Running with Chuck
Doesn't that sound like a title to a book? It does to me. Anyway, it is Friday so that means that I meet Chuck for a run. We have been meeting at 7 am but circumstances changed a bit so I met him at 8:15 this morning. On the schedule was fartleks.
My shins have started to feel tender, which I think is the beginning of shin splints. After describing it to Chuck, he agreed that it was the beginning of shin splints. I have been icing so he wants me to ice twice a day if possible. It is not full blown pain but it is tender..more so after I run.
Chuck also said in looking at the schedule that he had not factored in a rest run so instead of doing fartleks, we were going to do an easy 4 miles on the track. He also said he just realized that we still have more than 2 months left to the Half so we are going to not add more milage to our long run for a few weeks. He is considering doing just a very easy 6-7 miles this week rather than the 11-12 we were going to. Yay! Don't get me wrong, I would do the 11-12 but boy, that 6-7 sounds so nice.
I don't like track running, it is just repetitive and boring. Running the track with Chuck makes it go by a lot faster. We have all kinds of interesting conversations as we run.
This morning, some of the topics we covered were (not in this order): elite runners, garmins, interracial dating, the "newbies ruining marathons" article, stupid games that runners come up with, streetlights going out, a coaching conference he went to recently, the descrepency between how mens pants are sized vs how women's are sized, the History Channel, MSN on the internet, solo running and flogging (this was after we talked about the movie Passion of the Christ) Yeah, it is a big mix but when we talked, it really did have logical ways we went from one topic to another. You just never know what we are going to discuss. We spent a warm up run once talking about George and Martha Washington!
It was a nice, easy run today. We did 4.31 miles in 47:49. This means I averaged an 11:05 pace..how in the world did I do that? I thought we ran a very relaxed, easy pace. Wait, we did. That just means that I am getting a wee bit faster.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Something Found
You hear about the infamous "runner's high" when you are first running, you read up and find where people experience it but if you are like me, it is as impossible to find as the rare Western Jackalope. No matter how you search for it, you just have never seen one. You have to wonder if it really exists.
This evening, I had a 4 mile run up. I had unexpectedly spent the day in Nashville, complete with an unhappy 1 year old making that known at the top of his lungs for 30+ miles before conking out. When one of the kids gets in a mood, the others seem to feed off it and so by the time they were in bed, I was ready to reach for Calgon rather than my running stuff.
I found a set of blinking lights tonight so I clipped one to my ponytail. I had a nice green blinking light on my head, blinking yellow lights on my arms, reflective stuff on my shoes and a reflective belt. I do run in a well lit neighborhood but you can never be too careful. It was about 65F out, crisp but not too warm or cold. I did learn though and wore...no sleeves. I strapped on the Garmin and headed out the door, intending to go do my 4 miles and be done with it.
I slogged through the first 2 miles...nothing to write home about. I was running, I was out there, I was logging my miles.
At one point in my run, I come around the back of the elementary school where there is a big field next to an EMT station. Usually there are deer there but there were none there tonight. I am not sure what happened but that is when it happened. The run started to become magic.
I was not running faster, I was not doing anything different but something changed. I wasn't just running anymore, I wasn't just logging miles...I was running!
I was nearing the point in my route where I slow down because it is just past the half way mark, it is uphill and I am tired. Tonight, I just seemed to glide up the hill. I know by looking at my time, I really didn't glide though ;)
As I was coming down to my final mile, things were just so perfect tonight. It was a beautiful evening, the air was crisp, fresh and just a hint of coolness. The street was bathed in a gentle light from street lights and the stars were putting on a show, just for me, in the clear sky. The frogs and crickets were chirping and occasionally you could hear a baby cry or a dog bark. I could hear my breathing and my shoes hitting the pavement and that is when it hit me.
*This* was the infamous runners high! This is why people go out and run. The perfect feeling of being one with everything around you and just running. I wasn't running for miles, I wasn't running for time...I was running because that is what I wanted to do right then.
I could see a bobbing reflective stripe coming closer to me in the dim light. Another night runner came whizzing by me. A kindred soul, we shared a head nod, an uplifted hand, an almost breathless "Hey" and a look that said "I know why you are out here, that is why I am too." In a split second, he was gone and I was gone but for that split second, I knew him for what we both were right then: runners
The final quarter mile of my run, as I turned a corner, I could see my mailbox...my finish line. I lengthened my stride because I could! I had it in me to finish strong. No one is out there to see me do this, no one cares if I do but because I am able to do this, I do. I lengthened my stride and picked up speed for the final two elevation changes. I crested the last one and sped up for the sprint to the mailbox. Whee! I am done.
When I checked my time, I was not surprised to find it was not a signficant time (49:56). It was not a fast time, it was not a slow time...it was just a time. Tonight, my miles, my splits, my time...none of it mattered, I found my runner's high.
Isn't it great when things turn up in unexpected ways? I wish I had the words to really describe how this run was but it will have to do for me to say it was just an incredible run. It was the kind of run you wish you could bottle up and share with others so you could say "See? THIS is why I run!"
You hear about the infamous "runner's high" when you are first running, you read up and find where people experience it but if you are like me, it is as impossible to find as the rare Western Jackalope. No matter how you search for it, you just have never seen one. You have to wonder if it really exists.
This evening, I had a 4 mile run up. I had unexpectedly spent the day in Nashville, complete with an unhappy 1 year old making that known at the top of his lungs for 30+ miles before conking out. When one of the kids gets in a mood, the others seem to feed off it and so by the time they were in bed, I was ready to reach for Calgon rather than my running stuff.
I found a set of blinking lights tonight so I clipped one to my ponytail. I had a nice green blinking light on my head, blinking yellow lights on my arms, reflective stuff on my shoes and a reflective belt. I do run in a well lit neighborhood but you can never be too careful. It was about 65F out, crisp but not too warm or cold. I did learn though and wore...no sleeves. I strapped on the Garmin and headed out the door, intending to go do my 4 miles and be done with it.
I slogged through the first 2 miles...nothing to write home about. I was running, I was out there, I was logging my miles.
At one point in my run, I come around the back of the elementary school where there is a big field next to an EMT station. Usually there are deer there but there were none there tonight. I am not sure what happened but that is when it happened. The run started to become magic.
I was not running faster, I was not doing anything different but something changed. I wasn't just running anymore, I wasn't just logging miles...I was running!
I was nearing the point in my route where I slow down because it is just past the half way mark, it is uphill and I am tired. Tonight, I just seemed to glide up the hill. I know by looking at my time, I really didn't glide though ;)
As I was coming down to my final mile, things were just so perfect tonight. It was a beautiful evening, the air was crisp, fresh and just a hint of coolness. The street was bathed in a gentle light from street lights and the stars were putting on a show, just for me, in the clear sky. The frogs and crickets were chirping and occasionally you could hear a baby cry or a dog bark. I could hear my breathing and my shoes hitting the pavement and that is when it hit me.
*This* was the infamous runners high! This is why people go out and run. The perfect feeling of being one with everything around you and just running. I wasn't running for miles, I wasn't running for time...I was running because that is what I wanted to do right then.
I could see a bobbing reflective stripe coming closer to me in the dim light. Another night runner came whizzing by me. A kindred soul, we shared a head nod, an uplifted hand, an almost breathless "Hey" and a look that said "I know why you are out here, that is why I am too." In a split second, he was gone and I was gone but for that split second, I knew him for what we both were right then: runners
The final quarter mile of my run, as I turned a corner, I could see my mailbox...my finish line. I lengthened my stride because I could! I had it in me to finish strong. No one is out there to see me do this, no one cares if I do but because I am able to do this, I do. I lengthened my stride and picked up speed for the final two elevation changes. I crested the last one and sped up for the sprint to the mailbox. Whee! I am done.
When I checked my time, I was not surprised to find it was not a signficant time (49:56). It was not a fast time, it was not a slow time...it was just a time. Tonight, my miles, my splits, my time...none of it mattered, I found my runner's high.
Isn't it great when things turn up in unexpected ways? I wish I had the words to really describe how this run was but it will have to do for me to say it was just an incredible run. It was the kind of run you wish you could bottle up and share with others so you could say "See? THIS is why I run!"
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Sleeves
Today was my long, slow run. If you recall, I got a pretty spiffy blister last week during my 10 mile run. I was hopeful that changing shoes would mean no repeat. I thought it maybe would work since I ran all week with no repeats.
Ha! My hopes were dashed early in the run when I could feel the squish start. Not only did I blister on the blister, it spread too. I am going to try some thicker socks to see if that will help. For now, I am just squishing around with a blister.
Since the GarminForerunner 201 made its way to the house, it was only right that I take it along on the run this morning. It is pretty nifty too!
When I got out at the parking lot, the first thing Brittany said to me was: What is with the sleeves? Obviously, my preference for no sleeves has become well know. It was supposed to be overcast so I wore my Clarksville Running Club shirt. Naturally, it decided to NOT be overcast and I ended up running in a hot shirt and got a sunburn as well.
We pretty much duplicated our route from last week but went an additional half mile for a total of 11 miles. The Garmin showed that the milage from last week was off by .05 miles....which is not too bad and certainly not going back to change markings for.
The run out was not too bad. Chuck and Lucas stayed with us for the first mile and then took off since they were going to 15. Brittany came back and ran with me until about the 6 mile mark.
As we got to the turn around, we came upon what we thought was a log next to the road. It turned out to be an injured barn owl...sitting next to the road in full sunlight. It just looked at us so I marked the milage on the Garmin in my head so I could phone the game warden when we got back to phones.
It was pretty darn hot on the way back. We were running right into the sun and while it was a moderate temperature (62F), I still got a sunburn on my face.
I tried a different Luna bar, the Peppermint Chocolate, and it was not too bad. During the run, I downed some Clif Bloks and then tried Carbboom. Good grief, that stuff is SWEET! I don't know it did any good but I can see why you have to chase it with water...to get the sugar feel out of your mouth.
11:51 - 1m
12:09 - 2m
11:56 - 3m
11:46 - 4m
12:45 - 5m
13:11 - 6m
15:26 - 7m hills...sun..hot!
13:01 - 8m
13:14 - 9m
13:22 - 10m
12:03 - 11m
.34 - 320.5 ft
Total run time: 2:21:28
Total milage: 11.06
Today was my long, slow run. If you recall, I got a pretty spiffy blister last week during my 10 mile run. I was hopeful that changing shoes would mean no repeat. I thought it maybe would work since I ran all week with no repeats.
Ha! My hopes were dashed early in the run when I could feel the squish start. Not only did I blister on the blister, it spread too. I am going to try some thicker socks to see if that will help. For now, I am just squishing around with a blister.
Since the GarminForerunner 201 made its way to the house, it was only right that I take it along on the run this morning. It is pretty nifty too!
When I got out at the parking lot, the first thing Brittany said to me was: What is with the sleeves? Obviously, my preference for no sleeves has become well know. It was supposed to be overcast so I wore my Clarksville Running Club shirt. Naturally, it decided to NOT be overcast and I ended up running in a hot shirt and got a sunburn as well.
We pretty much duplicated our route from last week but went an additional half mile for a total of 11 miles. The Garmin showed that the milage from last week was off by .05 miles....which is not too bad and certainly not going back to change markings for.
The run out was not too bad. Chuck and Lucas stayed with us for the first mile and then took off since they were going to 15. Brittany came back and ran with me until about the 6 mile mark.
As we got to the turn around, we came upon what we thought was a log next to the road. It turned out to be an injured barn owl...sitting next to the road in full sunlight. It just looked at us so I marked the milage on the Garmin in my head so I could phone the game warden when we got back to phones.
It was pretty darn hot on the way back. We were running right into the sun and while it was a moderate temperature (62F), I still got a sunburn on my face.
I tried a different Luna bar, the Peppermint Chocolate, and it was not too bad. During the run, I downed some Clif Bloks and then tried Carbboom. Good grief, that stuff is SWEET! I don't know it did any good but I can see why you have to chase it with water...to get the sugar feel out of your mouth.
11:51 - 1m
12:09 - 2m
11:56 - 3m
11:46 - 4m
12:45 - 5m
13:11 - 6m
15:26 - 7m hills...sun..hot!
13:01 - 8m
13:14 - 9m
13:22 - 10m
12:03 - 11m
.34 - 320.5 ft
Total run time: 2:21:28
Total milage: 11.06
Friday, September 22, 2006
4:39
Naw, that is not the current time and I didn't manage to run a half mile in that time. So, why is that significant?
My alarm went off entirely too early this morning but I dragged myself out of bed. I looked at the temperature, it was 60F, and debated my R3 shirt, with sleeves, or a sleeveless shirt. I ended up deciding to wear my R3 shirt.
Opening the garage door, I was greeted by dark skies and rain. Since the weather can be vastly different between my house and the fairgrounds, I went down there. When I got there, you could see it had rained but it was not currently raining...just a bit windy.
Chuck showed up and since he is all about a warm up, we did 1.15 mile warm up (11:04)
Based on my last 5K time, he wanted me to run 4 miles at about an 11:20-11:40 pace. Since it was windy, he said as long as I was under 12:00, it was good. The fairgrounds is a large sorta oval shaped loop that we run. Chuck ran the first mile with me, to make sure I was okay with my pace and then he did his own workout, meeting me at each mile marker to give encouragement, my time and tell me to either pick it up a bit or not to push it. The he would shoot off until my next mile came up.
Right after I went pass the 2 mile mark, the skies opened up. I don't mind running in rain, much, and I much prefer that if I am going to run in the rain that it starts to rain AFTER I start. It is just tough to go out and begin a run while it is already raining.
Remember my shirt quandary earlier? Oh, how I regret not wearing my other shirt. The R3 shirt is a wicking shirt but it is white. That meant that the second it got wet, it became see through. Now, I am not a bikini model and normally, you would never catch me wearing something that revealing in public but there was no option this morning. I know, no one is going to see anything they have not seen before but still...not something that I feel comfortable sharing with the world. Good thing the fairgrounds were pretty well empty this morning.
My overall run time for my 4 miles was 43:28....4:39 OFF my previous best 4 mile time!!
1 mile - 10:46
2 mile - 10:55
3 mile - 11:15
4 mile - 10:32
After a short walk, we did a very easy half mile back to where we were parked. (6:23)
I am not going to be able to make our Friday morning runs after today so Chuck was nice enough to rearrange his schedule so we can run on Thursday evenings instead.
Sunday, I think we are doing 11 miles. Since my Reeboks gave me a blister, I am going to do my long run this week in my New Balance. We shall see if that helps.
Oh, I got a new toy in the mail too! My friend Andrea, who lives in San Antonio, sent me her Garmin 201. She upgraded to a different model. This is one nifty device and she only used it a few times. I hope to have it figured out so I can try it out on Sunday for my long run.
You will have noticed a slightly different look to the blog. I added a countdown to the St Jude's Half, added some running related blogs I read and changed a few links (took out some dead ones as well) I added my milage for the year as well.
Naw, that is not the current time and I didn't manage to run a half mile in that time. So, why is that significant?
My alarm went off entirely too early this morning but I dragged myself out of bed. I looked at the temperature, it was 60F, and debated my R3 shirt, with sleeves, or a sleeveless shirt. I ended up deciding to wear my R3 shirt.
Opening the garage door, I was greeted by dark skies and rain. Since the weather can be vastly different between my house and the fairgrounds, I went down there. When I got there, you could see it had rained but it was not currently raining...just a bit windy.
Chuck showed up and since he is all about a warm up, we did 1.15 mile warm up (11:04)
Based on my last 5K time, he wanted me to run 4 miles at about an 11:20-11:40 pace. Since it was windy, he said as long as I was under 12:00, it was good. The fairgrounds is a large sorta oval shaped loop that we run. Chuck ran the first mile with me, to make sure I was okay with my pace and then he did his own workout, meeting me at each mile marker to give encouragement, my time and tell me to either pick it up a bit or not to push it. The he would shoot off until my next mile came up.
Right after I went pass the 2 mile mark, the skies opened up. I don't mind running in rain, much, and I much prefer that if I am going to run in the rain that it starts to rain AFTER I start. It is just tough to go out and begin a run while it is already raining.
Remember my shirt quandary earlier? Oh, how I regret not wearing my other shirt. The R3 shirt is a wicking shirt but it is white. That meant that the second it got wet, it became see through. Now, I am not a bikini model and normally, you would never catch me wearing something that revealing in public but there was no option this morning. I know, no one is going to see anything they have not seen before but still...not something that I feel comfortable sharing with the world. Good thing the fairgrounds were pretty well empty this morning.
My overall run time for my 4 miles was 43:28....4:39 OFF my previous best 4 mile time!!
1 mile - 10:46
2 mile - 10:55
3 mile - 11:15
4 mile - 10:32
After a short walk, we did a very easy half mile back to where we were parked. (6:23)
I am not going to be able to make our Friday morning runs after today so Chuck was nice enough to rearrange his schedule so we can run on Thursday evenings instead.
Sunday, I think we are doing 11 miles. Since my Reeboks gave me a blister, I am going to do my long run this week in my New Balance. We shall see if that helps.
Oh, I got a new toy in the mail too! My friend Andrea, who lives in San Antonio, sent me her Garmin 201. She upgraded to a different model. This is one nifty device and she only used it a few times. I hope to have it figured out so I can try it out on Sunday for my long run.
You will have noticed a slightly different look to the blog. I added a countdown to the St Jude's Half, added some running related blogs I read and changed a few links (took out some dead ones as well) I added my milage for the year as well.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Geeky Detail
There is a really nifty site out there, RunningAHEAD that allows you to map your run and you can even see the elevation changes. Cool...so, here is the elevation changes on my 10 mile run.
Now, it is deceptive looking because that makes it look like I ran on a roller coaster road. While you can see the hills, it is all gently rolling hills except between mile 4 and 6. Even then, it is only tough from 4.5 mile to 5 miles and then from 5.5 miles to 6 miles. The rest of the time, you are aware of these changes but it is not really significant to your run.
I put some body glide on my foot, where a blister had developed on my long run. I did 4 miles this morning with no problems. Normally, when I run by myself, I listen to my mp3 player. I didn't this morning and I think my run went faster. Of course, that could be because it was below 60F and beautiful weather. My run time was 49:55
Vic, who wrote a fantastic blog about Perspective (I recommend you go read it, September 19 and mark his blog, I read it daily), asked in my comment section how I keep track of my splits. Here is what I said:
I have a Garmin 205 in the mail on it's way to me but I just use a regular ole Timex watch. It is an Ironman version with a 30 lap function. Anytime I record splits, it is because I am running somewhere that the course is marked. I just hit the lap button when I pass a marker. If no markers, I just have my total time recorded.
This week, I am alernating between 4 and 5 mile runs. Chuck wants me at the fairgrounds on Friday so we can do a 4 mile time trial. We do them at the fairgrounds because it is level, where the downtown running route is hilly.
There is a really nifty site out there, RunningAHEAD that allows you to map your run and you can even see the elevation changes. Cool...so, here is the elevation changes on my 10 mile run.
Now, it is deceptive looking because that makes it look like I ran on a roller coaster road. While you can see the hills, it is all gently rolling hills except between mile 4 and 6. Even then, it is only tough from 4.5 mile to 5 miles and then from 5.5 miles to 6 miles. The rest of the time, you are aware of these changes but it is not really significant to your run.
I put some body glide on my foot, where a blister had developed on my long run. I did 4 miles this morning with no problems. Normally, when I run by myself, I listen to my mp3 player. I didn't this morning and I think my run went faster. Of course, that could be because it was below 60F and beautiful weather. My run time was 49:55
Vic, who wrote a fantastic blog about Perspective (I recommend you go read it, September 19 and mark his blog, I read it daily), asked in my comment section how I keep track of my splits. Here is what I said:
I have a Garmin 205 in the mail on it's way to me but I just use a regular ole Timex watch. It is an Ironman version with a 30 lap function. Anytime I record splits, it is because I am running somewhere that the course is marked. I just hit the lap button when I pass a marker. If no markers, I just have my total time recorded.
This week, I am alernating between 4 and 5 mile runs. Chuck wants me at the fairgrounds on Friday so we can do a 4 mile time trial. We do them at the fairgrounds because it is level, where the downtown running route is hilly.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Double Digits and a Blister
Today I joined the double digit club...we went for a 10 mile run for our long, slow day. It was a gorgeous day out, just over 60F, sunny and beautiful.
Chuck had a coaching seminar today so we were on our own. Jim had emailed he would be out in the back 40 so I said I would come out. Brittany and Samantha also planned to be there. When I got down there, Anita was also there so 5 of us planned to run 10 miles.
Brittany drove out on the course before we started and put some water at the 2.5 mile and the 5 mile mark.
We were out running on the back 40 of Ft Campbell. It is just the training area for the Army units, there are paintball ranges and today was also the first day of some kind of deer hunting season. Great! I wore pink and we were running on the road so it was okay.
The course we ran was a 5 mile out and back. Since it is in Tennessee, it is rolling hills. Since it is the back 40, there are large shady areas and equally large sunny areas. The course was not too bad until we got just past the 4.5 mile mark...then there was the butt kicking hill, the top of the hill was the 5 mile mark.
We stopped for some water for a moment. I brought some Clif Blocks and tried them out, they are like a concentrated gummy bear in square form. I tried the strawberry, they were nothing to write home about.
Going back, at the 5.5 mile mark was the second butt kicking hill. It was not as steep or long as the other one but still, a workout at that point in our run.
The last maybe 1.5 miles of the run went really well. We started to go downhill, we got a breeze and we had a lovely shaded area to finish the run in.
About half a mile from the finish, I told Jim that I had something in my shoe. I could feel something under the pad of my foot...like lint or something collected there. Since we were close enough to the finish, I just ignored it and kept running. After I got home, when I took my sock off I discovered it was not lint or anything in my shoe but a blister! I have never gotten a blister from running. I was wearing cool max socks, my shoes were properly fitted so I am not sure why I got one. In any event, it is not painful, it just feels weird.
Total run time - 2:01:26 (12:09 pace)
1 mile -11:17
2 mile-12:06
3 mile-12:11
4 mile-11:45
5 mile-13:02 (here be the butt kicking hill!)
6 mile-12:35
7 mile-12:13
8 mile-12:47
9 mile-12:33
10 mile-10:54
Today I joined the double digit club...we went for a 10 mile run for our long, slow day. It was a gorgeous day out, just over 60F, sunny and beautiful.
Chuck had a coaching seminar today so we were on our own. Jim had emailed he would be out in the back 40 so I said I would come out. Brittany and Samantha also planned to be there. When I got down there, Anita was also there so 5 of us planned to run 10 miles.
Brittany drove out on the course before we started and put some water at the 2.5 mile and the 5 mile mark.
We were out running on the back 40 of Ft Campbell. It is just the training area for the Army units, there are paintball ranges and today was also the first day of some kind of deer hunting season. Great! I wore pink and we were running on the road so it was okay.
The course we ran was a 5 mile out and back. Since it is in Tennessee, it is rolling hills. Since it is the back 40, there are large shady areas and equally large sunny areas. The course was not too bad until we got just past the 4.5 mile mark...then there was the butt kicking hill, the top of the hill was the 5 mile mark.
We stopped for some water for a moment. I brought some Clif Blocks and tried them out, they are like a concentrated gummy bear in square form. I tried the strawberry, they were nothing to write home about.
Going back, at the 5.5 mile mark was the second butt kicking hill. It was not as steep or long as the other one but still, a workout at that point in our run.
The last maybe 1.5 miles of the run went really well. We started to go downhill, we got a breeze and we had a lovely shaded area to finish the run in.
About half a mile from the finish, I told Jim that I had something in my shoe. I could feel something under the pad of my foot...like lint or something collected there. Since we were close enough to the finish, I just ignored it and kept running. After I got home, when I took my sock off I discovered it was not lint or anything in my shoe but a blister! I have never gotten a blister from running. I was wearing cool max socks, my shoes were properly fitted so I am not sure why I got one. In any event, it is not painful, it just feels weird.
Total run time - 2:01:26 (12:09 pace)
1 mile -11:17
2 mile-12:06
3 mile-12:11
4 mile-11:45
5 mile-13:02 (here be the butt kicking hill!)
6 mile-12:35
7 mile-12:13
8 mile-12:47
9 mile-12:33
10 mile-10:54
Friday, September 15, 2006
Ladders
I woke up bright and early to meet Chuck down at APSU for our regular friday morning run. On the schedule for today was a mile warm up, 3 x 1 mile intervals, 1 mile cool down.
Chuck has too much time on his hands. He must lay awake at night, thinking of ways to make us work since he decided to change the schedule so that we were doing ladders today.
Since I had no clue what ladders were, other than a household item used to replace lightbulbs, I was not sure exactly what we would be doing but based on his grin, he was going to have fun with me.
We did an easy mile warm up through the foggy campus and then a lap around the track for a time of 12:10.
Chuck explained that ladders were just progressive distances, each one bit longer to a certain distnance and then a reverse back down to the starting point. It is not nearly as complicated as it sounds. We would run 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m and 800m.
Now, based on last time we did intervals, I knew better than to say anything when Chuck told me what time he wanted me to run 800 meters in. My eyebrows did shoot up but I refrained from comment. Obviously Chuck saw the eyebrows though.
Once again, I shot out way too fast (really gotta work on that) so was having a problem breathing before a lap was finished. I did manage to slow down and catch my breath so I could run at a fairly comfortable pace. As we passed the start line, I heard Chuck give a snort and look over at me, smiling. I just told him to hush...I was well under the time he asked for.
After each rung of the ladder, we would walk about 400 meters to give me a break and get ready for the next set.
800 meters (.5 miles) - 4:25 - 8:53 pace!!
1200 meters (.75 miles) - 7:32 - 10:06 pace
1600 meters (1 mile) - 10:10 - 10:10 pace..duh :)
1200 meters (.75 miles) - 7:41 - 10:18 pace
800 meters (.5 miles) 4:45 - 9:33 pace
800 meter (.5 miles) cool down - 5:30 - 11:00 pace
Now, before the end of this workout, an 11:00 pace would have felt blazing fast to me. Our cool down lap felt really, really slow and comfortable to me.
It was a really good work out. I can see where it will benefit me. I really need to feel my pace so that during a race, I can tell when I am going too fast and need to slow down. Right now, I can't maintain these paces but I will get there. He did say that I am very consistant once I find my pace, I was under his target each time.
Tomorrow is a rest day and then on Sunday we are doing a 10 mile long run out on the back fourty. Jim, Samantha and Brittany should be there as well.
I woke up bright and early to meet Chuck down at APSU for our regular friday morning run. On the schedule for today was a mile warm up, 3 x 1 mile intervals, 1 mile cool down.
Chuck has too much time on his hands. He must lay awake at night, thinking of ways to make us work since he decided to change the schedule so that we were doing ladders today.
Since I had no clue what ladders were, other than a household item used to replace lightbulbs, I was not sure exactly what we would be doing but based on his grin, he was going to have fun with me.
We did an easy mile warm up through the foggy campus and then a lap around the track for a time of 12:10.
Chuck explained that ladders were just progressive distances, each one bit longer to a certain distnance and then a reverse back down to the starting point. It is not nearly as complicated as it sounds. We would run 800m, 1200m, 1600m, 1200m and 800m.
Now, based on last time we did intervals, I knew better than to say anything when Chuck told me what time he wanted me to run 800 meters in. My eyebrows did shoot up but I refrained from comment. Obviously Chuck saw the eyebrows though.
Once again, I shot out way too fast (really gotta work on that) so was having a problem breathing before a lap was finished. I did manage to slow down and catch my breath so I could run at a fairly comfortable pace. As we passed the start line, I heard Chuck give a snort and look over at me, smiling. I just told him to hush...I was well under the time he asked for.
After each rung of the ladder, we would walk about 400 meters to give me a break and get ready for the next set.
800 meters (.5 miles) - 4:25 - 8:53 pace!!
1200 meters (.75 miles) - 7:32 - 10:06 pace
1600 meters (1 mile) - 10:10 - 10:10 pace..duh :)
1200 meters (.75 miles) - 7:41 - 10:18 pace
800 meters (.5 miles) 4:45 - 9:33 pace
800 meter (.5 miles) cool down - 5:30 - 11:00 pace
Now, before the end of this workout, an 11:00 pace would have felt blazing fast to me. Our cool down lap felt really, really slow and comfortable to me.
It was a really good work out. I can see where it will benefit me. I really need to feel my pace so that during a race, I can tell when I am going too fast and need to slow down. Right now, I can't maintain these paces but I will get there. He did say that I am very consistant once I find my pace, I was under his target each time.
Tomorrow is a rest day and then on Sunday we are doing a 10 mile long run out on the back fourty. Jim, Samantha and Brittany should be there as well.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Inspired and an Inspiration
Funny, I never really thought that I would ever be both inspired and used to inspire someone else in the same day.
Since I will be camping out at the Nashville Zoo this evening with 23 Cub Scouts and family, I will not be making my long, slow run tomorrow out in the back 40.
My neighborhood is good for maybe up to a 7 mile route....if I really, really get creative and do some massive zig zagging to avoid running on two major hills and in front of my house before I am finished. I didn't want to run down the Barkers Mill/Chapel Hill route because as I have said before, I really dislike it.
I did attempt to bribe a kid to ride with me down Barkers Mill (where I would go down Carter Road rather than all the way down Chapel Hill) but every one of them backed out when I mentioned I wanted to go at 7 am. I don't like the idea of running on isolated country roads alone, no matter how safe I think it is. I also didn't want to drive to the fairgrounds and run solo. As I was pondering this sad state of my running route last night, I got an email from Candi. She wanted to run this morning. Yay! That means I will not be solo.
I was down at the fairgrounds about 7 am and I brought my mp3 player...just in case Candi was not there. As it turned out, she didn't make it but Samantha was there so my mp3 player stayed in my van.
We decided to duplicate our route from last week...run to the 4 mile mark and then turn and do the 4 miles backwards so we finish at the start line.
It was a bit warmer than last week and I was still a bit sore from the running I had done during the week. Samantha has been working nights (she is a nurse) and had not been running in a few days so we wanted to take it easy. Famous last words...we always want to take it easy!
We were just past 4 miles when we saw Grant and Michelle pull up. We had totally forgot that today was the day for the new Couch to 5K group to begin. As we passed by, Grant told us to stop by and say hello so he could introduce us. When we lapped by again, he asked us to stop.
Now, this was almost 5 miles into the run and neither of us really wanted to break our momentum by stopping but since Grant was our coach/trainer/running buddy...of course we did. He introduced us to the new group, said we had been in the spring group, asked us how far we were running today and then asked if we would say something. Nothing like being put on the spot! Sam and I looked at one another and kinda shrugged.
We just said that we were in the same boat in February, if we had been told we would be runnning 8 miles, we would have laughed. We also said that they would improve and to stick with it.
We only stopped for a few minutes and then we continued our run. It was kinda fun to be out on the 10K course with the new group because we could so relate to them. We also had to laugh (quietly, at ourselves) at how we had been so sure Grant was making us run longer and further than the schedule called for. When we first started, those 90 seconds of running seemed to go on forever.
We got to the 8 mile mark and decided we were just not feeling the nine miles today. We did grab our water and do a half mile cool down walk.
1 mile - 11:35
2 mile - 12:35
3 mile - 12:35
4 mile - 12:16
5 mile - 12:14
6 mile - 12:38 (this was the lap we stopped to talk, we just stopped our time and restarted)
7 mile - 12:59
8 mile - 12:05
Total running time: 1:38:57
Pace: 12:22
I was darn happy since for the last two days, I have been running closer to a 13:30 mile. Incredible how having someone there will just give you that added oomph to go.
Funny, I never really thought that I would ever be both inspired and used to inspire someone else in the same day.
Since I will be camping out at the Nashville Zoo this evening with 23 Cub Scouts and family, I will not be making my long, slow run tomorrow out in the back 40.
My neighborhood is good for maybe up to a 7 mile route....if I really, really get creative and do some massive zig zagging to avoid running on two major hills and in front of my house before I am finished. I didn't want to run down the Barkers Mill/Chapel Hill route because as I have said before, I really dislike it.
I did attempt to bribe a kid to ride with me down Barkers Mill (where I would go down Carter Road rather than all the way down Chapel Hill) but every one of them backed out when I mentioned I wanted to go at 7 am. I don't like the idea of running on isolated country roads alone, no matter how safe I think it is. I also didn't want to drive to the fairgrounds and run solo. As I was pondering this sad state of my running route last night, I got an email from Candi. She wanted to run this morning. Yay! That means I will not be solo.
I was down at the fairgrounds about 7 am and I brought my mp3 player...just in case Candi was not there. As it turned out, she didn't make it but Samantha was there so my mp3 player stayed in my van.
We decided to duplicate our route from last week...run to the 4 mile mark and then turn and do the 4 miles backwards so we finish at the start line.
It was a bit warmer than last week and I was still a bit sore from the running I had done during the week. Samantha has been working nights (she is a nurse) and had not been running in a few days so we wanted to take it easy. Famous last words...we always want to take it easy!
We were just past 4 miles when we saw Grant and Michelle pull up. We had totally forgot that today was the day for the new Couch to 5K group to begin. As we passed by, Grant told us to stop by and say hello so he could introduce us. When we lapped by again, he asked us to stop.
Now, this was almost 5 miles into the run and neither of us really wanted to break our momentum by stopping but since Grant was our coach/trainer/running buddy...of course we did. He introduced us to the new group, said we had been in the spring group, asked us how far we were running today and then asked if we would say something. Nothing like being put on the spot! Sam and I looked at one another and kinda shrugged.
We just said that we were in the same boat in February, if we had been told we would be runnning 8 miles, we would have laughed. We also said that they would improve and to stick with it.
We only stopped for a few minutes and then we continued our run. It was kinda fun to be out on the 10K course with the new group because we could so relate to them. We also had to laugh (quietly, at ourselves) at how we had been so sure Grant was making us run longer and further than the schedule called for. When we first started, those 90 seconds of running seemed to go on forever.
We got to the 8 mile mark and decided we were just not feeling the nine miles today. We did grab our water and do a half mile cool down walk.
1 mile - 11:35
2 mile - 12:35
3 mile - 12:35
4 mile - 12:16
5 mile - 12:14
6 mile - 12:38 (this was the lap we stopped to talk, we just stopped our time and restarted)
7 mile - 12:59
8 mile - 12:05
Total running time: 1:38:57
Pace: 12:22
I was darn happy since for the last two days, I have been running closer to a 13:30 mile. Incredible how having someone there will just give you that added oomph to go.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Miles and Miles
How insane is this? In just 7 days, I have run more than half of what I ran the entire month of July. That just blows me away since I thought I was putting in some serious milage then.
Yesterday, I so did not want to go out and run. I knew I would have to run solo so I brought along my mp3 player. Before anyone lectures about safety, I not only keep the volume down at 6 (normally I listen at about 20) I also offset one of the earpieces so I can not only hear the music but I also have at least one ear totally unblocked by anything. I can hear grass rustling so I can certainly hear cars, bikers, dogs and the ice cream truck.
After my last 5 mile run in the neighborhood, I decided to change routes. I originally was out on a major road, which is paved. The only thing I did not factor in was road work had the shoulder down to a narrow little strip. It *looks* fine but after running it and then looking at it from a drivers point of view, I decided it was not nearly wide enough. I redid my route to avoid that road and it worked out fine.
My legs were still pretty sore from the hill workout so I knew I would be slower. I also know my body is adjusting to the increased milage so I am going to be slower. Doesn't mean I have to like it but I do realize I will adjust and my speed (ha!) will return. I finished my 5 miles at a 13:28 pace....not too awful.
This morning, the thought of doing it again had me vowing to never run again. Not a good sign so I just didn't even think about it and waited. Actually, it turned out better that I waited until the evening to run since it was significantly cooler.
This evening, I managed to convince two kids to ride along with me on bikes. (Again, I am safety girl. We all wear reflective belts and have blinking lights on..in addition to the reflectors on the bikes) The 13 year old peeled off just shy of 4 miles to head home while the 9 year old stayed with me.
This run felt so much better than yesterday and I am not just talking the difference in temperature. My legs still hurt but the run just seemed to go faster and seemed to flow better. My time was just under 3 minutes faster so really, I would not count it as a *better* workout as far as time goes but for overall feel...a much better workout. My pace this evening was 13:05
I normally eat Clif bars before longer runs or early morning runs, I am partial to the chocolate chip kind. I have to hide them from my 12 year old, he swipes them. I went to get them and saw Luna bars right near them. They had some interesting flavors, including a lemon. I am such a sucker for lemon that I decided to try it. I also got a chocolate peppermint to try.
Since I have always heard horror stories of energy bars wrecking havoc on people, I test these out before I try them on runs. I don't want a bad reaction while out on a run. No, thanks!
I decided to try the Lemon Zest one first. They are awful!! Even the yummy lemon flavor can't hide the fact that they are foul. I am so disappointed in them because they have some really nifty flavors. I can't believe that they are made by the same company as my beloved Clif Bars. After looking at the Clif bar website, I see I need to find a place that sells the Lemon Poppyseed and the Cool Mint Chocolate kind. Ooohhh...they have seasonal flavors too!
Tomorrow I have up an 8-9 mile run, we will see how I feel at 8 miles. I will be shunning the Luna bar though and sticking with Clif in the morning.
How insane is this? In just 7 days, I have run more than half of what I ran the entire month of July. That just blows me away since I thought I was putting in some serious milage then.
Yesterday, I so did not want to go out and run. I knew I would have to run solo so I brought along my mp3 player. Before anyone lectures about safety, I not only keep the volume down at 6 (normally I listen at about 20) I also offset one of the earpieces so I can not only hear the music but I also have at least one ear totally unblocked by anything. I can hear grass rustling so I can certainly hear cars, bikers, dogs and the ice cream truck.
After my last 5 mile run in the neighborhood, I decided to change routes. I originally was out on a major road, which is paved. The only thing I did not factor in was road work had the shoulder down to a narrow little strip. It *looks* fine but after running it and then looking at it from a drivers point of view, I decided it was not nearly wide enough. I redid my route to avoid that road and it worked out fine.
My legs were still pretty sore from the hill workout so I knew I would be slower. I also know my body is adjusting to the increased milage so I am going to be slower. Doesn't mean I have to like it but I do realize I will adjust and my speed (ha!) will return. I finished my 5 miles at a 13:28 pace....not too awful.
This morning, the thought of doing it again had me vowing to never run again. Not a good sign so I just didn't even think about it and waited. Actually, it turned out better that I waited until the evening to run since it was significantly cooler.
This evening, I managed to convince two kids to ride along with me on bikes. (Again, I am safety girl. We all wear reflective belts and have blinking lights on..in addition to the reflectors on the bikes) The 13 year old peeled off just shy of 4 miles to head home while the 9 year old stayed with me.
This run felt so much better than yesterday and I am not just talking the difference in temperature. My legs still hurt but the run just seemed to go faster and seemed to flow better. My time was just under 3 minutes faster so really, I would not count it as a *better* workout as far as time goes but for overall feel...a much better workout. My pace this evening was 13:05
I normally eat Clif bars before longer runs or early morning runs, I am partial to the chocolate chip kind. I have to hide them from my 12 year old, he swipes them. I went to get them and saw Luna bars right near them. They had some interesting flavors, including a lemon. I am such a sucker for lemon that I decided to try it. I also got a chocolate peppermint to try.
Since I have always heard horror stories of energy bars wrecking havoc on people, I test these out before I try them on runs. I don't want a bad reaction while out on a run. No, thanks!
I decided to try the Lemon Zest one first. They are awful!! Even the yummy lemon flavor can't hide the fact that they are foul. I am so disappointed in them because they have some really nifty flavors. I can't believe that they are made by the same company as my beloved Clif Bars. After looking at the Clif bar website, I see I need to find a place that sells the Lemon Poppyseed and the Cool Mint Chocolate kind. Ooohhh...they have seasonal flavors too! Tomorrow I have up an 8-9 mile run, we will see how I feel at 8 miles. I will be shunning the Luna bar though and sticking with Clif in the morning.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Its Always Hard
Last night, I was running through my neighborhood and my 9 year old was on her bike. I was rounding a corner to go up a short hill so it is not that surprising that I slowed down. She turned and asked me...
"When was running 4 miles hard for you?"
I was running 4 miles last night but it made me wonder what has changed to make her think it is any easier for me to run 4 miles now as opposed to several months ago. I did answer her, honestly.
"Honey, running 4 miles is always hard for me. Running 2 miles is hard. Running is hard. Just some days, it is harder than others."
I thought about that since my last 3 mile run was much harder to complete than my 8 mile run was. You would think it should be the other way around.
Today was the dreaded hill work out. I don't like hills, they make me work harder than I want to. Since I live in Tennessee, it is nearly impossible to avoid hills. Even my "easy" neighborhood route has hills. These neighborhood hills pale in comaparion to ....Commerce Street.
We met at APSU and jogged over to Commerce Street. Of course, we had to go UP some hills to get over there and I freely admit it...I walked the hill. I knew I was going to every bit of everything I had to do Commerce Street.
As we were standing on the corner of Riverside and Commerce, looking up (and up and up), I knew that Chuck had lost his mind. The route we were doing is about 1/3 of a mile. We would run up Commerce to 2nd street, turn right up the hill and continue to the top of Madison Street. Sounds easy, right? Yeah. Let me see you run it.
Chuck and Lucas took off like the show off gazelle's that they are (I am teasing, I like Chuck and Lucas and they are great to work with). Brittany started with me but before we were half way up the hill, she pulled ahead. She would always turn at the top of Madison and come back down to meet me and go the final push up to the top of the hill.
up 1- 4.25/ down 4.15
up 2 - 4.39/ down 4.27
up 3 - 4.47/ down 4.19
up 4 - 4.46/ down 4.47
up 5 - 4.52 1
Chuck was willing to let 4 be our workout tonight but Brittany and I said we could do another run up. After we finished, we did a very easy 1 mile back to where the cars were parked.
My legs are like jello. On the way back, we were crossing a busy road and the light was about to change. I sprinted (or attempted to) a short distance to beat the light. It was then my legs decided to get my attention, the tops of my thighs specifically. "Uhm hello, what in the world do you think you are doing? Stop it!"
I know I am going to be sore some but I have a few days off before I go back out for a run. For all that I felt like I wanted to keel over, it was a good work out.
Last night, I was running through my neighborhood and my 9 year old was on her bike. I was rounding a corner to go up a short hill so it is not that surprising that I slowed down. She turned and asked me...
"When was running 4 miles hard for you?"
I was running 4 miles last night but it made me wonder what has changed to make her think it is any easier for me to run 4 miles now as opposed to several months ago. I did answer her, honestly.
"Honey, running 4 miles is always hard for me. Running 2 miles is hard. Running is hard. Just some days, it is harder than others."
I thought about that since my last 3 mile run was much harder to complete than my 8 mile run was. You would think it should be the other way around.
Today was the dreaded hill work out. I don't like hills, they make me work harder than I want to. Since I live in Tennessee, it is nearly impossible to avoid hills. Even my "easy" neighborhood route has hills. These neighborhood hills pale in comaparion to ....Commerce Street.
We met at APSU and jogged over to Commerce Street. Of course, we had to go UP some hills to get over there and I freely admit it...I walked the hill. I knew I was going to every bit of everything I had to do Commerce Street.
As we were standing on the corner of Riverside and Commerce, looking up (and up and up), I knew that Chuck had lost his mind. The route we were doing is about 1/3 of a mile. We would run up Commerce to 2nd street, turn right up the hill and continue to the top of Madison Street. Sounds easy, right? Yeah. Let me see you run it.
Chuck and Lucas took off like the show off gazelle's that they are (I am teasing, I like Chuck and Lucas and they are great to work with). Brittany started with me but before we were half way up the hill, she pulled ahead. She would always turn at the top of Madison and come back down to meet me and go the final push up to the top of the hill.
up 1- 4.25/ down 4.15
up 2 - 4.39/ down 4.27
up 3 - 4.47/ down 4.19
up 4 - 4.46/ down 4.47
up 5 - 4.52 1
Chuck was willing to let 4 be our workout tonight but Brittany and I said we could do another run up. After we finished, we did a very easy 1 mile back to where the cars were parked.
My legs are like jello. On the way back, we were crossing a busy road and the light was about to change. I sprinted (or attempted to) a short distance to beat the light. It was then my legs decided to get my attention, the tops of my thighs specifically. "Uhm hello, what in the world do you think you are doing? Stop it!"
I know I am going to be sore some but I have a few days off before I go back out for a run. For all that I felt like I wanted to keel over, it was a good work out.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Eight Miles
I was sore after my track work out on Friday. Sore to the point that I really didn't want to run yesterday but I did. I was a good little runner and went out for my 3 miles. Let me tell you, it was one of my tougher three miles. Normally, three miles is not that major of a deal but when you are just not in the running mode, it is a looooooooooong three miles. I had to resort to the standby of "Okay, I will run to the white mailbox. Now, to the red truck." method of running. Even running with my mp3 player was not helping me yesterday.
Based on my run last night and the fact that my darling one year old decided to wake up at 4:30 am, I was less than enthused about running 8 miles this morning. Last week was a rough 7 miles. It was hot, it was humid and it was seven freaking miles!!
It was a beautiful morning for a run. It was about 65F, the sun was behind clouds and there was a slight breeze coming from the east. Jim and Samantha were there and ready to go as well.
After a brief discussion, we planned to run to the 4 mile mark and then turn back around. This would put us finishing right near the parking rather than almost a mile walk back.
This was an awesome run. The three of us running set a nice, easy pace and were able to converse after the first mile. All of us are new runners so it takes us about a mile to warm up and get moving well.
Last week, Samantha made it 5.5 miles, Jim a little more before dropping to a short walk. This week, I don't know what got into but it felt like we just sailed through these 8 miles. I love it when runs come together like this, when you feel great, when your body cooperates and it just clicks
1 mile: 12:23
2 mile: 12:58
3 mile: 12:54
4 mile: 12:54
5 mile: 12:59
6 mile: 12:57
7 mile: 13:04
8 mile: 12:47
Total time: 1:42:58
Average pace: 12:52
We had to laugh at how we managed to stay pretty darn consistant through the entire run. Let me tell you, we were all thrilled that we finished the 8 miles with no walking. I had wanted to finish in 1:45 and we did! We grabbed our water and then did a half mile cool down walk as well.
I actually felt better after my 8 miles this morning than I did after 3 miles yesterday.
I was sore after my track work out on Friday. Sore to the point that I really didn't want to run yesterday but I did. I was a good little runner and went out for my 3 miles. Let me tell you, it was one of my tougher three miles. Normally, three miles is not that major of a deal but when you are just not in the running mode, it is a looooooooooong three miles. I had to resort to the standby of "Okay, I will run to the white mailbox. Now, to the red truck." method of running. Even running with my mp3 player was not helping me yesterday.
Based on my run last night and the fact that my darling one year old decided to wake up at 4:30 am, I was less than enthused about running 8 miles this morning. Last week was a rough 7 miles. It was hot, it was humid and it was seven freaking miles!!
It was a beautiful morning for a run. It was about 65F, the sun was behind clouds and there was a slight breeze coming from the east. Jim and Samantha were there and ready to go as well.
After a brief discussion, we planned to run to the 4 mile mark and then turn back around. This would put us finishing right near the parking rather than almost a mile walk back.
This was an awesome run. The three of us running set a nice, easy pace and were able to converse after the first mile. All of us are new runners so it takes us about a mile to warm up and get moving well.
Last week, Samantha made it 5.5 miles, Jim a little more before dropping to a short walk. This week, I don't know what got into but it felt like we just sailed through these 8 miles. I love it when runs come together like this, when you feel great, when your body cooperates and it just clicks
1 mile: 12:23
2 mile: 12:58
3 mile: 12:54
4 mile: 12:54
5 mile: 12:59
6 mile: 12:57
7 mile: 13:04
8 mile: 12:47
Total time: 1:42:58
Average pace: 12:52
We had to laugh at how we managed to stay pretty darn consistant through the entire run. Let me tell you, we were all thrilled that we finished the 8 miles with no walking. I had wanted to finish in 1:45 and we did! We grabbed our water and then did a half mile cool down walk as well.
I actually felt better after my 8 miles this morning than I did after 3 miles yesterday.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Intervals and August Averages
This week, in a change of pace, I have just been running in the neighborhood rather than driving down to the fairgrounds to meet Samantha or Candi. I did my 5 miles on Wednesday morning in a respectable 49:23. It wasn't too bad, it was cooler than it has been but definately I could feel I was working for my time.
For the month of August, I ran 79.52 miles (52.86 for July) at an average pace of 12:21. I imagine that my milage for September will be going up too.
Today I met Chuck down at APSU for some interval work outs. First though, we did an easy 1 mile jog through campus. It felt easy even though it was a 10:59 mile.
We got out on the track and did...I dunno what you call it. It was not a sprint, just faster than normal where you lengthen your stride. We did a couple of those in front of the bleachers but stopped because my thigh muscles were feeling it.
He asked what my last 5K time was and said based on that (11:18 pace) that he wanted me to do a 3 x 1 mile intervals at 11:00 pace. Hello? Me? Sustain an 11:00 pace for three miles? I told him that I didn't think I could do that but I would try.
Let me tell you, Chuck never will let me live this down. After each mile interval, he would throw his hands up and say in a silly voice "Oh, I don't think I can do an 11:00 mile" Why was he doing this?
1 mile - 10:25
2 mile - 10:36
3 mile - 10:45
After each mile, we would reverse directions and walk 200, then jog an easy 200 back to the start line.
When we finished the 3 x 1 mile, we did another half mile through the campus. He thinks that I still have a whole lot in me at the end of a 5K so I should be looking to hit a sub 30 minute time. I told him that I was aiming for a 10 minute mile and he said based on what I am doing now, I should be looking for a 9 minute mile!
I have to share part of an email he sent to our group today, after our workout this morning.
I just thought you might all want to know. I am disappointed. You guys are progressing to quickly. I had to change the running plan.
I assumed we wouldn't break your mental barrier until at least October. Now I have to go back and rethink this whole workout thing.
Just kidding.
You guys are awesome. The thing I see the most important that you have done so far is the consistancy. That is very crucial. I am so excited to see you guys put your mileage up there and oh by the way. I looked back at the beginning of the season and everyone's paces are increasing and the comments on some do not seem so overwhelmed by the mileage.
I know some of you are sore. That is ok. Muscle soreness is expected. These next couple of weeks we will stay consistant on the easy days and only the long run on Sunday will be increased. This will be somewhat of a plateau in mileage for a couple of weeks so your legs can get used to this high mileage.
Keep up the mileage this weekend and have a great one. Everyone get 3 miles on Monday. Tuesday is going to be the dreaded hill workout and I want you to be rested.
Have a great weekend and I will see you guys next week.
Again you guys are kicking butt.
Isn't it funny how your inner lose always speaks up and convinces you that you are doing poorly, to the point that the loser words come out of your mouth? I know I would have BET on the fact that I could NOT do an 11:00 mile for 3 miles (even with a short break). After today, I think I actually will be able to break a 10:00 mile and get close to 9:00. I don't think I could sustain it for more than 5K but that is a goal I have now that I didn't have this morning.
This week, in a change of pace, I have just been running in the neighborhood rather than driving down to the fairgrounds to meet Samantha or Candi. I did my 5 miles on Wednesday morning in a respectable 49:23. It wasn't too bad, it was cooler than it has been but definately I could feel I was working for my time.
For the month of August, I ran 79.52 miles (52.86 for July) at an average pace of 12:21. I imagine that my milage for September will be going up too.
Today I met Chuck down at APSU for some interval work outs. First though, we did an easy 1 mile jog through campus. It felt easy even though it was a 10:59 mile.
We got out on the track and did...I dunno what you call it. It was not a sprint, just faster than normal where you lengthen your stride. We did a couple of those in front of the bleachers but stopped because my thigh muscles were feeling it.
He asked what my last 5K time was and said based on that (11:18 pace) that he wanted me to do a 3 x 1 mile intervals at 11:00 pace. Hello? Me? Sustain an 11:00 pace for three miles? I told him that I didn't think I could do that but I would try.
Let me tell you, Chuck never will let me live this down. After each mile interval, he would throw his hands up and say in a silly voice "Oh, I don't think I can do an 11:00 mile" Why was he doing this?
1 mile - 10:252 mile - 10:36
3 mile - 10:45
After each mile, we would reverse directions and walk 200, then jog an easy 200 back to the start line.
When we finished the 3 x 1 mile, we did another half mile through the campus. He thinks that I still have a whole lot in me at the end of a 5K so I should be looking to hit a sub 30 minute time. I told him that I was aiming for a 10 minute mile and he said based on what I am doing now, I should be looking for a 9 minute mile!
I have to share part of an email he sent to our group today, after our workout this morning.
I just thought you might all want to know. I am disappointed. You guys are progressing to quickly. I had to change the running plan.
I assumed we wouldn't break your mental barrier until at least October. Now I have to go back and rethink this whole workout thing.
Just kidding.
You guys are awesome. The thing I see the most important that you have done so far is the consistancy. That is very crucial. I am so excited to see you guys put your mileage up there and oh by the way. I looked back at the beginning of the season and everyone's paces are increasing and the comments on some do not seem so overwhelmed by the mileage.
I know some of you are sore. That is ok. Muscle soreness is expected. These next couple of weeks we will stay consistant on the easy days and only the long run on Sunday will be increased. This will be somewhat of a plateau in mileage for a couple of weeks so your legs can get used to this high mileage.
Keep up the mileage this weekend and have a great one. Everyone get 3 miles on Monday. Tuesday is going to be the dreaded hill workout and I want you to be rested.
Have a great weekend and I will see you guys next week.
Again you guys are kicking butt.
Isn't it funny how your inner lose always speaks up and convinces you that you are doing poorly, to the point that the loser words come out of your mouth? I know I would have BET on the fact that I could NOT do an 11:00 mile for 3 miles (even with a short break). After today, I think I actually will be able to break a 10:00 mile and get close to 9:00. I don't think I could sustain it for more than 5K but that is a goal I have now that I didn't have this morning.
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