Tonight I thought about just running 4 miles, I really didn't care or feel like being out in the cold and rain/snow. Around mile 2 I decided to go ahead and run my 7 miles, I figured screw it I was already out there and I kind of wanted to get it done and over with. The snow/rain stopped so it felt better, though I did dress a little warmly than I should have. I ran 7 miles in 1:07:36 with an average pace of 9:39 min/mile.
Mile 1 - 10:55
Mile 2 - 11:03
Mile 3 - 10:27
Mile 4 - 9:17
Mile 5 - 8:44
Mile 6 - 8:50
Mile 7 - 8:19
Looking at things, I believe this is my fastest 7 miles, by 2 minutes from 2 weeks ago. Not bad, tomorrow I am going to probably run 4 or 5 easy miles tomorrow and just take it easy and slow.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday Night Run
Another decent Monday run, even after my fast 10 miles Sunday. I went to the USI Broadway Recreational Trail, I hadn't ran on it yet so I thought why not. It was getting dark, but oh well. On the downhill part right around 2.5 mile mark of my 4 miler, I was just minding my own business out there all by myself when I looked to my right and there not a few feet from the pathway was a deer staring at me. Within seconds I counted 4 deer just camouflaged in the woods, their eyes were the only things that stuck out. The clouds pretty much were beginning to blend with the woods which was on both sides of me, the dusk made it worse. My eyes were fighting to adapt to the changing light, but my adrenaline was pumping. On my turn around, I was trying to spot the deer again but couldn't see them, suddenly out of the corner of my eyes on my right I swear I saw something running through the woods towards me and as soon as I looked there was nothing. I had completely spooked myself during this run, I was the only out at this point, there wasn't anyone else this far out so I was freaking myself out.
Other than that, I kept the run relatively easy with an average pace of 10:43 min/mile and ran 4 miles in 42:54. My splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:07
Mile 2 - 10:45
Mile 3 - 10:31
Mile 4 - 10:29
I don't know if I will go out on that pathway so close to dusk again, at least when running alone. It isn't so bad when walking, but when my adrenaline is pumping and I can barely see out in the woods as I pass them, it can get kind of creepy but cool in a way. Not so cool if something was out there, but thankfully nothing was.
Other than that, I kept the run relatively easy with an average pace of 10:43 min/mile and ran 4 miles in 42:54. My splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:07
Mile 2 - 10:45
Mile 3 - 10:31
Mile 4 - 10:29
I don't know if I will go out on that pathway so close to dusk again, at least when running alone. It isn't so bad when walking, but when my adrenaline is pumping and I can barely see out in the woods as I pass them, it can get kind of creepy but cool in a way. Not so cool if something was out there, but thankfully nothing was.
Monday, February 25, 2013
One of my HMs might just be a PR this year
Yesterday I decided to take a breather from the big hills during my long run and headed into town to run the greenway, it was still an elevation gain of 115 feet but not much compared to my last 2 long runs which were 263 feet on the first 10 miler and 292 during my last 9 miler. I'm glad I did, I was actually able to see what kind of progress I've made. I am sure that if I ran 13.1 miles today instead of 10 I would have ran it in 2:12:06 keeping an average pace of 10:05 min/mile.
I don't know exactly what the elevation gain for the St. Louis Half will be but I feel a bit more confident in myself after today's run. As much as I dislike the hills out here, I know they're definitely helping me become a better runner. It is exciting to think that I might just knock almost 20 minutes off my Half Marathon time, my first was 2:31:05 with an evil bladder due to pregnancy, my second was 2:36:39 with a groin and upper quad injury. Yesterday I know if I had went ahead and ran 13.1 miles I would have been under 2:15:00, though I probably would have felt it the next few days and regretted it later on.
Whether it's the St. Louis Half or one of the Indy Half Marathons, I know I am going to hit a PR this year. I have no injuries (knock on wood), I am feeling great and getting faster and more confident in my running, as long as I stick to my training plan and I don't get stupid about it and injure myself. Cameron is a little concerned about me doing so many Halfs this year, but I assured him that I am doing my training differently and more intelligently, the YMCA's training group gave us 6 months, increasing our LRs a mile each weekend and our weekly runs up to 4 miles before the October Half, we only did 3 days of running for 6 months, I've been doing 4 days of running since November and so far so good. February is going to see anywhere between 90-96 miles, January saw 89 miles, December saw 81.8 miles and November saw 61.5 miles while October saw 27.2 due to the injury, but September saw 64.6 miles. So far everything is feeling well, I am being very careful listening to my body and taking rest days or scaling back on a run whenever it seems needed. I have a feeling this year is going to be a good year for me, and I am excited.
I don't know exactly what the elevation gain for the St. Louis Half will be but I feel a bit more confident in myself after today's run. As much as I dislike the hills out here, I know they're definitely helping me become a better runner. It is exciting to think that I might just knock almost 20 minutes off my Half Marathon time, my first was 2:31:05 with an evil bladder due to pregnancy, my second was 2:36:39 with a groin and upper quad injury. Yesterday I know if I had went ahead and ran 13.1 miles I would have been under 2:15:00, though I probably would have felt it the next few days and regretted it later on.
Whether it's the St. Louis Half or one of the Indy Half Marathons, I know I am going to hit a PR this year. I have no injuries (knock on wood), I am feeling great and getting faster and more confident in my running, as long as I stick to my training plan and I don't get stupid about it and injure myself. Cameron is a little concerned about me doing so many Halfs this year, but I assured him that I am doing my training differently and more intelligently, the YMCA's training group gave us 6 months, increasing our LRs a mile each weekend and our weekly runs up to 4 miles before the October Half, we only did 3 days of running for 6 months, I've been doing 4 days of running since November and so far so good. February is going to see anywhere between 90-96 miles, January saw 89 miles, December saw 81.8 miles and November saw 61.5 miles while October saw 27.2 due to the injury, but September saw 64.6 miles. So far everything is feeling well, I am being very careful listening to my body and taking rest days or scaling back on a run whenever it seems needed. I have a feeling this year is going to be a good year for me, and I am excited.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
My last 3 Runs
I haven't posted since Monday's run I think, so here's the short on Thursday's run:
4 miles in 41:53, cold sleet and rain with an average pace of 10:28
Mile 1 - 10:38
Mile 2 - 10:58
Mile 3 - 10:23
Mile 4 - 9:50
It pretty much sucked, I was eating chicken noodle soup for dinner after that and the next day.
Friday I ran my 7 miles, it wasn't exactly a tempo run as I wanted to take it easy so my legs wouldn't be fatigued for today's run. I ran 7 miles in 1:13:36 with an average pace of 10:31
Mile 1 - 10: 36
Mile 2 - 10:30
Mile 3 - 10:54
Mile 4 - 10:24
Mile 5 - 10:51
Mile 6 - 10:15
Mile 7 - 10:01
Today, I decided to give myself a break from the hills out here in Chandler and I took my long run to the Greenway in Evansville. I was a little concerned that my legs were going to be fatigued after Friday's run, but I was pleasantly surprised. I ran 10 miles in 1:40:50 with an average pace of 10:05 min/mile, it was going so good I was tempted to do 13.1 miles just to see how well I would have done. The elevation gain was only 115, and my body was thankful for it.
Mile 1 - 10:35
Mile 2 - 10:12
Mile 3 - 10:22
Mile 4 - 10:18
Mile 5 - 9:55
Mile 6 - 10:03
Mile 7 - 10:07
Mile 8 - 9:54
Mile 9 - 9:50
Mile 10 - 9:34
I tried to keep myself slow and easy for the first few miles, but my body just wasn't having it. I think this is the fastest I've ever ran 10 miles yet, and I know the lack of hills helped because I most likely would have been much slower out here near the house. Tomorrow I am running my easy 4 or 5 miles depending on how I feel, then Wednesday I'll tackle 7 again, and I might do another 4 easy on Thursday because I have my Bound the Mounds 10k Trail run on Saturday and I will need to find a way to get in an extra 4, most likely it will be on those same trails.
4 miles in 41:53, cold sleet and rain with an average pace of 10:28
Mile 1 - 10:38
Mile 2 - 10:58
Mile 3 - 10:23
Mile 4 - 9:50
It pretty much sucked, I was eating chicken noodle soup for dinner after that and the next day.
Friday I ran my 7 miles, it wasn't exactly a tempo run as I wanted to take it easy so my legs wouldn't be fatigued for today's run. I ran 7 miles in 1:13:36 with an average pace of 10:31
Mile 1 - 10: 36
Mile 2 - 10:30
Mile 3 - 10:54
Mile 4 - 10:24
Mile 5 - 10:51
Mile 6 - 10:15
Mile 7 - 10:01
Today, I decided to give myself a break from the hills out here in Chandler and I took my long run to the Greenway in Evansville. I was a little concerned that my legs were going to be fatigued after Friday's run, but I was pleasantly surprised. I ran 10 miles in 1:40:50 with an average pace of 10:05 min/mile, it was going so good I was tempted to do 13.1 miles just to see how well I would have done. The elevation gain was only 115, and my body was thankful for it.
Mile 1 - 10:35
Mile 2 - 10:12
Mile 3 - 10:22
Mile 4 - 10:18
Mile 5 - 9:55
Mile 6 - 10:03
Mile 7 - 10:07
Mile 8 - 9:54
Mile 9 - 9:50
Mile 10 - 9:34
I tried to keep myself slow and easy for the first few miles, but my body just wasn't having it. I think this is the fastest I've ever ran 10 miles yet, and I know the lack of hills helped because I most likely would have been much slower out here near the house. Tomorrow I am running my easy 4 or 5 miles depending on how I feel, then Wednesday I'll tackle 7 again, and I might do another 4 easy on Thursday because I have my Bound the Mounds 10k Trail run on Saturday and I will need to find a way to get in an extra 4, most likely it will be on those same trails.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Didn't Get to Run Tonight
So I didn't get to run tonight, 1: DH said he was going to be jamming tonight, so I tried setting up something with mom at the last minute. I wasn't comfortable leaving Dorian with mom at the place she was cleaning so I was semi-glad that he was awake when I got there, she would only have been able to watch him if he was asleep. So now, I am sitting here depressed and knowing that I am going to be running tomorrow in sleet and rain, worse than it was Monday night so I am most likely going to get sick and probably miss my first Half Marathon in April because I will lose many days of running. I just want to scream, I want to scream and throw crap all over the place. This pisses me off, this would have been 6-7 miles tonight and around 700 calories burned but no, not going to happen. I honestly don't think I could hold off and skip tomorrow too and wait until Friday because I might lose my mind. I will be biting everyone's heads off all day tomorrow.
I could try to run tomorrow morning around 6 a.m, but I don't know if Dorian would stay asleep and knowing my luck he would most likely wake up and then wake Cameron up would be really pissed off at me and then pissed off at me for the rest of the day. It isn't going to start sleeting until around 2 p.m but it will be 100% precipitation right at 5 p.m which would be when I run which is just my luck as usual.
I was wondering at what point during such a good thing that I would get screwed, things were going so well that I knew it was too good to be true. I had finally reached 25 mpw, and now I am going to be bounced down to barely 20 this week which is typical for me.
I could try to run tomorrow morning around 6 a.m, but I don't know if Dorian would stay asleep and knowing my luck he would most likely wake up and then wake Cameron up would be really pissed off at me and then pissed off at me for the rest of the day. It isn't going to start sleeting until around 2 p.m but it will be 100% precipitation right at 5 p.m which would be when I run which is just my luck as usual.
I was wondering at what point during such a good thing that I would get screwed, things were going so well that I knew it was too good to be true. I had finally reached 25 mpw, and now I am going to be bounced down to barely 20 this week which is typical for me.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Tonight I was a Bad Girl
This evening was supposed to be an easy recovery run, either 3 or 4 miles. I almost decided to run on my grandma's treadmill, but they had given/sold it to my Aunt Glenda a while back and after seeing a few runners out in the rain and wind I decided that I was not going to be a wimp and run inside. It was 50 degrees, piss pouring rain that was pelting my eyes and wind gusts of up to 32 mph, and 22 mph when it wasn't "gusting". After the first mile I stopped back by my grandma's house and took my long sleeve thermal off, kept my wind/rain breaker jacket one. It didn't help, I was soaked down the front by the time my run was over.
First off, tonight was not a bad run; first Monday in over 3 weeks that wasn't an awful run. The bad part........... I couldn't keep my pace slow no matter what. I ran 4 miles in 38:34, and it didn't feel like a hard effort at all, my average pace was 9:38 and I kind of feel bad as I am a little worried that I'll pay for this later. Part of me thinks I just wanted to get it over quickly because of the rain and wind, but part of me thinks it felt better because I was going at a good pace and not trying to force myself to stay slow. I don't know, maybe I'll take it easy Wednesday night. My splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:04
Mile 2 - 10:03
Mile 3 - 9:09
Mile 4 - 9:16
First off, tonight was not a bad run; first Monday in over 3 weeks that wasn't an awful run. The bad part........... I couldn't keep my pace slow no matter what. I ran 4 miles in 38:34, and it didn't feel like a hard effort at all, my average pace was 9:38 and I kind of feel bad as I am a little worried that I'll pay for this later. Part of me thinks I just wanted to get it over quickly because of the rain and wind, but part of me thinks it felt better because I was going at a good pace and not trying to force myself to stay slow. I don't know, maybe I'll take it easy Wednesday night. My splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:04
Mile 2 - 10:03
Mile 3 - 9:09
Mile 4 - 9:16
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Friday's Easy Run and Blah Blah
Tonight's 4 miler went well, nothing special with an average pace 10:52 so I definitely kept it easy and slow for the most part. My garmin hadn't synched yet so I will edit this for the splits later. I am going to take tomorrow easy and make sure my legs are well rested for the 10 miler Sunday, I still have to figure out my route. I think I've figured out how I am going to do my route tomorrow, I want to add a good amount of hills but more after mile 5 or 6, I want my legs to be warmed up and better prepared. After talking to some of the runners on RA, I feel like a wimp. The most in elevation I've ever ran or gained has been like 400 feet while many of them face anywhere from 500-1000 during runs. Heck I probably never would have started running if I had been in their areas lol, :) but who knows. Wednesday's 7 mile tempo wasn't bad at all, I think I am going to switch my mileage around to avoid injury but add a mile or two.
Depending on my 10 mile run tomorrow, I think I am going to drop my Monday easy run to 3 or 4 miles, increase my Wednesday tempo run to 7 and put my Friday easy run at 5 miles. After a few longs runs of 10 miles (or right after my 11 miler) I will bring my Monday easy run back to 5 mile again. My plan or goal is to avoid injury and I am going to repeat that to myself as much as I have to, because I know that I have a tendency to start adding more and more thinking all is well and then BAM I get hit with an injury. I've got my first 2013 Half in St. Louis just a month and almost 2 weeks away, and after looking things over and talking to many I am not afraid of the hills and I am even excited. Then just shy of one month later is my second 2013 Half in Cincinnati which I still haven't taken too much look at the course yet. My goals are to run these under 2:30:00 and hopefully closer to 2:20:00 if not under, so I must be careful and not get aggressive with my training.
Although I want to get around 2:20:00, pretty much PB or PR at these two, I plan or am aiming for a PR in the Fall at the Evansville Half and the Indy Monumental Half as they are both relatively flat and I have ran the Evansville Half twice now (first one when pregnant, 2nd one I was injured). Anyways, my splits for Friday's run was:
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 11:15
Mile 3 - 10:56
Mile 4 - 10:25
So I kept it relatively slow and easy, though I can't help but wonder why my Monday runs have sucked twice now, my tempos have been great and my Friday runs have been pretty easy and okay???? Hmmm
Depending on my 10 mile run tomorrow, I think I am going to drop my Monday easy run to 3 or 4 miles, increase my Wednesday tempo run to 7 and put my Friday easy run at 5 miles. After a few longs runs of 10 miles (or right after my 11 miler) I will bring my Monday easy run back to 5 mile again. My plan or goal is to avoid injury and I am going to repeat that to myself as much as I have to, because I know that I have a tendency to start adding more and more thinking all is well and then BAM I get hit with an injury. I've got my first 2013 Half in St. Louis just a month and almost 2 weeks away, and after looking things over and talking to many I am not afraid of the hills and I am even excited. Then just shy of one month later is my second 2013 Half in Cincinnati which I still haven't taken too much look at the course yet. My goals are to run these under 2:30:00 and hopefully closer to 2:20:00 if not under, so I must be careful and not get aggressive with my training.
Although I want to get around 2:20:00, pretty much PB or PR at these two, I plan or am aiming for a PR in the Fall at the Evansville Half and the Indy Monumental Half as they are both relatively flat and I have ran the Evansville Half twice now (first one when pregnant, 2nd one I was injured). Anyways, my splits for Friday's run was:
Mile 1 - 10:51
Mile 2 - 11:15
Mile 3 - 10:56
Mile 4 - 10:25
So I kept it relatively slow and easy, though I can't help but wonder why my Monday runs have sucked twice now, my tempos have been great and my Friday runs have been pretty easy and okay???? Hmmm
Thursday, February 14, 2013
A Busy Week
Due to the nice weather I think I will be hitting 35 miles this week, and that is including 8 miles of walking. I ran my 5 miles Monday, walked 4 miles Tuesday, ran my 7 mile tempo Wednesday and walked 4.1 miles today. Tomorrow I haven't decided if I am going to run 4 or 5 miles, but Saturday I might walk another 3 or 4 miles if weather permits and then Sunday is my 10 mile long run.
I finally got a better description of the St. Louis Half Marathon course and I am not really worried about it. Heck in the last 30 days I've gained 1,816 ft in elevation. And in 365 days my garmin.connect shows that I've gained a total of 11,932 feet while running. Wow! The course doesn't seem that threatening, though I am going to keep including the hills out here in Chandler in my long runs and maybe even in my tempo runs.
My garmin says that during one of my 6 mile runs I gained 530 feet in elevation............. I just can't believe that dang it. It does say that during the Half last year the total elevation gain was 311 feet, which I kind of believe so I guess I really shouldn't be worried about the St. Louis Half. The only thing I need to be concerned with is the weather and my body, and I should be fine.
I wonder exactly how many people will be running the Half Marathon, being a Half Marathon and in St. Louis I am sure there will be a lot of people and probably twice as many as there were at the Evansville Half Marathon. Apparently the race cap is 12,000 people and looking at the results of last year it was close to 9,000 participants (finishers) at the Half Marathon. That is a lot of freaking people man, I think it will be the largest race I've been in yet. And looking at last year's results for the cincinnati Flying Pig Half is going to be bigger.
I finally got a better description of the St. Louis Half Marathon course and I am not really worried about it. Heck in the last 30 days I've gained 1,816 ft in elevation. And in 365 days my garmin.connect shows that I've gained a total of 11,932 feet while running. Wow! The course doesn't seem that threatening, though I am going to keep including the hills out here in Chandler in my long runs and maybe even in my tempo runs.
My garmin says that during one of my 6 mile runs I gained 530 feet in elevation............. I just can't believe that dang it. It does say that during the Half last year the total elevation gain was 311 feet, which I kind of believe so I guess I really shouldn't be worried about the St. Louis Half. The only thing I need to be concerned with is the weather and my body, and I should be fine.
I wonder exactly how many people will be running the Half Marathon, being a Half Marathon and in St. Louis I am sure there will be a lot of people and probably twice as many as there were at the Evansville Half Marathon. Apparently the race cap is 12,000 people and looking at the results of last year it was close to 9,000 participants (finishers) at the Half Marathon. That is a lot of freaking people man, I think it will be the largest race I've been in yet. And looking at last year's results for the cincinnati Flying Pig Half is going to be bigger.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tonight's Tempo Run
I was a little reluctant to go, after Monday's craptastic run. The first 2 was difficult or just slow, but I slowly started to pick it up. I had planned on just 6 miles but around mile 3 I decided I wanted one more mile just to make up for Monday, even if it isn't completely according to plan. It went pretty well overall, much better than Monday night's run. Before I say anything more, I will give my laps/splits:
<iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/273081153'></iframe>
Okay, enough goofing off....
Mile 1 - 11:21
Mile 2 - 11:23
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:00
Mile 5 - 8:59
Mile 6 - 8:46
Mile 7 - 8:31
I finished 7 miles in 1:09:33 with a pace of 9:56 min/mile, so overall it was a good run and I was pleased. Now that I added an unplanned mile, I am probably going to either leave Friday at 3 miles, or do 4 instead of 5. This weekend is my 10 miler and I hope I can do it.
<iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/273081153'></iframe>
Okay, enough goofing off....
Mile 1 - 11:21
Mile 2 - 11:23
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:00
Mile 5 - 8:59
Mile 6 - 8:46
Mile 7 - 8:31
I finished 7 miles in 1:09:33 with a pace of 9:56 min/mile, so overall it was a good run and I was pleased. Now that I added an unplanned mile, I am probably going to either leave Friday at 3 miles, or do 4 instead of 5. This weekend is my 10 miler and I hope I can do it.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Last Night's Run...... Could've been Better
Yesterday I felt great, all day I was anticipating my run and couldn't wait. When I finally got out there, the first 2 miles sucked. I felt like I was "tiptoing", and I could feel my toes catch the road occasionally. I am surprised I didn't trip and fall, I couldn't seem to get my stride right and the shock was just killing my shins. By 1.7 miles I gave myself a break and did some stretches, and reluctantly started back up again, slower than before and it felt like I finally was getting into my groove but it still wasn't awesome or great.
I am hoping and praying that my 6 mile tempo run goes better, because I will admit that I am a little nervous about it now.
My splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:39
Mile 2 - 10:50
Mile 3 - 11:45
Mile 4 - 11:32
Mile 5 - 11:47
I am hoping and praying that my 6 mile tempo run goes better, because I will admit that I am a little nervous about it now.
My splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:39
Mile 2 - 10:50
Mile 3 - 11:45
Mile 4 - 11:32
Mile 5 - 11:47
Monday, February 11, 2013
Trying to Figure
After Saturday's race, I am really wishing there were more 5k races around here, in February and March. This last race and the results have me really excited to push for my potential, but there isn't too many around this month. There is another in March, along with the Run of Luck 7k, but my first Half Marathon (this year) is April 7 so I need to stay fresh but work my long run up to 11 before the Half.
I keep going over my training plan leading up to this Half Marathon, and due to a race on March 2, I will lose a weekend that could go towards an 11 mile long run. Then I have the Run of Luck 7k on March 16, which forces me to lose another potential 11 mile long run. It isn't a huge deal except that I am just concerned if 11 miles is long enough before my Half Marathon, which is 2.1 miles longer than 11 which I guess isn't a HUGE deal.
I keep going over my training plan leading up to this Half Marathon, and due to a race on March 2, I will lose a weekend that could go towards an 11 mile long run. Then I have the Run of Luck 7k on March 16, which forces me to lose another potential 11 mile long run. It isn't a huge deal except that I am just concerned if 11 miles is long enough before my Half Marathon, which is 2.1 miles longer than 11 which I guess isn't a HUGE deal.
Looking over the Results of the Race
I never really cared to look at age group results as I figured that I wasn't going to be very close to the first, this time though I was curious and I looked. In my age group for females (25-29) there were 52 finishers and I finished in 13th place. There were 518 finishers overall,and I placed 201 there but that isn't such a huge deal as the age group. Even more special, that is my little angel's birthday (date), April 13, 2012 is when he was born and I placed 13th in my age group. It's awesome, and maybe cheesy or no big deal to some but it is a big deal to me. Thirteen places from 1st place AND my son's birthday, so awesome.
I honestly think my lucky number is 13, and Friday the 13th isn't unlucky for me. My son was born on Friday the 13th, April 13, 2012 and I placed 13 in my age group in the first race of the year in 2013. Okay that is getting cheesy near the end but I don't care!!!! I am pretty happy and excited, I didn't expect those results especially in the first race of the year and all. I figure that right now, until I reach my 40-50s I will most likely be around the last in my age group. It is a pretty good feeling to see those results though, a real good feeling.
I honestly think my lucky number is 13, and Friday the 13th isn't unlucky for me. My son was born on Friday the 13th, April 13, 2012 and I placed 13 in my age group in the first race of the year in 2013. Okay that is getting cheesy near the end but I don't care!!!! I am pretty happy and excited, I didn't expect those results especially in the first race of the year and all. I figure that right now, until I reach my 40-50s I will most likely be around the last in my age group. It is a pretty good feeling to see those results though, a real good feeling.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Hearts on Fire 5k Race Report
I woke up refreshed around 6:15 a.m, ate a cinnamon raisin english muffin with some peanut butter and honey, then kind of goofed off some. After getting dressed around 7:25 a.m I went for what was going to be a 2 mile warm up run but ended up being a 1.15 mile run because my garmin kept losing satellite reception and my legs were a bit tight, it was frustrating now knowing if I kept it slow enough.
I headed to pick my sister up at 8 a.m and when we got there we both had to find a restroom so we ran to the first gym at the university, probably a quarter of a mile where I parked, then ran to the one next to it. Afterwards we stretched some, I felt ready and excited for it to begin. The songs were getting us pumped, we were goofing off a lot, hearing the Macarina or however you spell it, then.... I can't remember the others. We started off with a good pace that I didn't expect, around 9:20 though my legs felt a little bit like jello. The first downhill was nice, first mile was a 9:22 and we picked up the pace a little but then came a long and big hill that slowed us back down to around 9:20 and then I do remember seeing us below 9 min/mile at one point. The 2nd mile was a 9:19 pace, and I was really feeling great though I could see Shauna was struggling a little, but right after the 2nd mile a large hill appeared out of nowhere (I swear!) and kicked Shauna's butt horribly, I tried to stay with her but I saw my pace reach 9:41 and I wanted to pick it back up, she told me to go on. The hill just about did me in too, but I kept pushing it and told myself I was almost finished and I was doing really well. Third mile was an 8:58 pace and then the measily .1 was a 7:29 and I was giving the sprint all I had. Over all I had aimed for a 28:59 and I finished with a time of 28:29, I was kind of hoping for around 26 minutes after Wednesday's run but I was not expecting those hills and an elevation gain of 181 ft, and some of the course had concrete as hard as sidewalks or harder, and I could just feel the awful pounding in my feet. No photos (yet), DH didn't go with us so there were no finishing photos though I am not sure I'd want to see them.
It was a great race, I am happy with the results and now along with Wednesday night I know what I am capable of, I feel I gave today's race everything I could have given. Last year I dropped out of it, it was the first race after like 2 months of no running, 15 lb weight gain and 15 degrees, I had completely underestimated the toll my body had taken with the pregnancy and have spent some time dwelling on my dropping out from it. Now I can proudly say I made up for it.
Hearts on Fire 5k
Goal time: 28:59
Finishing time: 28:29
Pace: 9:10 min/mile
I headed to pick my sister up at 8 a.m and when we got there we both had to find a restroom so we ran to the first gym at the university, probably a quarter of a mile where I parked, then ran to the one next to it. Afterwards we stretched some, I felt ready and excited for it to begin. The songs were getting us pumped, we were goofing off a lot, hearing the Macarina or however you spell it, then.... I can't remember the others. We started off with a good pace that I didn't expect, around 9:20 though my legs felt a little bit like jello. The first downhill was nice, first mile was a 9:22 and we picked up the pace a little but then came a long and big hill that slowed us back down to around 9:20 and then I do remember seeing us below 9 min/mile at one point. The 2nd mile was a 9:19 pace, and I was really feeling great though I could see Shauna was struggling a little, but right after the 2nd mile a large hill appeared out of nowhere (I swear!) and kicked Shauna's butt horribly, I tried to stay with her but I saw my pace reach 9:41 and I wanted to pick it back up, she told me to go on. The hill just about did me in too, but I kept pushing it and told myself I was almost finished and I was doing really well. Third mile was an 8:58 pace and then the measily .1 was a 7:29 and I was giving the sprint all I had. Over all I had aimed for a 28:59 and I finished with a time of 28:29, I was kind of hoping for around 26 minutes after Wednesday's run but I was not expecting those hills and an elevation gain of 181 ft, and some of the course had concrete as hard as sidewalks or harder, and I could just feel the awful pounding in my feet. No photos (yet), DH didn't go with us so there were no finishing photos though I am not sure I'd want to see them.
It was a great race, I am happy with the results and now along with Wednesday night I know what I am capable of, I feel I gave today's race everything I could have given. Last year I dropped out of it, it was the first race after like 2 months of no running, 15 lb weight gain and 15 degrees, I had completely underestimated the toll my body had taken with the pregnancy and have spent some time dwelling on my dropping out from it. Now I can proudly say I made up for it.
Hearts on Fire 5k
Goal time: 28:59
Finishing time: 28:29
Pace: 9:10 min/mile
Friday, February 8, 2013
Excited and Nervous
Tomorrow is the first race of the year for me, and my sister; I am extremely excited and nervous at the same time. This is a 5k race and I normally do better at longer runs because I can use the first mile or 2 to warm up so 3.1 miles doesn't really help me when there is only 3 miles. I am hoping that I will be able to get a 2 mile warm up run in before the race, either an hour and a half before the race or 20-25 minutes before we need to line up. My last 3 mile run which was......... I believe last Friday and that was a 10:07 pace which I took as easy as possible, but that was in the evening. My body seems used to evening runs now, if I am able to run in the mornings then my calves usually feel really tight for the first 2-4 miles so that has me nervous. My best 3 mile run was on November 6 at 4:30 pm and I ran that in 28:15 with a pace of 9:25 min/mile, I was feeling amazing that week and haven't really pushed myself to find out if I could do it again.
Here in about 2 hours I will be heading out to go pick up me and my sister's race packet, so then I can be all excited about that and getting my clothes ready for tomorrow. It is expected to be 33 degrees, sunny and a wind speed of 8 mph so it shouldn't be extremely bad although it will be cold. I will try and dress not too warm, but not too cold.... hopefully the warm up run will get me warmed up.
Here in about 2 hours I will be heading out to go pick up me and my sister's race packet, so then I can be all excited about that and getting my clothes ready for tomorrow. It is expected to be 33 degrees, sunny and a wind speed of 8 mph so it shouldn't be extremely bad although it will be cold. I will try and dress not too warm, but not too cold.... hopefully the warm up run will get me warmed up.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
My FASTEST 10k pace YET!!!
Well I went for my 6 mile run tonight.... 
and ended up doing 6.2 in 1:00:47!!!!!!! A 9:49 pace and it was BE-AWESOME! I wanted to puke and pass out at the end. The first 3 miles were slow because I was going to just run easy, but after the 3rd mile I said screw it. I am so happy that I am going to show off my splits mile for mile!
and ended up doing 6.2 in 1:00:47!!!!!!! A 9:49 pace and it was BE-AWESOME! I wanted to puke and pass out at the end. The first 3 miles were slow because I was going to just run easy, but after the 3rd mile I said screw it. I am so happy that I am going to show off my splits mile for mile!
Mile 1 - 11:32
Mile 2 - 11:12
Mile 3 - 10:58
Mile 4 - 9:21
Mile 5 - 8:05
Mile 6 - 8: 10
.2 - 7:29
I am so happy and tired at the same time, this is so far my fastest 10k yet and I have never reached so close to doing a sub 8 min pace before!!! My legs are sore, I will be doing a lot of stretching and icing and rubbing, and really enjoying my next 2 rest days!!!
WHOOP WHOOP for me!!!!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
This morning's long run, Friday's easy/recovery run
This morning's run was 9.2 miles, it wasn't awful but it wasn't really awesome either. My calves were tight for the first 5 miles but really tight for the first mile or two, I almost thought about turning around but I just told myself to keep going and that I've done 9 miles twice now. I think the hard part was mainly because I added a lot more hills when I really didn't want to but I have to be prepared for whatever St. Louis's Half might throw at me. Even if I don't want to, I've got to train on hills, and especially during long runs. I blogged Friday night but I didn't post my splits so I'll post them on here before I post my 9.2 mile splits.
Friday I ran 4 miles on a loop, I made sure that it was as easy and slow as I could because it was an easy/recovery run after my tempo run Thursday. I ran 4 miles in 47:20 with a pace of 11:50 and my splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:50
Mile 2 - 11:52
Mile 3 - 11:40
Mile 4 - 11:57
I think I am going to avoid that park for a couple of weeks, I keep seeing a few of the same vehicles parked but mainly it's the same vehicles that are constantly driving around it that make me nervous. It's hard finding routes and always changing them, for safety reasons of course, being a woman and running alone is a bit of a hassle sometimes. Anyways.. technically this morning's run was 9.16 because my driveway (to my garage) ended before I reached 9.2 so I am going to call it 9.2 miles. I ran it slower than last weekend, 1 hour and 44 minutes, and 29 seconds with an average pace of 11:24 and an elevation gain of 292 feet which it felt like a whole lot more to me so not bad as it is supposed to be a long run focused on length, endurance and stamina not speed. My splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:46
Mile 2 - 11:47
Mile 3 - 11:22
Mile 4 - 11:05
Mile 5 - 11:33
Mile 6 - 11:27
Mile 7 - 11:37
Mile 8 - 11:03
Mile 9 - 11:03
.2 - 11:00
So yeah, I kept pretty steady and I like to think that it remained a negative split. Tomorrow I've got to run my 5 mile recover/easy run, this will be the first run the day after a long run that I've done so it will be interesting to say the least. I'll have to remember to keep it slow, possibly slower than today's long run.
Friday I ran 4 miles on a loop, I made sure that it was as easy and slow as I could because it was an easy/recovery run after my tempo run Thursday. I ran 4 miles in 47:20 with a pace of 11:50 and my splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:50
Mile 2 - 11:52
Mile 3 - 11:40
Mile 4 - 11:57
I think I am going to avoid that park for a couple of weeks, I keep seeing a few of the same vehicles parked but mainly it's the same vehicles that are constantly driving around it that make me nervous. It's hard finding routes and always changing them, for safety reasons of course, being a woman and running alone is a bit of a hassle sometimes. Anyways.. technically this morning's run was 9.16 because my driveway (to my garage) ended before I reached 9.2 so I am going to call it 9.2 miles. I ran it slower than last weekend, 1 hour and 44 minutes, and 29 seconds with an average pace of 11:24 and an elevation gain of 292 feet which it felt like a whole lot more to me so not bad as it is supposed to be a long run focused on length, endurance and stamina not speed. My splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:46
Mile 2 - 11:47
Mile 3 - 11:22
Mile 4 - 11:05
Mile 5 - 11:33
Mile 6 - 11:27
Mile 7 - 11:37
Mile 8 - 11:03
Mile 9 - 11:03
.2 - 11:00
So yeah, I kept pretty steady and I like to think that it remained a negative split. Tomorrow I've got to run my 5 mile recover/easy run, this will be the first run the day after a long run that I've done so it will be interesting to say the least. I'll have to remember to keep it slow, possibly slower than today's long run.
Friday, February 1, 2013
An Easy 4 Mile Tonight
I was going to do 3 miles with Rocky, but I decided after eating two donuts and since it was really too cold for Rocky to go out running (he is a bit of a panzee), I was going run 4 miles instead. Halfway through the run I almost decided to run just 3 but at almost 3 miles I changed my mind (again). I kept it easy and slow, close to 12 minute pace so I am pretty darn happy with myself for keeping my pace slow and around 11:50 a mile. It was really cold, 21 degrees but feeling like 14, but there was no wind so that made it easier to handle. I am so glad I change my routes constantly, and never run the same route during a week.
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