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Perceived vs. Actual Pace

By Mary Baum on February 15, 2012

Last Sunday at my half marathon, 8 minute pace seemed far too easy for the distance I was running. Seriously, what a thrill! The work I had been putting in to the previous 7 weeks of marathon training was definitely paying off! When I looked on my schedule for today, at a 3 mile run at the same 8 minute pace, I pretty much wrote it off – this was going to be a cinch. Well, instead of looking like this…

 

I felt (and probably looked) way more like this…

I woke up bright and early before work to get the workout done – looking to start the day off right. I didn’t run yesterday (I went to spinning instead), so I was expecting some nice, fresh legs. My warm up was easy as usual, around 1.5 miles, and then the work began. My first problem, I left the Garmin at home. When I picked it up this morning to put it on, it beeped “low battery” on me. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to go by feel. I just did this Sunday, so that should be no problem….Ha!

I was all over the place! I started off too hard, and then felt like I went back a bit too easy. It was definitely a yo-yo type of run – I just couldn’t quite figure out the feel of the right pace. I got home and plugged my route into gmap-pedometer, and found out I was about 5 seconds slow per mile. What I expected to be a simple run turned into quite the workout, not to mention I didn’t even hit my goal.

Oh well, it happens, right? At one point, I felt like I should just cut out the speed, and go for a slower speed, longer distance run, even if I wasn’t quite hitting the mark. I decided to stick to the workout, and just get it done. I’m glad I did, and I can now check the workout off of my training plan. It’s hard to believe how quickly it is already filling up. How is it already week 8???

 

Looking on the bright side, tomorrow is a great day or training – one that Marcus says he believes to be the best at!

The run is done, and I can move on! That is the beauty of 18 weeks of training. No single run can predict your goal race… thank goodness!!

Has this ever happened to you!? A one time easy pace becomes a difficult one to hold? Would you have ditched the workout, or kept with it? I would love to know your thoughts, no matter what the pace!

 

 

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10 Reasons I Love Running

By Mary Baum on February 14, 2012

I’ve seen the Valentine’s Day Run Love List Floating around, so I decided I would go ahead and give it a shot. Here is my Valentine’s Day Love Fest Tribute – Running Style!

1. It is time you can spend by yourself, with no interruption

I do not have to answer to anyone while I am pounding the pavement. I can get lost in thought, and there is no one that can stop me. There is something amazing about having a little “me time” on the run

2. You can eat what you want (for the most part)

Being able to indulge in sweets or a juicy cheeseburger every once in a while (without a growing waistline) is amazing! Seriously, thank you running for making this possible :)

3. There is nothing like a runner’s high

Don’t believe me – try it for yourself?

4. I can do it forever

Unlike many sports that you can participate in when you are in school, running does not end when you graduate. You can do it on a team, alone, when you are 15, or when you are 50. It really is limitless!

5. It’s competitive

As an adult, there are not many ways you can truly talk smack (not me of course), and then back it up on the race course. Whether you are competing against friends on a team, or just against your previous PR, the feeling of reaching that goal is amazing!

6.  It’s not easy

If running were easy, everyone would do it. There are days that I just do not feel like getting out to run. But you know what? I do it anyway, and those are the runs that I love, that kick my butt, and give me the real reason to run.

7. The friends I’ve made along the way

I ran cross-country in high school and in college, and met some of my best friends doing so. I have made a great group of friends here in the Tampa area from races and running events, and love that we all “get” each other. Getting up early to run so we can’t be out too late the night before… we all have the same thought, so it’s not even abnormal. I can truly say, that is my favorite part of running – the community I have found!

8. The health benefits

I’m in shape. I feel good. Enough said.

9. Travelling

Having the excuse to travel to a new city because you are running a race there is amazing. My first trip to NYC had me running through all 5 boroughs on the same day – how many people can say that!?

10. The Running Gear

Yep, I love spandex, sports bras, running skirts, compression socks, and sneakers. I mean honestly, why wear heals when you have some awesome kicks to lace up?!

 

What are some reasons you love running!? Tell me in the comments!

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The Inaugural Rock N Roll St. Pete Half Marathon

By Mary Baum on February 13, 2012

A 4:23 am wake up call came mighty early after being at a wedding the night before, but it was well worth it. It was race day!!!!

Meghann and I met up in between our houses, and carpooled over to Callie’s. She lives super close to the race start, so her husband Nate was nice enough to drop us off nice and close to the start! Thanks Nate!!! We were quite bundled  and ready for the “feels like” temps in the low 30′s. For a Florida crew, that is straight up cold!

We got down to the start line and we were some of the first people there. It was drearily bare, as everyone was probably smart enough to get out of the cold and wait until the last second to get out there. We posted up beside a dumpster at the Trop. Yep, we kept it classy! We were protected from the wind, and that was all that mattered! Any way to keep warm, and we were fine with it.


I grabbed a few hand warmers from my cold weather gear, and those babies saved me! It kept me warm as Meghann and I were dancing to keep ourselves warm at the start!

Meghann had a goal of 1:45, which rounded out to be 8 minutes per mile and I offered to pace her to help her reach her goal. If you have a goal and find it difficult to stay on pace, I highly recommend asking someone to pace you! It helps to have someone to keep you going! Anyhow, we agreed to keep chatting to an absolute minimum, as Meghann wanted to save her energy for her legs (and ya, she knows I’m a chatter box when I run ;)

We got into our corral and had tons of room to stretch and warmup. I was quite surprised that the start line was so spacious and not congested in the least bit. Corral 1 was released and we waited about 30 seconds,and then it was our turn! It was the only race start that I did not even once have to tip toe around and get my space. Big win for RNR St. Pete!

The few first half of the race absolutely flew by! The course was nothing crazy great at the beginning (I guess they were saving that for end) but it was definitely not bad. The water stops were evenly spread out, and there were plenty of volunteers!!! We even were able to see Marcus and Emily a few times!

Before I knew it, we were passing the 10 mile mark and only had a 5k to go. I could tell Meghann was starting to feel the faster pace, so I was sure to give her enough space, but also stay close enough so she knew I wasn’t leaving her behind. Needless to say, she kept moving and really kicked some major butt! We crossed the finish line at 1:45:39, right at Meghann’s goal!

Our unofficial finish time

She shaved 6 minutes off her previous time, and came out of RNR St. Pete with a huge PR!!! Congrats Meghann, you did soooo well! I’m proud of you for pushing yourself so hard!

 

I had a nice 2 mile cool down, and made it back just in time to catch Flo Rida headline the post race concert. We were having so much fun screaming and jumping around, much to our surprise. Meghann even hopped up on stage to sing and dance to “Low”. Such a great way to wrap up a half marathon!!

 

Brunch followed our amazing race, and we met up with a few other RNR finishers. Congrats to Callie, Katie, and Casey on your first half marathons! You all did sooo well!!!

I am excited to run the race again next year! The staff did a great job with all the logistics, and everything ran soo smoothly, especially for the inaugural year!

The 8 minute pace felt so comfortable for me, and it was such a great confirmation of the work that I have been putting in to my training. I can not wait for Ethel RNR Country Music Marathon!!! Only 9 weeks to go!!

Check out Meghann and Callie’s recap here and here!

Anyone else run the RNR St. Pete Half Marathon this weekend? What were your thoughts on the race? Who else raced this weekend?

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The Rock N Roll St. Pete Expo!

By Mary Baum on February 10, 2012

Some time last week, I was contacted by a friend of a friend, and it looks like I am now running the Rock N Roll St. Petersburg Half Marathon!

When the opportunity came up, I figured why not?! I’ll just move my long run to Sunday instead of Saturday, and then tack on a few extra miles to make sure that I hit the full 16 miles that I have planned for my current training plan!  Of course, with every race comes an expo.  I had a half day at work since my sister came in town to celebrate the wedding of one of our great friends, so my afternoon was open! To the expo we went!

It was held at Tropicana Field, where the Tampa Bay Rays play. They were charging $15 to park, but don’t worry… there is a ton of on street parking in the surrounding areas that is free of charge! They do a quick bag check when you get to the Trop, and they will only allow water and Gatorade inside. If you are going tomorrow morning and feel like bringing in your coffee or tea, don’t make the mistake! They will make you dump it out! 

For those of you not familiar with Tropicana Field, it is an indoor baseball stadium with astroturf, so it is a great place to have an expo – lots of open space, plenty of a/c, and a great staff to handle the crowds. We were welcomed in by a nice red-carpet-esque walk way – this is Rock N Roll after all!

I will say that this was the least crowded expo I have ever been to! I went today (Friday) around 3pm, and it was empty. There were absolutely no lines for anything, and everything was in full stock!

My favorite part was the amount of Race Merchandise they had! There was something for everyone! Brooks sponsors the Rock N Roll series, and their apparel is amazing! Just be sure to try it on, because sometimes they sizes are a bit off (and by off I mean small)! Don’t worry, this expo makes trying on clothes way more fun that usual!

It was so easy to chat with all the vendors, which I always enjoy. There were great deals at a few of the local race tables, like the Women’s Half Marathon. If you sign up at the expo, you get $10 off your entry, and you get a free “In Training” t-shirt! Erika and the rest of the team were incredibly friendly and they really put on a great race and a really great expo as well!

Less than 2 days until race day! I’m excited to be taking part in the inaugural race down here for the RNR Marathon Series!

Looking for the do’s and dont’s of the expo? Check out Callie’s guide! It is right on par with everything you need to know!

Who else is running RNR St. Pete on Sunday? Any first time half-marathoners out there?

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Top 5 Resources to Find Awesome Running Routes

By Mary Baum on February 8, 2012

When traveling to new and different places, no matter where I am, I always have one similar question – where am I going to run? Now of course, depending on where you are, sometimes the treadmill will just have to suffice, but more often than not, outside is calling your name!

Running in Vancouver, B.C.

However, depending on where you are, sometimes it is difficult to find a route that is both runner friendly and safe. Look no further! Here are a few great resources for finding a great running route while traveling (or if you are just looking for somewhere new with different terrain).

1. Map My Run

With mapmyrun.com, you can get on the website and access routes instantly. You do not have to have an account or anything to just find a place to run. As with most websites, if you want to dig deeper, you will have to pay a fee (a max of $100 a year). This site can also be used to track your workouts, so can be used as a running journal as well. It is a great resource if you are looking for a new place to run, or if you want to log a favorite route of yours! You can search by location, distance, sport, (aka, not only for runners) and even the route name if you are familiar with streets or close by landmarks. This site is where I found our 14 mile hilly run last weekend! There are sooo many other features, so go check it out!

 2. Races in the city of your choice

More often than not, road races are held in pretty good areas of town, and are meant to be as scenic as possible. When travelling to a new destination, check out the local races and see where the routes take you. If I were travelling to Tampa and I searched for local Tampa races, the Gasparilla Distance Classic would definitely pop up, which has the most scenic route you can get! (I swear I’m not biased or anything!) Even running a small clip of the course would be reason enough for me to want to run in Tampa again!

3. Local publications

Last weekend in the local newspaper, The Tampa Tribune, (yes, there are still newspapers!), there was a great section on a very popular running route – yep, Bayshore again – and it highlighted where you could run, along with bathrooms and water fountains that runners could have access to. It was a great article, and I can imagine that other active cities have something like that as well.

4. Use the blog network

With so many bloggers littered across the country, I feel that it is easier than ever to find somewhere to run, and even someone new to run with! I have never come in contact with a runner/blogger that was not interested in meeting someone new, or that didn’t want to show someone else around their city! Marcus and I showed Stephanie around a few weeks ago, and it was such a great way to get to know her! All you have to do is ask :)

Showing Steph around on a run!

5. Gmap-pedometer

This is a great resource if you forgot your Garmin (or don’t have one) while travelling, but you still want to know the  pace and distance that you covered. This was actually the first site that I ever found that I was able to track my distance accurately. Although I don’t use it all that often anymore, it is great to have when you are in a bind (aka, Garmin dies mid run).

Running somewhere new just takes a preparation and little research. Get off that treadmill and go explore the city! It is not very often that you can run in a new location and take it all in!

Have you used any of the above resources? Do you know of any other websites to find new routes? How often to you go on an exploration run when you travel?

 

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