 |
| I'm back on... for now. |
I'm not as committed to Locomotive as I was for any of my previous races. I've given running a LOT this year, and other things have been compromised. My work is picking up (got promoted and put in charge of a sizeable project), so I'm having to give a LOT more to the office these days, which means priorities have shifted. I'm taking a step back from chorus until the end of the year, and wouldn't be surprised if running also takes a bit of a backseat. Still, I need running in my life for a bunch of reasons (stress relief being #1), so I'll tentatively proceed with a plan for Locomotive... which I may shorten to "Loco", because it amuses me.
Monday
Plan: 5 easy
Did: 4.15 @ 9:44/mi
Just didn't care enough to "go the extra mile" this morning. I'm totally starting this training plan out right... :P
Tuesday
Plan: 5 easy
Did: 6.30 w/5 striders- 9:15/mi avg
OK. This didn't feel "9:15" hard. That's good. Maybe my speed is coming back.
This (the striders) was my first bit of "speedwork" since before Chicago, and it felt good... but also a bit foreign. Definitely going to need to work this stuff back into runs if I'm going to have any chance at a good time for Loco or other races.
OK. This didn't feel "9:15" hard. That's good. Maybe my speed is coming back.
This (the striders) was my first bit of "speedwork" since before Chicago, and it felt good... but also a bit foreign. Definitely going to need to work this stuff back into runs if I'm going to have any chance at a good time for Loco or other races.
 |
| #10KTuesday, lightin' it up! "Disco Vests"- if you don't have one for you or your dog, order now! Save 35% off the entire site with code "10KTuesday" |
Wednesday
Plan: Rest
Walked about 2mi for client meetings/work, and, best thing ever: the headache of death is FINALLY gone.
Walked about 2mi for client meetings/work, and, best thing ever: the headache of death is FINALLY gone.
Thursday
Plan: 1mi WU, 4mi tempo, 1mi CD
Did: 6.24 @ 8:56/mi avg
I was a little nervous going into this run. I calculated out what I need for a 1:55 half--- 8:50/mi. While that pace shouldn't scare me and isn't outside of my abilities, the idea of holding it for 13.1 miles really intimidates me for some reason.
I haven't done speedwork since before Chicago and, while my run paces are no longer in the 10s, the idea of keeping sub-9 for four miles on a hilly course wasn't something I felt excessively confident about. I want to get back to the days when a 9:15 was my easy pace, and the only way to do that is to run faster more. :P
So I got up, met Brandi, and we made it happen. When the tempo miles began, we didn't look at our watches for about a half mile, assuming we were too slow and not wanting to see how badly we were off-pace. Turns out, we were way fast. I made an effort to slow down, and found that we could easily keep our goal pace while chatting a little.
We made a few realizations this run:
1) Without a goal (or maybe because we spent SO much of this year hardcore training for goals), running is boring. Before mile 2, we were both wondering when we'd be done (this has been an in-run conversation almost EVERY run since Chicago)
2) We definitely do NOT run our best as often as we should. After the tempo miles, both of us felt like we could easily do another five miles... if it weren't so boring.
3) Running new places is helpful, and North Point Parkway is a new favorite.
Things to work on: CONSISTENCY.
I was a little nervous going into this run. I calculated out what I need for a 1:55 half--- 8:50/mi. While that pace shouldn't scare me and isn't outside of my abilities, the idea of holding it for 13.1 miles really intimidates me for some reason.
I haven't done speedwork since before Chicago and, while my run paces are no longer in the 10s, the idea of keeping sub-9 for four miles on a hilly course wasn't something I felt excessively confident about. I want to get back to the days when a 9:15 was my easy pace, and the only way to do that is to run faster more. :P
 |
| elevation profile, each grid is 100' vertical not hill-acious, but not tempo-friendly |
So I got up, met Brandi, and we made it happen. When the tempo miles began, we didn't look at our watches for about a half mile, assuming we were too slow and not wanting to see how badly we were off-pace. Turns out, we were way fast. I made an effort to slow down, and found that we could easily keep our goal pace while chatting a little.
We made a few realizations this run:
1) Without a goal (or maybe because we spent SO much of this year hardcore training for goals), running is boring. Before mile 2, we were both wondering when we'd be done (this has been an in-run conversation almost EVERY run since Chicago)
2) We definitely do NOT run our best as often as we should. After the tempo miles, both of us felt like we could easily do another five miles... if it weren't so boring.
3) Running new places is helpful, and North Point Parkway is a new favorite.
 |
| splits 2 and 8 are "extra" between WU and tempo and CD and the cars recall goal for splits 3,4,5,6 was 8:50. |
Things to work on: CONSISTENCY.
Friday
Plan: strength training
Did: 4.15 @ 9:26/mi
I really only ran today to see Brandi... and have her help me pick out outfits for our family photos this weekend. This was our first cold run of the year, 40 degrees. I wore 3/4 length tights, a long sleeve, and my puffy vest, which I knew would be hot on the run, but really, really wanted to start. I unzipped it and took my gloves off at the halfway point, and felt fine the rest of the way.
Also, it feels so good to see that pace for a run that really did feel quite easy. :)
I really only ran today to see Brandi... and have her help me pick out outfits for our family photos this weekend. This was our first cold run of the year, 40 degrees. I wore 3/4 length tights, a long sleeve, and my puffy vest, which I knew would be hot on the run, but really, really wanted to start. I unzipped it and took my gloves off at the halfway point, and felt fine the rest of the way.
Also, it feels so good to see that pace for a run that really did feel quite easy. :)
Saturday:
Plan: 11
Did: 13.1 @ 9:33/mi avg
Oh, hey there, OVER 60 MINUTE RUN. I've only done four (inclusive) of those since Chicago... and it kind of feels good.
Today's run was more than I wanted, but, as a Run Leader, I'm somewhat obligated, and that ended up being a good thing today. I found many times where I was "over" the whole distance running thing, but, because I'm a RL, was smiling and chatting with participants and putting all of my focus on making this a good run for them. We ended up having our 9:00-9:55/mi pod stay together the whole time (a first!), and that was awesome. Lots of new people to talk to, lots of new stories to hear.
I was really proud of myself that a hillacious course like what we had today didn't actually feel too hard, and that a 2:05 half is solidly in my comfort/easy zone. Maybe cutting it down by ten minutes won't feel as awful as I fear.
Oh, hey there, OVER 60 MINUTE RUN. I've only done four (inclusive) of those since Chicago... and it kind of feels good.
Today's run was more than I wanted, but, as a Run Leader, I'm somewhat obligated, and that ended up being a good thing today. I found many times where I was "over" the whole distance running thing, but, because I'm a RL, was smiling and chatting with participants and putting all of my focus on making this a good run for them. We ended up having our 9:00-9:55/mi pod stay together the whole time (a first!), and that was awesome. Lots of new people to talk to, lots of new stories to hear.
I was really proud of myself that a hillacious course like what we had today didn't actually feel too hard, and that a 2:05 half is solidly in my comfort/easy zone. Maybe cutting it down by ten minutes won't feel as awful as I fear.
Sunday
Plan: 3-5
Did: 3.13 @ 9:53/mi avg
Stroller running with the running mamas crew :)
Total Mileage for the Week: 37
Wait, I thought I was on a break? hahaha
Stroller running with the running mamas crew :)
Total Mileage for the Week: 37
Wait, I thought I was on a break? hahaha
No comments:
Post a Comment