This very last week sucked balls, this last week was brutal with the heat, humidity and heat index with many days in the feels like 100's. I'll call last week a cutback week with only 27.1 miles, Dorian was having nightmares and waking up throughout the night, and I just couldn't go running during the afternoons/evenings due to it still being around 90 degrees and humid.
Looking back, I know I ran Tuesday, Friday and Saturday and then my speed work Sunday.
Saturday night's run sucked major balls, at some point in the afternoon I got hit with GI issues, as if I had taken some laxative or something. It lasted for a few hours, but I thought was fine for the final hour before my run at 8 PM.
The first 3 miles were alright, I didn't feel the need to stop until around mile 3.2 when I started having gas pains. I found a port-a-potty around mile 3.6 and used it at least 5 times while I ran in that area, I started feeling sick and dehydrated. I had an 18 oz bottle of gatorade, but it was going fast and I was feeling worse and worse. I stopped many times, each time having to pull myself off the ground and move forward. Two miles from home, I had to stop at a house and ask for ice and water. It was 10:15 PM at this point, I didn't want to bother anybody but I knew I couldn't make it home in less than 40 minutes if I didn't get some ice cold water. The man was concerned and asked me if I wanted a ride or to make a phone call but I thanked him for the water and said I should be alright. Those last two miles sucked hard, I managed to run 9 miles and walk the final .5 to the house. It was 86 degrees, 80% humidity and a dew point of 75 with the heat index at 95 that night.... yeah it sucked.
Getting home, I was so sick and dehydrated and went to bed with the shakes and feeling kind of cold and clammy. I really doubted whether I could do my track workout the next night or not.
I woke up Sunday with what felt like a hangover, but took the day recovering and hydrating and just relaxing. By 7:30 PM I was ready... sort of.... I made sure my cooler had two bottles full of ice cold tap water for pouring on my head, two ice cold bottles of water for drinking and two small bottles of gatorade, and I was going to make sure to keep constant watch on how I was feeling. DH didn't want me coming home feeling the way I did Saturday night, he was really concerned.
The plan was for 6x400m, I started with a 1 mile warm up at 9:22 min/mile pace. After that, the workout went this way - Hard lap / Easy Lap - repeat 6 times. Average pace, not time around track
Lap 1 - 6:19 min/mile
Lap 2 - 8:43 min/mile
Lap 3 - 6:17 min/mile
Lap 4 - 8:56 min/mile
Lap 5 - 6:21 min/mile
Lap 6 - 9:04 min/mile
Lap 7 - 6:28 min/mile
Lap 8 - 9:09 min/mile
Lap 9 - 6:20 min/mile
Lap 10 - 9:27 min/mile
Lap 11 - 6:40 min/mile
Lap 12 - 9:25 min/mile
Cool down - .5 miles - 9:06 min/mile
Yeah, seeing those fast paces definitely push me to keep trying each time. But by the 5th hard lap I was feeling it more and more, hopefully with more intervals and track workouts it'll become easier and I might see a day where I can do a whole mile with a pace around 6:30 min/mile.... cooler weather would help too.
Either way, it felt like redemption after Saturday night's horrible run, even though I only ran 4.5 miles on the track. I was tempted to do 2-3 miles easy on the track but it was almost 9 PM and I needed to change my clothes and dry the sweat off.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Monday, July 11, 2016
Could it Have Been Fate........?
So it's been like... 3 weeks since I felt as if my world had fallen apart, and feared I would never have the chance to experience and ultra distance race. What I didn't realize was as that door was closing (for now), another was quite possibly opening.
During the Harmonie Trail Marathon, I met a woman who also does Ultras and other races, she is so energetic and just a really great person. About two weeks ago, I spotted a pic she posted on FB - some stairs at a track. I soon learned that each Sunday night she heads to a high school track (the high school that just so happens to be down the road from me). She does mile repeats, each followed by 5 sets of stair climbs us a one minute plank, my desire for the stair climbs is what caught my attention. Well, I wasn't able to catch her there as she had been on vacation, but last night I built up the nerve to go by myself...... it's been something like 12 years since the last time I was on a track, and I hated it. I had asthma issues, I couldn't pace myself right or breath right... it was miserable. But I figured that since I wasn't able to focus on long distance running and putting in the higher mileage, what the hell right?
All I can say is I found a new obsession... I was a little nervous, but decided to pop my cherry by doing 4x400m. I amed for a desired 10-15k pace
I warmed up with 2 laps at a 9:15 min/mile
Lap 1 at 6:52 min/mile
Recovery lap at 8:52 min/mile
Lap 2 at 7:04 min/mile
Recovery lap 2 at 8:52 min/mile
Lap 3 at 6:52 min/mile
Recovery lap 3 at 8:36 min/mile
Lap 4 at 7:12 min/mile
Recovery lap 4 at 8:44 min/mile
Cool down lap at 10:49 min/mile
Total: 2.8 miles
Strangely enough, I was feeling pretty good so I decided to do it a second time.
Warm up lap at 9:11 min/mile
Lap 1 at 6:49 min/mile
Recovery lap at 8:39 min/mile
Lap 2 at 6:50 min/mile
Recovery lap at 9:20 min/mile
Lap 3 at 6:48 min/mile
Recovery lap at 9:01 min/mile
Lap 4 at 7:12 min/mile
Recovery lap at 9:26 min/mile
Cool down lap (walk) 19:34 min/mile
Total: 2.5 miles
I was shaky during the cool down lap but as I walked towards my cooler and stared at the stadium stairs, I got to thinking.... this wasn't enough of an ass kicking... so for 5 minutes and 49 seconds, I did 14 sets of stair bounds and a total of .2 miles including the down the steps part.
All in all I did 5.5 miles last night and loved it. I've secretly wanted to get down to a sub 7 min/mile 5k but was too afraid and stubborn to put in the work for it, my fastest PR is 24:40 with a 7:57 min/mile pace without any real training, just gaining confidence and getting fitter. Seeing on how I won't be training for any Ultras for the rest of this Summer and possibly Fall.... why not try and train to set a PR in the 5k, 10k and 15k distances?
During the Harmonie Trail Marathon, I met a woman who also does Ultras and other races, she is so energetic and just a really great person. About two weeks ago, I spotted a pic she posted on FB - some stairs at a track. I soon learned that each Sunday night she heads to a high school track (the high school that just so happens to be down the road from me). She does mile repeats, each followed by 5 sets of stair climbs us a one minute plank, my desire for the stair climbs is what caught my attention. Well, I wasn't able to catch her there as she had been on vacation, but last night I built up the nerve to go by myself...... it's been something like 12 years since the last time I was on a track, and I hated it. I had asthma issues, I couldn't pace myself right or breath right... it was miserable. But I figured that since I wasn't able to focus on long distance running and putting in the higher mileage, what the hell right?
All I can say is I found a new obsession... I was a little nervous, but decided to pop my cherry by doing 4x400m. I amed for a desired 10-15k pace
I warmed up with 2 laps at a 9:15 min/mile
Lap 1 at 6:52 min/mile
Recovery lap at 8:52 min/mile
Lap 2 at 7:04 min/mile
Recovery lap 2 at 8:52 min/mile
Lap 3 at 6:52 min/mile
Recovery lap 3 at 8:36 min/mile
Lap 4 at 7:12 min/mile
Recovery lap 4 at 8:44 min/mile
Cool down lap at 10:49 min/mile
Total: 2.8 miles
Strangely enough, I was feeling pretty good so I decided to do it a second time.
Warm up lap at 9:11 min/mile
Lap 1 at 6:49 min/mile
Recovery lap at 8:39 min/mile
Lap 2 at 6:50 min/mile
Recovery lap at 9:20 min/mile
Lap 3 at 6:48 min/mile
Recovery lap at 9:01 min/mile
Lap 4 at 7:12 min/mile
Recovery lap at 9:26 min/mile
Cool down lap (walk) 19:34 min/mile
Total: 2.5 miles
I was shaky during the cool down lap but as I walked towards my cooler and stared at the stadium stairs, I got to thinking.... this wasn't enough of an ass kicking... so for 5 minutes and 49 seconds, I did 14 sets of stair bounds and a total of .2 miles including the down the steps part.
All in all I did 5.5 miles last night and loved it. I've secretly wanted to get down to a sub 7 min/mile 5k but was too afraid and stubborn to put in the work for it, my fastest PR is 24:40 with a 7:57 min/mile pace without any real training, just gaining confidence and getting fitter. Seeing on how I won't be training for any Ultras for the rest of this Summer and possibly Fall.... why not try and train to set a PR in the 5k, 10k and 15k distances?
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