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Journey to Wellness

~ Fighting for health in my life one run, meal, and choice at a time

Journey to Wellness

Category Archives: Half Marathon Training

Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 8 Recap

09 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Caroline in Exercise, Half Marathon Training, Racing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

Alright- this is it. Actually, I might do one more recap to show what my recovery looks like, but after doing training recaps almost every week of this year, I finally have about a 2 month break before I hit training again. I have great plans for the summer in terms of my running and physical fitness, and I’ll share that along the way. Here’s how my final week of training (and taper) looked:

  • Friday (5/30): 30 minutes barre (while teaching), 1 mile walk, 25 minutes strength training (arms)
  • Saturday: 3.1 mile walk (with a friend from high school who came to visit!)
  • Sunday: 2.15 mile run
  • Monday: 30 minutes barre (while teaching), 25 minutes strength training (arms)
  • Tuesday: 40 minutes gentle pilates, .75 mile slow walk
  • Wednesday: 20 minutes strength training, 20 minutes pilates (while teaching), 1.25 mile run (last run of training cycle)
  • Thursday: 1 mile slow walk
  • Friday: REST
  • Saturday: 13.1 mile half marathon race, 1.8 mile recovery walk

The time I spent working out the week leading up to the race was about 1/3 of the time I normally spend, and I could really feel it. My runs were gentle, my walks were at a slower pace, and pilates was gentle as well. I wanted to keep moving and keep my muscles loose, but wanted to let them fully recover too! Thanks for following along with my training!

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Indianapolis Women’s Half Marathon 2014 Race Recap

08 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Caroline in Exercise, Half Marathon Training, Racing, Running

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

2014 Challenge, Exercise, Friends, Half Marathon, POTS, Race, Racing, Running

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”- Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon Co-founder

On Saturday afternoon, Melissa and I were at the pool, and she (I think it was her anyways and not me- haha) mentioned that she had no idea how to really recap this race, and I immediately agreed. This was by far the most strange half marathon I’ve ever run, and it seriously can’t be compared to any other half marathon that I’ve run so far (this was half marathon #6). This was a totally different game, and one that I said on Wednesday last week might be totally different due to weather.

My alarm went off at 5, and I checked the weather (humidity at 94%-ugh), and ate my traditional pre-race meal: 12 ounces orange juice, 1 luna bar, and 1 medium sized banana. I got ready quickly and warmed up. Melissa accidently turned her alarm off, so I finally woke her up at 5:45 (we were planning to leave right around 6). She had gotten sick in the middle of the night- a great sign of the day to come. We hit the road and got to the corrals about 15 minutes before the start. We warmed up quickly and jumped in the corrals ready to go. Race start temperature was about 60 degrees with 92% humidity, but we knew the temperature was going to shoot up quickly. I took a salt packet about 30 minutes before the race, hoping that would help any cramping issues.

I need to mention again here that, because I have POTS, exercising in the heat is pretty difficult. I can’t cool myself appropriately, so anything over about 50-55 degrees is really warm for me. Going in I knew this was going to be the case, and Melissa and I decided that it was better to be safe than to put ourselves in a dangerous situation (she also doesn’t do well in the heat). Safety was the name of our game.

Indy Women's Half Marathon Race RecapAt the starting line

The first 5 miles flew by pretty quickly, and the temperature felt ok for us too. We started off doing a 2:1 run:walk ratio, and we decided to keep our pace equivalent to training runs until we felt like it wasn’t safe anymore. The first 5 miles we hit in the 11-11:25 range, and that felt awesome. At that point the sun had really come out strong and the temperature was rising. Melissa wasn’t feeling great, and somewhere in the 5-6 mile range my heart rate got out of control fast. We both walked for a good chunk of that mile- remember our motto? Safety first.

We hit the half way point and I was hurting from walking so quickly. When we walked, we were keeping about a 14:40 pace, which is far faster pace than I normally walk at. My right arch was hurting and my left piriformis was unhappy. I remember taking inventory of myself, looking at Melissa, and wondering how we were going to make it through the rest of the race. Running felt better than walking at this point, even though running wasn’t good for me.

At mile 7 we hit a water station and there was no line at the port-a-potty. SCORE! I hopped in and went quickly- a first for me at any race. It was worth it though (one thing I will say is that I feel like I was hydrating well throughout the race. I drank water and powerade at every station the first half, and also carried gatorade in my handheld water bottle). Melissa told me to run ahead and she’d catch up, so I grabbed the powerade at the station and walked along, eating my race fuel (cran-razz shot bloks. I also had margarita shot bloks at mile 3.8 and 10ish). I also took half a salt packet at mile 7, not because I was cramping, but because I was sweating and losing so much salt, and didn’t want to cramp at the end.

Right after mile 7 was a huge hill, and I definitely walked up it. Melissa caught up at the top, and told me that she threw up again. I felt so bad for her, and even though she told me to run ahead, I refused. We signed up together, and we were going to run it together! And honestly, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the 2nd half without her next to me anyways.

Honestly, those last miles went by in a blur, and I felt like they went by pretty quickly too. We walked a lot, and ran as we could. Neither of us felt fantastic. The second half of the course I only took powerade at the stations because the water was too warm to be refreshing at all, and I couldn’t stomach the thought of it. Right around mile 9 I looked as far ahead of me and behind me as I could, and every single person I saw was walking. That’s when I realized how tough this weather really was.

Somewhere around mile 9 we set a goal for ourselves- we would come in before my slowest half marathon time (set at my first half marathon at the Indy mini), and that pushed us to run just a bit more. Right about mile 12 I suddenly started to shiver a bit, and said “Oh my gosh Melissa, I’m getting goose bumps.” At this point it was still high humidity about almost 77 degrees, and I shouldn’t have been shivering at all, so this was clearly a sign that my body wasn’t doing well. Honestly, if I had more than a mile left I would’ve been pretty concerned, but I felt ok continuing on, knowing that it would all be over in about 10 minutes.

Right around mile 12.5 we ran past some of Melissa’s co-workers who brought out ice cold water bottles for us. I handed off my hand held, and it felt absolutely amazing to hold something that was so cold. Once we saw the finish line Melissa told me to run ahead so I could make sure that I was under my slowest time. I ended up crossing the finish line about 20 seconds before her, but both of us ended with a time of 2:55. It’s certainly a far cry from my half marathon PR, but as I said, this race can’t even be compared to my other races.

I felt more emotional crossing that finish line than in any finish except for first half marathon- I guess because my body felt pretty off at that point. Men who were in the military were passing out the medals, and we also got roses (along with the standard banana, nuts, water, etc…).

Racing half marathon

Melissa and I took a few pictures, and then headed back to stretch.

photo 2 Indy Women's Half Marathon

Honestly- I wasn’t at all disappointed in our time. This race was really tough for both of us, and in many ways I had to push myself much more than in other races. I ran a relatively safe race with POTS (minus when my body started to hit heat exhaustion), and was able to finish strong in that last mile. I had fun for a good portion of the race, and this race was another example of proving that I am stronger than I thought I was, and my diagnosis doesn’t have to hold me back completely. I think that long distance summer races are just something that I can’t really do because of POTS, and that’s ok. Honestly, looking at the big picture, the time doesn’t matter to me. Me pushing myself, being safe, growing, learning, and just being able to run is what’s most important. I’m so thankful that I can run, even in the tough, hot, and disgusting races. I’m thankful for this race, safety in running, and for the lessons learned through it.

Overall the race was organized well. The course was fine- nothing special. There were plenty of aid stations with water and powerade. I wish the water had been kept cooler, as it was just gross and not refreshing the 2nd half of the race. The volunteers were really encouraging, but there was minimal spectators cheering on the side of the road.

I’m interested to see how I view this race in a few months, but right now I’m not disappointed at all. Despite having to drop our pace, we didn’t quit, and that was huge for us. More on the expo and post race fun later this week!

Check out Melissa’s recap of the race too!

For more information on POTS, click here. For other race recaps, click here. To see how this race compares to the Monumental Half Marathon, the Indianapolis Mini Marathon, and the Carmel Half Marathon, click here. For more information on my Bioskin calf sleeves, click here. 

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National Running Day {and Race Week Thoughts}

04 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Caroline in Half Marathon Training, Racing, Running

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Half Marathon, Race, Racing, Running

First of all- happy National Running Day! I’m celebrating by going out on a very short run- just a little shake out one since I have a half marathon on Saturday! Last year I wrote an entire post on why I run, so check it out if you’re interested in it! Running helps me deal with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome– it allows me to fight, to prove that a diagnosis can’t completely control me. Running is a time set apart for reflection, for happiness, for time in nature, and for mindfulness. Running is for stress relief and for freedom. I’m so thankful I took a risk in that first run, and even though I almost passed out, I kept going. I run for me, and I run because I can, even though it has to look different due to POTS.

national running day badge 2014

Like I mentioned, this week is race week. I’ve never had a race week that’s been so hot/high in humidity before. This is obviously pretty nerve-wracking to me, especially with POTS. With POTS I don’t have the ability to cool myself down like I used to. I already have to consume more salt and fluid than the average person, so add in lots of sweating, and I’m curious to see how it’ll go. I do know that I won’t put myself in danger, so if I need to take extra walking breaks, and/or slow my pace down, I’ll definitely be doing that. I’ll likely carry my handheld with me so I can have some extra fluid in case what’s on the course isn’t enough. I’ll be carrying extra salt packets in case I feel myself getting dizzy. And I’m debating whether I should wear a tank top or go without a shirt… with my issues cooling myself, having one less layer of clothing might be really helpful. I’m still pretty undecided on this though. This week I’m doing all of these race week preparations and trying not to let taper get to me.

I’m craving a good bike ride, but I’m not allowing myself. I walked way more miles than I really should have last week, so I’m really cutting back this week. I find myself pacing around my living room a bit, and then force myself to sit down. That’s how it goes, I guess.

Carmel 2Melissa and me running Carmel in April 2014

Despite the concerns about the weather, I’m so excited to get to spend more time with (and race again with) Melissa (we ran the Carmel Half Marathon together in April… when it was much cooler, but with more hills), and hit the starting line again!

Now it’s your turn to share! Why are you a runner? Any hints for running in the heat?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 7 Recap

01 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Caroline in Exercise, Half Marathon Training

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

First of all- Happy June! Seriously- how are we in the 6th month of the year already? I feel like this year has flown so quickly- yikes! I wish it would slow down a bit!

Well, this training cycle has been a short(er) one, but I can’t believe that it’s almost over! The next time I post a training recap, my race will be over. EEK! This week was pretty solid on the fitness front, but tapering didn’t quite happen the way that I wanted it to. I cut down on running but increased walking mileage, which I will force myself to decrease next week too. I seriously need to buckle down a bit more to let my legs rest up! Here’s how the week looked:

  • Friday (5/23): .5 mile walk, 30 minute strength training (arms)
  • Saturday: 4.5 mile walk
  • Sunday: 3.6 mile run (5k Memorial Day Race plus an extra .5 cooldown), .75 mi walk
  • Monday: 3.5 mile walk, 20 minutes core/abs
  • Tuesday: 21.5 mile bike, 2.25 mile walk
  • Wednesday: 20 minutes pilates (while teaching), strength training (arms)
  • Thursday: REST

So, there you have it! I got in an extra lifting session this week, which was nice! Now that my brother isn’t here anymore, I’m left to lifting on my own. I’m trying to keep up the intensity I lifted at with him, and am trying not to take a break from it. I know if I stop I won’t pick it back up in the same way since he isn’t here.

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you lift? If so- do you do it by yourself, with others, or by following a pre-written plan?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 6 Recap

25 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Caroline in Exercise, Half Marathon Training

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

This is my final hard workout week, as next week starts taper time. Oh boy. I’m still hoping that race day is nice and cool so I can run fast (for me) and not run one of my slowest half times. We’ll see- that’s definitely not something I can control 🙂 Here’s how the week looked:

  • Friday (5/16): 30 minutes pilates
  • Saturday: 9.8 mile run
  • Sunday: 40 minutes pilates, 13.75 mile bike (first on the road for the season), 1.75 mile walk
  • Monday:40 minute strength training (arms & abs with my brother!), 4 mile walk
  • Tuesday: 23 mile bike ride (my first group ride!)
  • Wednesday: REST (active rest) 1 mile walk (needed to rest but needed to try to move my legs a bit after my ride the day before)
  • Thursday: Active REST- 1.8 mile walk (nice and slow with a co-worker at lunch- awesome way to enjoy the sunshine!)

So there’s the week. Not only did I hit my peak running mileage, but this is pretty much the highest number of miles biked in any given week since sometime in late summer/early fall. I’m trying to keep my legs moving (nice, slow walks) to avoid them getting stiff, and adding pilates in there to keep myself stretched out! I’m definitely looking forward to some more light pilates during taper to keep me nice and loose! Good thing I made homemade peanut butter cups to keep me fueled this week 🙂

Now it’s your turn to share! What was your favorite exercise for the week?

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My Best Long Run I’ve Had {and 9.8 miles}

19 Monday May 2014

Posted by Caroline in Half Marathon Training, Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Half Marathon, Running, Training

Saturday I ended up going on what turned out to be probably my best long training run I’ve ever done! I woke up at 7:30 intending to head out within an hour for my run, but a friend ended up stopping by, so I didn’t start running until around 10. Luckily, unlike last week, it was much cooler. We had a few days where the temperature dropped from the 70s and 80s back down to the 40s, so it was absolutely fantastic running weather. Although the weather provided a great environment for running, I know that my half marathon won’t be so chilly, so part of me was hopping for some hotter weather to get myself used to running in that weather. As this was my last long run before my half, I guess my run last week is the only real race that’ll give me that weather!

I felt pretty great right off the bat on my run, which is more rare than not. It often takes me 1-2 miles to really warm up and get going. Around the 3 mile mark I heard a text come through, so I pulled out my phone on a walk break to text my cousin back. I realized at that point I was holding an 11:03 pace- WOAH. I don’t really ever hold that pace during long runs, even during a race! I pulled my phone out right past mile 6 to text my cousin again, and was still hovering right around 11:06 pace. That felt really awesome, and right on par with my 9.8 miler back in March.

Right around mile 8 I could tell that my pace had slowed slightly- I was really fighting for it, but it felt great! I took a small handful of sports beans at mile 4, and had about 10 ounces of nuun on the run. I’ve been carrying my handheld on my longer runs the last few weeks just to get my body used to it. Depending on how hot race day is, I may want to carry it with me. To replicate race day, I decided to run with it. I thought it might bother me to hold it for so many miles, but it didn’t at all!

I came back to the driveway and saw this:

9.8 mile training run

BAM- AWESOME run and a full 1 minute 25 second per mile pace faster than my run last week. As I had mentioned in the spring, I had been having the start of leg cramps on my runs, but since I’ve been regularly stretching my calf muscles on an almost daily basis, this hasn’t been a problem. I didn’t have any pain or cramps at all, despite my faster than normal pace. I also down a salt packet before each of my runs.

This run was a truly excellent run. I listened to podcasts, enjoyed the flowers blooming and the squirrels and birds hopping around, and ran with a smile on my face most of the time. This is the type of run that keeps me coming back…

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 5 Recap

18 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Caroline in Exercise, Half Marathon Training

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

Week 5 down! BAM. Only one more actual week of training before taper begins for my next half marathon! This week felt pretty solid. Allergies have been a bit more sleepy than normal (but I’m sleeping worse than normal too due to them), so I know that’s made work outs feel just a bit more difficult (this got much better later in the week when the rainy came…). Here’s how the week looked:

  • Friday (5/9): REST
  • Saturday: 8.85 mi run, 1.5 mi walk
  • Sunday: 1 hour pilates, 1.75 mi walk
  • Monday: 45 mins strength training (arms & core), 1.25 mi walk
  • Tuesday: taught barre class, 1.1 mi walk, 12 mi bike ride
  • Wednesday: 9.5 mi bike ride
  • Thursday: 15 mins pilates (while teaching class)- mostly REST day- just wanted to get in a few good stretches

Pretty good week overall, with lots of good cross training. I’m stretching almost every day to try to keep myself from getting too tight in any places. My left hamstring has been a little tighter than normal the last few weeks, but I stretch it out daily and that’s been that. I hope it stays that way 🙂

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Running According To Effort {and 8.8 miles}

14 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Caroline in Half Marathon Training, Running

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Running, Training

Saturday morning I was up and on the road by about 9 am to run. My plan was to get out earlier, but I ended up being called out on Friday evening for a work situation, and didn’t get to bed until much later than I had hoped. I ate my normal pre-run breakfast, followed by my packet of salt to try to help avoid cramps on the run. While I wasn’t really down about my run, I knew it was likely to be tough- this is the hottest run I’d had since sometime in early fall (in the 60s with humidity above 50%), the sun was out without any clouds, and my allergies had been pretty bad that week (but the flowering trees are totally worth it!). Even with all that, I was excited to hit the road and run.

On my 7 miler last week my IT bands had flared up a tiny bit (I had to stop a few times at the end to stretch them out, which hasn’t happened in my training since 2013), so I had no idea what the run would look like. I had about 8.5 miles in my mind, and hoped I could hit that. I filled my handheld 16 ounce water bottle with nuun and brought half a packet of sports beans with me.

Given everything I mentioned above, I decided to not watch my pace during my run, but instead run based on effort. I know that mentally I can start falling apart when I can’t keep my pace where I want it to be (and I knew that today was not a day where my pace would be on point), so I thought I’d do better running based on how I felt.

Around mile 3 I wondered how I could ever make it 5 more miles- I was definitely feeling spent. Around mile 4 I hit some shade, and that definitely helped a bit. At mile 5.5 I popped in a building to get some cold water from the drinking fountain, and that definitely perked me up a it. Those last miles, while hot, felt much easier.

The funny thing is that my miles were about 1:15 slower than normal, but my effort felt more difficult than normal. If I had been watching my pace, I would’ve been pretty down on myself. Instead, I tried to take how I felt in stride, proud of myself that I was continuing to push myself as I could. I ended up going 8.85 miles instead of the 8.5 I had planned because I just wasn’t quite ready to stop running yet. Beyond the difficulty breathing due to allergies and needing to slow down due to the heat, my body felt great- and no IT band pain at all!

This weekend’s run was a great reminder as we head into summer- our pace generally has to change, and that’s perfectly fine. Running based on effort instead of numbers is an excellent way to combat the heat and humidity of summer!

Now it’s your turn to share! How does your running change in the summer? Any warm-weather running tips?

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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 4 Recap

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Caroline in Exercise, Half Marathon Training

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

Another week of training complete. This week was absolutely beautiful, and I ended up going outside quite a bit. Sometimes my clients want to go outside for the hour, so we might walk, but of course it’s at a slow pace (really it’s activity more than exercise). Either way, I’ve been excited to get outside a bit more in the 80 degree sunshine! Here’s how the week looked:

  • Friday (5/2): REST
  • Saturday: 7.25 mile run
  • Sunday: 45 minutes pilates, 1.5 mi walk
  • Monday: 45 minutes strength training (arms w/a bit of abs at the end)
  • Tuesday: taught barre class, .85 mi walk (lunch stroll), 9.5 mi bike
  • Wednesday: 3.2 mile walk
  • Thursday:9.5 mile bike, 2.9 mile walk

My run on Saturday was really great, but the last mile or so I had some IT band pain (such that I had to stop twice to stretch it out a bit). I haven’t had IT band pain like that since the fall, so it had me a bit worried. I used my stick quite a bit this week 🙂 I called a friend on Wednesday and headed out for a walk after work- it was great to be able to catch up and get some time in the sunshine!

Overall the week felt really great, and I enjoyed the schedule that I had throughout the week. Pilates and regularly stretching my calf muscles has been critical 🙂 I’m a month out from race day now- what a short time in between these races!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one thing you’re doing that you really like in training right now? Any mother’s day plans?

Looking for more ways to connect?

  • Connect on twitter @kalolainastar
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Indy Women’s Half Marathon Training Week 3 Recap

04 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Caroline in Exercise, Half Marathon Training

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Training

First of all, happy star wars day, and may the fourth be with you! Last year I ran the Indy Mini on May 4th, and they had some star wars characters at one point on the course, which was fun 🙂

After two weeks of recovery from my fifth half marathon, this week jumped back into full on training! My body feels totally unlike it normally does after half marathons, and I feel like it’s recovered much faster than normal. That being said, my piriformis has flared up a bit, which is annoying. At this point I’m not concerned. The last two times this happened (October and January) it was fine in a week or two. I’m stretching it out and hoping for the best. Here’s what the week looked like:

  • Friday (4/25): 6.3 mile run
  • Saturday: 29 mile bike
  • Sunday: 45 minutes pilates, 1.75 mi walk
  • Monday: REST
  • Tuesday: 30 minutes barre, 1.35 mi walk
  • Wednesday: 45 minute strength training (arms), .8 mi walk
  • Thursday: 45 minutes pilates

Overall the week felt pretty solid, and I had a great time working out! I’ve been icing, foam rolling, and stretching almost daily, and I’m hoping that’ll help keep me loose and uninjured!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one thing you’re focusing on with your health this week?

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