Tuesday, December 15
5 miles and gym
Drumroll please...after over a month I finally went back to the gym. You know its bad when a) the guy at the front desk thought that you had quit the gym and b) the gym actually emailed you concerned that you were lacking in motivation (sorry, Frogs, I was just busy running 70 miles a week and racing a half marathon).
Wednesday December 16
8 miles; 2 mi warm up 4 mi @ Marathon Pace, 2 mi c/d
Okay. Ow. Apparently the gym killed me. This was supposed to be 4 miles at tempo pace. But in reality, the splits barely qualified as marathon pace. At least I got some work in.
Thursday, December 17
12 miles, San Elijo
Ok, I think things hurt worse today then yesterday. Damn you Frogs.
Friday, December 18
8 miles, North on 101
Finally am able to get up from my chair at work without wincing...but still not 100%. Run felt better than yesterday at least and the thought of doing some speed over the weekend isn't entirely frightening.
Saturday, December 19
14 miles; 4x5mi @ Tempo Pace w/ 1 min distance pace
Ran on the Bike Path with Pope. Not my day for a workout. Each pick up felt AWFUL. Legs are NOT recovered from the gym session. Was supposed to do a 20 min T after 30 min distance pace but bagged it. At least it was nice to run with Pope.
Sunday, December 20
16 miles, South up TP Hill
Ran out in the "lounge" and back with Fern. Splits for must of the run were in the 7:15-7:30 range. Solid run.
Weekly Mileage - 71
Monday, December 21
Duty calls...in to work early today. OFF.
Tuesday, December 22
12 miles; 2 mi w/u and c/d w/ 8mi @ Marathon Pace (~6:50)
Woke up to howling winds before the sun even rose. It was one of those mornings where there is a high risk of turning off the alarm and never making it out the door. But my motivation has been increasing and by 6:20 I found myself out for a warm up. The wind was so bad I actually stumbled at one point, so I pulled the So Cal card and warmed up to the gym to do the workout on the treadmill. I am in desperate need of a workout that goes well so I figured if I just hopped on the treadmill and plugged in my pace the only way I could fall of pace was if I literally fell off the treadmill. Overall, good decision as I felt strong and comfortable for my 8 mile jaunt at marathon pace. (6:53, then down to 6:44 and 6:35 for the last two miles). Never struggled and felt good.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
And the Marathon Training begins...
Saturday, December 12
16 miles, up Torrey Pines Road
First long run of the Marathon Training season and this was a good one. My pace was strong the whole time, despite the dreaded Torrey Pines hill that always kills my average pace on this run. I decided to do the last 2 miles of the long run at sub marathon pace just to wake up the legs a bit and get some practice running on tired legs. Ended up finishing the last two miles in 6:29 and 6:21 so am feeling pretty good about my ability to hit that tempo pace despite being tired.
Sunday, December 13
OFF
A combo of a trip to disneyland plus some weekend work that needed to get done first thing monday morning resulted in an off day. This was the last day of my week of not caring about mileage. Monday starts Marathon training.
Monday, December 14
8 Miles North on 101
I always feel a bit better when I'm up for a bit before I run. This morning I had some work to do before I was able to get out the door, and overall I just felt so much better in the beginning of the run. I wish I had the luxury of time to wake up and get out the door a little later in the mornings. I guess my only option is to keep pushing that wake up time earlier and earlier.
16 miles, up Torrey Pines Road
First long run of the Marathon Training season and this was a good one. My pace was strong the whole time, despite the dreaded Torrey Pines hill that always kills my average pace on this run. I decided to do the last 2 miles of the long run at sub marathon pace just to wake up the legs a bit and get some practice running on tired legs. Ended up finishing the last two miles in 6:29 and 6:21 so am feeling pretty good about my ability to hit that tempo pace despite being tired.
Sunday, December 13
OFF
A combo of a trip to disneyland plus some weekend work that needed to get done first thing monday morning resulted in an off day. This was the last day of my week of not caring about mileage. Monday starts Marathon training.
Monday, December 14
8 Miles North on 101
I always feel a bit better when I'm up for a bit before I run. This morning I had some work to do before I was able to get out the door, and overall I just felt so much better in the beginning of the run. I wish I had the luxury of time to wake up and get out the door a little later in the mornings. I guess my only option is to keep pushing that wake up time earlier and earlier.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Las Vegas Half Marathon
Saturday December 5
Nice easy five mile jog to shake out the legs.
Sunday December 6
Las Vegas Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon
First, the stats...
Time: 1:24:45
Splits: 6:31, 6:22, 6:27, 6:23, 6:17, 6:20
6:23, 6:17, 6:23, 6:30, 6:32, 6:35, 6:39
5K: 20:07
10K: 40:00
10 Mile: 1:04:18
Temperature: 34F
Terrain: Flat
Overall: 111th
Female: 20th
Age Divisiion: 5th
Overall I was super pleased with this race. My goal had been to break 1:25 so I just sneaked in to accomplish that. I felt so comfortable up through 8 miles. I was not expecting to feel so strong with my lack of quality workouts. The cold didn't bother me at all. In fact I found the weather to be almost perfect. My right quad got super tight at mile 9 and my stride wasn't very smooth for the last 4 miles, but I focused on pushing through and only lost a little time in the last three miles. My pace was pretty consistent throughout the whole race and I felt that I raced really smart. I backed off in the beginning when I felt the pace was dropping too far below 6:20 and picked it up whenever I felt it was getting too relaxed.
With better training and now the experience of a Half, I feel i can really improve on my time and run a lot faster. I'm excited to give this distance another whirl.
Highlights of the race: Chick that yelled out "I like your hair!" and Vegas' own "Stimulus Package" offered at a strip club around mile 8.
Monday December 7
OFF
Tuesday December 8
OFF
Wednesday December 9
8 Miles, South on 101
Felt surprisingly good on my first run after the Half. Didn't go very fast but didn't feel tired. Just felt relaxed. Right quad is still uber tight. Rolled afterwards and fought tears. That is one intense knot going on in there.
Thursday December 10
10 Miles, San Elijo
Super slow today, just enjoying the run and spacing out a little. Time to pick it up soon...
Nice easy five mile jog to shake out the legs.
Sunday December 6
Las Vegas Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon
First, the stats...
Time: 1:24:45
Splits: 6:31, 6:22, 6:27, 6:23, 6:17, 6:20
6:23, 6:17, 6:23, 6:30, 6:32, 6:35, 6:39
5K: 20:07
10K: 40:00
10 Mile: 1:04:18
Temperature: 34F
Terrain: Flat
Overall: 111th
Female: 20th
Age Divisiion: 5th
Overall I was super pleased with this race. My goal had been to break 1:25 so I just sneaked in to accomplish that. I felt so comfortable up through 8 miles. I was not expecting to feel so strong with my lack of quality workouts. The cold didn't bother me at all. In fact I found the weather to be almost perfect. My right quad got super tight at mile 9 and my stride wasn't very smooth for the last 4 miles, but I focused on pushing through and only lost a little time in the last three miles. My pace was pretty consistent throughout the whole race and I felt that I raced really smart. I backed off in the beginning when I felt the pace was dropping too far below 6:20 and picked it up whenever I felt it was getting too relaxed.
With better training and now the experience of a Half, I feel i can really improve on my time and run a lot faster. I'm excited to give this distance another whirl.
Highlights of the race: Chick that yelled out "I like your hair!" and Vegas' own "Stimulus Package" offered at a strip club around mile 8.
Monday December 7
OFF
Tuesday December 8
OFF
Wednesday December 9
8 Miles, South on 101
Felt surprisingly good on my first run after the Half. Didn't go very fast but didn't feel tired. Just felt relaxed. Right quad is still uber tight. Rolled afterwards and fought tears. That is one intense knot going on in there.
Thursday December 10
10 Miles, San Elijo
Super slow today, just enjoying the run and spacing out a little. Time to pick it up soon...
Friday, December 4, 2009
Cold cold cold.
Friday December 4
6 Miles south via neighborhoods
Good god it was cold this morning. My face hurt. How did i ever live on the east coast. I wonder what temperature it really was. I am so screwed for Vegas. I just checked the weather report. On sunday morning it is supposed to be 34 degrees (feels like 30 degrees). You would think 4 years on the east coast would have done something for me. Oh well, let the adventure begin...
6 Miles south via neighborhoods
Good god it was cold this morning. My face hurt. How did i ever live on the east coast. I wonder what temperature it really was. I am so screwed for Vegas. I just checked the weather report. On sunday morning it is supposed to be 34 degrees (feels like 30 degrees). You would think 4 years on the east coast would have done something for me. Oh well, let the adventure begin...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Climbing out of the rut.
Tuesday December 2
6 miles at night in Carmel Valley + 8 100m strides
Too much going on. Felt antsy. Felt tired. However, it felt really good to do some nice strong strides. I also worked out a lot in my head in regards to my training, especially my gameplan for the next 8-10 weeks. By the time I rolled back to the office I felt much more at ease.
Wednesday December 3
8 miles North on 101
Well whatdya know. I managed to drag my ass out of bed and run before work. It wasn't even that much of a struggle. I felt like running, which was wonderful. Still felt like i was dragging on the run. I'm tight. Haven't been stretching much. Plus as lame as this is I think the strides from last night got me a little tight (didn't stretch after the run or strides. oops). Goes to show you how little speed I've been doing. My body just isn't use to it. Still, overall felt like today's run was a step in the right direction out of this little funk I've been in since Saturday.
6 miles at night in Carmel Valley + 8 100m strides
Too much going on. Felt antsy. Felt tired. However, it felt really good to do some nice strong strides. I also worked out a lot in my head in regards to my training, especially my gameplan for the next 8-10 weeks. By the time I rolled back to the office I felt much more at ease.
Wednesday December 3
8 miles North on 101
Well whatdya know. I managed to drag my ass out of bed and run before work. It wasn't even that much of a struggle. I felt like running, which was wonderful. Still felt like i was dragging on the run. I'm tight. Haven't been stretching much. Plus as lame as this is I think the strides from last night got me a little tight (didn't stretch after the run or strides. oops). Goes to show you how little speed I've been doing. My body just isn't use to it. Still, overall felt like today's run was a step in the right direction out of this little funk I've been in since Saturday.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Looking for something to help me burn out bright....
Monday December 1, 2009
8 miles at night in Carmel Valley
Been having some difficulty rallying to get out of bed to run in the mornings. It's not fatigue. Quite frankly, it's a lack of motivation. As I mentioned before, i'm just a little burnt out right now. This is nothing new. I went through it all the time in High School and College. I just need to get through the race this weekend with 100% focus, then take a little time off and regroup, refocus and recenter myself. My first Marathon is slotted for Superbowl Sunday and I plan to be ready to rock. But after this sunday I just need a mental break for a few days...
8 miles at night in Carmel Valley
Been having some difficulty rallying to get out of bed to run in the mornings. It's not fatigue. Quite frankly, it's a lack of motivation. As I mentioned before, i'm just a little burnt out right now. This is nothing new. I went through it all the time in High School and College. I just need to get through the race this weekend with 100% focus, then take a little time off and regroup, refocus and recenter myself. My first Marathon is slotted for Superbowl Sunday and I plan to be ready to rock. But after this sunday I just need a mental break for a few days...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Refocusing.
Once again I have fallen behind. I hate this feeling of being overwhelmed. Time to play a quick game of catch up:
Weekly Mileage
Nov 9-15 --> 70 miles
Nov 16-22 --> 60 miles
Nov 23-29 --> 58 miles
Key Events
Dirt Dog Cross Country Championships (Morely Field 4 Miles)
After a 30 mile week due to being more sick than I can remember being, then ramping the mileage back up to 70 to get on pace, i was pretty sure I was headed for disaster with this race. Woke up without any desire to run. Somehow managed to change my attitude between changing into the singlet and downing some espresso and realized that I am so lucky to be running, I LOVE running, and who cares if my body wasn't going to be at 100%, i was going to enjoy this amazing experience.
So imagine my surprise when I not only felt strong and confident after the gun went off, but managed to have a pretty good race. The hilly course and slow terrain probably worked to my advantage, as the slower pace of the race helped me settle in and feel comfortable despite the lack of quality workouts as of late. Haven't enjoyed a race as much as I did this one in this entire series. Go figure.
Overall: 6th
Time: 25:40
Overall for the Dirt Dog Series: 7th
18-mile Sunday Run
This deserves its own caption. It was a new threshold in running. I've gotten to the point in my mileage where I can bang out a 12 miler, what used to be my long run, as if it was just a normal run. My 16 mile long runs don't even feel like such an insurmountable task anymore. That being said, this run rocked me. I started out with the boys, which forced me into an honest past form the get-go. Add in Torrey Pines road (which can be just as brutal coming down as going up) and by the time I hit 14 miles I felt like I was in some unchanging desert and it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. I wasn't too tired to keep going...i was still clipping at a decent pace, but my mind was done, and I just wanted the run to be over. It was a whole new running experience for me. I couldn't eat after I ran (and I can ALWAYS eat) and my knees were totally F'd up for a week and a half afterwards. I know I'll be doing it again. But, Wow. wow.
O'side Turkey Trot 5K
Newsflash: If you don't do any sort of speed workouts the body is not going to enjoy running sub 6 minute pace. I have not been doing workouts. Between being sick and about a thousand other things getting in the way, I've been getting in the miles but the quality has not been good. This race was my first indication of that. I felt like I was flying. And not because I felt good, but it just felt like I was running so incredibly fast, yet I was only averaging low 5:50s. This race has indicated I really need to reevaluate my training if I want to improve. Miles just aren't going to cut it.
Place: 3rd in age division, 6th overall, I think.
Time: 18:22
Wrap up Thoughts
Quite a few things on my mind and not much time to get into it.
1. Vegas Half is this weekend. I'm concerned because of my lack of workouts, but hoping that because of the distance my mileage will help carry me through.
2. WTF happened to my workouts? I don't even know. I was doing okay until I got sick, then all of a sudden workouts just stopped. I need a new plan to get my ass out the door and doing some speedier stuff. I hate workout out alone and I hate stressing out at work about getting out in time to make a workout. Last year there were 6AM workouts at UCSD that I went to. I think I need to look into getting back into those. I can't improve with the crap training I've been doing. There is no quality.
3. I'm getting burnt out. I've been running non-stop since July, building mileage. I'm not sick of racing and I'm not even sick of running...but I'm just a little burnt out. I might need some time after Vegas to regroup both phsyically and mentally.
4. When was the last time I went to the gym? Am I TRYING to get reinjured?
Weekly Mileage
Nov 9-15 --> 70 miles
Nov 16-22 --> 60 miles
Nov 23-29 --> 58 miles
Key Events
Dirt Dog Cross Country Championships (Morely Field 4 Miles)
After a 30 mile week due to being more sick than I can remember being, then ramping the mileage back up to 70 to get on pace, i was pretty sure I was headed for disaster with this race. Woke up without any desire to run. Somehow managed to change my attitude between changing into the singlet and downing some espresso and realized that I am so lucky to be running, I LOVE running, and who cares if my body wasn't going to be at 100%, i was going to enjoy this amazing experience.
So imagine my surprise when I not only felt strong and confident after the gun went off, but managed to have a pretty good race. The hilly course and slow terrain probably worked to my advantage, as the slower pace of the race helped me settle in and feel comfortable despite the lack of quality workouts as of late. Haven't enjoyed a race as much as I did this one in this entire series. Go figure.
Overall: 6th
Time: 25:40
Overall for the Dirt Dog Series: 7th
18-mile Sunday Run
This deserves its own caption. It was a new threshold in running. I've gotten to the point in my mileage where I can bang out a 12 miler, what used to be my long run, as if it was just a normal run. My 16 mile long runs don't even feel like such an insurmountable task anymore. That being said, this run rocked me. I started out with the boys, which forced me into an honest past form the get-go. Add in Torrey Pines road (which can be just as brutal coming down as going up) and by the time I hit 14 miles I felt like I was in some unchanging desert and it was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. I wasn't too tired to keep going...i was still clipping at a decent pace, but my mind was done, and I just wanted the run to be over. It was a whole new running experience for me. I couldn't eat after I ran (and I can ALWAYS eat) and my knees were totally F'd up for a week and a half afterwards. I know I'll be doing it again. But, Wow. wow.
O'side Turkey Trot 5K
Newsflash: If you don't do any sort of speed workouts the body is not going to enjoy running sub 6 minute pace. I have not been doing workouts. Between being sick and about a thousand other things getting in the way, I've been getting in the miles but the quality has not been good. This race was my first indication of that. I felt like I was flying. And not because I felt good, but it just felt like I was running so incredibly fast, yet I was only averaging low 5:50s. This race has indicated I really need to reevaluate my training if I want to improve. Miles just aren't going to cut it.
Place: 3rd in age division, 6th overall, I think.
Time: 18:22
Wrap up Thoughts
Quite a few things on my mind and not much time to get into it.
1. Vegas Half is this weekend. I'm concerned because of my lack of workouts, but hoping that because of the distance my mileage will help carry me through.
2. WTF happened to my workouts? I don't even know. I was doing okay until I got sick, then all of a sudden workouts just stopped. I need a new plan to get my ass out the door and doing some speedier stuff. I hate workout out alone and I hate stressing out at work about getting out in time to make a workout. Last year there were 6AM workouts at UCSD that I went to. I think I need to look into getting back into those. I can't improve with the crap training I've been doing. There is no quality.
3. I'm getting burnt out. I've been running non-stop since July, building mileage. I'm not sick of racing and I'm not even sick of running...but I'm just a little burnt out. I might need some time after Vegas to regroup both phsyically and mentally.
4. When was the last time I went to the gym? Am I TRYING to get reinjured?
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