Gasparilla Half Marathon Update

on January 27, 2009

in All Posts

Afternoon, everyone! I hope your day is going well. 🙂

Lunch was the usual — sammie, fruit, pickles!!! (I have a serious pickle problem).

Oh pickles…. I love you so.

The main *star* of lunch was two WW English muffin sammies with turkey, cheddar cheese, and sprouts.

Pickles and oranges go quite well together!

Gasparilla Half Marathon Update

I want to be like Frayed Laces. Seriously. Have you read her blog? She is the most hardcore runner ever, and I LOVE IT! She just ran an ultra marathon (that’s a 50K!!), and she is qualified for Boston (a-maz-ing).

Anyway, in my quest to be more hardcore and do cooler things with running, I’ve decided to sign up for the Gasparilla Bud Light Challenge!

The Gasparilla Bud Light Challenge requires that I run the 15K race at 7:30 AM and the 5K race at 9:30 AM on Saturday, February 28. The second part of the challenge is running the Half Marathon on Sunday, March 1. That’s 3 races in two days! I know I can do it, and I think it will be really fun!

The Bud Light Challenge is expensive (obviously), so I’m going to drop out of my planned races for this weekend and next weekend.

Here’s my updated training program (I’m in Week 2):

Week	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Th	Fri
0	5.5	Rest	3.5	7	Rest	Rest	5
1	Rest	12	Cross	Rest	4	8×400	Rest
2	5K Race	10	Rest	4	6	8×400	4
3	Rest	11	Cross	Rest	5	8×400	4
4	6	5	Cross	Rest	4	8×400	4
5	Rest	9	Cross	Rest	5	8×400	5
6	Rest	10	Cross	Rest	6	8×400	5
7	Rest	12	Cross	4	Rest	Rest	Rest
8	5K and 10K Race!	1/2 M. Race!

Notes:

8×400 = Speedwork (8 sets of 400 meter sprints)

Cross = Elliptical, Swimming, or Bike

Rock on!

{ 33 comments }

Anonymous January 27, 2009, 10:27 am
Wow, that is unbelievably inspirational! Good luck!!
I have a question for you, though. As a (freezing) cold weather resident, I would love to train for a half-marathon, but right now my only options are the treadmill in terms of running. It is literally torture to run for 10-12 miles on the treadmill (the most I’ve ever done on the treadmill is 7), but so much fun to run outside. Any suggestions as to how to beat boredom on the treadmill/train for a half marathon indoors without wanting to flee the gym?
Thanks!
Caitlin
Marissa January 27, 2009, 10:31 am
I heart pickles!
Katerina January 27, 2009, 10:32 am
Wow, you are totally hardcore!!! You will need to get an ice bath out I think!

So I am currently training for my first half marathon and my runs are just hitting the 90 minute mark now. I really don’t have much experience with fueling and wondered if you have any suggestions? Mostly for during and after fueling, and when? It all seems very confusing!
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point January 27, 2009, 10:34 am
Caitlin – Thanks! Good name, by the way 🙂 7 miles on the treadill is pretty awesome. to go for longer, you could try the following tricks: do you have a running buddy that would be willing to do it with you? check out the local running clubs and see if you could find someone. treadmill running is a lot less boring with a partner.

schedule the treadmill runs around your favorite TV shows and ask the gym people to put it on the television.

what about books on tape? you could plow through half a good book while running!

bring a towel and cover the treadmill screen. it sucks to slooooowly watch the numbers tick by.

🙂 good luck!
therunningaddict January 27, 2009, 10:35 am
Wow that’s great Caitlin!!!
You are such an inspiration!
And I LOVE pickles too! I like them best with Hummus and Pita!
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point January 27, 2009, 10:39 am
katerina – oh i am planning on ice bathing!!! for sure.

when i go over 7 miles, i always have a mid-run snack. you’ll need it, trust me! you can buy chews or goo at sports authority and the like. the chews and goo are basically simple sugars and carbs to give you an extra boost of energy.

a cheaper alternative is gummy bears or jelly beans. i wrap them up in a ziploc bag and put them in my shorts.

“when” to refuel is up to your personal perferences. i usually do it at the half-way mark, but in a race the fuel stations are typically at mile 9 out of 13.1.

basically, when it comes to mid-race fueling, its up to your personal preference. but i DO believe that EVERYONE needs to fuel at some point during a longer run. i typically eat about 75 – 130 calories for a mid-run snack.

you should have a post-run snack immediately after stopping running or at least within 1/2 hour. i try to have a protein shake, PB on toast, or something similar (a balance or protein + carbs). you’ll need to eat a real meal within an hour. again, shoot for something balanced.

i typically burn 1200 calories on a 12 miler, so make sure you are eating enough after your run! thats a lot of calories to make up!

when it comes to longer distances (like marathon training) or training in very hot weather, you might to think about taking a salt supplement to balance your electrolytes. i have never “salted” so i’m not very familiar with it, but there’s tons of information on runnersworld.com.
BOBBI McCORMICK January 27, 2009, 10:39 am
you go girl! Love all the food, and training!
girlrunningaround January 27, 2009, 10:41 am
Whoa! That is hardcore! Just make sure you don’t hurt yourself.
ksgoodeats January 27, 2009, 10:53 am
Holy cow!! Good luck Caitlin! We’ll be cheering you on 🙂
Victoria January 27, 2009, 11:14 am
Wow! So hardcore. Loce it. Good luck! I can’t wait to see how it all goes for you.
Katerina January 27, 2009, 11:20 am
Thanks Caitlin! That is very helpful. Gotta love trying to make up hundreds of calories 🙂
brandi January 27, 2009, 11:24 am
That is crazy! 🙂 But awesome!

I just found some races around here and am hoping to finally sign up for a 10K. I’ve only done 3 races, each 5Ks. I just really started running last year, but I need something to keep me moving!
fitforfree January 27, 2009, 11:35 am
Is that Hal Higdon’s plan? I love his training programs! I used one while training for a 10-miler and it worked wonders
Elizabeth (thelongweigh) January 27, 2009, 11:37 am
You are so amazing! I’m trying to put mt head around runnng my first 5k and here you are running like a rockstar! So awesome!

BTW, that sandwich looks delicious!
Just wondering.. I love pickles too, but I try not to eat them too often because of their high sodium content. Is sodium a factor for you at all?
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point January 27, 2009, 11:44 am
fitforfree – it is based on hal’s plans, but its my own modifications. 🙂

thelongweigh – i never really notice things like sodium intake because i mostly avoid packaged products, so i know i’m within my limits on most days. i think a pickle has like 150 mg of sodium? not great but not terrible. im more concerned about the pickles being packed in HFCS (ew). the kind i buy is not packed in HFCS, but it does contain splenda. i’m not crazy about that, but…. its better than HFCS.
Olga January 27, 2009, 11:50 am
whoa! sounds like a great change of plans, good luck!

Oh and I LOVE pickles. And pickled things in general =]
ashley (sweetandnatural) January 27, 2009, 12:00 pm
You ARE hardcore Caitlin! That looks like a serious challenge. Good luck preparing!
megan January 27, 2009, 12:17 pm
Wow – that sounds incredible! They had something like that for the half marathon I ran, but I didn’t do it – I just ran my one race and that was it 🙂
Mica January 27, 2009, 12:26 pm
Wow, Caitlin! That’s quite a commit. You’re going to do a great job. I can’t wait to hear more about your training and progress, and of course…the THREE RACES in ONE weekend!

You crazy, girl! (In a good way, of course!)
Kristie Lynn January 27, 2009, 12:26 pm
I know you were having lots of knee/leg problems earlier. Did the knee sleeves stop those completely?
chasedaylight January 27, 2009, 12:27 pm
I saw that option for Gasparilla and thought it was AWESOME and wished I was amazing enough to do it 😀

I signed up for the 5K last night! Hopefully see you there!
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point January 27, 2009, 12:33 pm
kristie lynn – the knee sleeves did not stop my knee pain, but they have helped A LOT and i would recommend them to anyone having knee trouble. my knees havent been as bad lately because im really trying not to overrun on a weekly basis and i think taking some time off around the wedding helped, too. knock on wood!!

chasingdaylight – yessssssssssssss lunch date!!!
lauren January 27, 2009, 12:48 pm
nice! it is all about being more hardcore! 🙂 My father has run 50 milers before and I just cant imagine – completely crazy.

Have you heard about Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge where you run the Disney half marathon saturday, then the full marathon on sunday?!
Elizabeth(thelongweigh) January 27, 2009, 12:53 pm
Thanks for the answer! I figured that that’s why they aren’t an issue for you. Hopefully once I get better at eating less of the processed crap, it will become less of an issue for me. Thanks!
dailygoods January 27, 2009, 1:02 pm
you seriously are such a rockstar! amazingly inspirational! lovee your blog so much!
Meg January 27, 2009, 1:20 pm
Congrats on signing up for the challenge! You will do awesome!
loveofoats.com January 27, 2009, 4:06 pm
wooo hoooo you are awesome! what a great goal to set for yourself – you are totally inspirational 🙂 keep it up 🙂

hope you are enjoying married life! i can’t believe i’ve been married 4 months now!
Trojan January 27, 2009, 4:53 pm
Caitlin,

What time are you going for during this next race?

Barb
Justine January 27, 2009, 4:57 pm
Wow, those first two races are quite close together! Guess they’re not expecting any people that are too slow to being doing the challenge!

A guy from my high school did the Goofy Challenge at the Disney Marathon this year…half-marathon one day and full marathon the next. Crazy people!
skinnyrunner January 27, 2009, 6:13 pm
that sounds like fun! i want to do that. good luck, you’ll do awesome!
sara January 27, 2009, 6:22 pm
wow, that’s pretty hardcore! (actually, REALLY hardcore!) have you given any thought to mixing up the intervals you do? i.e., 8 x 400m one week, 6 x 600m another week, 4 x 800m? i would think you mind get bored doing the same speed workout every week … but that’s just my opinion.

good luck with your training!
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point January 27, 2009, 6:57 pm
trojan – hmm i havent really considered times too much. i would like to PR for the 15K (my PR right now is 1:27) and i think i would just like to do decently on the 5k (like, under 28 minutes?). i would also like to PR for the half marathon — i would really love to break 2 hours and i think its feasible!

sara – ooo great suggestion! i may do that!
healthy ashley January 28, 2009, 8:59 am
3 races in 2 days? That’s awesome! I’ll be at the Gasparilla Half March 1st!

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