TAPER!!

OK, well I have been informed it's been a while since I've blogged (hang my head in shame). SO here is an update!! And iiiiiits official!! I'm tapering!! OK for those of you who dont speak my language, tapering is when you ease off on mileage before a race. In marathon training, the first two months are mostly building up mileage. The third gets intense and holds the longest runs. The longest run of your training should be the last day of the third month. Then the fourth month is all taper! So I've done the longest run of my training and between now and Marathon Sunday I only have three runs over 8 miles, the longest of which is only 14 miles! (HA I never thought I'd be referring to 14 as ONLY, but after 23 it sure does seem like it!). I will keep my pace up though, and even try and pick it up a little during the next month. Fewer miles does not equal slower miles.

On Thursday I went up to Ithaca to get my bike for the MS Ride. Since the ride was on Sunday, I switched my long run to Friday so I'd still have a day to rest. So on Friday morning I set out in Ithaca (a refreshingly new but at the same time familiar setting) to do my scheduled 22-23 miles, hoping and praying that the frivolities of the night before (beer and pizza) would not come back to haunt me. Luckily, they did not! I went out the road to Taughannock Falls and back. SO pretty! I was reminded of what it was like to visit Ithaca for the first time when I was still a Junior in high school. Man oh man does that seem like forever ago now! Anyway, there were a few hills to be reckoned with - one in particular that when I was running down it (over half a mile!) on the way out I was sweating bullets at the thought of having to run back up it again in a few miles. But, surprisingly they weren't so bad. The good thing about running (and biking) on highways is that the law limits how steep they can get! This run was really the only thing I did in ithaca funny enough, since I got in at 11:30pm Thursday night, went out for a few beers (a beer and a cider to be exact), got up and went for a run at 11, and was in the car back to nyc by 4:00. HA!

So yesterday I did the NYC MS Ride and it was... so... fun. Especially since the last time I was on a bike was in the beautiful natural surroundings of Alaska! Quite the contrast. We did a lap around Manhattan, went through the Lincoln Tunnel, through the Palisades, through Nyack and New City, back down and across the George Washington Bridge, and finished on the West Side Highway at 52nd Street. I did get lost around mile 50, and quite frustrated, but in the process I made a friend!! We had pretty much the same pace, so it was great to ride the rest of the way together. Anyway, it was lots of fun - my first century ride, and hopefully the first of many. A great break from running! Here's a map of where we rode:

October 2

Time: 3:40'29"

Pace: 9:35 min/mi

Distance: 23.01 mi

*YEah. 'nuff said.

September 29

Time: 53'54"

Pace: 8:58 min/mi

Distance: 6.01 mi

* I heart literally running errands! Ran down to pick up my race packet for the MS Ride!

September 27

Time: 1:13'49"

Pace: 9:12 min/mi

Distance: 8.01 mi

September 26

Time: 9'26"

Distance: 9:57 min/mi

Distance: 0.95 mi

*OK, I dont know what's up with this. I don't remember running just one mile, so I'm guessing my ipod died?

September 25

PART 1:

Time: 20'01"

Pace: 9:26 min/mi

Distance: 2.11 mi

PART 2:

Time: 19'11"

Pace: 8:36 min/mi

Distance: 2.23 mi

*two parts? Not sure what this is... my memory is failing! I must be 23...

September 24

Time: 1:17'17"

Pace: 9:39 min/mi

Distance: 8.01 mi

*so this was after skipping THREE runs in a row!! ugh... no wonder I'm always so out of shape by the end of every semester... Cornell is bad for your health. This is proof. But I wont let it get the best of me!! Just keep running just keep running running running running running...

*my friend took pictures of me running for a project. Thought I'd pass it along as proof : )

Achy Breaky... Legs!

OOOOOOH man. I know I ran 20 miles already and that was pretty uneventful (surprisingly) but I just got done with 21 miles and WHO KNEW I would be so wiped out from that one itty bitty mile! I'm laying in bed writing this and don't plan on moving from here for at least the next couple hours. Unfortunately I'll eventually have to go forage for food. It's mostly my hips that just feel 80 years old. That, and the bottoms of my feet are pretty wiped out. After I finished my run I still had another 2.5 miles or so to walk in order to get home. Coulda taken the subway, but it was a GORGEOUS day and I also felt rather disgusting to be in such close proximity to other (clean) people. The cute boy at the terrace cafe I go to for orange juice after these long runs (ok fine, Ive only been there once before) wasn't there today (sad face). Though Im sure my ultra-sweatiness/smelliness would not have gotten me far anyways. But the orange juice was still delicious and refreshing! I stretched for a while on the grass overlooking the water. So nice.

I felt pretty good for the most part... tried to go a little faster in the beginning, but by the middle I was tired enough that I just focused on keeping a steady pace. Last 3 miles (as always) were when it got tough, but the last half mile actually went fairly quickly surprisingly.

ALSO, I went back today to see how I've been doing overall on keeping to the schedule, and was SO sadly surprised to see that I've actually skipped a LOT. I think I've gotten most of the long runs in there, but seems like most weeks I've switched things around and skipped at least one run. My bike trip was a big cause of that, which isn't too too horrible since I was getting a lot of exercise in through that anyway, but DANG. I need to stick with it a little better from now on. Here's the two schedules side by side of what was planned and what was actually done. Eek!

So as usual, I'm pretty behind on my logging, so here's a reverse order summary:

Sunday, September 20

Time: 3:23'38"

Pace: 9:41 min/mi

Distance: 21.01 mi

September 19

Time: 1:01'14"

Pace: 8:42 min/mi

Distance: 7.03 mi

September 15

Time: 44'31"

Pace: 8:52 min/mi

Distance: 5.01 mi

September 13

Time: 56'15"

Pace: 9:14 min/mi

Distance: 6.09 mi

September 12

Time: 37'03"

Pace: 9:07 min/mi

Distance: 4.05 mi

Okay thats all for today!! Gonna try and get some speed work in soon. Really wanna work up to those 10 800 repeats. Eek!!

Speedy Gonzales

So today was my first attempt at speedwork. WOO!! Thanks to the finding (via google earth?) of an AWESOME track and sports complex up in W. Harlem called Riverbank State Park. It had a super nice rubberized track that ran around a pristine turf soccer field (tempting). There were also basketball courts, tennis courts, a roller rink, gardens, and a swimming pool. All with a great view over the Hudson. What a great find!

By speedwork I actually mean Yasso 800's to be exact.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-624-0,00.html. Today I started with 4, w/ one lap job in between each. The goal is to add one more 800 every week 'till I can do 10. Since my goal time for the marathon is 3hr55, I want to run each interval at about 3min55. Today I did pretty well, although it definitely wasn't easy. It will be tough for sure, doing 10 of these in a row! With a mile warm up and cool down, I got my scheduled 5 miles in for the day.

Interval 1: 3'41" @ 7:46 min/mi

Interval 2: 3'54" @ 8:18 min/mi

Interval 3: 3'51" @ 8:16 min/mi

Interval 4: 3'52" @ 8:16 min/mi

I also calibrated my ipod, so it should be more accurate now - hopefully.

OH and I got new shoes! I got the same one's I've been wearing (only in blue), the Nike Moto. I've really enjoyed the ones I've been using, so I figured I'd play it safe. They have great padding in the forefoot. Could use a little more arch support though. I got them because with all the mileage I'm putting in, my current shoes will be worn out before the marathon, but by then it will be too late to break in a new pair. So over the next few weeks I'll be alternating between my old and new pair so that the new ones are appropriately broken in before November. On a side note though, what is WITH so many of the new shoes out there being so hideously ugly?? There was this rad pair of Pumas I would have loved... except they were baby pink!! What, pink is for girls and blue is for boys? What is this? Also, a ton of shoes are going waaaaay overboard on the space-agey metalic accents. Seriously. I feel stupid passing up a great pair of shoes because they don't look cool, but hey I got stanards!

Anyway.... till next time.

Big Apple Running

OK, well as you can see this blog has taken a turn for the worst, falling victim to the typical Dakota attention span of one week. But LUCKILY my actual training has NOT followed this trend! I've been plugging away at my training schedule (occasionally switching days around, but maintaining weekly mileage) and am now happy to say I'm in week EIGHT of my training! Around August 20th I took a few days and swapped running for biking in order to do a trip I've been wanting to do from Homer to Anchorage. Over 3 days I biked 86, 98, and 37 miles for a total of about 220 miles! There were such beautiful, gut-wrenching (in a good way!) panoramas throughout the trip and I'm so excited to have done it! The transition back to running was a little difficult, and sore quads definitely made me feel lethargic for a few days, but I'm feeling pretty good again by now!

Today I did the longest run yet in my schedule, 20 miles! I went pretty dang slow, but can't believe I completed nearly 3/4 of a marathon today! I even felt pretty good for the most part (thanks to not starting too fast) and had somewhat of a kick at the end. I went from my apartment on the upper east side across to the West Side Highway and all the way down to Battery Park (near where I lived last summer) and back. It's a really popular place to run and bike, and I kept wondering if any of the other runners I saw were training for November 1st as well. I'm pretty sure one guy was wearing one of the official training shirts, and a couple others seemed like marathoners just from their pace. The piers were nice to run out on, especially as there was often a nice breeze coming off the water. A really beautiful day for a run. 75 degree high!

For my long runs (over 10 miles) I've been using a backpack with a water hose in it (similar to a camelback) that carries about 2 liters of water which I pump up with grape gatorade powder. I also have been bringing along some sort of gel feed. I'll eat half a packet at a time starting at 6 miles, and then again at every 3 mile interval. I thought I loved the Powerbar gels, but today I tried GU and I LOVED it! Especially the vanilla one I had first. Yummy! And it seemed to stay pretty cool so it was like a refreshing pudding snack break : ) (sorry if that sounds gross!). I look forward to trying more flavors!

I still haven't done any speed work. I want to find a track somewhere this week so I can start doing some Yasso 800's (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-624-0,00.html). I'll need it if I want to beat 4 hours. If I were to run at today's pace I would still be about 17 minutes short of my goal. Not bad, but I'm gonna have to kick it up a notch!

Sunday September 6, 2009

Time: 3:16'31"

Pace: 9:37 min/mi

Distance: 20 mi

OK, well here are the rest of my runs (I think a few are missing due to ipod issues) since the last time I logged, in reverse order -

September 5 2009

PART 1

Time: 11'37"

Pace: 8:50 min/mi

Distance: 1.30 miles

PART 2

Time: 29'27"

Pace: 8:47 min/mi

Distance: 3.34 miles

PART 3

Time: 12'17"

Pace: 8:41 min/mi

Distance: 1.41 miles

*OK sorry this one is so confusing. 4 miles was on the schedule. Part 1 = running from my apartment to 59th and 5th to meet my sister, Part 2 = my run with her, and Part 3 = my run home from Central Park. I got about 6 miles in total.

September 4 2009

Time: 51'53"

Pace: 8:24 min/mi

Distance: 6.17 miles

September 2 2009

Time: 1:11'45"

Pace: 8:35 min/mi

Distance: 8.35 miles

September 1 2009

Time: 52'00"

Pace: 8:25 min/mi

Distance: 6.17 miles

August 31 2009

Time: 35'00"

Pace: 8:28 min/mi

Distance: 4.13 miles

August 29 2009

Time: 2:10'17"

Pace: 9:17 min/mi

Distance: 14.02 miles

August 28 2009

Time: 1:03'44"

Pace: 8:46 min/mi

Distance: 7.26 miles

August 27 2009

Time: 45'06"

Pace: 8:32 min/mi

Distance: 5.28 miles

*added on an extra quarter mile for accuracy.

August 15 2009

Time: 1:58'22"

Pace: 9:03 min/mi

Distance: 13.1 miles

*Woo! This was my second half marathon. Went pretty well! Although I did learn the valuable lesson not to eat a truck load of pasta the night before lest you desire digestive issues during th last two miles of your race! Sadly I did not beat my PR of 1:52'41", but I've signed up for some more halves before my marathon training is over, so there will be more opportunities. I was happy to be under two hours though - a good indicator for my sub 4 hour goal for the marathon. Oh, and I also discovered that my ipod distance tracker is slightly off. It was about a quarter mile short for the half, so I've been adding some extra time onto my runs since then to make up for the discrepancy. Next time I find a track I can calibrate the device to be more specific to my own stride.

August 13 2009

Time: 49'42"

Pace: 8:16 min/mi

Distance: 6.01 miles

August 12 2009

Time: 1:12'16"

Pace: 9:01 min/mi

Distance: 8.01 miles

August 11 2009

Time: 56'33"

Pace: 9:25 min/mi

Distance: 6 miles

August 9 2009

Time: 1:24'11"

Pace: 9:21 min/mi

Distance: 9 mi

*This was supposed to be a 16 mile run, but my ipod died mid-way. I went with my friend Rachel, and we went 13 before I had to stop and walk. Maybe we started out too fast or something. Anyway, we walked for about two miles, and then ran the last mile. So 16 miles completed. Not all running, but hey, no shame.

Sunny rest day :)

So today is a rest day but I'm also logging yesterday's run. It was definitely appreciated, as my time to unwind after working ALL day going over house plans with my parents. Today I'm just biking around town. Had a great nap in the sun on Kincaid beach. I LOVE Alaska!! Will be sad to leave in a few short weeks. Tomorrow is a 4 miler, so maybe I'll go find a track somewhere and do some mile repeats? I'm itching to get some sub 8'min miles in.

Time: 50'53"

Pace: 8:27 min/mi

Distance: 6.01 mi

shame shame shame

OKAY it has been far too long since my last post. Turns out when I come to Anchorage there is enough to keep me occupied that I don't spend all my waking hours online. But although my blogging has seriously fallen off the wagon, rest assured that I HAVE been keeping up on my running schedule! Here's a quick summary (in reverse order, to be consistent) of what I've done since my last entry:

Tuesday Aug 4 2009

Time: 33'01"

Pace: 8:11 min/mi

Distance: 4.03 mi

WOO! This was today's run. I made another new PR on the mile! 7'45". Nice. I was trying to really go fast because I dinked around all afternoon and left the run till last minute when I had to get back in time to meet Jared for a movie. Plus there was this guy who was running ahead of me for a while who unleashed my competitive spirit and I think I went faster than I would have otherwise, just to pass him. Running with competition is always a good motivator! Anyway, tomorrow is a rest day and then its 6, Rest, 4, and then the big 16. Eek!!

Monday Aug 3 2009 3:46pm

Time: 33'13"

Pace: 8:16 min/mi

Distance: 4.01 mi

I rocked this run. Fastest pace YET!! uh huh, Dakota's turning into a runner again, oh yeah. Haha. The first two miles were super speedy, but I definitely slowed down in the last mile. There was a beautiful sunset and lots of couples out walking together. aww. That and a few kids getting sloshed at Kincaid beach. I really hope I can keep up this increase in pace!! If I can beat 9 minute miles for my half marathon coming up I'll be pretty happy.

Saturday Aug 1 2009 1:04pm

Time: 53'04"

Pace: 8:50 min/mi

Distance: 6.01 mi

Eeew.... definitely not recommended to go running right after downing a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings at Lucky Wishbone. Nice little equation for SIDE ACHE!! I had to stop once at about 2 miles to nurse a cramp, and had a side ache for at least 4 miles. But, I actually went pretty fast! w00t!

Thursday July 30 2009 3:03pm

Time: 40'24"

Pace: 9:02 min/mi

Distance: 4.46 mi

My iPod died towards the end of this run, but I added on enough to be sure to get in my 6 miles I was due for. Ran with Tim along the coastal trail, which was hillarious as well as surreal. I dont think we've EVER ran together. But it was nice to run with a guy. I think I went faster than I would have otherwise. Had to keep telling him to slow down!!

Wednesday July 29 2009 10:29am

Time: 1:12'50"

Pace: 9:05 min/mi

Distance: 8.01 mi

I thought that after 12 miles 8 would be a cinch! But I was feeling it after 6 for sure.

Tuesday July 28 2009 8:26pm

Time: 36'05"

Pace: 8:58 min/mi

Distance: 4.01 mi

Ran with Rachel. Was great to have a running buddy! Although I didnt go very fast since we were chit-chatting. But the conversation was definitely worth sacrificing intensity.

Monday July 27 2009 5:44pm

Time: 1:49'41"

Pace: 9:08 min/mi

Distance: 12.01 mi

The long run went surprisingly well! Funny thing, I actually ran considerably faster than I had been even on my shorter runs! My last 6 miler was over 10 seconds per mile slower! I think it it may be just because I'm out of Seldovia. I ran along the straignt and relatively flat (and paved) road out by Soldotna (I was camping with the Dalys), so just the fact that I could simply go out and back and zone out rather than having to wind around Seldovia and think about how to add more length to my run could be the reason for my recent increase in pace. But of course I'd LIKE to attribute it to me getting in SHAPE!! We shall see we shall see....

OK, well thats all for now. I'll try and keep more consistent in my postings again. I've still been switching my schedule around a bit which isnt good, but I am right on track with my weekly mileage still. This is a super easy week (almost TOO easy), but I'm enjoying it before I have to run 16 miles on Sunday.....grooooooosss!!!

Week one is in da BANK

Pretty short run today, so I tried to focus on pace.... and WOO!! Under 9 minute miles! I'm quite pleased. I especially pushed it for the last mile and I think was in the 7's for a bit even. Man this is depressing when I think about my high school XC times, but hey, I'm on my way back man! I decided to switch things around a bit so I have a rest day tomorrow and my dreaded 12 mile long run on Monday so I can go on the coastal trail in Anchorage and not have to worry about running in circles. Plus it'll be a good thing to keep me busy while all my friends are at work! Alrighty, well I'm gonna make it a short one for tonight. Super tired and full of fish/moose tacos. Yaay me for week one completed!!

Time: 35'12"

Pace: 8:46 min/mi

Distance: 4.01 mi