Vindicated

So that just rocked. I had the best workout this morning in probably a year. Awesome. I was scheduled for 8 miles with 5x600 at 5K pace with 90 second recoveries.

It was a perfect morning for a run - 47 degrees, breezy and dark. I ran a 4.47 mile warm-up. First couple of miles were in the 8:40s range and I felt really good. But I decided not to push it and slowed down a bit. Average pace = 8:58 / 155 AHR.

Intervals:

.37 (2:34/6:57 pace/ AHR 175)
.37 (2:25/6:33 pace / AHR 178)
.37 (2:29/6:44 pace / AHR 179)
.37 (2:35/7:00 pace / AHR 179) - this was hillier
.37 (2:40/7:13 pace / AHR 181) - almost 100% of run at incline

Cooldown: 2.67 miles (8:02 pace / AHR 165)

Now, the best part about this was the rests. My 90 second rests were faster than normal and my cool down was nice and brisk with low HR. In fact my last mile was probably around 7:30 pace, but I'm not sure as it was not on autolap. I got home and my HR went down nice and quickly.

FINALLY! A good workout. 9.78 mile / 8:22 average pace / AHR 163

Nice fall weather makes a huge difference! It was all shocking too given the awful sleep I have gotten lately. Hopefully I will not pay for it tomorrow! Until then, I am pumped!!

I guess I was wrong

Last week was not my last 50 mile week. This was. I was scheduled for 49, but ended up with 51.5. Here is how it played out:

M: rest

T: 5.25 recovery (9:54 pace)

W: 10.07 with 4x1200 meter intervals; 2 minute recoveries (7:17; 7:02; 7:22; 7:10)

R: rest

F: 9.67 (8:42 pace; mile 9 at 7:53; last .67 at 7:35 pace)

Sa: 5.6 recovery (9:36)

Su: 20.88 (9:02)

A good training weeek. I was somewhat annoyed with how slow my intervals were. Last year I was running similar intervals significantly faster. Oh well, I know I am not in the same condition I was last year. That was a different season and my life was very different.

Friday morning's run was awesome. Perfect weather and I felt great. Exhausted (because it was another sub 5 am morning), but great. I felt strong. I was due for one of those runs.

Yesterday I had soccer games all morning and did my recovery run around 11. It was hot! My resting HR was nice and low (57) and the first mile was perfect (138), but then heat creep set in quickly thanks to 80+ degree temps and blazing sun. Oh well.

This morning was picture perfect running weather. 50-55 and overcast. I ran on the trail with a good running buddy and had a very nice run. We ran the first 14 or so around an 8:55 pace, but slowed some during the last few miles. I took a nice refreshing ice bath and am now officially tapering.

Good stuff.

I hope the relay went well for Salty and the 10K for Greg.
I hope Joe+ recovers soon - that d@mn injury is a real shame.
Congrats to Keith on a new gig.
Where the heck did Tusca go?

Hey - and good luck to everyone racing next weekend!

Where is the speed?

I decided to run my speed workout this morning after all. My hip was feeling pretty good and I was afraid if I pushed it off until Friday I would risk: (1) not doing it at all; or (2) having the later workout negatively affect my last 20 miler coming up this weekend.

So, today was the day. I was scheduled for 10 miles with 4x1200 meters, 2 minute recoveries. I did a 4.75 warm-up, then was off. I decided not to look at my pace and just go by feel. 5:23; 5:12; 5:27; 5:18 (converts to the following paces per mile: 7:17; 7:02; 7:22; 7:10). Hmmm. Not very good.

Unfortunately I have arrived at the truth that I am just slow this season. I have a handful of reasons why this could be, but really am still somewhat perplexed. Yeah, I am sleeping a fair bit less, my nutrition could be better, yadda yadda yadda. I am still running pretty good miles and working hard.....Oh well.

I think I will probably go into Columbus with a range and just run it by feel. I would do HR, but I am just not really sure of where I should be, etc. and am afraid that would be worse that trying to go by pace. We'll see.

Weird fact - I was running this am and it was really dark, all of a sudden a ran past a bug zapper (remember those?) - it had gotten ahold of something and it really startled me. How funny. And how non-PC these days! :)

SLOW 5

I ran a 5 mile recovery run this morning very slow. Hip seems to be in check and all systems are a go. It was crazy though because it is staying darker later in the mornings. Fall has certainly fallen.

I am scheduled for a pretty big speed workout tomorrow morning. I may swap it out and do it Friday and make sure I recover from my double races.

I am in something of a quandry as I have NO idea what my goal race pace for Columbus should be. I do not have any more tune-up races and my races this weekend were slow. And I have been running ridiculously slow this season. I simply am slower. But then I think if I can get some good rest during these last 4 weeks, I may be in good shape. I don't know. I was initially thinking of a goal of 3:30, hopefully picking it up during the last 5. I may have to adjust that strategy up to 3:40. Bummer. We shall see how the next 2 weeks unfold.

I ordered a new computer last night and I have to say Dell customer service is way below average. I called to obtain help in selecting which type of laptop to get and the woman would not give me any assistance unless I gave her all of my contact info (name, address, phone, e-mail, fax). This was just ridiculous to me. I simply wanted some assistance and she had to set up a complete account first. When I finally said I would not give her my e-mail (because I don't want Dell to sell it and she could not say they wouldn't), she refused to talk to me any further. Boy was that annoying! Of course I spent an hour online researching and ended up buying a Dell anyway. D@mmit. Very things irritate me more than rude customer service.

Last 50 mile week in this training schedule

Despite my lack of blogging, this was a very interesting week for me. My hip pain subsided substantially. I can feel it slightly, but nothing hurts and it is clearly improving, albeit slowly. What can I expect when I continue to run through it?

Monday I rested and felt great.

Tuesday I was scheduled for 8 with 5x600 meters; 90 second rest. Well that didn't happen. Half way through my first interval, my hip flared up a bit. Not worth it, so I slowed way down and just logged the miles. Miles were also a bit short too because I wanted to make sure I had 10-15 minutes with the boys before the bus. SO - 6.19 miles, 9:31 pace.

Wednesday I was scheduled for 11. Ended up with 11.3 at 9:30 pace. I am sick of being slow, but I want that hip to get back to 100%. Slow feels best right now.

Thursday was a rest day and I greatly enjoyed sleeping in!

Friday I got up at 4:45 am for my run - this was a PR in earliest wake up call for a training run for me! I was scheduled for 12, but only logged 11.22 to make it back to spend some time with the kids - I knew I could easily make it up tomorrow. Pace: 8:59. Beautiful morning, nice run. Friday evening my five year old rammed right into me on his bike from behind. OUCH. Do not underestimate the power of an oblivious five year old on wheels! My right calf is still torn up!

Saturday I ran Race Judicata. It was at 11:00 am and it was HOT. Oh yeah, and the course was brutal. There was one section where the grade was so steep I literally felt like I was walking. I ran it more of a tempo run than a 5K because I knew I was racing Sunday. Ended up with a 22:28. The cool thing was I was the fastest lawyer there so I won a $50 gift card to a local running store - score! Plus it was fun to hang out with my racing buddies. I did a super slow 3.17 cooldown. Did I mention it was hot?

Sunday I was up for 15 miles with a 10K race. SO, I ran the Zoo Run Run. This is always a tough race for me as it is on a tough course and it starts relatively late, so temps can be a bit high. I logged a 3.8 warmup, then lined up to start. It was sunny, warm (75ish) and high humidity (85-90%). But I was excited and ready to go. My goal was to start no faster than 7:30s and try to increase as I went along. I stayed on or around 7:30s the entire race, except mile 3, which has a long hill - that mile was 7:52. The good news was that I passed a fair number of people that had slowed at the end - I was able to maintain pace (although it felt to me like I sped up). Ran the last .2 at a 6:45 pace and felt good finishing at 47:25. I was actually happy with it. Funny too because I finished the same race at 44:15 last year and was disappointed. Did a 5 mile cool down at a ridiculously slow pace (10:15ish). I placed in my AG, but they were not giving medals this year - only trophies to the top 3 in each gender.

Total: 50 miles and 2 races.

It was a fun week. I reflected some after today's race too how I probably should be disappointed with my time. But I'm not. In fact I feel so silly for being disappointed after so many really great runs last season. I am training hard and feeling good. I am proud to race and finish strong.

Oh yeah, and despite two races in a row (yes, I know that is probably stupid), my hip feels good! And even if stupid to run back to back races, it did wonders for me mentally and socially to get back out there!

One more hard week then it is taper time!

For now I am relaxing - off to buy a new computer this afternoon. I am sick of my ridiculously slow home computer.

A good end of the week

So typically I like to have a fun image for my post. I was thinking strength, women, etc. What I found was far from what I am and inspire to be, so this time, no image.

This week was plagued with hip pain. I ran a bit over 8 on Tuesday (very slow) and limped the rest of the day. Rested W, ran 9 on Thursday - same deal - slow and gimpish. :(

Ran 5 easy on Friday night, then 12 easy on Saturday. Sunday I was scheduled for 17 w/ 14 at MP. I got out there and after 2.65 hit MP - nope - radiating pain in the hip. OK - refocus. I figured I would run as hard as comfortably possible. Logged 14 at 8:44 pace - last mile at MP. Decided to add 3 to make it a "workout" and log 20. All in all, I am glad I did. I did not hit my critical workouts, but added a 20 miler and exceeded my miles. It was tough as the winds were 15-20 mph in many sections, but it was good. I am finally on the upswing with my cold and hip "issue"- good things.

Total: 54.4 (of 51 planned)

Run on and enjoy this fall weather if you are outside of hurricanes!

There is no crying in marathoning

Yeah, so I had my pity party and now I am done. Run or do not run, but there is no whining in running or it is no fun. Okay, and I will admit it is ridiculously annoying - sorry!

My schedule is challenging and getting the workouts in is tough. But, it is who I am and I love it so I will give it what I can. If I bag Columbus after 12.5 weeks of training, well, that just isn't going to happen lest I am in a wheel chair. Time to bury the bad attitude and regroup.

Unfortunately, running against those efforts (pun intended) is a persistently sore hip. I am on day 5 now. I bagged my speed work and just ran 9 easy this morning. It doesn't affect my gait or worsen when running, but I feel it. And post run it is sore - particularly after I get up from my desk after sitting for 4 hours. I have had this before though and think it is purely muscular. Hopefully it will not set me back too much.

So with all of that said, I have NO idea what my goal is for Columbus. Have fun - check. Run hard - check. Run smart - check! But, that leaves me in a range b/w 3:28ish to 3:35ish. Not sure. Hopefully I can hit a tune-up race one of these weekends!

A local running friend sent a link to our latest upcoming race - Race Judicata! It is put on by the law school and apparently very scantily participated in. Last year, my friend was clearly an outcast (i.e. a runner rather than a law student). So this year, he challenged several local runners to "fit in" - we get extra points (i.e. seconds off our time) for looking "non-runnerish" to fit in! Sounds fun! I'll keep you posted.

It has been funny as the days are getting shorter here and it is not light until well after 6:00 am, I have been reluctantly hitting the roads. You can't beat the break of dawn in early fall though. Priceless.

Send healing vibes for this crickity hip - I need them!! Thanks for all of the support as always!!



Last, but far from least, a moment to remember September 11 and all of its victims. We shall never forget to remember and to honor.

THIS close to scrapping Cbus

The good news...the boys are in school! My littlest one just started kindergarten. Too cool! The bad news....

It has been a tough couple of months. A lot going on in our families and life. Training has been going well overall, but it has been hard to fit into life. I was supposed to run a key 10K tune-up this weekend. Literally 2 minutes before I left, my husband and I realized our kids' soccer games, which were thankfully at the same time, were in 2 entirely different locations. No go. Despite perfect weather and a seemingly ready racer. :( Admittedly, it caused something of a rare breakdown on my part. Instead of logging my 10K with 5 miles w/u, c/d, I logged 7 total at a ridiculously slow pace. I couldn't do more as I had to lodge it in b/w the soccer game (which was actually very fun) and my cousin's wedding (which was a complete blast).

We had a rehearsal dinner Friday night and the wedding was Saturday. All in all, the wedding and reception were WAY fun, but not conducive to a decent long run. My 17 was cut short to 12 due to a very sore hip (think 2+ hours dancing in heels. 5 hours of sleep and a Phelps-worthy caloric intake of alcoholic beverages!!). So I ended up with 41.something miles this week instead of my scheduled 50. I am at a peak point of my training, but not quite getting there. Life, for a variety of reasons, has been extremely hectic. And it doesn't look like things will calm down soon. I have no problem slacking my way through a local race, but I'm not sure I can spend an entire weekend, 8+ hours of driving each way, etc. for a race I cannot hit my training for.

I am bummed. And unsure.

We'll see...I have my health (albeit a damn sore hip, great kids, an awesome husband and a good job). I can thrive even without a fall marathon.

Intervals

This morning I was scheduled for 8 miles with 5x600 meters at 5K pace; 90 seconds rest. I got up at 5:00 and was admittedly dragging a bit. I indulged in a good 10 hours of sleep on Sunday night, so 5:00 am came a little too quickly. But, alas, I got up and got out there. It was about 65 degrees and very humid. I started my warm-up and it felt harder than it should. BUT, my HR was nice and low so I nixed the self-doubt mental chatter as quickly as I could. After 4 miles, I hit the lap button and was off!

Splits (Time/Pace per mile):
2:37 / 7:05
2:34 / 6:57 (gradual incline - some route as for interval #5)
2:19 / 6:16 (gradual decline - opposite of last route!)
2:26 / 6:35 (this one included a STEEP hill)
2:37 / 7:05 (gradual incline for 75% of this lap)

All in all, I was quite pleased. My pacing wasn't great- but considering the changes in elevation, it really wasn't too shabby. My last splits for this same workout on almost the identical course were 7:05, 7:06, 6:27, 6:38, 7:01 on August 20 wherein temps were much more ideal. I will take it.

My training is far from earth-shattering, but I am starting to feel things come together, which is a welcome, welcome feeling!