Now that the LA Marathon is over my focus until the end of May is triathlon training. I have never done a triathlon before and if you frequently read InsaneMarathon.com you know that I jumped right into the sport of triathlon last month.
Swim training has been going good. I have been averaging 2x a week swim instruction + 2 times a week self instruction/swimming laps. Every time I am in the water I complete a minimum of 1500m - although I stop for breaks. It's not that I get tired while swimming it is the fact that I am still not 100% comfortable breathing under the water. My body does not like the fact that when I exhale my face is in the water. That creates a situation where I don't exhale enough, therefore I don't inhale enough. Which compounds until I need to stop and regroup my breathing. My focus from here on out is going to be improving my breathing.
Tomorrow, April 6, I will be jumping into the open water for the first time at a mock triathlon being held by a local running store, American Running Company. It will be a .25 mile swim, 10 mile bike and a 5k run. This should allow me to feel what a triathlon will be like on race day, practice transitions and really get the feel for my Olympic distance event (St. Anthony's). I will also be doing the Escape from Fort DeSoto sprint triathlon on April 13 as a tune up. I really need to get myself into the sport completely and see how it goes. I want to do well at St. Anthony's and IronMan Florida 70.3.
Spin classes have been my only training so far on the bike. Averaging around 25-30 miles a class. I bought aero bars, new pedals and new tires for my road bike and then went out for a challenging ride in Clearwater Beach over the bridges. Sadly I experienced my first fall due to the clip in pedals. Luckily It was only a scrape on my knee (and ego). It's time to get serious!!
The past weekend I was in Las Vegas NV. I was able to practice my swimming early in the morning at the hotel lap pool... I also ran a 1/2 marathon in Laughlin, NV on Saturday morning. It was a fun 13.1 miles along the Colorado River in the desert. I love signing up for local races when I am traveling!
I will be doing all my triathlon training while still completing the INSANITY: The Asylum 30 day fitness challenge with you! Remember registration closes for the fitness challenge at 11:59pm tomorrow! The program starts on April 15. I can't wait!Use this direct link to get the challenge pack for ASYLUM - as soon as you order the program I will e-mail you with information on how to get involved with our support group!
I needed new running shoes. I have been running in the Newton Motions since November 2011. Before that I ran in the Brooks Adrenaline. I did not have any problems with those shoes, but I was looking to try something new.
Meb Keflezighi, the 4th place finisher at the 2012 London Olympics and USA athlete is sponsored by SKECHERS. How funny does that sound? Sketchers makes running shoes? Thats what I thought at first. I looked into it and they have come out with running shoes that provide a "natural" mid-foot landing. This sounded similar to my Newtons so I was intrigued.
Meb Keflezighi - Olympic marathon runner (4th place London 2012) - Fastest current USA marathon runner.
Runners World magazine and some online blogs were giving SKECHERS GoRun running shoes favorable marks so I thought about purchasing them last year. I didn't.
Well, my current Newton Motion shoes are about done and I was walking by a SKECHERS store so I went in. I tried on the GoRun Ride running shoes and they felt great. I could get 2 pairs of them for less than one pair of Newton Motions so I decided to try them out.
The two pairs of Sketchers GoRun shoes I purchased.
I ran the Insane Marathon Bayshore Run Club 6 mile route using them and they worked out fine. I had a little rubbing on my right foot, but it seemed to be a sock problem more than a shoe problem. I decided to run the Gasparilla 15k with the new SKECHERS GoRun Ride shoes. They seemed to work fine, although they held water more than other shoes and got heavy fast (it was hot and I was dousing myself with water while running). I did not get any blisters other than the rubbing I already had on my right foot from the group run so I wanted to give them another shot with the Gasparilla 1/2 Marathon. BAD IDEA.
During the Gasparilla 1/2 Marathon around mile 2 I started to feel my left foot burning. I though to myself that I couldn't be getting a blister on that foot. By mile 3 both feet were screaming. I knew I was getting some really bad blisters on my feet from the new shoes. I have never had a problem with blisters before. It was the most painful half marathon I have ever ran. Every step felt like a knife was digging though my feet.
Moral of the story. I will never stray away from a product that works for me. I will be returning my SKECHERS GoRun Rides and getting myself a shiny new pair of Newton Motions.
Hopefully these blisters don't rip open again this weekend...
The Gasparilla Distance Classic weekend in Tampa has always been my favorite event to participate in since I moved to Florida in late 2009. The first year I lived here I ran the final Gasparilla Marathon. The next year I ran every event offered (15k, 5k, 13.1 & 8k) which is called the Michelob Ultra Challenge. Last year I only ran the 15k and this year I registered for the 15k on Saturday and the 1/2 marathon on Sunday. My goal for these races was just to run it tempo speed as I have been focusing on staying injury free and preparing myself for the LA Marathon on March 17.
I headed to the Gasparilla "8 on your side" expo at the Tampa Convention Center Friday night with a group of friends. We grabbed our race packets and walked around the entire expo. I was disappointed that Nike is no longer sponsoring the event and the official merchandise was very generic. I enjoyed the excitement Nikes presence brought at the event and expo. One other thing I missed was the wall of names. Nike used to have a wall, like at the Chicago Marathon, where all 27,000 runners names were listed. It was fun trying to find your name as well as the names of your friends!
After the expo my friends and I headed to Spaghetti Warehouse for a "carb up" dinner. It was great. After it was over I went home and fell asleep.
The 15k didn't go as planned. I tried to run it fast. That didn't end up working as it got hot, I was not used to the shoes I was wearing (more on that later...) and I felt run-down. I did not eat anything or drink a lot of water before the race which might have caused this to happen. I finished the 15k talked to some friends and then went home to get ready to pick up my friend Maureen who was arriving from Chicago.
Maureen was coming down to run the Gasparilla half marathon with me on Sunday. I wanted to run the race under 1:50 and Maureen was looking to PR (something under 1:50).
On Sunday the race started at 6am which made for a very early wake up call.
When the race started something didn't seem right. It was pretty humid (100 percent humidity was reported) and I couldn't get my breathing down well. My pace was suffering even though my legs felt strong. It was warm out I didn't want to drag Maureen back as she felt good so I told her to run on. I ended up getting two huge blisters one on each foot due to the new shoes I had been wearing and each step felt like a knife stabbing me for 11 of the 13 miles. This was the most painful race I have ever done and I felt like quitting SO MANY times. However, I pushed though the pain (even though I was pretty sure I was bleeding though my shoes). My biggest fear was that I would injure myself for the LA Marathon. I had my worst 1/2 marathon time in years because of the breathing, heat and blisters. You can't win them all I guess.
The half marathon medal was awesome. Maureen and I went to the after party for and enjoyed the day rest of the day!
Hopefully next year goes better for me at Gasparilla! Maybe they will bring back Nike as a sponsor too!
One of the problems with living in Florida is that our racing season is in the winter months. You can run 100+ races every weekend from November-April. As I mentioned in my previous post, I'll be running the LA Marathon March 17 and my training is a little abnormal.
What does my LA Marathon training consist of?
5 days of INSANITY + 2 days of running
Really? Yes! The only 2 runs I am doing each week are the Thursday night Bayshore Run Club 6 mile route + a race every weekend. I'm following the INSANITY training program with my challenge group and only modifying the Saturday INSANITY workout, replacing it with a 1/2 marathon or comparable race. Two weeks ago I raced the Best Damn Race 10k on Saturday. Last weekend I raced the St. Petersburg 1/2 Marathon & today I raced the A1A Fort Lauderdale 1/2 Marathon. Next week is my "20 miler" all marathon training alumni are familiar with. I'm actually racing two races. The Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa - 15k and 1/2 Marathon - 22.4 miles over two days.
I've got another 1/2 lined up following Gasparilla & then am planning on a 5 mile or 10k race the weekend prior to LA Marathon.
Mixing in this much INSANITY with marathon training is INSANE! The training plans we use on this website are more structure like a 'typical' training program. Check them out!
I actually received this comment on the InsaneMarathon.com Facebook page today - "I just have to say I am so thankful I found your flyer at the Lululemon in Hyde Park. Your advanced half marathon plan rocks! I have never run so well! Training for Rock n Roll DC in March and have been participating in smaller races the last month or so. Did a 10 mile trail race this morning and finished Top 25 females! Biggest achievement for me yet. Feeling very confident about my half marathon performance. Thank you, again." - Jennifer M.
Jennifer, thank you for the kind words. I am ecstatic that our training plans are helping you achieve your goals! I hope I can help many more people do what they once thought impossible!
Three sentence summaries for my past three races:
Best Damn Race - Safety Harbor, FL: An amazing inaugural race put on by local runners. Scenic course ran along the bay with a beautiful sunrise. Well supported, great t-shirts, medals & a fast flat 10k course.
St. Petersburg Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon - St. Petersburg, FL: A fun, fast & flat course that captures the most of the city of St. Petersburg. The weather was much warmer than it was last year. Sadly the post race concert featuring Sean Kingston wasn't as awesome as last years Flo'Rida concert.
Fort Lauderdale A1A 1/2 Marathon - Fort Lauderdale, FL: Cold, freezing 45 degree race. Last year I ran the full marathon & it was 87 degrees! Beautiful scenic course ran through Las Olas and along the beach on A1A with a great sunrise!
I'm looking forward to continuing my racing and INSANITY schedule! Lets hope it continues to go well!
The 2013 Walt Disney Marathon Weekend is over. Once again I ran the 39.3 mile Goofy Challenge. I never know how to prepare for the Disney Goofy event and this year was definitely going to be a challenge. I had a national meeting that lasted until 10:30pm on Friday night in Delray Beach, FL. Somehow I needed to get to Disney World to run the 1/2 marathon by 3am (to board the shuttle busses).
I made it work!
Left Delray Beach at 11pm arrived in Orlando at 2am, changed clothes, got on the shuttle bus at 3am and headed to the start of the 1/2 marathon with ZERO hours of sleep! Not the way you want to start off running a 39.3 mile challenge!
The weather was forecasted to be in the 80's. I was tired. So I decided to enjoy the race, take photos and have fun!
I sure did.
I took photos with every character I could. Somehow I still finished with a time of 1:59. I was happy!
After the 1/2 marathon I went back to the hotel, cleaned up, had breakfast at the Polynesian Resort and went to the expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports. The expo was packed, the merchandise was picked over and I was exhausted. I waited in a couple lines to have my photo taken with green screen backdrops and then headed back to the hotel to nap. After passing out at the pool for a couple hours I had some pasta dinner at the hotel and went to bed before 8pm!
Day two of Goofy went well. I knew I was going to have fun with the marathon and I sure did! I stopped EVERYWHERE! I took photos with all of the characters and not just with the professional photographers, I used them as well as my iPhone. After taking photos I would post them online so everyone could see my Disney Marathon journey. I finished the marathon with a time of 4:26 - which isn't bad considering how many lines I waited in, photos I took, tweets I tweeted and so-forth! Hopefully you follow InsaneMarathon.com on instagram, twitter and Facebook!
I am also excited to be starting the 60 day fitness challenge tomorrow, January 21! There is a very dedicated group of us doing INSANITY, Shakeology and following strict nutritional guidelines for 60 days.
I was thinking about running another marathon this weekend; either the Clearwater Marathon or the Bahamas Marathon. However, I decided not to run either of them. I decided to run the St. Pete Beach Classic Duo (5k & 10k). I also decided to volunteer at the Clearwater Marathon.
I'll be posting about those events next!
 Are you looking for a fun running challenge this year? My friend and RRCA Coach, Debbie Voiles, has started a 13 x 13 in 13 challenge. What does this challenge entail? You will commit yourself to running 13 half marathons in 2013 (a marathon counts as 2 & virtual races do not count).
If you are interested in joining this challenge, join the 13x13in13 Facebook page. If you are on twitter or instagram you can use hashtag #13x13in13. She even has awesome looking car magnets and t-shirts to let everyone know you are a half marathon running machine!
More information about the challenge can be read on Debbie Voilies blog, Mojo For Running.
I am already in the challenge. By the end of January I should already have 4 or 5 1/2 marathons in the book!
Comment below or on the InsaneMarathon.com Facebook page if you are committing yourself to 13x13in13!
Have fun with this!
We have made it easier than ever to download one of our InsaneMarathon.com INSANITY marathon or half marathon training programs. To download a training program click on "Free Training Programs" using the links above or CLICK HERE. You can read about the programs and then download them immediately. No more waiting for us to e-mail you back with the file! Enjoy the training programs!Also, remember to join us for the 60 day INSANITY fitness challenge starting January 21! Contact us for more information!
Another week of training. Another half marathon. More ab / core work. New PR!
That is how my post Space Coast Marathon week went. After running my 16th full marathon I took the day after off from training. I had to travel to Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday and was able to get in some nice recovery running in along the beach and Las Olas Boulevard. Tuesday I ran 3.75 miles along A1A and Wednesday I ran 6 miles down A1A and Las Olas. Thursday and Friday I did RevAbs. Friday I also threw a fast 3 mile run in after My RevAbs core work. I did the first 2 miles at a 7:30 pace and the last mile at a 6:58 pace. I took Saturday off of training to prepare myself for the Brandon 1/2 Marathon on Sunday.
I felt like there was a chance I could PR at the Brandon 1/2 Marathon. My training has been going well. My legs felt very strong after coming off of the Space Coast Marathon. The weather wasn't going to be cold, but it was not going to be scorching hot - which always takes a toll on my racing times. I wanted to run a sub 1:40. I figured I would need to keep around a 7:30 min/mile pace for all 13.1 miles. The Brandon 1/2 marathon isn't scenic, it's not a large race & it doesn't have the bells and whistles most major 1/2 marathons have. It had an accurate course & water stops around every 1.75 miles. That's all I needed. I pushed myself harder than I ever have for a race. I was running around a 7:35 min/mile pace and at mile 10 I was still on track to run under 1:40 if I didn't slow down at all. I finished the race at 1:39:53. It's crazy to think that I was only 7 seconds away from missing my goal. That's one walk break, or just about half a second a mile.
My overall physical fitness has never been better. I know that it is because of INSANITY and RevAbs cross-training that I have been incorporating into my marathon training programs. I also continue to use Results & Recovery to refuel & heal my muscles after intense workouts and Shakeology to improve my overall health & nutrition.
This weekend I am running the St. Petersburg Jingle Bell Run 5k on Friday night and the Florida Holiday Halfathon (1/2 marathon) on Sunday. I will also be participating in the 12-12-12 Half Marathon of Sarasota. The following weekend I have the Color Run 5k in St. Petersburg 12/15 and on Sunday 12/16 my target PR marathon race - Jacksonville Bank Marathon.
If you want to get your training INSANE start using one of our FREE training programs today!
In case you were looking to run a 5k, 10k or 1/2 marathon in February the "Best Damn Race" has kindly created a $5 off discount code for InsaneMarathon.com. Use the code "INSANEMR" when registering to receive your $5 discount.
CLICK HERE to register for THE BEST DAMN RACE. The race takes place in the Tampa Bay area (Safety Harbor, FL).
With the race over 60 days away- make sure you get your copy of INSANITY for some INSANE 1/2 (or full!) marathon training! If you are interested in INSANITY - click here to purchase (New Years resolutions are right around the corner!)
Best Damn Race - save $5 on registration with promo code 'INSANEMR'
My INSANE marathon training for NYC came to an end last week. I was tapering down for the NYC marathon and couldn't have been more excited! The last 4 years I have been dreaming about running the NYC marathon and this was going to be my year. Well, we all know the end result of this story by now. Obviously life had other plans and my dream of the New York City marathon is on hold. Living in Florida I definitly understand the effect a hurricane can have on a community. I live right on Tampa Bay, and if a hurricane hit Tampa I am sure it would be devistating. My only gripe about NYC before I move on is that it should have been canceled before Friday evening. I received notice about the cancelation from friends and family via facebook and text messages as I was leaving the NYC marathon expo with bags and bags of souveniers, my bib, etc. It was very dissapointing to find out as soon as you are walking back to your hotel after being at the expo and getting pumped up for the event. I would have much rather had them cancel the event as soon as the hurricane hit. That way I could have been able to re-arrange my schedule, get refunds on most of the travel arrangements and use that towards running the NYC Marathon in a future year. The New York Road Runners do not have any answers as of now to what will happen next year. Will they open up the race to all 2012 runners? Will there be fees associated? Who knows. All I know is that my next marathon distance race will be the Space Coast Marathon on November 25, 2012 in Cocoa, FL. After that I have Jacksonville Bank Marathon and then Disney Goofy Challenge. I might sign up for the Clearwater Marathon, but I do not know for sure as of today. All that this means is INSANE marathon training has resumed!
One of the reasons I was especially bummed out about the canceleation of the NYC marathon is because I have already committed myself to the Berlin Marathon next year. Another World Marathon Major event held September 29, 2013. If I did NYC 2013 that would be two major races back to back, vacation, travel.... and who knows -- possible cancelations! I am excited to run in Germany. The Berlin marathon sounds like an amazing event and I am looking forward to running the 40th anniversary Berlin Marathon.
I purchaced another workout program recently to mix up my INSANE marathon trianing routine, RevAbs. I just started using it a few days ago and so far I have enjoyed the workouts. Some of the catch phrases in the videos seem a little cheesy but the ab workouts are no joke and I really want to concentrate more on my core area. A strong core creates a strong runner! I am going to incorporate RevAbs into my training from now until Jacksonville and will be updating this website with my review/results!
I wanted to leave this post with some photos of my NYC trip. On "marathon sunday" Jackie and I ran a 1/2 marathon around Central Park with thousands of other displaced runners. Enjoy the photos and if you have any interesting NYC Marathon stories feel free to leave a comment below with them!
-James B.
|
RSS Feed
