Run #44: 3 Great Ideas

So I suck at blogging apparently. I let life get in the way super easily and have a hard time making time. But I do really want to be able to look back at this process and read about all the fun, pain, fights, and encouragement Mihkel and I went through to get through the finish line. So here I am, back to the blog to catch y'all up on where things are and how our last run went.

On Saturday Mihkel and I had three great ideas: 1) Sleep in a little. 2) Run at Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield on the amazing trails they have there. 3) Give recovery ice baths a shot. Here are the results:

1) This went off without a hitch. I love my sleep.

2) Kennesaw Mountain is amazing. The trails take you around key points in the Battle of Kennesaw. This is where the battle for Atlanta really started. It was outstanding to see the Confederate built earthworks that have been there since 1864. There were huge dirt mounds surrounding the cannons that the South built to defend against the coming onslaught of the Union.

Aside from being historical significant and beautiful, Kennesaw Mountain is also, well...a mountain. This was the first trail run we have ever done. It was tough! Very very tough! Our pace was well below what we do on the road and the attention to detail required to get through a run on the trails is a little tougher than we had thought. I think we both went through a few low points and there was a moment around mile 13 that I really didn't think we would finish. But, as you can see below, we did...

Best running partner ever!

Mentally it was a little tougher since we had to pay attention much more than usual to things like foot placement and watching for rocks and horse shit that we also ended up paying more attention to "OMG, my ankles are killing me right now!"

I think we jumped into trail running a little bit too deep for our own good. Completely my fault, of course.

Also though, it was gorgeous out. People are nice on trails. We passed a very friendly guy a couple times going the opposite way on the loops. He gave us directions once and then the next time we cheered him as he cheered us on. The third, we had a brief exchange on our distances that day (he was knocking out 20). Plus, we saw 8 deer, a raccoon, a squirrel and a few hallucinated bears/cougars/honey badgers (around mile 14).

Ewwww! But we frikken EARNED it!!

The verdict? We are definitely trail running again....but maybe a little less distance.

3) On the recommendation of some awesome and talented runners that I've been fortunate to connect with on the Runner's World marathoners forum Mihkel and I decided to give ice baths a shot. It was a little tough, but with the aid of some whiskey (for me) and some malt beverage (for Mihkel) as well as each other's company and a little Arrested Development made it tolerable and today, I feel much much better than usual. 

Mihkel approves of this technique

Dual purpose ice: Whiskey and anti-inflammatory

Aside from realizing I need to clean the grout in my bathtub, I also realized that the cold feels amaaaaazing. So I think I will definitely be doing this more often.

It has been an amazing week of running and today's off day was very much needed. Tomorrow is a little Hot Yoga and then a good week leading up to our trail 10K this weekend.

Happy Running to you all!

Run #32: 13 Miles through the city

Yesterday morning we managed to get out relatively early and start our run. We turned right out of the apartment and ran pretty much along the MARTA rail line until we hit 13 miles. Here's an idea of the path we took:

                                                                         

It was a lot of fun to be able to run without worrying about a turn-around. The beginning of the run is through a lot of neighborhoods and then hits some pretty killer hills around mile 6. 

This part heads up to Peachtree Road and definitely present a bit of a challenge. Once we got to the top of the hill though, we swung into the BP and grabbed a bottle of water and took the a couple GUs. (Side note: Do NOT get the Vanilla Orange flavor Roctane GU. It was disgusting.) 

After getting to Peachtree we turned down Piedmont and ran to the park. Parts of this were pretty awesome since I got to get a good look at what our new neighborhood is like. (35 Days! Cant wait!!) 

Heres the Garmin info: 

Once we hit about 11 miles, Mihkel started to have a little bit of a tough time with it. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that this is his second longest run ever. It gets in his head a bit I think and he starts to doubt his ability to cover the distance. But that is why we run together. I had trouble with a few of the hills towards the beginning so I tucked behind Mihkel and kept his pace and we killed them. 

After this marathon, our running goals diverge a little bit. I know we will still run together since this has been one of the biggest parts of our relationship, especially in the beginning stages. For now, though, I am really enjoying taking on the challenge with my boyfriend and best friend. He helps a lot when I feel tired to have someone to pick me up. I like to try to do the same for Mihkel. 

Here is us at the MARTA station after the run:

Mihkel wasn't quite sure if he smelled worse, or if the floor stunk. 

Yeah, I got no qualms puttin my paws on the nasty floor. 

So that was our day. Overall a great day and a pretty stellar run. Now, I have a whiskey and lemonade calling my name. 

Good runs, y'all!!

Melissa

Run #24: Public Transportation Rocks; Final arrangements for Savannah

90% of our runs are out-and-back routes. It is the most convenient and doesn't require us to stage cars at different locations. This week we decided to switch it up a bit.

We have the good fortune to live at the north end of the MARTA route (Atlanta's rail transit system). Turns out, the Peachtree MARTA station is 7.09 miles from our doorstep. Perfect! I went online and added a fare to each of our Breeze passes Friday night. Saturday morning it was cool and gorgeous out.

Here is our route:


Coming through the neighborhoods when you pass into the city limits there were a couple BRUTAL hills. Some civil engineer had a great time planning a road up the steepest possible path. Once we got to about 6.2 we swung into the BP and grabbed a water and Gatorade for the train ride home. Then had an easy .8 to the train station.

I had some mild chafing issues that I'm hoping these new shorts I got will alleviate. Apparently I sweat way more than the makers of Body Glide ever imagined someone would and I sweat off all the BG I apply by about mile 4.

This upcoming weekend we have a 12 miler so we are running from the house to the Art Center Train station. Very excited!!

We also finally got around to making our condo reservations for the marathon. We've decided to stay on Tybee and just hope and pray for a shuttle route that makes it easy to get to the start line. Our rationale being: We really want to have some calm the night before. I tend to get a little bit neurotic and get obsessively organized around major events. By avoiding the hyped-up atmosphere around the race course, I might be able to mellow and focus. The night after the event I would really like to put my legs in some freezing ocean water and then have a bottle glass bottle of wine. Additionally, $89 a night is pretty choice for a place where we can cook our own dinner and breakfast. Very excited about plans coming together.

Overall our runs have been positive and fun. Both of our bodies are holding up well. Every week it seems we see more and more runners out. That's right! It's almost marathon season!!

Any thoughts on traveling for races? Suggestions? Anyone else staying on Tybee for Savannah?

Happy running y'all!!

Melissa

Run #20: Double Digits and Chief Dan George

Saturday morning Mihkel and I got in a run in the Great White North of Gwinnett County. This is a complete exaggeration as we were actually only about 15 miles north of the Perimeter...but hey, it was a pretty big scene change.

We went to the Suwanee Creek Greenway with the intention of running 5 miles out and then coming back to get in our 10. A couple of minor problems popped up. First, the cloud cover that made temperatures infinitely more bearable also impeded satellite reception on my 110 and Mihkel's 410. We really had no idea what pace we were going for a while and ended up just having to run by feel.

Chief Dan George was the shiiiiiiiit!

Those of you who know me know that I like when things happen the way they should. I hate when things go wrong out of my control and it has a tendency to get in my head and really screw with me. At this point I started to attempt to channel Chief Dan George from the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales and "Endeavor to persevere".

On a personal note, if you haven't seen this movie, do so as soon as humanly possible. Even if you aren't like me and obsessed with Westerns and know every word in Tombstone....watch it!!

Okay, back to running!

About 3.5 miles in I was just about over the Garmin issue and we were running based on the 1/2 mile markers when we saw a sign letting us know the trail was closed ahead due to bridge repair...GAH! That meant we would not only have to go out and back once, but we'd have to find a way to get in those extra 3 miles.

I know, it doesn't sound like a huge deal. But I like when our runs go smoothly and I like being able to focus on the million of other things in my head during a long run (pace, GU, chafing, perceived effort, training progress, chafing...) and this irritated me to no end. But we needed to "endeavor to persevere" and get our run knocked out. So we ran to 3.5, then back to the 2 mile marker, then back to the 3.5 marker, then back to the car.



Around the final turn around Mihkel's Garmin had finally found satellites, but he had manually set laps for a bit, so, as you can see, our splits and all are weird. But-- we got in the 10, felt good physically and are ready to enjoy this cutback week (LR is 7 miles, with only 18mpw this week).

Overall, a great run and an even more valuable lesson.

Happy running y'all!
Melissa

Run #12: 5 mile cut back: Ouch

We had a cut back week, and we cut back just a smidge too much.

Mel was out of town for a conference (hence the run in Dallas), and I was here in Atlanta to do 2 runs solo. 

I had a great run on Monday, getting my 4 miler out of the way and coasting on my high from last Saturday. 

After that life just kind of took over and we both missed our other runs. But so it is, and this blog is also about accountability. 

One thing we have learned is that for summer training, the earlier the better. Less heat and less crowds. 

And the instant gratification of hitting that snooze does not make up for the heat later in the day.

It was a tough run, and both of us were hurting, but I am glad we leaned out lesson on a cut back week vs. a week where we are going to be running 20+ miles. 

We still met our times and pushed hard, but I haven't felt that worked through after a run since the half. 

But I am looking forward to this weeks runs. I found a great new little out and back from my doorstep that feels new and fresh and can't wait to get back on it. But we need to start finding new scenery for our long runs. 

Anyone have any suggestions for good websites for finding local runs? We have used Garmin and MapMyRun in the past. 

See you all on the road! And don't hit that snooze button. 

Cheers,

Mihkel

Run #8: Long run; 7 miles, The stars allign

What a run!
We got up this morning to get our 3rd (tecnically 2nd) long run under out feet and it was marvelous.
Early morning, 66 degrees (in the summer, in atlanta!? unheard of!), lightly misting and cool on one of our favorite trails along the Chattahoochee River.

It seemed that the stars aligned for this run. We went quick, had no pain, and by the end, felt like we could have run another 2.

Why such positivity? Where did this beeming feeling come from? I feel it came from the little things and having finally shaken off the dust from our break after the half.



I have to give all the credit to Mel and her planning and motivation. I thank Prefontaine every day to have such an amazing running partner. I couldn't have asked for anyone more understanding, driven, and inspirational person to have running next to me.

New visors! Spy vs. Spy anyone?

 

 

 

 

We have been having a great time learning from you all, reading other runners blogs, forums, etc. Today we took after a great post on Long May You Run. We ran the first 3/4 of our long run at a slightly slower pace than usual (12:30), and then would ramp it up for the last 1/4 at 12:00/mile.
It was great, and we both enjoyed every step of the way. (Thanks Danielle!)
I think the next step (ha ha! see what i did there?) is to figure out what our goal paces actually feel like, and not rely on what our Garmins say. Once we do that, we can hit those splits more consistently and faster.

See you all on the roads!
Mihkel

Run #4, Long run: 6 miles

I know I know, commitment.
But this morning, at 7am, I was staring at the ceiling, I couldnt help but think of a shirt I saw on the trails a few days ago...

WANT

Right? I love this t-shirt.

We had a blast this morning on our second 6 miler. We ran by the river (a favorite) and did a little out and back along the park and then onto a road used by the local bikers to do laps. Sure, we went a little faster than we wanted (by 10 seconds), and felt it by the end of the run, but we know we can do it.
I'm finding that the hardest part of getting into training is the mental game, not so much the muscle strain and energy requirement.

Part of this process is reminders, remmbering little things you learned the last time, whether its the last run, or last time you trained for anything.
Switching up location is huge. I'm a huge proponent of changing the scenery. It makes miles feel shorter, gives plenty of conversation topics, and shows you more of your own town.
So sure, before a run you wont feel up to it, but you will never regret a run!
So get out there campers, pound that pavement.
See you on the trails,
Mihkel

Right! Stats:

 Totally unrelated: ALWAYS charge your garmin!