#conradical Week in Review

50-51 miles 14-mile long run with Emily 90 minutes of hot yoga 5 AFDs Despite the fact that I still only logged half as many miles as a "normal" week, I do feel like I got my life back on track to a reasonable degree. As it turns out, barely running affords plenty of time for luxuries like stretching, core work and even yoga, all of which have been vigorously performed with the goal of zipping up my bridesmaid dress for Caitlin's wedding a mere two weeks from now. Though everything about it runs contrary to the objectives I just outlined, I will...

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Week in Review

55 miles 0 days off 4 days in Texas 2? AFDs I figured I'd hit somewhere around 40 this week and was surprised to add up the final tally. I didn't feel great at any point but that's to be expected thanks to a lingering cold and an uncharacteristic rock-star lifestyle. Next week I pledge to try to get my life back on track....

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The Running Event: Indie 5k

2-3 mile w/u + strides Target: win Actual: 5th place, 17:05 Results 3-4 mile c/d Total: ~10 miles If you've never been to The Running Event, it really is difficult to describe. I've heard it labeled the four most important days of the year in the running industry, which is debatable. One thing is certain, however; there's really no other event within the span of a year that brings together everyone involved in the business of running, from local independent retailers and their employees to brand reps to media outlets to elite runners. Hell, even...

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Week in Review

38ish miles 2 days off 4 days in NC 0 AFDs Epic life week. Horrific running week. Thank goodness that's as it should be right now. Have I mentioned I'm so glad I picked a mid-November marathon??...

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Caitlin's Bachelorette Weekend in Pictures

I'm surprising Caitlin at her bachelorette party! Rule #1: find a good hiding spot. This one wasn't quite right. Then my partner in crime found the perfect thing: a child-size (aka my size) stocking! This is me (plus three pillows) in "the sack." Caitlin arrived to open her present... ...and SURPRISE! Sweet lord, was it hot in there. A toast to the beautiful bride-to-be (and to me not suffocating). Because Saturday morning...

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Week in Review

32 miles 3 days off 14 miles at Battle Road 1 AFD (new record!) Autumn at Battle Road I probably shouldn't have run 14 miles today, but there was great company (Jordan, Terry, Jenn and a BAA crew) and a great venue (the always pleasing Battle Road) and, well, the loop is 14 miles. I could've turned around by myself at the five-mile mark before the Great Meadow section, but what's the fun in that? However, by the final 30 minutes my legs were...

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Fifth Annual Gabe's Run 5k XC Challenge

5k w/u Target: Win, break course record (sub-18:40) Actual: 18:25, 1st place and new CR Results 2 mile c/d Total: 8 miles I know what you're thinking: "Umm...didn't you just run a marathon four days ago?!" Well technically yes, but in my defense this race has been on the calendar for quite some time, and for good reason.  Pre-race photo opp with my coworker Scott, his fiancee Jen and his brother I didn't know much--nothing, really--about...

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(Philly Marathon) Week in Review

80 miles 2 doubles 3 days in Philly 2-minute PR The not-yet-released Karhu Flow Light carried me through 26.2--yet another perk of being sample size! There's not really anything of significance to add that wasn't already covered in today's race recap, but suffice it to say this was a good week. Believe it or not, people are already asking which marathon I'll be racing next, which is a concept I haven't even begun to wrap my brain around. First...

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Philly Marathon Race Report

Goal #1: Run a PR (sub-2:41:06) Goal #2: Run sub-2:40 Goal #3: Run sub-2:39 Goal #4: Place top 5 Actual: 2:39:02 (chip), 2:39:08 (gun); 4th place female (2nd American) Going into this race, I knew that on a perfect day in ideal conditions I was primed to run between 2:37:30 and 2:38:30. This would be at least three minutes faster than I'd ever run before, but I had unwavering confidence that it was possible. Every workout I've done in the past...

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Philly Marathon Results

2:39:02; 4th place female (2nd American) Results Will blog soooooooooon! Maintaining the perfect sorority squat even on post-marathon leg...

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Almost Famous Thanks To The Trailer's Jon Gugala

My favorite journalist Jon Gugala recently profiled me for his kick-ass running site, The Trailer. Check it out here. This photo (and the ones in my article) courtesy of my awesome co-worker and friend Nora Lohrenz (Also, because a firestorm has ensued surrounding my alleged dislike of pumpkins, please allow me to clarify: I love any and all pumpkin-flavored tasty treats. What I do not like is having one thrust in my face. Or unexpectedly waking...

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(Taper) Week in Review

70 miles 1 day off (!!) 2 doubles 3 days in FTL I'll save all my philosophical musings on Philly until a few days closer to the race. ...

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A Rare Day Off

Yup, that happened. I wasn't necessarily planning for it--in fact, was easily roused by my 6am alarm--but one look outside at the wind-whipped trees and lashing rain was enough to send me burrowing back under the covers. I made a half-hearted pledge to run at lunch, but with the weather still uninviting at best I made the call to bag it. The last thing I need right now is to slip on a slick patch of sidewalk or get broadsided by a hydroplaning Masshole. Besides, I'm tapering. Lay off me. Considering I routinely fail to blog about runs that actually...

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Outpacing the Nor'easter

2.5 mile w/u Target: 2x5k @MP (~18:45) w/full rest; 5x30 secs. hard Actual: 18:30, 4 min. jog, 18:20; 5x30 secs. hard 0.5 mile c/d Total: ~10 miles I should've done this yesterday. Less than 24 hours ago it was ideal workout weather; cold, but not frigid, with virtually no wind. Instead, still recovering from a hard 20 on Sunday, I opted to wait until this morning and was punished by a biting, blustery 20+ mph direct headwind for the first half of each interval. Fortunately I was able to tuck in behind Jordan and fortunately he's tipping the scales...

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Week in Review

95 miles 2 doubles 2 days in TX 4 days in NYC Two weeks until Philly!...

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Making the Most of the Marathon Sunday that Wasn't

For the past month, Jordan and I have been planning to travel to NYC for marathon weekend. Though we didn't have any official race or expo duties, there were several media meetings to attend on behalf of Karhu. Plus, Thursday happened to be my birthday and we knew there would be plenty of friends in town for marathon festivities, so not unlike last year we were looking forward to making a long weekend of it. Then, Hurricane Sandy hit. Actually, even before landfall she was screwing things up. I ended up marooned in Texas until Tuesday afternoon,...

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All Tricks and No Treats: My Biggest Workout(s) Ever

AM: 2 mile w/u Target: 10k @5:45 pace (35:45-35:50) Actual: 35:46 1/2 mile c/d Total: 8.5-9 miles PM: 1 mile w/u Target: 8-10 miles @6:10 down to 6:00 pace Actual: 10 miles @61:00 1/2 mile c/d Total: 11.5-12 miles I don't have much time to blog, because I (finally) made it back to Boston and we are (finally) headed to NYC for the marathon weekend that almost never was (not racing, obviously, just here for work/birthday shenanigans/spectating/revelry and merriment).  So let me just say this: on paper, executing these two relatively difficult...

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Week in Review (and Obligatory Hurricane Sandy Post)

101 miles 2 doubles 15-mile long run 5 days in Dallas 1 hurricane At some point on Saturday, I found myself adding up the week's miles and being perplexed by how difficult (and tiring!) it seemed to hit triple digits as opposed to other weeks. Then I realized I'd only doubled twice--as opposed to four or even five doubles in a typical week--had started the week with a 15-miler on tired legs and then knocked out possibly my most challenging workout of the cycle on Wednesday morning before hopping a flight halfway across the country. Now it all...

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13.1 Dallas Race Recap (by the Karhu Bear)

2 mile w/u Target: 13.1 miles @goal MP (6:00-6:05) Actual: 1:19:04 (6:02 pace); 2nd place female Results; Dallas Morning News article I could write my own report of this race, but why bother? That's what I keep The Trailer's Jon Gugala around for! His article, which recounts his own experience of racing in the Karhu bear costume and details Karhu Airstream driver Joe Moore's dominant half-marathon victory, is far more entertaining than reading about how I ran marathon pace for 80 minutes. (On the other hand, my efforts netted me $500 and all Jon...

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3x5k Success

2.5 mile w/u Target: 3x5k @18:15, 18:00, 17:45 w/3 mins. rest Actual: 18:08, 17:56, 17:39 (slowest 1k @3:44; fastest @3:27) 1 mile c/d Total: 13 miles No time to blog, but I want to note a few points before it slips my mind. Going into this workout, my legs were particularly tired and sore, no doubt residual effects from Sunday's hard 10-mile race effort. Usually if my legs are sore after a race or hard workout it always feels most pronounced in my calves, rock-like. To my surprise, this time my calves feel totally normal but my quads are absolutely...

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DC Morning Run Sites/Sights

The Capitol, the White House, the Mall, Lincoln, Washington, Arlington National Cemetery, Teddy's Island, the Key Bridge, Georgetown, the C&O Canal towpath, the Capital Crescent Trail, the Kennedy Center, the Arboretum. Aaaand that's how an easy post-race recovery run turns into 25k....

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Week in Review

90 miles 3 doubles 3 PRs (5 mile, 10k, 10 mile) 2 days in DC A successful week on all counts. I got to spend time with Jilane and Caitlin, two of my all-time besties, nailed my workout on Wednesday, scratched and clawed my way to a big PR on Sunday and enjoyed some gorgeous fall weather in one of my favorite cities. I'll be spending one more day in DC before traveling home on Monday evening, and I'm already sad to leave such a great weekend behind... ...but now it's time to look ahead to my ultimate goal for the season: four weeks to Phil...

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Army 10 Miler Race Recap

1 mile w/u Target: 10 miles @57:00-57:30 Actual: 57:21 (5:44 pace); 6th place female Results Splits that I remember (gun): 2 miles @11:11; 3 miles @16:52; 5 miles @28:20; 10k @35;23   2 mile c/d Total: 13 miles Ever since having such an awesome time running this race together last year, Caitlin and I have been planning to return. In 2011 I entered the race feeling relatively unfit and unprepared after taking some time off due to injury...

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Early Morning Workout Improvisation

2 mile w/u Target: 8 mile wave tempo alternating every 800m: 2:50/3:10 (48:00 total); 2 miles @11:40 Revised Target: 13k wave tempo alternating every 1000m: 3:33/3:58 (or 5:42/6:23 mile pace = 48:50 total) Actual: 3:39, 3:57, 3:32, 3:49, 3:29, 3:50, 3:29, 3:52, 3:23, 3:53, 3:31, 3:52, 3:31 = 47:47 for 13k (8+ miles); 4 min. rest/jog; 3k @11:00 1 mile c/d Total: 13 miles I was up dark and early this morning for another solo marathon workout. My favorite! At 35 degrees, it was one of the coldest mornings thus far this fall, and I was barely adequately...

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Week in Review

95 miles 8 runs 21-mile long run 17-mile medium long run 7 days at home After opening up with a 21-mile Monday and another planned 16-18 miler come Sunday, this could've easily been one of my highest mileage weeks ever. Instead, my coach had other plans. A firm 90-95 was written as the upper limit on my schedule, and once I acquiesced and allowed myself to relinquish my 100+ streak, it was actually quite enjoyable. In fact, to ensure that I didn't go over the prescribed mileage, I found myself having to cut back a ridiculous amount during the...

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