Monday: Off
Tuesday: 7 miles in 61:03
Wednesday: 6 miles (1 mile warm-up., 4 x 1600, 7:24, 7:34, 7:36, 7:30, 90 sec rest in between each repeat, 1 mile cool down)
Thursday: Off
Friday: 6 miles in 53:12
Saturday: 14 miles in 2h 16min 23 sec
Legs felt great, no noticeable heal pain. Was quite thirsty, drank Powerade every mile. Mentally wasn't too distracted with negative thoughts, though miles 9-12 were somewhat of a challenge. I was pleased that my body felt strong. I had a little trouble walking after the run due to new blisters and had some lightheadedness afterwards as well, but mostly likely due to not eating enough before the run or anything immediately after. For my longest run to date, I am very pleased. Eating pasta right now...it never tasted so good! Ben & Jerry's is up next!
Sunday: 3 miles, easy
TOTAL: 36 miles
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Weekly Recap
Monday: Off
Tuesday: 4 miles
Snowy, cold evening run. Blah. I have officially begun to complain about winter.
Wednesday: 5 miles (1 mile warm-up-8:14, 3 x 1600- 7:09, 7:23, 7:19, 1 mile cool down-9:06)
Track workout at the Kent State Field house. It was busy with runners of all abilities, felt inspiring in a way. Most consistent mile workout I've ever had. Very positive in regards to my winter base training. Just need to remember to start off a bit slower and progressively get faster each time.
Thursday: 6 miles in 53:47
Treadmill run around 9pm- despite the late start, I did not feel sluggish. Wore my Lunaracers and felt light, minimal pain too.
Friday: 5 miles
Treadmill run at the Independence Holiday Inn. Felt unmotivated for the first three miles but after that, talked myself back into finishing the mileage I planned on doing. Spent some time in the pool and sauna afterwards which was nice.
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 13 miles in 2:01:26
Long run outdoors around 3pm. The weather was amazing! We missed the morning sun but the temperature made it easier to cover such a distance. Went out to Sand run then to Revere Rd and Market Street (miles 15-19ish of the Akron Marathon) and then back down in the Valley and out towards Bath Rd then back up Portage Trail hill to Timbertop. I felt minimal pain and enjoyed being lightly dressed. I did start to feel tired around an hour and half for about ten minutes but regained buoyancy afterwards (tried not to focus on how long I had been running and focus more on form) and finished strong. I'm ready to begin focusing on 2 hour+ long runs from here on out!
TOTAL: 33 miles
Tuesday: 4 miles
Snowy, cold evening run. Blah. I have officially begun to complain about winter.
Wednesday: 5 miles (1 mile warm-up-8:14, 3 x 1600- 7:09, 7:23, 7:19, 1 mile cool down-9:06)
Track workout at the Kent State Field house. It was busy with runners of all abilities, felt inspiring in a way. Most consistent mile workout I've ever had. Very positive in regards to my winter base training. Just need to remember to start off a bit slower and progressively get faster each time.
Thursday: 6 miles in 53:47
Treadmill run around 9pm- despite the late start, I did not feel sluggish. Wore my Lunaracers and felt light, minimal pain too.
Friday: 5 miles
Treadmill run at the Independence Holiday Inn. Felt unmotivated for the first three miles but after that, talked myself back into finishing the mileage I planned on doing. Spent some time in the pool and sauna afterwards which was nice.
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 13 miles in 2:01:26
Long run outdoors around 3pm. The weather was amazing! We missed the morning sun but the temperature made it easier to cover such a distance. Went out to Sand run then to Revere Rd and Market Street (miles 15-19ish of the Akron Marathon) and then back down in the Valley and out towards Bath Rd then back up Portage Trail hill to Timbertop. I felt minimal pain and enjoyed being lightly dressed. I did start to feel tired around an hour and half for about ten minutes but regained buoyancy afterwards (tried not to focus on how long I had been running and focus more on form) and finished strong. I'm ready to begin focusing on 2 hour+ long runs from here on out!
TOTAL: 33 miles
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Introspection
I originally planned to work in an off day on my birthday as I had work all day and wanted to allow some time in the evening to relax and get dinner with friends. However, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate 27 years than by doing a track workout. The last few times I did 3 x 1600, I was stuck in the 7:45s. Last night, my splits were 7:09, 7:23, 7:19. Granted, I started off a little too fast, but overall, my attempt at consistency is paying off. It may sound funny, but for the first time in my life, I feel in shape. A 7:15 pace felt like a 7:45 pace. What's even more exciting is knowing that there is still new territory to explore!
I did the workout at the Kent State Field house, about 5.5 laps for a mile. Each time I hit the backstretch, I looked up at the large monitor that displayed the date, 2/17/2010. For some reason, this inspired me to continue to push through each lap. I could have spent this day in so many other ways. What made me lace up my shoes when I could have been taking off my work shoes and falling to the couch? What made me want to put my body through discomfort when I could have been napping? What made me want to recover with water breaks instead of coming home to recover from work with a beer? (Though that does sounds good, too!)...
It was the idea of pushing my body to another level. It was to test my body's current level of fitness. It was to validate the last few months of cold runs in the snow at midnight or the boring treadmill runs without headphones or the sluggish runs after driving in a car for two hours. It was to watch my hot boyfriend run around in circles, too. And it was to splurge at dinner later that evening. But most importantly, it was to express my gratitude to be able to run, to continue to improve, and to have put in 27 healthy years. Here's to many more years and miles ahead...
I did the workout at the Kent State Field house, about 5.5 laps for a mile. Each time I hit the backstretch, I looked up at the large monitor that displayed the date, 2/17/2010. For some reason, this inspired me to continue to push through each lap. I could have spent this day in so many other ways. What made me lace up my shoes when I could have been taking off my work shoes and falling to the couch? What made me want to put my body through discomfort when I could have been napping? What made me want to recover with water breaks instead of coming home to recover from work with a beer? (Though that does sounds good, too!)...
It was the idea of pushing my body to another level. It was to test my body's current level of fitness. It was to validate the last few months of cold runs in the snow at midnight or the boring treadmill runs without headphones or the sluggish runs after driving in a car for two hours. It was to watch my hot boyfriend run around in circles, too. And it was to splurge at dinner later that evening. But most importantly, it was to express my gratitude to be able to run, to continue to improve, and to have put in 27 healthy years. Here's to many more years and miles ahead...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Weekly Recap
Monday: 4.8 miles (41:40)
Night run around Aurora/Rt.43. Started off cold and crabby but ended strong and loose. Also had my first fall of the year, a slip on ice = a mark on butt.
Tuesday: 3 miles
First run in Painesville on the Lake Metroparks bike trail. The wind and snowfall made it hard to see but the path wasn't too filled yet with snow making the surface feel like a fluffy blanket. However, the run pretty much sucked as I felt very sluggish.
Wednesday: 4.5 miles (1 mile warm up, 6 x 800s on indoor track, 800 cool down)
Ate a jumbo hot dog right before the run and felt it after the third repeat. I was going to call it a day but then thought about the feeling I would have later at night if I would have not even tried to continue the workout. I took a longer recovery and mentally got back into finishing the workout after the 4th repeat, making that my accomplishment for the night as splits were not as fast as I expected them to be. However, for feeling stiff, being indoors on a small track, and having a hot dog digest while running, I am pretty happy with the results (3:38, 3:41, 3:48, 3:48, 3:49, 3:46).
Thursday: 4 miles
The plan was to run 8 miles but the sluggish streak continued. I cut it short at 4 miles. My right heel was pretty dull and my left shin began to ache more during the run. It didn't help that my mp3 broke a couple days ago and so I was left listening to a FM radio that didn't tune well while on the treadmill. Boo-hoo, I say. Mentally, I have not been into my running this week so far and this day I hit rock bottom. When I got home last night, I noticed I had not taken any days off since last Friday. Normally this wouldn't be an issue but I have not yet trained this hard in my career. I probably should have taken a day off after my long run on Sunday.
Looking ahead, I am going to rest tomorrow in an effort to prepare for another weekend long run. Then next week, I will focus more on distance than speed as I am lacking in supporting volume (to the long run) each week. I do feel that the majority of my issue this week is a mental one. However, I am going to monitor my heel and shin just to be safe (i.e. cut the long run short if needed).
Friday: Off
Mentally recovering...the more negative and complain-y I get, the more achy I feel. I believe that because I am entering new territory, I am going to be more tempted to give up. It's a small hill I am climbing right now.
Saturday: 9.2 miles (90 minutes)
Took it easy and experienced minimal pain, evidence that most of my issue is mental as I increase mileage. I went 8:30 pace for a good M.I.A. song and noticed my heal and shin feel better as I went faster. I think these issues are biomechanical so I will continue to analyze the theory that faster means healthier for me, or at least more efficient.
Sunday: 5 miles (44:24)
Midnight run with the "ex" boyfriend around the Northhamptom neighboorhood. Wore my Lunaracers because I feel most efficient with them. It's possible I operate better with a lighter shoe, I certainly feel like I do. Great way to not only end a sluggish week, but to end one of my favorite holidays ;)
TOTAL: 30.5
Night run around Aurora/Rt.43. Started off cold and crabby but ended strong and loose. Also had my first fall of the year, a slip on ice = a mark on butt.
Tuesday: 3 miles
First run in Painesville on the Lake Metroparks bike trail. The wind and snowfall made it hard to see but the path wasn't too filled yet with snow making the surface feel like a fluffy blanket. However, the run pretty much sucked as I felt very sluggish.
Wednesday: 4.5 miles (1 mile warm up, 6 x 800s on indoor track, 800 cool down)
Ate a jumbo hot dog right before the run and felt it after the third repeat. I was going to call it a day but then thought about the feeling I would have later at night if I would have not even tried to continue the workout. I took a longer recovery and mentally got back into finishing the workout after the 4th repeat, making that my accomplishment for the night as splits were not as fast as I expected them to be. However, for feeling stiff, being indoors on a small track, and having a hot dog digest while running, I am pretty happy with the results (3:38, 3:41, 3:48, 3:48, 3:49, 3:46).
Thursday: 4 miles
The plan was to run 8 miles but the sluggish streak continued. I cut it short at 4 miles. My right heel was pretty dull and my left shin began to ache more during the run. It didn't help that my mp3 broke a couple days ago and so I was left listening to a FM radio that didn't tune well while on the treadmill. Boo-hoo, I say. Mentally, I have not been into my running this week so far and this day I hit rock bottom. When I got home last night, I noticed I had not taken any days off since last Friday. Normally this wouldn't be an issue but I have not yet trained this hard in my career. I probably should have taken a day off after my long run on Sunday.
Looking ahead, I am going to rest tomorrow in an effort to prepare for another weekend long run. Then next week, I will focus more on distance than speed as I am lacking in supporting volume (to the long run) each week. I do feel that the majority of my issue this week is a mental one. However, I am going to monitor my heel and shin just to be safe (i.e. cut the long run short if needed).
Friday: Off
Mentally recovering...the more negative and complain-y I get, the more achy I feel. I believe that because I am entering new territory, I am going to be more tempted to give up. It's a small hill I am climbing right now.
Saturday: 9.2 miles (90 minutes)
Took it easy and experienced minimal pain, evidence that most of my issue is mental as I increase mileage. I went 8:30 pace for a good M.I.A. song and noticed my heal and shin feel better as I went faster. I think these issues are biomechanical so I will continue to analyze the theory that faster means healthier for me, or at least more efficient.
Sunday: 5 miles (44:24)
Midnight run with the "ex" boyfriend around the Northhamptom neighboorhood. Wore my Lunaracers because I feel most efficient with them. It's possible I operate better with a lighter shoe, I certainly feel like I do. Great way to not only end a sluggish week, but to end one of my favorite holidays ;)
TOTAL: 30.5
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Weekly Recap
Monday: Off
Recover from traveling.
Tuesday: 5 miles (1 mile warm-up, 3 mile tempo in 24:16, 1 mile cool down)
Felt pretty sluggish. However, I did start slower and finished faster (8:18, 8:04, 7:50).
Wednesday: 3 miles
Easy recovery run outside. I hadn't run outdoors in over a week! Portage Trail hill was the easiest its ever been, too.
Thursday: 7 miles (3 miles at 8:56, 1 mile fartlek- 2 min hard, 3 min easy, 2.5 miles at 8:56, and last 800 meters in 3:22)
This run proved I'm getting used to the treadmill and that my fitness is improving. During the fartlek kicks, I was able to hold paces in the low 7s and it felt easier than last week. I started my final 800 a little fast but held a 7:23 pace pretty easily after the first minute and a half. I was also happy that I was able to continue to hold 9 flat when recovering from the kicks.
Friday: Off
Saturday: 4 miles
Another outdoor run, started off very achy and windy but fell into a nice groove rather quickly given the conditions.
Sunday: 12 miles in 1:47:50 (8:59 pace)
Longest run in a few months and longest run ever on a treadmill. Once I hit 6 miles it was easier to focus, but mile 8 was the toughest, probably because the longest I've gone on a treadmill was 8. The last mile felt strong and I was able to kick at the end. Recovery-wise, I was pretty tired afterwards and I'm achy today but I don't feel drained.
TOTAL: 31 miles
Recover from traveling.
Tuesday: 5 miles (1 mile warm-up, 3 mile tempo in 24:16, 1 mile cool down)
Felt pretty sluggish. However, I did start slower and finished faster (8:18, 8:04, 7:50).
Wednesday: 3 miles
Easy recovery run outside. I hadn't run outdoors in over a week! Portage Trail hill was the easiest its ever been, too.
Thursday: 7 miles (3 miles at 8:56, 1 mile fartlek- 2 min hard, 3 min easy, 2.5 miles at 8:56, and last 800 meters in 3:22)
This run proved I'm getting used to the treadmill and that my fitness is improving. During the fartlek kicks, I was able to hold paces in the low 7s and it felt easier than last week. I started my final 800 a little fast but held a 7:23 pace pretty easily after the first minute and a half. I was also happy that I was able to continue to hold 9 flat when recovering from the kicks.
Friday: Off
Saturday: 4 miles
Another outdoor run, started off very achy and windy but fell into a nice groove rather quickly given the conditions.
Sunday: 12 miles in 1:47:50 (8:59 pace)
Longest run in a few months and longest run ever on a treadmill. Once I hit 6 miles it was easier to focus, but mile 8 was the toughest, probably because the longest I've gone on a treadmill was 8. The last mile felt strong and I was able to kick at the end. Recovery-wise, I was pretty tired afterwards and I'm achy today but I don't feel drained.
TOTAL: 31 miles
Monday, February 1, 2010
Weekly Recap
Monday: 6 miles (4 miles of 2 min hard-7:50s to 6:53s pace and 3 min recovery)
Tuesday: 3 miles recovery run (27:30)
Wednesday: 4 miles (last mile moderate-hard pace, lost count of laps not sure of the time)
Thursday: SLEEEEEP
Friday: Travel
Saturday: Travel, dancing
Sunday: 8.2 miles
TOTAL: 21.2 miles
Started the week off strong and planned on getting in a solid 30 miles but by the time Thursday came around, my body told me otherwise. It was craving sleep so I napped for two hours that evening (the best two hour nap ever!) and then proceeded to get 5 more hours of sleep that night. Last minute travel plans enabled my foot and body to rest but it took me awhile to realize the benefit of having a lower mileage week. Over an egg sandwich and hashbrowns at a Waffle House in WV, I reasoned that it would be best to have a down week before beginning mileage in the 30s and 40s. After coming to this conclusion, I subsequently felt better about my training and enjoyed the remainder of my weekend travels. This week I will concentrate on sleep a little more and try not to start off so hard early in the week as it's comparable to starting off a race faster than your body has trained to go. I must find a good pace in proceeding forward. And drink up on green tea as my travel buddy is sick. I might be next! Get well James :)
Tuesday: 3 miles recovery run (27:30)
Wednesday: 4 miles (last mile moderate-hard pace, lost count of laps not sure of the time)
Thursday: SLEEEEEP
Friday: Travel
Saturday: Travel, dancing
Sunday: 8.2 miles
TOTAL: 21.2 miles
Started the week off strong and planned on getting in a solid 30 miles but by the time Thursday came around, my body told me otherwise. It was craving sleep so I napped for two hours that evening (the best two hour nap ever!) and then proceeded to get 5 more hours of sleep that night. Last minute travel plans enabled my foot and body to rest but it took me awhile to realize the benefit of having a lower mileage week. Over an egg sandwich and hashbrowns at a Waffle House in WV, I reasoned that it would be best to have a down week before beginning mileage in the 30s and 40s. After coming to this conclusion, I subsequently felt better about my training and enjoyed the remainder of my weekend travels. This week I will concentrate on sleep a little more and try not to start off so hard early in the week as it's comparable to starting off a race faster than your body has trained to go. I must find a good pace in proceeding forward. And drink up on green tea as my travel buddy is sick. I might be next! Get well James :)
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