I was recruited recently by a friend of mine to compete on a (seemingly really strong) relay team for the Bayou Bash Relay this Saturday. While I was pretty active in the HARRA Series in the Fall, this is my only series event this Spring. As the event gets closer, I get more excited about it. It may be no TIR (and that can be a good thing!), but I get a chance to try my hand at a fast 2-mile around Rice Stadium.
In preparation for my race, my track workout today called for some 400's in 1:30, with a short 1-minute recovery. While I am usually pretty particular on how I fuel for any kind of track workout, I let it slide a little last night, celebrating passing my Comprehensives (yes, I will get that degree!!) with some friends. Surprisingly, and likely that I was still in a good mood when I got up this morning, I still felt good out there today for an easy speed workout at the SHSU track.
The workout:
2 mi W/U @ 8:30 pace
4 x 400 in 1:24, 1:28, 1:27, 1:21. 1 minute recovery in between.
1.5 mi C/D in 8:30
Since I live right down the street from the stadium, I also jogged there and back (nice downhill going home).
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Back on the Trails
With a longer trail race coming up in the near future, I figured I should get a long run or two on the trails beforehand. Training Peaks called for 12, 8:30 pace with a build-up at the end to 7:30 or so. After a relatively less stressful week this week, I hit the trails rested-which is nice. It took a couple miles to get settled and comfortable, likely because I have done so little running out there lately. As for the rest of the run, it seemed to go nice and smooth. Trying to stay in a comfortable zone, I averaged about 8:15 for the first 8 miles. I was hoping to see some wildlife, but the most I saw were cardinals at nearly every mile. I felt as if I were interrupting their spring "dates"! lol They are pretty to watch flying through the trees as I run.
The last few miles, I took the pace up to 7:22, with the following 2 miles in negative splits: 7:16 and 7:13. Working on running tired was the name of the game this morning. I took a 1 mile cooldown job after this one, and recovered with some Muscle Milk afterward. I also used some Arnica tabs on this run, and they seem to help with the muscle fatigue some. Supposedly it works for later soreness as well, but the jury's still out on that one!
Avg. pace overall: 8:04
Total time 1:45 and change.
Tomorrow's workout: 6 miles recovery-I will likely try to find somewhere flat!
The last few miles, I took the pace up to 7:22, with the following 2 miles in negative splits: 7:16 and 7:13. Working on running tired was the name of the game this morning. I took a 1 mile cooldown job after this one, and recovered with some Muscle Milk afterward. I also used some Arnica tabs on this run, and they seem to help with the muscle fatigue some. Supposedly it works for later soreness as well, but the jury's still out on that one!
Avg. pace overall: 8:04
Total time 1:45 and change.
Tomorrow's workout: 6 miles recovery-I will likely try to find somewhere flat!
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Fab Track Workout
It was my "Woodlands Wednesday" once again yesterday and those days now mean working out with Bill & Co. at the track. This particular evening I was excited to just get out of my workclothes and heels and move around (I think a theme is emerging that I don't like to sit for too long!). At any rate, the workout called for 4-6 800's between 2:55 and 3:05. And so it was...
Warmup: 1.25 mi. (started fast but finished with about an 8 min. pace)
Repeats (w/ 2 min active rest): 2:52, 2:54, 2:53, 2:52, 2:55, 2:51-yea save the best for last!!
1.25 mi cooldown @ 8:30 pace.
For some reason, this was one of the better 800 sets I've ever done. Coming off the 10k, my goal was just to complete them within the predicted range. I later rewarded myself with a big turkey sandwich from Jason's (bland for some, but I love it!) and some good sleep!
6:45 this morning, I headed out for an easy 7.4 in 8:06 average pace, in exactly one hour. Rest. Run. Work. Repeat....! :-)
Warmup: 1.25 mi. (started fast but finished with about an 8 min. pace)
Repeats (w/ 2 min active rest): 2:52, 2:54, 2:53, 2:52, 2:55, 2:51-yea save the best for last!!
1.25 mi cooldown @ 8:30 pace.
For some reason, this was one of the better 800 sets I've ever done. Coming off the 10k, my goal was just to complete them within the predicted range. I later rewarded myself with a big turkey sandwich from Jason's (bland for some, but I love it!) and some good sleep!
6:45 this morning, I headed out for an easy 7.4 in 8:06 average pace, in exactly one hour. Rest. Run. Work. Repeat....! :-)
2 comments:
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Blue Bell 10k Report
"This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy!" were the thoughts that kept repeating in my head as I warmed up outside Brenham High in weather conditions that don't exactly qualify as "morning showers". I was surprised to actually be able to make it to the race at all, mentally and physically, even with the touchy weather conditions. I will do my best to provide a relatively brief version:
Thursday/Friday turned out to be the most stressful days of my life that I can recall. After staying up until almost 4 am on TH writing up my Comprehensive Exam, I discovered the following morning that the last 3/4 of 28 pages had been corrupted, this equaled rewriting almost the entire thing again on little to no sleep. I do not believe the human body was made to sit at the computer for that long.
Of course I was scheduled to run Sat. morning, so I managed to drum up as much mental capacity I could to pack up and get race-ready. I was out like a light by 8pm..nice! Upon arrival to the race, the conditions included thunderstorms with lightning strikes. The race had to be postponed an hour, as well as the usual, scenic 10k loop re-routed to an out-and-back. Soon enough, while the rain still falling, we were able to head to the start and get going. I have not in the past been a fan of running in the rain, and this was my first rainy race. Despite my initial doubts about the whole thing, I decided to let it hang out and go for the sub-40 PR. What did I have to lose?
First mile went by quickly, I had some difficulty getting my breathing settled, possibly because I had gotten cold due to delay and a hill (not Bowers-worthy, but still a challenge) at the start. I finally got into a rhythm and cruised through the first mile in 6:00. I did not want to go any faster than that, my goal pace was about 6:20's the entire time. Just after mile 2, and still raining, I started to embrace the conditions, per se, and started to feel pretty good and comfortable. I had gained a substantial lead in the female field at that time. My favorite part of the course was going over a wooden bridge just after the second/forth mile.
After the turnaround, it began to rain harder, so I became more mindful of maintaining my pace and focusing on making it to the finish ASAP; still on pace for goal time. In the meantime, I was beginning to feel the weight of my wet singlet and shorts. I think the weight of wet clothes was counteracted with a mostly downhill last 5k of the course. I also credit wearing Drymax socks with my T5 racing flats for keeping my feet relatively light. Soon enough, I was at Mild 5...thunder and rain increasing. I was beginning to feel some fatigue, but decided to gut it out and fight through the rain and crowd of 5k runners on the last hill of the course.
The last stretch I switched views on my Garmin: 38:00 and change, I could see the finish, so I gave it a final kick and crossed with a thunderstrike in the background at 39:45! I was pumped to have run what I thought was a solid race despite it all, and it even was kind of fun! Afterward, I grabbed a popsicle, cooled down, and hung out with some of my clubmates. There was one last hiccup before the awards ceremony, with the timing co. registering me as Second Female (last miniute race switch by participant), and the Second Overall as fourth. After discussing this with the staff, they apologetically corrected the errors.
12:30 it was all over, and I have some new experiences and challenges under my belt! I am so glad everything turned out the way it did. This was just my second 10k, but I find myself fond of that distance. I will have to run it again next year on the actual course for the full experience.
Thursday/Friday turned out to be the most stressful days of my life that I can recall. After staying up until almost 4 am on TH writing up my Comprehensive Exam, I discovered the following morning that the last 3/4 of 28 pages had been corrupted, this equaled rewriting almost the entire thing again on little to no sleep. I do not believe the human body was made to sit at the computer for that long.
Of course I was scheduled to run Sat. morning, so I managed to drum up as much mental capacity I could to pack up and get race-ready. I was out like a light by 8pm..nice! Upon arrival to the race, the conditions included thunderstorms with lightning strikes. The race had to be postponed an hour, as well as the usual, scenic 10k loop re-routed to an out-and-back. Soon enough, while the rain still falling, we were able to head to the start and get going. I have not in the past been a fan of running in the rain, and this was my first rainy race. Despite my initial doubts about the whole thing, I decided to let it hang out and go for the sub-40 PR. What did I have to lose?
First mile went by quickly, I had some difficulty getting my breathing settled, possibly because I had gotten cold due to delay and a hill (not Bowers-worthy, but still a challenge) at the start. I finally got into a rhythm and cruised through the first mile in 6:00. I did not want to go any faster than that, my goal pace was about 6:20's the entire time. Just after mile 2, and still raining, I started to embrace the conditions, per se, and started to feel pretty good and comfortable. I had gained a substantial lead in the female field at that time. My favorite part of the course was going over a wooden bridge just after the second/forth mile.
After the turnaround, it began to rain harder, so I became more mindful of maintaining my pace and focusing on making it to the finish ASAP; still on pace for goal time. In the meantime, I was beginning to feel the weight of my wet singlet and shorts. I think the weight of wet clothes was counteracted with a mostly downhill last 5k of the course. I also credit wearing Drymax socks with my T5 racing flats for keeping my feet relatively light. Soon enough, I was at Mild 5...thunder and rain increasing. I was beginning to feel some fatigue, but decided to gut it out and fight through the rain and crowd of 5k runners on the last hill of the course.
The last stretch I switched views on my Garmin: 38:00 and change, I could see the finish, so I gave it a final kick and crossed with a thunderstrike in the background at 39:45! I was pumped to have run what I thought was a solid race despite it all, and it even was kind of fun! Afterward, I grabbed a popsicle, cooled down, and hung out with some of my clubmates. There was one last hiccup before the awards ceremony, with the timing co. registering me as Second Female (last miniute race switch by participant), and the Second Overall as fourth. After discussing this with the staff, they apologetically corrected the errors.
12:30 it was all over, and I have some new experiences and challenges under my belt! I am so glad everything turned out the way it did. This was just my second 10k, but I find myself fond of that distance. I will have to run it again next year on the actual course for the full experience.
8 comments:
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Week to Make My Head Spin...
Ok, it's not that bad! I felt I had a pretty good training week last week. Besides the weekday easy runs and Wednesday night speed session, I felt I put in a solid long run over the weekend and recovered pretty well the next day for 6 miles. The long run even had a faster finish thrown in-It has been a while since I have done one of that type; running tired turned out to not be too bad! I also ran a first: my mom joined me for the first half-mile or so-she's back at getting a few miles in here and there.
Sat: 11.5 miles 8:00 pace first 8, 7:16 pace last 3; cooldown ?:?? pace
Sun: Easter Sunday/recovery run 6 miles at 8:35 pace.
Lovin the flat surface for these!
This morning: Easy 10k at 8:00 avg.
This week presents a challenge. Besides the race on Sat. morning, I sit for my Comprehensive exams for my program on TH. Am I going to be stretched this week? Probablly, but it will be worth it. Four months and counting in my program. Come Wednesday evening, I will probably go under "radio silence" to push through this 24-hour, open-book (thank goodness!) beast. At least I don't have to put too many miles in this week! Bring it on!!
Hope everyone had a good Easter!
Sat: 11.5 miles 8:00 pace first 8, 7:16 pace last 3; cooldown ?:?? pace
Sun: Easter Sunday/recovery run 6 miles at 8:35 pace.
Lovin the flat surface for these!
This morning: Easy 10k at 8:00 avg.
This week presents a challenge. Besides the race on Sat. morning, I sit for my Comprehensive exams for my program on TH. Am I going to be stretched this week? Probablly, but it will be worth it. Four months and counting in my program. Come Wednesday evening, I will probably go under "radio silence" to push through this 24-hour, open-book (thank goodness!) beast. At least I don't have to put too many miles in this week! Bring it on!!
Hope everyone had a good Easter!
1 comment:
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Track Workout
There is something I oddly enjoy about a good speed workout. Maybe it's the sense of accomplishment at the end. Maybe it's just the notion of just going fast. Maybe it's the progress you can see after doing them a while. Maybe it's all of these things. Anyhow, I had a tough one slated for last night. It wasn't my prettiest body of speedwork, I managed to get out there and hammer it out even after hours in the car and Houston traffic.
My assessment of my own at this point: good speed, good mental focus, moderate lactate threshold (there was definitely some fish out of water feeling, especially toward the end). On the docket:
1 mile warmup
2 x 1000 w 400 recovery (3:35/3:43)-predicted time 4:00
2 x 800 w 4o0 recovery (3:00/2:57)-3:00 predicted time; may have gone a little fast on the 1000's
2 x 400 w 200 recovery (1:22/1:24) 1:25 predicted
1.75 mile cooldown
I am enjoying making it to the track in The Woodlands as much as I can. Great group out there! Next week is race week again, could I PR in Brenham? I shall try.
My assessment of my own at this point: good speed, good mental focus, moderate lactate threshold (there was definitely some fish out of water feeling, especially toward the end). On the docket:
1 mile warmup
2 x 1000 w 400 recovery (3:35/3:43)-predicted time 4:00
2 x 800 w 4o0 recovery (3:00/2:57)-3:00 predicted time; may have gone a little fast on the 1000's
2 x 400 w 200 recovery (1:22/1:24) 1:25 predicted
1.75 mile cooldown
I am enjoying making it to the track in The Woodlands as much as I can. Great group out there! Next week is race week again, could I PR in Brenham? I shall try.
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Sunday, April 5, 2009
Muddy Trails 5k
I didn't PR, but I came pretty dang close! Opting to try an afternoon race closer to home versus the Bellaire Trolley Run (which would have been faster), I took in the 2nd Annual Muddy Trails 5k in The Woodlands. The course was interesting and fairly challenging, with most of it on sandy, winding trails.
After an early "navigational mishap"-I think I may still be pretty "Woodlands challenged"- I made it into Rob Fleming Park with an hour to spare; get my packet, and begin my warmup routine. Even though it was just a 5k, it was my first individual event in a while, so I had a question or two concerning how well I could do, especially with limited speedwork lately. Bill had instructed me to just run hard and have fun, so I thought that was a good plan.
At the sound of the horn, I was able to get out in front before the course bottlenecked and headed into the woods. It felt pretty good at first and I was surprised with how fast I had started: my first mile split registered at 5:52. I figured I would just hold it out and see what happens-it was only for 3 miles, afterall. I was in the third spot overall for a while, until I was overtaken by fellow 'Blogger/speedster John Maloney. Second mile did not accurately register on the Garmin, but the split was a little over 12:00-slowing just a bit....
A few twists and turns later, I was on the third mile and starting to get oxygen deprived-need tempo work! :). Competitive Adrienne took over and just tried to ignore it as the finish neared. I saw the clock in the high 18:00's and tried my darndest to break 19:00-didn't quite get there, but a 19:00 definitely had me excited, just 4 seconds off my current PR from June. Also good for 1st Overall Female-yea! A new training bud, Melissa, finished second overall.
After hanging out and taking in music and the ceremony, my cheering section (aka Mom and Dad) accompanied me to Market Street for some much-needed Berryhill. Next up: Blue Bell 10k!
Total distance:
2-mile warmup with 4 strides and stretching
3.1 in 19:00/6:07 avg. pace (active.com)
1-mile cooldown @ 8:00 avg.
Today: 6ish miles recovery run
After an early "navigational mishap"-I think I may still be pretty "Woodlands challenged"- I made it into Rob Fleming Park with an hour to spare; get my packet, and begin my warmup routine. Even though it was just a 5k, it was my first individual event in a while, so I had a question or two concerning how well I could do, especially with limited speedwork lately. Bill had instructed me to just run hard and have fun, so I thought that was a good plan.
At the sound of the horn, I was able to get out in front before the course bottlenecked and headed into the woods. It felt pretty good at first and I was surprised with how fast I had started: my first mile split registered at 5:52. I figured I would just hold it out and see what happens-it was only for 3 miles, afterall. I was in the third spot overall for a while, until I was overtaken by fellow 'Blogger/speedster John Maloney. Second mile did not accurately register on the Garmin, but the split was a little over 12:00-slowing just a bit....
A few twists and turns later, I was on the third mile and starting to get oxygen deprived-need tempo work! :). Competitive Adrienne took over and just tried to ignore it as the finish neared. I saw the clock in the high 18:00's and tried my darndest to break 19:00-didn't quite get there, but a 19:00 definitely had me excited, just 4 seconds off my current PR from June. Also good for 1st Overall Female-yea! A new training bud, Melissa, finished second overall.
After hanging out and taking in music and the ceremony, my cheering section (aka Mom and Dad) accompanied me to Market Street for some much-needed Berryhill. Next up: Blue Bell 10k!
Total distance:
2-mile warmup with 4 strides and stretching
3.1 in 19:00/6:07 avg. pace (active.com)
1-mile cooldown @ 8:00 avg.
Today: 6ish miles recovery run
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