretty much sums up the last few weeks.  (Well, we've had minimal outdoor running. . .but you get it).













Since I had 10 miles and a shower in before the sum came up, I'm now enjoying a hot cup of coffee while watching the snow fall.  I have all day to do a few chores and relax.  ;)

Hope you are conquering your miles despite this wicked weather.

~Brooke~