Lisa Sabin’s - Running And Being

Robyn and I ran another hilly course today. I am no longer committed to running Bloomsday. I have to admit that I am a little disappointed that I won’t be running. I know that it’s the best thing for me, to give my body the time it needs to heal. Robyn runs Bloomsday every year. I have trained her for many Bloomsday’s over the last 6 years. We are going to do a few more runs to make sure she is ready for May 6th.

I woke up to a forecast of clouds and rain, typical Seattle Spring. We ran one of our usual courses through Medina. I was tired from helping out with my daughter’s volley ball team last night. I agreed to be the “Team Mom” again, but couldn’t sit on the side lines while they were practicing. After coaching gymnastics for many years, I find that I am a coach at heart. I have to get involved!

The kids are great. I think I will help Phil and Craig run the practices. It will take my mind off worrying about when my plantar fasciiitis will be gone.

Robyn and I made it though the hills. It was a little easier this week. Next week will be our last long run, hopefully we’ll get some good weather. All good runs end with a latte’

Cheers

I decided against running Bloomsday. I spoke with my coach and determined that I am not ready for a hilly, tough 12K yet. I am able to run the distance, but I wouldn’t set any land speed records. If I ran it would probably prolong my recovery from this evil, pernicious plantar fasciitis!

I am feeling better during my training runs, but I am feeling pounded and tight afterwards. I hate being injured! It’s no fun!

Here are the actions I am taking:
2 days running instead of 3 (No hard surfaces)
2 days of Yoga instead of 1
2 days of Strength Training (Regularly, sometimes I am inconsistent)
2 days of cycling or other non-impactful cardio

I did spin class twice last week and now I am a little sore. I haven’t taught spinning or taken class in about 6 months. Hopefully, I will discover a balance that will keep me fit and allow me to recover.

I ran a familiar course in Bellevue yesterday with one of my clients. We ran a hilly 5.2 mile course, which included running up NE 8th street from Medina. This hill is about .5 miles long and pretty nasty. It was just what we needed to prepare us for Bloomsday(12K on May 6th). We made it to the top without walking! It actually felt pretty good for both of us.

All runs finish with Starbucks coffee when we get together. Robyn used to train 3 days a week with me. She has been traveling quite a bit so we haven’t been meeting as often. It’s a lot more fun when you are running with someone. I’ve been running by myself the last month.

Next week we’ll shoot for 6 + miles. The following week we’ll do 7.5, just so we feel confident that we have covered the necessary mileage.

Back In The Saddle- Getting Ready For Bloomsday

I came home to the mild Seattle weather, actually perfect running conditions. I can’t complain. I am suffering from jet-lag, or motivation to run. I’m not sure. I struggled to get out the door to run this morning.

Bloomsday is just around the corner and I am just not in my best shape. It’s frustrating running 9 minute miles, when I used to run sub-8 for middle distance. It’s not fun coming back from an injury.

I used my heart rate monitor as a guide today. I participated in a workshop from Heartzones, which is a company founded by Sally Edwards, the spokesperson for Danskin. Sally, has a testing protocol for predicting max heart rate, that is more accurate than 220 - your age (Karvonen Formula). My running max is somewhere between 195 - 200 beats per minute. I find that I am usually hitting 175 as a high, and around 158 average heart rate. Running at 175 puts me into zone 4, which is a little too anaerobic for a long run.

My goal for this run was to go for around an hour and to keep my heart rate under 160. I was somewhat successful. I ran for almost 66 minutes over a fairly hilly course. My average heart rate was 149. My high was 163. The last 10 minutes were difficult. My lungs were fine, but my feet were feeling the pounding.

I came home, stretched and iced. I plan on doing some cycling tomorrow to keep up my cardio and give my joints a break. I have 3 more weeks of training and then a small taper for Bloomsday, which is May 6th.

This week my goal was to run 4 days instead of 3. The runs during the week range from 30-35 minutes. The long run goal for this week is 55 minutes.

Monday Off
Tuesday Weights
Wednesday Ran 32 minutes
Thursday Weights and 30 minute run
Friday Off
Saturday 30 minute run, 1.5 hours Bikram Hot Yoga.

I will go for my long run tomorrow. I’m feeling good so far. Next week will be a challenge because I am out of town for a conference. I will be gone for 5 days. I’ll pack my shoes and swim suit in case I get the chance to hit the pool.

Every week my plantar fasciitis has slowly improved. I really feel like I turned a corner last Saturday when I was able to run 51 minutes without serious pain. I met with my coach and we developed a new training plan to get me ready for Bloomsday. Here it is:

Run 4 days per week
3 of the runs will only be 30-35 minutes
The 4th day will be my long run
Stretch immediately after running!

Our plan is to increase my total running time by keeping the runs during the week shorter and increasing the long run. I have been running 3 days per week. I can also supplement cardio as long as it doesn’t negatively impact my feet. The Ellitical traininer bothers them, but cycling doesn’t. I’ll add spin class to my routine to improve my cardiovascular fitness. I’m also continuing with strength training and hot yoga.

I know if I weren’t working with a coach, I would probably ignore the pain and power through it. That would only delay my recovery. I am looking at my long term goal of running the Portland marathon, as a qualifier for Boston. I have to train smart to get there. I wouldn’t be where I am now without my coach. Thanks B!

Bloomsday History

The Lilac Bloomsday Run was born during the running boom that swept the nation in the late 1970s. Local runner Don Kardong, who moved to Spokane in 1974, competed in several national class road races before and after his participation in the 1976 Olympic Marathon, and in the fall of 1976 he suggested to a local reporter that Spokane should have a downtown run of its own. The suggestion made its way into the newspaper’s headlines.

Spokane was enjoying renewed interest in its downtown area after hosting the 1974 World’s Fair (Expo ‘74), and a fun run that took advantage of the newly renovated downtown and Riverfront Park seemed a natural fit. Spokane Mayor David Rodgers encouraged Kardong to pursue the idea, the local Jaycees adopted it as a project, and Medical Service Corporation (now Premera) joined as the event’s major sponsor, supplying financial support and organizational expertise.

At 1:30 p.m., on May 1, 1977, over a thousand runners participated in the inaugural Bloomsday Run, which was billed “Run With the Stars” in posters announcing the event. Olympic gold and silver medalist Frank Shorter crossed the line first, followed by Herm Atkins of Seattle and founder Kardong.

The success of the first year’s race led to an even greater turnout in 1978. Publicity generated by a sanctioning dispute with local AAU officials also helped the race expand to over 5,000 runners. By its second year, Bloomsday was already enormous by any standard, and a victory by Boston’s Bill Rodgers helped spread the event’s national reputation.

In subsequent years the Bloomsday field continued to grow, reaching 57,300 in 1988 before leveling off for two years. In 1991, Bloomsday took another jump to 60,104, and in 1996 the event reached its all-time high of 61,298.

During years of explosive growth, volunteers helped devise systems to deal with bottlenecks at registration, the finish area, T-shirt distribution, and throughout the process. Those systems have allowed Bloomsday’s size to increase without compromising the experience: each runner receives a postcard with time, place and finish position; T-shirts are given only to finishers; and every finisher is listed in the Souvenir Results Booklet distributed on Tuesday following the race.

Bloomsday volunteers pride themselves on producing a safe, exciting and enjoyable experience for all. That goal led to major changes for the 2006 race, when the finish line was moved to the north end of the Monroe Street Bridge and a new timing system using transponder chips was implemented. The chips allowed all participants to start on Riverside Avenue and to be recorded based on “net” time from start to finish.

During its history, the Lilac Bloomsday Run has added prize money for top runners (1982) and wheelchair racers, and the event consistently attracts the world’s top competitors. Bloomsday has been a member of the ARRA and PRRO Circuits of major U.S. running events, and in 1996 Bloomsday hosted the first PRRO World Road Running Championships. Over the years the race has been featured in Runner’s World and The Runner magazines, as well as on television on ESPN, Fox Sports Northwest, and the Outdoor Life Network.

Bloomsday impacts Spokane area youngsters as much as adults. The “Fit For Bloomsday” program, which was instituted in 1987, encourages fitness among over 5,000 participating elementary students each year. The Lilac Bloomsday Association has also provided 30 airline tickets each fall since 1993 for top high school cross country runners to attend the Footlocker Western Regional Cross Country Championships in California.

After three decades, Bloomsday has worked its way into the fabric of life in the Inland Northwest. For most residents, it’s impossible to imagine spring in Spokane without Bloomsday.

This race is a lot of fun. I did it a couple of years ago. It’s kind of hard to run fast because of all the runners in the first few miles. Then you hit the hills, which are pretty significant. The course starts at 1900 feet of elevation, drops down to about 1750 or so, then climbs up to about 1800, then drops back down again to around 1750, then climbs one more time back up to 1900 feet, around mile 5/12. This last hill is called Doomsday.

http://www.bloomsdayrun.org/CourseMaps.htm

I met with my coach who was in town for the St Paddy’s Dash. She and her husband are former Seattle natives, and avid runners, who love to come back every year for the St Paddy’s Dash. The race has sentimental value because they got married on St Paddy’s day in 1994.

Now they live in Arizona. I’ve gone down a couple of times to run the Rock n’ Roll Arizona Marathon and visit them. It’s nice to get away from the rain and snow and wear shorts in January. I love Arizona!

My coach thinks I will be ready for Bloomsday in May, if I continue to progress. So far I have been running 3 days per week. My last run was 51 minutes, just shy of 6 miles. I felt pretty good, no excrutiating pain! Bloomsday is a 12 K course, which is 7.47 miles approximately. The course is hilly and the race is historically one of the largest road races in the US. Several of my friends and clients are doing it this year. I am excited to have a new short term goal!

Every year thousands of runners turn out for Bloomsday. Bloomsday is a 12K race in Spokane, Wa that began in 1977. Historically, Bloomsday has been a huge race that has attracted elite runners, like Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. The race grew by leaps and bounds, and has continued to be a favorite among runners. The race topped out in 1996 with over 61,000 runners. I have clients who run it every year. I have lived in Seattle most of my life and finally ran it in 2005. This year my husband Phil is taking on the challenge of Bloomsday. The 12K course numerous hills, including the one they call “Doomsday”. This nasty hill follows some rolling hills and is around mile 5 or 6, just when you’re good and warmed up. Nice huh?

This is Phil’s training schedule, which will take him from 3 miles to 8.5 miles over the next 9 weeks. I don’t normally include hill training in a beginner’s program. I have added hill training to this schedule because of the hills Phil will encounter on the course.

Week #1 March 5-11
Mon-X-Train
Tue- 2-3 Miles
Weds X-Train
Thurs-2-3 Miles
Fri-X-Train
Sat- 3 Miles
Sun-Rest