Training for Perfect 10

It's been almost a month since Tri AC. My training has had its ups and downs...literally. Took a nasty spill while running two days after Tri AC. The right side of my body got some serious road rash, and I twisted my left ankle badly enough that I can still feel it twinge if I catch it at a certain angle.

That fall put me out of commission for Rock n' Roll Philly 1/2 Marathon. I was disappointed.

Between the fall and some killer weeks at work, my training hasn't been where I want it, and my trips to the fridge for more numnums has been way ahead of where I want it.

All that said, I am heading toward the Perfect 10 miler on Oct. 26 with a spring in my step and a new pair of sneakers.

PERFECT 10

Perfect 10 is an all women's event put on by CGI, the same group that organizes the NJ State Triathlon. Like that event, it is held in Mercer County Park, which is great for me, because it is just 10 minutes from my house and is so close to work that the course runs right past my office at mile 5. This makes it easy to train for since I can just go out and run the course whenever I have the time.

I did the Perfect 10 run last year and loved the atmosphere. I had run one women's only half marathon in New York City back in 2003 and found it kind of unpleasant. There were some really pushy shovey types at that race and everyone seemed catty, both at the starting line and on the course. I was the very last finisher and I ended up doing an extra mile because they took away all the cones and markers before I got to the line. I finished in just over 3 hours, which is certainly slow, but isn't unheard of by racing standards. Anyway, after that low point, I wasn't sure I ever wanted to do a women's only event again. I was very cautious going into Perfect 10.

I needn't have worried. Perfect 10 in 2013 was surely one of the most up-beat and supportive events I have participated in.

Here were some of the things I liked, in no particular order:

• the dudes with ripped abdominals wearing chip-n-dale's outfits who cheered us in at the finish (I am not into dudes per se, but I liked the spirit of it...they were really enthusiastic)
• the huge contingents both from my own team Jersey Girls Stay Strong Multisport and from one of my favorite teams Black Girls Run -- there was some excellent team support on the course, for runners of every ability
• the chocolate dipping fountain in the refreshments area 
• the long-sleeve tech shirt nice enough that I have worn it regularly ever since
• the relatively easy course, a few rolling hills but nothing too taxing

I don't honestly recall anything I didn't like about the event. I know I felt a little under at around mile 8, but I found myself right next to my pal and current training partner, Maria, and we pushed it in on the last half mile, crossing the line together. That was fun. 

So, I'm psyched to get back out there, though I'm not sure if I'm in shape to hit a PR this time around. Last year's time was 1:46:30. We shall see. I'm not optimistic just because I didn't have a run focussed tri season. But you never know. There are still a couple weeks of training left to go. 

SNEAKERS

I didn't get the new sneakers for Perfect 10, but just because I was due, but new shoes always put me in a good frame of mind.

I'm an Asics fan and have been training and racing in Gel Kahana 6's for the last two and a half years. I got them when I was still obese because they were technically trail runners, and I wanted something that could take a serious pounding. But then when I tried to move on to lighter models of Asics and even tried a pair of Brooks, the result was blisters. So Kahanas it is.

Asics seems to update their lines all the time, whether they need to or not. I'm fine with new colors, but honestly, the Gel Kahana 6's were just about perfect. Fortunately the 7's don't seem to be worse. They have good room in the toe-box and are roomy through the ball of my foot. The cushioning seems to be about the same as the old model. I do miss the pull loop at the back for slip-on and off, however (a must for triathlon).

TRAINING

The good news on the training front is that Maria and I (Team Hard Core) have been able to do some long runs together to train up to Perfect 10. We did the full course last week at a stately pace, but I think we both felt fine after, so we at least knew we were fit for 10 one way another.

We did the full course plus an extra mile yesterday, and again, we seemed to be in good shape. We pushed ourselves a bit in the 8th and 9th miles, which I think was a good idea. I flagged a bit in the 11th mile, but overall knew I could have pushed harder. I'm thinking we'll probably do the course together one more time next week and I'll try to do it once on my own and just see how hard I can push.

After months of feeling reluctant about running, I'm starting to remember why I enjoyed it and how it started me on the road to triathlon in the first place. Meantime, I am missing the biking for sure, but don't miss the swimming (will re-start masters swim after the new year, in time to train for the spring tri season 2015).

The good thing about triathlon is that switching up sports all the time isn't just a matter of working different parts of the body (and mind) but also it keeps things fresh. I love digging into one aspect for a while, then pulling back and doing a lot with another. Last winter I was all about the swimming, this spring and summer I got into the cycling for the first time, now I'm happy to be pouring myself back into the good old one-foot two-foot running.

BALANCE

After having a literal fall a few weeks back, I'm thinking more and more about balance in all aspects of my life. In particular, I'm having a tough time getting my work-life-training balance going. I get fairly long vacations compared to most people, but when I'm working, I'm really expected to be on-call all the time. The hours in the classroom, plus prep, plus office hours, plus grading and more grading, plus committee work add up in a hurry.

People at work are puffy and sedentary and I've worked hard to move away from that lifestyle. So I'm currently ruminating on how to protect my time enough that I have room in my life for family and health even when I'm working. I think this is the dilemma of a lot of women my age, especially working moms. If anyone has the secret to this, please put it in the comments!

See you in two weeks for another race report!