An 18 mile run PR

I got up at 6:40am since I knew I needed to eat a lot and drive 45 minutes to Rend Lake. Plus, it was going to get really warm today and the wind was going to pick back up today. It calmed down last night as the sun went down and the temperatures fell. But I saw on weather.com hourly forecast that as the sun came up, the wind picked up as well. I finally got started at 8:25am with 13mph winds and by the time I end, it should be around 16mph. (26mph winds as I type this at 3:30pm).

I stopped off to use the restrooms at McDonald's. Did you know that they have the cleanest bathrooms? Anyway, as I walking to the bathroom, I had to go through a bunch of old guys (they were sitting across the aisle instead of in a bunch of tables on the same side) drinking coffee and talking politics and stuff. When I walked out, they all got real quiet as I walked through them and then I heard them talking about my skirt & what I thought was a whistle. Still not sure about that one but hey, I felt good about it!

First part of this run was on a paved bike path. More of a sidewalk actually. About 6.7 miles, it stops and you have to go on roads and that's when it gets hilly. I was feeling good throughout this run even mile 7. Cause at mile 7, I was actually thinking I could go another 2 miles and get 20 out of this run and then I'll be back on schedule. Silly Lindsay.

I waved at & talked to dog walkers along the way. Rend Lake is going through some construction so I had to run past workers and I waved at them. Then there was a biker coming towards me about mile 11. He was going downhill so was travelling fast and I told him that he should be wearing a helmet for safety. I kept expecting him to come back and yell at me.

I ate PowerBar Gel Blasts on the run. Four at mile 6 and three at mile 12. I was going to have two more at mile 15 but I couldn't muster it up. And I ended up being kinda hungry by the end of the run. I had my four water bottle belt on me. I didn't drink too much heading north. Only one bottle but the other three were used in the second half. I had two bottles left at halfway so I used 1 for each 3 miles. At this point, I was even using them to cool me off. Putting a little bit of them over my head and down my back.

I saw that 3 miles left, I could beat my previous best 18 mile run time of 3:00 even. I couldn't believe it. I had 35 minutes to run 3 miles. Then at 2 miles left, I still have 25 minutes to spare. I figured that even if I ran these last 2 miles at 12:30 minutes per mile, I would still have 3 hours but I knew I wouldn't be doing that. Then again, the last mile is pretty much all uphill.

And so I tried to keep going in the last 2 miles. That's when I really started to hurt. Hurt so much that I think I peed a little. And then also at the end when I finally hit the button and I stopped running, I leaned over, again a little pee came out. Yep, that's how I knew I really gave it my all out there on the stupid run. But I did it. 2:55.58. Still can't believe it. No way do I plan on doing that in a marathon but it's good to know that I did it AND on a hilly course too!!!

My calves were hurting me a little bit at the end. I walked around and stretched. I was not looking forward to the drive back home. I changed my shirt and felt so good to get that sweaty stinky mess off of me. I stopped off at McD's (the same as before) to order a chocolate & strawberry shake. All day I've been feeling OK with my legs, I'm really surprised actually. My knee got a little sore after a while. I iced it for a little while. And then got really tired laying on the couch. I cannot wait until later tonight when I can pass out!

I only paused a few times in my run but that was just to take pictures. No walking for this gal! Pictures are here and my Bones in Motion stats are below.

Snake warming himself on the path. Didn't even move when I ran past.

Guess camping season has already began.

This guy was dead. Not sure how. Didn't see any blood. Probably a heart attack.

I saw 4 deer at a clearing. By the time I got the camera out, they were already scampering away.

Tracks that happened when they poured the concrete. Wonder how long they've been there.

This time deer tracks!

Me in my wonderful running skirt. I was going to wear a gray sleeveless shirt but thought it would be cool this morning. Again, silly Lindsay.

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 418 ft Location: Benton, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 04/02/10 Up/Downhill: [+892/-892] Time: 08:24 AM Difficulty: 3.7 / 5.0 Weather: Mostly Cloudy 72 F temp; 49% humidity 72 F heat index; winds S 12 G 24 Performance Distance: 18.01 miles Time: 2:55:58 Speed: 6.1 mph Pace: 9' 46 /mi Calories: 1927 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 20 -0' 26 6.4 +0.3 -23 ft 2 9' 28 -0' 18 6.3 +0.2 -13 ft 3 9' 47 +0' 01 6.1 -0.0 +39 ft 4 9' 27 -0' 19 6.3 +0.2 0 ft 5 9' 57 +0' 11 6.0 -0.1 +13 ft 6 9' 33 -0' 13 6.3 +0.1 +16 ft 7 9' 56 +0' 10 6.0 -0.1 -16 ft 8 9' 51 +0' 05 6.1 -0.1 -3 ft 9 9' 46 +0' 00 6.1 -0.0 -13 ft 10 9' 35 -0' 11 6.3 +0.1 +13 ft 11 9' 47 +0' 01 6.1 -0.0 0 ft 12 10' 07 +0' 21 5.9 -0.2 +23 ft 13 9' 46 +0' 00 6.1 -0.0 -23 ft 14 10' 06 +0' 20 5.9 -0.2 0 ft 15 9' 46 +0' 00 6.1 -0.0 +4 ft 16 9' 44 -0' 02 6.2 +0.0 -42 ft 17 10' 01 +0' 15 6.0 -0.2 +9 ft 18 9' 53 +0' 07 6.1 -0.1 +26 ft end ** ** ** ** ** ft Versus average of 9' 46 min/mile ** Insufficient data to calculate this split

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Categories: 18 miles, Rend Lake

Triple workout Wednesday

Yet another triple workout Wednesday!

On Monday, Luke mentioned going biking together on Wednesday. So knowing that I also had a run to do that day, I got up early to get a 10k in. Then at lunch, I also managed to get in 35 minutes of weights & the like. And once Luke arrived, I got in 12 miles on the bike.

My left knee is still bothering me. I'm icing it but it's not getting any better. In fact, I felt it during my entire run. It hurts more to walk on it. If I'm sitting, it's not hurting but when I get up the first step is the worst. It's on the inside part & now also at below the part where the doctor hits ya for reflexes.

It doesn't seem to be slowing me down too much. I know I'm not helping it by running on it still. Luckily, just 1.5 months until my marathon. Then I can rest.

I'm attempting 18 miles on Friday or Saturday in southern Illinois. I did 12 miles at Rend Lake and I started 3 miles from where I normally start. So the good news is that I'll be able to get the full thing in without going into new unchartered territory. Just have to think of it as a 3 hour run, not 18 miles. One hour at a time, right?

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 857 ft Location: DeKalb, IL Elev. Gain: +7 ft Date: 03/31/10 Up/Downhill: [+239/-232] Time: 06:58 AM Difficulty: 2.7 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 48 F temp; 82% humidity 48 F heat index; winds S 14 Performance Distance: 6.20 miles Time: 0:59:59 Speed: 6.2 mph Pace: 9' 40 /mi Calories: 662 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 29 -0' 11 6.3 +0.1 +36 ft 2 9' 45 +0' 05 6.2 -0.1 -26 ft 3 9' 48 +0' 08 6.1 -0.1 0 ft 4 9' 51 +0' 11 6.1 -0.1 +14 ft 5 9' 58 +0' 18 6.0 -0.2 +7 ft 6 9' 20 -0' 20 6.4 +0.2 -29 ft end 9' 19 -0' 21 6.4 +0.2 +7 ft Versus average of 9' 40 min/mile

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Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 849 ft Location: -- Elev. Gain: -30 ft Date: 03/31/10 Up/Downhill: [+232/-262] Time: 06:37 PM Difficulty: 2.9 / 5.0 Performance Distance: 11.42 miles Time: 0:59:16 Speed: 11.6 mph Pace: 5' 10 /mi Calories: 879 Map Elevation (ft) Speed (mph) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 4' 42 -0' 28 12.7 +1.1 +17 ft 2 4' 21 -0' 49 13.8 +2.2 -43 ft 3 4' 54 -0' 16 12.2 +0.6 0 ft 4 7' 14 +2' 03 8.3 -3.3 0 ft 5 5' 06 -0' 04 11.7 +0.1 0 ft 6 7' 49 +2' 38 7.7 -3.9 +10 ft 7 5' 17 +0' 06 11.3 -0.2 -10 ft 8 5' 34 +0' 23 10.8 -0.8 0 ft 9 4' 58 -0' 12 12.1 +0.5 -10 ft 10 4' 42 -0' 28 12.7 +1.1 +42 ft 11 3' 31 -1' 39 17.0 +5.4 -30 ft end 5' 41 +0' 30 10.5 -1.1 -6 ft Versus average of 11.6 mph

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Categories: 6 miles, biking, hyperextended knee, triple workout

One mile for each hour on the train

To spoil the surprise, I didn't get 18 miles in on Monday night.

Come to find out, the train out to Nebraska actually stops in Naperville. I was so excited to see that cause that meant that I didn't have to arrive in Chicago, wait an hour and get back to Geneva at 5:30p. I would instead arrive in Naperville at 2:23pm. Luke said he was willing to pick me up in Naperville too though he might have to go back to work after dropping me back off. I could actually have my run started by 3:30pm!

Well, for those that know Amtrak, they don't run on time. At all. Ever. We were late arriving in Nebraska. And taking off on Monday? Ha. We were supposed to board at 1:34 am, it ended up being 3:10 am that we got on. I was not happy about that. Then with more delays on the train, I ended up arriving in Naperville at 4:43 pm.

Yep, that meant I didn't get my run in until after 6pm. I had a headache getting off the train so I took a long hot shower to try to release my muscles. Then I got dressed so I would feel like running. I originally wore a short sleeved shirt & a running skirt but I quickly changed into my winter tights.

Luke is sick, he picked a cold on Friday, so he wasn't going biking with me. So it was me, all on my own out there. But I did it. I ran in brand new territory.

I got 13.1 miles in (yes, I had to make it a half marathon). I ran the last hour in almost pure darkness. The trail doesn't have any street lights on it. I got a little lost in Batavia cause I wasn't sure where the trail continued through town. Then when I picked it up again, it forced me to cross the river to run on the east side, which is not where it showed the trail going on Google Maps.

So I continued to run down until I hit 6 miles when I ate some Strawberry-Banana PowerBar Gel Blasts. They are sooo good, like candy! Then I hit Rt. 56 and North Aurora and saw that it was 6.5 miles and decided that would be a good turning around point. By this time I kept seeing signs all over that said "Trail is open from Sunrise to Sunset" and it was getting to be near sunset time so I was getting worried.

Then as I said that the last few miles were in the dark. I don't do well with running in the dark, especially on trails that I don't know! So I was kinda speeding it up a bit around that time. I found a great song that allowed me to strike my foot on the ground with each drum beat. My eyes were getting all fuzzy cause of the darkness & it was really kinda chilly out. At first I was thinking I needed glasses but I really don't think I do.

Also, in the last few miles, my arms (hands, forearms & elbows) were starting to cramp and hurt. I think it was cause of the cold. I never had that before. I mentioned to Luke about them cramping and he said that he's had that happened.

Oh and if you want to know, Google Maps added bicycling trails to their driving directions. So you can now see the trails that are around your area. It helps. Below is not really my run, since I didn't follow on the west side that much. Here's the real link to the Garmin Connect info where you can zoom in on the map: Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Run: 13.1 miles in Geneva.

Also, ignore the splits in the Bones in Motion info. They're wrong since I paused a few times, once to look for a stupid ear bud from my head phones.

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 667 ft Location: Geneva, IL Elev. Gain: +10 ft Date: 03/29/10 Up/Downhill: [+410/-400] Time: 06:08 PM Difficulty: 3.2 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 43 F temp; 59% humidity 43 F heat index; winds E 8 Performance Distance: 13.10 miles Time: 2:08:40 Speed: 6.1 mph Pace: 9' 49 /mi Calories: 1398 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 11' 20 +1' 31 5.3 -0.8 +3 ft 2 9' 09 -0' 40 6.5 +0.4 +6 ft 3 10' 09 +0' 20 5.9 -0.2 -10 ft 4 9' 28 -0' 21 6.3 +0.2 -7 ft 5 9' 48 -0' 01 6.1 +0.0 -3 ft 6 10' 16 +0' 27 5.8 -0.3 +10 ft 7 10' 44 +0' 55 5.6 -0.5 -10 ft 8 9' 54 +0' 05 6.1 -0.1 +27 ft 9 9' 26 -0' 23 6.4 +0.2 -10 ft 10 9' 48 -0' 01 6.1 +0.0 -7 ft 11 10' 01 +0' 12 6.0 -0.1 +13 ft 12 9' 52 +0' 03 6.1 -0.0 0 ft 13 9' 55 +0' 06 6.0 -0.1 +3 ft end 9' 15 -0' 34 6.5 +0.4 +9 ft Versus average of 9' 49 min/mile

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Categories: 13 miles, Fox River Trail, Geneva

This weekend's long run

I'm supposed to have 18 miles this week. Two weeks ago I did 16. Well, unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town attending the baptism of my best friend's twins. I'll be one of theirs godmother!! And I'll be taking the train out there. Leaving Friday afternoon and arriving Saturday morning at 2:34 am!!

So when showing Luke the city where I'm going, I noticed that the entire city was very grid like. I started immediately thinking that this would be very easy to get a run in and it was Luke who actually said that! So I mapped it out. Whoa. Intense. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3565119

But then when I showed it to my best friend, I told him that I wasn't sure what the plan was for Saturday and come to find out we're leaving at 9am for another town 2.5-3 hours away. He suggested doing the run in that town but it's a lot smaller, there's no way that I could get 18 in that town. Plus, I wouldn't want to just get leave for 3 hours while visiting some of the mother's family and be all stinky & in pain when I get back.

After I told that to Luke, we started talking about it. The only other option would be to run a few miles that weekend and then do my 18 mile on Monday night after I get back. Check this out: My train leaves on Monday morning at 1:34 am. I arrive in Chicago at 3:30 pm (baring no delays) and then I catch a 4:30 pm train out to Geneva. That's where Luke will pick me up at 5:30p and make me run 18 miles down the Fox River from Geneva to Aurora. I made him pinky promise me.

It's gonna be an interesting run. Luckily, I'll have Luke beside me. He said that he can bike beside me while I run, which will be helpful. He doesn't think I'll have the energy to run that far after a 14 hour train ride. But having him beside me should encourage me to go on (as long as he's encouraging that is) or just to prove him wrong. :-)

Categories: long run, vacation

Runs this week

I ran a really hard & fast run on Monday. I knew pretty soon after the start that I was running at race pace and I refused to look at my Garmin to see it. The only time I did see the time was after hearing mile 3 beep on my Garmin. Yep, pretty fast. So I kept going until I finished 3.5 miles. Final time? 29:41. Yep. 3.5 miles under 30 minutes. Crazy!

Tuesday I felt my knee hurting a bit. I think it's from the hard run and then from crossing my legs all the time at work. I try to remember to not cross them but I always catch myself when they're already crossed. Can't stop it!

At weights on Tuesday, I decided to try the way of lifting weight to actually gain muscle bulk. So instead of doing the leg press at 100 lbs, I lifted at 160 lbs. The lat pulldown I normally have 50 lbs and I upped it to 70 lbs; same with the hamstring curl. The seated cable row I normally have 20 lbs and I went up to 40 lbs. Nearly all of those, I could only do about 6 or 7 reps, some especially the arm moves, I could only do 5 or so. So that was awesome! I really thought I would feel sore either tonight or today but nope, nada. Must not have done it enough then. :-)

Tonight was a run on the treadmill. I wanted a soft, consistent run. 6.3 miles at 9:31 min/mi in 60 minutes. First mile was at zero incline. Next two miles were at .5 incline. The final 3 miles were at 1.0 incline. TOUGH! I'm feeling it in my butt right now, just a few hours after the run. I could have ran this outside but it was overcast but the same temperature as it was on Monday but the no sun just didn't encourage me to go outside.

After I got home, I immediately made a Green Monster. Those things are A-MA-ZING!! So good for you too! And now I'm enjoying Peach Sorbet. First time having it was on Sunday night with Luke and he's allowing me to have the rest of the small carton!

Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 857 ft Location: DeKalb, IL Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 03/22/10 Up/Downhill: [+141/-141] Time: 04:32 PM Difficulty: 1.9 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 51 F temp; 30% humidity 51 F heat index; winds N 15 G 21 Performance Distance: 3.50 miles Time: 0:29:41 Speed: 7.1 mph Pace: 8' 29 /mi Calories: 381 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 10 -0' 19 7.3 +0.3 +33 ft 2 8' 20 -0' 09 7.2 +0.1 -23 ft 3 8' 48 +0' 19 6.8 -0.3 +20 ft end 8' 34 +0' 05 7.0 -0.1 -29 ft Versus average of 8' 29 min/mile

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Categories: DeKalb Nature Trail, treadmill runs, weight training