I was to do 20K today. My legs were tired. It was warm (72F, 22C and 60% humidity). I was slow.
I knew by 5K that this was going to be a bad day. By 7.5K I was wondering how I was going to do 20K. But I just kept on going, and was very slow, and my legs hurt a lot. I finished. That's about all I can say about this. I really struggled today. It was not my heart rate - that was relatively low. My legs were just so tired and heavy, and I felt terrible. It was ugly, and it hurt. I hope after a cross-training day tomorrow that I will feel better.
My friend David must have read my mind, because about 10km he sent me a text that read, "Tough times never last tough people do that's why you're an awesome athlete XOX." Nice. It did help keep me going though it didn't make it any less tough!
The workout is on two watches because I gave my old 305 one last chance, after a hard reset. About 400m in, it lost the satellite signal. Grrrrr. So I switched to the new watch and did the other 19.6K on that one.
First watch 0.44km in 2:41.
Second watch 19.60km in 2:09:11 for 6:35/km with ave HR 140.
Garmin connect is down so the link here is for the Plus 3 Network instead.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
3x2K, 2x1K, 4x500m
I was still feeling a little sore this morning and not sure how I'd do on this workout, but really, that doesn't matter. All that matters is that you get out and DO them. So I went.
It was a bit cooler today at 69F (21C) and much less humid. I would say the heat was not too much of a factor today, unlike Sunday's 32K. There was a slight breeze, which helped. I still drank quite a bit of water by the time I was done.
I got to the track at 5:35am, since I knew this workout would take 90 min and I had to get home in time to get ready for work and get the kids to school at 8. It was close...I should have gotten there 5-10 min earlier. Needless to say, it was pitch black outside but there were actually a few people there - the East High principal (who often walks there early), a nordic walker (yup, with poles), and a runner. 20 minutes later, the high school cross-country team showed up, but they weren't using the track - they ran down 15th East to Sugar House Park, did a loop around the park, and ran back (I heard the coach giving them directions). Later on, a triathlete and her coach showed up as well, but the track was still not too crowded.
I warmed up for 1600m in 10:14, enjoying the stars. I looked at the constellation Orion for a while because it was lowish on the horizon and easily visible every time I came around the curve at the south end of the track.
After some dynamic stretches, I was ready to go. I was consistent today but not fast. I think I was expecting to pull off some 11:00 times for the 2Ks, since I did that in Sacramento on my last track workout before the WMA 5K. However, 1) I have done very few interval workouts since then (if any?), and 2) that was at sea level, and this is not, and 3) I've been doing more long stuff so can't expect these to be great I guess. I felt pretty good though - I felt I was working hard but not too hard, and I had endurance today. My sore muscles felt much better when the workout was done, in fact.
Here are my splits:
2Ks:
5:41, 5:45 (11:26)
5:42, 5:49 (11:31)
5:43, 5:45 (11:28)
1Ks:
5:39
5:42
500s:
2:47
2:48
2:48
2:45
Garmin connect data here.
A few mood items, on a whim. I was really quite tired this morning when I went to the track; I need to get more sleep but it's been tough to get to bed early enough. So I was not in the best mood, and after my intervals were slower than I'd have liked (i.e. after the first 2K), I started to compare myself to faster walkers. Not good. I wished my intervals would improve more rapidly. DUH! I quickly tried to shift my perspective. I'm faster than I've ever been (not at this workout, but in general), I'm in good shape for the marathon, and I'm (for once) uninjured and able to train hard. Things are good! I have to keep reminding myself of this, because otherwise I can get in a ridiculous thought spiral. It started again when the triathlete showed up. She is a very fast and very petite woman who is clearly in tremendous shape. As she did her 400s, passing me over and over, I felt very big and slow next to her. I tried not to think about it, and shift my focus. It did work, mostly.
Now that it's been a few hours, I feel OK about this workout, and I'm glad it's done. I have 20K tomorrow and I need to rest a bit better tonight if possible!
It was a bit cooler today at 69F (21C) and much less humid. I would say the heat was not too much of a factor today, unlike Sunday's 32K. There was a slight breeze, which helped. I still drank quite a bit of water by the time I was done.
I got to the track at 5:35am, since I knew this workout would take 90 min and I had to get home in time to get ready for work and get the kids to school at 8. It was close...I should have gotten there 5-10 min earlier. Needless to say, it was pitch black outside but there were actually a few people there - the East High principal (who often walks there early), a nordic walker (yup, with poles), and a runner. 20 minutes later, the high school cross-country team showed up, but they weren't using the track - they ran down 15th East to Sugar House Park, did a loop around the park, and ran back (I heard the coach giving them directions). Later on, a triathlete and her coach showed up as well, but the track was still not too crowded.
I warmed up for 1600m in 10:14, enjoying the stars. I looked at the constellation Orion for a while because it was lowish on the horizon and easily visible every time I came around the curve at the south end of the track.
After some dynamic stretches, I was ready to go. I was consistent today but not fast. I think I was expecting to pull off some 11:00 times for the 2Ks, since I did that in Sacramento on my last track workout before the WMA 5K. However, 1) I have done very few interval workouts since then (if any?), and 2) that was at sea level, and this is not, and 3) I've been doing more long stuff so can't expect these to be great I guess. I felt pretty good though - I felt I was working hard but not too hard, and I had endurance today. My sore muscles felt much better when the workout was done, in fact.
Here are my splits:
2Ks:
5:41, 5:45 (11:26)
5:42, 5:49 (11:31)
5:43, 5:45 (11:28)
1Ks:
5:39
5:42
500s:
2:47
2:48
2:48
2:45
Garmin connect data here.
A few mood items, on a whim. I was really quite tired this morning when I went to the track; I need to get more sleep but it's been tough to get to bed early enough. So I was not in the best mood, and after my intervals were slower than I'd have liked (i.e. after the first 2K), I started to compare myself to faster walkers. Not good. I wished my intervals would improve more rapidly. DUH! I quickly tried to shift my perspective. I'm faster than I've ever been (not at this workout, but in general), I'm in good shape for the marathon, and I'm (for once) uninjured and able to train hard. Things are good! I have to keep reminding myself of this, because otherwise I can get in a ridiculous thought spiral. It started again when the triathlete showed up. She is a very fast and very petite woman who is clearly in tremendous shape. As she did her 400s, passing me over and over, I felt very big and slow next to her. I tried not to think about it, and shift my focus. It did work, mostly.
Now that it's been a few hours, I feel OK about this workout, and I'm glad it's done. I have 20K tomorrow and I need to rest a bit better tonight if possible!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
32K again
The weather was not cooperative this morning. I'd rather have it like this than a snowstorm, but it still wasn't ideal. It was about 72F (22C) and extremely humid this morning at 5:25am at the Jordan River Trail. When I say extremely humid, I mean it. It was literally FOGGY, and I could see my breath. UGH. And as the morning progressed, it got warmer of course. By the time I had done 16K (10 miles), it was 76F (24.4C), and it was 78F (25.6C) when I finished. I was sweating unbelievable amounts - my clothing was soaked through by the time I finished. In addition, I chafed in places I have never chafed before, and never want to chafe again. Fortunately, I had my body glide with me, and applied it liberally and frequently. It helped enormously but didn't completely prevent the chafing. I also drank an enormous amount - 96 ounces (3 lb !!!) and still weighed 1.2 lb less when I got home than before I left. Good thing I drank some zipfizz (electrolyte solution) in addition to water, and ate sports beans with electrolytes, as my body was caked with salt when I got home. Ewwwww. It was nice taking a shower to clean all that off, except for the pain from the chafed areas (yeah, should have put more body glide on before the shower, but I forgot).
Because of the heat, this workout was tougher than last week. I was almost as fast, but my HR was almost 10 beats higher, with an ave of 154. Yeah, I was pushing it. Especially after 20K, I just really wanted to be done and get in my air-conditioned car and come home to take a cold shower. Besides, I have 3 weeks until the race, so I have plenty of time to recover and I think I'll recover quickly enough, since I'm in good shape. By the time I finished though, my legs were pretty much screaming. I slowed down the last 2K but not intentionally. I just had nothing left because of the heat. (Thankfully, the race itself is unlikely to be this hot). Riding home in the car my legs were horribly sore - I could not wait to get out! Now, a few hours later, they are tired and sore but OK; they don't feel worse than normal after a 20-mile walk.
I had one watch "oops" at 28.8K - I stopped my watch for about 20 sec to get a real drink (mostly I drink while walking but once in a while...) and forgot to start it again for what looks to be 58 seconds or so based on the distance when I got back to my car and my pace at the time (about 3:13/500m).
Here are my splits:
5K 31:06
8K 50:09
10K 1:02:36 (31:30 for second 5K)
15K 1:34:30 (31:54 for third 5K)
16K 1:40:55 (50:46 for second 8K)
20K 2:06:40 (31:50 for fourth 5K)
24K 2:31:53 (50:58 for third 8K)
25K 2:38:00 (31:20 for fifth 5K)
27K 2:50:30
30K 3:10:27 (32:27 for sixth 5K...ouch...)
32K 3:22:55 (32:25 for the 5K from 27-32K...yeah, I was hurting; but the last 8K wasn't too bad at 51:02)
Total 3:22:55 for 6:20/km with ave HR 154.
I'm glad this workout is done. It was really tough there at the end. The heat really got to me.
New Garmin forerunner 210 watch thoughts: I like that the satellite actually works :). I like the ease of use and simplicity of buttons, etc. I wish I could see my HR and my time on the same screen; it's a bit annoying to have to push a button to see the HR screen. After 1 hour, the numbers for the seconds are fairly small, and my over-40 eyes can read them but just barely. However, the lap splits are nice and big and that is what's really important. Also, I wish the beep was a bit louder for the auto lap feature. So, I like it for the most part though there are a few annoying issues. Still, not worth paying $80 more for the next model up, especially since it has that touch bezel, which is SOOOOO annoying if you wear gloves 2/3 of the year like I do.
Garmin connect data here.
Because of the heat, this workout was tougher than last week. I was almost as fast, but my HR was almost 10 beats higher, with an ave of 154. Yeah, I was pushing it. Especially after 20K, I just really wanted to be done and get in my air-conditioned car and come home to take a cold shower. Besides, I have 3 weeks until the race, so I have plenty of time to recover and I think I'll recover quickly enough, since I'm in good shape. By the time I finished though, my legs were pretty much screaming. I slowed down the last 2K but not intentionally. I just had nothing left because of the heat. (Thankfully, the race itself is unlikely to be this hot). Riding home in the car my legs were horribly sore - I could not wait to get out! Now, a few hours later, they are tired and sore but OK; they don't feel worse than normal after a 20-mile walk.
I had one watch "oops" at 28.8K - I stopped my watch for about 20 sec to get a real drink (mostly I drink while walking but once in a while...) and forgot to start it again for what looks to be 58 seconds or so based on the distance when I got back to my car and my pace at the time (about 3:13/500m).
Here are my splits:
5K 31:06
8K 50:09
10K 1:02:36 (31:30 for second 5K)
15K 1:34:30 (31:54 for third 5K)
16K 1:40:55 (50:46 for second 8K)
20K 2:06:40 (31:50 for fourth 5K)
24K 2:31:53 (50:58 for third 8K)
25K 2:38:00 (31:20 for fifth 5K)
27K 2:50:30
30K 3:10:27 (32:27 for sixth 5K...ouch...)
32K 3:22:55 (32:25 for the 5K from 27-32K...yeah, I was hurting; but the last 8K wasn't too bad at 51:02)
Total 3:22:55 for 6:20/km with ave HR 154.
I'm glad this workout is done. It was really tough there at the end. The heat really got to me.
New Garmin forerunner 210 watch thoughts: I like that the satellite actually works :). I like the ease of use and simplicity of buttons, etc. I wish I could see my HR and my time on the same screen; it's a bit annoying to have to push a button to see the HR screen. After 1 hour, the numbers for the seconds are fairly small, and my over-40 eyes can read them but just barely. However, the lap splits are nice and big and that is what's really important. Also, I wish the beep was a bit louder for the auto lap feature. So, I like it for the most part though there are a few annoying issues. Still, not worth paying $80 more for the next model up, especially since it has that touch bezel, which is SOOOOO annoying if you wear gloves 2/3 of the year like I do.
Garmin connect data here.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
trail run/hike with Calvin
Today I was supposed to cross-train. Calvin and I did a 50-minute trail run/hike together. We ran a good part of the way; unfortunately, my Garmin was not acquiring satellites (yet again...) so I have no GPS data and don't know how far we went. That's OK. We had fun anyway! I hope to do this weekly with him. We did it last week, and we'll do it next week too if possible.
I did buy a new GPS watch (a Forerunner 210) so hopefully I'll be OK for my 32K tomorrow. I tested it out and it seems to be working, and I think I know how to operate it well enough for tomorrow's walk. It's pretty simple, actually, compared with my 305. The 305 allows for more complex training, but frankly, I didn't use all those features anyway (like the virtual training partner, etc.) and I think the 210 will be more than adequate for my needs.
I did buy a new GPS watch (a Forerunner 210) so hopefully I'll be OK for my 32K tomorrow. I tested it out and it seems to be working, and I think I know how to operate it well enough for tomorrow's walk. It's pretty simple, actually, compared with my 305. The 305 allows for more complex training, but frankly, I didn't use all those features anyway (like the virtual training partner, etc.) and I think the 210 will be more than adequate for my needs.
Friday, August 26, 2011
8K
It was warm this morning - 70F (21C) and kind of humid. Ugh! I only had to do 8K though, and it was pretty easy. I felt good. Not much to it, actually. The only problem was that my GPS acted up on me again, and so the splits are all wonky (well, at least 2-3 of the 500m splits are definitely OFF). I think my total was 8K-8.1K (maybe 8.1) but the watch said 8.2. Whatever. I ended up buying a new watch tonight (a Garmin Forerunner 210, with $50 rebate for turning in my old watch). I have just had enough with the crappy satellite reception. Too annoying (it did it to me yesterday on the bike, and on Tuesday as well. Enough is enough.).
Total according to watch: 50:21 for 8.2K with ave HR 146; ave pace 6:08/km. I was fast, but not sure I was that fast. Anyway. Good enough.
Garmin connect data here.
Total according to watch: 50:21 for 8.2K with ave HR 146; ave pace 6:08/km. I was fast, but not sure I was that fast. Anyway. Good enough.
Garmin connect data here.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
optional day
Today Jim gave me another optional day, since it's an easier week. I chose to bike Calvin to school and bike to work for some lighter cross-training. It felt good, except for that hill on 900S. Whew...that one is tough! I usually go up another way, but with taking Calvin to school this made more sense.
I enjoyed the relative rest today, though, after yesterday's really hard workout.
I enjoyed the relative rest today, though, after yesterday's really hard workout.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
15K fartlek
I was scared of this workout, with good reason. It's probably the hardest workout I've ever done. The intensity is not maximal, but it's a good solid moderately hard-hard effort for an hour and 30 minutes. Yep. That's a long time to be working so hard. It was almost like doing a race; a bit easier of course, but still very, very tiring.
The weather didn't particularly help. It was 70F (21C) when I started and 74F when I finished, with 52% humidity. Definitely on the warm side, at least for me (and for Salt Lake). I had to stop to drink at 6K, 10K, and just shy of 13K (when I messed up my watch...pressed stop and then didn't press start again for too long - oops).
Jim said to start off conservatively. I did, doing 5:50 for the first km. The first 5K felt conservative, and I got there in 29:41. The second 5K felt moderately hard; my legs started to tire around 8K, but not too much yet. I got to 10K in exactly 60:00 (30:19 for the second 5K). Finally, the last 5K felt hard, of course. My legs were quite tired by 12K or so, and I really wished I could stop, but I only had 3 more to do. I managed to do the last ones fairly fast, considering how I felt. Like I said earlier, I messed up my watch on one of the medium 500s, and so the time is off by about 1:00-1:05. So I got to 15K in about 1:30:21-1:30:26 or so, for 30:21-30:26 for the last 5K. That's good considering how I felt! I managed to keep it almost as fast as the 2nd 5K.
My fast segments were very consistent, ranging from 2:53-2:56, with the last four at 2:53 (I worked those hard!). My medium segments were more varied, starting at 3:01, 3:01, 3:04 with the rest ranging from 3:06-3:10, with one 3:12 (and one unknown due to watch error, probably about 3:12?).
Total time for 15K = 1:30:25 (more or less), ave HR 155, ave pace 6:02/km.
I've been pretty tired all day. This was a hard one, for sure.
Garmin connect data here.
The weather didn't particularly help. It was 70F (21C) when I started and 74F when I finished, with 52% humidity. Definitely on the warm side, at least for me (and for Salt Lake). I had to stop to drink at 6K, 10K, and just shy of 13K (when I messed up my watch...pressed stop and then didn't press start again for too long - oops).
Jim said to start off conservatively. I did, doing 5:50 for the first km. The first 5K felt conservative, and I got there in 29:41. The second 5K felt moderately hard; my legs started to tire around 8K, but not too much yet. I got to 10K in exactly 60:00 (30:19 for the second 5K). Finally, the last 5K felt hard, of course. My legs were quite tired by 12K or so, and I really wished I could stop, but I only had 3 more to do. I managed to do the last ones fairly fast, considering how I felt. Like I said earlier, I messed up my watch on one of the medium 500s, and so the time is off by about 1:00-1:05. So I got to 15K in about 1:30:21-1:30:26 or so, for 30:21-30:26 for the last 5K. That's good considering how I felt! I managed to keep it almost as fast as the 2nd 5K.
My fast segments were very consistent, ranging from 2:53-2:56, with the last four at 2:53 (I worked those hard!). My medium segments were more varied, starting at 3:01, 3:01, 3:04 with the rest ranging from 3:06-3:10, with one 3:12 (and one unknown due to watch error, probably about 3:12?).
Total time for 15K = 1:30:25 (more or less), ave HR 155, ave pace 6:02/km.
I've been pretty tired all day. This was a hard one, for sure.
Garmin connect data here.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
cross-training
Today I cross-trained. I did the elliptical for 30 min, went home, got ready for work, and then I biked up the hill to work. Total time about 25 min for the bike ride.
I'm feeling less sore today, which is good. Mostly recovered and ready for a hard workout tomorrow.
I'm feeling less sore today, which is good. Mostly recovered and ready for a hard workout tomorrow.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Rest day
Today was an optional day. I rested, and I needed it. Everything is sore, and with all that is happening at work I'm pretty much out of commission. I'm supposed to cross-train tomorrow. I think I'll ride my bike to work.
Ogden Woman dies in Pineview Reservoir
My co-worker was killed swimming in the reservoir last night. In this video, they interview another co-worker (Brooke) and there's a shot of my boss (in the white lab coat) and the department chair. All of my co-workers and I attended the press conference, and it was very difficult.
Ogden Woman dies in Pineview Reservoir
Here's another news station - they interview my boss in the video, as well as Brooke.
I hope they find out who did this. It won't bring her back, but if it can make boaters more aware, that would be something anyway.
Ogden Woman dies in Pineview Reservoir
Here's another news station - they interview my boss in the video, as well as Brooke.
I hope they find out who did this. It won't bring her back, but if it can make boaters more aware, that would be something anyway.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
32K (19.89 miles)
Today the workout was my long day: 32K (19.89 miles). I was still a bit sore from Friday's 15K kickdown, plus some new muscles were sore from yesterday's trail run. Oh well! I figured it might be OK anyway. After 5K I knew it would be way better than last week's 30K.
The weather was very nice. It started out in low 60s (probably about 16C) and ended up at 70F (21C). Of course, since I'm in Seattle, it was humid. However, I don't think the temperature bothered me much; I was a bit warm at the end, but not too awful.
The trail was lovely. My high school friend Glen (actually, he pointed out we've known each other since elementary school) told me that the Sammamish River Trail was perfect for what I wanted, and it was. Flat, paved, scenic, with water and bathrooms. Lots of bikers & runners using the trail, but it wasn't crowded. In fact, when I first started out just before 6 am, it was deserted and very quiet. I got a few interesting comments, as usual. From a cyclist, "That looks like so much fun!". By the time I thought to yell back "It is!", he had passed of course. A runner yelled out "speed walker" as he passed me. Some other runners said, "Wow, you're fast!". I saw lots of wildlife, too - rabbits mostly (cute!), but also lots of birds.
I started off feeling strong, and pretty much felt strong throughout, though my legs did get quite tired by the end. I think about 20K they were pretty tired, but I was able to push them and they responded, tired or not. Training is a good thing :). I'm very proud of my nice even splits. My heart rate increased throughout, correspondingly, but I didn't go harder than I knew I could handle all the way to the finish. Yes, I was pushing at the end, but it felt good and I wanted to be done. I'm very pleased with this. I am pretty sure it's my fastest 20-miler ever.
Edited to add a few details: stopped at 10K and 20K to refill my water bottles, and brief pit stop at 10K. Ate sports beans at 10K, gummy peach candies at 17.5K, and more sports beans at 25K. I had no GI problems. Yay!!!
Splits:
5K 31:14
10K 1:03:02 (31:48)
15K 1:34:46 (31:44)
20K 2:06:36 (31:50)
25K 2:38:13 (31:37)
27K 2:51:01
30K 3:10:02 (31:49)
32K 3:22:22 (12:20 last 2K; 31:21 last 5K!)
Totals: 3:22:22, 6:19/km, 10:10/mile, ave HR 147. (This pace would get me 4:27:15 for the marathon, if I could hold it).
Garmin connect data here.
The weather was very nice. It started out in low 60s (probably about 16C) and ended up at 70F (21C). Of course, since I'm in Seattle, it was humid. However, I don't think the temperature bothered me much; I was a bit warm at the end, but not too awful.
The trail was lovely. My high school friend Glen (actually, he pointed out we've known each other since elementary school) told me that the Sammamish River Trail was perfect for what I wanted, and it was. Flat, paved, scenic, with water and bathrooms. Lots of bikers & runners using the trail, but it wasn't crowded. In fact, when I first started out just before 6 am, it was deserted and very quiet. I got a few interesting comments, as usual. From a cyclist, "That looks like so much fun!". By the time I thought to yell back "It is!", he had passed of course. A runner yelled out "speed walker" as he passed me. Some other runners said, "Wow, you're fast!". I saw lots of wildlife, too - rabbits mostly (cute!), but also lots of birds.
I started off feeling strong, and pretty much felt strong throughout, though my legs did get quite tired by the end. I think about 20K they were pretty tired, but I was able to push them and they responded, tired or not. Training is a good thing :). I'm very proud of my nice even splits. My heart rate increased throughout, correspondingly, but I didn't go harder than I knew I could handle all the way to the finish. Yes, I was pushing at the end, but it felt good and I wanted to be done. I'm very pleased with this. I am pretty sure it's my fastest 20-miler ever.
Edited to add a few details: stopped at 10K and 20K to refill my water bottles, and brief pit stop at 10K. Ate sports beans at 10K, gummy peach candies at 17.5K, and more sports beans at 25K. I had no GI problems. Yay!!!
Splits:
5K 31:14
10K 1:03:02 (31:48)
15K 1:34:46 (31:44)
20K 2:06:36 (31:50)
25K 2:38:13 (31:37)
27K 2:51:01
30K 3:10:02 (31:49)
32K 3:22:22 (12:20 last 2K; 31:21 last 5K!)
Totals: 3:22:22, 6:19/km, 10:10/mile, ave HR 147. (This pace would get me 4:27:15 for the marathon, if I could hold it).
Garmin connect data here.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
trail run
Photos later...this was so fun! I went on a trail run with my high school friend, Glen (who is a Team in Training coach and 2:45 marathoner, and is doing an Ironman next weekend!), and my son Calvin, and some of Glen's TNT buddies. They did 8 miles, but Calvin and I did 6km (just under 4 miles). Awesome! We saw slugs of all kinds, ate amazingly incredible blackberries, and enjoyed our run/power hike/walk. Afterward we all ate lunch at Panera Bread in the Factoria mall near our hotel.
The rest of the day we spent eating lunch on the grass near Alki Beach, wading in the ocean, and going up the Space Needle. Calvin loved all of it! Finally, we had dinner at my aunt & uncle's home in Issaquah. An excellent day.
My butt is still a bit sore but not too bad, so hopefully I'm good to go from 20 miles tomorrow. I have a nice route planned thanks to Glen's help. It's flat, paved, and has lots of restrooms and water if I need them.
Garmin connect data here. Short by 450m because my watch got wonky at the end - it froze up, but seems fine now.
The rest of the day we spent eating lunch on the grass near Alki Beach, wading in the ocean, and going up the Space Needle. Calvin loved all of it! Finally, we had dinner at my aunt & uncle's home in Issaquah. An excellent day.
My butt is still a bit sore but not too bad, so hopefully I'm good to go from 20 miles tomorrow. I have a nice route planned thanks to Glen's help. It's flat, paved, and has lots of restrooms and water if I need them.
Garmin connect data here. Short by 450m because my watch got wonky at the end - it froze up, but seems fine now.
Friday, August 19, 2011
15K kickdown
In brief - family obligations calling!
Great workout, nice weather. 55F (12.8C) and overcast. Super nice for a workout.
I was to do a 15K kickdown with splits of 4K, 4K, 3.5K, 3.5K. The route was good in that 99% of it was paved (1% was a gravel path) and no stoplights. There was a good amount of traffic in some areas, but I wasn't on the road so that was good (paved path next to the road). Still, despite the road the scenery was nice around the Mercer Slough - wooded and pretty. I saw a cute rabbit and also some slugs and a good number of runners and cyclists. The part under I-90 was cool - very very pretty, but the highway was above and it was an interesting juxtaposition.
The route was gently rolling hills, so my splits are weird. I ended up mostly going by effort and not time on the watch so much. The last split, for example, was 3:13 - but it was a 2:50-2:55 effort. There was a very steep 30-40m long hill that I actually ran up because it was too steep to racewalk. That was the only hill like that on the route, but of course it was right at the end.
Anyway...splits and I've got to split (hahaha).
4K 25:00
4K 24:48
3.5K 21:04
3.5K 20:45
Total time 1:31:37 for the 15K, for 6:07/km with ave HR 149.
I felt great, and even at the end it was a comfortably hard effort. My foot gave a few small twinges but I really focused on keeping the technique sorted out and I think it's much better today than yesterday. I felt smooth and fast.
Tomorrow is x-training, and then 32K beckons on Sunday!
Garmin connect data here.
Great workout, nice weather. 55F (12.8C) and overcast. Super nice for a workout.
I was to do a 15K kickdown with splits of 4K, 4K, 3.5K, 3.5K. The route was good in that 99% of it was paved (1% was a gravel path) and no stoplights. There was a good amount of traffic in some areas, but I wasn't on the road so that was good (paved path next to the road). Still, despite the road the scenery was nice around the Mercer Slough - wooded and pretty. I saw a cute rabbit and also some slugs and a good number of runners and cyclists. The part under I-90 was cool - very very pretty, but the highway was above and it was an interesting juxtaposition.
The route was gently rolling hills, so my splits are weird. I ended up mostly going by effort and not time on the watch so much. The last split, for example, was 3:13 - but it was a 2:50-2:55 effort. There was a very steep 30-40m long hill that I actually ran up because it was too steep to racewalk. That was the only hill like that on the route, but of course it was right at the end.
Anyway...splits and I've got to split (hahaha).
4K 25:00
4K 24:48
3.5K 21:04
3.5K 20:45
Total time 1:31:37 for the 15K, for 6:07/km with ave HR 149.
I felt great, and even at the end it was a comfortably hard effort. My foot gave a few small twinges but I really focused on keeping the technique sorted out and I think it's much better today than yesterday. I felt smooth and fast.
Tomorrow is x-training, and then 32K beckons on Sunday!
Garmin connect data here.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
10K with 2x10' @20K pace
I got up early this morning. REALLY early. 4:00, to be precise.
I was out the door by 4:15 am so that I could do 10K before going to the airport for our flight to Seattle. Calvin and I are here for the weekend to visit with the extended family (my mom's family). Tomorrow will be the internment of my grandpa's ashes at the cemetery here, complete with 21-gun salute, etc. He died in April, but this was the best time for everyone to be here for the ceremony. My grandpa was a WWII veteran and will be laid to rest in the Tahoma National Cemetery, alongside my grandma (who passed away in 2003).
Anyway, back to my walk. It was nice outside (I actually didn't look at the temps but guessing mid-60s) and though it was dark, the moonlight was pretty nice to walk by. I wore my reflective vest for only the second time since May; the other time was earlier this week as it's getting light later and later.
I felt pretty good today but am definitely sore from the past two days of walking. My hamstrings and glutes are all complaining. Still, I had no problem completing the two 10-minute sections at 20K pace. The only thing bothering me is my left foot. Yup. It's starting to niggle at me just a little bit. I am being very careful about my technique, but I guess this is just one of those injuries that is going to bother me on and off when I do more miles. It's not actually hurting, but I'm noticing that something is not 100%.
The first 10-min fast section I had 500m splits of 2:55, 2:57, and 2:56. The second one was a bit tougher, as usual for this workout, but still not hard persay. My splits were 2:54, 3:01, and 2:56.
Total time: 1:02:13, ave pace 6:13/km, ave HR 144.
Garmin connect data here.
I was out the door by 4:15 am so that I could do 10K before going to the airport for our flight to Seattle. Calvin and I are here for the weekend to visit with the extended family (my mom's family). Tomorrow will be the internment of my grandpa's ashes at the cemetery here, complete with 21-gun salute, etc. He died in April, but this was the best time for everyone to be here for the ceremony. My grandpa was a WWII veteran and will be laid to rest in the Tahoma National Cemetery, alongside my grandma (who passed away in 2003).
Anyway, back to my walk. It was nice outside (I actually didn't look at the temps but guessing mid-60s) and though it was dark, the moonlight was pretty nice to walk by. I wore my reflective vest for only the second time since May; the other time was earlier this week as it's getting light later and later.
I felt pretty good today but am definitely sore from the past two days of walking. My hamstrings and glutes are all complaining. Still, I had no problem completing the two 10-minute sections at 20K pace. The only thing bothering me is my left foot. Yup. It's starting to niggle at me just a little bit. I am being very careful about my technique, but I guess this is just one of those injuries that is going to bother me on and off when I do more miles. It's not actually hurting, but I'm noticing that something is not 100%.
The first 10-min fast section I had 500m splits of 2:55, 2:57, and 2:56. The second one was a bit tougher, as usual for this workout, but still not hard persay. My splits were 2:54, 3:01, and 2:56.
Total time: 1:02:13, ave pace 6:13/km, ave HR 144.
Garmin connect data here.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
15K and feeling good
Woke up very, very tired despite 7.5 hours of sleep, but the weather was nice (64F, 18C, though 65% humidity) and the workout beckoned to me. I was still a bit sore from yesterday but ready to give the workout a go.
I felt great for the whole workout today. The first 5K was good, as it usually has been, and I was feeling fast and strong, finishing the gentle downhill in 30:49. The part from 6-10K has been trouble for me lately for some reason, and so I was ready to feel crappy at any point, but in fact I didn't. I continued to feel strong and good on this mostly flat part of the route, and got to 10K in 1:02:19 (31:30). The last 5K was a little harder, but not too bad. I did feel a bit tired at around 12K or so, but pushed through it and had a nice finish, getting to 15K (slight uphill) in approximately 1:33:43 (31:24). I say approximately, because Jim called when I was at the stoplight at 700E and 1300S, and I forgot to push stop on my watch. Then I pushed the button when I started up again, but I was actually stopping the watch, not starting it. Oops. I didn't notice for what I guesstimate to be about 0.2km. So, when I got to 14.8K I called it good.
I did this one a bit harder than I've been doing my easy days, because I felt really good. I still kept it relatively easy, but I was definitely working a little bit, which I think was OK given how I felt. I just have 10km tomorrow with 2x10' fast sections, so I think I'll be fine. I'm relieved this workout went so well and am hoping for a good finish to this hard week. Friday I have a 15K kickdown, and on Sunday 32K.
Total time 1:33:43, 6:15/km, ave HR 147.
I felt great for the whole workout today. The first 5K was good, as it usually has been, and I was feeling fast and strong, finishing the gentle downhill in 30:49. The part from 6-10K has been trouble for me lately for some reason, and so I was ready to feel crappy at any point, but in fact I didn't. I continued to feel strong and good on this mostly flat part of the route, and got to 10K in 1:02:19 (31:30). The last 5K was a little harder, but not too bad. I did feel a bit tired at around 12K or so, but pushed through it and had a nice finish, getting to 15K (slight uphill) in approximately 1:33:43 (31:24). I say approximately, because Jim called when I was at the stoplight at 700E and 1300S, and I forgot to push stop on my watch. Then I pushed the button when I started up again, but I was actually stopping the watch, not starting it. Oops. I didn't notice for what I guesstimate to be about 0.2km. So, when I got to 14.8K I called it good.
I did this one a bit harder than I've been doing my easy days, because I felt really good. I still kept it relatively easy, but I was definitely working a little bit, which I think was OK given how I felt. I just have 10km tomorrow with 2x10' fast sections, so I think I'll be fine. I'm relieved this workout went so well and am hoping for a good finish to this hard week. Friday I have a 15K kickdown, and on Sunday 32K.
Total time 1:33:43, 6:15/km, ave HR 147.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
10K fartlek - another new PR for the workout
You never know what is going to come out on any given day. This morning I was very tired and my legs were still a bit sore from the 30K on Sunday. I did not want to do a 10K fartlek, that's for sure. But I knew I'd feel better after it was done, so off to the track I went.
The track was not crowded today. Just a few people there, no football players, and no running club. Yay! The weather was pretty nice, too, at 63F (17C); it was quite humid at 65% but it felt OK. I got hot at the end when the sun came out, but other than that it was fine.
I warmed up, starting at 6:30/km pace and accelerating to about 5:50/km at the end, doing 1600m in 10:11. I felt stiff to start, but after the 1600 my legs felt better and I was as ready as I was going to be.
I tried to take it pretty easy to start, and after that I just tried to stay consistent and keep my HR from getting too high. I wanted to be sure that I wasn't exerting too much effort, since I am racewalking Wednesday-Friday as well (this week my cross-training day is Saturday). That strategy seemed to work, as this was one of the most consistent 10K fartleks I've ever done. I will admit that on the last two hard 500s I did push a little bit but still was comfortably hard and not all-out. It seemed good at the moment, and hopefully it wasn't too fast. My average HR for the workout was 157, which is 2 beats less than last week, so I think I was successful at not pushing too hard (though I did have to stop for 30 sec at 6km to take a drink - was sweating and very thirsty - which surely impacted the average a little).
Total time was 59:13, a new PR for the workout by 10 seconds. The first km was 5:41 and the medium 500s were 3:00-3:08. The fast 500s were all 2:49-2:52 - so consistent!
All the endorphins helped my mood a lot, happily. I felt much better once I was done. Now that it's lunch time, I'm still feeling pretty good, though I'm very sleepy and could really use a nap. Not going to get one, but maybe I can get to bed early. Haha...wishful thinking. And my legs are definitely sore; not horribly so, but it seems like a perpetual state these days as we ramp things up. However, I'm happy that's the only thing I have to complain about. I'm healthy and training and it's good.
Garmin connect data here.
The track was not crowded today. Just a few people there, no football players, and no running club. Yay! The weather was pretty nice, too, at 63F (17C); it was quite humid at 65% but it felt OK. I got hot at the end when the sun came out, but other than that it was fine.
I warmed up, starting at 6:30/km pace and accelerating to about 5:50/km at the end, doing 1600m in 10:11. I felt stiff to start, but after the 1600 my legs felt better and I was as ready as I was going to be.
I tried to take it pretty easy to start, and after that I just tried to stay consistent and keep my HR from getting too high. I wanted to be sure that I wasn't exerting too much effort, since I am racewalking Wednesday-Friday as well (this week my cross-training day is Saturday). That strategy seemed to work, as this was one of the most consistent 10K fartleks I've ever done. I will admit that on the last two hard 500s I did push a little bit but still was comfortably hard and not all-out. It seemed good at the moment, and hopefully it wasn't too fast. My average HR for the workout was 157, which is 2 beats less than last week, so I think I was successful at not pushing too hard (though I did have to stop for 30 sec at 6km to take a drink - was sweating and very thirsty - which surely impacted the average a little).
Total time was 59:13, a new PR for the workout by 10 seconds. The first km was 5:41 and the medium 500s were 3:00-3:08. The fast 500s were all 2:49-2:52 - so consistent!
All the endorphins helped my mood a lot, happily. I felt much better once I was done. Now that it's lunch time, I'm still feeling pretty good, though I'm very sleepy and could really use a nap. Not going to get one, but maybe I can get to bed early. Haha...wishful thinking. And my legs are definitely sore; not horribly so, but it seems like a perpetual state these days as we ramp things up. However, I'm happy that's the only thing I have to complain about. I'm healthy and training and it's good.
Garmin connect data here.
Monday, August 15, 2011
optional day
Today was my optional day; I chose to do some weights, core, and a bit of stretching.
My legs (esp. my left leg) are quite sore from yesterday. I believe it's my hamstrings, but it's all the way at the top where they attach. I did some one-legged squats and some step-ups and walking lunges, and only the walking lunges used the muscles that are hurting. Sigh. Still not using my glutes correctly, I'm sure.
Hopefully I'll be recovered enough for tomorrow's 10K fartlek. This week is a tough one!
My legs (esp. my left leg) are quite sore from yesterday. I believe it's my hamstrings, but it's all the way at the top where they attach. I did some one-legged squats and some step-ups and walking lunges, and only the walking lunges used the muscles that are hurting. Sigh. Still not using my glutes correctly, I'm sure.
Hopefully I'll be recovered enough for tomorrow's 10K fartlek. This week is a tough one!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
30K in Park City
This workout didn't start well. First, it was pouring rain when I awoke at 5:20 am to go out. Um, not good. It does that sometimes in the mountains in the summer. Fortunately, after I waited around for a while it stopped raining and during the 30K it was mostly overcast, with an occasional shower. No biggie. The temperature was OK, ranging from 60-64F (15.6-17.8C). It was really humid, but at least the temperature was cool enough that I didn't feel too terribly hot. The unknown factor was the altitude, ranging from 6460ft (1940m) to 6549ft (1996m) along my route. That's considerably higher than my usual workouts in Salt Lake, which are about 4300ft (1310m).
The first 5K was fine. I took it really, really easy because I knew I had a long way to go. I finished it in 32:36, and it included some gently rolling hills. However, as has been usual lately, km 6-10 were not easy for some reason. I had a bunch of stomach cramps nothing came of them at all, thankfully, but they did HURT) and even stopped at 7.3km for a few minutes to try and let my stomach settle. It didn't. I kept going anyway. But by 10k, it got better, and I was able to go a little faster to 15K. I did a giant loop for the first 15K and stopped at my car to refill my water bottles. I had planned to do the loop twice, but I was worried about being that far out from my car if things went really bad. It seemed like I was doing better, but I wasn't sure how my system would hold up. So, I started doing short loops around the shopping center and Newpark condos/townhomes in Kimball Junction. There was a very nice paved loop around the shopping center and homes, which was about 2.75km. I ended up doing that loop 5 times plus a little for the last 15K.
Interestingly, though my legs were quite tired and heavy (especially from 20k onwards), I felt much better for the last 15K. Maybe part of it was that I was interested in watching them set up for the Tour of Utah bicycle race, which started at the shopping center about an hour after I finished my workout. Each time I went around there were new things to look at. On the back side of the route, by the condos and townhomes, I was right next to a nature preserve, which was really beautiful. After I got to 20K, I thought I could pick up the pace a bit. I felt pretty decent and I wanted to just get done and get my legs some rest. I went just a little faster, and then when I had 5K left I figured I could go a little harder still. I didn't push hard (my HR was about 150 for the last 5K - not very high at all, and I felt comfortable), and my last 5K was the fastest at 31:53. Not bad! I was glad to be done, though, as my legs were very sore. While this was still a pretty slow 30K, the coach did say to take it easy, and so I'm not worried about the time. For the altitude and for how fast we've been increasing my mileage, it seemed about right.
Splits: 5K 32:36, 10K 34:25 (1:07:01), 15K 33:19 (1:40:20), 20K 32:48 (2:13:08), 25K 32:34 (2:45:42), 30K 31:53 (3:17:35).
Totals: 3:17:35 for the 30K (6:35/km) with average HR 139.
Garmin connect data here.
The first 5K was fine. I took it really, really easy because I knew I had a long way to go. I finished it in 32:36, and it included some gently rolling hills. However, as has been usual lately, km 6-10 were not easy for some reason. I had a bunch of stomach cramps nothing came of them at all, thankfully, but they did HURT) and even stopped at 7.3km for a few minutes to try and let my stomach settle. It didn't. I kept going anyway. But by 10k, it got better, and I was able to go a little faster to 15K. I did a giant loop for the first 15K and stopped at my car to refill my water bottles. I had planned to do the loop twice, but I was worried about being that far out from my car if things went really bad. It seemed like I was doing better, but I wasn't sure how my system would hold up. So, I started doing short loops around the shopping center and Newpark condos/townhomes in Kimball Junction. There was a very nice paved loop around the shopping center and homes, which was about 2.75km. I ended up doing that loop 5 times plus a little for the last 15K.
Interestingly, though my legs were quite tired and heavy (especially from 20k onwards), I felt much better for the last 15K. Maybe part of it was that I was interested in watching them set up for the Tour of Utah bicycle race, which started at the shopping center about an hour after I finished my workout. Each time I went around there were new things to look at. On the back side of the route, by the condos and townhomes, I was right next to a nature preserve, which was really beautiful. After I got to 20K, I thought I could pick up the pace a bit. I felt pretty decent and I wanted to just get done and get my legs some rest. I went just a little faster, and then when I had 5K left I figured I could go a little harder still. I didn't push hard (my HR was about 150 for the last 5K - not very high at all, and I felt comfortable), and my last 5K was the fastest at 31:53. Not bad! I was glad to be done, though, as my legs were very sore. While this was still a pretty slow 30K, the coach did say to take it easy, and so I'm not worried about the time. For the altitude and for how fast we've been increasing my mileage, it seemed about right.
Splits: 5K 32:36, 10K 34:25 (1:07:01), 15K 33:19 (1:40:20), 20K 32:48 (2:13:08), 25K 32:34 (2:45:42), 30K 31:53 (3:17:35).
Totals: 3:17:35 for the 30K (6:35/km) with average HR 139.
Garmin connect data here.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
10K with 2x8' @20K pace
This morning the workout was 10K with two 8-min segments at 20K race pace. Not a hard workout, but in between a 12K kickdown and a long 30K it becomes harder. Actually, today was fine, but the 30K tomorrow will be interesting!
I chose a relatively hilly route here in Park City, about 30 minutes away from home. Loren and I are here while my parents watch the kids back at home. Ahhhh...kid-free weekend...ahhhhh. Our hotel is near Main Street, and I went down the hill and into an exclusive neighborhood (think BIG homes with gorgeous wood details befitting the mountain setting) and around a golf course. The first and last mile were very downhill and very uphill; the rest was rolling hills or flat or slight uphill. It was not a fast course, but I didn't care for the purpose of today's workout.
I started off very easy down the hill. About 2K I decided to do my first faster segment; it was still on a downhill but just a gradual one and so I could pick up the pace effectively. I did the first 500 in 2:55, then 500 in 2:51 (it was a bit downhill - really this was not a hard effort - just moderately hard) and then 2 more minutes fast to make 8 minutes. Then I eased up, and there was a pretty big hill not long after where my 500m was 3:35, but coming down it was 2:54, taking it easy! Just before 5K, at 29:30 on my watch, I picked it up again, and went moderately hard until 37:30. This part was flat, and my full 500s were 2:56 and 3:00.
Then I just cruised back to the hotel. Slowly. It was a good hard uphill, so I took it really easy, not wanting to push this at all with 30K tomorrow. I let my HR ease back into the low 140s (it was upper 150s on the last 8 min segment). I had some really slow 500s - 3:36, 3:50 - and then my GPS lost the signal again :(. Ugh. I may have to replace the watch :(. Anyway, it said 4:00 for the next 500 but it wasn't accurate on the distance, as it cut out a corner I went around because it lost the signal.
Total for the 10K was 1:04:39 with ave HR 145. With the hills and altitude and fast segments, that seems good enough.
My legs were slightly sore when I started out today (from the 12K kickdown I'm sure...), and they were definitely more sore by the end. The last 3-4km they were a bit tired. I hope that they will recover enough for a good 30K tomorrow. It will probably be a slow one. Hopefully it won't hurt too much!
Garmin connect data here.
I chose a relatively hilly route here in Park City, about 30 minutes away from home. Loren and I are here while my parents watch the kids back at home. Ahhhh...kid-free weekend...ahhhhh. Our hotel is near Main Street, and I went down the hill and into an exclusive neighborhood (think BIG homes with gorgeous wood details befitting the mountain setting) and around a golf course. The first and last mile were very downhill and very uphill; the rest was rolling hills or flat or slight uphill. It was not a fast course, but I didn't care for the purpose of today's workout.
I started off very easy down the hill. About 2K I decided to do my first faster segment; it was still on a downhill but just a gradual one and so I could pick up the pace effectively. I did the first 500 in 2:55, then 500 in 2:51 (it was a bit downhill - really this was not a hard effort - just moderately hard) and then 2 more minutes fast to make 8 minutes. Then I eased up, and there was a pretty big hill not long after where my 500m was 3:35, but coming down it was 2:54, taking it easy! Just before 5K, at 29:30 on my watch, I picked it up again, and went moderately hard until 37:30. This part was flat, and my full 500s were 2:56 and 3:00.
Then I just cruised back to the hotel. Slowly. It was a good hard uphill, so I took it really easy, not wanting to push this at all with 30K tomorrow. I let my HR ease back into the low 140s (it was upper 150s on the last 8 min segment). I had some really slow 500s - 3:36, 3:50 - and then my GPS lost the signal again :(. Ugh. I may have to replace the watch :(. Anyway, it said 4:00 for the next 500 but it wasn't accurate on the distance, as it cut out a corner I went around because it lost the signal.
Total for the 10K was 1:04:39 with ave HR 145. With the hills and altitude and fast segments, that seems good enough.
My legs were slightly sore when I started out today (from the 12K kickdown I'm sure...), and they were definitely more sore by the end. The last 3-4km they were a bit tired. I hope that they will recover enough for a good 30K tomorrow. It will probably be a slow one. Hopefully it won't hurt too much!
Garmin connect data here.
Friday, August 12, 2011
12K kickdown - new PR!
I've only done this workout 4 times now, but despite the fact that I took this one a bit easy (i.e. watched my HR and kept it to upper 150s and low 160s on the last hard 3K), I set a new PR by 20 seconds for the workout. The other three were all last year, when I wasn't in quite as good shape as I am now.
The weather was perfect this morning. Slightly warm at 68F (20C) but just beautiful with low humidity. I'm still loving summer. I want it to stay for a nice long time. I'm savoring every bit of gorgeous racewalking weather while it lasts.
The track was uncrowded, though the football team showed up at 6:45 am to practice and I did have to nicely ask them please not to take up the entire lane 1 around the turn (some of them were sitting on the track and they had their stuff all over it). They mostly complied...sort of...it was a bit of dodge 'em around that corner, but they are nice enough to let me work out there so I can't whine too much.
Because in retrospect Tuesday's 10K fartlek was a bit fast, I planned to go slower today to save some energy for my 10K tomorrow and 30K on Sunday. I decided to do 6:30/km pace for the first 3K, then 6:20 for the next 3K, then 6:10, then 6:00. That's slower than I would do if I were training for a 5K or 10K or even 20K, but I'm not training for that and with the abrupt mileage increases I need to be careful about how fast I do my speed work or I will pay for it on the long days. It felt SO easy starting off at 6:30 pace. I didn't quite hold myself to that pace, but close enough; I did about a 6:24/km. The next 3K felt pretty easy too, at 6:17/km; again a little faster than planned, but my heart rate was low and I was feeling good.
I stopped briefly to take a drink at 6K, as I had just brought a water bottle and not my waist pack. It was warm enough that I definitely needed some water. Continuing on, it felt moderately hard for the next 3K. I was definitely pushing a little but not too much, and I completed that 3K at a 6:06/km pace, faster than planned, but well within myself. The last 3K was a moderately hard to hard effort, with 500m splits of 2:59 down to 2:53 (yup, pulled out a 2:53 for the last one). I definitely COULD have gone faster on the last 3K, but I was trying to save myself for the next few workouts. The last 3K was a 5:55/km pace on average. Hopefully that was slow enough so that my 30K on Sunday will not be too miserable!
3K splits:
3K goal 19:30, actual 19:12. Ave HR for 6 x 500m splits ranged from 122-140.
6K goal 19:00, actual 18:51. Ave HR 142-149.
9K goal 18:30, actual 18:17. Ave HR 145-154 (stopped very briefly at 6K for a drink, so HR dropped).
12K goal 18:00, actual 17:45. Ave HR 156-162.
Total time: 1:14:05. Ave HR for whole workout was 147. Garmin connect data here.
The weather was perfect this morning. Slightly warm at 68F (20C) but just beautiful with low humidity. I'm still loving summer. I want it to stay for a nice long time. I'm savoring every bit of gorgeous racewalking weather while it lasts.
The track was uncrowded, though the football team showed up at 6:45 am to practice and I did have to nicely ask them please not to take up the entire lane 1 around the turn (some of them were sitting on the track and they had their stuff all over it). They mostly complied...sort of...it was a bit of dodge 'em around that corner, but they are nice enough to let me work out there so I can't whine too much.
Because in retrospect Tuesday's 10K fartlek was a bit fast, I planned to go slower today to save some energy for my 10K tomorrow and 30K on Sunday. I decided to do 6:30/km pace for the first 3K, then 6:20 for the next 3K, then 6:10, then 6:00. That's slower than I would do if I were training for a 5K or 10K or even 20K, but I'm not training for that and with the abrupt mileage increases I need to be careful about how fast I do my speed work or I will pay for it on the long days. It felt SO easy starting off at 6:30 pace. I didn't quite hold myself to that pace, but close enough; I did about a 6:24/km. The next 3K felt pretty easy too, at 6:17/km; again a little faster than planned, but my heart rate was low and I was feeling good.
I stopped briefly to take a drink at 6K, as I had just brought a water bottle and not my waist pack. It was warm enough that I definitely needed some water. Continuing on, it felt moderately hard for the next 3K. I was definitely pushing a little but not too much, and I completed that 3K at a 6:06/km pace, faster than planned, but well within myself. The last 3K was a moderately hard to hard effort, with 500m splits of 2:59 down to 2:53 (yup, pulled out a 2:53 for the last one). I definitely COULD have gone faster on the last 3K, but I was trying to save myself for the next few workouts. The last 3K was a 5:55/km pace on average. Hopefully that was slow enough so that my 30K on Sunday will not be too miserable!
3K splits:
3K goal 19:30, actual 19:12. Ave HR for 6 x 500m splits ranged from 122-140.
6K goal 19:00, actual 18:51. Ave HR 142-149.
9K goal 18:30, actual 18:17. Ave HR 145-154 (stopped very briefly at 6K for a drink, so HR dropped).
12K goal 18:00, actual 17:45. Ave HR 156-162.
Total time: 1:14:05. Ave HR for whole workout was 147. Garmin connect data here.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
cross-training
I biked to work today for my cross-training. It's a good uphill slog, though not very long. It only took me 25 min. I should do a bit longer, but I'm still tired so I'm taking it easy. I'll bike home, though, of course, but that's all downhill :).
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
almost 20K
19.57km, to be exact. I fell asleep before setting my alarm last night (!duh!) and so I didn't wake up until 5:55am. Oops! I was supposed to be back home from my 20K by 8:00 am, and that meant I had to leave the house by about 5:45 am. Loren nicely agreed to be a bit late to work but I'd have to be home by 8:20 am at the latest. I got on the road at 6:10 am, and with stoplights, it took me until 8:20 am to do 19.57km. Close enough.
My legs were fairly sore this morning from the 10K fartlek yesterday. I guess I pushed it too hard. Oh well. Live and learn. The first 5K today felt really good, but after that it was a slog, especially from about 7-12K. About 12K it got a little better for some reason - I was still hurting and still slow, but it didn't feel as bad.
This was definitely not one of my better workouts, but it did feel better than the really awful 15K and awful 20K a week ago and 10 days ago, respectively. I just felt tired today, but not horrible or anything. My legs are definitely sore now, but after a day of cross-training I'm sure I'll be ready for the 12K kickdown on Friday. I am not going to do that one too hard, though, because I have 10K Saturday with 2x8' at 20K pace, and 30K on Sunday. I have to pace myself, and Jim has been very clear on that. I thought I went easy enough on the fartlek yesterday, but now I know I have to take the speed work even a little easier for now.
It's a bit frustrating. I am starting to worry if I'm going to adjust well enough fast enough to finish strong in the marathon. I was encouraged by Sunday's 25K and my 10K fartlek yesterday, but today has me a bit down again. It's hard to stay mentally strong. Well, the body is going to do what it's going to do, and I can't control that. I have to just get out there and do what I can and the rest is not up to me.
Total time for 19.57km = 2:07:22 for 6:30/km (I told you it was slow...). Ave HR 143. Splits 5K 31:00, 10K 1:03:33 (32:33), 15K 1:36:27 (32:54), 19.57K 2:07:22 (30:55; 6:46/km...wow...uphill, but still....ouch!).
Garmin connect data here.
My legs were fairly sore this morning from the 10K fartlek yesterday. I guess I pushed it too hard. Oh well. Live and learn. The first 5K today felt really good, but after that it was a slog, especially from about 7-12K. About 12K it got a little better for some reason - I was still hurting and still slow, but it didn't feel as bad.
This was definitely not one of my better workouts, but it did feel better than the really awful 15K and awful 20K a week ago and 10 days ago, respectively. I just felt tired today, but not horrible or anything. My legs are definitely sore now, but after a day of cross-training I'm sure I'll be ready for the 12K kickdown on Friday. I am not going to do that one too hard, though, because I have 10K Saturday with 2x8' at 20K pace, and 30K on Sunday. I have to pace myself, and Jim has been very clear on that. I thought I went easy enough on the fartlek yesterday, but now I know I have to take the speed work even a little easier for now.
It's a bit frustrating. I am starting to worry if I'm going to adjust well enough fast enough to finish strong in the marathon. I was encouraged by Sunday's 25K and my 10K fartlek yesterday, but today has me a bit down again. It's hard to stay mentally strong. Well, the body is going to do what it's going to do, and I can't control that. I have to just get out there and do what I can and the rest is not up to me.
Total time for 19.57km = 2:07:22 for 6:30/km (I told you it was slow...). Ave HR 143. Splits 5K 31:00, 10K 1:03:33 (32:33), 15K 1:36:27 (32:54), 19.57K 2:07:22 (30:55; 6:46/km...wow...uphill, but still....ouch!).
Garmin connect data here.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
10K fartlek
When I woke up, I felt pretty recovered from my 25K on Sunday. I had just a touch of residual soreness in the left glutes/top of hamstrings, but otherwise felt good. The weather was favorable too, at 68F (20C) and about 35% humidity. Ahhhh, if only I could have weather like this in the winter too. I love summer here, and I'll be sad to see it go. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
I drove to the track and it was a bit crowded, but not too bad. The running club was there, but there were only about 6-7 of them, including my boss. That's always a bit of a shock to see him; I know he works out with them, but it's still kinda funny to see him at the track instead of at work. There were also 3 buff triathlete women there (they were there last week too) for a session with their coach. Still, it seemed we could share the track, and it worked pretty well mostly. I moved aside into lane 2 for people when warming up (I did 1600m in 9:56, with some strides) but then when I started my fartlek I stuck to lane 1 and they just had to pass me. I tried to move as far inside as I could to make it easier, and there were no rails on the track, so it worked OK. About halfway through my workout, the football team showed up for practice. A bunch of them actually sat in lane 1, and I asked nicely for them to move aside when I went by. They did, and so I was able to use lane 1 despite the runners, triathletes, and football team :).
My workout went well. I felt really good and tried hard not to push too much. I stayed comfortably hard or hard for the whole workout and did not go all-out. I did push a bit on the last two fast sections, but not too hard. My ave HR for the workout was 159, a bit lower than usual, so I know I had a bit in reserve.
The best part about this workout was that I was really consistent. My first km was 5:38, and after that my fast sections were all 2:49-2:54, with one 2:55. My medium segments were mostly 3:03-3:08, with one 2:58 (!) and one 3:01, and the last 4 mediums all the same at 3:08. I'm a bit amazed I held the pace so well on those, especially at the end of the workout when I was tired. And yeah, I did the last fast one in 2:49 :).
Total time 59:24 (only one second slower than my PR for this workout), ave HR 159, and ave pace 5:56/km. Not bad. Not bad at all. Other splits: 3K in 17:22, 5K in 29:18, 6K 35:18, 8K 47:22.
The hard part now will be doing 20K tomorrow. Yup, that's right...coach has me down for 20K. I'm a bit nervous about how it will go; I'm slightly stiff now and a little sore but hopefully with some stretching I'll be good to go tomorrow. I hope I can get up early enough to get it done before work.
Garmin connect data here.
I drove to the track and it was a bit crowded, but not too bad. The running club was there, but there were only about 6-7 of them, including my boss. That's always a bit of a shock to see him; I know he works out with them, but it's still kinda funny to see him at the track instead of at work. There were also 3 buff triathlete women there (they were there last week too) for a session with their coach. Still, it seemed we could share the track, and it worked pretty well mostly. I moved aside into lane 2 for people when warming up (I did 1600m in 9:56, with some strides) but then when I started my fartlek I stuck to lane 1 and they just had to pass me. I tried to move as far inside as I could to make it easier, and there were no rails on the track, so it worked OK. About halfway through my workout, the football team showed up for practice. A bunch of them actually sat in lane 1, and I asked nicely for them to move aside when I went by. They did, and so I was able to use lane 1 despite the runners, triathletes, and football team :).
My workout went well. I felt really good and tried hard not to push too much. I stayed comfortably hard or hard for the whole workout and did not go all-out. I did push a bit on the last two fast sections, but not too hard. My ave HR for the workout was 159, a bit lower than usual, so I know I had a bit in reserve.
The best part about this workout was that I was really consistent. My first km was 5:38, and after that my fast sections were all 2:49-2:54, with one 2:55. My medium segments were mostly 3:03-3:08, with one 2:58 (!) and one 3:01, and the last 4 mediums all the same at 3:08. I'm a bit amazed I held the pace so well on those, especially at the end of the workout when I was tired. And yeah, I did the last fast one in 2:49 :).
Total time 59:24 (only one second slower than my PR for this workout), ave HR 159, and ave pace 5:56/km. Not bad. Not bad at all. Other splits: 3K in 17:22, 5K in 29:18, 6K 35:18, 8K 47:22.
The hard part now will be doing 20K tomorrow. Yup, that's right...coach has me down for 20K. I'm a bit nervous about how it will go; I'm slightly stiff now and a little sore but hopefully with some stretching I'll be good to go tomorrow. I hope I can get up early enough to get it done before work.
Garmin connect data here.
Sunday, August 07, 2011
25K easy
I was a bit apprehensive about doing 25K (15.5 miles). It's been a while, and my 20K last weekend hurt a lot. However, my last couple workouts have been good, so I figured it might be good.
The weather was nice, at 68F (20C) and 35% humidity. It was a little warm, but there was a breeze and it didn't feel terribly hot. I got to the Jordan River trail early (about 6 am) to take advantage of the morning cool air. It's been in the low 90s (typical summer weather here) so one definitely does not want to go any later than necessary.
I was careful about what I ate yesterday, and took imodium last night and this morning, and I had no GI problems. Yay! I ate starting at 10K, taking sports beans first, then gummy peach rings at 15K, and tootsie rolls at 20K. Hey, a good excuse to eat candy :)! I drank quite a bit - I had three water bottles (8 oz each, about 240ml) and drank them and refilled them several times. I love the Jordan River trail because 1) it's flat, 2) it has numerous restrooms, and 3) it has lots of water fountains as well, and 4) most of them are open in the winter, too.
The one bad thing about today was my Garmin...it was losing the satellite reception a lot. Mostly it found it again quickly and was able to extrapolate my distance accurately, but a few times it was longer...grrr. I still think my distance was pretty close overall, for numerous reasons. But it was still quite annoying. I'm going to try a hard reset and see if that helps. It's been doing this for a while and seems to be getting worse, so perhaps it's time for a new one? It's not quite 2 yr old yet :(. However, I rely on it a LOT and would feel pretty lost w/o it at this point, so hopefully the hard reset will fix it. I don't really want to lay out $$$ for a new one right now.
Anyway, I started off nice and slow and easy just like my coach said to do, and I felt OK for the whole workout. It was fairly slow, but I got through it at a pretty consistent pace, and I didn't feel overly tired at the end. I'm sure I could have pushed the pace at the end if I had needed to, but the coach was pretty specific about taking it easy for now, which is wise and I agree with it totally. I was glad I didn't have to pick it up :). We're increasing mileage rapidly and so we have to keep it easy. Next weekend is 30K...but I digress.
Total time 2:41:03, with ave HR 141 (very easy, like I said) and ave pace 6:26/km. 5K splits (approximate due to Garmin problems - the 15K split is too fast and the 20K split too slow): 5K 32:04, 10K 32:13 (1:04:17), 15K 31:06 (1:35:23), 20K 33:12 (2:08:35), 25K 32:28 (2:41:03). Close enough anyway - you get the idea. I kept a relatively steady pace for the whole thing, and didn't slow too much.
My muscles felt just a bit sore to start, and I did notice soreness in the glutes which increased throughout the workout. It never got that bad, though. I'm a bit stiff now (several hours later) but otherwise I feel good. The workout didn't feel too hard or too terribly long, and it was pretty nice to be out this morning. It was a LOT better than last week's 20K. I wasn't fast, but I also wasn't pushing it at all, which was a welcome relief. Just the distance is enough for now.
I saw a lot of runners out there who were clearly doing some long distances as well - they had their water bottles and their iPods. Here, most people do their long day on Saturday so the trail was not as busy this morning, but there were still a lot of people out there walking dogs, running, biking, etc. One woman was pushing her "kick-me" dog in a baby stroller...yeah...I know. I saw her last week, too. It was hard not to laugh!
Ahhh, now I get to relax a bit - hopefully read the paper, nap, and do not a lot of anything until our church BBQ get-together tonight.
Garmin connect data here.
The weather was nice, at 68F (20C) and 35% humidity. It was a little warm, but there was a breeze and it didn't feel terribly hot. I got to the Jordan River trail early (about 6 am) to take advantage of the morning cool air. It's been in the low 90s (typical summer weather here) so one definitely does not want to go any later than necessary.
I was careful about what I ate yesterday, and took imodium last night and this morning, and I had no GI problems. Yay! I ate starting at 10K, taking sports beans first, then gummy peach rings at 15K, and tootsie rolls at 20K. Hey, a good excuse to eat candy :)! I drank quite a bit - I had three water bottles (8 oz each, about 240ml) and drank them and refilled them several times. I love the Jordan River trail because 1) it's flat, 2) it has numerous restrooms, and 3) it has lots of water fountains as well, and 4) most of them are open in the winter, too.
The one bad thing about today was my Garmin...it was losing the satellite reception a lot. Mostly it found it again quickly and was able to extrapolate my distance accurately, but a few times it was longer...grrr. I still think my distance was pretty close overall, for numerous reasons. But it was still quite annoying. I'm going to try a hard reset and see if that helps. It's been doing this for a while and seems to be getting worse, so perhaps it's time for a new one? It's not quite 2 yr old yet :(. However, I rely on it a LOT and would feel pretty lost w/o it at this point, so hopefully the hard reset will fix it. I don't really want to lay out $$$ for a new one right now.
Anyway, I started off nice and slow and easy just like my coach said to do, and I felt OK for the whole workout. It was fairly slow, but I got through it at a pretty consistent pace, and I didn't feel overly tired at the end. I'm sure I could have pushed the pace at the end if I had needed to, but the coach was pretty specific about taking it easy for now, which is wise and I agree with it totally. I was glad I didn't have to pick it up :). We're increasing mileage rapidly and so we have to keep it easy. Next weekend is 30K...but I digress.
Total time 2:41:03, with ave HR 141 (very easy, like I said) and ave pace 6:26/km. 5K splits (approximate due to Garmin problems - the 15K split is too fast and the 20K split too slow): 5K 32:04, 10K 32:13 (1:04:17), 15K 31:06 (1:35:23), 20K 33:12 (2:08:35), 25K 32:28 (2:41:03). Close enough anyway - you get the idea. I kept a relatively steady pace for the whole thing, and didn't slow too much.
My muscles felt just a bit sore to start, and I did notice soreness in the glutes which increased throughout the workout. It never got that bad, though. I'm a bit stiff now (several hours later) but otherwise I feel good. The workout didn't feel too hard or too terribly long, and it was pretty nice to be out this morning. It was a LOT better than last week's 20K. I wasn't fast, but I also wasn't pushing it at all, which was a welcome relief. Just the distance is enough for now.
I saw a lot of runners out there who were clearly doing some long distances as well - they had their water bottles and their iPods. Here, most people do their long day on Saturday so the trail was not as busy this morning, but there were still a lot of people out there walking dogs, running, biking, etc. One woman was pushing her "kick-me" dog in a baby stroller...yeah...I know. I saw her last week, too. It was hard not to laugh!
Ahhh, now I get to relax a bit - hopefully read the paper, nap, and do not a lot of anything until our church BBQ get-together tonight.
Garmin connect data here.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
very easy 10K
I was to do 10K today, easy. Coach Jim said to take it really easy. Like really, really easy. He reminded me I'm training for a marathon, and that right now getting the longer distance out is key. Never mind the times for now - we can increase that later. OK, cool! I like easy. Easy is good.
I obediently went very easy today, and felt pretty darn good. The glutes are sore a bit after the kickdown, mostly in the middle at the bottom, near where the hamstring inserts. Jim says that means I'm probably still not using quite the right glute muscles...grrrr...I'll keep working on it. Anyway, the first super-easy and downhillish 5K was in 31:00. The second 5K, mostly uphillish, was slower (obviously), in about 32:33 for 1:03:33 (6:21/km). That's pretty good considering my average HR was 138 for the whole workout. I seem to be continuing to get fitter :).
Tonight as I write this I'm still a touch sore in the glutes. I have 25K tomorrow, which I'm definitely nervous about given how uncomfortable the 20K was last week. But I'm hopeful this will go better. 1) The weather is better - cooler mornings and less humid, 2) I'm feeling better than I was earlier in the week, and 3) Jim emphasized that time does not matter on these - only going the distance. I ate more carbs today and less fiber, and hopefully that will help w/the GI issues. No dairy today, either.
I obediently went very easy today, and felt pretty darn good. The glutes are sore a bit after the kickdown, mostly in the middle at the bottom, near where the hamstring inserts. Jim says that means I'm probably still not using quite the right glute muscles...grrrr...I'll keep working on it. Anyway, the first super-easy and downhillish 5K was in 31:00. The second 5K, mostly uphillish, was slower (obviously), in about 32:33 for 1:03:33 (6:21/km). That's pretty good considering my average HR was 138 for the whole workout. I seem to be continuing to get fitter :).
Tonight as I write this I'm still a touch sore in the glutes. I have 25K tomorrow, which I'm definitely nervous about given how uncomfortable the 20K was last week. But I'm hopeful this will go better. 1) The weather is better - cooler mornings and less humid, 2) I'm feeling better than I was earlier in the week, and 3) Jim emphasized that time does not matter on these - only going the distance. I ate more carbs today and less fiber, and hopefully that will help w/the GI issues. No dairy today, either.
Friday, August 05, 2011
10K kickdown - PR by one second for this workout :)
Yesterday, all I did was 30 min on the elliptical. That was a good move, as I felt really good this morning. The weather echoed my general well-being, at 66F (19C) and nice LOW humidity of about 35%. It felt much cooler than earlier this week because of the lower humidity.
I was to do a 10K kickdown (acceleration workout) in 4x2.5 km splits. Jim told me that it was very important not to push too hard today. He said if I felt lousy to take it really easy, and if I felt good it was OK to go harder but not too hard. I'm so used to training for the short stuff that I have almost forgotten that when training for the marathon you have to do your speed work nice and easy. I like that!
I started off really slow on purpose to ease into it. I did my first 500m in 3:18, but then was feeling good so picked it up to about 3:05-3:10 pace for the rest of the first 2.5km, getting there in 15:45 total, just about 5 sec under my goal time of 15:50 for the first 2.5K. Good. I felt super, and it felt easy. Continuing on, I did the next 2.5K in 15:11, getting to 5K in 30:56 and still feeling really good and easy.
Then it was time for the work to begin. I pushed comfortably hard for the next 2.5K, and got there in 15:01, for 45:57. I was getting a little tired now, and my glutes were starting to complain, but I still felt well within myself. I kicked it up a notch and did the next two 500s in 2:50 and 2:51, and though I was pushing hard, it was not too hard. I did have to slow, doing about 2:55 and 3:00 for the next two in order not to push too much. I finished with a nice fast 2:54 on the downhill for 14:30 for my last 2.5K total. I'm sure if I'd have pushed and done it all-out I could have been at least 10 sec faster, but it wasn't needed, and I'm glad I didn't. My max HR was 168, and the average on the two last splits was 167 and 166, so there was a little left there.
A few hours later, I still feel pretty good. I am now relaxing in the downtown library while waiting for my car to get fixed (A/C knob got pushed into the dash by my laptop bag smacking into it, believe it or not...grrrrrrrrr not a cheap repair....). I biked over here and will have to bike back (gentle uphill) so hopefully that will keep me from stiffening up too much.
Total time: 60:28, ave HR 152, ave pace 6:03/km. And yes, it was a PR by one second. When Jim was here, on 6/28, I did 60:29 for this workout, and it hurt a LOT more than it did today. I'll take that as a good sign that things are going well :).
Garmin connect data here.
I was to do a 10K kickdown (acceleration workout) in 4x2.5 km splits. Jim told me that it was very important not to push too hard today. He said if I felt lousy to take it really easy, and if I felt good it was OK to go harder but not too hard. I'm so used to training for the short stuff that I have almost forgotten that when training for the marathon you have to do your speed work nice and easy. I like that!
I started off really slow on purpose to ease into it. I did my first 500m in 3:18, but then was feeling good so picked it up to about 3:05-3:10 pace for the rest of the first 2.5km, getting there in 15:45 total, just about 5 sec under my goal time of 15:50 for the first 2.5K. Good. I felt super, and it felt easy. Continuing on, I did the next 2.5K in 15:11, getting to 5K in 30:56 and still feeling really good and easy.
Then it was time for the work to begin. I pushed comfortably hard for the next 2.5K, and got there in 15:01, for 45:57. I was getting a little tired now, and my glutes were starting to complain, but I still felt well within myself. I kicked it up a notch and did the next two 500s in 2:50 and 2:51, and though I was pushing hard, it was not too hard. I did have to slow, doing about 2:55 and 3:00 for the next two in order not to push too much. I finished with a nice fast 2:54 on the downhill for 14:30 for my last 2.5K total. I'm sure if I'd have pushed and done it all-out I could have been at least 10 sec faster, but it wasn't needed, and I'm glad I didn't. My max HR was 168, and the average on the two last splits was 167 and 166, so there was a little left there.
A few hours later, I still feel pretty good. I am now relaxing in the downtown library while waiting for my car to get fixed (A/C knob got pushed into the dash by my laptop bag smacking into it, believe it or not...grrrrrrrrr not a cheap repair....). I biked over here and will have to bike back (gentle uphill) so hopefully that will keep me from stiffening up too much.
Total time: 60:28, ave HR 152, ave pace 6:03/km. And yes, it was a PR by one second. When Jim was here, on 6/28, I did 60:29 for this workout, and it hurt a LOT more than it did today. I'll take that as a good sign that things are going well :).
Garmin connect data here.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
15K
Weather: 68F (19C) and 80% humidity. I could do without the humidity, but it beats snow, rain, or ice. And it's cooler here than a lot of places around the country. Still, I was hot by 10K and I'm sure that didn't help.
Workout: I was to do 15K. The first 5K felt great. 5-8K felt OK. After 8K, my legs were heavy and leaden. After 13K, everything hurt, but at least it was only for 2K. My pace slowed to 7:00/km at the very end (up hill slightly, but still...) and I didn't care. I just wanted to be done. I'm glad tomorrow is a cross-training day.
Total time: 1:37:00 for 6:28/km, with ave HR 141. Yeah, my HR was low, so theoretically I could have pushed harder, but my legs were too tired and I just had nothing. Splits: 5K 31:13, 10K 32:28 (1:03:41), 15K 33:19 (1:37:00). Pretty sad. I hope this tiredness passes quickly; best theory I have is that my body is adjusting to the longer mileage which we are piling on in a hurry to get me ready for the marathon. In addition, the weather is warmish. Jim said this might happen, so I'm not too concerned, but just keeping an eye on things.
Garmin connect data here.
Workout: I was to do 15K. The first 5K felt great. 5-8K felt OK. After 8K, my legs were heavy and leaden. After 13K, everything hurt, but at least it was only for 2K. My pace slowed to 7:00/km at the very end (up hill slightly, but still...) and I didn't care. I just wanted to be done. I'm glad tomorrow is a cross-training day.
Total time: 1:37:00 for 6:28/km, with ave HR 141. Yeah, my HR was low, so theoretically I could have pushed harder, but my legs were too tired and I just had nothing. Splits: 5K 31:13, 10K 32:28 (1:03:41), 15K 33:19 (1:37:00). Pretty sad. I hope this tiredness passes quickly; best theory I have is that my body is adjusting to the longer mileage which we are piling on in a hurry to get me ready for the marathon. In addition, the weather is warmish. Jim said this might happen, so I'm not too concerned, but just keeping an eye on things.
Garmin connect data here.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
10K fartlek
Weather: 68F (20C) and 80% humidity. Warm, but not too awful.
Mood: Knew this would hurt so not looking forward to it. Legs still sore from 20K plus sore from the weight training I did yesterday (I didn't do any cardio but did do some weight training and some core work).
The track: wet from last night's storm, and I shared it with about 5-6 runners, 3 of whom were doing 800m repeats. I did move aside a few times for them and probably lost a few seconds here and there because of moving to lane 2.
The workout: Yup, it hurt. I started off pretty easy (was so glad I did later...), pushing just moderately hard for the first 5K. I still got to 5K in 29:35, which was decent for taking it easy (only 13 seconds slower than Friday's 5K fartlek). I thought at that point that maybe the workout wouldn't be too awful, but the last 5K was quite difficult, not suprisingly. I tried to avoid pushing too hard, but by 7K it was really hurting and I knew the wheels were falling off. I figured I'd have to push hard to keep my fast intervals under 3 min by that point. Ugh. The last 5 "fast" ones were 2:56-2:59, which is pretty darn slow. Oh well. I knew this one would be tough, and I was slow, but what matters is that I got it done. I pushed harder than I wanted at the end - I hope I have enough reserve to get through 15K tomorrow in good shape.
Total time: 60:24. Ave HR 161. Max 170.
Garmin connect data here.
Mood: Knew this would hurt so not looking forward to it. Legs still sore from 20K plus sore from the weight training I did yesterday (I didn't do any cardio but did do some weight training and some core work).
The track: wet from last night's storm, and I shared it with about 5-6 runners, 3 of whom were doing 800m repeats. I did move aside a few times for them and probably lost a few seconds here and there because of moving to lane 2.
The workout: Yup, it hurt. I started off pretty easy (was so glad I did later...), pushing just moderately hard for the first 5K. I still got to 5K in 29:35, which was decent for taking it easy (only 13 seconds slower than Friday's 5K fartlek). I thought at that point that maybe the workout wouldn't be too awful, but the last 5K was quite difficult, not suprisingly. I tried to avoid pushing too hard, but by 7K it was really hurting and I knew the wheels were falling off. I figured I'd have to push hard to keep my fast intervals under 3 min by that point. Ugh. The last 5 "fast" ones were 2:56-2:59, which is pretty darn slow. Oh well. I knew this one would be tough, and I was slow, but what matters is that I got it done. I pushed harder than I wanted at the end - I hope I have enough reserve to get through 15K tomorrow in good shape.
Total time: 60:24. Ave HR 161. Max 170.
Garmin connect data here.
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