2 mi w/u
Goal: (4 x 400m @ sub 80 seconds with 200m recovery) x 3 sets; 400m between sets
Actual: above
Splits - 79, 79, 78, 78. . . 77, 77, 78, 76. . . 76, 76, 75, 74
1.5 mi c/d
Tuesday this week I had the pleasure of returning to MSSU and doing a workout on the indoor track. It has been over a year and a half since I've run on an indoor track, so I was a little nervous about how this workout was going to go down. The air in the gym is often dry and when I was in college I would bring cough drops to the first couple of meets to soothe my throat. It was nice to be back and it brought back several memories of collegiate races and practices. I even ventured downstairs to take a look at my old lockerroom, and my All-American photo made it on the wall :)
For our debut on the indoor track we decided to celebrate by doing 12 x 400 meters! By the time we were finished warming up we had the whole track to ourselves. We toed the line and split a 79 for our first one. This had us a little worried because it didn't feel as easy as we thought it would. We continued with the first set and finished with another 79, 78, and 78. Then we took a 400meter jog and started our second set. Things started feeling better; we just needed the first set to get used to running the indoor track. Plus I may have stretched out the recovery just a bit longer than necessary. I would have been perfectly fine with only doing 10 repitions, but Anthony talked me into doing the planned 12. I'm glad he did because I am strong enough to do this workout, I just hate doing speed work when I'm not in "speed shape". It's not so bad when I'm in speed shape and can roll these out like it's not big deal. . . which I hope to be in this shape in the next couple weeks.
Being back on the track wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I would venture to say that I even enjoyed myself. I'm happy with the workout, surprising myself with a 75 and 74 to finish it off. Jamie couldn't stay, but he's going to be around on Saturday as we perform round two of indoor fun.
I've been a little sick the past two days, using way more tissues than anyone should ever have to use in one day. Regular runs have been a little bit of a struggle, but I'm hoping to wake up tomorrow and feel much better for our next indoor workout.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Week in Review
49 miles
2 workouts
2 weights
2 Family Christmases
1 run with Jamie
Oops, I'm supposed to be increasing my mileage this week and next because I'm on break from school. I should be taking advantage of the weather, as we have had a mild winter so far compared to last year. It's time to start taking advantage and get serious about training. Next week the goal is to be closer to 60 miles and find somewhere to continue with the weights. My "weights" this week only consisted of exercises I could do with my Dad's dumbbell's.
This is the official first week of speed training. This next week Anthony and I are looking forward to getting on an indoor track and reminding ourselves of what it feels like to run indoors again. We are going to be in Joplin, so I'm looking forward to running some of my old routes again with my former coach and possibly some former teammates. Although, I think they all went elsewhere for the holidays.
Our second family Christmas was today. I finally got a new watch and some pretty cool running tights. I won't get to use them for a while though because it is going to be too warm outside. I'm not complaining though! :)
2 workouts
2 weights
2 Family Christmases
1 run with Jamie
Oops, I'm supposed to be increasing my mileage this week and next because I'm on break from school. I should be taking advantage of the weather, as we have had a mild winter so far compared to last year. It's time to start taking advantage and get serious about training. Next week the goal is to be closer to 60 miles and find somewhere to continue with the weights. My "weights" this week only consisted of exercises I could do with my Dad's dumbbell's.
This is the official first week of speed training. This next week Anthony and I are looking forward to getting on an indoor track and reminding ourselves of what it feels like to run indoors again. We are going to be in Joplin, so I'm looking forward to running some of my old routes again with my former coach and possibly some former teammates. Although, I think they all went elsewhere for the holidays.
Our second family Christmas was today. I finally got a new watch and some pretty cool running tights. I won't get to use them for a while though because it is going to be too warm outside. I'm not complaining though! :)
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| Allen and Darcy's kids: Avery, Addyson, and Ethan |
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Solo Ladder Workout
1.5 mi w/u
Goal: 1000, 800 x 2 , 600 x 2, 400 x 2, 30 sec x 4 @ sub 5:30 pace with 600-400 meters recovery
Actual: above - 3:29, 2:42, 2:42, 1:58, 2:00, 81, 80, no distance recorded for the 30 seconds
1 mi c/d
Originally I had decided to run a mile down ladder, but dropped it to shorter faster repeats since Anthony is sick and I didn't really want to run long intervals by myself. We woke up to a chilly morning of weather in the low 20's and a windchill in the teen's. It was supposed to warm up to the upper 40's, but neither of us felt like waiting until the afternoon to run, so we left mid morning and headed to the Frisco Trail in Springfield. The sun was shining bright, and I had the feeling that I was overdressed. I was wearing my running pants, jacket, long sleeves, and I tried out my new Utopia gloves. Before we even finished the warm-up I had already ditched the outer layer of my gloves and wishing I was wearing my tights because they allow me to move freely and feel light. . . which is important for workout days.
We started the 1k and I felt good, like I could roll out. Anthony has been sick the last two days and made it to about 800 meters before droping off and deciding to just put in some mileage. He does have to make up about 8 miles on me so that I don't beat him in yearly mileage ;) This was my slowest pace for the workout, I finished at just above 5:30 pace. I jogged the recovery and I think I got a little nervous about running the rest of the workout by myself because I had to make a pit stop in the woods. It must have made me feel better because I was able to average in the low 5:20's for the remainder of the workout. I was winded after each interval, but that is expected. I think I did a good job of not stretching out the recovery time. I've been known to stand around and drag out the inevitable, but today I was all business. I'm pleased with the splits, but can't help but feel that if I wasn't over-heating I could have been just a smidgeon faster. Mission accomplished!
Goal: 1000, 800 x 2 , 600 x 2, 400 x 2, 30 sec x 4 @ sub 5:30 pace with 600-400 meters recovery
Actual: above - 3:29, 2:42, 2:42, 1:58, 2:00, 81, 80, no distance recorded for the 30 seconds
1 mi c/d
Originally I had decided to run a mile down ladder, but dropped it to shorter faster repeats since Anthony is sick and I didn't really want to run long intervals by myself. We woke up to a chilly morning of weather in the low 20's and a windchill in the teen's. It was supposed to warm up to the upper 40's, but neither of us felt like waiting until the afternoon to run, so we left mid morning and headed to the Frisco Trail in Springfield. The sun was shining bright, and I had the feeling that I was overdressed. I was wearing my running pants, jacket, long sleeves, and I tried out my new Utopia gloves. Before we even finished the warm-up I had already ditched the outer layer of my gloves and wishing I was wearing my tights because they allow me to move freely and feel light. . . which is important for workout days.
We started the 1k and I felt good, like I could roll out. Anthony has been sick the last two days and made it to about 800 meters before droping off and deciding to just put in some mileage. He does have to make up about 8 miles on me so that I don't beat him in yearly mileage ;) This was my slowest pace for the workout, I finished at just above 5:30 pace. I jogged the recovery and I think I got a little nervous about running the rest of the workout by myself because I had to make a pit stop in the woods. It must have made me feel better because I was able to average in the low 5:20's for the remainder of the workout. I was winded after each interval, but that is expected. I think I did a good job of not stretching out the recovery time. I've been known to stand around and drag out the inevitable, but today I was all business. I'm pleased with the splits, but can't help but feel that if I wasn't over-heating I could have been just a smidgeon faster. Mission accomplished!
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| Gray Baby enjoying some time under the tree now that all the presents are gone. |
Today was Chirstmas at the Shank's house. . . that means PRESENT! Mom got me a new camera since my other one broke a few weeks ago, so I can't wait to charge it up and use it :) Mom got a new mixer and Dad got a really cool clock for his shop.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Time to Pick up the Pace
1.5 mi w/u
Goal: 90 on/off x 4; 60 on/off x4; 30 on/off x 4; 15 on/off x 4 - 4 miles in (25:45)
Actual: above - 4.15 miles in 25:45
1.5 c/d
Well, Jamie tried to kill us with this workout, it was his idea. Haha, he was at a Coaches Association meeting this past week and had the chance to trade/talk about running workouts with college coaches around the U.S. He texted us last week about this speed workout, so it was only appropriate that he try it out with us.
The three of us met up at the vet's office on this cold and windy day to partake in some anaerobic conditioning. I think we were all a little nervous about this because Anthony is sick and Jamie and I have no speed at the moment. We get better as the distance gets longer.
All in all, I'm pleased with this workout. I don't think the total distance does this workout justice because our pushes were at a very fast pace with several dipping into the low 5:20's and below! We just really took the recovery at a slower pace. As soon as we started the first push, I knew it was going to be a long workout because Anthony and Jamie were definitely feeling good. It took about two pushes before I was able to be right up with them. I won't lie, I seriously thought both of them were going to break me off and I'd end up enduring this misery by myself at snail pace, but by the time we got to the 60 second pushes, I'd regrouped and tricked my mind into being strong. Jamie was nice and stayed with me the whole time. We tried our hardest to keep up with Anthony, but he poured it on the last 10 seconds and we couldn't hold. He did let us catch up during the recovery.
I'm looking forward to gaining some of my speed back, even if it didn't feel good while we were running. Once we get on the track, we'll feel that much faster and stronger. This workout is kind of deceiving as it doesn't sound hard, but there is a lot of anaerobic and speed involved. I encourage anyone that thinks it sounds easy to simply try it themselves and let me know what they think. I'm not sure if it is actually a hard workout, or if it felt that much harder because it was my first attempt at "speed" work.
Week in Review
50 miles
1 workout
1 race
12 mile long run
1 Weights!!! Yes, it's true, I FINALLY made it to the weight room
I never got around this past weekend of recapping what I did during the week, so here it is. Our Jack Frost 10 mile Race took the place of our long run. Also this week I made it into the weight room :) I didn't go full fledge because I didn't want to get sore, but it's a start. I also did abs and push-ups a couple times, and not to forget strides! I've been on it this week. Now that I started up again whole-heartedly it should be easier to keep it going.
Goal: 90 on/off x 4; 60 on/off x4; 30 on/off x 4; 15 on/off x 4 - 4 miles in (25:45)
Actual: above - 4.15 miles in 25:45
1.5 c/d
Well, Jamie tried to kill us with this workout, it was his idea. Haha, he was at a Coaches Association meeting this past week and had the chance to trade/talk about running workouts with college coaches around the U.S. He texted us last week about this speed workout, so it was only appropriate that he try it out with us.
The three of us met up at the vet's office on this cold and windy day to partake in some anaerobic conditioning. I think we were all a little nervous about this because Anthony is sick and Jamie and I have no speed at the moment. We get better as the distance gets longer.
All in all, I'm pleased with this workout. I don't think the total distance does this workout justice because our pushes were at a very fast pace with several dipping into the low 5:20's and below! We just really took the recovery at a slower pace. As soon as we started the first push, I knew it was going to be a long workout because Anthony and Jamie were definitely feeling good. It took about two pushes before I was able to be right up with them. I won't lie, I seriously thought both of them were going to break me off and I'd end up enduring this misery by myself at snail pace, but by the time we got to the 60 second pushes, I'd regrouped and tricked my mind into being strong. Jamie was nice and stayed with me the whole time. We tried our hardest to keep up with Anthony, but he poured it on the last 10 seconds and we couldn't hold. He did let us catch up during the recovery.
I'm looking forward to gaining some of my speed back, even if it didn't feel good while we were running. Once we get on the track, we'll feel that much faster and stronger. This workout is kind of deceiving as it doesn't sound hard, but there is a lot of anaerobic and speed involved. I encourage anyone that thinks it sounds easy to simply try it themselves and let me know what they think. I'm not sure if it is actually a hard workout, or if it felt that much harder because it was my first attempt at "speed" work.
Week in Review
50 miles
1 workout
1 race
12 mile long run
1 Weights!!! Yes, it's true, I FINALLY made it to the weight room
I never got around this past weekend of recapping what I did during the week, so here it is. Our Jack Frost 10 mile Race took the place of our long run. Also this week I made it into the weight room :) I didn't go full fledge because I didn't want to get sore, but it's a start. I also did abs and push-ups a couple times, and not to forget strides! I've been on it this week. Now that I started up again whole-heartedly it should be easier to keep it going.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Jack Frost 10 mile
1mi w/u
Goal: 10 miles @ sub 63
Actual: 1:00:58 (Avg- 6:06)
1mi c/d
It was a frigid morning, but it didn't keep about 100 runners from toeing the line to participate in the 2nd Annual Jack Frost 5k/10mile. The race started at 9:00 a.m., for those who aren't familiar with road races, this is a late start for a race. However, I had no complaints because I wanted the sun to come out and warm up to at least in the thirties. As we were packing up our gear, Anthony (ahem, I mean Santa), came out bearing gifts. Okay, it was only one gift, but it was the Utopia 2-in-1 mitten from Brooks. These golves are the bomb! They work so well because it is a soft, warm fleece mitten, which then goes under another mitten that is wind/weather proof. I wore them during the warm up, and my Raynaud's didn't even act up. Of course I had no such luck with the gloves I raced in.
We headed out the door with a full van; Anthony, Allen (Anthony's bro), and I had been planning to run this race, but that morning we talked Randy (Anthony's dad) into racing the 5k with Allen. Also in tow was Anthony's mom Tammy to cheer us on. We got there about 45 minutes before the race started and headed in to get our timing chips. I didn't expect to see anyone I knew because this was such a small race, but as I was heading back to the car I stumbled upon Dustin Miller. He's a former MOSO runner also. It felt good to be back in my college town and see some familiar faces. About 30 minutes to race time we headed out for our warm-up, if you can call it that, and returned in time to hit up the bathrooms and say hello to the paparazzi (aka Mom and Dad)
Goal: 10 miles @ sub 63
Actual: 1:00:58 (Avg- 6:06)
1mi c/d
It was a frigid morning, but it didn't keep about 100 runners from toeing the line to participate in the 2nd Annual Jack Frost 5k/10mile. The race started at 9:00 a.m., for those who aren't familiar with road races, this is a late start for a race. However, I had no complaints because I wanted the sun to come out and warm up to at least in the thirties. As we were packing up our gear, Anthony (ahem, I mean Santa), came out bearing gifts. Okay, it was only one gift, but it was the Utopia 2-in-1 mitten from Brooks. These golves are the bomb! They work so well because it is a soft, warm fleece mitten, which then goes under another mitten that is wind/weather proof. I wore them during the warm up, and my Raynaud's didn't even act up. Of course I had no such luck with the gloves I raced in.
We headed out the door with a full van; Anthony, Allen (Anthony's bro), and I had been planning to run this race, but that morning we talked Randy (Anthony's dad) into racing the 5k with Allen. Also in tow was Anthony's mom Tammy to cheer us on. We got there about 45 minutes before the race started and headed in to get our timing chips. I didn't expect to see anyone I knew because this was such a small race, but as I was heading back to the car I stumbled upon Dustin Miller. He's a former MOSO runner also. It felt good to be back in my college town and see some familiar faces. About 30 minutes to race time we headed out for our warm-up, if you can call it that, and returned in time to hit up the bathrooms and say hello to the paparazzi (aka Mom and Dad)
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| Two overall winners of the 10 mile; Allen won his age group in the 5k with a PR of 23:44 |
I'm proud to announce that Anthony was the overall winner (1:00:01), and I took second to him, so I was the overall female winner :) It was an anticlimactic race. Before we even got to the 5k mark Anthony and I were out in front by ourselves, and stretched out the lead by even more the second half of the race. What was nice was that it was and out and back, and those always seem faster than a loop course. Originally, my "real" goal was to run under an hour, but I thrive on the big race atmosphere and competition. Plus it was chilly out, and it is easier to run fast when the temps are in the 60's. With the conditions that we had, I thought sub 63 was good. Of course then my Dad has to throw out the challenge of sub 62 (he actually has no idea what a good time is, he just wanted to be difficult). To my surprise I was closer to my "real" goal dipping under the 61 mark. The timing company, Act Now Racing, has a nice write-up and Results.
Anthony was kind enough to run 8 miles with me before taking of to beat me by almost a full minute! His origninal goal was to pull me through 7 miles, then push the last 5k to hopefully go under 60. Turns out I was running better than expected, but was going to have to negative split the second half of the race to go under 61. At mile 8, I knew I was going to have to run close to 12 minutes for the last two miles to break 61. This was a good point to start picking up the pace because mile 9 (my first mile without Anthony) had the wind at my back and gave me a good push towards a fast finish . I could stride out and managed to get this mile under 6:00. I was hoping this would give me a little cushion because the one and only hill was during the last mile. I started slipping up towards 6:15 pace, and by the time I almost got to the top, I looked at my Garmin and had to run a 90 in the last quarter to break 61. I got to the top, saw the finish, and made it with a mere two seconds to spare. Yes!
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| The four runners |
This race has given me a lot of confidence in my endurance. I felt like I could have ran another 5k to finish out a half marathon, and this would have been fast enough to run a PR. Ultimately, I would like to run a half closer to 6 minute pace, which would put me in the 1:18's; but the pace I was at today would put me under an 1:20 (which I was supposed to run last month at Bass Pro). On tap next week. . . generate some speed!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Fartlek- 2onx2off
2mi w/u
goal - 2min on, 2 min off for 4 miles
Actual - above (25:12; Avg - 6: 18)
mi c/d
Who would have thought we'd be wearing shorts and t-shirts in December? With a high of 62 degrees today, I had to go dig out my shorts from storage. This is probably the last time this year that we could run outside with our shorts on.
Anthony and I decided to do another fartlek this week. We thought 2 minutes was a good number because it is an amount of time where the pushes felt short enough and the recovery felt long enough. We also wanted a short enough workout to feel fresh for Saturday's Jack Frost race. The goal is to start generating some speed for the upcoming track season. I've got a long way to go, the pushes weren't as fast as I would have liked, but we still had a couple that dipped under 5:30 pace. I think all the studying Anthony has been doing has been wearing him out. He had trouble getting his legs to move, but started to feel better after about 2 miles.
Next week we are going to be in Miller and the following week Joplin. This means we get to run on the indoor track again! This makes me a little nervous because I haven't ran on an indoor track in 1.5 years, and it always feels awkward the first time. We need to get used to it though if we race indoor.
goal - 2min on, 2 min off for 4 miles
Actual - above (25:12; Avg - 6: 18)
mi c/d
Who would have thought we'd be wearing shorts and t-shirts in December? With a high of 62 degrees today, I had to go dig out my shorts from storage. This is probably the last time this year that we could run outside with our shorts on.
Anthony and I decided to do another fartlek this week. We thought 2 minutes was a good number because it is an amount of time where the pushes felt short enough and the recovery felt long enough. We also wanted a short enough workout to feel fresh for Saturday's Jack Frost race. The goal is to start generating some speed for the upcoming track season. I've got a long way to go, the pushes weren't as fast as I would have liked, but we still had a couple that dipped under 5:30 pace. I think all the studying Anthony has been doing has been wearing him out. He had trouble getting his legs to move, but started to feel better after about 2 miles.
Next week we are going to be in Miller and the following week Joplin. This means we get to run on the indoor track again! This makes me a little nervous because I haven't ran on an indoor track in 1.5 years, and it always feels awkward the first time. We need to get used to it though if we race indoor.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Measly Mile Repeats - Week in Review
Week in Review
51 miles
2 workouts
11 mile long run
weekend spent with Krissy!
Saturday- Mile Repeats
2mi w/u
Goal: 5 x mile @ sub 5:45 with 400m jog recovery
Actual: 5 x mile @ slow with 400m jog recovery (5:49, 5:47, 5:47, 5:47, 5:48)
1mi c/d
This wasn't one of my best workouts ever. The plan was to run all mile repeats at sub 5:45; considering the fact that my last two tempo runs averaged around 5:55, I thought this would be a piece of cake. Actually, before we even started, I thought for sure they would all be under 5:40. . . boy was I mistaken. About 45 seconds into the first repeat, I knew it wasn't going to be my day. The legs just felt like the couldn't go. I believe Anthony was feeling the same. We may just be a tid bit tired from the last two weeks. I like to give the workout a chance and never judge after the first repeat because it takes me 2-3 repeats before I find my rhythm, but I'll be darned that the second mile was only a mere two seconds faster. Yes the workout was slow, and yes I was a little disappointed that I could barely muster snail pace, but I can almost always find someting positive that can be taken from a workout:
1. First (and most important) I completed the workout without streching out the recovery (too much)
2. It could have been worse - at least all miles were faster than tempo pace
3. Better tempo runs means the endurace is there, so I should be fine at the Jack Frost 10 mile next weekend
However, the poor performance for the repeats means the speed isn't there. Since indoor track is fastly approaching, this isn't a good sign
Week in Review
We have just about built up to our weekly average mileage for winter running. Last winter we probably averaged in the mid 40's per week. This has a lot to do with the weather; last winter the sidewalks and trail were snow covered for several weeks. This year we would like to average in the mid 50's per week. This isn't very much compared to summer because in the winter we won't do two-a-days and we are going to keep our long runs shorter (10-12) miles. Nobody wants to be outside much more than an hour anyways and treadmills suck!
Good news this week! I got an e-mail from Brooks and they accepted me into their ID (inspire daily) program again for another year. This means I get a spending allowance for shoes and gear and maybe even some bonuses if I get some positive media exposure. I hope I can live up to the ID philosophy and motivate people to continue to walk, run, and be active :) I have already rubbed off on my sister, she completed her first 5k last month. My mom has also thrown around the idea of walk/running one this summer!! It would be pretty funny if she beat my dad's time. lol
51 miles
2 workouts
11 mile long run
weekend spent with Krissy!
Saturday- Mile Repeats
2mi w/u
Goal: 5 x mile @ sub 5:45 with 400m jog recovery
Actual: 5 x mile @ slow with 400m jog recovery (5:49, 5:47, 5:47, 5:47, 5:48)
1mi c/d
This wasn't one of my best workouts ever. The plan was to run all mile repeats at sub 5:45; considering the fact that my last two tempo runs averaged around 5:55, I thought this would be a piece of cake. Actually, before we even started, I thought for sure they would all be under 5:40. . . boy was I mistaken. About 45 seconds into the first repeat, I knew it wasn't going to be my day. The legs just felt like the couldn't go. I believe Anthony was feeling the same. We may just be a tid bit tired from the last two weeks. I like to give the workout a chance and never judge after the first repeat because it takes me 2-3 repeats before I find my rhythm, but I'll be darned that the second mile was only a mere two seconds faster. Yes the workout was slow, and yes I was a little disappointed that I could barely muster snail pace, but I can almost always find someting positive that can be taken from a workout:
1. First (and most important) I completed the workout without streching out the recovery (too much)
2. It could have been worse - at least all miles were faster than tempo pace
3. Better tempo runs means the endurace is there, so I should be fine at the Jack Frost 10 mile next weekend
However, the poor performance for the repeats means the speed isn't there. Since indoor track is fastly approaching, this isn't a good sign
Week in Review
We have just about built up to our weekly average mileage for winter running. Last winter we probably averaged in the mid 40's per week. This has a lot to do with the weather; last winter the sidewalks and trail were snow covered for several weeks. This year we would like to average in the mid 50's per week. This isn't very much compared to summer because in the winter we won't do two-a-days and we are going to keep our long runs shorter (10-12) miles. Nobody wants to be outside much more than an hour anyways and treadmills suck!
Good news this week! I got an e-mail from Brooks and they accepted me into their ID (inspire daily) program again for another year. This means I get a spending allowance for shoes and gear and maybe even some bonuses if I get some positive media exposure. I hope I can live up to the ID philosophy and motivate people to continue to walk, run, and be active :) I have already rubbed off on my sister, she completed her first 5k last month. My mom has also thrown around the idea of walk/running one this summer!! It would be pretty funny if she beat my dad's time. lol
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| Unplanned matching shirts. It must be a twin thing! |
Oh, one more good thing this week. . . my sissy came to visit from Virgina Beach! Unfortunately she introduced me to mint hershey kisses >:(
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| Mint hershey kisses, yumm |
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
5 mile tempo
2 mi w/u
Goal: 5 miles in 30:00 (6:00 pace aka goal pace for Jack Frost 10 mile)
Actual: 5 miles in 29:40 (Avg - 5:56 pace)
splits - 5:56, 5:57, 5:53, 5:57, 5:57
1 mi c/d
Yesterday I woke up at 4:25 a.m. (this is not a typo), and much to my surprise it was SNOWING! I was completely shocked, but at the same time found myself getting a little excited at the prospect of running with the flurries. However, by the time I got home from my clinical it had stoped snowing, and we were left with a cold and windy run. My excitement from earlier had worn off, and I was brutally reminded what winter running is really like: cold, miserable, windy, and the worst is yet to come. All this being said, there were still a couple ice/snow patches on the trail creating an obstacle course for our tempo run this afternoon. Okay, so they weren't really that bad, just annoying.
We strategically planned to run this tempo today because it was one of the warmer days this week. We started our warm-up, headed to the port-a-potty, and threw around the idea of only doing 4 miles. In college, all of our tempo runs were 4 miles, so I was just remembering last fall and this past spring how anything further than 4 miles killed me. I have done a couple 5 and 6 mile tempos, and even a 7 and 8 (at a slower pace) when I was training for my halfs. We decided to play it by ear and see how we felt through 4 miles and continue on the last mile if were were on pace. Sure enough we came through right were we wanted and continued on. A mere 45 seconds later, I started doubting our decision to continue the extra mile. For some reason I lost my rhythm, and the first half mile the pace slowed signicantly. We were running at 6:15 pace. Anthony encouraged me to take a couple deep breaths, regroup and finish the last half mile strong. We managed to make up for the first half mile and get the pace back under 6:00 before the last mile beeped, signaling the end of our awesome tempo. In my book, anything under 6 min pace makes a pretty impressive workout! This workout will get a smiley face in the running log :)
On a side note, I'm on pace to log my highest yearly mileage this year! Not surprising since I've moved from 5k/10k/track races to half marathons and road races. I need to average 40 miles/week for the remainder of the year (4 weeks left!) to hit 2700 miles this year. Whew, and it was as hard as it sounds. lol. Just kidding, but I will mention that most of these miles were in one-a-days; During the summer months we were running 3-4 two-a-days some weeks.
Goal: 5 miles in 30:00 (6:00 pace aka goal pace for Jack Frost 10 mile)
Actual: 5 miles in 29:40 (Avg - 5:56 pace)
splits - 5:56, 5:57, 5:53, 5:57, 5:57
1 mi c/d
Yesterday I woke up at 4:25 a.m. (this is not a typo), and much to my surprise it was SNOWING! I was completely shocked, but at the same time found myself getting a little excited at the prospect of running with the flurries. However, by the time I got home from my clinical it had stoped snowing, and we were left with a cold and windy run. My excitement from earlier had worn off, and I was brutally reminded what winter running is really like: cold, miserable, windy, and the worst is yet to come. All this being said, there were still a couple ice/snow patches on the trail creating an obstacle course for our tempo run this afternoon. Okay, so they weren't really that bad, just annoying.
We strategically planned to run this tempo today because it was one of the warmer days this week. We started our warm-up, headed to the port-a-potty, and threw around the idea of only doing 4 miles. In college, all of our tempo runs were 4 miles, so I was just remembering last fall and this past spring how anything further than 4 miles killed me. I have done a couple 5 and 6 mile tempos, and even a 7 and 8 (at a slower pace) when I was training for my halfs. We decided to play it by ear and see how we felt through 4 miles and continue on the last mile if were were on pace. Sure enough we came through right were we wanted and continued on. A mere 45 seconds later, I started doubting our decision to continue the extra mile. For some reason I lost my rhythm, and the first half mile the pace slowed signicantly. We were running at 6:15 pace. Anthony encouraged me to take a couple deep breaths, regroup and finish the last half mile strong. We managed to make up for the first half mile and get the pace back under 6:00 before the last mile beeped, signaling the end of our awesome tempo. In my book, anything under 6 min pace makes a pretty impressive workout! This workout will get a smiley face in the running log :)
On a side note, I'm on pace to log my highest yearly mileage this year! Not surprising since I've moved from 5k/10k/track races to half marathons and road races. I need to average 40 miles/week for the remainder of the year (4 weeks left!) to hit 2700 miles this year. Whew, and it was as hard as it sounds. lol. Just kidding, but I will mention that most of these miles were in one-a-days; During the summer months we were running 3-4 two-a-days some weeks.
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| House divided: mine and Anthony's Christmas trees - so cute :) |
Anthony and I decided not to dig out our Christmas tree this year. It is too big for our little apartment. Instead we decided to decorate our own trees, and we each bought a little 3 foot tree. I'll let you decide whose looks better. . . my KC Chiefs tree, or his Dallas Cowboys tree (Booo). :)
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| Cheifs Christmas Tree with homemade tree topper! |
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| It is hard to see, but Anthony's tree had Cowboy candy canes. |
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Who Fartlek'd - Week in Review
45 miles
2 workouts
10 mile long run
Saturday's Fartlek
Goal: 3 on / 3 off x 4miles
Actual: above; 4 miles in 24:34 (Avg 6:09)
Anthony and I put in another solid workout this week. I decided not to wear my Garmin for this run, so Anthony kept track of the distance we covered. I tend to get too competitive with my Forerunner, so I dug out my standard stopwatch to simply keep track of the on and off minutes. This way I was forced to listen and respond to how my body feels. Turns out my body felt pretty good, as a majority of our pushes were sub 5:40 pace.
We started the first push by dodging puddles from the rain the previous night. This turned out to be our slowest push, and my legs felt rubbery a mere 90 seconds in. I thought, this is not going to be pretty. This is the very reason I chose not to wear my Garmin. I depend on it too much, and if I would have seen the split, I would immediately have gotten a negative attitude. During the off, I regrouped and tried to turn this workout around. Whether it was willful thinking, or just needed to get the first one out of the way, the rest of the workout went by fast and feeling good. In the course of 4 miles, I got four 3 minute pushes is then had 2 minutes off and pushed until we reached 4 miles (1:34) for the last push.
We've dropped the long runs down, so I feel like I'm starting to gain back some of the speed that was lost to endurance. Those two weeks off must have worked wonders because even my easy, regular day runs have been faster this week. This was the first week to bring back workouts, so I'm sure the pace will drop back to normal soon ;) I'm not sure what's on tap for next week. After my clinical I will sit down and plan out the next 6-8 weeks worth of workouts/mileage. This winter we are going to keep our long runs shorter because, seriously, who wants to be outside for more than 70-80 minutes. Also, I don't want to do my long runs on the treadmill; that's just asking for an injury. Plus, since the belt moves, it takes out the amount of work the hamstrings and glut does. There aren't many races this December. We are looking at running the Jack Frost 5k/10mile run in Joplin. This race isn't big, but Anthony's friend is the race director; he is raising money for his business class at McAuley High School.
2 workouts
10 mile long run
Saturday's Fartlek
Goal: 3 on / 3 off x 4miles
Actual: above; 4 miles in 24:34 (Avg 6:09)
Anthony and I put in another solid workout this week. I decided not to wear my Garmin for this run, so Anthony kept track of the distance we covered. I tend to get too competitive with my Forerunner, so I dug out my standard stopwatch to simply keep track of the on and off minutes. This way I was forced to listen and respond to how my body feels. Turns out my body felt pretty good, as a majority of our pushes were sub 5:40 pace.
We started the first push by dodging puddles from the rain the previous night. This turned out to be our slowest push, and my legs felt rubbery a mere 90 seconds in. I thought, this is not going to be pretty. This is the very reason I chose not to wear my Garmin. I depend on it too much, and if I would have seen the split, I would immediately have gotten a negative attitude. During the off, I regrouped and tried to turn this workout around. Whether it was willful thinking, or just needed to get the first one out of the way, the rest of the workout went by fast and feeling good. In the course of 4 miles, I got four 3 minute pushes is then had 2 minutes off and pushed until we reached 4 miles (1:34) for the last push.
We've dropped the long runs down, so I feel like I'm starting to gain back some of the speed that was lost to endurance. Those two weeks off must have worked wonders because even my easy, regular day runs have been faster this week. This was the first week to bring back workouts, so I'm sure the pace will drop back to normal soon ;) I'm not sure what's on tap for next week. After my clinical I will sit down and plan out the next 6-8 weeks worth of workouts/mileage. This winter we are going to keep our long runs shorter because, seriously, who wants to be outside for more than 70-80 minutes. Also, I don't want to do my long runs on the treadmill; that's just asking for an injury. Plus, since the belt moves, it takes out the amount of work the hamstrings and glut does. There aren't many races this December. We are looking at running the Jack Frost 5k/10mile run in Joplin. This race isn't big, but Anthony's friend is the race director; he is raising money for his business class at McAuley High School.
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