So, I figured today would be the tell tale sign if Saturday's run was a fluke or not. Well, I've got my answer. Today's workout was one that we ran about a month ago and one that I blogged about. It entailed 3x2mile intervals with a 2 minute rest. And boy....2 mins didn't seem like a whole lot as compared to the time you were actively running. The last time I ran this workout, I was given a projected pace of 8:05/mile by coach Momma Michele. I don't think she realized all of the miles I had been putting in with Paul in the mornings we weren't running with the group, so it was an eye opener when I ran the workout amazingly consistent at a 7:30 pace.
Fast forward to today, I wanted to 'prove' to myself that Saturday was for real, but in my mind, I figured my pace should realistically be 7:30/mile or 15 mins per set. Well, that went out the window....but in a great way! My first set I came in at 14:30, on the nose. A picture perfect 7:15/mile! In fact, I crossed the 1 mile marker spot on at 7:15. Did I mention there was a NASTY headwind on the way out. We had some wicked front rolling through this morning, and I can say with confidence....the wind is NEVER in our face on the outward legs of this course. Today, it was. Set number two, my goal was to stay consistent with set ones times. And I did that, with a little margin....I ran the first mile of the interval in 7:18 and finished the set in total of 14:38, which means my second set was a 7:20. Still very consistant in my eyes. I don't see 8 seconds as that huge of disperity over 2 miles. That's only 4 seocnds per mile, and STILL under a 7:30 pace. Set number 3 I had to modify a bit, and only got a mile and a half in. What I did was run out to the half mile marker, turn around and run the mile back to the car. During the rest period I checked what time it was and I noticed that it was alreadcy 5:42am. There was no way I was going to make it back in time for my 6am meeting if I ran the whole set out to the 1 mile marker and back, and then jogged the half mile back to the car. This is a MUCH longer day then we usually do on a Tuesday, and my work at Honeywell entails me working globally and I have an engineer that I meet with via telecon at 6am every Tuesday. The set held AMAZINGLY strong hoever, and I kept the total pace under 7:30, and around the 7:20 mark, and that includes the slowdown of a turnaround at the 800m mark.
In all I'm very pleased with the workout. All these miles during the week are really benefitting. I think in the month, I'm going to have to drop down to a 30" waistline on my jeans. 34s are amazingly baggy, and 32s are starting to get loose. Thank goodness for belts! Nobody needs to see a massive plummer crack incident at work!
Tomorrow I'm on my own for an 1:30 minute run through the neighborhood. I shoudl be able to get between 9 and 10 miles in. Until then, have a great day, and LIVESTRONG!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Weekend FULL of Goals CRUSHED!
I'm sitting here absolutely amazed at the progress this training session has been for me. At no point would I have ever 'believed' I'd be where I am today. I knew the training plans put together by Mama Michele were amazing. We've got the results in the group to prove it. Never was that ever a doubt for me. My biggest doubt in my mind was ME. So, the fact that I've been religious about making the workouts has been one MAJOR accomplishment. A lot of that has to do with the fact that I'm not straddled with the day to day stresses of being a small business owner. I look back at where I was in my life mid August to early September time frame when we closed the store. NIGHT and DAY. Officially, I'm 34 pounds lighter. That's right. 34 freakin' pounds of FAT no longer plaguing my joints every time I put one foot down in front of the other. Every day when I wake up, I'm excited about what my run will put in front of me. I never want to miss a run, and I get angry when I do. Before, it was always....The coffee house got in the way, and there was never a consistency. That's all in the past, and and the me of NOW is FULL THROTTLE about achieving and setting new GOALS!
Which takes me to my Saturday workout. On tap that morning while most of the group was in Sacremento for the California International Marathon was a 30 minute tempo run. All along, my goal was to get to the elusive corner of Coachline and Silverbell. On that corner sits a Walgreens. My goal for the past 5 years has to be able to run our large loop and get to the Walgreens. And every single 30 minute tempo run in the past five years, I've always come up quite a bit short. My best effort to day was about 5 weeks ago when I made it 3.88 miles. To get to my goal spot, is 4.25 miles. The group was small on saturday, but there was FAST runners. I was the slowest of those that showed up, and so we wnet off in waves. I took point as the rabbit, and went out first. I set off at a pace that felt comfortable. To my utter amazement, about a half mile into it I start hearing the footsteps of a couple of the runners. It was at this point, I looked down at my watch to see what kind of slacker pace I'm running. Sheesh, even with the faster runners in the group, I usually hold out for a mile before getting caught. When I looked at my Garmin 305, imagine my amazement when I noticed that 6:57 as my current pace! WHAOH! I'm freakin flying!!! But, those guys passed me like I'm standing STILL, and the next thing I notice is their red flashy light moving off in the distance. After the workout, I find out they were running a 5:20/pace. Showoffs. :) Anyways, I go past the first mile marker in 7:02. Strangely enough, I'm still feeling GREAT! I keep going and get passed by a couple of other faster runners, about the spot I expected to get passed at. At mile two, I was at 14:04, so another 7:02 in the books. How all of a sudden did I become Mr. Consistency.....Mile 3 slowed a little bit, but came in at 7:08, and at this point is where I actually start to realize that my goal is rapidly approaching. This is kinda where things start to get sketchy....My pace was ALL OVER THE PLACE between mile 3 and 4. Mostly because I found myself getting so exicted that I would almost start hyperventilating. Somhow I managed to put all of that in check, and when I crossed my 4 I had something like 1:40 to go in the 30 minute workout. So yes, it was slower, then the previous 3, but I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT!!!! AND MAKE IT I DID!!!!! Not only did I make it, I crossed the street, and ended up towards the BACK OF THE WALGREENS BUILDING!!!! That's when I'm sure somebody in the neighborhood probably had to wonder why is there some stranger in lycra tights the middle of the street jumping up and down screaming!! Those are honestly the moments I would love to have on video. BUT.....That would entail having someone there to video it....namely my wife....and the sun was barely up....so that ain't happnin! HA!
Because I accomplished my goal, I allowed myself to sleep in an extra 35 minutes and cut my 16 miler to 12. I still did the wade loop course because the hill work is ABSULTELY necessary. But I didn't want to kill myself before travelling up to Phoenix to watch the Cardinals win their FIRST EVER NFC West Championship. By the end of the day I was totally WIPED OUT! I had nothing left in the tank. My boys and I actually got home, and all three of us pretty much went straight to bed. I had INTENDED to run this AM for a little 5 mile jog through theh neighborhood, but Mother Nature had a different plan when she decided to schedule that impromptu THUNDER STORM at 4:50 this morning. Honestly, I've never lived in a place that had more violent weather in the 40 degree early mornings. What's up with that. Oh well, I fugure I'll just do a short run when I get home so as not to completely wipe out the day. Mother Nature, if you're listnening.....I really despise treadmills, and I love enjoying the beauty of which you helped create. Please leave me dry and unstruck by lighteneing.
Your Pal.....KidStallyn. :)
And I would be remiss if I didn't give HUGE SHOUTS OUT to those who ran California International yesterday from my traingin group. The Grinders went out, KICKED ASS and took Names. Here's their results.....(EVERYONE Boston Qualified!)
Todd 2:36:08 (33rd overall, 5th age 35-39)
Steve 3:13:11 BQ
Merry 3:24:27 (942nd overall, 2nd age 50-54)
Rhonda 3:43:56 BQ
Untill tomorrow, LIVESTRONG and Train HARD!
Which takes me to my Saturday workout. On tap that morning while most of the group was in Sacremento for the California International Marathon was a 30 minute tempo run. All along, my goal was to get to the elusive corner of Coachline and Silverbell. On that corner sits a Walgreens. My goal for the past 5 years has to be able to run our large loop and get to the Walgreens. And every single 30 minute tempo run in the past five years, I've always come up quite a bit short. My best effort to day was about 5 weeks ago when I made it 3.88 miles. To get to my goal spot, is 4.25 miles. The group was small on saturday, but there was FAST runners. I was the slowest of those that showed up, and so we wnet off in waves. I took point as the rabbit, and went out first. I set off at a pace that felt comfortable. To my utter amazement, about a half mile into it I start hearing the footsteps of a couple of the runners. It was at this point, I looked down at my watch to see what kind of slacker pace I'm running. Sheesh, even with the faster runners in the group, I usually hold out for a mile before getting caught. When I looked at my Garmin 305, imagine my amazement when I noticed that 6:57 as my current pace! WHAOH! I'm freakin flying!!! But, those guys passed me like I'm standing STILL, and the next thing I notice is their red flashy light moving off in the distance. After the workout, I find out they were running a 5:20/pace. Showoffs. :) Anyways, I go past the first mile marker in 7:02. Strangely enough, I'm still feeling GREAT! I keep going and get passed by a couple of other faster runners, about the spot I expected to get passed at. At mile two, I was at 14:04, so another 7:02 in the books. How all of a sudden did I become Mr. Consistency.....Mile 3 slowed a little bit, but came in at 7:08, and at this point is where I actually start to realize that my goal is rapidly approaching. This is kinda where things start to get sketchy....My pace was ALL OVER THE PLACE between mile 3 and 4. Mostly because I found myself getting so exicted that I would almost start hyperventilating. Somhow I managed to put all of that in check, and when I crossed my 4 I had something like 1:40 to go in the 30 minute workout. So yes, it was slower, then the previous 3, but I WAS GOING TO MAKE IT!!!! AND MAKE IT I DID!!!!! Not only did I make it, I crossed the street, and ended up towards the BACK OF THE WALGREENS BUILDING!!!! That's when I'm sure somebody in the neighborhood probably had to wonder why is there some stranger in lycra tights the middle of the street jumping up and down screaming!! Those are honestly the moments I would love to have on video. BUT.....That would entail having someone there to video it....namely my wife....and the sun was barely up....so that ain't happnin! HA!
Because I accomplished my goal, I allowed myself to sleep in an extra 35 minutes and cut my 16 miler to 12. I still did the wade loop course because the hill work is ABSULTELY necessary. But I didn't want to kill myself before travelling up to Phoenix to watch the Cardinals win their FIRST EVER NFC West Championship. By the end of the day I was totally WIPED OUT! I had nothing left in the tank. My boys and I actually got home, and all three of us pretty much went straight to bed. I had INTENDED to run this AM for a little 5 mile jog through theh neighborhood, but Mother Nature had a different plan when she decided to schedule that impromptu THUNDER STORM at 4:50 this morning. Honestly, I've never lived in a place that had more violent weather in the 40 degree early mornings. What's up with that. Oh well, I fugure I'll just do a short run when I get home so as not to completely wipe out the day. Mother Nature, if you're listnening.....I really despise treadmills, and I love enjoying the beauty of which you helped create. Please leave me dry and unstruck by lighteneing.
Your Pal.....KidStallyn. :)
And I would be remiss if I didn't give HUGE SHOUTS OUT to those who ran California International yesterday from my traingin group. The Grinders went out, KICKED ASS and took Names. Here's their results.....(EVERYONE Boston Qualified!)
Todd 2:36:08 (33rd overall, 5th age 35-39)
Steve 3:13:11 BQ
Merry 3:24:27 (942nd overall, 2nd age 50-54)
Rhonda 3:43:56 BQ
Untill tomorrow, LIVESTRONG and Train HARD!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Two Great Days...One Awesome Blog...
This has been an absolutely AMAZING week of running for me. I'm really seeing the fruits of all this hard work and o'dark early mornings. I even had to change out the battery in my headlight last night after only 3 weeks of constant usage. Things are going incredibly well! This is my first week of making my Wednesday run a mid week long run. So, I went out for an hour and 15 minutes and ran really really strong. I did my normal 5.5 miler, but through on an extra short loop 3 miler to add in the extra time. And I just kept feeling stronger and stronger with every single step! It was absolutely amazing! No need to hurry, but by the end I was clicking the miles off at a nice 8:30 pace. This is where you get to see the fruits of the speed work sessions. It's such a mental boost to see easy running at that pace. I even passed a runner out there. I remember the days of slogging along at a 9:30 pace and not making much progress at all. Why....Because the running was always trumped by some coffee house incident. It also helps that I've lost 33 pounds, and I've got a nice steady progression to my overall goal. I'm really starting to see the definition in my legs as they lean up. MO MILES.....MO MILES!
Thursday was an interesting day. On the schedule was a 12x400m day with 45 seconds to catch your breath. I ended up not being able to run with the group, and headed into work early for a one of my worldly telecons with people located in Frankfurt, Germany and Toronto, Canada. It not only got me into work early, it allowed me to get out of work early. early enought to get home, get the kids fed, and go running after dinner when my wife got home. Sure, it was going to be dark.....Wahtev! If I ran it at 5am....Guess what...It's dark then too....Actually, I really like runing in the dark. I know...that's weird, but the thing for me, your out there and your focusing on your running, not the epic distance in front of you. You can't see it.....So it's not a barrier anymore. Running is sooooooo mental. It gets in your head. So, if you can get out the bad thoughts, DO IT! And that's exactly what I did last night. My 12x400m got off to a little rocky start. My first set came in at 1:49, which really kind of upset me, but gave me the motivation to kick it up a notch. From there, I never went above 1:41. Every single set was nice and consistent, ranging down to 1:39. So, when it came down to the last two, I really pushed. The second to last set came in at 1:37. With that I told myself. WIN THE WORKOUT. And with that, I took out on a pace I haven't seen since I was at my 6 week basic training in ROTC. At the midway point of the set, I checked my pace and I was running at a 6:00/mile. That just fuelded me even more! I kept that pace, and really focused on every single stride and breath, trying to keep everything nice and event. In the end, when the distance timer went off on my Garmin, I finished the set in 1:32! YEP...1:32! That equates to a 6:08/mile. Did I mention, I haven't see that kinda speed in over 16 YEARS! Yes...16 YEARS! That's right, this 37 year old guy is running as fast as he did when he was 21! Look out world, I'm coming to GET CHYA!
With that, I earned that Friday off day. Saturday is a 30 minute tempo, and Sunday is going to be another 16 mile day with loops of our hilly course called Wade Rd. I've got to get those in early, so I'll be heading out the door by 4:30am and hopefully be done by 7. That gives me enough time to get the Truck loaded up for a full day of tailgating and FOOTBALL as my Arizona Cqardinals attempt to WIN THE NFC WEST for the FIRST TIME IN THEIR HISTORY! I'm really jonesin' for some FOOTBALL!!! Let's GET IT ON!!!!!
Thursday was an interesting day. On the schedule was a 12x400m day with 45 seconds to catch your breath. I ended up not being able to run with the group, and headed into work early for a one of my worldly telecons with people located in Frankfurt, Germany and Toronto, Canada. It not only got me into work early, it allowed me to get out of work early. early enought to get home, get the kids fed, and go running after dinner when my wife got home. Sure, it was going to be dark.....Wahtev! If I ran it at 5am....Guess what...It's dark then too....Actually, I really like runing in the dark. I know...that's weird, but the thing for me, your out there and your focusing on your running, not the epic distance in front of you. You can't see it.....So it's not a barrier anymore. Running is sooooooo mental. It gets in your head. So, if you can get out the bad thoughts, DO IT! And that's exactly what I did last night. My 12x400m got off to a little rocky start. My first set came in at 1:49, which really kind of upset me, but gave me the motivation to kick it up a notch. From there, I never went above 1:41. Every single set was nice and consistent, ranging down to 1:39. So, when it came down to the last two, I really pushed. The second to last set came in at 1:37. With that I told myself. WIN THE WORKOUT. And with that, I took out on a pace I haven't seen since I was at my 6 week basic training in ROTC. At the midway point of the set, I checked my pace and I was running at a 6:00/mile. That just fuelded me even more! I kept that pace, and really focused on every single stride and breath, trying to keep everything nice and event. In the end, when the distance timer went off on my Garmin, I finished the set in 1:32! YEP...1:32! That equates to a 6:08/mile. Did I mention, I haven't see that kinda speed in over 16 YEARS! Yes...16 YEARS! That's right, this 37 year old guy is running as fast as he did when he was 21! Look out world, I'm coming to GET CHYA!
With that, I earned that Friday off day. Saturday is a 30 minute tempo, and Sunday is going to be another 16 mile day with loops of our hilly course called Wade Rd. I've got to get those in early, so I'll be heading out the door by 4:30am and hopefully be done by 7. That gives me enough time to get the Truck loaded up for a full day of tailgating and FOOTBALL as my Arizona Cqardinals attempt to WIN THE NFC WEST for the FIRST TIME IN THEIR HISTORY! I'm really jonesin' for some FOOTBALL!!! Let's GET IT ON!!!!!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Another Brutal Workout in the Books!
And the hits just keep on coming! Today was another tough workout. 4x1000 (30seconds) 3 min rest 4x1000(30 seconds). Looking at it on the spreadsheet, you just say to yourself...It's only 8K...how hard could it be? Well, after the third 1000, you realize...dang...this is hard. Especially with very little time to recover your breath.
My goal for today was to run them even. It had been a while since I had run the 1K intervals, so I didn't really have a goal time until after the first couple were in the books. Once I settled into a pace, I targeted 4:35 per 1K set as my goal. And I didn't stray too far off that for the entire workout. Surprising considering I basically ran the last 4 all alone seeing as the marathon racers this weekend only had to do the first set. Us non-racing slackers got double duty today, and there were only 3 of us on the course for round 2. But, I held my own and kept them nice and consistent. You can't ask for much more then that, especially after a 16 miler 2 days ago. And speaking of that I was a wee bit sore in my calves when I wok up today. I'm sure it's because of the length of Sundays run is something I haven't experienced in a while, but once I got going there was no complications to worry about.
And with that I was able to add another 6.25 miles to the log. That's double what I had at this point last week, so I'm in a good spot to get that increase from 43 that I've been searching for. Tomorrows a nice easy 1:15 jog through the neighborhood. It's going to be used to just clea out some of the junk in my legs, and get them fresh for the quarters on Thursday. Saturday will be the big test that I'm looking for. It's a 30 minute tempo, so I get to see how much closer I get to that elusive Walgreens stop!
Until tomorrow, Train Hard and LIVESTRONG!
My goal for today was to run them even. It had been a while since I had run the 1K intervals, so I didn't really have a goal time until after the first couple were in the books. Once I settled into a pace, I targeted 4:35 per 1K set as my goal. And I didn't stray too far off that for the entire workout. Surprising considering I basically ran the last 4 all alone seeing as the marathon racers this weekend only had to do the first set. Us non-racing slackers got double duty today, and there were only 3 of us on the course for round 2. But, I held my own and kept them nice and consistent. You can't ask for much more then that, especially after a 16 miler 2 days ago. And speaking of that I was a wee bit sore in my calves when I wok up today. I'm sure it's because of the length of Sundays run is something I haven't experienced in a while, but once I got going there was no complications to worry about.
And with that I was able to add another 6.25 miles to the log. That's double what I had at this point last week, so I'm in a good spot to get that increase from 43 that I've been searching for. Tomorrows a nice easy 1:15 jog through the neighborhood. It's going to be used to just clea out some of the junk in my legs, and get them fresh for the quarters on Thursday. Saturday will be the big test that I'm looking for. It's a 30 minute tempo, so I get to see how much closer I get to that elusive Walgreens stop!
Until tomorrow, Train Hard and LIVESTRONG!
Monday, December 1, 2008
MIssed the 50...But Got 43.....
So, this past holiday weekend I missed out on hitting the big FIVE OH, but I did manage to get in a SOLID 43 miles. It all started out on Thursday as a wicked front moved through. I knew that I was going to have to run through some rain, but what I encountered in the wee hours of Turkey Day, I totally didn't expect. Basically, I got caught out in a brutal downpour thunderstorm about a mile and a half from home. Needless to say, my 8 mile run, turned into an ALL OUT SPRINT FOR HOME. It was kinda eerie. It was just a light sprinkle as I left the house, and there were openings in the clouds to where you could see the stars. I didn't think it was going to be all that bad, and at the start it wasn't. It was actually quite pleasant. That all changed when I hit the Silverbell stretch. I made the right turn, and the morning had progressed enough that I could see the clouds pretty clearly. They were VERY puffy, and all of a sudden, I started seeing flashes. I didn't really think much about it, I couldn't hear any thunder, so it was pretty far off in the distance. But what I didn't know, was that this was a FAST moving and aggressive storm that, roughly a quarter mile later, consumed me. It was so quiet outside. I only saw a couple of cars out. And that that ultimately the calm before the storm. You know your in trouble when all of a sudden, the hills in front of you totally dissappear. Then, I could hear the rain pounding on the pavement in front of me. That's when my 8:30 pace, was quickly elevated to a 6. And that's when I turned into a drenched swamp rat. Everything was soaked, head to toe. And my 6 min mile pace turned to a 5 something when that lighting and thunder burst hit. I turned the corner, went through a Safeway, and sprinted the downhill to home. Never before had I been so excited to make it home. It was raining so hard, my kids and dog were all up. The rain was hiting the windows and echoing off the roof. Totally weird for a November storm, and nothing that I've ever experienced this late into the year. I was a bit dissapointed that I didn't get all of my miles in. It was Turkey day, and I knew that there was a ton of great food waiting for me up in Phoenix. But I did manage to get in a 4 mile effort later that evening after all of the food settled to round out the day at 7 miles.
Fridays run totally got overcome by events. My wife an I headedout for Black friday shopping to get a new TV. Ours died on Wednesday morning, and we figured we would take advantage of the great deals. I guess if it were going to break, it picked an oppertune moment to do it. After we got back form teh maddness that was shopping, I spent the rest of the afternoon getting my fathers deisel motorhome an emissions inspection. That was after the tow service came out and got the batteries recharged....What should ahve taken less then an hour, turned out to be an all afternoon adventure. By the time we got back, there was no time for a run, and we had to eat dinner and get back to Tucson.
Saturdays run is where it gets exciting. On the menu was 4x1 mile repeats. I really like this workout. It's set up to get you to run a nice Consistant pace. I probably should have run them at my goal marathon pace, like many of the others, but I was feeling GREAT. My first set I went out and hung on the tail of Butch and managed to eek out a 7:20. My breathing felt great and I really didn't labor too much. We walked in circles during the rest period and headed back out. Set number 2 came in at a 7:19. Great for consistency, but I really didn't feel all that labored. Again, we walked ciricles through the rest period, and I set off for set number 3.....At this point, I was about 5 seconds behind Butch....He'd crossed the line a few seconds before I had on the previous two sets. So I took off somewhat alone. My goal was to run with Butch, so I figured I needed to catch up. Especially after I looked up, and he looked much farther away then ususal. So I looked down at my watch, and I noticed my current pace at a 6:54. So I thought to myself, he's not going to keep that pace up. At the half mile, I had caught up to him, and sat right on his heels. By the 1000m mark, I had actually passed him, and when I finished the set, I crossed the line at 7:02! I thought to myself...Are you kidding me! A 7:02 on the THIRD set. One of the faster marathoner runners saw the grin on my face, and asked what my split was...I think he took a longer rest so that he could pace with me on the last set. His marathon goal pace is a 7 min/mile next Sunday. I took off, and he went with me. We finished the 4th set in 7:09! All I can say is WOW! Actually, Dave threw in a WHOAH!!! You're flying today! That was a nice little booster there. After we finished the workout, which included a 5x1minute, I logged 6 miles, plus the 1.25 mile warm up and cool down. We all went back to the cars together, and Michele came up with a big smile and said great job! That was a huge booster. My running is REALLY turned a corner to the next level.
And that takes me to Sunday. I started the day with a little Sunday weigh in ritual. To my surprise, I weighed in at 176 pounds. Officially, that 33 pounds lighter since August. I set out on my run and I was still coming off the high from Saturday, which really helped out. It was a crisp morning, and my legs felt fresh. I did the same route that I did for the 14 miles, and added two to the end. As I crossed through the street that could have led me to home, I was CRUISING at a 8:30 pace, and felt strong. No mental barrier there. I got to the 14 mile mark in 2:04, 3 minutes faster then before. I decided to take a little break, to get my last bit of Gatorade endurance down, and took in the beautiful morning. I then started back up after a couple of mins, and finished out the last 2 miles, which ended up being two and a quarter. And I finished strong. I continued my 8:30 pace and completed the entire run in 2hours and 30minutes.
In all, I ended up with 43 miles for the week. yes, it was a little short of the goal, but nothign to get down about! My legs still felt frech this morning on my 3.5 mile recovery run, and I am already looking forward to tomorrows group run!
Until then, TRAIN HARD and LIVESTRONG!
Fridays run totally got overcome by events. My wife an I headedout for Black friday shopping to get a new TV. Ours died on Wednesday morning, and we figured we would take advantage of the great deals. I guess if it were going to break, it picked an oppertune moment to do it. After we got back form teh maddness that was shopping, I spent the rest of the afternoon getting my fathers deisel motorhome an emissions inspection. That was after the tow service came out and got the batteries recharged....What should ahve taken less then an hour, turned out to be an all afternoon adventure. By the time we got back, there was no time for a run, and we had to eat dinner and get back to Tucson.
Saturdays run is where it gets exciting. On the menu was 4x1 mile repeats. I really like this workout. It's set up to get you to run a nice Consistant pace. I probably should have run them at my goal marathon pace, like many of the others, but I was feeling GREAT. My first set I went out and hung on the tail of Butch and managed to eek out a 7:20. My breathing felt great and I really didn't labor too much. We walked in circles during the rest period and headed back out. Set number 2 came in at a 7:19. Great for consistency, but I really didn't feel all that labored. Again, we walked ciricles through the rest period, and I set off for set number 3.....At this point, I was about 5 seconds behind Butch....He'd crossed the line a few seconds before I had on the previous two sets. So I took off somewhat alone. My goal was to run with Butch, so I figured I needed to catch up. Especially after I looked up, and he looked much farther away then ususal. So I looked down at my watch, and I noticed my current pace at a 6:54. So I thought to myself, he's not going to keep that pace up. At the half mile, I had caught up to him, and sat right on his heels. By the 1000m mark, I had actually passed him, and when I finished the set, I crossed the line at 7:02! I thought to myself...Are you kidding me! A 7:02 on the THIRD set. One of the faster marathoner runners saw the grin on my face, and asked what my split was...I think he took a longer rest so that he could pace with me on the last set. His marathon goal pace is a 7 min/mile next Sunday. I took off, and he went with me. We finished the 4th set in 7:09! All I can say is WOW! Actually, Dave threw in a WHOAH!!! You're flying today! That was a nice little booster there. After we finished the workout, which included a 5x1minute, I logged 6 miles, plus the 1.25 mile warm up and cool down. We all went back to the cars together, and Michele came up with a big smile and said great job! That was a huge booster. My running is REALLY turned a corner to the next level.
And that takes me to Sunday. I started the day with a little Sunday weigh in ritual. To my surprise, I weighed in at 176 pounds. Officially, that 33 pounds lighter since August. I set out on my run and I was still coming off the high from Saturday, which really helped out. It was a crisp morning, and my legs felt fresh. I did the same route that I did for the 14 miles, and added two to the end. As I crossed through the street that could have led me to home, I was CRUISING at a 8:30 pace, and felt strong. No mental barrier there. I got to the 14 mile mark in 2:04, 3 minutes faster then before. I decided to take a little break, to get my last bit of Gatorade endurance down, and took in the beautiful morning. I then started back up after a couple of mins, and finished out the last 2 miles, which ended up being two and a quarter. And I finished strong. I continued my 8:30 pace and completed the entire run in 2hours and 30minutes.
In all, I ended up with 43 miles for the week. yes, it was a little short of the goal, but nothign to get down about! My legs still felt frech this morning on my 3.5 mile recovery run, and I am already looking forward to tomorrows group run!
Until then, TRAIN HARD and LIVESTRONG!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The thanksgiving week....pour it on....
And I'm not talking gravy....Well at least not until Thursday when it's mandetory to eat 8 cups of gravy! I'm talking about miles. I'm going out for a new all time high. The Big 5-0....50 miles. And this is the perfect week to get 'er done....That is if the rain holds off. BUT.....The training plan is top priority. I've got rain gear to keep my for the most part dry....And once you start sweating, you're all wet anyways right???
Today started of the week with 16x400. I ended up running these predominantly by myself. I started off with the marathon training group although they were doing a different workout. The rest of the group was only doing 6x400 since they will all be racing on Thursday. So since I started out by myself, I was basically alone at the end of the first set. That meant, I didn't have my usual paces out there, so I set my goal to hold each of the 16 sets at around 1:45. And so I did! And to be honest, even though my legs were feeling great, my head was full of this wicked congestion that reared it's ugly head at about 1am as the front rolled through. It has to be weather related. There really isn't any other excuse. I did manage to exhume most of it during my run, and on my 45 second off periods. So it's probably a good thing that I was running by myself. Didn't need to collect any collateral damage by an errant snot rocket. You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose.....but in no way is it ever good to pick your friends nose. And it's even more important to keep those snot rockets to yourself. :)
In all, I got the 5.25 miles that I was hoping for after the warm-up and cool down run back to the car. Now, tomorrow I've got my eyes set on 7 or 7.5 miles. My meeting that I asked to be pushed to 6:30 on Wednesday starting in December, actually got pushed starting tomorrow...that's a whole week ahead of schedule. That gives me an extra 30 mins to get in my miles. So I'm thankful for that.
I'm also tahnkful that I get to eat whatever I want on Thursday and not have to worry about it. I need to fuel my body properly, and that doesn't mean just water, that means fuel. I'm only 3 pounds away from my initial weight target of 175. From there, I start the next ramp up in training to work my weight down to 165 by marathon day in late January or ealry February. The jury is still out on wether or not I'll be able to run on the 18th. See, that happens to be the NFC Championship game, and if all goes well, and the Cardinals work that deep into the playoffs, there's a possiblility of hosting the game in Phoenix. Which means, I'm going to have my hands full tailgating and celebrating something thats NEVER BEEN DONE by this team. That's a long ways out, and many things have to happen.....And the Cardinals don't control their own desinty in that respect. BUT.....I won't really know until the week or two before....So, you train like you're going to race that day, and if you don't you schedule a backup. So, in the meatime...I'm just going to put in mile after mile.
And with that, it's time to get some work done, and get ready for tomorrows run. LIVESTRONG and Train Hard!
Today started of the week with 16x400. I ended up running these predominantly by myself. I started off with the marathon training group although they were doing a different workout. The rest of the group was only doing 6x400 since they will all be racing on Thursday. So since I started out by myself, I was basically alone at the end of the first set. That meant, I didn't have my usual paces out there, so I set my goal to hold each of the 16 sets at around 1:45. And so I did! And to be honest, even though my legs were feeling great, my head was full of this wicked congestion that reared it's ugly head at about 1am as the front rolled through. It has to be weather related. There really isn't any other excuse. I did manage to exhume most of it during my run, and on my 45 second off periods. So it's probably a good thing that I was running by myself. Didn't need to collect any collateral damage by an errant snot rocket. You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose.....but in no way is it ever good to pick your friends nose. And it's even more important to keep those snot rockets to yourself. :)
In all, I got the 5.25 miles that I was hoping for after the warm-up and cool down run back to the car. Now, tomorrow I've got my eyes set on 7 or 7.5 miles. My meeting that I asked to be pushed to 6:30 on Wednesday starting in December, actually got pushed starting tomorrow...that's a whole week ahead of schedule. That gives me an extra 30 mins to get in my miles. So I'm thankful for that.
I'm also tahnkful that I get to eat whatever I want on Thursday and not have to worry about it. I need to fuel my body properly, and that doesn't mean just water, that means fuel. I'm only 3 pounds away from my initial weight target of 175. From there, I start the next ramp up in training to work my weight down to 165 by marathon day in late January or ealry February. The jury is still out on wether or not I'll be able to run on the 18th. See, that happens to be the NFC Championship game, and if all goes well, and the Cardinals work that deep into the playoffs, there's a possiblility of hosting the game in Phoenix. Which means, I'm going to have my hands full tailgating and celebrating something thats NEVER BEEN DONE by this team. That's a long ways out, and many things have to happen.....And the Cardinals don't control their own desinty in that respect. BUT.....I won't really know until the week or two before....So, you train like you're going to race that day, and if you don't you schedule a backup. So, in the meatime...I'm just going to put in mile after mile.
And with that, it's time to get some work done, and get ready for tomorrows run. LIVESTRONG and Train Hard!
Monday, November 24, 2008
A Weekend of Mixed Emotions....
This was a weekend of mixed emotions that go along with the recovery from the brief illness that killed last weekends running efforts. On one hand, I was able to get out for my 6 straight days after taking off those 3 days, which is good. On the other hand, I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get in the number of miles that I wanted too. Well.....And my Cardinals suffered their first loss at home this season with a 8 point loss to the reigning world champions....Oh well...It happens.
Saturday I had an absolutely GREAT run. It was a 50 minute mixture of alternating 5 mins at 10K pace and 5 mins at your Half Marathon Pace. We had a LARGE group out too, I think there was over 20 of us out there Saturday morning. Very impressive!!! The first set seemed to start off somewhat slow....but when I went back and looked at the garmin data, it was much faster then I had anticipated, somewhere near a 7:20 pace. After the brefi 5 min pace where you get to somewhat get your breath back, we HAMMERED set number 2. That was somewhat surprising. We actually crossed the 2 mile marker with about 15 seconds lef in the set. That's a 14:45 2 miler. An AVERAGE of 7:22ish. AVERAGE. Remember, there was a 5minute 'off' set in there. When I went back and looked, we ran that second 5 minute on set at a 7:08 pace. Crazy!!! And even worse was I had one of the marathoners hangning with me, and she had a 20 miler the next day. During the 5 min 'off' period, I convinced her that we needed to throttle it back a bit. I didn't want to kill her run the next day. And she was insistent on letting me dictate the pace. So, the next on set we dropped back to a 7:30 pace. At the end of the 30 mins, we were right around the 4 mile mark. Both of us were feelign great, and not laboring at all. Set number four took us pretty close to closing the 5 mile loop. We closed it at 38:30. We just kept going around the loop and finished the on set of 5 mins or the 5th set and flipped it around and headed back to the start. At the end, we had complete 6.5 miles in 50 mins. I really LOVE this workout. The 5 on set get you at near your max threshold, but you don't cross over it....We never had a pace below 7:30....In fact, the last two sets (after we discussed slowing down and running one slower) went right back and settled in at 7:20. S'all goood! But that's not the end of the workout by any stretch....We still had to do our 5x1mins. Those.....WHAOH.....Let me just day, 6:20 pace, and at the end (when you include the 45 second rest intervals), we were MORE THEN A MILE! I'm very happy with that, especially wne you consider that's AFTER doing a tough workout. Afterwards, I went home and hooked up to my Compex to 'extend' my workout a bit. Ran the strength workout on my legs and calves with an Active recovery after each. It's nice to do after a Saturday workout....I think that's one of the reasons I'm getting so much faster. Strength, strength, strength.....
Sundays run got off to a late start. I was pressed for time since I had to leave for our all day Phoenix trip to see the Cardinals by 7:45. That meant, get home, get the truck loaded with the tailgate stuff, get the kids ready, etc, etc, etc....So, I figured i needed to be home by about 7am to get everythign done. Well, I didn't get out of the house until 5:45, so that left me an hour fifteen. Not what I had wanted, but when you've got commitments to meet someone, I don't like to leave them hangin' around. The run itself was great. It was a nice brisk 50 degrees when I set out, and that's the temperature where my legs just plain and simple respond. I started off easy at a 9:20 pace, but eventually ramped it up down to a 8:20 consistent mile after mile. And that last half mile.....I just GUNNED it and put the hammer down. I don't ususally run with my iPod, but since i was solo this am, and not running with the group, I was all over it. And one of those Kid Rock songs came up, and I couldn't resist. And I felt great.....Ran that at a 6:45 pace.. :)
This week will be a big heavy hitting milage week. I'm going to get some extra z's with the 2 days off from work and the holidays...So I'm also going to ramp up the miles, cuz i know there will be some extra food. NO WEIGHT GAIN THIS YEAR! I'm going to LOSE weight this Thanksgiving week!
Mon - Rest
Tues - 5.5
Wed - 7.5
Thurs - 7.5
Friday 7.5
Sat - 7.5
Sun - 16
That sets me up for a 51 mile week, and only 2 speed sessions. I'm feeling good, and I'm going BUST this OUT! So, until tommorrow, LIVESTRONG and Train Hard!
Saturday I had an absolutely GREAT run. It was a 50 minute mixture of alternating 5 mins at 10K pace and 5 mins at your Half Marathon Pace. We had a LARGE group out too, I think there was over 20 of us out there Saturday morning. Very impressive!!! The first set seemed to start off somewhat slow....but when I went back and looked at the garmin data, it was much faster then I had anticipated, somewhere near a 7:20 pace. After the brefi 5 min pace where you get to somewhat get your breath back, we HAMMERED set number 2. That was somewhat surprising. We actually crossed the 2 mile marker with about 15 seconds lef in the set. That's a 14:45 2 miler. An AVERAGE of 7:22ish. AVERAGE. Remember, there was a 5minute 'off' set in there. When I went back and looked, we ran that second 5 minute on set at a 7:08 pace. Crazy!!! And even worse was I had one of the marathoners hangning with me, and she had a 20 miler the next day. During the 5 min 'off' period, I convinced her that we needed to throttle it back a bit. I didn't want to kill her run the next day. And she was insistent on letting me dictate the pace. So, the next on set we dropped back to a 7:30 pace. At the end of the 30 mins, we were right around the 4 mile mark. Both of us were feelign great, and not laboring at all. Set number four took us pretty close to closing the 5 mile loop. We closed it at 38:30. We just kept going around the loop and finished the on set of 5 mins or the 5th set and flipped it around and headed back to the start. At the end, we had complete 6.5 miles in 50 mins. I really LOVE this workout. The 5 on set get you at near your max threshold, but you don't cross over it....We never had a pace below 7:30....In fact, the last two sets (after we discussed slowing down and running one slower) went right back and settled in at 7:20. S'all goood! But that's not the end of the workout by any stretch....We still had to do our 5x1mins. Those.....WHAOH.....Let me just day, 6:20 pace, and at the end (when you include the 45 second rest intervals), we were MORE THEN A MILE! I'm very happy with that, especially wne you consider that's AFTER doing a tough workout. Afterwards, I went home and hooked up to my Compex to 'extend' my workout a bit. Ran the strength workout on my legs and calves with an Active recovery after each. It's nice to do after a Saturday workout....I think that's one of the reasons I'm getting so much faster. Strength, strength, strength.....
Sundays run got off to a late start. I was pressed for time since I had to leave for our all day Phoenix trip to see the Cardinals by 7:45. That meant, get home, get the truck loaded with the tailgate stuff, get the kids ready, etc, etc, etc....So, I figured i needed to be home by about 7am to get everythign done. Well, I didn't get out of the house until 5:45, so that left me an hour fifteen. Not what I had wanted, but when you've got commitments to meet someone, I don't like to leave them hangin' around. The run itself was great. It was a nice brisk 50 degrees when I set out, and that's the temperature where my legs just plain and simple respond. I started off easy at a 9:20 pace, but eventually ramped it up down to a 8:20 consistent mile after mile. And that last half mile.....I just GUNNED it and put the hammer down. I don't ususally run with my iPod, but since i was solo this am, and not running with the group, I was all over it. And one of those Kid Rock songs came up, and I couldn't resist. And I felt great.....Ran that at a 6:45 pace.. :)
This week will be a big heavy hitting milage week. I'm going to get some extra z's with the 2 days off from work and the holidays...So I'm also going to ramp up the miles, cuz i know there will be some extra food. NO WEIGHT GAIN THIS YEAR! I'm going to LOSE weight this Thanksgiving week!
Mon - Rest
Tues - 5.5
Wed - 7.5
Thurs - 7.5
Friday 7.5
Sat - 7.5
Sun - 16
That sets me up for a 51 mile week, and only 2 speed sessions. I'm feeling good, and I'm going BUST this OUT! So, until tommorrow, LIVESTRONG and Train Hard!
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