Goal was to run 8:00, 7:50, 7:45 to ease back into mile repeats. Granted, things would be interesting given that they were run on rolling inclines. The first mile was perfect in 8:01. The first 800 was a little fast (3:45) but that was due to a decline. However, the second half was mostly uphill so it evened out and felt good.
I am still trying to learn what 7:45-7:50 feels like. It's not that fast and I have to remember that. The second mile was in 7:35, too fast for my body at this point in training. The first 800 was in 3:36 and mostly rolling. The second half was uphill so I was happy with 3:59. On a rolling route, it's hard to expect even and negative splits. However, 7:35 was still too fast. I was happy with that time but knew I wouldn't be able to repeat it or do better on the final repeat.
The final mile was relatively and purposefully flat and I ran it in 7:53. The pace felt right in between the first and second repeat so hopefully I can work with that feeling and have a more effective mile repeat workout next time. That's what practice is for!
Overall, this base training so far has been good to me. I've worked back up to 20 miles a week without any major aches or pain. I'll occasionally have to ice my feet (heal and toe pain) but other than that I feel pretty healthy. After looking at my summer training, I realized I was getting injured easily because I increased my mileage too quickly from one week to the next. This time around, I'm paying more attention to my weekly increases in mileage. It definitely helps to have started training this far out from May so that I'm not rushing like I was in the summer.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Hi Sand Run. Nice to meet you. P.S. You're going down.
Ran the Sand Run section of the Akron Marathon today, without knowing it was the route. And well, running the sand path and not in the road like you do in the race. It was not too challenging of a run but that's with fresh legs. I can see how it would suck, and well, I kind of remember it sucking when I did the damn thing in 2004. However, at that point in the race I was so out of it that most of route has seemed to slip my mind.
Ever since I got back into training and began going to counseling this summer, I have become more aware. I was able to acknowledge that much of my anxiety in everyday life affected my running for the past ten years. I was afraid to go fast for fear of pain that would ultimately lead to me passing out or dying. Yes, crazy, but part of the reason I went to counseling was to conquer my existential fear of death. It is still a work in progress but slowly becoming aware of when this fear occurs and releasing it removes a huge weight from my shoulders. I feel so free, and in running, free enough to push myself beyond what I am used to. This notion gets me excited.
I look forward to the hard workouts. And then when I reach those excruciating points in the challenging workouts, I think to myself, "Well, this is what you asked for. This is what you've been craving. Feel it, experience it, and push through it!" In running and in life, not all feelings are going to be good but it's important to experience them all. Besides, if I were to die, I wouldn't mind it happening while doing something I absolutely love.
And I wouldn't have been able to say that four months ago :)
Ever since I got back into training and began going to counseling this summer, I have become more aware. I was able to acknowledge that much of my anxiety in everyday life affected my running for the past ten years. I was afraid to go fast for fear of pain that would ultimately lead to me passing out or dying. Yes, crazy, but part of the reason I went to counseling was to conquer my existential fear of death. It is still a work in progress but slowly becoming aware of when this fear occurs and releasing it removes a huge weight from my shoulders. I feel so free, and in running, free enough to push myself beyond what I am used to. This notion gets me excited.
I look forward to the hard workouts. And then when I reach those excruciating points in the challenging workouts, I think to myself, "Well, this is what you asked for. This is what you've been craving. Feel it, experience it, and push through it!" In running and in life, not all feelings are going to be good but it's important to experience them all. Besides, if I were to die, I wouldn't mind it happening while doing something I absolutely love.
And I wouldn't have been able to say that four months ago :)
Friday, November 13, 2009
30 minute tempo run
Last night I was faced with running indoors due to work and class all day and the time change. I had planned on the treadmill but forgot about the tiny indoor track upstairs at Akron's Rec. At the time I wasn't sure how many laps equaled a mile so I decided to just run based off feeling. I hadn't planned on it being a fast feeling run (aka tempo run) but couldn't help but push it with people up there. I should have warmed up but figured walking on campus was good enough. However, next time I won't skip that part.
I stayed with a man in a USMC t-shirt, hoping to pass him near the end of my run but he ended a lot earlier than I had planned on going for (30 minutes). It was good racing practice hanging with him. Afterwards, I kept focused on the pain feeling and pushing through it (or at least accepting it). I really tested my fitness that night but it felt incomplete not knowing my pace. However, it is sometimes helpful (especially in the base training phase) to run tempos off of feeling and not time. The trick is not backing off. I knew I was pushing it when I didn't back off at the first sign of fatigue or lactic acid build up in calves (which eventually went away). Wrapped up with some strength training.
I stayed with a man in a USMC t-shirt, hoping to pass him near the end of my run but he ended a lot earlier than I had planned on going for (30 minutes). It was good racing practice hanging with him. Afterwards, I kept focused on the pain feeling and pushing through it (or at least accepting it). I really tested my fitness that night but it felt incomplete not knowing my pace. However, it is sometimes helpful (especially in the base training phase) to run tempos off of feeling and not time. The trick is not backing off. I knew I was pushing it when I didn't back off at the first sign of fatigue or lactic acid build up in calves (which eventually went away). Wrapped up with some strength training.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
3 miles
A break is a blessing in disguise. After the Akron half, I was confused and sad. It was too soon to begin a new program but I didn't want to end training. I was stuck in the old program I had created, afraid to move forward. Part of moving forward involved taking some time off. I took a week off after the Towpath half, then ran easy for another week, and then was forced to take off 10 days to heal a sore rib muscle. Those last 10 days were tough because the fall weather was beautiful and I had a good week of easy running prior to the injury. However, I came to realize the importance of taking time off. If you treat a break with the same mindset as running a hard workout (keep positive) it will be much easier to get through it. It also helped to just let loose, eat some fried food just cus, and most importantly, clear my mind of my old training program. Yesterday's run back truly felt like a new beginning.
And because the odds are stacked against me, it's not too early to start training for May's Cleveland Marathon. I need to build a good base for the long runs to come in February, March, and April. For the next couple of weeks, I won't do any speedwork or tempo runs but I will focus on building back up my long runs and start to slowly incorporate hills. My apartment complex is filled with hills that will provide challenging workouts when the winter comes. I am also close to the Sand Run portion of the Akron Marathon. It is a goal of mine to be able to attack that portion in workouts this upcoming year in an effort to be able to run Akron in the fall. I am not 100% sure of running that race for a fall marathon, but I have had two positive experiences with it thus far. It is tempting to choose that race, though it decreases the chances of qualifying for Boston. But that is way far in advance. First up, the Cleveland Marathon.
And because the odds are stacked against me, it's not too early to start training for May's Cleveland Marathon. I need to build a good base for the long runs to come in February, March, and April. For the next couple of weeks, I won't do any speedwork or tempo runs but I will focus on building back up my long runs and start to slowly incorporate hills. My apartment complex is filled with hills that will provide challenging workouts when the winter comes. I am also close to the Sand Run portion of the Akron Marathon. It is a goal of mine to be able to attack that portion in workouts this upcoming year in an effort to be able to run Akron in the fall. I am not 100% sure of running that race for a fall marathon, but I have had two positive experiences with it thus far. It is tempting to choose that race, though it decreases the chances of qualifying for Boston. But that is way far in advance. First up, the Cleveland Marathon.
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