Mon: 6.5-miles, core
Tues: Treadmill (1E + 2 @ 8.2-3 + 0.5E + 1 @ 8.4-5 + 0.5E + 0.5 @ 8.6-7 + 0.5E)
Wed: 6-miles
Thurs: 3x1200m (4:43,41,43), 3x800m (3:02,03,01)
Fri: 5-miles
Sat: 11-miles, Pub Run
Sun: 6-miles, core
Total: 46.5-miles
The easy runs went fine this week. Some of them might have been a little bit too easy. I prefer averaging no slower than 8:30. Oh well, guess I'll chalk it up to a recovery week.
Tuesday's treadmill workout went surprisingly well. It was a monsoon in Durham at 5PM, and we didn't even leave the office until 6PM. So, track was out of the question. The only treadmills available when we got to the gym were older, so I'm not sure if the pace I ran was my actual pace. I kept setting it to a pace, and after 10sec, it would switch to a pace that was ~0.4mph faster. So, I'm not sure which was the actual pace. Anyways, I'd like to believe it was the one it settled out to. That would make me happy because it didn't feel half bad!
Matt and I did the track workout on Thursday. It went ok. It was beautiful out, but it was the first time in a long time that we have done intervals over 400m. The 1200's were hell. Especially the last one. I managed to keep them somewhere in the neighborhood of goal 5k pace (6:20, which translates to a 4:45 1200). So, I did, but it was hard. The 800's went a little better. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to go much faster, but I did. The intervals were still a bit slower than when I had done the same distances at the end of May, granted those workouts were a bit easier and I wasn't the one setting the pace (I generally run faster with a group). So, I'm not sure where that leaves me for the 5k on the 26th.
Made it to 11-miles on Saturday! It was beautiful out. I felt like I could have gone longer, but I was concerned about getting to work on time. Anyways, I think I'm going to try and creep my long run up over the next couple of weeks.
My back had been bothering me a little this week, hence the lack of core workouts. It's starting to feel better, so hopefully I can get back to that a bit next week. Also, I'd like to add a little bit of cross training back! It is a race week though, so maybe I'll wait to the following week.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
Dog vs. Squirrel vs. Me
I heard a dog barking, so I stopped running. Even though I am working on not being terrified of dogs, I wouldn't put my progress past hyper-actively cautious (which, to the outside world, might look like fear).
Then I hear this weird chattering sound and I see this squirrel coming charging at me from across the street (aka where the dog is barking).
I screamed.
Now, I know what you're thinking, it's a squirrel. But, I know at least two people who have been scratched/attacked by squirrels when they were running. Also, I find the squirrel chirping to be disconcerting mostly because I don't think squirrels should make that sound. I don't know what sound they should make, but not that one.
Anyways, the squirrel hears me scream, and starts running back towards the dog, which is barking more because I screamed, which causes the squirrel to run back towards me, and back towards the dog, and back to me...
Ultimately, it decided I was the less scary option and ran into a bush behind me.
Then I hear this weird chattering sound and I see this squirrel coming charging at me from across the street (aka where the dog is barking).
I screamed.
Now, I know what you're thinking, it's a squirrel. But, I know at least two people who have been scratched/attacked by squirrels when they were running. Also, I find the squirrel chirping to be disconcerting mostly because I don't think squirrels should make that sound. I don't know what sound they should make, but not that one.
Anyways, the squirrel hears me scream, and starts running back towards the dog, which is barking more because I screamed, which causes the squirrel to run back towards me, and back towards the dog, and back to me...
Ultimately, it decided I was the less scary option and ran into a bush behind me.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
PR With An Asterisk - Downhill Mile Race Report
Going into the race, my PR was a 5:45 from the Magnificent Mile a few years back (yeah, my high school PR was a 6:08). My most recent "time trials" were a 6:04 and a 5:55. I haven't really set any time goals since breaking 6 minutes because that is all I really wanted to ever do. Having said that, if I ran a 5:40, I wouldn't mind.
Realistically, I figured I could run somewhere between a 5:40 and 5:45. I haven't raced a mile in a while. I've spent the majority of the past three years marathon training. But, my track workouts have been half decent lately. My speed has been slowing returning since I've cut back my mileage. But, a 5:40 is still 15sec faster than any mile I've run lately, which is a decent chunk of time for a distance that short. Also, that's an 85sec quarter, which again is a time I've only just managed to hit with any consistency.
I got a decent warm-up in, and managed to cram onto the start line with Rita and Deb. There were a bunch of little kids up there. Anyways, the race started, and this girl in a pair of Newtons took off. She was out of sight. Or, at least out of my sight, which might not be saying too much. That left five of us kind of running in a pack. I semi-recognized two of the girls as "fast runners from other races", and I knew Deb and Rita. I felt comfortable where I was, not out in front but not out of contact either.
There were flags marking the quarter miles, which was nice. Also, I was close enough to Kara who was smart enough to set her Garmin to audibly lap at the quarter miles... I kind of wish I had done that so I could figure out what my splits were (because there was no way in hell I was actually going to try and look at my watch... I'm not that coordinated). I finally managed to catch Rita around the quarter mile, although my distance from the other two girls was about the same. Deb caught me by the half mile, and started closing on the two girls in front of us. Rita was still right on my heels. It was kind of interesting seeing how the race was unfolding. By the three-quarter mile, I suddenly saw the Newton girl. I was getting tired, but the course starts really going downhill at that point. I made a move and caught her shortly thereafter.
I felt pretty good the last quarter mile, and think I even managed to pick it up a little. At least, my legs were turning over faster. The Newton girl surged with about 25m to go. I tried to go with her, but I don't have that gear. So, I ended up in 5th. I heard them yell out something-one when I crossed the line. I was hoping 41, as in a 5:41. That would make me pretty happy. I stopped my watch and looked down.
5:29
Officially a 5:22. Wow. I had no idea that my legs could actually move that fast for a mile. And, while I know losing 120ft over the course of a mile helped a lot, it was still a mile and I still ran it in that time. So, a PR with an asterisk. I'd be interested to see what could do in a track race, or the Magnificent Mile this year.
That's a picture Jim sent me from somewhere along the race course. I'm wearing sunglasses next time!
6/30 - 7/6
Mon: 7.5-miles
Tues: 3 sets of 200-200-400 (200: 37-40, 400's: 79-83)
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 5-miles + strides
Fri: Downhill Mile
Sat: 10-miles
Sun: 8-miles, core
Total: 46.5 miles
We got to Ridge Rd. a little early on Monday, so we ran a longer than normal "warmup" with Ali. It was a good run.
So, Tuesday's track workout. I was a little on edge when Sean said to only do 3 sets of 200-200-400. I had been thinking 5 sets of the same workout. I usually like to hit at least 2.5-miles in terms of intervals. However, I was happy that I didn't have to do the stated workout of 4 sets of 200-200-800. It was a bit warm out, and the 800's looked miserable. Anyways, the 200's were consistently faster than they have been for the past year. But... the 400's were the biggest surprise. First one was in 83. I'm always excited when I hit sub-85. Next one, 79. Holy !@#$. I haven't run sub-80 since the "Meredith Track Meet" where we ran against Team Bahama. Not even joking about that. Anyways, it didn't feel that hard. I felt strong the last straightaway. But, I kind of figured it was a fluke. Until I ran the third in 79. Huh.
Wednesday's run was also good. I didn't wear my Garmin. I don't think I'm going to on my "home" 4-mile route any more. I did listen to music though! Spin class went well that night. Spin instructor Matt played a "request" from Lisa... Sissy that Walk... it was pretty good.
Thursday's run was a shakeout run... not much to say there.
Friday's Downhill Mile was a huge surprise. As in 20+ second PR. I'll save that for the race report though!
Saturday morning's run was stiff. That's about the best explanation for it. But, it was freaking gorgeous outside.
Sunday's run was a little more on target. I didn't go sprinting out with the rest of the group, nor did I go for extra miles with Allison and Andrew, but it was a good run. Again, it was gorgeous outside.
So, a PR and "upper" 40's for mileage. Not a bad week. My legs are starting to remember what it's like to run fast. This whole "un-marathon" training isn't going half bad. My hamstring definitely feels a lot better, and I think I'm getting stronger. I definitely like running a lot more!
Tues: 3 sets of 200-200-400 (200: 37-40, 400's: 79-83)
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 5-miles + strides
Fri: Downhill Mile
Sat: 10-miles
Sun: 8-miles, core
Total: 46.5 miles
We got to Ridge Rd. a little early on Monday, so we ran a longer than normal "warmup" with Ali. It was a good run.
So, Tuesday's track workout. I was a little on edge when Sean said to only do 3 sets of 200-200-400. I had been thinking 5 sets of the same workout. I usually like to hit at least 2.5-miles in terms of intervals. However, I was happy that I didn't have to do the stated workout of 4 sets of 200-200-800. It was a bit warm out, and the 800's looked miserable. Anyways, the 200's were consistently faster than they have been for the past year. But... the 400's were the biggest surprise. First one was in 83. I'm always excited when I hit sub-85. Next one, 79. Holy !@#$. I haven't run sub-80 since the "Meredith Track Meet" where we ran against Team Bahama. Not even joking about that. Anyways, it didn't feel that hard. I felt strong the last straightaway. But, I kind of figured it was a fluke. Until I ran the third in 79. Huh.
Wednesday's run was also good. I didn't wear my Garmin. I don't think I'm going to on my "home" 4-mile route any more. I did listen to music though! Spin class went well that night. Spin instructor Matt played a "request" from Lisa... Sissy that Walk... it was pretty good.
Thursday's run was a shakeout run... not much to say there.
Friday's Downhill Mile was a huge surprise. As in 20+ second PR. I'll save that for the race report though!
Saturday morning's run was stiff. That's about the best explanation for it. But, it was freaking gorgeous outside.
Sunday's run was a little more on target. I didn't go sprinting out with the rest of the group, nor did I go for extra miles with Allison and Andrew, but it was a good run. Again, it was gorgeous outside.
So, a PR and "upper" 40's for mileage. Not a bad week. My legs are starting to remember what it's like to run fast. This whole "un-marathon" training isn't going half bad. My hamstring definitely feels a lot better, and I think I'm getting stronger. I definitely like running a lot more!
Thursday, July 3, 2014
June Recap
So June. Happy un-marathon training to me! It got hot. But it's summer. So I'm ok with that. What I'm not ok with are the snakes and horseflies, which also came out. This has resulted in a weird combo of jumping at everything... sticks, rocks, leaves, trash, mile marker signs, not sticks (aka snakes)... and karate-chopping the air. Oh well.
As for training, I've actually seen some improvements. My shorter intervals are getting faster. Not quite to "high school" fast, but approaching. I actually got under 40sec for some 200's, and under 85sec for some 400's. I haven't seen those times in a while. I don't really know about longer intervals, but my timed mile came down 9sec. Part of this was due to becoming acclimated to the heat and humidity, but part of it was because mile pace doesn't seem like an all out sprint anymore. I actually felt pretty decent for the first 1000m, and my main problems didn't seem to be breathing related, more hamstring-tightness related.
I've also started throwing in some tempo work on Thursdays. I have problems doing longer tempo runs in the summer. Part of its breathing-sucking-in-humidity related, and part of it is just mental. So, this tempo work had mostly been in the form of longer intervals or hills, but it's still something. Or, better than nothing I should say. I'd like to start trying some longer stuff in the next couple of weeks, which means I need to get up early and run or actually make it out to Raleigh Running Outfitters for their Thursday group runs.
My long runs are lacking. I try and hit double digits at least once a week, but sometimes I just barely eek by. That probably needs to change, although I really don't need to run much over 13 miles until the late summer / fall. However, as a result of decreased weekly mileage, my easy runs (in which I'm including long runs) are actually getting faster. So, I guess that's good.
And cross training. Hells yeah! I've kept up with spin class on Wednesday. And, I've swum a few times. But, I'VE DONE 2 BRICKS! Yes. Two weeks in a row... a little over 20-miles on the bike followed by a 5-mile run. They weren't half bad. I need to ride my bike more so that I remember how to drink water because I am definitely dehydrated on the run (I am paranoid about taking my hands off the handlebars to reach down and get my water bottle). But yeah. I might consider a fall triathlon. Maybe olympic distance. Maybe Pinehurst.
Total: 186.5 miles [training log]
As for training, I've actually seen some improvements. My shorter intervals are getting faster. Not quite to "high school" fast, but approaching. I actually got under 40sec for some 200's, and under 85sec for some 400's. I haven't seen those times in a while. I don't really know about longer intervals, but my timed mile came down 9sec. Part of this was due to becoming acclimated to the heat and humidity, but part of it was because mile pace doesn't seem like an all out sprint anymore. I actually felt pretty decent for the first 1000m, and my main problems didn't seem to be breathing related, more hamstring-tightness related.
I've also started throwing in some tempo work on Thursdays. I have problems doing longer tempo runs in the summer. Part of its breathing-sucking-in-humidity related, and part of it is just mental. So, this tempo work had mostly been in the form of longer intervals or hills, but it's still something. Or, better than nothing I should say. I'd like to start trying some longer stuff in the next couple of weeks, which means I need to get up early and run or actually make it out to Raleigh Running Outfitters for their Thursday group runs.
My long runs are lacking. I try and hit double digits at least once a week, but sometimes I just barely eek by. That probably needs to change, although I really don't need to run much over 13 miles until the late summer / fall. However, as a result of decreased weekly mileage, my easy runs (in which I'm including long runs) are actually getting faster. So, I guess that's good.
And cross training. Hells yeah! I've kept up with spin class on Wednesday. And, I've swum a few times. But, I'VE DONE 2 BRICKS! Yes. Two weeks in a row... a little over 20-miles on the bike followed by a 5-mile run. They weren't half bad. I need to ride my bike more so that I remember how to drink water because I am definitely dehydrated on the run (I am paranoid about taking my hands off the handlebars to reach down and get my water bottle). But yeah. I might consider a fall triathlon. Maybe olympic distance. Maybe Pinehurst.
Total: 186.5 miles [training log]
The Beginnings - Intro To "Distance" Running
I survived my first season of indoor track mostly un-injured (I had shin splints again by the end), and only mildly terrified of the official who called me out on my first meet ever for not figuring out who he was pointing at for a particular heat. The friends that I had made that season mostly ran either hurdles or mid-distance, so I decided to give that a shot. Plus, I was much better at the 400m than the 50m, and the 400m was oddly considered mid-distance.
In the time between winter and spring track, my friend Jen and I went to the outdoor track a few times to practice running 3-miles, which was the "long run" for mid-distance runners. We made it. I also got new sneakers to "cure" my shin splints. One of our friends had told us about this brand of shoe called Saucony that marathoner runners wore. Ok. So on the next trip to Bob's I got a pair of Saucony sneakers. They were white and navy blue and yellow, and a size 7 because I totally grew in one season. At least, I figured it made sense to get a bigger shoe. Any time I got shoes previously, it was a bigger size than the ones I had been wearing. I LOVED these sneakers. I have no idea what type of Saucony sneakers they were, but they are still, to this day, one of my favorite pairs (at least in my mind).
During spring track, I ran the 300m hurdles, 400m, and triple jump. I got to go to the state relay meet for triple jump, which was super fun. Relay meets are still my favorite. Anyways, after spring track, I decided to run cross country in the fall instead of swimming. So, over the summer, I figured out a 3-mile loop from my house and ran that. The first time I ran over 3 miles was during "captains' practice", which started in the beginning of August. Coaches couldn't start coaching for real until the week before school, so the next season's captains organized practice. I distinctly remember the first 5-mile run that we did because we went by my cousins' house. I had (and still have) no sense of direction, but I knew that we drove that distance and it took a little while. I was super proud of myself when I got back to the school.
When I went to Bob's before cross country season started to get new shoes (I think my only saving grace with the shoe thing was that I replaced them fairly frequently), they had the same Saucony's that I loved in a half size up, which I clearly needed because I had clearly grown soooo much. Anyways, 7-1/2 is much closer to what I actually wear now, so I'm glad that I thought I was jack-and-the-bean-stock or something.
Cross country season started off well. It was way more relaxed than track. In races, you didn't sprint all out. When you finished, they gave you a popsicle stick with your finishing place on it. It was kind of weird. For most of our dual meets, we ran were on roads for somewhere between 2.7 and 3 miles. My first "for real" 5k race was an invitational held at Franklin Park. I had never raced in a race that big before. I made the mistake of starting off way too quickly so I could "get to the front", which I never even came close to seeing. I powered my way up a hill at a little before the halfway point, passed all of these people, and then got passed by all of them over the next mile. In a rally to the finish, I picked it up the last 100m. Turns out, that was not the finish. So, I tried around the next bend, which was also not the finish. By the actual finish, I had nothing. Anyways, I made a lot of mistakes that race, so I consequently learned a lot.
Later in the season, we had a dual meet against Wakefield. Their course was kind of weird. You started off running around the track, ran three (I think) loops around their school property, and finished on the track. On the second time around the 3rd trash barrel, I felt like I was gasping. I was getting passed by people who had never passed me. I couldn't go any faster. It was super frustrating. When I finished, someone heard me breathing and asked my mother if I had asthma. She said no, to which we were informed that there was a good chance that I might.
I did. It took me a few years to get my confidence back.
In the time between winter and spring track, my friend Jen and I went to the outdoor track a few times to practice running 3-miles, which was the "long run" for mid-distance runners. We made it. I also got new sneakers to "cure" my shin splints. One of our friends had told us about this brand of shoe called Saucony that marathoner runners wore. Ok. So on the next trip to Bob's I got a pair of Saucony sneakers. They were white and navy blue and yellow, and a size 7 because I totally grew in one season. At least, I figured it made sense to get a bigger shoe. Any time I got shoes previously, it was a bigger size than the ones I had been wearing. I LOVED these sneakers. I have no idea what type of Saucony sneakers they were, but they are still, to this day, one of my favorite pairs (at least in my mind).
During spring track, I ran the 300m hurdles, 400m, and triple jump. I got to go to the state relay meet for triple jump, which was super fun. Relay meets are still my favorite. Anyways, after spring track, I decided to run cross country in the fall instead of swimming. So, over the summer, I figured out a 3-mile loop from my house and ran that. The first time I ran over 3 miles was during "captains' practice", which started in the beginning of August. Coaches couldn't start coaching for real until the week before school, so the next season's captains organized practice. I distinctly remember the first 5-mile run that we did because we went by my cousins' house. I had (and still have) no sense of direction, but I knew that we drove that distance and it took a little while. I was super proud of myself when I got back to the school.
When I went to Bob's before cross country season started to get new shoes (I think my only saving grace with the shoe thing was that I replaced them fairly frequently), they had the same Saucony's that I loved in a half size up, which I clearly needed because I had clearly grown soooo much. Anyways, 7-1/2 is much closer to what I actually wear now, so I'm glad that I thought I was jack-and-the-bean-stock or something.
Cross country season started off well. It was way more relaxed than track. In races, you didn't sprint all out. When you finished, they gave you a popsicle stick with your finishing place on it. It was kind of weird. For most of our dual meets, we ran were on roads for somewhere between 2.7 and 3 miles. My first "for real" 5k race was an invitational held at Franklin Park. I had never raced in a race that big before. I made the mistake of starting off way too quickly so I could "get to the front", which I never even came close to seeing. I powered my way up a hill at a little before the halfway point, passed all of these people, and then got passed by all of them over the next mile. In a rally to the finish, I picked it up the last 100m. Turns out, that was not the finish. So, I tried around the next bend, which was also not the finish. By the actual finish, I had nothing. Anyways, I made a lot of mistakes that race, so I consequently learned a lot.
Later in the season, we had a dual meet against Wakefield. Their course was kind of weird. You started off running around the track, ran three (I think) loops around their school property, and finished on the track. On the second time around the 3rd trash barrel, I felt like I was gasping. I was getting passed by people who had never passed me. I couldn't go any faster. It was super frustrating. When I finished, someone heard me breathing and asked my mother if I had asthma. She said no, to which we were informed that there was a good chance that I might.
I did. It took me a few years to get my confidence back.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
6/23 - 6/29
Mon: 6-miles
Tues: 1-mile (5:55)
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: Tempo Umstead Hills
Fri: 5.5-miles
Sat: 10-miles; swim: 5 sets 100yd swim / 100yd pull
Sun: brick- 22.5-mile (bike), 5-mile (run)
Total: 43.5 miles
So, I went with the Glide Boost's as my training shoe for the next go around after consulting with my friends at Raleigh Running Outfitters. I wore them on Monday's run. They felt awesome and made me run super fast. Or maybe it was the fact that it was like 10 degrees cooler and less humid than last week. But, lets say it was the shoes.
Tuesday's timed mile at the track went pretty well. If I'm remembering correctly, my splits were 1:25, 2:52, 4:22, and I finished up in 5:55. Now, I obviously can't focus enough to read the tenths-of-a-second, but it's good enough to show me that I need to work on at least the last 600m. My ultimate goal is a 5:40. I start every timed mile with the intention of doing that, and then see how long I can hold on for. Whether or not that is the best strategy, I know that I am not going to make up time on the second half of a mile. So, I might as well go out running what I want to. Anyways, Deb and Allison passed me around 1000m, so I'm guessing that's where I started to slow up because they were running pretty consistently. The last 400m was definitely a struggle, which is fairly obvious from the splits. Anyways, I was happy to see that I was sub-6 this time at least! My breathing wasn't too bad either, but my hamstrings are definitely tight.
I "decided" not to wear my watch on Wednesday morning. I had been toying with the idea because I sometimes get overly frustrated with my pace on recovery runs even though it shouldn't matter. Anyways, I had limited time to run because I was going into the Durham office for work and couldn't put my hands on my watch right away. Or my MP3 player. So, I went "old school". It wasn't too bad. I missed my MP3 player more than my watch, although I kept looking at my wrist at every "mile mark". Spin class that night was fun.
Brian, Matt, and I ran "tempo hills" on Thursday. Basically, we took it easy on the downhills and worked the uphills, which included Corkscrew, whatever the hill out of Umstead is called, and Ranger Hill. Sean had put 40min tempo on the schedule. In the summer, I struggle with doing tempo runs in blocks like that and really fade after 2 miles. I know I need to, but breaking it into smaller chunks of "effort" keeps me better focused in the heat and humidity. Anyways, the horsefiles were also pretty annoying, and we narrowly missed a copperhead. The workout went ok. I never feel like I'm pushing it hard enough unless I'm at the track, but I definitely was working all the same. About halfway up Ranger Hill, my hamstrings were really beginning to tighten up (the loose gravel was making footing difficult), so I stopped and stretched. I figured keeping it at a good effort was better than slowing down to a shuffle, even if it meant stopping.
I ran with Ali Friday morning. That was good. I need to get in the habit of morning runs again.
Saturday's run was also good. I wore my Glide Boosts again... they feel bouncy. I swam in the afternoon since I only ran 10-miles. The swim went well. I can't flip-turn in the Fitness Connection pool though because its super shallow on one end. I guess I could flip-turn at the other, but I don't.
I've done a brick workout two weekends in a row now. I might seriously consider an Olympic distance tri in the fall. Anyways, the bike went ok. Sean made me take my hands off the handlebar and touch my helmet. Next step, water bottle. Next next step, actually drink water from it. Anyways, the run was pretty miserable. I was probably a bit dehydrated and my hamstring was bugging me on the uphills. The last mile or so wasn't bad.
So, in conclusion, this whole non-marathon training isn't so bad. I'm actually starting to see some of my runs get faster. That's encouraging.
Tues: 1-mile (5:55)
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: Tempo Umstead Hills
Fri: 5.5-miles
Sat: 10-miles; swim: 5 sets 100yd swim / 100yd pull
Sun: brick- 22.5-mile (bike), 5-mile (run)
Total: 43.5 miles
So, I went with the Glide Boost's as my training shoe for the next go around after consulting with my friends at Raleigh Running Outfitters. I wore them on Monday's run. They felt awesome and made me run super fast. Or maybe it was the fact that it was like 10 degrees cooler and less humid than last week. But, lets say it was the shoes.
Tuesday's timed mile at the track went pretty well. If I'm remembering correctly, my splits were 1:25, 2:52, 4:22, and I finished up in 5:55. Now, I obviously can't focus enough to read the tenths-of-a-second, but it's good enough to show me that I need to work on at least the last 600m. My ultimate goal is a 5:40. I start every timed mile with the intention of doing that, and then see how long I can hold on for. Whether or not that is the best strategy, I know that I am not going to make up time on the second half of a mile. So, I might as well go out running what I want to. Anyways, Deb and Allison passed me around 1000m, so I'm guessing that's where I started to slow up because they were running pretty consistently. The last 400m was definitely a struggle, which is fairly obvious from the splits. Anyways, I was happy to see that I was sub-6 this time at least! My breathing wasn't too bad either, but my hamstrings are definitely tight.
I "decided" not to wear my watch on Wednesday morning. I had been toying with the idea because I sometimes get overly frustrated with my pace on recovery runs even though it shouldn't matter. Anyways, I had limited time to run because I was going into the Durham office for work and couldn't put my hands on my watch right away. Or my MP3 player. So, I went "old school". It wasn't too bad. I missed my MP3 player more than my watch, although I kept looking at my wrist at every "mile mark". Spin class that night was fun.
Brian, Matt, and I ran "tempo hills" on Thursday. Basically, we took it easy on the downhills and worked the uphills, which included Corkscrew, whatever the hill out of Umstead is called, and Ranger Hill. Sean had put 40min tempo on the schedule. In the summer, I struggle with doing tempo runs in blocks like that and really fade after 2 miles. I know I need to, but breaking it into smaller chunks of "effort" keeps me better focused in the heat and humidity. Anyways, the horsefiles were also pretty annoying, and we narrowly missed a copperhead. The workout went ok. I never feel like I'm pushing it hard enough unless I'm at the track, but I definitely was working all the same. About halfway up Ranger Hill, my hamstrings were really beginning to tighten up (the loose gravel was making footing difficult), so I stopped and stretched. I figured keeping it at a good effort was better than slowing down to a shuffle, even if it meant stopping.
I ran with Ali Friday morning. That was good. I need to get in the habit of morning runs again.
Saturday's run was also good. I wore my Glide Boosts again... they feel bouncy. I swam in the afternoon since I only ran 10-miles. The swim went well. I can't flip-turn in the Fitness Connection pool though because its super shallow on one end. I guess I could flip-turn at the other, but I don't.
I've done a brick workout two weekends in a row now. I might seriously consider an Olympic distance tri in the fall. Anyways, the bike went ok. Sean made me take my hands off the handlebar and touch my helmet. Next step, water bottle. Next next step, actually drink water from it. Anyways, the run was pretty miserable. I was probably a bit dehydrated and my hamstring was bugging me on the uphills. The last mile or so wasn't bad.
So, in conclusion, this whole non-marathon training isn't so bad. I'm actually starting to see some of my runs get faster. That's encouraging.
Friday, June 27, 2014
The Beginnings - Season 1
My introduction to "running as a sport" came in the form of a 5-day track camp that was organized by the local high school coach. For three hours each day, we ran a little and practiced field events. I realized that I sucked at all of the throwing events, but was half decent at the jumping ones. I also liked hurdling. On the last day, we had a mini meet. I ran the 100m, 50m hurdles (I think), and did triple jump. I thought my friend was crazy for running the 200m because it was a whole half of a lap.
The next week, I went to the track and ran 4 laps without stopping. I had never run a mile before in my life. However, after a week of camp, I felt I was ready. So, I just didn't stop. Then, I swam my fall season. I spent a lot of time looking in the pool at meets, but not a lot of time competing. In the few weeks between the end of swimming and the beginning of track, I ran a mile loop from my house a few times a week. During this mile, I took some black licorice jelly beans with me "for energy" because it was sooooo long (if only I had marketed "sports beans"). I have no idea why we still had jelly beans in like November, but we did. I should also point out that I hate black licorice jelly beans.
I started winter track as a sprinter and hurdler. Winter track was interesting. Our track was around an indoor basketball court. It was 4 lanes wide, 11 laps to the mile, and it was not banked. Men's and women's track (each 50+ people), either men's or women's basketball, and sometimes cheerleading would all practice at the same time in the field house. It was crowded to say the least, and super fun when you were hurdling and a basketball rolled across the lane. But, we figured it out.
As it turned out, I wasn't half bad at indoor hurdles. I even managed to run varsity a few times in some unimportant meets, and was part of the shuttle hurdle relay that year. The shuttle hurdle relay is one of the craziest races ever in my opinion. It really makes no sense to have a hurdle relay, but oh well. There are four hurdlers from each team, with a pair starting at either end of the straightaway. When your teammate crosses the break-line, you start. Anyways, I got a pair of spikes for this race. They were Asics. I loved them. I felt super fast.
So, I should point out my track attire at this time, because its pretty funny to think about now. My first week of track was spent wearing some manner of Converse cross training shoes. Chuck Taylors would probably have been better. After deciding that I was going to stick with it, my parents brought me to Bob's and I got a pair of Nike sneakers. Yup, Bob's. For those of you not from MA, or New England, or wherever Bob's stops, its most similar to Kohls probably. I have no idea if the Nike sneakers I had were actually running sneakers, but they were certainly better than the Converse cross trainers. They were white and navy and turquoise (turquoise is my favorite color), and a size 6-1/2, which means they were probably way too small.
My favorite running shorts were a pair of soccer umbro shorts because I had made the unfortunate mistake of tying a knot in the waistband of my uniform shorts during the first meet. While this helped when I was running, I knotted them once they were over my hips. I never got the knot out and had to jump into and out of my shorts every time I wore them after that. I also did not run in running tights that season. My favorite pair of pants were "Reading Pants", which were basically fleece-line track pants with a red and white stripe down the side (Reading is the name of the town I grew up).
One more weird thing... you got a number at the beginning of the season. This was your number for every meet. I was #460.
The next week, I went to the track and ran 4 laps without stopping. I had never run a mile before in my life. However, after a week of camp, I felt I was ready. So, I just didn't stop. Then, I swam my fall season. I spent a lot of time looking in the pool at meets, but not a lot of time competing. In the few weeks between the end of swimming and the beginning of track, I ran a mile loop from my house a few times a week. During this mile, I took some black licorice jelly beans with me "for energy" because it was sooooo long (if only I had marketed "sports beans"). I have no idea why we still had jelly beans in like November, but we did. I should also point out that I hate black licorice jelly beans.
I started winter track as a sprinter and hurdler. Winter track was interesting. Our track was around an indoor basketball court. It was 4 lanes wide, 11 laps to the mile, and it was not banked. Men's and women's track (each 50+ people), either men's or women's basketball, and sometimes cheerleading would all practice at the same time in the field house. It was crowded to say the least, and super fun when you were hurdling and a basketball rolled across the lane. But, we figured it out.
As it turned out, I wasn't half bad at indoor hurdles. I even managed to run varsity a few times in some unimportant meets, and was part of the shuttle hurdle relay that year. The shuttle hurdle relay is one of the craziest races ever in my opinion. It really makes no sense to have a hurdle relay, but oh well. There are four hurdlers from each team, with a pair starting at either end of the straightaway. When your teammate crosses the break-line, you start. Anyways, I got a pair of spikes for this race. They were Asics. I loved them. I felt super fast.
So, I should point out my track attire at this time, because its pretty funny to think about now. My first week of track was spent wearing some manner of Converse cross training shoes. Chuck Taylors would probably have been better. After deciding that I was going to stick with it, my parents brought me to Bob's and I got a pair of Nike sneakers. Yup, Bob's. For those of you not from MA, or New England, or wherever Bob's stops, its most similar to Kohls probably. I have no idea if the Nike sneakers I had were actually running sneakers, but they were certainly better than the Converse cross trainers. They were white and navy and turquoise (turquoise is my favorite color), and a size 6-1/2, which means they were probably way too small.
My favorite running shorts were a pair of soccer umbro shorts because I had made the unfortunate mistake of tying a knot in the waistband of my uniform shorts during the first meet. While this helped when I was running, I knotted them once they were over my hips. I never got the knot out and had to jump into and out of my shorts every time I wore them after that. I also did not run in running tights that season. My favorite pair of pants were "Reading Pants", which were basically fleece-line track pants with a red and white stripe down the side (Reading is the name of the town I grew up).
One more weird thing... you got a number at the beginning of the season. This was your number for every meet. I was #460.
Monday, June 23, 2014
6/16 - 6/22
Mon: 6-miles, core
Tues: 4x200m (38), 4x300m (59-60), 4x400m (81-83)
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 4 sets of 3-, 2-, 1-min w/ half-time recovery
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: 11-miles
Sun: Brick (bike: 23-miles; run: 5-miles)
Total: 43 miles
Monday was hot. Tuesday was hot, but it didn't feel as bad as Monday. Wednesday was humid, but I ran in the morning, so it wasn't as hot as in the afternoon. Thursday was just stupid. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were the same as Wednesday.
Summer is definitely here. That about summarizes this week. Oh, and I did my first brick workout in about two years.
Actually, I was pretty happy with Tuesday's track workout. It's a miracle what "not marathon training" does. I don't think I've run that fast since high school. And, it didn't even feel that bad. Until the next morning. I guess I'm old.
Thursday's run on the other hand... it was really, really humid. I don't even know if it was hot (it was), but it was really, really humid. I ran from the Buffalo Road Athletic Park because I was over that direction. The facility was nice. The Neuse River Greenway wasn't bad. Well, the first half of the run anyways. Because it was so disgusting out, I decided to do four sets of 3-, 2-, 1-min tempo with half-time recovery (and full recovery between sets). I've done this workout before on the greenway in the summer. It's not too bad because you only have to concentrate for, at most, three minutes. The first set went well. The second set was definitely harder. Just as I was getting ready to start the third set, the wind picked up and I heard some thunder in the not so far distance. Lovely. So, I started. About 20sec later, I almost stepped on a copperhead. Did I mention that I did an out-and-back, because I did. That copperhead was definitely not there like 5min before. Stupid snakes. However, I started paying attention more closely, which entailed jumping at every stick, leaf, bit of trash, mile marker sign, whatever for the rest of the run. I also saw a black snake. Or, I should say a snake that was black. Anyways, I was probably a little bit more conservative on the pickups on the way back. I figured that I needed to have enough in the tank to keep going at a moderate tempo pace if it did start really raining. However, as my mile splits were faster than they would be if I were just running, I decided to keep doing the workout. It never really rained either, and I made it back.
I haven't done a brick workout in 2 years. I also haven't ridden a bike for 20+ miles in 2 years (Memorial Day excluded). The bike ride felt great. We didn't have to stop too often, so I didn't have to flip out about unclipping. However, I didn't drink any water, and consequently neither did Matt because I was carrying our water bottle. I probably need to work on that. The run didn't feel too too bad. My right knee is a little iffy, so I was pretty conservative. Plus, we hit a bunch of hills that I hate on the way back. Anyways, it wasn't too bad. It probably helped that it was overcast.
Sunday's workout, and a couple of other workouts in this past while, have made me realize that I have been way too mileage focused over the past two years. I had forgotten how much I like other activities. I had fun swimming last week and the week before. I had fun riding my bike on Memorial Day and on Sunday. I had fun at spin class these last couple of months. None of these things counted towards my weekly mileage, but they were way better for me mentally, and probably physically, than trying to slog through higher mileage weeks (at a crawl) like I did last summer. Having said that, I backed out of a 10k on Saturday because I haven't done enough long runs, so I probably need to work on that a bit. I think I'm in pretty good mile to 5k shape though, which is good because I'm planning on racing the Downhill Mile on July 4th and Raleigh's Finest 5k on July 28th.
Tues: 4x200m (38), 4x300m (59-60), 4x400m (81-83)
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 4 sets of 3-, 2-, 1-min w/ half-time recovery
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: 11-miles
Sun: Brick (bike: 23-miles; run: 5-miles)
Total: 43 miles
Monday was hot. Tuesday was hot, but it didn't feel as bad as Monday. Wednesday was humid, but I ran in the morning, so it wasn't as hot as in the afternoon. Thursday was just stupid. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were the same as Wednesday.
Summer is definitely here. That about summarizes this week. Oh, and I did my first brick workout in about two years.
Actually, I was pretty happy with Tuesday's track workout. It's a miracle what "not marathon training" does. I don't think I've run that fast since high school. And, it didn't even feel that bad. Until the next morning. I guess I'm old.
Thursday's run on the other hand... it was really, really humid. I don't even know if it was hot (it was), but it was really, really humid. I ran from the Buffalo Road Athletic Park because I was over that direction. The facility was nice. The Neuse River Greenway wasn't bad. Well, the first half of the run anyways. Because it was so disgusting out, I decided to do four sets of 3-, 2-, 1-min tempo with half-time recovery (and full recovery between sets). I've done this workout before on the greenway in the summer. It's not too bad because you only have to concentrate for, at most, three minutes. The first set went well. The second set was definitely harder. Just as I was getting ready to start the third set, the wind picked up and I heard some thunder in the not so far distance. Lovely. So, I started. About 20sec later, I almost stepped on a copperhead. Did I mention that I did an out-and-back, because I did. That copperhead was definitely not there like 5min before. Stupid snakes. However, I started paying attention more closely, which entailed jumping at every stick, leaf, bit of trash, mile marker sign, whatever for the rest of the run. I also saw a black snake. Or, I should say a snake that was black. Anyways, I was probably a little bit more conservative on the pickups on the way back. I figured that I needed to have enough in the tank to keep going at a moderate tempo pace if it did start really raining. However, as my mile splits were faster than they would be if I were just running, I decided to keep doing the workout. It never really rained either, and I made it back.
I haven't done a brick workout in 2 years. I also haven't ridden a bike for 20+ miles in 2 years (Memorial Day excluded). The bike ride felt great. We didn't have to stop too often, so I didn't have to flip out about unclipping. However, I didn't drink any water, and consequently neither did Matt because I was carrying our water bottle. I probably need to work on that. The run didn't feel too too bad. My right knee is a little iffy, so I was pretty conservative. Plus, we hit a bunch of hills that I hate on the way back. Anyways, it wasn't too bad. It probably helped that it was overcast.
Sunday's workout, and a couple of other workouts in this past while, have made me realize that I have been way too mileage focused over the past two years. I had forgotten how much I like other activities. I had fun swimming last week and the week before. I had fun riding my bike on Memorial Day and on Sunday. I had fun at spin class these last couple of months. None of these things counted towards my weekly mileage, but they were way better for me mentally, and probably physically, than trying to slog through higher mileage weeks (at a crawl) like I did last summer. Having said that, I backed out of a 10k on Saturday because I haven't done enough long runs, so I probably need to work on that a bit. I think I'm in pretty good mile to 5k shape though, which is good because I'm planning on racing the Downhill Mile on July 4th and Raleigh's Finest 5k on July 28th.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Newtons
I got a pair of Newton Energy shoes for pacing the Tobacco Road Half Marathon. I was pretty excited about this because I've always wanted to try a pair of Newton shoes, but have always managed to talk myself out of them in favor of a more traditional training shoe. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with Newton shoes, they
basically have these toe-shaped protrusions on the bottom of them.
The point of these "lugs" is to get you to run more mid- to forefoot.
They also lowered the heel and widened the toebox a bit to further
encourage this.
Needless to say, Newtons definitely are not normal running shoes, but most of the people who run in them seem to love them. The Newton Energy is their "transition into Newton" shoes, so I was kind of in luck. In case you haven't figured this out, I'm a bit hesitant to jump on new "trends". In lieu of a 10-year study, I have to understand the why this "new" thing will be better than the "old" thing.
Anyways, when I brought my new shoes home from the expo back in March, I put them on and jogged around the kitchen. This is my usual shoe decision process... 10sec of jogging in place and yay or nay. Real technical. But, I have done this since high school, and while I've certainly had some shoes that I liked better than others, I have never not been able to run in the shoes I decided on. I guess I've been lucky. That, and I'm not super picky. Or real observant. I don't usually notice the shoes on my feet after 1/4-mile. Or if the band of my shorts is all folded over weird. Or if my sports bra strap is twisted. Or if I'm wearing like 8 different shades of neon.
So, it is unusual for me not to wear new shoes on the next shorterish run that I do. However, being that Newtons are a little different, I decided to wait until after Boston to try anything new. Sounds normal, right? Well, it has been a long time since Boston. I've come to realize that I'm actually afraid of these shoes. I know. That is absurd. They're shoes. But, I literally banished them to the guest room closet. I didn't even put them with my other running shoes. Like they were going to eat the heels out of them or something. I'm not even kidding. I've pulled them out a few times, thought about how nice the color combination was, and put them back.
Why?
I think I read too much about shoes. I love learning about the new technology, how this update is different from the last, etc. However, this means I also know how they are different too, and everyone's opinion as to whether those differences are revolutionary or injurious. Instead of just putting on shoes, it's more of an analysis of 4 vs 8 vs 12mm? "responsive" or soft cushioning? lightweight or heavy? foam or gel? neutral or stability? Agh! I need to run a blind study. Or, I guess technically double-blind because I'm the person running the study, as well as the study subject (which is why I suppose that you should never design an actual study that way).
Anyways, I took my Newtons out of the corner on Friday. And, my feet didn't fall off. Nothing catastrophic happened for the 4-miles I ran in them. Granted, it wasn't that long of a run, or that fast of a run, and I probably won't do either in those shoes. But, for all it's worth, I survived.
I have been thinking more about my "shoe philosophy" lately (and why I even have one). So, when I figure it out, I'll let you know.
Needless to say, Newtons definitely are not normal running shoes, but most of the people who run in them seem to love them. The Newton Energy is their "transition into Newton" shoes, so I was kind of in luck. In case you haven't figured this out, I'm a bit hesitant to jump on new "trends". In lieu of a 10-year study, I have to understand the why this "new" thing will be better than the "old" thing.
Anyways, when I brought my new shoes home from the expo back in March, I put them on and jogged around the kitchen. This is my usual shoe decision process... 10sec of jogging in place and yay or nay. Real technical. But, I have done this since high school, and while I've certainly had some shoes that I liked better than others, I have never not been able to run in the shoes I decided on. I guess I've been lucky. That, and I'm not super picky. Or real observant. I don't usually notice the shoes on my feet after 1/4-mile. Or if the band of my shorts is all folded over weird. Or if my sports bra strap is twisted. Or if I'm wearing like 8 different shades of neon.
So, it is unusual for me not to wear new shoes on the next shorterish run that I do. However, being that Newtons are a little different, I decided to wait until after Boston to try anything new. Sounds normal, right? Well, it has been a long time since Boston. I've come to realize that I'm actually afraid of these shoes. I know. That is absurd. They're shoes. But, I literally banished them to the guest room closet. I didn't even put them with my other running shoes. Like they were going to eat the heels out of them or something. I'm not even kidding. I've pulled them out a few times, thought about how nice the color combination was, and put them back.
Why?
I think I read too much about shoes. I love learning about the new technology, how this update is different from the last, etc. However, this means I also know how they are different too, and everyone's opinion as to whether those differences are revolutionary or injurious. Instead of just putting on shoes, it's more of an analysis of 4 vs 8 vs 12mm? "responsive" or soft cushioning? lightweight or heavy? foam or gel? neutral or stability? Agh! I need to run a blind study. Or, I guess technically double-blind because I'm the person running the study, as well as the study subject (which is why I suppose that you should never design an actual study that way).
Anyways, I took my Newtons out of the corner on Friday. And, my feet didn't fall off. Nothing catastrophic happened for the 4-miles I ran in them. Granted, it wasn't that long of a run, or that fast of a run, and I probably won't do either in those shoes. But, for all it's worth, I survived.
I have been thinking more about my "shoe philosophy" lately (and why I even have one). So, when I figure it out, I'll let you know.
6/9 - 6/15
Mon: 6-miles, core
Tues: 1600m (6:28), 1200m (4:43), 800m (3:03), 600m (2:15), 400m (84), 200m (41), 8x100m strides on the minute
Wed: 4-miles; spin class
Thurs: 2x2-miles on Dashwell course
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: Swim- 1000m; 12-miles
Sun: 7.5-miles, core
Total: 46.5 miles
Monday's run felt better than Sunday's run, although I was kind of tired. And, it's definitely summer!
Tuesday's track workout went pretty well despite the heat. I actually hit the actual (as in non heat-adjusted) paces I wanted to. My leg didn't really hurt either. The 100's felt weird though. I could feel my hamstring/hip more then. I felt out of balance running straight. I hesitate to say that I am in better shape than I think because my weekly mileage isn't that high. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm able to hit paces on a track workout solely because I'm not doing enough outside of track. However, more mileage makes my leg hurt more, which is also detrimental. It's a catch 22. Maybe more cross training.
Wednesday's run was fine and spin class was fun. I was happy Lisa got there so I didn't have to brave class alone. And they had towels for like the first time in a month! My knee still hurts a bit when transitioning between standing and sitting (and vice versa), but not nearly as bad as last week.
Thursday's workout went well too. My 2-mile repeats were remarkably consistent even though the second one was in the "sucky direction" (more uphill). It didn't feel too awful either.
Friday's run was ok. I tried my Newton's that I got for pacing the Tobacco Road Marathon. I didn't not like them (more on that later), so I might make them my "short morning run" shoes. Anyways, I forgot to start my watch, so it might not have been bad because it was slow (I was definitely still a bit stiff from the previous night's workout). It was kind of nice not knowing and just accepting that I ran. I might start not using my Garmin for everything like I used to. I'm torn though. I also use my easy run pace as a gauge of how recovered I am.
I did the "swim" with Keith for the Zinc Man Triathlon for his 30th birthday (swim 30min - bike 30miles - run 30k - drink 30oz of beer). It went pretty good. I realize that I really don't mind swimming. And, they had long course set up, which was nice. I managed to get in 1000m. As we were right up the street from Raleigh Running Outfitters, I drove there and ran on the greenway. The run went pretty well. 12 miles is the longest I've run in a few weeks. It probably helped that I was running solo, so I didn't feel the need to try and run anyone else's pace. Listening to music also helped. In fact, I don't remember crossing over North Hills Dr. on the way back. I was thinking that it was getting to be a long run and I still had a bit to go, then I saw the foot bridges by the dam. So, I was at least 1.5-miles further along than I thought. That made me happy, so I decided to run a lap around Shelly Lake. The run would have been perfect if I didn't have to go back up Longstreet.
Sunday's run was also ok. It was nice to sleep in! Also, 7.5-miles put me squarely in the "upper 40's" again. Wahooo!
I plugged in my current (20:20) and goal (19:30) 5k times into the McMillan pace calculator to see what I should be running. I am slightly confused by the color coding conventions (I'm not sure if the color code beside the workout type corresponds to the race color code), but here's the plan:
Easy Runs: 7:37-8:38
Long Runs: 7:42-8:57
Tempo Intervals: 6:42-6:56
Tempo Run: 6:47-7:05
Steady Run: 7:06-7:25
200's: 37-41 (s)
400's: 77-87 (s), 87-92 (r)
600's: 2:05-2:14 (s), 2:14-2:21 (r)
800's: 3:02-3:11 (r)
1000's: 3:51-4:05 (r)
1200's: 4:42-4:58 (r)
1600's: 6:30-6:42 (r)
* s = sprint, r = repeat (speed pace)
I need to step up my game on the tempo stuff. Actually, I just need to start doing any of the tempo stuff on a regular basis!
Tues: 1600m (6:28), 1200m (4:43), 800m (3:03), 600m (2:15), 400m (84), 200m (41), 8x100m strides on the minute
Wed: 4-miles; spin class
Thurs: 2x2-miles on Dashwell course
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: Swim- 1000m; 12-miles
Sun: 7.5-miles, core
Total: 46.5 miles
Monday's run felt better than Sunday's run, although I was kind of tired. And, it's definitely summer!
Tuesday's track workout went pretty well despite the heat. I actually hit the actual (as in non heat-adjusted) paces I wanted to. My leg didn't really hurt either. The 100's felt weird though. I could feel my hamstring/hip more then. I felt out of balance running straight. I hesitate to say that I am in better shape than I think because my weekly mileage isn't that high. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm able to hit paces on a track workout solely because I'm not doing enough outside of track. However, more mileage makes my leg hurt more, which is also detrimental. It's a catch 22. Maybe more cross training.
Wednesday's run was fine and spin class was fun. I was happy Lisa got there so I didn't have to brave class alone. And they had towels for like the first time in a month! My knee still hurts a bit when transitioning between standing and sitting (and vice versa), but not nearly as bad as last week.
Thursday's workout went well too. My 2-mile repeats were remarkably consistent even though the second one was in the "sucky direction" (more uphill). It didn't feel too awful either.
Friday's run was ok. I tried my Newton's that I got for pacing the Tobacco Road Marathon. I didn't not like them (more on that later), so I might make them my "short morning run" shoes. Anyways, I forgot to start my watch, so it might not have been bad because it was slow (I was definitely still a bit stiff from the previous night's workout). It was kind of nice not knowing and just accepting that I ran. I might start not using my Garmin for everything like I used to. I'm torn though. I also use my easy run pace as a gauge of how recovered I am.
I did the "swim" with Keith for the Zinc Man Triathlon for his 30th birthday (swim 30min - bike 30miles - run 30k - drink 30oz of beer). It went pretty good. I realize that I really don't mind swimming. And, they had long course set up, which was nice. I managed to get in 1000m. As we were right up the street from Raleigh Running Outfitters, I drove there and ran on the greenway. The run went pretty well. 12 miles is the longest I've run in a few weeks. It probably helped that I was running solo, so I didn't feel the need to try and run anyone else's pace. Listening to music also helped. In fact, I don't remember crossing over North Hills Dr. on the way back. I was thinking that it was getting to be a long run and I still had a bit to go, then I saw the foot bridges by the dam. So, I was at least 1.5-miles further along than I thought. That made me happy, so I decided to run a lap around Shelly Lake. The run would have been perfect if I didn't have to go back up Longstreet.
Sunday's run was also ok. It was nice to sleep in! Also, 7.5-miles put me squarely in the "upper 40's" again. Wahooo!
I plugged in my current (20:20) and goal (19:30) 5k times into the McMillan pace calculator to see what I should be running. I am slightly confused by the color coding conventions (I'm not sure if the color code beside the workout type corresponds to the race color code), but here's the plan:
Easy Runs: 7:37-8:38
Long Runs: 7:42-8:57
Tempo Intervals: 6:42-6:56
Tempo Run: 6:47-7:05
Steady Run: 7:06-7:25
200's: 37-41 (s)
400's: 77-87 (s), 87-92 (r)
600's: 2:05-2:14 (s), 2:14-2:21 (r)
800's: 3:02-3:11 (r)
1000's: 3:51-4:05 (r)
1200's: 4:42-4:58 (r)
1600's: 6:30-6:42 (r)
* s = sprint, r = repeat (speed pace)
I need to step up my game on the tempo stuff. Actually, I just need to start doing any of the tempo stuff on a regular basis!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Music
I go back and forth on my opinion of listening to music when I run by myself. On the "shouldn't" side is safety, living "mindfully", and simulating race conditions. On the "should" side is distraction (which is in direct opposition to living mindfully) and improved mood.
I've struggled this year to get the first mile of my "home course" under 10 minutes. I live at the bottom of a hill. Garmin does not do this hill justice. It looks a lot steeper when you're standing at the bottom. At some point, I realized that my first mile split was mostly dependent upon how motivated I was to get up this first hill (and when I haven't had coffee, I am very un-motivated). My obsession with a sub-double-digit first mile on this run has grown each time my watch flashes a 10:xx split. It really annoys me for some reason. I've even started my run (but not my watch) further up the driveway (which is a slight downhill to the street) to "gain momentum". This is completely absurd, and I know it, but still...
A few weeks ago, I had to untangle my watch from my headphones, which were attached to my MP3 player. It was completely light out, and there were sidewalks basically the whole route that I was planning on running, so I didn't really need to worry about getting hit by a car. And, although I know that anything can happen where/whenever, my only safety precautions shouldn't be not listening to music (aka if I don't feel safe, maybe I shouldn't be running).
So, I decided to lift my ban on listening to music on training runs. Olympians do it (although I'm not about to start inhaling random gases... how the hell did they settle on Xenon?). Plus, it was only a short run... junk miles... so I wasn't really cheating (awesome justification).
The first song was one that I liked but hadn't heard in a while. Same with the second and the third. About a tenth of a mile before the first mile mark, I looked down at my watch (the route levels off here, so I always use this bit to "speed up" to get my mile split in the 9:xx). My pace read 8:40. Holycrapforrealz? I almost started jumping, and might have, except I distrust my Garmin watch. I figured that when I got back to the house and downloaded the data, it would have showed me "teleporting" or something. Anyways, the rest of the run went well. I was actually in a pretty good mood when I got back... even more so when I hit stop and looked down at my time, which was like a minute-and-a-half faster than usual.
This phenomenon has been repeated more than once now. Ban is officially off. Even for non-junk miles. Although, I don't usually run those by myself. Anyways, I've also been playing around with the idea of finding songs with the right beat so I can hit ~180-190 cadence. I mean, this is basically what we do in spin class. I came across this site, which I immediately liked because I saw songs that I liked on it. Time to make a playlist!
I've struggled this year to get the first mile of my "home course" under 10 minutes. I live at the bottom of a hill. Garmin does not do this hill justice. It looks a lot steeper when you're standing at the bottom. At some point, I realized that my first mile split was mostly dependent upon how motivated I was to get up this first hill (and when I haven't had coffee, I am very un-motivated). My obsession with a sub-double-digit first mile on this run has grown each time my watch flashes a 10:xx split. It really annoys me for some reason. I've even started my run (but not my watch) further up the driveway (which is a slight downhill to the street) to "gain momentum". This is completely absurd, and I know it, but still...
A few weeks ago, I had to untangle my watch from my headphones, which were attached to my MP3 player. It was completely light out, and there were sidewalks basically the whole route that I was planning on running, so I didn't really need to worry about getting hit by a car. And, although I know that anything can happen where/whenever, my only safety precautions shouldn't be not listening to music (aka if I don't feel safe, maybe I shouldn't be running).
So, I decided to lift my ban on listening to music on training runs. Olympians do it (although I'm not about to start inhaling random gases... how the hell did they settle on Xenon?). Plus, it was only a short run... junk miles... so I wasn't really cheating (awesome justification).
The first song was one that I liked but hadn't heard in a while. Same with the second and the third. About a tenth of a mile before the first mile mark, I looked down at my watch (the route levels off here, so I always use this bit to "speed up" to get my mile split in the 9:xx). My pace read 8:40. Holycrapforrealz? I almost started jumping, and might have, except I distrust my Garmin watch. I figured that when I got back to the house and downloaded the data, it would have showed me "teleporting" or something. Anyways, the rest of the run went well. I was actually in a pretty good mood when I got back... even more so when I hit stop and looked down at my time, which was like a minute-and-a-half faster than usual.
This phenomenon has been repeated more than once now. Ban is officially off. Even for non-junk miles. Although, I don't usually run those by myself. Anyways, I've also been playing around with the idea of finding songs with the right beat so I can hit ~180-190 cadence. I mean, this is basically what we do in spin class. I came across this site, which I immediately liked because I saw songs that I liked on it. Time to make a playlist!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
6/2 - 6/8
Mon: 6-miles, core
Tues: 12x400m (96, 91, 92, 91, 90, 90, 88, 87, 85, 85, 83, 86), core
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 6-miles (trail)
Fri: Swim- 5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd stroke
Sat: 8-miles
Sun: 10-miles, core
Total: 40-miles
Not the best training week.
Monday's run went ok. I was definitely still stiff from the weekend, and I fell behind the group on the last mile.
Tuesday's track workout went pretty well. We were supposed to gradually get faster over the course of the 400's. Sean said to start at current 5k pace and descend to goal 5k pace, taking off a second per 400m. That seemed a bit ambitious. Having said that, I basically did that, although my splits are in no way, shape, or form related to what I could do in a 5k (or even a mile!). If I was perfectly healthy right now, I think I could run a 20min 5k with a little bit of work (at least, I refuse to accept that I can't). That would be 6:27/mile, or ~96sec 400m. My 5k PR is a 19:38, and my realistic goal 5k pace is ~6:15 (a 6:16 would be a 94sec 400m). So yeah, I was quite a bit faster except for the first 400m. I accelerated, for the most part, throughout the set. And, I even got down to the mid-80's for a few. So, I should be pleased, but I'm mad that I couldn't keep up at the end. The 83 damn near killed me!
Wednesday's run was also eh. Again, my right leg really hurt for the first 1/2-mile or so, but then it seemed better. It was really hot and humid though and I didn't feel that great.
Thursday's trail run was a bit more pleasant despite the horse flies starting to come out. I take shorter steps when I run trails, and I don't care if I'm going slower, so my leg felt a little better.
I gave up and swam on Friday. It felt much better than running. While contemplating the fact that I really was not hating swimming, I realized that if my right leg hurt for every footfall on that side, that it would literally be hurting every second I ran, and that would be a slow cadence. That seemed outright depressing. And stupid. And it made me feel kind of crazy for running.
Saturday's run felt a little better, until I looked at how long it took me to run 8-miles. I'm really hoping I was just still asleep. It was early (like 5:30AM when we started so we could get our run in before the Galloway Run).
Sunday's run also felt a little better. And, it was at a much more reasonable pace. We ran on a section of the Neuse River Greenway out towards Smithfield. It was more rolling than I expected, but it was nice. The only problem was the lack of water.
I am growing more and more concerned about my right leg. I'm not even isolating what hurts now, my whole leg hurts. During spin class, transitioning between sitting and standing was really bugging my right knee, although once we were in one position for a bit, I was able to adapt to one position after a bit. Having said that, one time after we were standing for a while, I nearly came to a stop when we went back to sitting. My knee cap felt like it was going to pop right out of my right knee. I backed the resistance way off, and then gradually added it back. I iced (even though that is apparently detrimental) and stretched and foam-rolled quite a bit that night. I felt a little bit better on Sunday after foam rolling the crap out of my right leg on Saturday, but I still had to stop right at 10 miles because my hamstring was starting to "pinch".
Tues: 12x400m (96, 91, 92, 91, 90, 90, 88, 87, 85, 85, 83, 86), core
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 6-miles (trail)
Fri: Swim- 5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd stroke
Sat: 8-miles
Sun: 10-miles, core
Total: 40-miles
Not the best training week.
Monday's run went ok. I was definitely still stiff from the weekend, and I fell behind the group on the last mile.
Tuesday's track workout went pretty well. We were supposed to gradually get faster over the course of the 400's. Sean said to start at current 5k pace and descend to goal 5k pace, taking off a second per 400m. That seemed a bit ambitious. Having said that, I basically did that, although my splits are in no way, shape, or form related to what I could do in a 5k (or even a mile!). If I was perfectly healthy right now, I think I could run a 20min 5k with a little bit of work (at least, I refuse to accept that I can't). That would be 6:27/mile, or ~96sec 400m. My 5k PR is a 19:38, and my realistic goal 5k pace is ~6:15 (a 6:16 would be a 94sec 400m). So yeah, I was quite a bit faster except for the first 400m. I accelerated, for the most part, throughout the set. And, I even got down to the mid-80's for a few. So, I should be pleased, but I'm mad that I couldn't keep up at the end. The 83 damn near killed me!
Wednesday's run was also eh. Again, my right leg really hurt for the first 1/2-mile or so, but then it seemed better. It was really hot and humid though and I didn't feel that great.
Thursday's trail run was a bit more pleasant despite the horse flies starting to come out. I take shorter steps when I run trails, and I don't care if I'm going slower, so my leg felt a little better.
I gave up and swam on Friday. It felt much better than running. While contemplating the fact that I really was not hating swimming, I realized that if my right leg hurt for every footfall on that side, that it would literally be hurting every second I ran, and that would be a slow cadence. That seemed outright depressing. And stupid. And it made me feel kind of crazy for running.
Saturday's run felt a little better, until I looked at how long it took me to run 8-miles. I'm really hoping I was just still asleep. It was early (like 5:30AM when we started so we could get our run in before the Galloway Run).
Sunday's run also felt a little better. And, it was at a much more reasonable pace. We ran on a section of the Neuse River Greenway out towards Smithfield. It was more rolling than I expected, but it was nice. The only problem was the lack of water.
I am growing more and more concerned about my right leg. I'm not even isolating what hurts now, my whole leg hurts. During spin class, transitioning between sitting and standing was really bugging my right knee, although once we were in one position for a bit, I was able to adapt to one position after a bit. Having said that, one time after we were standing for a while, I nearly came to a stop when we went back to sitting. My knee cap felt like it was going to pop right out of my right knee. I backed the resistance way off, and then gradually added it back. I iced (even though that is apparently detrimental) and stretched and foam-rolled quite a bit that night. I felt a little bit better on Sunday after foam rolling the crap out of my right leg on Saturday, but I still had to stop right at 10 miles because my hamstring was starting to "pinch".
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Shoes
It's almost new shoe time, which means it's research time... weight, drop, price, expected mileage, use, etc. I go through this every year (or more), and usually just end up picking the same thing. But, they've changed the shoes that I like (well, some of them), and I've changed my racing/training goals. Plus, two of my shoes are up for retirement soon, so I have some inter-related decisions to make (oh fun, decision trees!).
Until college, I only ran in Saucony shoes because there was an outlet store like twenty minutes from where I lived. In college, we got a pair of Adidas training shoes or spikes each year (although I have no idea what model). Since college, I've mostly run in these two brands (despite trying others), and I've actually really logged most of my miles in the past three years in three models: the Adidas Adios (track/racing), the Adidas Bostons (tempo/some training/marathon), and the Saucony Rides (training). I love all of these shoes.
The Adidas Adios have been my favorite racing shoe (and maybe my favorite shoe) of all time. I have been mostly racing longer stuff (i.e., half marathon and above) for the past two-ish years that I've been wearing them, but they also work great for 5k's for me. All told, they're on the heavier side for shorter distance racing flats... but when the weight of my shoe is what's holding me back, I'll be happy. However, Adidas has "boosted" the Adios. I have been resisting change. I have some miles left to run on my current pair, but this plays into my decision making.
The Adidas Bostons have been my favorite anything shoe. I've done speed work in them, as well as long runs. When I go on vacation, this is the shoe I bring. It works well for anything, although it might not be the "best" for everything. Regardless, I think it's a great shoe. However, it is also being "boosted". Having said that, I think it's actually "lightening" up a bit. It's not too much heavier than the Adios Boost, and it's $20 less and should last longer. But, I'll save the analysis for later.
The Saucony Rides have been my "go to" training shoe for like the last 5 years. I've run in every version except the 5's (because I was nervous about the whole 8mm thing at first despite the most ingenious advertising campaign ever), and usually multiple of each version. I've tried other training shoes, and always gravitate back to the Rides. I have just one complaint though, the tread wears out faster than my Adidas shoes. Now, I get 350+ miles out of it (which is what I should), but I stretch my shoes a bit. The Continental rubber on the Adidas shoes does not wear out... ever. I have the same amount of miles on my current pair of Adidas Bostons and Saucony Rides, and the Bostons barely look run in. I know this has nothing to do with the structural integrity of the shoe (which holds up fine), but yeah.
So, that's the story. I really don't need three pairs of shoes either. It's just sort of developed into that. I used to just have a training shoe and a racing/tempo shoe, and before that, just a shoe. I wouldn't mind going back to the two shoe scheme if I can get this all to work. So, here's what's in the mix:
Racing: New Balance 1400, Saucony Type A6
Longer Distance Racing / Tempo Runs: Adidas Adios Boost, Adidas Boston Boost, Mizuno Sayonara
Training: Adidas Glide Boost, Saucony Ride
Having broken them up that way (and starting with the racing flats), I've tried on the A6's and liked them. However, they are a 4mm drop shoe, which I have a fear of (not unfounded... I've tried low-drop shoes before and my calf hurts after a couple of months... although I acknowledge that this might have nothing to do with the shoe). I think I could run up to a 10k in the A6's, but I'm not sure about a half. I know people do, but they seem a little too minimal. I've never run in a New Balance shoe because I've always found them to fit weird. However, I've heard good things about the 1400's, and it seems like they have a bit more to them than the A6's, so I probably could get through a half in them. Both are the same price, with the price/mile leaning to the 1400's, as long as I like how they fit.
Now, the Adios vs. Boston Boost... price and price/mile are definitely in favor of the Boston's. I'm not sure that 0.7oz in weight savings is worth $20 either. So, provided the Boston's fit well, they're the clear winner. The water is a little murkier when it comes to the Boston vs. Sayonara debate. I've run 5-miles in the Sayonaras and liked them. They're an ounce lighter and the same price. With regard to holding up, I'm still tipping the hat in favor of the Bostons though. I need to think about it some more, and I need to see how the 1400's feel because I may be able to do away with a shoe!
Training shoes are the last variable. As I said before, I love the Rides. However, I've heard good things about the Glide Boost and would expect that they would hold up a little better. I've run in a pair for 5-miles, and I did like them. There is just one weird thing about this shoe for me. I wear a 7-1/2 in Adidas shoes, and ab 8 in every other brand. The 7-1/2's in the Glide Boost fit kind of big for me. I mean, I have a generous thumb-width in the front of both feet. I got a half size up in a shoe one time and tripped/stubbed my toe a lot. It didn't work out that well. When I did wear those Glide Boost's for those 5-miles, I wore a size 7 because that's what they had. They felt fine. I just can't wrap my head around it. 7 is my dress shoe size. That's just crazy talk.
So, in conclusion...
Most Cost-Effective: New Balance 1400 / Adidas Glide Boost
Least Overlap in Purpose 1: Saucony Type A6 / Adidas Adios Boost / Adidas Glide Boost
Least Overlap in Purpose 2: Saucony Type A6 / Mizuno Sayonara / Adidas Glide Boost
Time to figure out when everything is being released, try on some shoes, and see what they have in my size... that's the last variable!
Be happy that I spared you the "complete analysis" which includes the Tempo, Launch, Wave Rider, Kinvara, and Mirage...
Until college, I only ran in Saucony shoes because there was an outlet store like twenty minutes from where I lived. In college, we got a pair of Adidas training shoes or spikes each year (although I have no idea what model). Since college, I've mostly run in these two brands (despite trying others), and I've actually really logged most of my miles in the past three years in three models: the Adidas Adios (track/racing), the Adidas Bostons (tempo/some training/marathon), and the Saucony Rides (training). I love all of these shoes.
The Adidas Adios have been my favorite racing shoe (and maybe my favorite shoe) of all time. I have been mostly racing longer stuff (i.e., half marathon and above) for the past two-ish years that I've been wearing them, but they also work great for 5k's for me. All told, they're on the heavier side for shorter distance racing flats... but when the weight of my shoe is what's holding me back, I'll be happy. However, Adidas has "boosted" the Adios. I have been resisting change. I have some miles left to run on my current pair, but this plays into my decision making.
The Adidas Bostons have been my favorite anything shoe. I've done speed work in them, as well as long runs. When I go on vacation, this is the shoe I bring. It works well for anything, although it might not be the "best" for everything. Regardless, I think it's a great shoe. However, it is also being "boosted". Having said that, I think it's actually "lightening" up a bit. It's not too much heavier than the Adios Boost, and it's $20 less and should last longer. But, I'll save the analysis for later.
The Saucony Rides have been my "go to" training shoe for like the last 5 years. I've run in every version except the 5's (because I was nervous about the whole 8mm thing at first despite the most ingenious advertising campaign ever), and usually multiple of each version. I've tried other training shoes, and always gravitate back to the Rides. I have just one complaint though, the tread wears out faster than my Adidas shoes. Now, I get 350+ miles out of it (which is what I should), but I stretch my shoes a bit. The Continental rubber on the Adidas shoes does not wear out... ever. I have the same amount of miles on my current pair of Adidas Bostons and Saucony Rides, and the Bostons barely look run in. I know this has nothing to do with the structural integrity of the shoe (which holds up fine), but yeah.
So, that's the story. I really don't need three pairs of shoes either. It's just sort of developed into that. I used to just have a training shoe and a racing/tempo shoe, and before that, just a shoe. I wouldn't mind going back to the two shoe scheme if I can get this all to work. So, here's what's in the mix:
Racing: New Balance 1400, Saucony Type A6
Longer Distance Racing / Tempo Runs: Adidas Adios Boost, Adidas Boston Boost, Mizuno Sayonara
Training: Adidas Glide Boost, Saucony Ride
Having broken them up that way (and starting with the racing flats), I've tried on the A6's and liked them. However, they are a 4mm drop shoe, which I have a fear of (not unfounded... I've tried low-drop shoes before and my calf hurts after a couple of months... although I acknowledge that this might have nothing to do with the shoe). I think I could run up to a 10k in the A6's, but I'm not sure about a half. I know people do, but they seem a little too minimal. I've never run in a New Balance shoe because I've always found them to fit weird. However, I've heard good things about the 1400's, and it seems like they have a bit more to them than the A6's, so I probably could get through a half in them. Both are the same price, with the price/mile leaning to the 1400's, as long as I like how they fit.
Now, the Adios vs. Boston Boost... price and price/mile are definitely in favor of the Boston's. I'm not sure that 0.7oz in weight savings is worth $20 either. So, provided the Boston's fit well, they're the clear winner. The water is a little murkier when it comes to the Boston vs. Sayonara debate. I've run 5-miles in the Sayonaras and liked them. They're an ounce lighter and the same price. With regard to holding up, I'm still tipping the hat in favor of the Bostons though. I need to think about it some more, and I need to see how the 1400's feel because I may be able to do away with a shoe!
Training shoes are the last variable. As I said before, I love the Rides. However, I've heard good things about the Glide Boost and would expect that they would hold up a little better. I've run in a pair for 5-miles, and I did like them. There is just one weird thing about this shoe for me. I wear a 7-1/2 in Adidas shoes, and ab 8 in every other brand. The 7-1/2's in the Glide Boost fit kind of big for me. I mean, I have a generous thumb-width in the front of both feet. I got a half size up in a shoe one time and tripped/stubbed my toe a lot. It didn't work out that well. When I did wear those Glide Boost's for those 5-miles, I wore a size 7 because that's what they had. They felt fine. I just can't wrap my head around it. 7 is my dress shoe size. That's just crazy talk.
So, in conclusion...
Most Cost-Effective: New Balance 1400 / Adidas Glide Boost
Least Overlap in Purpose 1: Saucony Type A6 / Adidas Adios Boost / Adidas Glide Boost
Least Overlap in Purpose 2: Saucony Type A6 / Mizuno Sayonara / Adidas Glide Boost
Time to figure out when everything is being released, try on some shoes, and see what they have in my size... that's the last variable!
Be happy that I spared you the "complete analysis" which includes the Tempo, Launch, Wave Rider, Kinvara, and Mirage...
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
5/26 - 6/1
Mon: Bike ~20.5-miles
Tues: 3x1200m (4:34,32,36), 2x400m (83, 85)
Wed: 6-miles
Thurs: 6-miles
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: Running of the Bulls 8k; 5-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 40.5 miles
Another training week down the drain. Not really, but that's what it feels like. I didn't do any core workouts this week because my back and hips really hurt from pilates on Sunday. Work screwed up Wednesday and Thursday, and I didn't get a long run in this weekend owing to racing and volunteering. So, my mileage was low, and the race didn't go that well.
On Monday, we did a group ride from Cocoa Cinnamon in Durham. I haven't been on my bike in over a year. I was pretty nervous at first. And, I think my knuckles were white the whole ride. The first time I went to un-clip, I couldn't remember which side I usually un-clip to. Oh well. It was fun after I calmed down a bit. And, I got to see my friend Nicole!
Tuesday's track workout went well. We were supposed to run the 1200's as an acceleration, and I pretty much did. My times were half decent for them too. And, my first 400m was definitely the fastest I've run in a year. I forgot what I was doing the first 200m. My instinct is to go out fast, and I did... I came through in 40sec... faster than any of the 200's last week. Glad to know I can still do that.
We went to Winston-Salem on Wednesday and didn't get back until late, so Matt and I ran together. We got stuck in traffic coming back from Durham on Thursday. It was pretty ridiculous. We ended up running around the trails/greenways at Lake Crabtree because that was as far as we had made it by 6PM. The run wasn't bad, but I kind of expected traffic to be cleared up an hour later!
The Running of the Bulls 8k didn't go that well. I ran a 34:22, which is well off what I should run... more like half marathon pace. The first 2-miles were ok. I think I was a little conservative because I wanted to run steady (which it looks like I pretty much did from my splits) so I could get a good benchmark. My hamstring was really pretty tight by mile 3, and my legs burned on the uphill. I was yo-yoing back-and-forth with two girls. I would catch up on the uphills, and they would catch me on the downhills. It took me a while to recover between miles 3 and 4. Every time I'd try and push it a little, my leg felt like it had an elastic band in it that was an inch too short. The races finished downhill though and into the stadium. I was able to pick it up decently for the last half mile, and the bit in the stadium was like a track race. My back and hamstring were pretty tight afterwards though. On a plus note, my teammates (Matt, Kyle, Andrew, and Rita) all raced well, and we were the third team. I also got to see a lot of my "running friends" that I don't get to see as much. I'm debating racing my way back into shape.
I ran 5-miles Saturday after work so that I wouldn't have to run quite as far on Sunday morning when I was in a half-zombie state. My hamstring definitely still hurt... my right leg burned on every uphill. I ran on Sunday morning as soon as we got back from volunteering (I helped with parking for the Half Ironman from 4:30-7:30). My legs were a little looser, but still not great.
Eh. Hopefully this next week will be better.
Tues: 3x1200m (4:34,32,36), 2x400m (83, 85)
Wed: 6-miles
Thurs: 6-miles
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: Running of the Bulls 8k; 5-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 40.5 miles
Another training week down the drain. Not really, but that's what it feels like. I didn't do any core workouts this week because my back and hips really hurt from pilates on Sunday. Work screwed up Wednesday and Thursday, and I didn't get a long run in this weekend owing to racing and volunteering. So, my mileage was low, and the race didn't go that well.
On Monday, we did a group ride from Cocoa Cinnamon in Durham. I haven't been on my bike in over a year. I was pretty nervous at first. And, I think my knuckles were white the whole ride. The first time I went to un-clip, I couldn't remember which side I usually un-clip to. Oh well. It was fun after I calmed down a bit. And, I got to see my friend Nicole!
Tuesday's track workout went well. We were supposed to run the 1200's as an acceleration, and I pretty much did. My times were half decent for them too. And, my first 400m was definitely the fastest I've run in a year. I forgot what I was doing the first 200m. My instinct is to go out fast, and I did... I came through in 40sec... faster than any of the 200's last week. Glad to know I can still do that.
We went to Winston-Salem on Wednesday and didn't get back until late, so Matt and I ran together. We got stuck in traffic coming back from Durham on Thursday. It was pretty ridiculous. We ended up running around the trails/greenways at Lake Crabtree because that was as far as we had made it by 6PM. The run wasn't bad, but I kind of expected traffic to be cleared up an hour later!
The Running of the Bulls 8k didn't go that well. I ran a 34:22, which is well off what I should run... more like half marathon pace. The first 2-miles were ok. I think I was a little conservative because I wanted to run steady (which it looks like I pretty much did from my splits) so I could get a good benchmark. My hamstring was really pretty tight by mile 3, and my legs burned on the uphill. I was yo-yoing back-and-forth with two girls. I would catch up on the uphills, and they would catch me on the downhills. It took me a while to recover between miles 3 and 4. Every time I'd try and push it a little, my leg felt like it had an elastic band in it that was an inch too short. The races finished downhill though and into the stadium. I was able to pick it up decently for the last half mile, and the bit in the stadium was like a track race. My back and hamstring were pretty tight afterwards though. On a plus note, my teammates (Matt, Kyle, Andrew, and Rita) all raced well, and we were the third team. I also got to see a lot of my "running friends" that I don't get to see as much. I'm debating racing my way back into shape.
I ran 5-miles Saturday after work so that I wouldn't have to run quite as far on Sunday morning when I was in a half-zombie state. My hamstring definitely still hurt... my right leg burned on every uphill. I ran on Sunday morning as soon as we got back from volunteering (I helped with parking for the Half Ironman from 4:30-7:30). My legs were a little looser, but still not great.
Eh. Hopefully this next week will be better.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
May Recap
I am having trouble with this whole lower mileage / cross training
thing. I mean, I know cross training "counts", but it doesn't "count" to
my weekly mileage total. I like numbers. It's screwing up my excel
graphs. They look ugly. The axis keep adjusting. Microsoft is mocking
me. Ok, I know that's stupid, but grrrrr.
I raced for the first time since Boston too to get a benchmark. It didn't go that great. My hamstring and back (actually, I think it's my piriformis) are really tight. My right leg burns after 2 or so miles. I've been debating taking time off completely from running, but that hasn't solved this problem in the past either.
I better see my times drop or I'm going to... I have no idea because it's not like running more miles got me anywhere!
Total: 179.5 miles [training log]
... on a more positive note, I've kept up with spinning and I like it. I think it helped on the bike ride in terms of actually remembering to switch gears. And, I rode my bike for real for the first time in over a year and didn't die (and I got to see my friend Nicole!). And, I've started doing more core work and even tried pilates. That killed, but hopefully I'll get stronger.
I raced for the first time since Boston too to get a benchmark. It didn't go that great. My hamstring and back (actually, I think it's my piriformis) are really tight. My right leg burns after 2 or so miles. I've been debating taking time off completely from running, but that hasn't solved this problem in the past either.
I better see my times drop or I'm going to... I have no idea because it's not like running more miles got me anywhere!
Total: 179.5 miles [training log]
... on a more positive note, I've kept up with spinning and I like it. I think it helped on the bike ride in terms of actually remembering to switch gears. And, I rode my bike for real for the first time in over a year and didn't die (and I got to see my friend Nicole!). And, I've started doing more core work and even tried pilates. That killed, but hopefully I'll get stronger.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
5/19 - 5/25
Mon: 6-miles; core
Tues: 4 sets of 200-200-800 (42-44-2:59, 42-43-3:00, 42-44-3:00, 45-42-2:58); core
Wed: 4-miles; spin class
Thurs: 5 x Chip Trail 1000's; core
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: 12-miles
Sun: 7-miles; pilates class
Total: 45.5 miles
It was nicer weather this week. Since my weekly mileage is lower, I've been trying to eek down the pace of my easy runs. Nothing too crazy. I figure that if I get used to running at this slightly faster pace, maybe 5k/10k pace won't seem as bad because the difference won't be as great. Plus, my form gets sloppier when I run slower and I don't use my full range of motion. My hamstring seems to hurt a little less when I go a little faster, although my back hurts a little more. We'll see how this experiment goes.
Tuesday's track workout was a surprise. I've noticed that, over time, my short distance (400 and below) times have gotten slower. In college, a 40sec 200 seemed easy, and I routinely hit low 80's for 400's in high school. Granted, I wasn't running as many of them, and my weekly mileage wasn't nearly as high, but still. Conversely, I've also noticed that my longer distance times (800 and up) have gotten faster. In high school, I struggled to hit 3:10 for 800's in practice, and my 2-mile PR was 13:48. That being said, I ran the four 800's from Tuesday's track workout at or below 3:00. I don't think I've every done that for four 800's... maybe one... but definitely not four. Score?
Thursday's workout went better than the last time we did chip trail 1000's as well. That workout always gets me mentally. I can definitely see the benefit of not doing every speed session on the track. The track is so much easier in terms of pacing. Even though I'm wearing a Garmin, I don't exactly 100% trust it's readout.
Saturday's and Sunday's runs went decently well. Saturday's run was the longest since Boston. It felt a lot better than last Saturday's run (I had also gone to see Elaine on Friday, so my hamstring/back was also feeling better). The pace was a little slow, but eh... can't have it all. Sunday's run was a little faster, especially the second half. I was chasing Oyler and Matt up the "Cameron Village hill". It felt like an old school Thursday morning run where I used to chase Oyler and Jennifer up that same hill!
Lisa, Matt, and I also did pilates on Sunday. Matt and I totally lost. It was definitely a good core workout. I think I'll try and do that every other week or something. My hips were definitely tight afterwards though. I could barely sit Indian-style (or whatever the new pc term is) by the end of the class.
Tues: 4 sets of 200-200-800 (42-44-2:59, 42-43-3:00, 42-44-3:00, 45-42-2:58); core
Wed: 4-miles; spin class
Thurs: 5 x Chip Trail 1000's; core
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: 12-miles
Sun: 7-miles; pilates class
Total: 45.5 miles
It was nicer weather this week. Since my weekly mileage is lower, I've been trying to eek down the pace of my easy runs. Nothing too crazy. I figure that if I get used to running at this slightly faster pace, maybe 5k/10k pace won't seem as bad because the difference won't be as great. Plus, my form gets sloppier when I run slower and I don't use my full range of motion. My hamstring seems to hurt a little less when I go a little faster, although my back hurts a little more. We'll see how this experiment goes.
Tuesday's track workout was a surprise. I've noticed that, over time, my short distance (400 and below) times have gotten slower. In college, a 40sec 200 seemed easy, and I routinely hit low 80's for 400's in high school. Granted, I wasn't running as many of them, and my weekly mileage wasn't nearly as high, but still. Conversely, I've also noticed that my longer distance times (800 and up) have gotten faster. In high school, I struggled to hit 3:10 for 800's in practice, and my 2-mile PR was 13:48. That being said, I ran the four 800's from Tuesday's track workout at or below 3:00. I don't think I've every done that for four 800's... maybe one... but definitely not four. Score?
Thursday's workout went better than the last time we did chip trail 1000's as well. That workout always gets me mentally. I can definitely see the benefit of not doing every speed session on the track. The track is so much easier in terms of pacing. Even though I'm wearing a Garmin, I don't exactly 100% trust it's readout.
Saturday's and Sunday's runs went decently well. Saturday's run was the longest since Boston. It felt a lot better than last Saturday's run (I had also gone to see Elaine on Friday, so my hamstring/back was also feeling better). The pace was a little slow, but eh... can't have it all. Sunday's run was a little faster, especially the second half. I was chasing Oyler and Matt up the "Cameron Village hill". It felt like an old school Thursday morning run where I used to chase Oyler and Jennifer up that same hill!
Lisa, Matt, and I also did pilates on Sunday. Matt and I totally lost. It was definitely a good core workout. I think I'll try and do that every other week or something. My hips were definitely tight afterwards though. I could barely sit Indian-style (or whatever the new pc term is) by the end of the class.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Core Workout
So, I promised myself that I would work on core strength this year. Until recently, I have come up with a lot of excuses for why I couldn't do this... (1) too tired from long runs, (2) concern over my back locking up, (3) not knowing what exercises to do, (4) not owning a medicine ball or stability ball...
Well, I am no longer marathon training, so Excuse #1 is out the door. And, as I am currently not training for anything in particular (aka so who cares if my back locks up?... not really, I do like to stand upright, but I am a little bit more willing to experiment), so is Excuse #2. #3, the Internet exists. #4, they sell these things at Target. Ok, so I guess I'm out of excuses.
Outside of situps and plank, I really have very little idea of what I should do. I've tried the whole 200 situps thing a few times, and made it to week 4 or so before getting bored. We did butterfly kick things in college, so there's one. And, I found a 15min core workout (that was really more than 15min) a while back. But, most of these exercises work the same muscles, and there are a lot of core muscles. Plus, I like variety. So, to the Internet! Unfortunately, a lot of the workouts are tagged using such phrases as "belly-buster" or "Victoria Secret Model Workout". While I'm sure that the suggested exercises do something for core strength, or at least more than the nothing that I'm doing now, I'm not sure exactly what they're doing. The people just look skinny, not strong. I'm doing this so I can be a stronger runner and breathe better and not get injured... not so I can be a Victoria Secret model (although abdominal strength probably wouldn't be the deciding factor in that case).
So, I narrowed my search to runners (since that's what I cared about), and found this video with Shalane Flannagan and Kara Goucher:
Being that I am over an hour slower than Shalane Flanagan, I decided to start off a little easier (I broke the set of 10 down into 2 sets of 5 and left out the Figure 8 thing completely because that is crazy). Well friends, I can assure you that I look NOTHING like Ms. Flanagan. The side-to-side thing... the first time I tried it, I rolled right off the side of the stability ball and nearly hit my head on the couch. Lesson learned- now I make sure that the room is free of "obstacles" (or that they are blocked off with pillows). The circles... yeah... I gave up restarting the count every time I fell off to the side. Basically, the only exercise that I could do halfway decent was the back-and-forth one, and that may have only been because it's the first in the series. However, I think I am getting better because I don't go careening off the stability ball quite as often (I actually made it through both sets the other night!). And, because these exercises don't just focus on movement in one plane, I found out that my right side is definitely a lot weaker than my left (hmmm... guess that might be why my right leg that always hurts).
I've also tried adding a few more exercises, like situps and pushups using the stability ball. The situps are definitely a lot harder than normal situps, but the pushups are probably a little easier (I think the stability ball we have is actually a little too big for me). And, I've also thrown in some opposite leg+arm raises on the stability ball, but I have no idea if that's doing anything. Maybe stretching. Actually, I did fall off a few times when I first added those in, so maybe it's working my core as well and I just don't realize it because it doesn't hurt as much as other things.
Then, there are the more traditional things like plank. Plank sucks. Especially for a minute. It's a lot harder than the 5x 20sec on / 10sec rest that I used to do. And, the other day I tried side plank for 30sec on each side. It wasn't as bad, but I think my form might have been a bit sloppy. Anyways, I think if I just did a few sets of 1min plank everyday, I'd probably be pretty well off! Outside of that, I've tried to do bicycle situps instead of regular situps. And, while I'm sure they are doing something for my core, my hip flexors hurt more than anything else.
I'm still looking for other things. I tried adding a day of swimming back since I consider that to be an "active core workout". Of course, I'm not sure what a "passive core workout" would be outside of the silly As Seen on TV things. Anyways, swimming is good for me, like kale and beets. So yeah, any suggestions are welcome (except for burpees because I hate those and the 10-15 that Sean has us do during track workouts are enough)!
Well, I am no longer marathon training, so Excuse #1 is out the door. And, as I am currently not training for anything in particular (aka so who cares if my back locks up?... not really, I do like to stand upright, but I am a little bit more willing to experiment), so is Excuse #2. #3, the Internet exists. #4, they sell these things at Target. Ok, so I guess I'm out of excuses.
Outside of situps and plank, I really have very little idea of what I should do. I've tried the whole 200 situps thing a few times, and made it to week 4 or so before getting bored. We did butterfly kick things in college, so there's one. And, I found a 15min core workout (that was really more than 15min) a while back. But, most of these exercises work the same muscles, and there are a lot of core muscles. Plus, I like variety. So, to the Internet! Unfortunately, a lot of the workouts are tagged using such phrases as "belly-buster" or "Victoria Secret Model Workout". While I'm sure that the suggested exercises do something for core strength, or at least more than the nothing that I'm doing now, I'm not sure exactly what they're doing. The people just look skinny, not strong. I'm doing this so I can be a stronger runner and breathe better and not get injured... not so I can be a Victoria Secret model (although abdominal strength probably wouldn't be the deciding factor in that case).
So, I narrowed my search to runners (since that's what I cared about), and found this video with Shalane Flannagan and Kara Goucher:
Being that I am over an hour slower than Shalane Flanagan, I decided to start off a little easier (I broke the set of 10 down into 2 sets of 5 and left out the Figure 8 thing completely because that is crazy). Well friends, I can assure you that I look NOTHING like Ms. Flanagan. The side-to-side thing... the first time I tried it, I rolled right off the side of the stability ball and nearly hit my head on the couch. Lesson learned- now I make sure that the room is free of "obstacles" (or that they are blocked off with pillows). The circles... yeah... I gave up restarting the count every time I fell off to the side. Basically, the only exercise that I could do halfway decent was the back-and-forth one, and that may have only been because it's the first in the series. However, I think I am getting better because I don't go careening off the stability ball quite as often (I actually made it through both sets the other night!). And, because these exercises don't just focus on movement in one plane, I found out that my right side is definitely a lot weaker than my left (hmmm... guess that might be why my right leg that always hurts).
I've also tried adding a few more exercises, like situps and pushups using the stability ball. The situps are definitely a lot harder than normal situps, but the pushups are probably a little easier (I think the stability ball we have is actually a little too big for me). And, I've also thrown in some opposite leg+arm raises on the stability ball, but I have no idea if that's doing anything. Maybe stretching. Actually, I did fall off a few times when I first added those in, so maybe it's working my core as well and I just don't realize it because it doesn't hurt as much as other things.
Then, there are the more traditional things like plank. Plank sucks. Especially for a minute. It's a lot harder than the 5x 20sec on / 10sec rest that I used to do. And, the other day I tried side plank for 30sec on each side. It wasn't as bad, but I think my form might have been a bit sloppy. Anyways, I think if I just did a few sets of 1min plank everyday, I'd probably be pretty well off! Outside of that, I've tried to do bicycle situps instead of regular situps. And, while I'm sure they are doing something for my core, my hip flexors hurt more than anything else.
I'm still looking for other things. I tried adding a day of swimming back since I consider that to be an "active core workout". Of course, I'm not sure what a "passive core workout" would be outside of the silly As Seen on TV things. Anyways, swimming is good for me, like kale and beets. So yeah, any suggestions are welcome (except for burpees because I hate those and the 10-15 that Sean has us do during track workouts are enough)!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
5/12 - 5/18
Mon: 6.5-miles + core
Tues: 1-mile (6:04) + drills & core
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 6-miles
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: 10.5-miles, Swim: 5 sets 100yd swim / 100yd pull
Sun: 8-miles
Total: 45 miles
Holy summer batman! It was a just a tad warm in the beginning of the week, but I am not complaining after the winter we had. However, I am definitely not acclimated yet! Monday night's run, and even the morning runs, felt a lot faster than they were.
Tuesday's timed mile was pretty miserable as well. First off, I missed the "mass start" because I got water. Luckily, Andrew and Allison did as well, so I resorted to chasing them for 4 laps. I was hoping for 6min or right under, but I was right over in 6:04. My legs felt ok, but I couldn't breathe. My lungs still burned the next day! I need to get used to that again. It's been a while. Anyways, we finished up with drills and I ran back to the house to get 6-miles in for the day.
Matt and I ran early Thursday morning so we could go see Godzilla at night. I debated doing pickups, but decided not to because we were both still tired from spin class the night before. I ran some more easy miles on Friday. I felt a lot better. It was also a lot cooler.
Saturday morning's run didn't go as well. My back was tight, and my hamstring was really tight. On a positive note, downhills and flats seemed ok, it was just the uphills that sucked (as they should). I tried swimming that night as a form of an "active core workout". I think I made up that term, but anyways, swimming IS a good core workout and A LOT more interesting than situps. Plus, it does have cardiovascular benefits, and flip-turns stretch out my back. So yeah, apparently that is what swimming is to me. And, being that Fitness Connection is conveniently located next to work and I've already paid for a membership, I don't have any excuses not to swim.
Sunday morning's run was better- (1) it was flatter and (2) I was bio-freezed up. I like that section of the ATT. It would be good for tempo runs. The only problem is that I didn't see a water fountain. However, I did see a huge beetle, which Matt also saw and picked up and chased me with.
In other news, I tried the ElliptiGo at Raleigh Running Outfitters. I made it all of 25m (or about the distance from the front of RRO to the chairs at the restaurant next door). Starting was a little unstable, and I was very nervous about stopping. But, for the 2 to 3 rotations that I got in outside of starting/stopping, it was interesting. However, while I'm sure it's a good workout, I think humanity would benefit from someone as spastic as myself sticking to the stationary version.
Tues: 1-mile (6:04) + drills & core
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 6-miles
Fri: 4-miles
Sat: 10.5-miles, Swim: 5 sets 100yd swim / 100yd pull
Sun: 8-miles
Total: 45 miles
Holy summer batman! It was a just a tad warm in the beginning of the week, but I am not complaining after the winter we had. However, I am definitely not acclimated yet! Monday night's run, and even the morning runs, felt a lot faster than they were.
Tuesday's timed mile was pretty miserable as well. First off, I missed the "mass start" because I got water. Luckily, Andrew and Allison did as well, so I resorted to chasing them for 4 laps. I was hoping for 6min or right under, but I was right over in 6:04. My legs felt ok, but I couldn't breathe. My lungs still burned the next day! I need to get used to that again. It's been a while. Anyways, we finished up with drills and I ran back to the house to get 6-miles in for the day.
Matt and I ran early Thursday morning so we could go see Godzilla at night. I debated doing pickups, but decided not to because we were both still tired from spin class the night before. I ran some more easy miles on Friday. I felt a lot better. It was also a lot cooler.
Saturday morning's run didn't go as well. My back was tight, and my hamstring was really tight. On a positive note, downhills and flats seemed ok, it was just the uphills that sucked (as they should). I tried swimming that night as a form of an "active core workout". I think I made up that term, but anyways, swimming IS a good core workout and A LOT more interesting than situps. Plus, it does have cardiovascular benefits, and flip-turns stretch out my back. So yeah, apparently that is what swimming is to me. And, being that Fitness Connection is conveniently located next to work and I've already paid for a membership, I don't have any excuses not to swim.
Sunday morning's run was better- (1) it was flatter and (2) I was bio-freezed up. I like that section of the ATT. It would be good for tempo runs. The only problem is that I didn't see a water fountain. However, I did see a huge beetle, which Matt also saw and picked up and chased me with.
In other news, I tried the ElliptiGo at Raleigh Running Outfitters. I made it all of 25m (or about the distance from the front of RRO to the chairs at the restaurant next door). Starting was a little unstable, and I was very nervous about stopping. But, for the 2 to 3 rotations that I got in outside of starting/stopping, it was interesting. However, while I'm sure it's a good workout, I think humanity would benefit from someone as spastic as myself sticking to the stationary version.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Spin Class
"Take a spin class" has been on my ToDo list since like 2008. Well, I finally managed to cross it off, and I've continued to go back. IT IS A TON OF FUN!!! Seriously, it is probably the most fun cross-training activity I've tried thus far. It is the right blend of recovery and challenging. Plus, there is music. It kind of feels like what I would imagine an 80's jazzercise class to be, except on bikes, which also helps because I have almost no coordination despite taking dance classes for 10yrs of my life.
Anyways, taking the class reminded me of something that I still don't understand... percent effort. I understand effort-level expressed as "5k", "10k", "tempo", "all out", stuff like that. I don't understand 50%, 75%, 80%, etc., especially when the increments get really close. Percent of what? What are the bounds? Is 0% no movement? Or is it easy? Is 100% like a 100m sprint? My 100% marathon pace is a heck of a lot different than a 100% of my 100m pace. I understand other cues much more easily, like when the instructor indicated that 90% should be the hardest "gear" we could put it in and still maintain a smooth circle. I'm guessing that the percent effort terminology comes from heartrate monitoring, but as I don't track that, I don't have a concrete metric.
Anyways, I'm still working on figuring that all out. For now, I've resorted to trying to match the instructor's cadence, and adjusting the resistance if it feels too easy/hard. But, one thing I did figure out after my first class... white yoga shorts are not a good choice for spin class. Actually, I knew this before I took the class, but the girl in front of us was wearing them and reminded me of that. In fact, I'm not quite sure when white shorts are ever a good idea, but I'm not exactly a fashion maverick.
So, in conclusion, spin class is definitely more interesting than riding an exercise bike. Plus, I kind of feel like a dork walking into the gym with a book.
Anyways, taking the class reminded me of something that I still don't understand... percent effort. I understand effort-level expressed as "5k", "10k", "tempo", "all out", stuff like that. I don't understand 50%, 75%, 80%, etc., especially when the increments get really close. Percent of what? What are the bounds? Is 0% no movement? Or is it easy? Is 100% like a 100m sprint? My 100% marathon pace is a heck of a lot different than a 100% of my 100m pace. I understand other cues much more easily, like when the instructor indicated that 90% should be the hardest "gear" we could put it in and still maintain a smooth circle. I'm guessing that the percent effort terminology comes from heartrate monitoring, but as I don't track that, I don't have a concrete metric.
Anyways, I'm still working on figuring that all out. For now, I've resorted to trying to match the instructor's cadence, and adjusting the resistance if it feels too easy/hard. But, one thing I did figure out after my first class... white yoga shorts are not a good choice for spin class. Actually, I knew this before I took the class, but the girl in front of us was wearing them and reminded me of that. In fact, I'm not quite sure when white shorts are ever a good idea, but I'm not exactly a fashion maverick.
So, in conclusion, spin class is definitely more interesting than riding an exercise bike. Plus, I kind of feel like a dork walking into the gym with a book.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
5/5 - 5/11
Mon: 6-miles
Tues: 3 sets of 4x400m w/ drills (89, 88, 86, 84; 90, 91, 94, 96; 91, 91, 89, 90)
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 5 x Chip Trail 1000's (4:02, 4:04, 4:05, 4:04, 4:07)
Fri: 6-miles
Sat: off
Sun: off
Total: 28 miles
Monday's run felt harder than it needed to be, and I was just sore on Wednesday morning's run. Friday mornings run was just a disaster. I felt awful the whole time.
Tuesday's track workout started well. I felt pretty good on the first set of 400's. I was staying with the group, and we were getting faster through the set, as Sean had "suggested". Then, we did 15 burpees. I don't think I was recovered when we started the second set. I was more out of breath than I needed to be after the first one, which made the last 200m of the second one not so pretty... and the last two of that set pretty disastrous. I forgot how much not breathing sucks. And how tiring it is. Anyways, I slowed down a bit and made it through the rest of the workout.
Thursday's tempo chip trails were also... eh. We weren't supposed to be doing them all out, and it was pretty hot, but still. They felt a lot harder than a few weeks ago and they were slower. Maybe spin class takes more out of me than I think. Or maybe it was the pollen/dust.
So, short training week due to graduation, family being in town, etc. It was good to see them and spend time with them, and graduation was pretty good too.
Tues: 3 sets of 4x400m w/ drills (89, 88, 86, 84; 90, 91, 94, 96; 91, 91, 89, 90)
Wed: 4-miles, spin class
Thurs: 5 x Chip Trail 1000's (4:02, 4:04, 4:05, 4:04, 4:07)
Fri: 6-miles
Sat: off
Sun: off
Total: 28 miles
Monday's run felt harder than it needed to be, and I was just sore on Wednesday morning's run. Friday mornings run was just a disaster. I felt awful the whole time.
Tuesday's track workout started well. I felt pretty good on the first set of 400's. I was staying with the group, and we were getting faster through the set, as Sean had "suggested". Then, we did 15 burpees. I don't think I was recovered when we started the second set. I was more out of breath than I needed to be after the first one, which made the last 200m of the second one not so pretty... and the last two of that set pretty disastrous. I forgot how much not breathing sucks. And how tiring it is. Anyways, I slowed down a bit and made it through the rest of the workout.
Thursday's tempo chip trails were also... eh. We weren't supposed to be doing them all out, and it was pretty hot, but still. They felt a lot harder than a few weeks ago and they were slower. Maybe spin class takes more out of me than I think. Or maybe it was the pollen/dust.
So, short training week due to graduation, family being in town, etc. It was good to see them and spend time with them, and graduation was pretty good too.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
4/28 - 5/2
Mon: 6-miles
Tues: 5x800m (3:04, 3:04, 3:05, 3:03, 2:59) w/ drills
Wed: Spin Class
Thurs: 7-miles
Fri: 3.5-miles
Sat: 8-miles (tempo hills)
Sun: 8-miles
Total: 38 miles
I tried running for the first time since last Monday. It's amazing to me how much my legs can still hurt after a week. Swimming (fine save for my neck/shoulder), walking (fine), exercise bike (fine), elliptical (fine), running... holy crap! I felt like I was right back at mile 15 and I had only run like 5 steps out of Moore Square. Anyways, it was good to run again.
Tuesday's track workout was a welcome surprise. Somehow, my legs still remember track pace. Plus, I wasn't nearly as sore as Monday night, and the track is flat and soft compared to the road. Anyways, we were supposed to run "floating 800's", meaning 5k-pace for the first lap / 3k-pace for the second lap. I was more or less just trying to run, so I think mine were more evenly paced. Then we did drills (plank, pushups, form stuff, etc.) in between repeats. It was a solid workout, and my last 800 was the fasted of 2014... it's good to be un-marathon training!
The rest of the runs were... tiring. My legs feel kind of dead still. But, they're feeling kind of dead at a slightly faster pace each day (I still haven't run more than 8 miles). And, they don't hurt, so that's at least good! I even felt pretty good on the "tempo" hills on Saturday. We ran up corkscrew, ranger, and the hill out of Umstead at a "good effort". I forgot how long some of those hills are!
Anyways, I need to work on making my "easy" runs not quite as easy as I had been during marathon training. At least not all of them. Time to get back to the 8min range. Also, as I won't be running as many miles (aka I won't be dead when I get home), I think I'm going to try and work on some core strength.
Other than that, spin class was fun!
Tues: 5x800m (3:04, 3:04, 3:05, 3:03, 2:59) w/ drills
Wed: Spin Class
Thurs: 7-miles
Fri: 3.5-miles
Sat: 8-miles (tempo hills)
Sun: 8-miles
Total: 38 miles
I tried running for the first time since last Monday. It's amazing to me how much my legs can still hurt after a week. Swimming (fine save for my neck/shoulder), walking (fine), exercise bike (fine), elliptical (fine), running... holy crap! I felt like I was right back at mile 15 and I had only run like 5 steps out of Moore Square. Anyways, it was good to run again.
Tuesday's track workout was a welcome surprise. Somehow, my legs still remember track pace. Plus, I wasn't nearly as sore as Monday night, and the track is flat and soft compared to the road. Anyways, we were supposed to run "floating 800's", meaning 5k-pace for the first lap / 3k-pace for the second lap. I was more or less just trying to run, so I think mine were more evenly paced. Then we did drills (plank, pushups, form stuff, etc.) in between repeats. It was a solid workout, and my last 800 was the fasted of 2014... it's good to be un-marathon training!
The rest of the runs were... tiring. My legs feel kind of dead still. But, they're feeling kind of dead at a slightly faster pace each day (I still haven't run more than 8 miles). And, they don't hurt, so that's at least good! I even felt pretty good on the "tempo" hills on Saturday. We ran up corkscrew, ranger, and the hill out of Umstead at a "good effort". I forgot how long some of those hills are!
Anyways, I need to work on making my "easy" runs not quite as easy as I had been during marathon training. At least not all of them. Time to get back to the 8min range. Also, as I won't be running as many miles (aka I won't be dead when I get home), I think I'm going to try and work on some core strength.
Other than that, spin class was fun!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
April Recap
Well, I ran the Boston Marathon. It wasn't my best time, but I had a ton of fun, so it was good. And, I re qualified. And, I did a good job pacing until I didn't do a good job pacing... different day, different course, probably would have run a pretty decent marathon.
Outside of that, I also ran the Cary Road Race 10k. I know, two races in the same month after not having raced since November?! I miss racing. Which brings me to my conclusion- no more marathon training for a bit. It's too hard to race and get workouts in when marathon training, and I'm sick of the gun going off and making a concerted effort to go slow! I want to run. I have a good base, so time to work on some speed and strength.
Other highlights this month... I managed to use all of my training log "colors": blue for running, green for cycling (or related activities), red for swimming, and purple for miscellaneous forms of exercise that are not included in a triathlon. I realized that I have totally slacked on cross training, not that I was ever really good at it unless I was hurt or recovering from a race. Last November was probably the most consistent that I've been since 2009. I know I need to be better, because I was stronger and less injured in 2009, but it's hard for me to do this and run 55+ miles without burning out after a few weeks. However, backing mileage down to the mid-upper 40's makes this doable.
Also this month, I ran my fastest 800m repeat of the year and took my first spin class (which has been on my ToDo list since 2009)! Happy Un-Marathon Training!
Total: 159.5 [training log]
Outside of that, I also ran the Cary Road Race 10k. I know, two races in the same month after not having raced since November?! I miss racing. Which brings me to my conclusion- no more marathon training for a bit. It's too hard to race and get workouts in when marathon training, and I'm sick of the gun going off and making a concerted effort to go slow! I want to run. I have a good base, so time to work on some speed and strength.
Other highlights this month... I managed to use all of my training log "colors": blue for running, green for cycling (or related activities), red for swimming, and purple for miscellaneous forms of exercise that are not included in a triathlon. I realized that I have totally slacked on cross training, not that I was ever really good at it unless I was hurt or recovering from a race. Last November was probably the most consistent that I've been since 2009. I know I need to be better, because I was stronger and less injured in 2009, but it's hard for me to do this and run 55+ miles without burning out after a few weeks. However, backing mileage down to the mid-upper 40's makes this doable.
Also this month, I ran my fastest 800m repeat of the year and took my first spin class (which has been on my ToDo list since 2009)! Happy Un-Marathon Training!
Total: 159.5 [training log]
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
What's Next?
Good question. Definitely not anything over 13.1 miles for some time. I think I need a break from marathon training. Plus, I have goals in other distances that I haven't met, and it's about to get really hot and humid here in NC! The group that I train with has talked about doing 5k/10k training over the summer, and then trying to extend that for a good half marathon in the fall. That sounds like a plan to me.
In the near future, I might try and jump in either the NCRC Half or 10k (May 18th), Running of the Bulls 8k (May 31st), or Midtown Half or 10k (June 7th). Either of the 10k's or half's would be more for fun and just to do a race because I like racing. The Running of the Bulls 8k, however, is my 8k PR from a few years back. I wouldn't mind revisiting that race depending upon where I'm at.
My focus is more for July (and later) races. Provided I can walk downstairs and/or run downhill again, the Downhill Mile is looking pretty good on July 4th. Plus, I miss July 4th races in Raleigh! A mile is perfect for feeling like I did something while still enjoying the day. After that, Raleigh's Finest 5k on July 29th seems like a reasonable target. Then, I'm looking at the Raleigh 8000 as an "end of summer" race.
I'd like to find a 10k in September/October, as well as one (or more) good 5k's. Then, I'm looking at a half (or two) sometime in October/November.
We'll see. In the short term, my goal is to walk down stairs like a normal person!
In the near future, I might try and jump in either the NCRC Half or 10k (May 18th), Running of the Bulls 8k (May 31st), or Midtown Half or 10k (June 7th). Either of the 10k's or half's would be more for fun and just to do a race because I like racing. The Running of the Bulls 8k, however, is my 8k PR from a few years back. I wouldn't mind revisiting that race depending upon where I'm at.
My focus is more for July (and later) races. Provided I can walk downstairs and/or run downhill again, the Downhill Mile is looking pretty good on July 4th. Plus, I miss July 4th races in Raleigh! A mile is perfect for feeling like I did something while still enjoying the day. After that, Raleigh's Finest 5k on July 29th seems like a reasonable target. Then, I'm looking at the Raleigh 8000 as an "end of summer" race.
I'd like to find a 10k in September/October, as well as one (or more) good 5k's. Then, I'm looking at a half (or two) sometime in October/November.
We'll see. In the short term, my goal is to walk down stairs like a normal person!
Sunday, April 27, 2014
4/21 - 4/27
Mon: Boston Marathon
Tues: off
Wed: Swim- 1000yd, 5 sets 100yd pull / 100yd swim, 50yd
Thurs: Swim- 5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 2 sets of 100yd aqua jog / 100yd breaststroke, 100yd
Fri: 45min exercise bike
Sat: Swim- 50-100-200-300-400-300-200-100-50 yd with 100yd breaststroke between each, 100yd aqua jog
Sun: 20min elliptical, 40min exercise bike
Total: 26.2 miles
I haven't taken a single running step since Boylston St. Maybe tomorrow. I can sort of walk down stairs like a normal person, and my right leg stopped randomly giving out, so that's a good enough reason to lift my moratorium on running. Plus, I've had a crick in my neck or shoulder or something since Thursday, which makes swimming more difficult. As for the rest of the week after Monday...
So when I went to look back at if I referred to swimming with a pull buoy as "pull" or "stroke", I realized that Wednesday was my first swim workout of 2014. HA! That's probably a problem. No wonder my back and core are weak! Anyways, Wednesday's swim was slow; I could barely kick my legs, and I couldn't flip-turn unless I had a pull buoy. Thursday's swim was much better, although my neck/shoulder hurt. However, after two days of swimming, I could kind of walk normally. On Friday, I decided to give my neck/shoulder a break, and Matt and I went to the gym. I kept the resistance low on the exercise bike, but tried to keep my cadence around 90rpm. I also started reading The Perfect Mile, which I've been wanting to read for like 2 years. Saturday brought more swimming. I swam at Fitness Connection, and the pool was really warm. Although I normally moan and groan about how cold the Pullen Park pool is (mainly because I'm not swimming as fast as the people on the swim teams that they lower the temperature for), I won't anymore. Also, they don't have pull buoys, so I did my normal "ladder" workout with 100m breaststroke instead. Being that it used different muscles than freestyle, I think it actually helped. On Sunday, I tried the closest thing to running that's not running... the elliptical. It went fine for the 20min that I was on it, and I switched to the exercise bike only so I wouldn't push my luck.
Also, even though I devoted two blog posts to it, I have one last thing to say about the Boston Marathon. Monday's total should be more like 29 miles. I'm kidding, but kind of not. Seriously.
Tues: off
Wed: Swim- 1000yd, 5 sets 100yd pull / 100yd swim, 50yd
Thurs: Swim- 5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 2 sets of 100yd aqua jog / 100yd breaststroke, 100yd
Fri: 45min exercise bike
Sat: Swim- 50-100-200-300-400-300-200-100-50 yd with 100yd breaststroke between each, 100yd aqua jog
Sun: 20min elliptical, 40min exercise bike
Total: 26.2 miles
I haven't taken a single running step since Boylston St. Maybe tomorrow. I can sort of walk down stairs like a normal person, and my right leg stopped randomly giving out, so that's a good enough reason to lift my moratorium on running. Plus, I've had a crick in my neck or shoulder or something since Thursday, which makes swimming more difficult. As for the rest of the week after Monday...
So when I went to look back at if I referred to swimming with a pull buoy as "pull" or "stroke", I realized that Wednesday was my first swim workout of 2014. HA! That's probably a problem. No wonder my back and core are weak! Anyways, Wednesday's swim was slow; I could barely kick my legs, and I couldn't flip-turn unless I had a pull buoy. Thursday's swim was much better, although my neck/shoulder hurt. However, after two days of swimming, I could kind of walk normally. On Friday, I decided to give my neck/shoulder a break, and Matt and I went to the gym. I kept the resistance low on the exercise bike, but tried to keep my cadence around 90rpm. I also started reading The Perfect Mile, which I've been wanting to read for like 2 years. Saturday brought more swimming. I swam at Fitness Connection, and the pool was really warm. Although I normally moan and groan about how cold the Pullen Park pool is (mainly because I'm not swimming as fast as the people on the swim teams that they lower the temperature for), I won't anymore. Also, they don't have pull buoys, so I did my normal "ladder" workout with 100m breaststroke instead. Being that it used different muscles than freestyle, I think it actually helped. On Sunday, I tried the closest thing to running that's not running... the elliptical. It went fine for the 20min that I was on it, and I switched to the exercise bike only so I wouldn't push my luck.
Also, even though I devoted two blog posts to it, I have one last thing to say about the Boston Marathon. Monday's total should be more like 29 miles. I'm kidding, but kind of not. Seriously.
- You have about a mile to the start from Athlete's Village, which if you're late, you actually end up running some of.
- Then, you run Boston Marathon Course, which IS 26.2 miles.
- Then, you cross the finish line, and embark on your journey down the finishing chute. I swear it is a 1/2 mile long. They give you your medal and poncho (mylar cape on steroids) within the first 1/4 mile, but I think it was a 1/3 of a mile before I got water, which I downed immediately. By the time I got to the end of the water handing out, I had already picked up another. Then came gatorade, then some protein shake, then some protein bars, then some food. You have so much stuff by the end that you can barely carry it (and your inhaler), and barely walk. But, the journey doesn't end there.
- You then walk a few blocks over and head right back up a street that parallels the finishing chute until you get to the family meeting area. The H's are about 2/3's the distance to the finishing line, and the C's are even further (good thing I hyphenate my name so I can choose!).
- You then back track to the T. Which, this year, meant heading to the Boston Commons. Which is not close. Also, I think the curbs in Boston are extra tall.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Boston Marathon Part #2 (the more painful miles)
So, as I said, that dip right around mile 16 is where I ran into trouble. I distinctly remember thinking that I had 10 miles left, and that I had definitely felt worse with 10 miles to go on a training run. In fact, an out-and-back 20-miler while training for City of Oaks 2012 came to mind. I shouldn't have tried to run 20 miles that day because I was already kind of hurting at mile 0. However, everyone else was doing a long run, so I tagged along. We started from RRO-Raleigh, and by the time we got to Cup-a-Joe, I wanted to stop. And then we turned around and ran 10-miles back. The trek down the House Creek Greenway felt awful. In fact, it was the same problem, my right quad. However, even though I had to sidestep down every little dip from Shelly Lake on, I made it back to the store that day.
This wasn't as bad. Plus, it was the Boston Marathon, and not a random training run on the greenways of Raleigh. Everyone cheering was a lot more encouraging than no one cheering. So, yeah. I had a long time to contemplate how I should probably take some time off and sort this injury out. My splits fell way the heck off because (1) the downhills killed and (2) the uphills were no bargain either.
Anyways, back to the marathon. The miles after Heartbreak Hill killed owing to the significant downhill into Boston. Whenever it flattened out, or there was a slight rise, I tried to break into some semblance of a run. I was within 4 miles though, a distance which I walked all of this summer on a training run, so I knew I could make it. And, if I could keep jogging, I might actually re-qualify. With 5k to go, re-qualifying looked like it was still a possibility, but it would be close if I had to keep taking walking breaks. With 2.2 miles to go, I found a "slow jog" rhythm. The course had flattened out, so the pain wasn't as bad. And, the more I ran, the more my leg loosened up. The crowds were also thicker, and cheering like crazy, so that helped as well.
I know why Sean has us do 2000m repeats (even though I hate that workout). It's for when you get to the 40k mark in a marathon. I saw 5 laps around the track ahead of me. I started to pick it up a little. At 1-mile to go, I tried to pick it up a little more. When I got to Boylston St... I had "practiced" that stretch a lot. I chased two people in pink shirts ahead of me. I didn't catch them, but I did manage to get to the finish line in under 3:35 (3:30:14 according to the results).
THE STATS:
Cumulative Pace- 7:37 (30k), 7:50 (35k), 8:02 (40k), 8:02 (26.2M)
5k Paces- 8:12 (30k), 9:08 (35k), 9:25 (40k)
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Boston Marathon Part #1 (the good miles)
I always forget how long it takes to get from Boston to Hopkinton. It's kind of intimidating to think that you're going to have to run back. They started calling Wave 1 soon after I got there, which was more than an hour before Wave 1 took off. They were very insistent that "only people with red bibs" should start existing Athlete's Village. I thought of my friends running in that wave and hoped they were all feeling good.
I started listening closely to the announcements after 9:45... and even more closely after 10:00 (after Wave 1 took off). If they called Wave 2, I never heard it. I started heading over around 10:10 because even though I didn't want to be "one of those people", I would start lining up for a local race 15min before gun time! There were a bunch of people heading over in Wave 2, some with bib numbers higher than mine, as well as lower than mine. There was finally a sign that had us split out by bib number... there was virtually no one in the coral 1-5 line. I noticed that anyone in this line, as well as getting into this line, start jogging. I also heard the announcer say that, even though it felt like you had been running for a mile (yes), your time wouldn't start until you crossed the start line (no clue, why was he saying this?).
When I got to the start line, I heard the announcer wish coral 8 good luck. I was supposed to be in coral 3. Oh well. I tucked in on the far left side of the road behind two girls that looked like they were in the same boat as me. We passed people for a bit. It's amazing how 8000+ people can all run along at a 7:30 (or faster) min/mile pace.
Around mile 2, there was someone who was going crazy when they saw Raleigh on my singlet. I have no idea who it was, but it was kind of cool. Shortly after that, I got to the first water stop, which was a cluster !@#$. In the past two Boston's I ran, I was in the first two corals of the wave, so I've never really had to deal with this. Anyways, I managed not to get taken out, or take anyone else out, but I think I might have flung water on a volunteer by accident.
A little after the 5k mark, I heard a spectator comment that he thought there were more guys than girls running. It suddenly dawned on me how I would know I was back "in the right spot". I had been kind of trying to look at people's bib numbers to see what coral I was "in". I knew I wouldn't/shouldn't catch up to my coral (I would have to make up 5ish minutes), but I was aiming for two corals back. I figured they would be running the pace I would want to run by the time I caught them (hopefully around the half mark). However, it isn't like you can really stop and get a good look at the people beside you in a crowd when you're running. But, I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be. What I couldn't figure out is how I knew that. The people around me were mostly female and looked about my age... probably 95:5 on the female:male ratio. If we get a 50:50 split in the groups of people I train with, it's a good day. So, I figured when I started seeing more guys in their late 40's / early 50's, I'd be good.
I was having fun though. There were a lot of people. That was cool. And, I was actually averaging the pace I wanted to, right around a 7:30. So, it probably wasn't the worst thing that I started late. Around the 8k mark, I heard a guy behind me say, "isn't it a great day to be a runner?". I had to agree. It was.
I clicked off mile after mile, averaging about the pace I wanted to give or take. That was encouraging. It was getting slightly harder to do this somewhere around mile 10, but that was probably due to the heat. The girls at Wellesley were going crazy at mile 12ish, and soon enough I was at the half marathon mark. I came through exactly where I wanted to be... 1:37:45... somewhere between 1:37 and 1:38.
I knew my family would be somewhere around the half marathon mark right after a bridge. This is where they've been the past two Bostons I've run. However, I can never quite remember where it is. So, from 13.1 on, I was on the lookout, which was a good distraction. Turns out, the bridge is actually a little after mile 14. I saw them, cheering like crazy. It was good to see them. I gave them a wave, and continued on.
I think I started to slow down a little after I saw them. But, my 25k split was still ok. It wasn't until I hit the downhill at mile 15-16ish that I started running into trouble. My right quad... well, whole upper right leg up to my lower back... was really starting to hurt.
THE STATS:
Cumulative Pace- 7:23 (5k), 7:27 (10k), 7:28 (15k), 7:29 (20k), 7:28 (13.1M), 7:30 (25k)
5k Paces- 7:23 (5k), 7:31 (10k), 7:30 (15k), 7:31 (20k), 7:36 (25k)
I started listening closely to the announcements after 9:45... and even more closely after 10:00 (after Wave 1 took off). If they called Wave 2, I never heard it. I started heading over around 10:10 because even though I didn't want to be "one of those people", I would start lining up for a local race 15min before gun time! There were a bunch of people heading over in Wave 2, some with bib numbers higher than mine, as well as lower than mine. There was finally a sign that had us split out by bib number... there was virtually no one in the coral 1-5 line. I noticed that anyone in this line, as well as getting into this line, start jogging. I also heard the announcer say that, even though it felt like you had been running for a mile (yes), your time wouldn't start until you crossed the start line (no clue, why was he saying this?).
When I got to the start line, I heard the announcer wish coral 8 good luck. I was supposed to be in coral 3. Oh well. I tucked in on the far left side of the road behind two girls that looked like they were in the same boat as me. We passed people for a bit. It's amazing how 8000+ people can all run along at a 7:30 (or faster) min/mile pace.
Around mile 2, there was someone who was going crazy when they saw Raleigh on my singlet. I have no idea who it was, but it was kind of cool. Shortly after that, I got to the first water stop, which was a cluster !@#$. In the past two Boston's I ran, I was in the first two corals of the wave, so I've never really had to deal with this. Anyways, I managed not to get taken out, or take anyone else out, but I think I might have flung water on a volunteer by accident.
A little after the 5k mark, I heard a spectator comment that he thought there were more guys than girls running. It suddenly dawned on me how I would know I was back "in the right spot". I had been kind of trying to look at people's bib numbers to see what coral I was "in". I knew I wouldn't/shouldn't catch up to my coral (I would have to make up 5ish minutes), but I was aiming for two corals back. I figured they would be running the pace I would want to run by the time I caught them (hopefully around the half mark). However, it isn't like you can really stop and get a good look at the people beside you in a crowd when you're running. But, I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be. What I couldn't figure out is how I knew that. The people around me were mostly female and looked about my age... probably 95:5 on the female:male ratio. If we get a 50:50 split in the groups of people I train with, it's a good day. So, I figured when I started seeing more guys in their late 40's / early 50's, I'd be good.
I clicked off mile after mile, averaging about the pace I wanted to give or take. That was encouraging. It was getting slightly harder to do this somewhere around mile 10, but that was probably due to the heat. The girls at Wellesley were going crazy at mile 12ish, and soon enough I was at the half marathon mark. I came through exactly where I wanted to be... 1:37:45... somewhere between 1:37 and 1:38.
I think I started to slow down a little after I saw them. But, my 25k split was still ok. It wasn't until I hit the downhill at mile 15-16ish that I started running into trouble. My right quad... well, whole upper right leg up to my lower back... was really starting to hurt.
THE STATS:
Cumulative Pace- 7:23 (5k), 7:27 (10k), 7:28 (15k), 7:29 (20k), 7:28 (13.1M), 7:30 (25k)
5k Paces- 7:23 (5k), 7:31 (10k), 7:30 (15k), 7:31 (20k), 7:36 (25k)
4/14 - 4/20
Mon: 6-miles
Tues: 6-miles (treadmill progression run)
Wed: 6-miles
Thurs: 6-miles
Fri: 3.5-miles
Sat: off
Sun: 3-miles
Total: 30.5 miles
There's not much to write about when you're tapering. The only interesting run was Tuesday. And, the fact that a treadmill run was interesting says something. I don't know why I expected this Tuesday to be any different than the majority of other Tuesdays this year, but I was hoping it wouldn't be rainy, windy, cold, and miserable. But, it was. I didn't want to risk getting sick or pulling anything, and I'm tired of running track in awful weather, so I said screw it and went to the gym. All of the treadmills on the edges were taken. These are my favorite. I don't like to chit-chat on the treadmill (mostly for fear that if I lose concentration, I'll trip), and I don't like being "boxed in". But, alas, I had to run in the middle of the room. And, guess what, there is a huge ass fan in the center of the room. Seriously. I have never seen a fan that big. I don't know how I missed it before. But, the 6 miles I ran weren't as bad as usual. I started at 7.5mph (8 min/mile) and increased the pace every 1/2-mile until I hit 8.2mph (7:20 min/mile). Then, I decreased every 1/2-mile until 6 miles was up. This put the majority of my running somewhere between realistic and "skip across the finish line because I just ran the race of my life" pace. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 7:30 pace felt the most comfortable. Maybe this is a good omen!
Anyways, I feel ok. Nervous. 26.2 is (are?) a lot of miles.
Tues: 6-miles (treadmill progression run)
Wed: 6-miles
Thurs: 6-miles
Fri: 3.5-miles
Sat: off
Sun: 3-miles
Total: 30.5 miles
There's not much to write about when you're tapering. The only interesting run was Tuesday. And, the fact that a treadmill run was interesting says something. I don't know why I expected this Tuesday to be any different than the majority of other Tuesdays this year, but I was hoping it wouldn't be rainy, windy, cold, and miserable. But, it was. I didn't want to risk getting sick or pulling anything, and I'm tired of running track in awful weather, so I said screw it and went to the gym. All of the treadmills on the edges were taken. These are my favorite. I don't like to chit-chat on the treadmill (mostly for fear that if I lose concentration, I'll trip), and I don't like being "boxed in". But, alas, I had to run in the middle of the room. And, guess what, there is a huge ass fan in the center of the room. Seriously. I have never seen a fan that big. I don't know how I missed it before. But, the 6 miles I ran weren't as bad as usual. I started at 7.5mph (8 min/mile) and increased the pace every 1/2-mile until I hit 8.2mph (7:20 min/mile). Then, I decreased every 1/2-mile until 6 miles was up. This put the majority of my running somewhere between realistic and "skip across the finish line because I just ran the race of my life" pace. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 7:30 pace felt the most comfortable. Maybe this is a good omen!
Anyways, I feel ok. Nervous. 26.2 is (are?) a lot of miles.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Finally Almost Here
Feel the rhythm!
Feel the rhyme!
Get on up,
It's wicked fast running time!
Go Runnahs!
Yes! The marathon is finally almost here. Later in the race... when I inevitably decide that I hate running and am never going to take another step after I cross the finish line... while planning the next race I'm going to run... I start to think back to the workouts I have done that have totally sucked. This seems to make what I am currently doing seem less sucky. Isn't running great?! Seriously. I know that makes no sense, but here is my top 5 list:
1. The day Allison, Sean, and I ran 800's in in the pouring rain
2. The day Dydula and I ran 17-miles in Umstead on a sheet of ice
3. Any of the times I tried to do a workout on a treadmill
4. The day Katie and I ran 13-miles in Umstead when it was 60+ degrees and 99% humidity in January (aka tornado day)... after being in the teens earlier that week
5. The stretch of days I was stuck running mostly by myself
But, I am healthy and very grateful to be running because not running is a million times suckier than any of those things!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)