Mon: 3.5-miles, 8x800m (3:09,09,08,08,11,09,09,06)
Tues: 2x2-miles (14:03, 13:58)
Wed: 10.5-miles
Thurs: 8-miles (w/ some hills around Centennial)
Fri: Off
Sat: 17-miles
Sun: 8-miles
Total: 60 miles
I miss running with Matt (he hasn't been able to run for a week because of his Achilles). And I miss running with people. Weather and work have resulted in a lot of solo running this week, which is good mental preparation for Boston I guess. I had a pretty good week of training. Got in some workouts, and ran 60 miles, which hasn't happened since I think like July of 2012.
I had to get up early this Monday to get some miles in before heading to work. Apparently I was still asleep. I didn't realize I was going that slow, and I really can't figure out what I was doing pacewise looking at the Garmin data! I ended up doing a track workout Monday night because it was gorgeous out and Tuesday was supposed to be crappy (cold with a good chance of precipitation). The Boston schedule had 2 sets of 4x800m at 10k pace. I modified it slightly, basically walk-jogging 200m between each repeat. And, mine were closer to 5k pace... what I usually do Yasso's at. I was pretty consistent, which usually happens when I'm running by myself and have no one to push me (I was a tad slower than last week).
Tuesday was miserable. It hadn't started rain/sleet/snowing by track time, and I wanted to see people. I had decided on 4-miles at marathon pace. I figured this wouldn't be overly taxing (I had just done 800's yesterday and usually don't do two hard days in a row), and I still don't have this pace locked in (so it's good to practice on a treadmill or track). I got there a little early and warmed up with Sean, and promptly modified my workout to 2x2-mile at marathon pace since it was really windy on the finishing straightaway. As it was already getting dark, I couldn't see my watch so well, and I was not having the best luck with doing math on the fly. I finished the first one in 14:03, which is closer to my half marathon pace than my marathon pace. Everyone else had got to the track by now, so I walked over to talk to them... and I felt a rain drop. I got going again, and ran a lap solo before jumping in with the group. I wasn't sure what they were doing, but I ran with them for the next couple of laps because it was nice to have someone to block the wind. Turns out, they were doing 1200's, and my mile split was 6:53 (which is damn near close to my ideal half marathon pace). I pretty much gave up with math the next mile because it was windy and the rain had picked up. I really just wanted to be done, and ended up finishing in 13:58. So much for locking in on marathon pace! I cooled down on the track, which was difficult because it kept getting colder (and since I had done a 1.5-mile warmup, I decided to do a 1.5-mile cooldown to make it an even 7-miles for the day). Eventually, the rain turned to sleet, which turned to snow.
I had no intention of getting up and running when it was in the single digits on Wednesday morning. Plus, Jim had said his coach recommended trying to do longer, single runs versus doubles (even if the overall daily mileage was less) to build endurance. This makes sense to me, and I didn't die last Thursday, so I decided to try this "mid-week medium long run" concept. Except, this week I decided to run easy. It was kind of cold, but I warmed up ok. I was good until the turnaround back up Ridge Rd. I started getting tired and I had run out of things to talk to myself about (I forgot my MP3 player). Somehow, I got the Disney Galloway Song stuck in my head for the next 2.5-miles. I had to stop for a while in order to cross Wade Ave, which only made me colder. I tried to think "warm thoughts" which resulted singing "I'm a Little Teapot" over and over again in my head for the rest of the run. I was pretty happy to finish. I don't think I'll forget my MP3 player again!
Thursday's run went well. I was trying to practice not freaking out and slowing down a ton on hills. I mapped out a route around Centennial that featured hills of different lengths and grades (I didn't feel like waiting and driving to RRO to run down and up North Hills Dr. in the dark/cold). I managed to keep my pace steady for the most part. I took Friday off. I've been putting in some miles and some good workouts lately, and I needed to get some work done. Plus, it was cold and I was doing a long run on Saturday. The last time I did over 15-miles was back in mid-August, and I didn't want to push my luck.
Dydula and I got up at the crack of dawn (aka 6:30) to run on Saturday. We had mapped out a run the previous Sunday at work that featured some good hills. It seemed like a great idea then, but not as good idea on Saturday morning when it was freezing cold and windy. We never really warmed up, but the run went pretty well. We kept it slow... time on your feet as Jim says... get your body used to burning fat for fuel first as Sean says... and Mike brought up the good point of focusing on being out there and running and training and not about getting it over with. Very zen. All the same, we did "pick it up" the last mile because it was ridiculously windy and we were freezing and wanted to be done at that point. But, we did it, and that's what matters.I was pretty tired Sunday though. The first half of the run went fine, but I could definitely tell that I had run 17-miles the day before by the second half!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
1/13 - 1/19
Mon: 3.5-miles, 6-miles
Tues: 6x800m (3:10,07,07,07,08,08), 4x400m (90, 90, 89, 93)
Wed: 3.5-miles
Thurs: 12-miles (warmup + 4.25-miles @ MP + cooldown + 4-miles w/ Matt)
Fri: 3.5-miles + stretching
Sat: 15-miles
Sun: 9-miles
Total: 58.5 miles
Highest weekly mileage in over a year! And longest long run since the summer! And I feel pretty good! I went to see Elaine (chiropractor and runner) on Wednesday, and she adjusted everything from my head down to my ankle. It seemed to help my hamstring a lot... still a little tight but not nearly has bad. I also realized that my right ankle as a very reduced range of motion. And, she showed me some breathing exercises to do because apparently some of my hamstring pain can be attributed to my lack of breathing (when I'm not breathing well, my core isn't stabilizing me, and I'm relying on other muscles too much)... dangit, I just thought not breathing sucked because I wasn't breathing!
Anyways, Monday's runs felt surprisingly good, especially the "lunchtime" run. It was perfect weather, and it was nice to run when it was sunny out! I had originally been a bit upset with myself for not getting my butt out of bed in the morning. However, since we didn't have to go to Durham this Monday (like we will for the next several months), I ran from the lab before lunch. It was probably the best I've felt in a while, and I realize that when I run during the winter, I seldom see the sun. I might have to delay my "junk miles" run more often! I tried to run at noon on Friday, but we had too much going on in the lab. Friday's run felt pretty good considering Thursday's run.
Tuesday's track workout went reasonably well. My repeats were generally faster than last week, and I did more longer repeats. It was nice to run with people again, although it was weird because Allison and I were the lead pacers (the "fast" group wasn't there). I realized that I usually pace off of them. However, we managed to stay pretty consistent, although Allison definitely was pulling ahead of me by the end. My legs were pretty much done after the 5th 800. I'm guessing my endurance for faster stuff will come back as my mileage increases.
I didn't run Wednesday night. I had run in the morning before going to Elaine's to loosen up a bit after the track workout. And, truth be told, Elaine had recommended either skipping Wednesday night or doing the run very, very easy. This provided a pretty good excuse for skipping running and grabbing dinner with Kyle and Zane. And, even though I kind of felt like a slacker, I enjoyed catching up with them much more than running 6-miles easy.
However, because I skipped running on Wednesday night, I decided to actually do the MLR recommended on the Boston training plan. I modified it a bit to include 30min at marathon pace (which is really part of Sunday's workout). Thursday is usually my tempo day, and I doubt I will feel like / be able to run at marathon pace on Sunday after running long on Saturday. So, I skipped North Hills (which was also convenient for not further aggravating my hamstring) and ran from the lab. I broke the run up a bit... 8-miles with the middle 4-miles at marathon pace (on the track), and then back to the lab to collect Matt for 4 more miles. The 4-miles @ MP was actually a bit faster than they should have been. My splits were 7:02, 7:11, 7:12, and 7:16... concluding with a 97sec final lap (for 4.25-miles total). My goal was 7:20 pace, and even this is a pretty unrealistic goal. If I averaged 7:30 during Boston, I would be thrilled. I was pretty tired at the end of the first 6ish miles, and would have liked to stop after the cooldown. The short break to collect Matt lifted my spirits, and I ate an apple because I was starting to get pretty hungry (and I usually eat an apple around 5PM before I go running). The first 3ish miles were ok, a bit stiff, but not awful. The last mile was torture. I was exhausted. Being that last week's 13-miles is the longest I've run since the beginning of November, running 12-miles with some tempo in the first half was probably a tall order.
I did my long run on Saturday, adding 2 more miles from last week. I ran the first 10.5 miles with Jason, got some water, then headed up towards the Art Museum to get the last 4.5 miles in. I had been "nervous" about running these miles by myself since it was my longest run in some time. I like the distraction of running with other people on long runs, especially when I'm tired. Left to my own devices, I tend to spiral into tiredness. Luckily, Team in Training was doing their run from the Art Museum, so I saw them all the way up Reedy Creek. Then, when I got to the Art Museum, I ran into my friend Dave and ran with him until I turned over the bridge. That only left me running a little over 2 miles by myself, which I can handle. However, coming back down Reedy Creek, I was debating whether I could still feel my legs or not. I was pretty tired.
Sunday's run went pretty well too. Matt ran with us for the first two miles, Dave turned a little after three miles, and I ran with Newt and Allison until the water fountain (I had only intended to do 8 miles, but I wanted water). On the way back, I tried to pick it up a little bit until the gate. From my splits, it looks like I did that.
So, a pretty good week of training all and all. I actually ran 3.5 miles longer than I was intending to in the beginning of the week. But, I miss running with Matt!
Tues: 6x800m (3:10,07,07,07,08,08), 4x400m (90, 90, 89, 93)
Wed: 3.5-miles
Thurs: 12-miles (warmup + 4.25-miles @ MP + cooldown + 4-miles w/ Matt)
Fri: 3.5-miles + stretching
Sat: 15-miles
Sun: 9-miles
Total: 58.5 miles
Highest weekly mileage in over a year! And longest long run since the summer! And I feel pretty good! I went to see Elaine (chiropractor and runner) on Wednesday, and she adjusted everything from my head down to my ankle. It seemed to help my hamstring a lot... still a little tight but not nearly has bad. I also realized that my right ankle as a very reduced range of motion. And, she showed me some breathing exercises to do because apparently some of my hamstring pain can be attributed to my lack of breathing (when I'm not breathing well, my core isn't stabilizing me, and I'm relying on other muscles too much)... dangit, I just thought not breathing sucked because I wasn't breathing!
Anyways, Monday's runs felt surprisingly good, especially the "lunchtime" run. It was perfect weather, and it was nice to run when it was sunny out! I had originally been a bit upset with myself for not getting my butt out of bed in the morning. However, since we didn't have to go to Durham this Monday (like we will for the next several months), I ran from the lab before lunch. It was probably the best I've felt in a while, and I realize that when I run during the winter, I seldom see the sun. I might have to delay my "junk miles" run more often! I tried to run at noon on Friday, but we had too much going on in the lab. Friday's run felt pretty good considering Thursday's run.
Tuesday's track workout went reasonably well. My repeats were generally faster than last week, and I did more longer repeats. It was nice to run with people again, although it was weird because Allison and I were the lead pacers (the "fast" group wasn't there). I realized that I usually pace off of them. However, we managed to stay pretty consistent, although Allison definitely was pulling ahead of me by the end. My legs were pretty much done after the 5th 800. I'm guessing my endurance for faster stuff will come back as my mileage increases.
I didn't run Wednesday night. I had run in the morning before going to Elaine's to loosen up a bit after the track workout. And, truth be told, Elaine had recommended either skipping Wednesday night or doing the run very, very easy. This provided a pretty good excuse for skipping running and grabbing dinner with Kyle and Zane. And, even though I kind of felt like a slacker, I enjoyed catching up with them much more than running 6-miles easy.
However, because I skipped running on Wednesday night, I decided to actually do the MLR recommended on the Boston training plan. I modified it a bit to include 30min at marathon pace (which is really part of Sunday's workout). Thursday is usually my tempo day, and I doubt I will feel like / be able to run at marathon pace on Sunday after running long on Saturday. So, I skipped North Hills (which was also convenient for not further aggravating my hamstring) and ran from the lab. I broke the run up a bit... 8-miles with the middle 4-miles at marathon pace (on the track), and then back to the lab to collect Matt for 4 more miles. The 4-miles @ MP was actually a bit faster than they should have been. My splits were 7:02, 7:11, 7:12, and 7:16... concluding with a 97sec final lap (for 4.25-miles total). My goal was 7:20 pace, and even this is a pretty unrealistic goal. If I averaged 7:30 during Boston, I would be thrilled. I was pretty tired at the end of the first 6ish miles, and would have liked to stop after the cooldown. The short break to collect Matt lifted my spirits, and I ate an apple because I was starting to get pretty hungry (and I usually eat an apple around 5PM before I go running). The first 3ish miles were ok, a bit stiff, but not awful. The last mile was torture. I was exhausted. Being that last week's 13-miles is the longest I've run since the beginning of November, running 12-miles with some tempo in the first half was probably a tall order.
I did my long run on Saturday, adding 2 more miles from last week. I ran the first 10.5 miles with Jason, got some water, then headed up towards the Art Museum to get the last 4.5 miles in. I had been "nervous" about running these miles by myself since it was my longest run in some time. I like the distraction of running with other people on long runs, especially when I'm tired. Left to my own devices, I tend to spiral into tiredness. Luckily, Team in Training was doing their run from the Art Museum, so I saw them all the way up Reedy Creek. Then, when I got to the Art Museum, I ran into my friend Dave and ran with him until I turned over the bridge. That only left me running a little over 2 miles by myself, which I can handle. However, coming back down Reedy Creek, I was debating whether I could still feel my legs or not. I was pretty tired.
Sunday's run went pretty well too. Matt ran with us for the first two miles, Dave turned a little after three miles, and I ran with Newt and Allison until the water fountain (I had only intended to do 8 miles, but I wanted water). On the way back, I tried to pick it up a little bit until the gate. From my splits, it looks like I did that.
So, a pretty good week of training all and all. I actually ran 3.5 miles longer than I was intending to in the beginning of the week. But, I miss running with Matt!
Monday, January 13, 2014
1/6 - 1/12
Mon: 6-miles (watch cut out)
Tues: 4 sets of 800-400-400 (800's: 3:10-3:15, 400's: 90-94)
Wed: 6.5-miles
Thurs: 8-miles (North Hills Drive, easy)
Fri: 5-miles
Sat: 13-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 50.5 miles
It was freezing in the beginning of the week. Literally. Tuesday brought an "Arctic blast", making it the coldest it has been in quite some time. The end of the week brought a tornado warning. When we ran Saturday morning, it was 60+ degrees and 100% humidity. I went from doubling up everything I wore on Tuesday to debating if I was going to take off my t-shirt and run in a sports bra on Saturday. I didn't. I'm too pale and I really need to start working on core strength!
I decided to try and not attack all of my New Year's resolutions at one time and basically just get back onto my regular training schedule this week. However, I did try and still keep #3 in place and not eat a whole bunch of crap late at night (well, for most of the week... I fell of the band wagon Thursday and Sunday). I need to find some good deserts though. I think that is my greatest source of refined sugar. I eat pretty well other than that.
Monday night was pretty cold and windy, although it was still above freezing. The run went pretty well, but my watch cut out at some point. Alan Culpepper was also at the Hibernian Harriers run to kick off the Rock 'n Roll events. He was pretty interesting. Wednesday's run from Trophy was also fun... got to catch up with some people I haven't seen in a while. Friday's run was uneventful, although I did try and pick it up the last quarter(ish) mile so my average pace would be around 8min. Sunday's run was also uneventful, although a lot hillier than I was expecting! I usually run on a flatter, main street in Rural Hall, but there is only a sidewalk for about a mile, and then it's frogger for the rest of the run. The Cravers told me about a nicer, less trafficey back road. It was much nicer and much less trafficey, but holy hills! I wasn't expecting that. I had to stop a few times on some of the steeper ones. I wasn't feeling great (hence why I was running after lunch and not at 7am when I was planning to)... I need to figure out why I've been so tired lately!
Tuesday's track workout went reasonably ok considering everything. First off, it was my first track workout after 2+ weeks of not doing any real speed work, making hitting 10k pace and below challenging. Secondly, we were experiencing an "Arctic blast", with temperatures in the low 20's (and lower with the wind chill). I was wearing two pairs of socks, two pairs of tights, a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt, my Boston Marathon windbreaker (which is lined), and a headband and gloves. The biting cold makes it much harder for me to breathe, and wearing all of those clothes doesn't help with speed. Plus, coach had said there was no official workout due to the weather, so it was just Matt and I. We did start earlier than normal (around 5ish), so we got some light, but it's hard to fight paces when it's only the two of us fighting. The "advanced" training program had 7-9 miles on the schedule with 3 sets of 800-600-600 at 5k pace. I hate 600's, and there was no way I was running an extended warmup/cooldown in the freezing cold, so I opted for 4 sets of 800-400-400. I was hoping for 10k pace and below (6:35), but wasn't sure. 5k pace (6:20) seemed like it might be a bit quick, especially for the 800's. This proved to be true. The 400's were at 5k, and the first lap of the 800's was probably on pace, but holding that for two laps was challenging. I did manage the sub-10k that I was hoping for though. And, according to the McMillan website, I wasn't far off my 5k pace given my marathon goal (my 800's were 3:10,15,13,13).
Thursday's run, according to the "Boston" schedule was supposed to be 2 x 20min MP with 8min recovery, for a total distance of 8-11 miles. Well, I got the distance part ok. I decided to run on North Hills though and get used to the hills again. Running this route gets me in shape. Katie and Jennifer were running easy as well, so I ran with them for the first 3.5 miles (they were doing 7 total). Looking at my splits, I am happy that I stayed relatively consistent on the way back (which is a net uphill with some pretty good inclines) with no one to pace off of.
Saturday's run was pretty miserable after the first half. It was so freaking hot and humid (weather.com had us at 60+ degrees and 100% humidity). I'm not good at switching between 25 degrees, windy and dry to 60 degrees and humid in the course of a handful of days. Plus, 13 miles is actually the longest I've run since the City of Oaks half marathon back in the beginning of November (that's kind of sad). I was pretty dehydrated for the rest of the day. I could definitely feel it the last three miles of the run. Katie and I were pretty much dead. It was good to run with her again though! Later in the day, the rain moved in. It was kind of weird. All of a sudden, around 1pm, all of the iPhones in Raleigh Running Outfitters started making this sireney sound. Apparently that indicated a tornado warning. Within a few minutes, the rain started. And then the wind started. And then the wind started blowing the rain diagonally. It was all over within 5-10min, and there was no tornado, but it did catch all of our attention.
Other than that, Matt's achilles has been bothering him more this week due to a knot in his calf. This sidelined him from Wednesday on. I hope it gets better soon. I miss running with him.
Tues: 4 sets of 800-400-400 (800's: 3:10-3:15, 400's: 90-94)
Wed: 6.5-miles
Thurs: 8-miles (North Hills Drive, easy)
Fri: 5-miles
Sat: 13-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 50.5 miles
It was freezing in the beginning of the week. Literally. Tuesday brought an "Arctic blast", making it the coldest it has been in quite some time. The end of the week brought a tornado warning. When we ran Saturday morning, it was 60+ degrees and 100% humidity. I went from doubling up everything I wore on Tuesday to debating if I was going to take off my t-shirt and run in a sports bra on Saturday. I didn't. I'm too pale and I really need to start working on core strength!
I decided to try and not attack all of my New Year's resolutions at one time and basically just get back onto my regular training schedule this week. However, I did try and still keep #3 in place and not eat a whole bunch of crap late at night (well, for most of the week... I fell of the band wagon Thursday and Sunday). I need to find some good deserts though. I think that is my greatest source of refined sugar. I eat pretty well other than that.
Monday night was pretty cold and windy, although it was still above freezing. The run went pretty well, but my watch cut out at some point. Alan Culpepper was also at the Hibernian Harriers run to kick off the Rock 'n Roll events. He was pretty interesting. Wednesday's run from Trophy was also fun... got to catch up with some people I haven't seen in a while. Friday's run was uneventful, although I did try and pick it up the last quarter(ish) mile so my average pace would be around 8min. Sunday's run was also uneventful, although a lot hillier than I was expecting! I usually run on a flatter, main street in Rural Hall, but there is only a sidewalk for about a mile, and then it's frogger for the rest of the run. The Cravers told me about a nicer, less trafficey back road. It was much nicer and much less trafficey, but holy hills! I wasn't expecting that. I had to stop a few times on some of the steeper ones. I wasn't feeling great (hence why I was running after lunch and not at 7am when I was planning to)... I need to figure out why I've been so tired lately!
Tuesday's track workout went reasonably ok considering everything. First off, it was my first track workout after 2+ weeks of not doing any real speed work, making hitting 10k pace and below challenging. Secondly, we were experiencing an "Arctic blast", with temperatures in the low 20's (and lower with the wind chill). I was wearing two pairs of socks, two pairs of tights, a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt, my Boston Marathon windbreaker (which is lined), and a headband and gloves. The biting cold makes it much harder for me to breathe, and wearing all of those clothes doesn't help with speed. Plus, coach had said there was no official workout due to the weather, so it was just Matt and I. We did start earlier than normal (around 5ish), so we got some light, but it's hard to fight paces when it's only the two of us fighting. The "advanced" training program had 7-9 miles on the schedule with 3 sets of 800-600-600 at 5k pace. I hate 600's, and there was no way I was running an extended warmup/cooldown in the freezing cold, so I opted for 4 sets of 800-400-400. I was hoping for 10k pace and below (6:35), but wasn't sure. 5k pace (6:20) seemed like it might be a bit quick, especially for the 800's. This proved to be true. The 400's were at 5k, and the first lap of the 800's was probably on pace, but holding that for two laps was challenging. I did manage the sub-10k that I was hoping for though. And, according to the McMillan website, I wasn't far off my 5k pace given my marathon goal (my 800's were 3:10,15,13,13).
Thursday's run, according to the "Boston" schedule was supposed to be 2 x 20min MP with 8min recovery, for a total distance of 8-11 miles. Well, I got the distance part ok. I decided to run on North Hills though and get used to the hills again. Running this route gets me in shape. Katie and Jennifer were running easy as well, so I ran with them for the first 3.5 miles (they were doing 7 total). Looking at my splits, I am happy that I stayed relatively consistent on the way back (which is a net uphill with some pretty good inclines) with no one to pace off of.
Saturday's run was pretty miserable after the first half. It was so freaking hot and humid (weather.com had us at 60+ degrees and 100% humidity). I'm not good at switching between 25 degrees, windy and dry to 60 degrees and humid in the course of a handful of days. Plus, 13 miles is actually the longest I've run since the City of Oaks half marathon back in the beginning of November (that's kind of sad). I was pretty dehydrated for the rest of the day. I could definitely feel it the last three miles of the run. Katie and I were pretty much dead. It was good to run with her again though! Later in the day, the rain moved in. It was kind of weird. All of a sudden, around 1pm, all of the iPhones in Raleigh Running Outfitters started making this sireney sound. Apparently that indicated a tornado warning. Within a few minutes, the rain started. And then the wind started. And then the wind started blowing the rain diagonally. It was all over within 5-10min, and there was no tornado, but it did catch all of our attention.
Other than that, Matt's achilles has been bothering him more this week due to a knot in his calf. This sidelined him from Wednesday on. I hope it gets better soon. I miss running with him.
Monday, January 6, 2014
2013 Recap & 2014 Goals
In terms of life, 2013 was a pretty good year. I got married to Matthew on June 29th, which was the happiest day of my life. I also completed my PhD this summer, which has been 8 years in the making. Two of my good friends got married, as well as my cousin, and I got to see my family more that I usually do. On the negative front... my mother was very sick during the month of March though (her appendix ruptured and there was a secondary infection), and my grandmother passed away in October. Also, the stress of not having a steady job for more than a few months at a time is also really getting to me.
In terms of running...
The stats for 2013:
My goals for the first half of 2014 are to (1) try and work on core strength and flexibility, (2) try to increase my weekly mileage (probably by adding a few easy doubles), and (3) try to eat less refined sugar. The reasons behind the first two are rather obvious... to be a better runner. The third goal is also related to this goal (i.e., you are what you eat), but I'm also hoping that eating more "real" food will give me more energy and help to solve some of the GI issues I've been having lately (I'm thinking eating a whole bunch of junk at 1AM because my stomach is growling might not be the best idea for morning runs).
I also have a goal race for the 1st half of the year, the 2014 Boston Marathon. I want to have fun, but still run it respectably. The first year I ran it (2010), I had a ton of fun and finished in right around 3:23. The second year I ran it (2011), I went out way to fast and finished ~3min slower. I want to remember having fun again because I'm not sure if/when I'll run this race again.
After April, I want to take some time to recover and heal up. Then, I think I'm going to be done with marathon training for a while. I still have goals in shorter races, and training for half marathons and below leaves me with more time for things other than running.
In terms of running...
The stats for 2013:
- Total mileage: 2317
- Highest weekly mileage: 56.5
- Lowest weekly mileage: 18
- I was 8th female in the Umstead Marathon
- 0 weeks of 0 miles
- I didn't train for anything
- I didn't PR in anything (and didn't really race that much)
- I felt like I was always nursing some injury
- I felt tired and unmotivated
- My total mileage was the lowest that is has been in 2 years
- My racing times were some of the worst in the past few years
My goals for the first half of 2014 are to (1) try and work on core strength and flexibility, (2) try to increase my weekly mileage (probably by adding a few easy doubles), and (3) try to eat less refined sugar. The reasons behind the first two are rather obvious... to be a better runner. The third goal is also related to this goal (i.e., you are what you eat), but I'm also hoping that eating more "real" food will give me more energy and help to solve some of the GI issues I've been having lately (I'm thinking eating a whole bunch of junk at 1AM because my stomach is growling might not be the best idea for morning runs).
I also have a goal race for the 1st half of the year, the 2014 Boston Marathon. I want to have fun, but still run it respectably. The first year I ran it (2010), I had a ton of fun and finished in right around 3:23. The second year I ran it (2011), I went out way to fast and finished ~3min slower. I want to remember having fun again because I'm not sure if/when I'll run this race again.
After April, I want to take some time to recover and heal up. Then, I think I'm going to be done with marathon training for a while. I still have goals in shorter races, and training for half marathons and below leaves me with more time for things other than running.
December Recap
December was actually a relatively good training month. I added mileage pretty steadily over 3 weeks, and then took a recovery week. I managed my first 50+ mileage week in a while as well. Cross training kind of fell off, but I did do that core workout for a bit. I definitely felt stronger at the end of the month compared to the beginning. Running every day for a bit seemed to go ok, but my calf was definitely tight by Christmas. All and all, it was a good way to end 2013. [training log]
Total: 203 miles
Total: 203 miles
12/30 - 1/5
Mon: 6-miles treadmill (3-miles @ 7:20 pace, 0.5-miles @ <7:20 pace)
Tues: 6-miles treadmill (1st half @ 8:00 pace, 2nd half @ <8:00 pace)
Wed: Off
Thurs: 6.5-miles (4min easy, 1min hard)
Fri: 6-miles
Sat: 11-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 41.5 miles
Another week of traveling means another week of low(ish) mileage. It was good to catch up with Matt's family, and I did get some runs in. Plus, according to the "advanced" Boston plan, I'm still okay on mileage (week 1 was 25-50 miles). I didn't really do any of the runs they suggested though, so I'm not sure where that leaves me. I haven't been feeling great though (Matt gave us all a head cold, which I started to feel Wed/Thurs). I've been pretty tired, and actually ran later on Sunday because I got really hot and felt pretty sick after we finished eating the first time we got up.
I ran on the treadmill at the YMCA on Monday and Tuesday. It was the coolest treadmill I've ever been on. It had a screen on the front panel that projected a running route from your point of view. I ran on trails through some of the national parks out west both days. It took me a little bit to figure out because it automatically adjusted the elevation, which I didn't know when I started. So, for Monday's run, most of the 7:20 pace was probably between 0-1.5%. Initially I kept trying to fight the elevation and maintain it at at least 1%, but I gave up after a while and decided to just enjoy the "trail" run. Plus, it was early. On Tuesday, I figured out how to adjust the "effort", so most of that run was above 0% incline (probably). I also figured out how to make the trail full screen. Even though it was a slower pace, I think my effort both days was similar.
Running on the treadmill was definitely more interesting than the roads of Rural Hall. Thursday's run was ok. I felt great for the first half, and probably even the first three-quarters. The pickups started getting to me the last two repeats though. I still ran strong, but it took a lot out of me. Friday's run was windy, and Matt and I didn't realize that the wind was at our backs for the first half. It was pretty obvious when we turned around though!
Saturday's run was cold, but it was ok once we got going. I felt a lot better this week compared to last week, and eeked out an extra 0.5-miles. Still, 11-miles is not that long. I actually got to run on Sunday (freezing rain had been forecast earlier in the week). It was pretty slow though, but as I mentioned earlier, I don't think I'm 100% yet.
Tues: 6-miles treadmill (1st half @ 8:00 pace, 2nd half @ <8:00 pace)
Wed: Off
Thurs: 6.5-miles (4min easy, 1min hard)
Fri: 6-miles
Sat: 11-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 41.5 miles
Another week of traveling means another week of low(ish) mileage. It was good to catch up with Matt's family, and I did get some runs in. Plus, according to the "advanced" Boston plan, I'm still okay on mileage (week 1 was 25-50 miles). I didn't really do any of the runs they suggested though, so I'm not sure where that leaves me. I haven't been feeling great though (Matt gave us all a head cold, which I started to feel Wed/Thurs). I've been pretty tired, and actually ran later on Sunday because I got really hot and felt pretty sick after we finished eating the first time we got up.
I ran on the treadmill at the YMCA on Monday and Tuesday. It was the coolest treadmill I've ever been on. It had a screen on the front panel that projected a running route from your point of view. I ran on trails through some of the national parks out west both days. It took me a little bit to figure out because it automatically adjusted the elevation, which I didn't know when I started. So, for Monday's run, most of the 7:20 pace was probably between 0-1.5%. Initially I kept trying to fight the elevation and maintain it at at least 1%, but I gave up after a while and decided to just enjoy the "trail" run. Plus, it was early. On Tuesday, I figured out how to adjust the "effort", so most of that run was above 0% incline (probably). I also figured out how to make the trail full screen. Even though it was a slower pace, I think my effort both days was similar.
Running on the treadmill was definitely more interesting than the roads of Rural Hall. Thursday's run was ok. I felt great for the first half, and probably even the first three-quarters. The pickups started getting to me the last two repeats though. I still ran strong, but it took a lot out of me. Friday's run was windy, and Matt and I didn't realize that the wind was at our backs for the first half. It was pretty obvious when we turned around though!
Saturday's run was cold, but it was ok once we got going. I felt a lot better this week compared to last week, and eeked out an extra 0.5-miles. Still, 11-miles is not that long. I actually got to run on Sunday (freezing rain had been forecast earlier in the week). It was pretty slow though, but as I mentioned earlier, I don't think I'm 100% yet.
12/23 - 12/29
Mon: 6-miles treadmill (3-miles @ 7:20)
Tues: 6-miles
Wed: Off
Thurs: 7-miles
Fri: 6-miles
Sat: 10.5-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 41.5 miles
Between the Christmas and traveling, it was a rather "light" week in terms of training. I did manage to run every day except for Christmas, except I didn't get a lot of miles in on those days. Oh well.
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday all went pretty well. My legs were definitely tight, especially my calf (my toe hurt every time I put boots on for Christmas Eve and day). It was also cold, and actually snowed a bit on Thursday (I had intended to run longer that day, except the roads were pretty slippery). Saturday's run was pretty miserable. I was exhausted since we had got in around midnight the night before. Sunday's run was also miserable because it was pouring rain the whole time.
Monday's treadmill run went well. I did 3-miles at my "if I ran this I would skip across the finish line" marathon pace. I varied the incline between 1-3% in 0.5% increments every 1/4 mile. Then, I did an extra 0.5-miles at 1% incline at <7:20 pace to practice finishing strong. My calf and IT band kind of hurt when I was done though.
Tues: 6-miles
Wed: Off
Thurs: 7-miles
Fri: 6-miles
Sat: 10.5-miles
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 41.5 miles
Between the Christmas and traveling, it was a rather "light" week in terms of training. I did manage to run every day except for Christmas, except I didn't get a lot of miles in on those days. Oh well.
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday all went pretty well. My legs were definitely tight, especially my calf (my toe hurt every time I put boots on for Christmas Eve and day). It was also cold, and actually snowed a bit on Thursday (I had intended to run longer that day, except the roads were pretty slippery). Saturday's run was pretty miserable. I was exhausted since we had got in around midnight the night before. Sunday's run was also miserable because it was pouring rain the whole time.
Monday's treadmill run went well. I did 3-miles at my "if I ran this I would skip across the finish line" marathon pace. I varied the incline between 1-3% in 0.5% increments every 1/4 mile. Then, I did an extra 0.5-miles at 1% incline at <7:20 pace to practice finishing strong. My calf and IT band kind of hurt when I was done though.
12/16 - 12/22
Mon: 3.5-miles, 5-miles
Tues: 2x800m (3:14, 3:09), 1mile (6:27), 2x800m (3:09, 3:11), 4x400m (88, 89, 87, 86)
Wed: 6.5-miles
Thurs: 6.5-miles (10x 2min hard, 1min easy)
Fri: 8.5-miles
Sat: 10-miles (5x1000m @ HM-M pace)
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 52 miles
First 50+ mile week in I can't remember how long!
I finally managed to get my butt out of bed Monday morning and run. I wore my watch just to make sure of the distance, but I think I'm going to leave it at home for a while on "junk mile" runs. I don't want to get in the habit of living by my watch. The purpose of my "double days" are to keep my legs loose and safely get my weekly mileage up, not to run a certain pace. However, I need to get used to running in the morning again... my stomach has been less than happy with me lately in the AM. I'm chalking it up to eating too much cereal at night. Ok, enough said on that topic.
So, I managed my first "double" in some months. I actually felt pretty good. I'm going to try making this a habit through Boston 2014 (potentially both Monday and Wednesday). We'll see how that goes. Monday's and Wednesday's runs were uneventful. Friday's run felt pretty good, especially the last 3-miles. Sunday's run was a little sluggish, but at least we got it in before the rain started.
Tuesday's track workout went well. I felt pretty good, comfortable even, except the 400's were a bit rough (still not used to running that fast). We were supposed to do the 800's at 10k pace (goal: 6:35), the mile at half-marathon pace (goal: 6:50), and the 400's at 5k pace (goal: 6:15-6:20). Obviously, I was a bit fast, but still not at the times I was hitting in the summer. However, I felt like I could have gone faster, but didn't want to push the workout too far beyond the actual pace that I was supposed to be hitting.
Thursday's run was a bit challenging. First of all, it was early, so I was half asleep. I find it difficult to do speed workout's when I'm half asleep. Secondly, it was dark. I couldn't see my watch or the sidewalk, which made running fast(ish) for 2min rather difficult. But, it terms of effort, I did it.
Saturday's run went pretty well. I had looked at some of the "advanced" Boston Marathon training program workouts for the first week (which technically doesn't start until the end of December) to get and idea of things to do. I wanted to run semi-long, but not too long since I wanted to help out for the holidays. I decided on 10-miles with 5x1000m in at MP. Since it had snowed earlier in the week, the sidewalks and streets were a bit dicey. I used the old "birchies" route from high school and extended it a bit. Anyways, the 1000's were faster than marathon pace, probably around half or so. Anyways, it felt pretty good.
I tried out the Glide Boost on Monday night's run. They were decent. I would consider them for a training shoe. Pretty cushioned, but still responsive. They were a little stiff, but then again I find most Adidas shoes stiff for the first couple of wears. And, my knee actually felt pretty good, as opposed to the twingy feeling I've been having (although that might be attributed to running in shoes that are hitting their "400 mile" mark). The only weird thing... I wore a size 7. They didn't have a 7.5 (the seven other pairs of Adidas shoes I've worn have all been 7.5's), and the 8 felt runnable, but a little big (I am a size 8 in nearly every other brand of running shoe). So, I tried the 7, and still had what I would consider enough room (aka if I were a customer, I would tell them that the shoe fit). The size 7 felt fine for the 5 miles I ran in it, and it was a hilly route so I put it through both up- and downhills. The arch felt right. I don't know. I'd still like to see what a 7.5 was like because that's just weird, especially since and all of the feedback has been that the shoe is running "true to size".
Tues: 2x800m (3:14, 3:09), 1mile (6:27), 2x800m (3:09, 3:11), 4x400m (88, 89, 87, 86)
Wed: 6.5-miles
Thurs: 6.5-miles (10x 2min hard, 1min easy)
Fri: 8.5-miles
Sat: 10-miles (5x1000m @ HM-M pace)
Sun: 6-miles
Total: 52 miles
First 50+ mile week in I can't remember how long!
I finally managed to get my butt out of bed Monday morning and run. I wore my watch just to make sure of the distance, but I think I'm going to leave it at home for a while on "junk mile" runs. I don't want to get in the habit of living by my watch. The purpose of my "double days" are to keep my legs loose and safely get my weekly mileage up, not to run a certain pace. However, I need to get used to running in the morning again... my stomach has been less than happy with me lately in the AM. I'm chalking it up to eating too much cereal at night. Ok, enough said on that topic.
So, I managed my first "double" in some months. I actually felt pretty good. I'm going to try making this a habit through Boston 2014 (potentially both Monday and Wednesday). We'll see how that goes. Monday's and Wednesday's runs were uneventful. Friday's run felt pretty good, especially the last 3-miles. Sunday's run was a little sluggish, but at least we got it in before the rain started.
Tuesday's track workout went well. I felt pretty good, comfortable even, except the 400's were a bit rough (still not used to running that fast). We were supposed to do the 800's at 10k pace (goal: 6:35), the mile at half-marathon pace (goal: 6:50), and the 400's at 5k pace (goal: 6:15-6:20). Obviously, I was a bit fast, but still not at the times I was hitting in the summer. However, I felt like I could have gone faster, but didn't want to push the workout too far beyond the actual pace that I was supposed to be hitting.
Thursday's run was a bit challenging. First of all, it was early, so I was half asleep. I find it difficult to do speed workout's when I'm half asleep. Secondly, it was dark. I couldn't see my watch or the sidewalk, which made running fast(ish) for 2min rather difficult. But, it terms of effort, I did it.
Saturday's run went pretty well. I had looked at some of the "advanced" Boston Marathon training program workouts for the first week (which technically doesn't start until the end of December) to get and idea of things to do. I wanted to run semi-long, but not too long since I wanted to help out for the holidays. I decided on 10-miles with 5x1000m in at MP. Since it had snowed earlier in the week, the sidewalks and streets were a bit dicey. I used the old "birchies" route from high school and extended it a bit. Anyways, the 1000's were faster than marathon pace, probably around half or so. Anyways, it felt pretty good.
I tried out the Glide Boost on Monday night's run. They were decent. I would consider them for a training shoe. Pretty cushioned, but still responsive. They were a little stiff, but then again I find most Adidas shoes stiff for the first couple of wears. And, my knee actually felt pretty good, as opposed to the twingy feeling I've been having (although that might be attributed to running in shoes that are hitting their "400 mile" mark). The only weird thing... I wore a size 7. They didn't have a 7.5 (the seven other pairs of Adidas shoes I've worn have all been 7.5's), and the 8 felt runnable, but a little big (I am a size 8 in nearly every other brand of running shoe). So, I tried the 7, and still had what I would consider enough room (aka if I were a customer, I would tell them that the shoe fit). The size 7 felt fine for the 5 miles I ran in it, and it was a hilly route so I put it through both up- and downhills. The arch felt right. I don't know. I'd still like to see what a 7.5 was like because that's just weird, especially since and all of the feedback has been that the shoe is running "true to size".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)